Ok, I have the answers. I arrived in Paris and was pretty easy.
1. Go to an Orange carrier store, and request the mobicarte for text/voice. The should have the nano-SIM. It costs 5€ for the SIM and has 5€ credit on it. So it comes to 9.90€.
1a. Add an additional 10€ credit to the SIM.
1b. Make sure you have your passport or drivers license, so they can add the info to your account. That will enable you add the other options after you leave the store.
2. Don't mention data or anything about data. They will tell you it's not available or not possible.
3. Once you are out of the store, call #123# to pull up the menu. The chose "Menu", then "Bons Plans", and select "Internet et e-mails", "Options Internet Max". That will cost about 9€ and will give you 3G speeds for a month.
The agent said the Internet doesn't allow anything but Safari usage. Everything worked but pop email and VOIP. Maps, GPS, iMessage and even App Store downloads worked.
Hope this helps some people. The Verizon unlocked phones really are the way to go for tavelers.