Wow! It sounds like there are some seriously eXtreme letterboxes in France! I'd be half tempted to look for one just for the wild stories I could tell about looking for them. Of course, if they're missing, it would be doubly stupid to look for them. =)

Was it locals who planted the boxes? Sure doesn't sound like anyone I know in the states planting such boxes.

Pray tell, did you at least hide a box of your own to show them how it should be done? =)

-- Ryan

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Wow! It sounds like there are some seriously eXtreme letterboxes in France! I'd be half tempted to look for one just for the wild stories I could tell about looking for them. Of course, if they're missing, it would be doubly stupid to look for them. =)

That is just what made the boxes sad. They really weren't worth the hunt. I got some crazy stories because of a few wierd circumstances, but really the boxes were hidden in what looked like perfectly boring neighborhoods in slightly lower income areas.

I'm quite sure they weren't locals, but I could be wrong. The clues were all in English. The only one in French was the cemetery (it was fun to translate, and hey, I got to see gravestones for all kinds of famous people!). I do think he was European.

Hi Cadenza. I wanted to report that Ili and I had the same disappointing experience (in May 2005) with those LBs as you did, though we gave up earlier on in the game. The one on the disused railway bridge with the lamppost, we circled the block in every direction mulitple times and couldn't figure out how to possibly get up there, so gave up. We were going to to look for the ones in the tunnels but at the last minute, decided not to, so I'm very glad we didn't, given your feedback. We also were unable to find the LB at the base of the Paris Statue of Liberty...when you see the place where he said he put it, it's almost impossible to believe that it survived a rainstorm, let alone a curious tourist or a local homeless person (one of the clues was that it was "under a rock" but all the rocks in the area had been moved to form a make-shift firepit).

We had fabulous success with the Ducks at the Louvre LB, though, in that it's a great stamp, great hiding spot and we were the first ones to find it! So that made up for it.

We didn't plant any boxes in Paris, but put three in different towns in France. Because they are kind of out of the way, we wonder if they'll ever get found....

Melanie

(Ili & Lil)

Okay, I'm glad I am not the only one who gave up on that box. I felt like I could get it, but it felt too weird! The one I'm still trying to figure out is how someone was supposed to scale the wall of the one by the hotel. The cracks were only about a finger width wide, if I remember right and the wall was really high! I have always wondered about those two boxes and if they were still there, but I had already felt I risked enough to try for that boxers first LB on the disused railway line.

I laugh now at my bizarre experiences in France, although I took them all to seriously during that trip--definite lessons learned. I'm glad to hear that there are some good boxes out there now. I absolutely loved the location of one I went to, and I loved the fact that they did the clue in French (it took some work for me to translate with my Spanis, not French, skills). By the time I got there though, the grave where I believe it was hidden had been dug up--sooo no more box. It sure made for a fun afternoon though hunting down gravesites for Jimi Hendrix, Chopin, and many, many others. What a fascinating place!

Well, now I will just have to return to France and find your letterboxes!
Cadenza

hello i was wondering where you found the clues for this letterbox:
"We had fabulous success with the Ducks at the Louvre LB, though, in that it's a great stamp, great hiding spot and we were the first ones to find it! So that made up for it."

never mind i found the clues :)
Thanks

Where are the clues or letterboxes in France?
How would I go about finding them if I should plan a trip there?
Thanks for any help!!
Ankirly

S'il vous plait, qu'estce-que c'est le nom en francais?
Waterbird

perhaps the first question is...are there french letterboxers? because english speaking persons who plant in france would simply call it... "letterboxing"

night writer, no help, I know, but someone's got to ask these questions

Since "letterboxing" isn't a real dictionary word in English, I would be surprised if there's a real word in French either. The word letterbox would be "boîte aux lettres" so if you combined it with a verb such as "trouver" or "chercher" you could created something with the correct meaning. Bon Chance, Funhog

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Since "letterboxing" isn't a real dictionary word in English, I would be surprised if there's a real word in French either

Letterboxing isn't a real dictionary word in English, but Letterbox is. If this hobby had started in America the container might have been called a Mailbox and it would then have become 'Mailboxing' :-)

Ok, so following this through, what do the French call the boxes they post their letters in? --- Boîte à lettres, or boîte aux lettres? Now add 'ing' .

Any help? Nah, clear as mud I expect :-D

YT

perhaps the first question is...are there French letterboxers?<quote/>

Merci pour vos idees.
Waterbird

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...I would be surprised if there's a real word in French either

Je crois que vous avez raison. Merci!
Waterbird

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Boîte à lettres, or boîte aux lettres? Now add 'ing' .

