A very warm welcome to a chilly Vichy! - Intensive French in Vichy

My first week in Vichy has been better than I could have anticipated. The train from Vichy to Paris was a very pleasant ride. I shared a carriage with a little girl and her father and on my left sat an old man whose face carried many stories. I was captured by the gentle nature of the young girl opposite and the way she ate her baguette.  To my right I looked out the window, green grass, grey skies and brick country style homes. I surprised myself by carrying a conversation in French with the two gentlemen for a good part of the trip. As I stepped onto the platform at Vichy I had a grin from one ear to the other. This simple human interaction had brought priceless satisfaction. I arrived on Sunday evening greeted by my host father who brought with him a beaming smile and a lot of French!

I was overflowing with uncertainty and nerves but that soon passed as I walked into a very warm home and a massive cuddle from my host mum. After the first night I couldn’t have felt more at home. I said to myself “this is too good to be true.”

I have enjoyed my first week of classes at Cavilam where each class has  been different to the previous. Unlike the structure of classes at home each lesson we cover something different, which I really enjoy. We learnt about ‘La Gallette Rois’ one day and the next we made a calendar marking the national celebrations in each of our countries. We presented an ‘expose’ or a presentation on a significant festival within our home country and used computers to view videos and practice comprehension. This comprehensive range of learning methods made each day new and interesting.

I’ve already made a huge group of international friends. We are Australian, Portuguese, Brazilian, Swiss, Dutch and Korean. Cavilam offers plenty of extra curricular activities so when we aren’t in class we’re either doing sport, going to the movies, meeting at the local café or learning to salsa dance. On Wednesday we visited nearby Thiers and on Saturday we made a day trip to Dijon and Beaune.

  I’m looking forward to week 2!

~ Emily

Emily Jay is currently completing the Intensive French in Vichy program this January 2013. Emily is in her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Arts at University of Newcastle

Week 1 update - International Business and Advertising blog with Savannah Lorenzin

Group photo while on our guided tour

Hello again everyone!

What a crazy first week it has been! It has felt like there has been a bit of everything jammed into just one week: arriving to a new and exciting city, meeting so many amazing people, learning French, ‘corridor’ parties, going to class in a whole new university, discovering the awesomely gigantic Carrefour, French cooking classes, the night life of Tours and so much more!

I’ll start from the beginning when I first arrived to Tours; my first impression of this beautiful town was just that: beautiful! It is a town that mixes old worldly charm with modern architecture in a truly captivating way. On our second day in Tours we were taken on a guided tour of the city and discovering the old historic buildings and cobbled stone roads was just incredible!

We all had a survival French class on Monday which was interesting, where we learnt things like the alphabet, numbers and phrases such as je suis etudiante (I am a student). Our teacher for that class could barely speak English, yet she was such an incredible teacher and managed to convey what she wanted to say perfectly!

Our first week of class at ECSEM University has been great so far, we have a group assignment and an exam this Wednesday but it has all been really interesting stuff so hopefully it won’t be too bad! Our teacher Michael Yorke has been fantastic and has even given some students nick-names (mine is Tinnie in reference to the few beers I had on our welcome dinner! Haha)

One thing I did find interesting was how long we get to have for lunch. I have been told it is a part of French culture to take long, leisurely lunches which is very different to how it is done back home. And everyone at the Uni have been lovely and are more than happy to help if you somehow get lost, although sometimes it takes a lot of sign language and patience to do so!

As I mentioned before, we have all been allocated into groups made up of Australian and French students to complete our assignments which has been keeping us busy over the weekend (some while also nursing a very sore head- myself included.) But we are all so lucky to have come over with an incredible group of people, and can easily work together and help each other out!

So the first week it has been a little challenging in regard to the work we have been given, but that is quickly forgotten by the loads of fun that has been had!!

Au revoir til next time!
Savannah xxx


Beautiful fountain in town



A church in Tours


Cathedral of Tours


Thao, Julia, Yuki, Koki and Krystal in our cooking class



Awesome night out!


Koki, Sarah and myself studying up a storm



The best buskers you will ever see and hear!



Savannah Lorenzin is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Savannah is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Management Marketing degree at the University of South Australia

Bonjour from Paris - International Business and Advertising blog with Savannah Lorenzin

Bonjour everyone!

