Posted by admin on April 30, 2007 under Europe Accommodation | 
I’ve finally managed to upload a podcast. It certainly has not been “my voice on the internet in minutes”. I apologise for some of the editing. Our son Gary, my IT consultant, is studying for his exams and his time is limited, so we just had to get on, so he could show me how to export and upload the MP3 file. I hope that you find the podcast entertaining and informative.
I have to say thanks to Arnold at Foreign Perspectives for telling me about the France 24 competition where the prize for commenting on the French Presidential elections was a podcast factory. I know in business you are supposed to have a master plan and strategy but it’s funny how things can turn out. I started the blog after receiving an email from student doing her dissertation on the topic of blogs in travel businesses. Arnold told me about the France 24 competition as a way of publicising the blog, as the winning entries would be featured on their home page. I discovered later about the prizes.
I’d welcome any feedback on the podcast and/or suggestions about topics you’d like me to coverk .
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Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Photo by Bernard Rautureau ©2007
Paris is a forever tantalizing city whose layers upon layers of history defy total absorption. Marc Soleranski has made it his business to take on this challenge - and if you have the stamina to follow his lead, and if your command of the French language is reasonably good, prepare yourself for total immersion in the Paris of ‘autrefois’ or other times. The Latin Quarter tour we joined was organized by the SociГ©tГ© de la LittГ©rature de la Poste et France TГ©lГ©com.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
We met at the footsteps of the Pantheon in the 5th arrondissement. Most guidebooks will tell you that Paris’s origins began on the Ile de la Cite where the Parisi, a Gallo-Celtic tribe, lived, but our tour started at the epicenter of the Roman settlement that once included a forum where Rue Soufflot now stands. While the Parisi depended primarily on the river for their commerce and livelihood, the Romans’ major concern was building roads from one end of the empire to the other. So, if you were to take Rue St. Jacques and keep walking you’d end up in Orleans. Go the other direction and you’d end up in Calais. During the Middle Ages, these routes served the pilgrims who traveled to St. James of Compostela in Spain to view sacred relics. They could also take Rue Mouffetard, head to the south of Paris along the BiГЁvre River - and eventually end up in Rome.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
The Pantheon is a fitting place to begin a visit to Paris because the former church was originally dedicated to St. Genevieve, the patron saint of the city. She is credited with fending off Hun attacks, not as a soldier as Joan of Arc is portrayed, but simply through fervent prayer. When many fled the city, Genevieve remained and subsequently saved the city with her prayers.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Nowadays the Pantheon (renamed during the French Revolution) designed by architect Soufflot holds the remains of the illustrious Victor Hugo and Voltaire. (As I mentioned in a previous post, Catherine the Great, a great fan of Voltaire’s, dearly wanted Voltaire’s remains transferred to Tsarkoe Selo in St. Petersburg, but this was one battle she did not win).
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
You may choose not to go inside the Pantheon but rather spend more time visiting the adjacent St. Etienne du Mont church (as we did) considered by many to be a masterpiece of the 15th and 16th century.
The Mannerist style represents a transition from Renaissance and could be considered a a precursor of the Baroque style. Each church in Paris has its particular aura -the great gothic monuments such as Notre Dame de Paris, St. Eustache and St. Denis pay tribute to a Greater Power, reaching eternally upward, and at the same time attempting to mirror the magnitude of unrivaled majesty.
St. Etienne-du-Mont retains allusions to the Lord in Majesty, but this is a church that exudes warmth rather than grandiosity. Inside the church, the architecture retains the principals of Gothic construction yet the dГ©cor is Renaissance. It houses St. Genevieve’s relics (what little remains).
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
One of the highlights of the interior is the rood loft which undulates across the altar in a way that makes stone seem as fluid as wine. It was probably built in 1530 at the same time as the choir. This is a unique example of a rood loft in Paris. A rood screen is the decorative screen (which could be constructed of stone, wood or metal) that was used to separate the congregation from the clergy in certain churches. In this example, the rood loft still allowed the congregation to view the rites of the Mass (which may be one of the reasons it was never removed). Up until the mid-60s many Catholic churches still had a communion rail separating the altar from the congregation.
