Posted by admin on June 29, 2007 under Prague's Travel and Accommodation News | 
Friday, - Saturday, in ,
The visual style of Karlovy Vary IFF 2007 is the work of Studio Najbrt
The directors of the opening ceremony are and brothers. Themain themeof this year’s ceremony comes from the festival poster, which portrays an actress in a starry setting.The whole evening will be pleasantly poetic, slightly nostalgic and conducted in the cabaret style. The music will include tunes from Saturday Night Fever
more about Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2007festival news, photo-gallery, selection of movies, catalogue of movies, screening schedule…
czech republic, 
czech republic, 
karlovy vary, 
karlovy vary, 
film festival
Posted by admin on June 28, 2007 under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Photo by Chris Card Fuller © 2007
All good things must come to an end, but do you want to end your trip to Paris sleeping on an airport floor? It shouldn’t end this way, you say . . . but in the sum, sum, summertime … here we are direct from CDG to Newark International, camping out with blankets and pillows, compliments of Continental Airlines.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller
First, let me start by saying some warm and cuddly things about the Continental crew and land staff - they couldn’t be nicer - and they seem to be genuinely baffled and embarrassed about last night, about how the Continental service desk in the C wing at Newark sponsored the biggest pajama party I’ve ever attended - that is, if I leave out the Toronto blues festival.
It seems like aeons ago, early yesterday morning when I was sitting in the CDG terminal A, stoking up on croissants and saying to Chris, “If Sarkozy REALLY wants to think about a monument for Paris, he should build a monumental airport from scratch rather than inaugurate new terminals - he’s taking the JFK ‘mix and match’ approach - except no two terminals ever seem to match. But that was June 27th in the morning, this is June 28th in the afternoon and I feel like we’ve lived and voyaged several light years.
Make no mistake. There’s nothing to reproach about the Continental flight from CDG to Newark. Not the slightest hint of a toilet back-up (as had been recently reported in one newspaper). No, the Continental crew was ‘impecc’. Our vegetarian meals arrived in a hurry. Yes, there’s no way around it - the Continental fleet is aging in spite of the ’spiel’ about Continental having the youngest crew?? (in the USA maybe) - and the aircraft is cramped - but if you prefer medium sized over jumbo jets, this is the airline for you.
The problems began with that nasty C-word “Connection”.
You’ve all been there - and yet no matter how many times we get shafted at connection time, we are the eternal idealists. I know that everyone standing or lying in the Service Center LIne last night had their own personal horror story - so mine is nothing special - except that I really thought we MIGHT, POSSIBLY beat Jet Blue’s 10 hour tarmac wait. We didn’t. Five hours didn’t even rate any mention by CNN (which we listened to incessantly blathering away about not Paris, the city, the other Paris).
Meanwhile, about four am I wandered around the airport, an infant sat on the floor beside her mother who slept. The child had upended the remains of a bag of potato chips. She swirled the potato chip crumbs in circles on the airport carpeted floor(she couldn’t have been more than two, but knew well enough not to consider eating the chips.
Time gets blurry - even computer screens become too assaulting to consider writing at this hour. I was trying to remember the short-lived euphoria of boarding our connecting flight for Rochester - thinking ‘ Ahhh we’re the lucky ones - we’re gonna get out of here- THIS flight hasn’t been canceled. (Of course all these cancellations were due to ‘bad weather’ somewhere, even though there wasn’t a speck of rain in Newark - it was all those weather patterns hovering, waiting to attack.
We taxiied out to the runway. We waited. According to our pilot, we had a route, a low-fly route, but apparently every other plane flying out of Newark had the same route. We waited some more -the pilot turned off the engine - and turned it on again and we waited some more. Four hours later, the pilot said, we’re cleared for take off. Those magic words. A loud cheer and clapping. And before the clapping could end, the pilot broke in to say, “But we need to go back to the gate - we don’t have enough gas.” “But the gates are all taken.” So he cajoled a petrol truck to come to us. We are into our fifth hour. We have a full tank of gas. We have a free runway ahead of us. Air traffic control has decided to cancel the flight. Someone saw lightening. We crawl back toward the gate, but before we can reach the gate, torrents of water shower cross the tarmac, the ground crew scurries for cover. “We have to wait out the storm, it’s too dangerous for the crew to be outside if there’s lightening. The storm subsided as quickly as it had begun.
