Vive le Metro! and other Paris, France Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The Paris subway is not difficult to figure out unless you are color blind and can't see the map clearly. I like to stay in hotels near the central red line because I seem to do more east-west travel than north-south. Many Paris sightseeing destinations are located right next to subway stops, so it's a good way to tour the town. I like the fact that you can always purchase your tickets from a real person working behind a window, instead of trying to figure out the machines.
You can also connect to the regional railway (RER) and use your ticket on the local bus if you are going to more remote destinations such as Roland Garros.
Some stations have entertainers like the professional Paris pipa player I encountered at Concorde. (See second and third photos.) She is a native of China from Wenzhou and has a local license to play her classical Chinese instrument in the station for subway commuters. I saw several people drop coins for her while we chatted in Chinese for a few minutes as she played songs familiar to me. I was reminded of the Chinese sketch artists I met 14 years ago in front of Notre Dame as Paris streets seem to remain a remarkable place of employment for talented people from China.
The Paris metro was also the first place I saw an advertisement featuring Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and some other professional basketball player named Jerome Schmitt. They represent the French national team in an ad for fashionable formal clothing.

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'Mode': TO
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Speaking French is fun ("tant pis pour toi!") but sooner or later it's nice to move on to some place where people talk English. I thought about taking the Eurostar through the "Chunnel" but the ticket price goes through the roof if you don't book far enough in advance. That's why I used Eurolines for my Paris-London transfer by long distance deluxe coach.
The Jules Verne terminal at La Defense is where you can buy your ticket the day before departure (46 Euros) and board the Eurolines bus that crosses the English Channel by ferry via Calais. I took the 9:30 departure and arrived at Victoria Station on time at 17:45. There is a 40 minute lunch stop just before Calais at a cafeteria next to a gas station. This is where you will want to spend all of your remaining Euros because everything on board the ferry is priced in British pounds. (You will also get off the bus at Calais to go through customs.)
The ride is comfortable so show up early at Jules Verne terminal in order to get the best seat (front right window).

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Website: http://www.eurolines.fr/InitModuleResaSrv?origineReservation=INT