Hey, SaniBel, how’s the water? I’m jumping in, too!
My husband and I fly out very early tomorrow and will soon be in Beaune by way of Dijon by way of Paris. We will stay in a villa in a small village, ride bicycles, eat WAY too much bread and fromage, and drink a lot of wine and Stella Artois. Arnold, I’ll get to use the phrase you taught me: “Je suis sous le coupe de decolage horaire.” I’ll be away from computers for more than two weeks, so I won’t be able to check up on what’s happening with you guys.
Who knows how much wine you can bring back through customs when you return to the U.S.? We plan to dispose of old underwear, etc. to make room in our suitcases. With good wine going for less than $10 per bottle over there, we’d like to bring back as much as we can stagger under, naturally.
Doggone exchange rate! It was a 7.3 francs to the dollar just a couple of weeks ago! It keeps falling! Stay up there!
I believe it’s just a liter per person, but I’m not sure if that is just the amount you can bring in duty free, or just the amount you can bring in period.
I’ve known lots of people who just bring excess amounts in their suitcases with no problems. Personally, I’ve never been searched at customs, and I’ve been back and forth quite a few times. However, I have no idea what the fine would be if you got caught…
Isn’t that exchange rate thing a killer? We’ve lost about 15 pfennings to the dollar over here. Then again, I can remember when it was 3dm+ to the dollar (and when it was 1.33 dm to the dollar, too!). Makes a big difference, esp. if you’re planning on buying out the local wine merchants.
BTW, you might want to ask the flight attendants on the flight over. If anyone would know the rules (and the ways around them) it would be them. There’s probably a website, too if you’re one of those ambitious people that look stuff up.
Don’t ask about it on a public internet message board. :D:D
My aunt tried to smuggle liquor when she saw how cheap it was in Mexico. After she’d bought it, my uncle told her there was a per person limit. So she proceded to stash it all in the various nooks and crannies of their boat that they were towing back to California. Well, the Federalies were watching for her, because the liquor store operator alerted them. So when they got to the border, they knew right where to look.
So maybe the best advice from my aunt’s story: don’t buy all your wine at once. A foreigner buying a case of wine probably won’t consume it all while in the country. But if you only buy one or two bottles at a time, you won’t raise any suspicions.
my mother and sister went a while back, it was 2 large bottles a person, and 3 small. but my mom was sneaky and brought like 6-7 large home for each person.(it helps to be going with a french class)