A gerrund in French ends in "ant" so letterboxing would be, I guess, "Boitant aux lettres".

Except, I think "boitant" means "limping"!

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A gerrund in French ends in "ant" so letterboxing would be, I guess, "Boitant aux lettres".
Except, I think "boitant" means "limping"!

You're right about the limping. Boiter is to limp, boîte is a box. I don't think one can be so fast and loose with changing a word's part of speech in French as we are in English. I think instead you would have to say something more like "to do letterbox" by using the verb faire.

Of course my answer is unimpeded by any actual knowledge. I hope that someone who speaks French better than my ability (of barely understanding a menu) can answer.

-Moondog

Are there any active letterboxers in Paris?

~zess~

Are there any active letterboxers in Paris?

~zess~

Try to contact Ann Christine:

http://www.atlasquest.com/people/profile.html?gMemberId=23026

Don't forget to look for my boxes and Celtic Cats too!!

-The Gamecock

here's one link for you -- but you may have to register first -- I think the sport is called different things in France -- chasse aux tresors; jeux de piste (but not an organized thing that I see); letterboxing.
http://spacehijackers.co.uk/letterboxing/searchresults.php

Hi, I'm Lexi and I'm visiting Paris from Raleigh, NC, USA - I would love to gather any information on letterboxes that close to major landmarks - If you could be so kind to please tell me what neighborhood or area around Paris is called I'd be greatfully thankful - Also, if you have any advice on hostels in the area - Thank you for your time - Lexi

Hi Lexi!

Paris in general is very accessible just by riding the tube. If you have a chance to rent a car, Versailles is about 45 min away and is SO worth visiting! Make sure you get there very early to get in line for tickets. Another place maybe 20-30 min away is Monet's home Giverny. Great little town to visit also. I know they have tour buses that go to Giverny.

You may want to AQ mail The LBAC Crew:
http://www.atlasquest.com/people/profile.html?gMemberId=23026

They were living in Paris and would probably be a great help. Not sure if they moved back to the states though.

Good luck! We had a GREAT time when we went!
-The Gamecock

Thanks I had an amazing time in Paris; didn't get a chance to letterbox :(

I know that ZESS the Treehuggers planted something. Also, LBAC Crew I think has a number of them. You may try e-mailing her first - she'll have lots of great tips for you! Bon voyage!

So I'm going to be planting in France, and I have a dumb question:

Should I attempt to translate (or really, have someone else do it) the AQ "muggle cards" into French and put both versions in my boxes?

And how do you say "This is not trash; this is a letterbox" in French?

Amy, perhaps overthinking this a bit?

If you AQ-mail me the text you want to use, and let me know where it's going (outside box cover, inside on cover, take-one cards, or whatever you're planning), I'll translate them for you. Might not be perfect, but should be way better than machine translation. (I'm a translator, and usually work from French to English... I can work from English to French, but my written French Is not always 100% perfect.)

You got it in the bag with Dame Lac, but sometimes Google translate can help. Not always a correct trans though! http://translate.google.com/#

Also, look for my boxes and Celtic Cat's. We planted a few years ago. :)

I live in Denmark and we are planning a trip to France possibly August but if not definitely in the fall. I will be sure to try and find the boxes while there :o)

So I'm sitting here in my nice air conditioned hotel room in Toulouse, right near the Capitole, and I just posted my first letterbox planting in a foreign country.

It's located in a public garden here in Toulouse, and not too terribly far off the Way of St. James (Arles route) for those who know what that is.

Special thanks to RIclimber for a gorgeous carving. I hope someone is able to get out and find it soon. I have 4 more boxes to plant here, so I'd better get back out there!

Amy, proud owner of Aigle Imperiale

We haven't made it to France yet, but it is on our list. We live in Denmark right now, originally from North Carolina. While in Europe, we plan to see as many countries as time will allow :o) I will definitely hunt these boxes if we are close enough. Thanks for planting,
Turtlelove

But wait... There's more...

Amy, doing a ridiculously happy dance in the air conditioned hotel room. It was 100 degrees out today. We planted 4 more boxes.

So after spending 4 days planting in Toulouse, hubby and I went boxing in Paris. Which might not sound abnormal, except that we only had a day and a half to see everythingwe'vealwayswantedtoseeinParis. Thankfully, the 6 boxes we were able to find, and the 3 we attempted but couldn't get, brought us off the beaten path just ever so slightly, and we saw stuff that most visitors probably don't get to see.

I can't wait to go back and get some more! Thanks to those who planted there (you know who you are). We even found a hitchhiker!

Amy, glad to be back in the land of letterboxing...