Everywhere you look, you will find a richness of detail: the wood carved base of the pulpit, Samson, created by Claude Lestocard is just one sample of the artistry. The fine wood carved organ loft built by Jean Buron (17th century) is said to be the oldest organ loft in Paris. The intimate chapel of St. Genevieve is tucked in the right hand corner. Excellent examples of 16th-17th -century stained glass adorn the chancel.
Visiting St. Etienne du Mont and the Pantheon was only an iota of our full day’s visit with Marc Soleranski which included a number of important sites in the Latin Quarter: The Roman combination arena and amphitheatre (the ‘ArГЁnes de LutГЁce’), the Sorbonne, the College de France and Calvin’s Tower, the Roman baths in front of the Musee Cluny, remains of Philippe Auguste’s wall - just to give you an inkling of this marathon tour.
Although the tour covered Latin Quarter history ranging from Roman occupation up to present day students’ impressions, the major theme dwelled on the great luminaries of the Middle Ages who walked, studied - and taught on the streets of the Latin Quarter such as Abelard, Erasme, St. Bernard de Clairveaux, Calvin, Loyola, beginning a tradition of learning which we have inherited and is truly a tradition handed down for universal benefit.
And, if you’re wondering why I have lingered so long at St. Etienne-du-Mont, this is my favorite church in Paris.
If you do not feel sufficiently fluent to follow a French tour, my suggestion would be to pick up a copy of Les Guides Bleus (the Blue Guides) Paris, Prentice Hall, 1991, originally published by Hachette Guides Bleus. You can buy this guide book in English. It offers detailed descriptions of many Paris streets, buildings, churches and neighborhoods. If you feel overwhelmed at times by all there is to absorb - remember that no visit to Paris should be your last visit. Save something for the next trip!
Posted by admin on under Europe Accommodation |
Holiday Autos won the best car hire website in the Travolution 2007 awards last week. Holiday Autos were praised for their “excellent use of images and icons. A clean booking process with fresh, interesting destination content as well as a innovative flight look-up system.”
Beach at Sitges, Spain by Beachy
I have used the Auto Europe website to book car hire and the whole process from booking to pick up and drop off has gone smoothly. Have you used Auto Europe, what was your experience?
I’ve written some tips for hiring a car in Europe.
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Posted by admin on under Europe Accommodation |
Sam Daams is co-founder of Travellers Point, who “nurture your travel addictions”, sounds good to me!1 What is the aim of your business?
Well, the ‘corporate’ objective reads this: “Travellerspoint’s objective is to enrich the travelling experience by offering numerous services, content and products that have significant perceived and added value for travellers worldwide. To travel means to meet other people, experience their cultures and to make, but also to keep good friends. By bringing more people together - albeit before, during or after travelling - Travellerspoint will create more understanding for different cultures and countries and ultimately a better world for everyone to travel in.”Basically we try to create features that bring travellers together on our site, regardless of whether they are planning a trip, already on the road or have returned!
2 What prompted you to start your own business?
It actually started out as a hobby more than a business. My brother Peter and me came up with the idea in 2002, when Peter had just developed a few websites. He was interested in building one around travelling and I was working in the travel business, so we teamed up and launched Travellerspoint as a ‘Travel Friends Reunited’ type of site. It’s come quite a way since then, but we still have quite a few reunions through the original feature!
3 What has been the hardest aspect of having your own business?
Personally I’d say trying to find the balance between work and a private life is the toughest. It’s easy to get carried away and when you run an online business you can pretty much work from anywhere. So being able to walk away from the computer and spend some time with family and friends while there are 100 emails waiting to be answered is an absolute necessity!
4 What is the funniest thing that has happened to you running your own business?
Hmmm, I don’t know if anything really funny has happened, but it’s been heaps of fun seeing the business grow and being able to travel more because of it!
5 Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?
