sf
Mentor
It would be great to have threads devoted to a number of countries and cities and regions.
I really can't add that much here, but it would be enormously valuable to have our members add their 2 cents - a single thread filled with personal advice and experiences about a country for travelers (RFFers planning on spending time away from home).
I'd start with a feeble bit : a link to my website where i have pics of Paris/Versailles : www.shutterflower.com, and to say that knowing how to count to 20 in french, how to order food, how to ask where the bathroom is, and where the bank is are all the skills that I most needed while there for almost two weeks.
As far as actual advice, I'd say that for RF users here is MY list of things to bring :
camera. . .
smallest/lightest tripod possible. I brought one, and it was just fine for two weeks of carring it around. It just sort of slid into a couple loops on my camera bag. Nice. Very useful for after hours shooting, or for when I wanted to make use of that f32 aperture on the RF645. Get a tpod with a ballhead.
Film - I definitely appreciated having faster film, since during the winter there isn't a lot of light. I do, however, wish I had taken more color photos in France.
Have a good hood on your lens.
Ok, ok, this is pretty much spam so far . . .but here is the other stuff :
hand warmers - very nice when you want your fingers to work in the extreme cold. I actually NEEDED these during my day in Versailles. Fingers were literally numb and dead. I also put one in the camera bag (separate compartment) just to keep the temperature somewhere above freezing.
Lens wipes. Really, a can of air would have been great. But that is a bit excessive.
Comfortable shoes - I walked at least 10 hours solid every single day. My pinky toe on the right foot was bleeding.
Wipes - for hands. All those pastries will make your fingers sticky - gotta clean them before handling the camera!
a coat with a hood or a good, warm, waterproof hat.
Bread is usually around 80 cents (EURO style), and I spent a number of days eating just the bread and maybe a piece of cheese. Keep cash in your pocket - 5 euro will last the day if you eat like a bird. Lots of great places don't take cards.
pockets that are inside your coat AND that zip. Both at the same time. That was the one thing that saved me from losing my passport/wallet. ANd those crowds, in certain areas, have lots of hands. . .
If you smoke cigars, the only place I could find in Paris was across from the Louvre by the Jardin at the Palais Royal. Davidoff, I think.
In Versailles, see the palace. ANd have a place where you can keep your train ticket that is zippered and separate from everything else. I saw so many lost tickets . . .my cousin lost his once. Not a big deal, but it is hard when you have little $$$ to spend on replacing things.
someone add more. Or start a thread for another city/country.
I really can't add that much here, but it would be enormously valuable to have our members add their 2 cents - a single thread filled with personal advice and experiences about a country for travelers (RFFers planning on spending time away from home).
I'd start with a feeble bit : a link to my website where i have pics of Paris/Versailles : www.shutterflower.com, and to say that knowing how to count to 20 in french, how to order food, how to ask where the bathroom is, and where the bank is are all the skills that I most needed while there for almost two weeks.
As far as actual advice, I'd say that for RF users here is MY list of things to bring :
camera. . .
smallest/lightest tripod possible. I brought one, and it was just fine for two weeks of carring it around. It just sort of slid into a couple loops on my camera bag. Nice. Very useful for after hours shooting, or for when I wanted to make use of that f32 aperture on the RF645. Get a tpod with a ballhead.
Film - I definitely appreciated having faster film, since during the winter there isn't a lot of light. I do, however, wish I had taken more color photos in France.
Have a good hood on your lens.
Ok, ok, this is pretty much spam so far . . .but here is the other stuff :
hand warmers - very nice when you want your fingers to work in the extreme cold. I actually NEEDED these during my day in Versailles. Fingers were literally numb and dead. I also put one in the camera bag (separate compartment) just to keep the temperature somewhere above freezing.
Lens wipes. Really, a can of air would have been great. But that is a bit excessive.
Comfortable shoes - I walked at least 10 hours solid every single day. My pinky toe on the right foot was bleeding.
Wipes - for hands. All those pastries will make your fingers sticky - gotta clean them before handling the camera!
a coat with a hood or a good, warm, waterproof hat.
Bread is usually around 80 cents (EURO style), and I spent a number of days eating just the bread and maybe a piece of cheese. Keep cash in your pocket - 5 euro will last the day if you eat like a bird. Lots of great places don't take cards.
pockets that are inside your coat AND that zip. Both at the same time. That was the one thing that saved me from losing my passport/wallet. ANd those crowds, in certain areas, have lots of hands. . .
If you smoke cigars, the only place I could find in Paris was across from the Louvre by the Jardin at the Palais Royal. Davidoff, I think.
In Versailles, see the palace. ANd have a place where you can keep your train ticket that is zippered and separate from everything else. I saw so many lost tickets . . .my cousin lost his once. Not a big deal, but it is hard when you have little $$$ to spend on replacing things.
someone add more. Or start a thread for another city/country.
