PINAY FRANCOPHILE

Abby wrote and asked:

Hi Dinna, thanks! i was wondering how long it took for you to get your visa, do they offer expedited service at all? we’re planning to depart on dec. 23rd, but hubby would need to get a UK visa as well, so i’m trying to see if timing would be crucial at this point.

thanks once again and i hope you’re having a lovely time!

To which the Pinayfrancophile says:  Abby, thanks for visiting again.  Paris is great and I hate the fact that I’m leaving Wednesday but I can’t wait to see my son!
 

I can only answer as far as France is concerned based on my own experience.  But bear in mind that this is more or less the policy for all Schengen countries.  They do not offer expedited service particularly for Philippine passport holders and those on the list of visas that take two to three weeks to process because the approval is done in Paris, not on site.  There are certain countries whose visas are processed the same day, but these are those that can be approved by your local consulate.  You have to understand that with the prevailing international situation, we aren’t exactly on the best liked guest list of most countries because our name is associated with some radical groups and no less than the US Department of Travel reportedly has an advisory to Americans traveling to the Philippines to the effect that they do not consider the country safe.  I have not seen that, but I have been told.

Now back to France, and now your British visa quandary.  The French consulate here in New York told me to come back in 2 weeks.  That means that the consular officer has already approved the visa, but they have to process.  The most important thing you have to show them is the consular letter they require from the medical insurance company — it doesn’t matter that you or your husband may have a $2Million lifetime maximum which is the usual for most corporate health benefit packages — they want to see that you are covered for up to $37,000 in emergency medical expenses INCLUDING repatriation, the latter being the most important thing to them for all practical purposes.  I’m not connected with this company, but get it from Insuremyvisa.com . 

Read ALL requirements and instructions on the consulate or embassy’s website and do not leave anything to chance.  They won’t settle for “Baka pwede na”.  You want to get the visa expeditiously, you have to comply to the letter.  Have copies of everything they want copies of because they don’t want originals.

You can still apply for the Schengen visa and then go to the British Embassy.  The French consulate only needs to see the passport and get a copy — they DO NOT RETAIN IT while processing.  When you claim the visa, it’s a sticker they will post on the passport.  So get your appointment online with the French Embassy PRONTO.   If you want to leave by the 23rd, you have to get an appointment by next Monday if possible which, at this point, I doubt you will be able to get.  Have you tried scheduling one?

While embassies like Brazil do expedited service, the Schengen countries do not.  It’s like the US Embassy — they will grant you an appointment sooner than what you got if your circumstances merit it, but they will still process it according to time table.  You might want to inquire from other Schengen countries you are visiting if you are going to some other place besides France, but I am going to suppose that they, too, do not offer expedited service.  Again, it’s a matter of protocol — not so much that the Consulate or Embassy takes that long, but because the approval is required to be given back in their home country. The Schengen requirement is that you get it from the country where you will stay longest.

Finally, don’t forget that if you intend to land in Paris, go to London and then go back to Paris, THAT IS A MULTIPLE ENTRY.  Write me directly at pinaynewyorker@gmail.com if you have any other questions.  Good luck!

Written on the way to Paris

We were delayed for an hour and a half on board the plane, and when we finally taxied to position, we had 10 planes ahead of us so it took us a while to finally take off.

I like take offs and landings more than the actual plane ride.  It’s the child in me, I guess.  I get all caught up in the whole sequence of the plane creeping into position, revving up and mestering the energy to finally make a run for it, and then as if by magic, it lifts it behemoth of a load off the runway and charges up into the sky.

I like landings because they mean I’m finally where I was heading to, and you can’t help but feel a sense of quiet admiration for the men at the controls who bravely head for the ground and pull this huge machine to a progressive decrease in speed.

I’ve started reading READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN.  I’ts not an easy read because the author is an academic who tells us the story of informail literature classes she conducted with a select group of female students in her living room.. yes, in Iran.