I write this blog post from the comfort of my cushy apartment room looking out to the Eiffel Tower in Paris! Yippee! I have come here a week early with a friend who is about to embark on a Contiki tour and so far it has been incredible. Well, to be honest it has all felt surreal being here as I thought this time would never come. So during these crisp days it feels as though I am living in a wonderful dream. Everything here is so beautiful, and I am almost thankful that I wasn’t born here because I would hate to take any of these buildings for granted. The buildings that line the streets are remarkable to say the least; you just don’t see this kind of intricate detailing and regal structures in Australia.

The weather too is not as bad as what I had thought- locals have even said that these are nice winter days. While the air has a definite nip to it, it has not rained or snowed yet (I don’t know if I am happy or sad about this, I have never seen snow before!) So exploring the windy streets of Paris all day is a breeze.

As far as organisation and packing goes, I was very relaxed about it. As long as you have your passport, flights and travel insurance booked - you’re fine. I did however pre-book a seat on the train from the Montparnasse station in Paris to the Tours station and that was easy enough to do on the website given to us in the AIM pre-departure package.

One thing I would have to say is not to pack too much clothes, especially girls! While I was packing the night before I had to leave, I just basically put all my winter jumpers and long-sleeve tops in my suit case with a few coats thinking that should get me though. It would have, yet I seemed to have forgotten I was going to be in the fashion capital and the shopping here is insane! So now I have an influx of clothes, and all I want to wear is my new stuff! So pack lightly, because it won’t be so light coming home!

Au revoir, see you all soon!
Savannah


Savannah Lorenzin is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Savannah is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Management Marketing degree at the University of South Australia

Trois, Deux, Une … Tours! - International Business and Advertising blog with Molly Wooderson

With less than a week to go, nerves are really now starting to set in. I'm leaving the comfort of the VU Law Library behind and embarking on a new adventure. That's right! Goodbye perfectly heated library, warm Melbourne summers and home cooked meals (cooked by someone else). Hello ...freezing snow and fending for myself. Hmm, now this could be interesting.

It's been a pretty busy few weeks with summer school, Christmas, and writing memorandums (apologies to anyone I yelled at incoherently while sleep deprived). All of which hasn't really left a lot of time to stress about or plan an overseas trip. I'm definitely feeling like a deserve a holiday, but I get the distinct feeling this won't be one.

I've received my itinerary and browsed my travel guide and it's looking like we'll be kept pretty busy over the next month with both classes and the all-important sight seeing. There's so much to fit-in in such a condensed space of time.

Now, organisation is not my strong point, I've got my passport, booked my flights and organised my insurance, but as yet, that's about it. I haven't started packing, in fact, I haven't even thought about what I'll need to take. I'm probably only halfway through the process of enabling all the communication routes and ensuring that just about every person I've ever met can get daily updates on where I am and what I'm doing. Not quite, but that's what it feels like. Oh, and my best buddies at the bank do need to know everything about what I'm doing so they don't think account has been hijacked by an international banking scam. Although, I have discovered that the account fee I'm now paying for there to be no international transaction fees is lower than paying the international transaction fees caused by my online shopping addiction.

I did, however, begin my preparatory shopping in October. I tend to get excited about shopping, and an excuse like this has been really quite terrible for my bank balance. Some purchases have turned out not to be suitable for the cold climate, like the clogs I bought on the basis that they would be “really cute”. Cute, maybe, but certainly not warm enough for traipsing to uni through snow and sludge. Then came the Sorel boots. Warm, fluffy and waterproof – the cosy traveller's trifecta! AND a slightly more sensible choice.



Au Revoir! And Happy Travels x



Molly is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Molly is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business (International Trade) degree at Victoria University

Le culte du vrai macaron - article (in French!) by past participant Mia Timpano

An assortment of macarons from La Belle Miette (photo reproduced with permission from Mia Timpano)

Mia Timpano, a past participant of AIM Overseas' Intensive French Language Program, has recently had one of her articles published in Le Petit Journal, a publication made specifically for French-speakers living outside of France. This is no mean feat, considering the entire article is in French! This is Mia's first French article, the first of many more to come, we're certain!

Now if only someone would translate it for us...