To be quite honest, there’s not much when it comes to the site and it’s features! We were really lucky in hindsight to have chosen the name Travellerspoint since it was broad enough to allow for adding other features without needing a new brand/domainname. Imagine if we had gone for ‘travelreunions.com’ or something similar!!My commentsThanks for talking to us, Sam. Interesting that you mention the importance of choosing an appropriate name when you start your business, as Darren of Worldwide Holiday Homes touched upon this, when he spoke to us. You really want a name that is specific in describing what your business does but not limiting your possible diversifications in the future. You really don’t want to have start changing domain names once you are becoming established.As Sam says, I think it’s really hard to say enough is enough when you have your own business. I know I say to myself I’m going to have a day off today, then I just go to check my emails and end up sitting for hours at the computer.
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Posted by admin on under Europe Accommodation |
Easjey has criticised the admin fees of between 25 - 30% charged by some carbon offset schemes. Easjyet plans to buy credits in United Nation backed schemes and sell these back to passenger.
Photo by lostajy’s
I feel slightly uneasy about carbon offset schemes. I think that they are only part of the solution. I think it’s better to fly less for leisure. Perhaps I am shooting myself in the foot, as a travel business owner. I just don’t feel it’s right to say, just go on flying as much as you like and it won’t cause any problems as long as you always do your carbon offsets. What do you think?
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Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
The ‘centriste’ candidate Francois Bayrou hasn’t officially tipped his hat to either candidate. Rather, he suggests that those who voted for him are free to make their own choice…this is the first time since 1974 that the centristes have not officially supported the right-wing candidate. This move may signal the formation of a new political party - The Democratic Party. He still feels that neither candidate (Sarkozy or Royal) has sufficiently addressed the problem of the national debt.
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
“How can you go to the Emergency room when you’ve been attacked with nothing else but words? What scars can you show? There’s nothing to patch up.” So goes the life of one of Victor HaГЇm’s characters in his new play Furieux which we heard the playwright read last Monday night 216 Boulevard Raspail. The Monday ‘theater discovery’ night is an event organized by the SociГ©tГ© LittГ©raire de la Poste et de France Telecom.
In Furieux we quickly become acquainted with suffering in many forms -ranging from the physical pain of a failing body, the loss of one’s sense of sight and hearing, to spousal abuse, alcoholism, racism, and unrequited love. But, there is salvation - and plenty of humor which arrives on stage in the form of a Muslim widow with the gift of healing hands(her abusive husband had been murdered by a hate group called F.U.R. I.E. U. X.). (My French wasn’t good enough to catch each word of this acronym - but the last letter ‘X’ stands for Xenophobe.)
How five characters’ lives are so deftly intertwined, including a psychologist who ends up on the healer’s massage table, is a delight best saved for the theater experience - whenever that may come about. HaГЇm so brilliantly read five different parts, bringing to life each character that the actors lucky enough to get these roles will have a hard act to follow.
Victor HaГЇm’s plays have been translated into 16 languages and appeared in 23 countries including the USA and Canada. L’Escalade, translated by Jack Trahey was included in the International Contemporary French Theater Festival program held at the Piccolo Theater , Chicago, 2004).
In 2003, Victor HaГЇm won the Moliere Prize for best playwright of contemporary French theater.
Can’t wait to see this play performed onstage - either in French or in English.
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
In the 19th century, walking along the Seine was an invitation to pickpockets and cutthroats. Nowadays, the Seine’s banks belong to artists and lovers.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Feel like talking about Paris? Nonstop. I dropped into the forum at Slow Travel.com and found plenty of lively conversation about tea salons, neat boutiques, and much more. If any Slow Travel Groupees have dropped in to Parislogue today, welcome!
Some of you have mentioned you’re planning to be in Paris later this summer or in Fall, feel free to post any questions - and I’ll do my best to find answers for you.
One of the subjects that came up today on the forum was the normal cost for using public toilets. Public toilets (the silver cubicles that one sees on some streets in Paris - are FREE. They open and close automatically and if it’s being used a red light turns on that says ‘Occupe’. No, this is NOT the red light district.
Gratuit means FREE! Libre means available. Occupe means occupied.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Ignore the coin slots. The WC is FREE in Paris (you have to pay in other towns throughout France)
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Don’t ask me how many years I’ve been in France before I dared to use one of these things. Anything automatic terrifies me (including escalators) If you don’t believe me, I wrote a book about fear of escalators among other things, but the bottom line is if you try one out for the first time, make sure you’ve got somebody standing around outside - so that if you’re claustrophobic you can always bang on the door (yet I haven’t yet heard of people getting stuck in them).