Dinner was served two hours late (which was actually 3 hours delayed considering the wait before taxiing) and breakfast an hour before landing.  The sun is shining in front of us as the sky is begining to turn a lighter shade of blue.  There is a patch of land below.. Paris is not far ahead.

I took a ton of pictures — the better ones I uploaded to my Friendster photo album here.  I will update that album and add the new pictures in a more timely fashion when I get back.. promise..

The text below was printed on a card which the Consulate stapled onto my passport this time around.  This warning was not given in Feb 2005. 

WARNING

-In addition to a valid passport with a visa (except for exempted nationals), every foreigner, when entering France, should be in a position to produce to the Immigration Officer:

1/ justification of conditions of his/her stay in France (for tourism: hotel reservation, documents from a travel agency;)

2/ for a professional visit: letter from the employer, invitation from a French firm or organization;

3/ for a private visit: “attestation d’accueil” delivered by the municipal adminisration); justifications of his/her means of existence: cash, traveller’s cheques, international valid credit card, guarantees of return, air ticket, …

-Entry of a Schengen visa holder into the French overseas territories is not allowed when the visa is issued without indivation of the overseas territory.

I have totally given up on learning more French between now and the time I set foot on Paris again.  So instead, I have devoted my time to learning more about the places I hope to visit.

During my first time in Paris in February 2005, Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCI CODE helped me to do that.  As a result, even if I had very little time to spare going around THE LOUVRE, I managed to make the most of the visit by heading towards the masterpieces I read about.  I left the museum with a sense of accomplishment even if I decided to pass up on the other two Halls.  I was already dead tired and jet lagged by late afternoon and so I decided instead to head on back to the hotel.

One thing I have learned from the various trips Alan and I had taken exploring this adopted country of mine is that learning about your destination helps you to maximize the time spent there and helps you to enjoy your vacation.  I have taken to researching on things to do and places to see, and even if we don’t actually get to visit these other places, I find the knowledge gained truly enriching.

I’ve been reading up on the places I hope to visit but have been trying to pay particular focus on Versailles where Alan and I hope to do a day trip during the weekend.  ( I have heard that isn’t the best time to do it, but Alan will be working during the rest of the week.)  I’m hoping the colder autumn months means less crowds, but after walking the streets of New York on holidays like Christmas, crowds are crowds are crowds.

The website of Chateau de Versailles is a treasure trove of information which is just too much for me to read online, though.  I like to read my literature on hard copy, but after attempting to print out the pages of the website, I realized it was only printing screenshots instead of the full screen.  Save for one or two pages, all the pages of the website actually made up for more than a letter-sized sheet if printed.  To remedy that, I spent my day today copying and pasting the information into a word document which I will read on the way to Paris.  From the history to sample masterpieces worth looking for during the tour, it helps you appreciate the place better.  If you know what you are looking at and know what you are looking for, it should be an easier tour of such a gigantic place.

Excited is an understatement.  I am giddy with joy thinking about Paris, even as I was whispering to Angel I wish he were going with us this trip.. next time.. nex time he will be with us.

Meanwhile, I have quite a binder of materials to take with me.  My own mini-guide..

During my previous visit to Paris in February 2005, I didn’t really get the chance to visit any other museum but the Louvre, and I only did one Salle, (hall) which was the Denon Wing thanks to the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.  (Click here for the Da Vinci Code section of the Louvre website.)  The Louvre has three main salles so we have two more to go through, and we intend to visit one during this trip.

This will be our first time visiting the Louvre together, so it is something we are looking forward to other than it means visiting THE hottest museum ticket in Paris.  I have pictures a plenty of the pyramids in daylight and I would love to take pictures of the pyramids at night.  Fortunately, we’re staying at a hotel nearby so this is one of our first stops during the weekend.

