A few Last Minute Tips--reposted...for this year!

Here are a few things that you might consider while you are packing up to go. First, make sure that you notify your credit card company that you (or your child) will be traveling and where that will be. That way, when they see charges in Paris they won't think that someone unauthorized has taken off with your card. Students: be sure to bring along your student ID or some other way of identifying how old you are so that you do not have to tote around your passport. Many attractions in Paris are free for under 18's and reduced for 18-25's. Also, for your carry-on, you may want to consider a comfortable bag that zips shut. That way, when we are walking around you will have piece of mind that your wallet won't walk! Also be sure to keep an eye on the weather...

Lastly, furnish your mind these last weeks before the trip.
Visit the Slow Travel site (the link is posted for you). This site is INVALUABLE! It gives lots of great advice on things you would never think of (like bathroom etiquette in Paris, who knew?). Brush up on your Art History (good book: The Story of Art) and look up the sights we will be seeing online. Look on google maps at the satellite view of the places we will be staying to give yourself a sense of space. Finally watch some movies, especially those with subtitles so you get used to listening to the language. Here is a list of some that I have enjoyed, but feel free to post others!! French: Amelie, Chacun Cherche Son Chat (have not seen this but have heard that it is great), Trois Couleurs: Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge, An American in Paris, Ronin, The Bourne Identity (some scenes, though it gives you a feel for Europe) and if you must: The DaVinci Code. Italy: A Room With a View (!!), Under the Tuscan Sun, Tea with Mussolini, Il Postino (about Neruda, the poet), Stealing Beauty (though this might be a bit risque, I've heard and read it is a great portrait of Toscana ). A bit of a warning: pretty much any movie about Tuscany has a subplot about some American being swept off her feet by her new-found lack of inhibitions or a hot Italian. Parisian movies sometimes have uncomfortably realistic love scenes. Just want you to be prepared...but don't let that scare you-just fast-forward. It is worth it to see the places and hear the language.
Books: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables, A Tale of Two Cities, DaVinci Code (hey, it's fun), The Lives of the Artists (Vasari), The Italians (fascinating), the Rough Guides to Paris and Tuscany, Rick Steves books and videos, phrasebooks, pod casts on learning French and Italian (!!)