The Paris Traveler

Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
Since a good portion of my time in Paris was spent visiting museums, the Paris Museum Pass was both a money saver and time saver.
With the pass, you get admission to a number of monuments and museums in and around Paris. Best of all — you don’t have to stand in those long lines — you get to bypass all those people and go straight to the front of the line. Temporary exhibits at the museums are usually excluded, though.
The pass …read more

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This guest post is by Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
If the thought of a fine bag, a decadent pair of heels, or the feel of the fabric of a finely crafted suit makes you swoon, then an afternoon on the Champs-Élysées in Paris may be your definition of heaven.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées is not only one of the most recognized street names in Paris, but in the entire world, and is lined with luxury and specialty shops, theaters, cafes and restaurants.  Its name translates to "Elysian Fields" a reference to the …read more

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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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This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe
 
Standing in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle (also called the Place de l’Étoile) at the western end of the Champs-Élyseés, the Arc de Triomphe is the largest triumphal arch in the world. 
It honors those who bravely fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars.  ,  Beneath the arch is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I, marked by the very first eternal flame.  The flame burns in memory of those who died, but were …read more

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This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
 
 
 

Playing with photo editing software today – always a fun thing to do with travel photos.
I like making the Eiffel Tower even more artistic looking that it really is!
 
Photo credit:  personal collection
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This is a guest post from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and blogger at Flyaway Cafe
 
As is often the case when travelers get to talking, the discussion soon turns to places we’ve been, places we’re going, and places we want to go.
One of my favorite recent trips was to Paris.

The photo was taken on a visit to the Louvre.  The statuary was in a garden atrium area of the museum, and is just one of hundreds of pieces on display.
I recently had the opportunity to watch some sculptors at work, and that has given me a …read more

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I’m not sure why, but these last few days I have been drawn to vintage photographs of Paris;  Sunday I posted an old photo from the World’s Fair of 1900, capturing the exhibition halls built along the Seine.  Yesterday, I found a series of more photos, including the one above that I had to share.  This is Rue de Seine in the 6th arrondissement, smack in the middle or thereabouts of the Saint Germain area.  Bustling, artsy-fartsy in the best way, it is lined with art galleries, small cafés and shops.  Certainly not an end to itself as it is …read more

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 Do not pass Go, do not collect $100,  but immediately take yourself  to the following link and be treated to a remarkable visual tour of the beautifully refurbished Grand Palais.  It is an amazing 2 minutes of time well spent!  The new website is fantastic.  
Grandpalais.fr
Photo credit:  bratan@flickr 

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 I hold individuals that live life outside the box of what most people’s definition of “normal” might be in high regard.  Those mavericks who listen to their heart and are moved by what it tells them regardless of the judgement of others is a gift.  It may cause them great pain or great delight but they move to their inner voice and only when all is said and done will they be deemed genius or crazy!
Take Ferdinand Cheval.  A French postman, he tripped on a stone one day, admired its shape and started collecting them on his route.  First in …read more

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 Well, finding Paris in New York is much easier than I thought–especially if you take your search to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Today, I took an incredibly long cab ride from my hotel in SoHo to the museum–clearly I was being ripped off as the ride home took a mere 10 minutes.  The rest of the day made up for all that.  
Looking at the photo above, you would guess I might be at, oh, I don’t know, perhaps Versailles.  I say that because every room there looks very similar to this one.  One whole section of the Met’s  European …read more

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