Since this is also a business trip for Alan and his meetings begin Monday, we’re doing Versailles on Saturday.  Although I’ve read that weekends can really be crazy, it’s really the only choice we have since we arrive Friday AM.  (We’re taking a redeye out of JFK like I did the last time.)  We will be purchasing a One-day pass to cut the long lines and have better ease commuting from Paris to Versailles.  I’ve been reading up on the various attractions and history of the main attractions we hope to visit, and for Versailles, I have found the notes on Virtual Tourist most helpful.  (Particularly for Versailles and Chartres.)

We are lining up visits to Musee D’Orsay and Musee Rodin.  We were thinking of buying the Paris Museum Pass which provides free access to participating museums, but they come in 2, 4 or 6 day passes, but with the attendant cost for each compared to how much time we want to spend going around, the  €30 for a 2 day pass would mean devoting two full days to seeing at least 4 museums.  With the three Paris museums we intend to visit, the Louvre ( €8.50), Musee D’Orsay ( €9 including the Maurice Denis exhibit currently running) and the Musee Rodin ( €6), we would not be making full use of the face value and we would have to postpone Versailles for Sunday which might make things worse.  It is tempting to plan on visiting a fourth museum but our itinerary is packed as it is.

I would love to see more than what we planned but I have only a week to devote to this trip.  The New York Consulate of France was generous enough to give me a multiple entry visa up to December 1 which makes it tempting to go to another neighboring Schengen country, but again, I don’t have the time to spare during this trip.

Thank you for the suggestion to visit Brugge, Gala1208.  Perhaps next time if it’s anywhere between Paris and Lyon.  I will keep that in mind.  (I just discovered Brugge is in Belgium which isn’t all that bad because Alan goes there, too..- 11/22/06)

There is just so much of France to see.  I am in no hurry.  With luck, we will be back there next year.  Unless I end up consuming my vacation allotment on another trip to Manila (which I won’t even think twice about), it may even happen next time that we will bring Angel along.

I’ve been printing out my trip information for next week’s return to Paris.   I went back to Fodors.com to plan my visit based on the information provided by their website, and I googled Chartres and Versailles  to plan the trips there.  Alan and I will do the Versaille trip together, and I will do Chartres on my own the first day he returns to work.

I’m trying to decide what the appropriate outerwear would be because like the last time, I want to bring only one coat or jacket for the whole trip.  No sense in lugging around half my wardrobe for such a short stay which I will be spending walking around anyway.  My ever reliable MoMA folding umbrella is going to Paris with me, and I’ve decided on which backpack I’m actually bringing.  I carried an Old Navy messenger bag the last time which was torture on my back and shoulder, so this time, I’m bringing my Gap Denim Body Bag which did the Freedom Trail tour with me in Boston a few years back.  (Me and my sentimental journeys with my bags..)  It’s not bulky at all and roomy enough to fit everything I want to bring along, and the postcards I will probably be buying along the way.

I can’t believe that in a week’s time, I will be walking in Paris again.  After almost two years of wishing and hoping I’d find myself in France again, I’m finally doing it, and without any guilt at that — I did go home to Manila middle of this year. 

My only regret is that I haven’t really made much progress learning French.. I tried. 

I have just this week started to try to study elementary French.  It hit me that the trip is just two weeks away!  I want to at least be able to say “I’m from New York and I hardly speak any French..” 

Meanwhile, I’m trying to see if I can meet up with some fellow Pinoys in Paris.. I’m keeping my fingers crossed I can.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), although I have relatives in Europe, they’re everywhere but Paris.  I once had an uncle who was actually living there but he passed on a decade ago or so.  The nearest cousins I have are in Austria, Switzerland and the former Yugoslavia.  (I don’t even know where..)  The one in Switzerland, I hope to visit some day — Alan has two hotels there, too..

I’m also starting to get my EQUAL stash ready.  (Yes, the sweetener)  And I’m trying to find a small plastic bottle of ketchup to take.  (Remembering the French eat their French Fries with mayonnaise.)  I must remember to bring an adaptor, too, because although their electric outlets are 220V, their sockets are different.

Time to sleep now as Paris is yet beginning another day…