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ClaremontPhoto
Jon Claremont
My wife just knitted me gloves without fingers. Great for walking around and great for operating a camera.
Anywhere in EU carry your passport with you 24/7.
Anywhere in EU carry your passport with you 24/7.
R
RML
Guest
Jon Claremont said:
As a foreigner/tourist perhaps, but in my own country... forget it! Bl**dy mandatory-carrying-of-ID nonsense! Like a criminal is going to stop being a crook, or terrorist is going to be caught dead with his real name on an ID card.
OK. Enough ranting.
Good idea to start this country FAQ sheet!
Maybe expand it with must-see, must-shoot places?
ClaremontPhoto
Jon Claremont
I go to many late-night bars that get raided by the police and I need my passport about once every week or I'd get arrested.
I even need it when I go to the Post Office to buy stamps sometimes!
I even need it when I go to the Post Office to buy stamps sometimes!
Flyfisher Tom
Well-known
I found the French to be very hospitable if you attempt to speak French first, even rather elementary attempts. Perfectly understandable when you think about it, I would also be slightly more reserved with a foreigner in my country automatically assuming I understood or should communicate in his/her language. Make an sincere effort and you will be rewarded with courtesy.
There is just a certain lifestyle in France that I greatly admire, maybe its just the appreciation of wine, food and architecture that I love so much. Maybe its the most photographically beautiful country in my estimation other than Italy.
There is just a certain lifestyle in France that I greatly admire, maybe its just the appreciation of wine, food and architecture that I love so much. Maybe its the most photographically beautiful country in my estimation other than Italy.
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cbass
Nutmegger
Shutterflower & Flyfisher, thanks so much for the tips! I'll be following this thread with interest because I am traveling to Paris & Amsterdam in early April. Keep them coming, please. 
I've spent the last few weeks brushing up on my rudimentary French language skills and agonizing over which photo gear to bring. The ideal camera would be small, fast and quiet and could be used outdoors with fast film and indoors with no flash for places like museums. I want to return with nice photos but I also don't want to spend 10 days in Europe obsessing over gear .
Also, what is the weather like in Paris during April?
I've spent the last few weeks brushing up on my rudimentary French language skills and agonizing over which photo gear to bring. The ideal camera would be small, fast and quiet and could be used outdoors with fast film and indoors with no flash for places like museums. I want to return with nice photos but I also don't want to spend 10 days in Europe obsessing over gear
.Also, what is the weather like in Paris during April?
Alec
Amateur
We have a saying which sums it pretty nicely: En avril, ne te découvre pas d'un fil = In April, don't take a thread off your clothes! Welcome to you all...cbass said:
C
ch1
Guest
cbass said:
Following the advice of Cole Porter, I tried April in Paris. Found it to be chilly and damp. After a few days of that we hopped on the TGV and fled to Provence.
But, that said, like any great city you don't need good weather to enjoy Paris! In fact, I'd rather be visiting the Musee d'Orsay or Louvre etc. on a rainy day - who wants to spend a sunny 16 one indoors?
Oh and the food and wine and food and wine and....
akptc
Shoot first, think later
Great idea of a thread. If visiting France, I'd recommend stopping by Arras (north of Paris), it has a beautiful old town with cobblestones and Spanish architecture. In addition, if in northern France, I'd suggest stopping by a small town called Armentieres (this could be the wrong spelling), where the Stella Artois brewery is located - a must stop for a beer connoisseur.
N
Nikon Bob
Guest
Flyfisher Tom said:I found the French to be very hospitable if you attempt to speak French first, even rather elementary attempts. Perfectly understandable when you think about it, I would also be slightly more reserved with a foreigner in my country automatically assuming I understood or should communicate in his/her language. Make an sincere effort and you will be rewarded with courtesy.
There is just a certain lifestyle in France that I greatly admire, maybe its just the appreciation of wine, food and architecture that I love so much. Maybe its the most photographically beautiful country in my estimation other than Italy. And Paris, need I say more?
I could not agree with you more with respect to attempting to use even elementary french in communicating. There are more than enough loud and rude tourists who demand a reply in English to go around. You are right, just put the shoe on the other foot and see how it feels. Show courtesy and you are very likely to have it returned adding greatly to the enjoyment of your trip. This so important that it cannot be over stressed.
Alec
Amateur
If you visit that area (which few French people born outside it would understand), by all means stop here:
http://www.leclosstjacques.com/
http://www.leclosstjacques.com/
sooner
Well-known
Great thread, my wife and I plan to spend a week in Paris in mid-March. Sounds like we should expect it to be cold and rainy. But I'll take Paris any way I can. Keep the advice coming, keeping in mind (for me, at least) that I've been there before and know about the main attractions.