Paris Tips

I have just returned from Europe with a couple tips on Paris. If anyone rides the Metro (a great way to get around), they must be sure to keep their ride ticket (used to activate the gates and returned to the rider with a time stamp on it) until their trip is complete--even though every station is littered with them. There are random groups of Metro officials who check to make sure you have such a ticket with the proper time stamp and did not jump the gates to get in.

The second problem is with pay telephones. None of those on the streets of Paris, the railroad stations or hotel lobbies accept coins. They only work with special credit cards which each Parisian carries with him. Without such a card, you cannot use the phones. Plan on calling from your hotel room or sometimes (if you’re lucky) from a small commercial establishment which will charge you about 40 cents to use its business phone.

DICKRAN BARSAM

North Hollywood