France
Hotels with “Free Internet”
August 31, 2010 by Jim Schuyler
This may be just an artifact of my personal experience, but I think I’m finding that the hotels offering “free Internet” are more often the low-priced hotels than the more expensive ones. At least in Paris and London.
It’s not uncommon to find a hotel over 250€ per night that has a 15€ or higher charge for Internet access. But in the hotels I frequent—I’m fine with just a bed with barely enough space to move around the edges, a shower, and Internet connection, for just over 100€ a night—it seems to be more common to have a free Internet connection included.
Perhaps this is a reflection of younger travelers looking for less-expensive hotels and being attracted like flies (there is one buzzing around my head at this instant here in Paris’ 5eme where I am connected while sitting in the hotel lobby preparing to take the metro to a meeting) to hotels that provide connectivity.
And the true boon is that Skype on my iPhone can connect to the free wi-fi Internet and I can make Skype calls without having to purchase those “overseas” (and overpriced) mobile phone minutes! Quite a difference to spend USD$0.02 per minute rather than…
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The Guest
August 31, 2010 by Jacques Legume
Antony, 28 Aug, 2010
It’s finally happened. An acquaintance from the states came to Paris, and actually wrote an asked to stay with me. I tried to explain that I lived in a rather scary area, with no particular tourist value, but my acquaintance, probably out of a need for frugality, had no problem with that. At least until he arrived.
Day One – the arrival.
I pick him up at the RER commuter rail station in Antony. He’s easy to spot because of the deer in the headlite look. Plus, he’s the only non-Algerian in the station, besides me. Only he’s not used to that. He’s obviously waiting for someone to blow up next to him. But my landlord hasn’t returned from jihadi camp in Pakistan yet, so he’s safe, I assure him. I note that he’s attempting to nonchallently keep his thumb hanging on his wallet pocket.
We get back to the house, where the smell of stewing lamb parts permeates the air, which is filled with the whining sound of Algerian love songs from the apartment below us.…
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Paris: La Pyramide du Louvre
August 27, 2010 by Sherry Ott
Reflecting on the Louvre
My travels this week brought me back to a place I had been eight years before – Paris. The day was a mix of clouds and sun. As I photo-walked through the city, I was lucky enough to get this brilliant sky when I reached the Louvre. When I visited Paris eight years ago, it was my fist time in Europe. I took a disposable camera with me to capture my memories…my how times have changed for me!
Manifestation!
August 26, 2010 by Jacques Legume
Ah Paris, referred to by some as the civilised world. Don’t be fooled.
One of the blessings and curses facing France are its unions. Those famous 5-9 week vacations you hear about? Union contracts. The impossibility of firing even the most errant employee? Union Contracts. The typical 35 paid holidays per year, on top of the 5-9 week vacation? You guessed it — union contracts. French industry has to be the least productive in the world, and explains, partially, why everything costs so damned much here — union contracts. Yet, the lifestype is priceless. Kinda like a Mastercard ad….
The clout of the unions here is remarkable. Back in the 70′s, the prostitutes of Marseilles wen ton strike (they don’t have a union, but probably don’t really need one), which was joined by just about every prostitute in the country. The major unions announced that they’d join in on a sympathy strike. The country just about shut down. In the end, the prostitutes got whatever it wsa they were looking for.
French unions are actually pretty courteous when it comes to striking. They’ve…
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My Mother’s Toilet
August 20, 2010 by Jacques Legume
I’m FINALLY back to my slum-liike digs (with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, some 7 miles away) after a stay ihn the Burgundian countryside, specifically, at my mother’s. You’ll note that I didn’t use such descriptors as ‘beautiful’ ‘awe-inspiring’ ‘inspirational’ or other such superlative adjectives. That’s because I didn’t really see a lot of the countryside. A bit of background:
The humble toilet, in the form we know and love, was patented, not by Thomas Crapper, the British plumber who is largely credited with its invention, but by another Brit, Alex Cunningham, and has remained largely unchanged to this day. Particularly in my mother’s house, where, I may have mentioned, little has changed in the 350 years since the house was converted from a barn. Hence, my latest task: replacing my mother’s toilet. A truly special way to spend a weekend in the Burgundian countryside.