When I finally did try out one - it was in Normandy, not Paris - and in the ‘provinces’ you have to pay about 10 or 20 centimes. Otherwise, it costs 50 centimes to go to the well maintained public toilets in Paris’s gardens which have women moniters to keep things tidy.
The understood rule in cafes goes like this. You go to the bar. You order an expresso (the least expensive thing you can order) for the privilege of using the cafe loo. In the old days you had to ask at the counter for a ‘jeton’ that opened the loo or WC (Water Closet) as its called here.
McDonalds is a very popular venue - not necessarily for the hamburgers but for the free toilets. In department stores such as BHV (Bazar de Hotel de Ville) Metro: Hotel de Ville, you have to hurry up to the top floor across from the self serve restaurant (which is also a good place to stoke up for serious shoppers.
The only time I’ve ever become FURIOUS was thanks to a bathroom attendant who tried to accuse me over sneaking out of the women’s restroom without leaving my 50 centimes (when in fact, I hadn’t even used the restoom - but had checked to see if a cafe was open at the Chateau de Versailles (the Chateau is closed on Mondays by the way - so was the restaurant). She used the expression:
‘Mon Oeil. or My Eye! which would translate into English as ‘My Foot’ Where do we get these expressions anyhow? For some reason I lost it. Accuse me of cheating but don’t insult me that I would do so over a measly fifty centimes. It was a good chance to practice shouting at someone in bad French. “Vous n’etes pas capable!” I scolded while pounding my fist on the tip counter.
At some point, if you stay in France long enough, you too will lose your cool - and then you’ll get over it and realize that you’re just getting the hang of life in France. Generally speaking it’s not a good idea to lose your cool. Patient seething is the way to go. It works best in the long run. Just stand perfectly still and make it clear that you’re not going to cave in. Ah! The joy of it all.
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Hat display at Divine, 39 rue Daguerre
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
‘Simply Divine’ at Divine
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
It’s really hard for me to walk past Divine my favorite hat shop on Rue Daguerre Metro: Denfert Rochereau without - at least- peeking in the window.
With June weddings, polo - and horse racing season just around the corner - not to mention the exceptionally sunny weather this past week, it seems like everybody and her sister were trying on hats at Divine today.
Window display at Divine
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
“We just had a new shipment” one of the clerks told me - and considering that Divine is a rather small boutique to begin with, wherever there weren’t women trying on hats, every imaginable size, color and shape of hat populated shelves and counter tops.
Certainly there are other very fine hat shops in and around Paris. The NY Times listed about half a dozen of them in an article that I will eventually unearth from a stack of papasserie - but I noted that some of the NY Times shops were couture shops on Faubourg Honore - and just between you and me - the price of a really nice ‘ready to wear’ hat is already a big, big splurge for most of us. If you have trouble justifying buying an item that you may just wear once or twice in your life - after looking at some of these photos, you’ll understand that it’s more a question of buying art that you happen to prop on top of your head rather than hang in your living room or ’salon’ if you like.
The owner of A La Recherche de Jane at 41 Rue Dauphine, Tel: 01 43 25 26 46. Metro: St. Germain des Pres told me that she’s noted a strong comeback for hats in the past fifteen years. At La Recherche de Jane, you can also find men’s hats.
And if you needed yet another good excuse to go to Ile St. Louis (aside from ice cream), stop in at Le Grain de Sable 79 Rue St. Louis en l”Ile, 75004. (Cross the bridge behind Notre Dame de Paris and turn on your first right after the long line for ice cream). Le Grain de Sable has handbags and jewelry as well as hats - but the hats are lovely.
Finally, if you’re headed to the Albert Kahn park in Boulogne Billancourt, you can make a hat detour at Elle Pour Lui, 90 ave du General Leclerc. Tel. 01 49 09 13 36 Metro: Boulogne Billancourt which also has handbags, scarfs and accessories. If the hats don’t catch you first, the handbags will.
P.S. Tomorrow you may may be wishing for a rain hat!