Read Mia's article here: Le culte du vrai macaron
Read Mia's blog about studying French: fille australienne et tout qu'elle aime
Find out more about AIM Overseas' Intensive French Language program


Joséphine Acker Tuil, the founder of Macarons by Joséphine, with her assistants cooking up a storm! Read Mia's article on Australia's fascination with maracons here (photo reproduced with permission from Mia Timpano)

Learning geography the painful way – Kirra Loh talks about studying International Business and Advertising in France

Kirra (centre) with fellow AIM Overseasers

Kirra Loh is currently completing her final semester of a Business and Commerce degree at the University of Newcastle. Kirra recently chatted to us about what it was like to experience French culture and hospitality whilst studying AIM Overseas’ International Business and Advertising Program as well as sharing a hilarious story highlighting the importance of paying attention in geography class!

Hi Kirra! Tell me a little about yourself and what you’re doing at the moment.
I’m currently studying a bachelor of Business and Commerce at the University of Newcastle, majoring in marketing and accounting. I’ve got this semester to go and then I’ll complete my degree. I’m hoping to find a marketing job once I’ve finished.

Congratulations on almost finishing your degree! Could you tell me about the AIM Overseas program you completed earlier this year and why you chose it?
I completed the International Business and Marketing Program in Tours, France. I chose this program because another one of my friends got accepted into AIM Overseas’ Health Care in Mexico Program and she suggested that there might be a program for me. So I looked up the website and saw the International Business and Advertising program and I thought, “This looks really good!” I think I ended up applying really close to the cut-off date but luckily I got accepted – so it was all really exciting!

Was this your first time overseas?
I’d been to other countries before but not Europe. Also, I’d never travelled without my parents before so it was a little bit daunting when I first left the airport in Sydney, but it ended up being fine.

What was a typical day like for you during the course?
We got a schedule at the beginning of the program and at first we were all like, “Oh yeah, no problem!” but actually it was really demanding and we didn’t have that much free time! We had different modules to complete with different teachers so it was not boring at all because it wasn’t as if we were doing the same thing everyday from 9 to 5.

On a typical day we’d go to ESCEM [the business school] and the school would provide us with lunch. We’d have our classes: half the class would be the AIM Overseas students and the rest were French students, so we’d mix with them. We’d usually do heaps of group work with them and the mix of Australian and French students meant that we got a wider perspective of marketing. In addition to the classes, ESCEM also organised cultural activities for us such as a cooking class, field trips and some survival French lessons, so it wasn’t all just academic stuff.

We had a few free weekends during the program as well. One weekend I went to Bordeaux with two of the guys on the program. Then the next weekend I went to Geneva in Switzerland with the girls from the program. I think most of the others went to Paris and a few of the boys went to Lucerne in Switzerland one weekend as well.

What was it like working with local French students?
It was a bit challenging at times because of the language barrier. I mean, the classes were all in English, but sometimes we’d have difficulty understanding the other students! The French students in our group were quite good and I discovered that some French people don’t like to speak English because they don’t think that they speak well enough. I found this really surprising, and of course we reassured them that it didn’t matter! So I think it was good for us to work with them as it gave us a wider perspective on marketing, and it was good for them as they were able to improve their English by speaking with us.

Did you gain any insight into French culture?
I guess a lot of people think that French people are rude – but in my experience they weren’t at all! Everywhere I travelled, the French were really friendly and it really surprised me. I’ve studied some French before in high school but I’ve forgotten most of it and I was too embarrassed to try to speak it; but it turns out I didn’t even need to speak French because everyone had really good English and was extremely helpful! And as I said before, I found out that the reason why a lot of French people don’t like to speak English is because they think that their English isn’t good enough.

I liked how the French really enjoy their food and their cooking and lunchtime is always a massive, drawn-out affair. They just seem to enjoy life and take it at a slower pace. No one is in a huge rush. Even in Paris, I had expected to see more hustle and bustle, but they had a really relaxed lifestyle. And of course, France really lived up to the hype of having beautiful food, wine, and so on!

Do you have any funny travel anecdotes you’d like to share?
Well during the trip we planned a trip to Geneva, Switzerland. At the time, we didn’t realise that Geneva was so close to the border with France. So we got off the train in Geneva and there were these two signs: one sign for ‘France’ and one sign for ‘Switzerland’; we were a bit confused but we just walked on anyway and had lunch. After lunch, I asked the waitress, “How do we get to our hotel?” She replied, “Ummm... it’s in France. You have to go back over the border.”