The Saturday started like so many there: a meeting of the Hamlet in my mother’s parlour, consuming vast quantities of her coffee while filtering out stale air through constant quantities of Gauloises being inhaled. All this to discuss the best solution for my…
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A Little Bit of French Movie-Making Loveliness
August 18, 2010 by Samia Shalabi
One day, she ran off of the movie set to go into town to get a few things, like croissants, cookies and of course, facial spray…
There are several things I love about France, one of which is their value in aesthetics, like flower arrangements, beautiful gardens, lovely furniture, dressing well, fine wine, and (hydrated skin?). I like pretty things and appreciate them, I like good food and appreciate it. It creates a sense of comfort and pleasure, which I think we all crave.
So, she came back from the store with our goodies and an aerosol spray can of water… for your face… it was Evian… It cost five Euro… At first I laughed. Of course, I think this is ridiculous, and a funny waste of water, but my French friends humphed and said, ‘no no… it is very nice for your face’. None of them were surprised by this bottle, like it is an everyday thing, and as I took it around the set to spray on peoples faces they all closed their eyes and enjoyed the comfort of a cool light mist of water on their faces… And then, so did I..
Flower Festival in the French Pyrenees
August 17, 2010 by Ellen Park
A Flower Festival will be held August 19-22, 2010 in Bagnères-de-Luchon in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France.
If you’re nearby, Road Trips Gardeners, the best time to be there is 2 p.m. Sunday (August 22), when the parade kicks off with 22 floats festooned with 300,000 real flowers!
Look for Bagnères-de-Luchon southwest of Toulouse, about halfway between Bayonne and Perpignan (any further south, and it’d be in Spain!).
Goodbye France
August 13, 2010 by Samia Shalabi
We left the chateau with a very nice farewell. Lots of hugs and kisses. I was ready to leave. When I travel, I mostly have that feeling, when it is time to go, it is time to go. Yesterday was that day and I was ready.
A friend from the chateau drove us to Toulouse, the scenic way and it was beautiful along the small winding road through SW France, a great way to say goodbye and move on from our intense three-week movie-making experience. Our friend dropped us off in Toulouse near the bus station and for hours we sat at a café and had a nice lunch and nice French wine and slowly unwound. We talked about how we felt and I cried a bit to let go from the intensity. And then we made our way to the bus station. We took a bus to Barcelona because it is a straight shot, no transfers and we learned our lesson on the way to France, transfers with as much luggage as we have, is not a good idea.
The bus ride was strange and beautiful. Strange because there were about ten people on this huge bus,…
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American Duality
August 7, 2010 by Chander Chawla
There is a context behind the picture with Kate Moss drugs scandal and revival of her career after that.
I wondered how people would react if I wore the T-Shirt back home in a suburb of San Francisco. So, I bought the T-Shirt. Last week, I wore it and sat outside a cafe where a lot of people walking by could see the shirt.
The reactions were quite amusing. Some people were shocked. Some could not believe and they had to look again. Some were visibly angry and others looked away after a glance. The people I know told me that I was wearing a radical shirt. However, they could not explain to me what was so radical about the shirt.
In business, technology, entertainment, and Science, the US leads the world in openness to new ideas, new people, and risks. However, the social life is still dominated by traditional Christian values.
America represents a fascinating duality of conservatism and openness in the same culture.
Um… Macarons, Not So Much
August 7, 2010 by Samia Shalabi
OK, so the last few days, we’ve been on location in the city and there just happen to be three pâtisseries (bakeries) around the corner. I’ve been sneaking away and trying the sweets and oh la la… I’m in love! Today, I tried the famous colorful macarons. And well, I’d have to disagree with Jamie Schler’s romantic and supremely positive article in the Huffington Post. But nonetheless it was fun to try the very French macarons. Colorful fluffy meringue filled with sweetness. I looked in the case filled with éclairs, pains au lait, and fruit tartes, and there they were: the Easter egg colored macarons.
I chose framboise (raspberry) and I think this was my mistake. It was filled with raspberry jam and was so sweet I only took one bite before the sugar high set in. The texture was also not to my liking (a light crunch and then sticky goo) and, well, they just aren’t my choice within the plethora of options. They may need another chance; I may have to try a chocolate…
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