"France Frugally? Mais Oui!"
Published in Northwest Asian Weekly
with illustrations by Ann-Marie Stillion
In March we, two modestly paid Seattle editors, spent two
weeks soaking up the culture of France—from the verdant countryside of Provence
to the magical chic of Paris—for less than $2,500 total. For us, budget travel
wasn’t a choice but a necessity—it was either go cheaply or don’t go at all.
And we were determined to go.
It all started when friends living in Provence invited us to
visit. Having free lodging would keep costs way down, and Ann-Marie had never
been to Europe. We called a travel agent to book our flight. Two weeks sounded
right, we decided: the first week in Provence, the second in Paris.
Lodging
Although we’re frugal, we didn’t want to be freeloaders. Our
friends were giving us a sizable gift in hosting us for a week; in return, we
brought them books in English (their specific request) and Dilettante
Chocolates from the States, treated them to a few meals and bought groceries
now and then.
It was a week of long walks in the cool Provençal vineyards,
or “the great fields,” as the locals called them. We quickly became accustomed
to fantastic bottles of wine for 1.5 euros (one euro was worth a bit more than
a dollar) and spent our evenings in our friends’ 16th-century fortress house
beside a roaring fire. We went to flea markets and farmers’ markets, which
happen all over the region and where, it seemed, we could find almost anything.
The week was relaxing and fun, with plenty of opportunities to practice our
French with newfound friends in the village.
For our Parisian week, after briefly looking into budget
hotels, we decided to try subletting an apartment. It would be cheaper than
almost all hotels, we reasoned, andwe
could save lots of money on meals by cooking at home. Perhaps equally
compelling, staying in an apartment would give us the sense—priceless!—that for
one week at least, we were living in
Paris.
To find a sublet, we eschewed official apartment-rental
agencies (which charge higher prices) and turned to Craigslist (www.craigslist.org). We found a small
furnished studio in the Marais, quiet but centrally located, offered for $400 a
week by a Parisian living in Berkeley. We emailed back and forth a few months
before our trip, sent him our check and received the keys via UPS.
Airfare
Our travel agent advised us that airfares would go up by
several hundred dollars on April 1, the beginning of peak season, so we booked
our trip for March 14-28 to give us the best possible chance for good weather.
(It worked—not a drop of rain till the day we left!) Round-trip airfare for two
was $880, including taxes. And the flight, on SAS, was a thrilling adventure in
itself—wonderful meals, baskets of warm rolls, great movies, courteous flight
attendants and a big-screen map that tracked our progress across the world.
Getting Around
It seemed impossible: fit all our needs for two weeks into a
22-by-14-inch suitcase. But it was worth the struggle. Because our luggage was
light enough for us to manage ourselves (having suitcases with wheels helped),
we were able to use public transportation rather than cabs.
Within Paris, we got around via the Metro, or subway (around
1 euro per ride if you buy a book of 10 tickets). A carte hebdomadaire (around 15E), available in Metro stations,
allowed unlimited rides for a week. And we walked a lot, which was also a
(free) form of entertainment.
Food
We enjoyed a few breakfasts—crepes or omelets in outdoor
cafes at the Place des Vosges near our apartment, too lovely to resist—and
several lunches around town, but had just one dinner out during our week in
Paris, at a Senegalese restaurant that we’d happened upon in our neighborhood
(about 15E apiece).
Otherwise, we shopped in neighborhood supermarkets (like
Franprix, four blocks away), ethnic take-out shops and delis (including the
copious Jewish delis along the Marais’ Rue des Rosiers), and specialty-food
shops (the boulangerie, the patisserie, the fromagerie, etc.).
One day we strolled to the famous rue Mouffetard, a street
lined with food shops and stalls, where we bought the makings of a fabulous
dinner for less than 20E: roasted chicken and potatoes from an outdoor spit,
wild greens, various breads, three kinds of intriguing cheese (including a
dessert cheese studded with raisins that was to die for!). We had more than
enough for dinner—and leftovers the next day.
We evolved a breakfast routine that we both still miss: rising
early to go and fetch pastries from one of the half-dozen shops within a
four-block radius of our apartment. (Shall it be a tarte aux amandes or a croissant
au chocolat this morning? At around 1E apiece, we could get both!)
Throwing our windows wide to a wonderfully quiet courtyard
and the day, we’d set out the rest of the spread from our refrigerator: orange
juice, delicious whole-milk French yogurt, strawberries from an outdoor market
and any leftover delights from the previous day. Our receipts show that we
spent a total of 30E at Au Levain de Marais, our favorite pastry shop—worth
every euro, we’d say.
Sightseeing/Entertainment
Guided tours and the symphony, opera and theater were trop cher for our pocketbooks, so our
primary entertainment was free: the city, its people, its architecture. We’d
both read up: Sherri is a loyal subscriber to Paris Notes, a monthly newsletter written by Americans living in
Paris (www.parisnotes.com), and Ann-Marie had pored over Ellen Williams’ The Impressionists’ Paris, a delightful
small book of walking tours.
Whenever possible, we walked to destinations, often having
interesting adventures along the way. On a walk past Paris’ city hall, we
encountered a weekend Internet fair in a temporary tent erected on the plaza
outside. Ducking into the tent, we were greeted by handsome young Parisian
staffers who helped us check our email for free.
As we were strolling across the Seine to the rue Mouffetard
for groceries, a Parisian gentleman on a bike paused to ensure that we weren’t
lost and to give us his own tips on what to see. Followed the winding streets
down Montmartre’s hill after exploring several sites in Williams’ book, we
encountered a Russian artist living in France who invited us to join him in a
game of boules.
We visited a small, carefully chosen selection of museums.
After visiting the Musée d’Orsay on its half-price day (Sunday, 5E), we enjoyed
its grand Belle Epoque dining room by taking tea (rather than a full meal).
Instead of taking an expensive day trip to Monet’s home in
Giverny, where all the paintings are reproductions, we visited the Musée
Marmottan (7E), a lesser-known jewelbox by the Bois de Bologne boasting 65
original Monets as well as a lovely collection of works by fellow Impressionist
Berthe Morisot.
Our other artistic choices were the Musée Picasso,
conveniently located in our neighborhood, and a sublime Magritte exhibit at the
Jeu de Paume (for which we bought 10E advance tickets from FNAC, a European
cultural agency our friends had told us about, thus saving us from waiting in
the museum’s very long lines of tourists).
On
our last night in Paris, we splurged on 21E tickets to a
Chopin concert at St.-Julien-le-Pauvre, a beautiful, small 12th-century
Greek
Orthodox church near Notre Dame. (We’d seen a flyer for the concert on
our
visit to FNAC.) We enjoyed seats in the front row as Ann-Marie sketched
the pianist during the concert, and afterward he signed her drawing.
It was a fabulous finale to our frugal French frolic.
[Sidebar]
Sherri and Ann-Marie’s Eurocheap Travel Tips
- Stay
with friends, acquaintances, friends-of-friends—network shamelessly!
- Travel
outside of peak season. Buy tickets and arrange for passports, travel
insurance, etc., well in advance.
- Sublet
an apartment and shop for food where the locals shop.
- Pack
light—one suitcase, with wheels.
Bring an empty duffel bag, if you must, for the treasures you’ll acquire
along the way.
- Stay
out of cabs. Become friendly with public transportation, and pack a
well-broken-in pair of walking shoes.
- Let
the city be your primary entertainment; watch for free festivals, concerts
and the like.
- Shop
in the many flea markets for vintage clothing and goods.
