The Paris Traveler

Try to imagine if you can, getting all jazzed up in your “I am so going out on the town and am going to look amazing” outfit, only to find yourself donning a hard hat, goggles and white painters uniform while being handed a sledge hammer in order to smash walls, closets and bathrooms at one of the finest hotels in Paris.
 That’s exactly what several hundred VIP’s were invited to do at Le Royal Monceau, a five star grande dame of a place to stay just off the Champs Elysée. Needing to give the old gal a face lift,  the …read more

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More than three centuries after being torn down by revolutionaries, wanting their king’s head, the gates at Versailles have been recreated in all their original splendor.
 This past Monday, officials unveiled these beautiful golden gates that have been painstakingly replicated over the past two years, bringing back to life the Barouque artistry originally created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, architect to Louis XIV.  It was Hardouin-Mansart who was responsible for creating many of the significant buildings of this period that were meant to convey the king’s wealth and power.
 At a cost of eight million dollars, generated by private donors which is rare in …read more

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Americans, according to a survey done by Expedia-Harris Poll of 4000 hotel managers from around the world, come in first place (don’t we always want to win?) at being the rudest tourists.  We complain the most when it comes to accommodations and are the worst dressed–no real surprise there.  We also are among the least tidy hotel guests.   Our fellow French travelers, not ones to be left far behind, came in second in the rudeness catagory and third in the complaining department, outdone by the Germans.  Italians are considered the most stylish with the French right on their heels.  
What …read more

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 Once again, we here on the Travel Channel at b5media are participating in a “channel” post if you will.  Our guy out in DC, Jon, The DC Traveler, invited all of us to participate in World Cocktail Week, ” established to celebrate the rich history of the cocktail and recognize the craftsmanship and skill of the bartenders who have been mixing them for over 200 years”.  I say Amen to that!  This week, May 8th-13th, is your chance to visit your local watering hole and raise your glass to the men and women standing behind the bar, making sure glasses are never empty and …read more

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I have a great deal of admiration for the way the French embrace  their cultural heritage.  Often times, they stubbornly cling to ideas that came to life hundreds of years ago, having been passed down from generation to generation which to those of us looking in, can seem outdated.  And yet, you cannot convince them otherwise.  They are held together by these beliefs, united by their art and architecture, raised on their philosophers’ discourse,  take their politics to the streets as their ancestors did and the thread that holds them all together is their combined sense of “French-ness”.  
 Here in …read more

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 If you are touring Paris and have become overwhelmed with museums, statues, historically significant art and architecture, which can easily happen,  I have something that is still a feast for the eyes and you can leave the guidebooks in the hotel.    
La Foire de Paris (The Paris Trade Fair) is a huge gathering of all things currently available to the French regarding home improvement, leisure and well-being and cultural passions all under one roof.  It seems to me an odd mix, but the good news is, everyone in the family can get their needs met.  Ladies,  are you looking …read more

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I write about wine a lot because I like it a lot and enjoy learning as much as I can about it, whether I am drinking French, Italian, Spanish–whatever country happens to be in my glass.  Also, it’s a big deal here.  If you are lucky enough to be in Paris on the weekend of March 28-31, you can increase your knowledge by taking part in a “salon” or what we might call a wine trade show of independent vintners.
Les salons des vins des Vignerons Indépendents allows you to meet men and women who own small vineyards and create wine …read more

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Should you be lucky enough to be in Paris from the 14th to 19th of March you have to promise that you will, for me, since I won’t be there, go to the Salon du Livres.  This is a book lover’s paradise.  It is a French trade show for publishers of all sorts of books:  fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, books that make great gifts, bookplates, stamps…..you name it.  If it has something to to with books, you will find it here.  One teensy problem–it is all in French.

But it doesn’t matter. (I am pursing my lips and shrugging my shoulders …read more

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For all you aspiring writers or those of you who have been thinking about taking your work to the next level, here’s a little something that might get you to pack your bags and run away for a few days this summer! 

 The 20th annual Paris Writers Workshop, sponsered by WICE, a non-profit volunteer organization committed to bringing together the English speaking community in Paris, is once again holding a series of seminars for those of you passionate about writing and would like to refine your skills in a small group setting, under the tutulege of published authors and literary agents …read more

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When you think about the recent divorce between French President Sarkozy and the former First Lady, things were definitely far from cosy, to say the least! What’s interesting, however, is the way the French perceive this marital seperation and the way the American public would react if an American president were to divorce his wife after only several months in office.
                                                                                                  First of all, I don’t think it would ever happen! What First Lady would decide to throw in the towel even if she was in the midst of some sort of Presidential scandal?! (Hmm, does Hillary ring a bell? As …read more

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