At this point we’re all panicking and thinking, “WHAT??!!! We got a train all the way to Switzerland and we’re in the wrong country! Oh my God, WHAT DO WE DO???!!!”

We were so stupid, we didn’t realise it was that close to the border! It didn’t end up taking that long at all, we just had to walk over. *laughs*

So your knowledge of the geography of Europe has definitely improved through this program then?
Ooooh definitely! *laughs* I really love how the countries in Europe are so close to each other and it’s great to go travelling anywhere!

How has this program has changed you?
It’s been really good – I’ve made some great friends and we’ve stayed in contact. Some of the girls from Adelaide have come and stayed in Newcastle and a bunch of us are going to spend a weekend in Melbourne together as well. There was one girl on the program from my uni and I didn’t really know her before but now we’re really good friends and hang out a lot. I think it was a great experience to stay in one country for a longer period of time. In one month in France we were able to truly experience the culture and get a perspective of marketing that I found really different to what we usually learned at uni. We also got to work with French students, which was great.

Lastly, what would you say to someone who’s thinking about participating?
I definitely think it’s a great experience: you meet so many people; it’s a different form of learning compared to just a normal tutorial or lecture in university; it allows you to work with students from a different cultural background; and, you get to experience the culture by living there for a month.

It’s also sparked some interest from employers; for example, I had a job interview recently and during the interview they mentioned, “Oh, you did a short program in France! What was that like?” – so doing a program like this is something you can add to your CV. I think that this was a really good experience and I tell everyone about it!

Thanks Kirra!



In Cheverny doing a wine course (for educational purposes, of course!)


Doing a French cooking course


Just your average, run-of-the-mill building in Tours, where Kirra lived for a month


Kirra and the AIM Overseasers at the conclusion of their farewell dinner

La Vie Francaise: Cynthia Makokha on life in France and embarrassing moments in French bakeries

Cynthia Makokha is an international student from Kenya, currently completing a double degree in Business and Commerce from the University of Newcastle. Cynthia chats to us about accomplishing something on her Bucket List… doing AIM Overseas’ Intensive French Program in France!

Hi Cynthia! Tell me why you chose this course. I chose to do the Intensive French Program in Vichy, France because I’ve always wanted to study French in France. Although French was being offered as a subject in our university, I thought it would be great to do it in France. I was introduced to AIM through a leadership program in my school called iLEAD. AIM Overseas helped me with all aspects of getting there – they were very helpful!

How long had you studied French prior to this program? I had studied it in high school in Africa for five years. I didn’t study French for A levels though because I had to take other subjects to help me get into university. I only managed to get a new fresh start again with my French studies when I went this year in January.

Was this your first time in France? Yes, this was my first time in France. I had always wanted to go there – it was on my Bucket List. Through this course, I got to go and travel and I also got to learn French at the same time – it was like killing two birds with one stone! And I got to meet new people and learn so much about French culture – it was more than just an experience!

What was a typical day like for you on the program? I don’t think I had a typical day because every day there was something new and different! I guess I’d start the day by going to classes from 8 to 12, then there’d be a break for two hours, then classes would continue from 2 to a quarter to 4. After that I’d get a coffee with some friends, we’d chat, then I’d go back home and go on Facebook and catch up with people back home. Then I’d have dinner with friends. During the week there were also all sorts of excursions that the school organised, which was great!

Tell me about something that you discovered about France or French people that you found interesting or surprising.
The fact that they were all so friendly! I mean, you often hear people saying things like, “French people are mean,” or “French people don’t like English-speakers.” But I found this to be a big lie because, from the moment I arrived, I felt very welcomed by the French people.

I had some problems at the beginning of my trip: my flight had been delayed so I didn’t end up leaving home the day that I was supposed to. I couldn’t get in touch with CAVILAM [the French school] because it was the weekend, so I sent an email to Jooliet from AIM Overseas who passed onto CAVILAM that I’d be late. Then when I got to France, it turned out that the workers at the airport were on strike and my bags had not arrived! So I had to contact the lady at CAVILAM to let her know that I’d be late again! And then I didn’t know where to go to take the trains – it was all so crazy! But every single person I asked helped me out. At one point, someone actually helped me carry my bags to the train station. Even on the telephone, when I was trying to fix my SIM card, the lady on the phone was talking to me in a really friendly way, asking me how long I was going to be in France and so on.

