The Paris Traveler

Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
One of the most famous museums in the world is the Louvre, or more correctly the Musée du Louvre, and it was one of the items that was high on my Paris must-see list. It is located on the Right Bank (of the Seine) in the 1st arrondissement.
Originally a palace, the museum is now home to some of the most world-famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Aphrodite/Venus de Milo. It opened to the public in 1793, …read more

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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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Previously, I have mentioned Palais Royal, my most favorite spot in Paris, along with Concorde, the Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg…..maybe I should just go with, all of PARIS is my favorite spot!  I don’t think anyone who knows me would argue with that.
Now that I got that off my chest, back to Palais Royal…and Le Prince Jardinier, a garden shop that brings “haute” to all things green thumb-ish. Created in 1995, this shop caters to creating a world of outdoor beauty with tools, containers, furniture, comfortable clothing as well as scented candles.  Those are all good things and if you love …read more

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Oodles has been written about French women–their philosophy on life,  how they achieve that “I just got out of bed, forgot to run a comb through my hair, found a top that just happens to fall off my shoulders in just the right way and I may or may not have makeup on but no one will ever know” look that is pretty hard for many of us to accurately copy.  But they do it so well and up until a few years ago, how it was done was a tightly guarded secret.  That is until one of “them” decided …read more

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These last few days I have been an advocate of taking care of our planet (which is a daily practice of mine on an individual basis) and have introduced you to new bloggers here at b5media that will open up new parts of the world for all of us.  Both important to know about but…….today, we are back in Paris.   And that is a great big YEAH as far as I’m concerned.
 
 Previously, I have mentioned that I love to cook and what better place to take some classes and learn new skills than in this epicurien’s dream city.  Thinking …read more

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Party plans are going on in every bar and restaurant in Paris for one of the most celebrated festivites of the Fall.  So,….better make your reservations as soon as you can, and don’t count on President Sarkozy to be one of the people celebrating! Mr. Sarko is a teetotaler in case you didn’t know. As a matter of fact, he wanted to ban the popular Fête du Beaujolais Nouveau back in 2003 stating that it was for security reasons and that it would help lessen the health insurance deficit! Uh, okay….
In case any of you noticed a short time ago at the G8 …read more

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