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Invitation!!
Invitation initial info about lodging in Dol de Bretange Lodging info on trains and planes Travel Some places to visit in the area Visiting Bridal/Gift registry - Liste de mariage Gift Registry some links to info on Dol de Bretagne Links back to the beginning Home all new! FAQ (that rhymes)FAQ |
Q:What do I wear? A: First thing is for the wedding, it's dressy, not casual. No jeans and t-shirts for instance. You don't have to go overboard with shoes, for guys any dark or black non sneakers shoes will do. For girls the type of shoes you wear with skirts would be fine. At the wedding I'll be wearing a suit with a white shirt and dark burgundy-ish tie with a pin-stripe suit and pants. It's very dressy, but not stuffy and old-looking. The tie is very festive. If you have a suit and tie wear that. For pants, any type of slacks will do. Just don't dress like you're going to a funeral, and don't dress like you're going to a nightclub. For women skirts with a nice top is fine, you don't have to go fullblown on a dress, but there will be people there with nice dresses also, so you won't be overdressed. Friday's BBQ and Sunday's Lunch are both casual. You can wear whatever you want. The only formal things are the wedding ceremony and the dinner. So don't worry, you won't be uncomfortable for long. :) Q: How do I get from the airport to the train station and vice-versa? A: That's answered in this section of the site. Q: I heard French people are rude. Is that true? A: Well, it was probably Parisians you heard about. And frankly, it is true. They aren't intentionally rude, the same way New Yorkers aren't really intentionally rude. Paris is a big city, and you'll find a big-city mentality there, the same as with any large US city. If you ask a Parisian a question and he looks annoyed and waves you off, don't mistake that for Frenchiness. Trust me, the same exact thing would happen to you in New York City in the US. Hell, I had a big city mentality myself when I was there, and I only lived there for three years. The language differences and mannerisms may lead to believe that a Parisian who has no time to talk is behaving offensively, but that's really not the case. Again, it's the same behavoir you see in any big city here. Q: OK, are there places in France where they are more friendly? A: Yes, plenty of places. Where we're getting married is one of them. Q: Do they really love Americans in Normandy like they show on TV? A: Kind of. There are still people in Normandy who were alive during WWII and remember what happened there when the US and Britain came to liberate them. Many of them respect the US for that. More importantly than that, I think, is the fact that there they will not pre-judge you just because you're American. Most French people won't do so, and are generally interested in meeting Americans, especially if they haven't ever been to the US. French people in the countryside I've found are some of the most polite people I've met anywhere. One thing that will suprise you is how in small towns and along the French countryside, the people are incredibly friendly compared to their rural and small-town counterparts in the US. Q: Speaking of Normandy, I like WWII stuff. Can you recommend anything cool? A: If you get the chance to do only one thing, see Pointe du Hoc. It's amazing. Also, for other WWII stuff, see the top part of the visiting section. Q: I don't know the language, am I going to be able to understand anything that's going on? A: The international language is English. In Charles de Gaulle airport there will be many people who speak English. Paris, is especially replete with English speakers. If you have time to learn a few key words in French before you go, that would be a good idea. the Rosetta Stone software is pretty good for that. If you do the entire level one lesson, you will know a good bit already. Once you get to Dol, you will have French-English translators (me) around to help you, so no worries there. Q: I'll be in Paris for a couple of days. Can you recommend anything? A: In no particular order: Tuileries and the Louvre (the garden of the Louvre Palace, and the giant art museum inside) centre Pompidou Arc de Triomphe de l'etoile (go to the top and look at Paris from atop the center of "l'etoile". One of the sites I'll never forget.) Notre Dame (this is a must see) Musée d'Orsay (this place is an art museum converted from an old train station. You can get nice views of Paris and Montmartre off in the distance just by looking out of the windows here.) Try taking a boat on the Seine, at night for added atmosphere Q: Why are you getting married now? I can barely afford to come, given the economy is melting down. A: Actually we announced the wedding last year before the subprime mortgage crisis even came to the forefront as a problem. I've been saying for years, at least since 2003 that this meldown was going to happen. If I put off my wedding every single year planning to hold it only after the meltdown has passed, basically I'd never have it. To put things in perspective, when we announced our wedding, gas was approximately 2.50 per gallon where we live. No one was even wondering about subprime mortgage meltdowns, and oil was below $90 per barrel. The Euro was worth 1.20 American Dollars. So, the economy basically spiralled downwardly out of control in an incredibly short amount of time since then. I can probably predict with 100% accuracy that any time I would have announced the wedding, the economy would have then immediately began to sprial out of control. More to come! |