Tag Archives: Paris

Au revoir! Istanbul and Rome knock Paris and New York off top spots of 10 best destinations in the world (and London scoops third place)

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Փարիզ

 

Paris has been knocked off the number one spot of the world’s top destination – with Istanbul now firmly in first place.

Despite announcing record tourist figures for 2013, the French capital lost out to Turkey, dropping to seventh in this year’s Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards, voted for by millions of holidaymakers.

A newcomer to the top 10, Istanbul swooped in to the number one position, just ahead of Rome, which itself rose two places from fourth last year.

 

 

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New York was gazumped by Rome from second place, falling out of the top 10 of the TripAdvisor list to number 12, figures released today show.

However, London managed to retain the same position as last year, holding fast to its title as the third best destination in the world.

This year’s fourth place in the world’s top destinations awards went to China’s Beijing, followed by the Czech Republic’s Prague to make up the top five.

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Zut alors! New York beats Paris to become the most fashionable city in the world

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Paris - second place

 

New York, home to $1 pizza slices and Carrie Bradshaw, is officially more fashionable than Paris, home to haute couture and better cheese.

According to new research released today by the Global Language Monitor, an Austin-based data-research company that catalogs trends in word usage, New York is the reigning fashion capital of the world.

Paris finished in second place, with London and Los Angeles close behind. Asia was also well represented with Shanghai in the tenth spot followed by Tokyo (11), Singapore (19), and Hong Kong (20).

Over the course of three years the Global Language Monitor tracked 250,000 blogs, print outlets, and social media channels, looking for buzzwords associated with haute couture, ready-to-wear, and fashion.

It then looked at the frequency and contextual usage of the words, creating a set of data able to rank global fashion cities.

New York City, therefore, showed up more than Paris or London in relation to words like fashion, fashionable, best designers, street style — but it was a narrow win: New York City bet Paris by 0.5per cent.

 

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‘Do not stare at beautiful women’: Paris releases 12 commandments for how to behave on its Metro system

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Փարիզ,մետրո

 

Most people know the handful of rules that govern using the London Underground – such as letting passengers off the train first and not prizing the doors open when the train is trying to set off.

These orders are barked out by station staff through a loudspeaker system.

Parisians also have rules for their underground system. However, these have been distributed with a little more sophistication – via an online ‘politeness’ manual released by the Paris transport authority to ensure civility prevails at all times.
Called the ‘Manuel du savoir-vivre à l’usage du voyageur moderne’ – or ‘politeness manual for the modern traveller’ – it lists 12 ‘commandments’ for Parisians to abide by and comes complete with quaint sketches to illustrate the points.

The rules insist that Parisians must offer help to tourists ‘in Bermuda shirts with a metro map in one hand and the other hand in their hair’, hold the door open for passengers behind them – and greet the driver.

Travellers should also understand, the guide states, that ‘the huge crossed out cigarette on the platform is not a work of art but a ban on smoking’.

 

 

Staring at beautiful women-metro

The key no-nos are not playing music too loudly through headphones, resisting the temptation to stare for a long time at beautiful women and holding back from starting a fight with someone who’s just stepped on your toes.

Loud phone conversations should also be avoided, old lady’s bags should be carried up stairs, armpits should be covered by arms and not exposed to the carriage – and handkerchiefs not just used to wave someone off with, but to sneeze into.

Last but not least – the Metro is not to be mistaken for a lavatory.

վարորդին:

Երթևեկողները պետք է նաև հասկանան, որ պատին փակցված ծխախոտի վրա խաչ քաշված պատկերը արվեստի գործ չէ, այլ ծխելու արգելման նշան:

Հիմնական չթույլատրված գործողություններից են նաև ականջակալներով բարձր երաժշտություն լսելը, երկար ժամանակ գեղեցիկ կնոջը նայելը և ձեր ոտքը տրորած մարդու հետ չկռվելը:

Պետք է խուսափել նաև հեռախոսով բարձր խոսելուց, վերև բարձրացնել ծեր կնոջ պայուսակները, թևատակերը պետք է ծածկել թևերով, ոչ թե ցուցադրել ամբողջ վագոնի մարդկանց, իսկ թաշկինակները պետք է օգտագործել դրանց մեջ փռշտալու, ոչ թե ինչ-որ մեկին ճանապարհելիս թափահարելու համար:

Եվ վերջին ցուցումը զգուշացնում է մետրոն չշփոթել զուգարանի հետ:

 

Protest at Paris Schools Over Immigrant Expulsions

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Ֆրանսիա, Փարիզ,բողոքի ակցիաներ,ներգաղթյալներ

 

Hundreds of teenagers are erecting barricades outside their schools and marching through Paris to protest police expulsions of immigrant families.

Anger erupted this week over the treatment of a 15-year-old Kosovar girl, detained in front of classmates on a field trip. The government says her family had been denied asylum and was no longer allowed to stay in France.

Such expulsions occur regularly around France as the government tries to limit illegal immigration. The students, saying the expulsions are unfair to children, hope to pressure the Socialist-led government into allowing a recently expelled Armenian boy and the Kosovar girl to return to France.

At one high school in Paris, students piled green garbage cans in front of the entrance and hung a banner saying “Education in Danger.”

 

Worried tourism chiefs hand out leaflets on how to be nice in a bid to rid Paris of its image as one of the world’s rudest cities

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paris2Desperate to shed its image as one of the world’s rudest cities, Paris has embarked on a campaign to improve its reputation and better cater to the needs of tourists.

Waiters, taxi drivers and sales staff in the French capital all too often come off as impolite, unhelpful and unable to speak foreign languages, say local tourism chiefs, who are handing out a manual with guidelines on better etiquette.

A six-page booklet entitled ‘Do you speak Touriste?’ contains greetings in eight languages including German, Chinese and Portuguese and advice on the spending habits and cultural codes of different nationalities.

‘The British like to be called by their first names,’ the guide explains, while Italians should be shaken by the hand and Americans reassured on prices.

Of the Chinese, the fastest-growing category of tourists visiting the city, the guide says they are ‘fervent shoppers’ and that ‘a simple smile and hello in their language will fully satisfy them’.

France is the world’s top destination for foreign tourists, with Paris visited by 29 million people last year.

The Paris chamber of commerce and the regional tourism committee have warned, however, that growing competition from friendlier cities such as London meant Paris needed to work harder to attract visitors, especially from emerging market countries.

Some 30,000 copies of the handbook on friendly service are being distributed to taxi drivers, waiters, hotel managers and sales people in tourist areas from the banks of the Seine river up to Montmartre and in nearby Versailles and Fontainebleau.