Returning to France after just a few years

Here are some reflections on a return visit to France, Oct. 26-Nov. 7, 2013, after four years away.

• The flight on Air France (800/237-2747) from San Francisco to Paris, nonstop, was good as ever. Two hours after dinner, the cabin crew handed out ice cream bars to the passengers.

Unless I’ve been growing taller, which seems unlikely, the seat pitch in economy in the Airbus was screwed down about as far as it could go. My knees were firmly pressed against the seat in front.

Fortunately, we could walk down the aisle to the space next to the galley and do some deep knee bends to restore circulation. On the flight back, on a 777, the space was fine.

• We landed on time in France at 11:30 a.m., which meant that, with the usual debarkation delays, we hit the Immigration line at noon, just when the Immigration officers went to lunch. As a result, there were only three guichets (windows) open for several hundred passengers. This added perhaps 25 minutes to the time it took us to clear the airport — no problem except for anyone who had a connection to make.

• There were still luggage carts at the airport. At the railroad stations, on the other hand, they’ve disappeared, ousted by the ubiquitous roll-away — bad news for travelers who still carry their bags.

• Despite all the talk about how to pay for travel on the Paris Métro, the good old carnet (booklet) of 10 tickets is still for sale — perhaps not the cheapest way to get around but the simplest. 

In the buses, however, the ticket stamper in the middle of the bus has disappeared. It’s been replaced by a not-very-conspicuous slot in the structure housing the driver, just under the driver’s right elbow. After you find the slot, you put your ticket in to validate it.

• We have previously recommended (July ’07, pg. 60), and continue to recommend, Hôtel du Nord et de l’Est (49 rue de Malte 75011, Paris, France; phone +33 [0] 1 47 00 71 70). 

However, since we were last there, it has gained a third star from the tourism authorities. This is a solid two-star hotel, but at three stars it is punching a little bit above its weight. Is it possible that “star inflation” is affecting the hotel ratings?

(Rates at the hotel range from €72 [near $97] for a single room to €280 [$377] for a 4-person suite. A double with bath runs €90-€180.)

• Paris restaurants are not particularly cheap. Why should they be, given the quality of the food? But they don’t stint on portion size. My rule of thumb was “If it costs more than €12 (near $16), you won’t have room for dessert.”

• The end of smoking in French restaurants and cafés has been a huge boon for diners, but the French still smoke like chimneys at the outside tables of any establishment. Therefore, the diner must not only seek a seat inside but see that the door to the outside is firmly closed.

• All the restaurants we went to accepted American credit cards. When a customer offered a card in payment, the waiter came to the table with a portable card reader. If the card was a European-style card, the waiter inserted the card into the side of the card reader, entered the amount of the bill, then presented the card reader to the customer to enter his PIN.

However, if the card was American, there was a vertical slot in the side of the card reader through which the waiter swiped the card. The card reader paused for a moment of transatlantic communication, then (assuming the customer paid his credit card bill the previous month) spit out two receipts, just like in the US. The customer signed one and gave it to the waiter, keeping the other for his records.

• To hold an apartment we had rented, we sent by wire transfer a 200-euro deposit (at the time, $283.52). Our bank charged us $35 for the transfer. At the other end, the apartment owner was charged €21 ($29.77) to receive the transfer. Is there any cheaper way for us to send money abroad?

• If you buy something fairly expensive to take home, you may want to apply for the VAT refund. This can either be a rebate to your credit card — which comes through a month or so after you return to the States — or an offer of a direct cash payment at the airport before you fly home.

I suggest taking the credit card rebate. The airport cash payment system plunges you into a chaotic, baffling Catch-22 in which you can’t get the money until you get a Customs stamp, but the Customs office is somewhere else, so you stand in line twice. However, if you already checked your bags, the item you bought may not be available to show the Customs officers. And throughout all that, you’re worrying about not making your flight. Fuggeddaboutit.

MICHAEL MAHONEY

San Francisco, CA