Just an idle thought: is it possible to hold the French GP at Le Mans?

we go every other year to France.... usually Paris... Until 2010 I've never had any problem getting a taxi ... we usually stay on St. Louis and cross over to either Notre Dame or cross over the river to Chatlet and get a cab... but last time it was crazy- simply no cabs. the drivers I spoke to about it stated that Paris is limiting the number of cabs by charging higher cab taxes etc... but it really makes me crazy... that a huge city like that makes it so hard to get around on short notice.... when you are all dressed up you just dont feel like taking the metro, and then walking everywhere... and forget about getting a rental car... parking is CRAZY.

adieu![/QUOTE]

Sorry for that, Tom...one of the problems of many european cities is of course that they were built long before the invention of automobiles, so even with reshaping the streets, there is not much you can do for traffic and parking. Especially in a city like Paris, which is trying to preserve its character, so very few changes in the circulation are possible.
People should not be left without any taxi, especially in the sector you were visiting (Ile St Louis / Notre Dame / Chatelet) because the métro line in that sector (line n°4) is the one with the highest presence of pickpockets...
The taxi situation is indeed bad, and is probably not going to be better before long.
Should you come back one day nevertheless, I'd be happy to have a drink with you.

Best,

 

SO MANY THINGS ARE WRONG WITH THEM! Where should one start, I do love the food and wine, and if southern France would secede from northern it may not hurt......

all in good fun of course.

 

Maybe I need to have a talk with them.

 

Anytime you like (and, for the record I am from the Northeast part, even if living in Paris).

Meanwhile: the present government still has not signed Bernie's contract, as for today, Saturday May 5th, 6:40.
Presidential election tomorrow; according to the predictions, the country will change of President, and the probable future one doesn't want a Grand Prix.
Game over?

 

Yes, they never even brought the chess board out to play......Hollande will be too busy eating his pudding.

 

Tres bien.

Heading to the airport now.

Ah, the grandstand at Reims, the Maginot line and La Coupole. All on my to-do list for visiting at some future point.

 

Well, I can easily provide the Maginot line excursion...In the case of my family, the Maginot line would have been useless in any case, because we lived not behind it, but in front of it: between the line and the german border.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, fort is a twenty minutes drive from the family house: try "ouvrage hackenberg" in the english Wikipedia.
As for the grandstands at Reims, I'm not sure there are still there...
Best,

 

I hope you would be able to come, I would be glad to have a chat with you. Who knows? Perhaps we would even have a Grand Prix de France de Formule 1 again...

 

Reims renovated the pits I believe.

Here a shot from my trip. I'm sure you recognize it.
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