That’s when I just realised that a lot of what you hear about countries are just rumours. You have to experience it on your own. I think, so far in my life, French people have been the most polite people I’ve ever met!

Do you have a funny story about your time in France? Well, during my first week in France, I went to a French bakery and I was trying to buy a sandwich. I said to the guy behind the counter, “Okay, I’ll have this sandwich,” and he replied, “Okay, that will be 1 euro and 50 cents.” But I couldn’t understand him because he was speaking French so quickly, so I assumed that he was saying, “Do you want the sandwich toasted?” So I replied, “No.” And he didn’t understand what I was doing, so he kept saying to me, “1 euro and 50 cents,” and I kept on responding, “NO. Thankyou.” This went on for quite awhile; until finally I understood what was going on… and it was so embarrassing!!! *laughs* I turned around and saw all these people looking at me, probably wondering why this girl was refusing to pay one euro and fifty cents for the sandwich. To make things worse, I realised that there were these really good-looking guys to my left who had seen the whole incident as well! After getting my sandwich, I went and hid in the corner for awhile… *laughs*

So did you French level improve a lot by the end of the course? Oui! It really made my French a lot better. If I’d stayed for another six months I’d probably be very fluent by now. The teachers were very good and very specific on what they wanted you to learn. When you’re in class, you’re not allowed to talk in English – you’re not even allowed to ask questions in English, you have to do it all in French. If you don’t understand something, someone else in class can help you – in French. We were all learning together and teaching each other – with the teacher correcting us when we were wrong. C’etait tres tres bon! [It was very very good]. I’d really like to go back to CAVILAM one day and stay for a longer period of time to improve my French.

How has this program changed you? It really made me appreciate different cultures. I had to learn to adapt to a different culture and a completely different environment. Some people [in English-speaking countries] get so frustrated with other people who don’t speak English; but I think going to a foreign country and having to speak a foreign language really teaches you to be patient and makes you understand that it takes time to learn a foreign language.

What would you say to someone else who is thinking of doing this course? I can only say one thing: you should go and experience it yourself. You shouldn’t listen too much to what somebody else says about it as everyone is going to have a different experience of how France is. For me, it was great! It was fantastic! It is a place I would go back to! So I would say – go for it!


Cynthia with her French teacher and her classmates from around the world at CAVILAM


Cynthia congratulating herself after a hard day's work [note: Soldes is French for 'Sales'.]


A photo taken in Clermont, France

Video: Rob speaks with Stephanie from ESCEM

Rob from AIM Overseas talks with Stephanie Lorgeoux from ESCEM about France, Tours and ESCEM's summer and winter holiday programs available through AIM Overseas.

Leaving....only made better by knowing you'll be heading off again

Leaving a place you love...gee, it's only really made better by knowing that you'll be back again...and hopefully in the not too distant future.

That's my overriding sentiment sitting at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris (the western world's worst airport) waiting for my big A380 jumbo to swallow me into its pouch to safely escort me home to Oz. It's definitely a mixed feeling.

The positives:

• I'm leaving -5 winter and heading for +30 summer
• The sun will come up before 8:30am
• Getting home to my half of the family
  
• I've got 24 hours to do nothing more than watch movies
• .....shit, it's Australia! What an AWESOME country to live in!

The negatives:

• The food....sorry Australia, you're about 200 years behind France in the food stakes
• Leaving half the family behind for at least another 6-12 months :(
• No snow - I went skiing for the first time on this trip and loved it!
• No more holidays.....I've burned up my next 6 months worth of holidays!
  

I've got the great pleasure of actually being in the Star Alliance airline lounge to wait for the flight. I was given two entry passes to the lounge when I checked in (very kind of them) even though I'm travelling alone. Having travelled a lot, I know how much nicer it is to be waiting in the lounge as opposed to waiting at the gate, so I approached a couple of people (blokes only, my wife will be pleased to know) who looked like they were travelling alone to offer them my spare ticket....you know, a bit of travel karma at all.

Maybe there's something about the way I'm dressed, or the way my hair settled in a very serious, unspiked way when I woke up this morning, but I reckon those blokes thought I was trying to crack onto them - they all refused!

