The Paris Traveler

This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe
 
Bateaux Parisiens is a cruise company that conducts sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises on the Seine, along with operating a river-boat shuttle called Batobus.
I opted for an evening sightseeing cruise, and for an hour we cruised the Seine while the hostess pointed out a number of attractions.  The commentary was pleasant and informative, and not filled with the typical puns and drivel that you so often get on tours.
Schedules vary, but details and information can easily be found in the city.  …read more

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There are so many parts of Paris that are sort of alluded to in guidebooks, but as a first time visitor, there just isn’t time to hit everything.  Being overwhelmed by all there is to see and do is understandable and expected.  The little journey I am going to send you on isn’t out of the way–it’s something that you might not know to do but can easily fit into your day.  The above photo is taken from Place de la Concorde looking down Rue Royale towards Place de la Madeleine which is where you might want to go today.

 La Madeleine’s history …read more

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Awhile back, I wrote a post about a gem of a website, The Little Bookroom, which features beautiful volumes devoted to travel, food, wine, shopping and equally beautiful journals that easily inspire one to jot down thoughts that could be a future title on this charming site.
  Previously, I mentioned a book by Gilles Pudlowski, Pudlo Paris, a guide to all that is yummy in Paris–restaurants, bars, cafés and gourmet shops.  A foodie’s Paris bible if there ever was one.
Now, Mr. Pudlowski has taken his show on the road.  Pudlo France,  just out last month, is a comprehensive journey through the entire country, …read more

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 As you may or may not know, us bloggers have our wily ways of discovering certain things about our blogs:  readership for the day, popular posts, where in the world some of our readers come from and which bloggers have linked to one of our posts in order to make a point or add extra information to their post.  Tuesday, The Paris Traveler was linked to an article and I am going to send you right back there!
Alexander Lobrano is the European correspondent for Gourmet magazine–can you say “dream job”??? Oh my goodness.  Eating my way through Europe and then writing …read more

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 For those of you who are foodies and find yourself in the Latin Quarter area, a visit to Rue Mouffetard would and should be the call of the day.  Located in the 5th, this street is a remnant of a Roman road that lead south to Italy and the origin of its outdoor market can be traced back to 1350.  Typical of the middle ages, people still venture here for their daily food shopping which, ahem, I do believe surpasses the other famous foodie street, Rue Cler.  I’m sure that will get a rise out of some people.
 
 
The fruits and …read more

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  I don’t write much about cooking even though it is one of my most favorite things in the world to do.  It isn’t every-one’s passion so I stay away.  The last time I did write a post about cooking was to give a recipe for the perfect French vinegrette.  I guarantee that if you add that to your repertoire of things you do well, you will amaze and impress all those you want to amaze and impress  
Another recipe that you might want to commit to memory is buerre blanc sauce:  a butter sauce made with a few …read more

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 Today we are off to share a yummy goodie and cup of tea at this super adorable venue, Thé Cool.  What is not to love about how fabulous the interior of this tea salon is?    You can spend a delightful afternoon sitting with a good book, a wonderful cup of tea and just be in the moment as they say.  
 The menu offers light meals and sweets all lovingly prepared by Michèle, the owner, and a list of teas from around the world.  Their specialty dessert, “Starlight” has been on the menu since 1985 and continues to be a …read more

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“I suppose that I shall have to die beyond my means.” 
Oscar Wilde 
 
I am a bigger fan of Oscar Wilde than I thought.  Doing some research into his literary career, I discovered that I have read half of his works without even putting any effort into it.  When I am in the library or at the bookstore, I’ve just gravitated to his titles and would have to pass along to you that I have enjoyed every single one of them.
He spent his last years in Paris, living and dying at Hotel d’Alsace, a dingy and cheap spot in the 6th leaving …read more

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 We’re not in Paris today and that is probably a good thing since the weather is not cooperating and being its crappy Parisian self.  Beautiful things sometimes think they can get away with that….being crappy and still be loved.  Not with me they can’t.  So, I decided we need to get out of town and spread our wings a bit.  We aren’t even in France anymore.  We, people,  are in Bologna, Italy and we’re going to make pigs of ourselves on one of my favorite foods, Nutella!!  And the photo that you see is a Nutelleria, a restaurant in Bologna …read more

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 I found this picture on a wine blog that I visit and had to post it as this is a fabulous example of what the French refer to as “terroir” which is the hard to translate, somewhat nebulous term used to describe all the physical elements that come together in creating a wine.  Think of it as a “sense of place” that is unique unto itself and will impact the final product.  
Terroir includes climate, soil, drainage, sunlight, macro-climates and topography.  Is the soil sandy, pebbly, chalky or clay-like?  What is the quality of drainage based on the type of …read more

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