Ah well, as the French say, tempi pour eux - 'too bad for them'.

The unworked hairstyle....seemed to work for the bloke at check-in who gave Rob an exit aisle from Paris to Singapore. Also seemed to scare off potential people benefitting from some travel karma.





Anyway, they're calling the flight so it's off to go through security, jump on-board and be transported back to a great place half a world away.

Study in France Webinars

You can download a copy of the webinar's powerpoint presentation here (.ppt document, 2.8Mb)You can view a recording of the webinar here.

Information about short term French language programs in France is available here.

Great streets in Paris

Ah Paris! What a city!

Everyone knows the main tourist spots: the Champs Elysees, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame and Fountain St Michel, Eiffel Tower etc.
These places are great if you want to experience a bit of touristy Paris, but if you are looking for that authentic, laid back student experience, maybe they aren't the top spots in the city.

Having been in and out of Paris for many years, here are a few of my favourite streets in Paris for eating, drinking or just chilling.

Rue Mouffetard
A great, must-visit street full of bars and restaurants walking distance from the Garden of Luxembourg (Jardin du Luxembourg). South of Notre Dame, nearest metro is Place Monge.

Rue Oberkampf
Yes! Oberkampf is just an awesome, happening street full of bars. Located very close to Nation (nearest metro is Oberkampf), the street is a great place to go out for an evening.

One night at Oberkampf I was in a bar with a friend having a catch up chat when suddenly this lady behind us at the bar starts yelling at the top of her voice. For a minute or two we just ignored her, thinking she was just a bit mad, until we realised that the whole bar had gone silent and was watching her......
.....turned out it was a one-woman theatre performance that went for 30 minutes. Brilliant! (once we realised she wasn't just nuts :)

Rue des Canette
Near St Germain des Pres (which is a very nice part of Paris) is great little street with some good restaurants. For a great beer and pizza try O'Neils (not very French name, but great food). Nearest metros: St Germain des Pres or Mabillion.

St Germain in general is just a lovely place to spend some time. Lots of little (and big) streets with great boutique shops, restaurants, bistros and bars. Be careful though! It can be pricey. My first time in Paris I sat down at a bar in St Germain with the romantic image of watching the world go by from the footpath....until I realised that beers were $10 each.
My wife and I got stung again just last year in a bistro paying $20 for some sparkling water, a coffee and a soft drink.

Rue des Rennes
Lots of great shops (clothes, shoes, etc) down along this strip that connects Montparnasse with St Germain. Adjoining streets also have quite a lot of funky shops to visit.

If you need department stores then try Les Halles (metro Chatelet-Les Halles). This is a HUGE underground shopping complex where you'll find just about everything you need. Plenty of shops in adjacent streets too.

Other areas
Around the areas of Nation and Republique (metro stations) you'll also find heaps of bars and restaurants. These are big circular 'places'.
Avoid eating on or near the Champes Elysees - it's crap.

Have fun!

Paris' Charles de Gaulle International Airport

Paris is one of the world's great cities and you are certain to love it.

This is a fortunate fact because Paris' Charles de Gaulle international airport, I am deeply afraid to say, is definitely the western world's worst airport.

A confusing circular mess of escalators, 'satellite' arrival/departure areas, spaces far too small for the number of passengers and cranky staff make it a place that is meant to be escaped as quickly as possible.Which, unfortunately, is difficult given the frighten lack of planning that has made it that mess that it is.

That said - don't stress! It's not like someone is going to steal your bags or that you'll get lost in the terminal and deported back to Australia - you'll be totally fine and Paris is just outside the airport doors. But be prepared to be patient!

Arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle

Don't despair - Paris gets much better once you get out of the airport. I have sometimes believed that customs/immigration at Charles de Gaulle aren't that tough because anyone capable of finding their way out of the airport is intelligent enough to respect the country they're in.

1. When you arrive at CDG from an international flight outside the EU you'll most likely arrive at one of the satellite 'terminals'. After disembarking you'll have to take a long moving walkway to the main terminal, where you'll find youself in a most likely long, cramped queue for a small number of immigration booths. There is no magic solution here but to be patient. Listen carefully because on occasions they do call Australian citizens into the special queues for EU citizens (I guess Aussies aren't considered a risk to the French) but this is pretty rare.Sometimes the international queues at immigration actually move quicker than the queue for EU citizens. Go figure.
2. After immigration you'll take one or more escalators that criss-cross the centre of the the circular terminal. Some architect probably thought these were cutting edge and clever. In fact they are have come to represent just how impractical the airport can be.
3. Find your baggage retrieval belt (good luck) and wait amongst the throng of people for your bags. It will most likely be very crowded here. Grab your bags and pass through customs (which is almost non-existant in France - there is no specific form/paperwork you have to submit to customs and I've never been stopped there. Goodness knows what customs officials actually do all day...)
4. Congratulations - you have passed the first test!

The second challenge: Getting to Paris

The next step is to get from Charles de Gaulle to Paris itself.

Once you pass through Customs and into the main terminal, you are looking for the train to Paris. This might be indicated by:

• 'Paris by train'
• RER
• or 'CGDVal'

Normally you will need to take a lift down to a lower level in order to take the 'CDGVal' (an automatic shuttle train) to 'RER' station - it may also be marked as 'Paris by train'. The RER is one of Paris' trains.

Once you arrive at the station you'll need to buy a ticket to Paris (this costs up to about 10 euros one way) then take the RER line B to Paris. There is no central station in Paris, so the stations in the middle of Paris (close to Notre Dame catherdral) are Chatelet-Les Halles and St Michel. Depending on where you are trying to get to in Paris (make sure you have a map with you) it might be best to get out at Gare du Nord (the 'North train station') and change for a metro.

There are two types of trains to Paris - express trains and all stations, usually running about each 10-15 minutes.

Your ticket from Charles de Gaulle to Paris allows you unlimited changes within the Paris metropolitan metro/RER system until you exit a station, so it is really an excellent way to get anywhere in the city.

Paris Metro Map

Taxis - not the best option

Unless you have an absolute mountain of luggage, it is generally not advisable to take a taxi from CDG to the centre of Paris. A taxi will cost a minimum of about 60 euros to the city (or more, depending on where you're going) and Paris is notorious for having long delays on the 'peripherique' - the ring road around the city.

The exception to this rule is if you are arriving early in the morning or later in the evening on a weekend, otherwise you'll often find yourself waiting longer in a cab than you would have waited on the train (of course the train doesn't drop you off at the door).

Departing from Paris

When departing from Paris by plane there is just one piece of advice to follow: be early!

Delays on the metro and RER systems in Paris occur regularly, traffic on weekdays on the ring road can be very heavy and due to the poor design, Charles de Gaulle airport's terminals get choked with people at the check-in counters.

Check-in counters generally open 3 hours before an international flight (for long haul) and it's best to be there just before they open to avoid delays.

Before leaving to go to the airport, a few things you should check are:

1. Your departure airport - Paris has two: CDG in the north-east and Orly in the south-west. Very few international flights leave from Orly, but you should still check your ticket to be sure.
2. Check your departure terminal: Charles de Gaulle has several terminals that aren't particularly close to one another. Check before getting on the train what terminal you need to disembark at.
3. Be early!!

Outgoing security screening takes place after immigration once you have taken the long moving walkway out to the satellites. Be early through security as well as it doesn't move quickly and there are often delays of 20 minutes or more to get through any time sooner than 1-1.5 hours before departure.

There is very little to do at Charles de Gaulle - there are few shops and restaurants and little or no sort of distractions. It was built as a functional airport which, ironically enough, isn't particularly functional. If you want to buy books and magazines, it's generally best to do this in advance in Paris.

Orly Airport - a few brief words

Paris' Antony-Orly airport is located in the south-west of the city, also on the RER line B.The airport serves mostly domestic flights and flights within Europe. There is a very long bus that connects Orly and Charles de Gaulle if you need to take it (not a free bus), although the train is probably the more convenient way to connect between the two airports if you have to.

To get to Orly, take the RER line B to station 'Antony' and then take the automatic shuttle train 'Orly-VAL' to either the East or West terminal depending on where you are flying out of. The terminals are closer at Orly than at CDG, so if you stuff it up it tends to be less serious. Orly also can get quite busy in peaks times but lacks the general chaos of Charles de Gaulle. If you have the choice of flying into Orly from elsewhere in Europe, and it's less expensive, it can be a less stressful option of arriving in Paris.