The smart people on this plane had already booked rental cars before they exited from the plane - some had booked on other airlines - the lucky few who lived in New Jersey, simply drove back home.
If you are returning to the US on an international flight, the airline is normally required to provide you with hotel lodging. That is, of course, if the hotels are not completely booked. And in that case, you get pillows and blankets. There is an upside to this - you don’t have to go through the security check the following morning.
We met some very nice people in the last 48 hours, one was an off duty Continental flight attendant who didn’t hesitate to answer questions - and help out on the five hour land-bound trip to the runway and back again. We had unlimited pretzels and ice water.
People didn’t yell or scream - maybe it’s because we all know after Katrina, and with Iraq, that several hours of discomfort is a blip in the big picture of malaise - but the question is unavoidable.
What’s going on? To quote one of the land crew members: “This shouldn’t be happening!”
Tips for the way home:
1. Bring everything that you cherish in carry on. If you can do without check-in bags, that’s better.
2. Think around the crowd. If you’re two people, send one person to stock up on food and water while the other person waits in line or gathers information. Talk, constantly ask questions. Ask as many people for help as you can. One person may not have the answer, another person may. Try not to complain and keep smiling, no matter how bad things get.
3. Make sure you know all your options. Under what conditions do you qualify for meal vouchers, hotel, etc.
4. Most important: Allow yourself at least a one-day buffer zone in case you do miss an evening flight.
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
GPS display for bikes at FNAC
and more cycling gear.
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Velib is the new bike rental system that will hopefully be a handy alternative to sore feet. The ambitious new bike rental system will eventually have rental stations in every arrondissement. You can check out the map for the planned locations.
The rental system is supposed to be pretty easy. You can rent the bike either by the day, the week or the year. Whatever time frame you choose, the first 30 minutes is free, and then you begin paying after the first 30 minutes. You need to use a credit card for the transaction and a 150 Euro deposit (which isn’t withdrawn from your card, but which is held as a deposit until the bike is returned.) For 29 Euros you can buy a year subscription i.e. 30 minutes a day for as many days as you like (after the 1st 30 minutes, the additional time is deducted from your 29 Euros annual fee). In this case, you need to wait about fifteen days before you receive your membership card in the mail. The short term rentals can be purchased right at the bike rental location.
If you are wondering about the safety of riding a bike in Paris, I can only tell you this - I’ve seen people riding fearlessly down the Champs Elysees - and even once around Etoile (Arc de Triomphe). Bicyclists do tend to get a little more respect in this town - and motorycylists as well, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are bruise-free. Sunday is the ideal day for bike riding because the route along the Seine is closed off to car traffic. The two leafy parks on the borders of Paris are ideal for biking if you find the streets of Paris to be too intimidating - try the Bois de Vincennes for starters to the east of Paris. Bike touring companies like Paris a Velo, C’est sympa! organize tours in quiet parts of Paris, but also along the Marne river.
If you’re visiting Paris in late July and August, you’re in luck because the traffic tends to thin out - thanks to the number of Parisians who’ve left town to cool off by the sea.
If you plan on visiting the Chateau de Versailles’ newly restored Hall of Mirrors, you can also rent bicycles at the far end of the gardens way past the Petit and Grand Trianon. (This is the part of the Versailles gardens where Parisians bring their kids to ride bikes on a Sunday afternoon).
This GPS guide won’t be attached to any of the Velib’s but I came across this display at the FNAC store on Rue de Rennes - I thought the display was very imaginative.
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
What breed of horse was chosen by Napoleon for his cavalry?
Answer: The Breton breed
Breton breed horse at the Beaulieu farm in Normandy
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
French Horse breeds
Thanks to the efforts of certain horse breeders in France including the Beaulieu Farm in Eure, Normandy
www.lafermebeaulieu.com, some French breeds that had been on the verge of extinction are coming back. The Breton breed is the breed Napoleon chose for its strength (for carrying artillery and its grace) the breed is actually subdivided into two categories, one being specifically breeded for strength - and the other line meant for light cavalry. You can find out more about this breed by visiting the farm where the horses are used for ‘attellage’ or for harnassing events.
Posted by admin on June 26, 2007 under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Here is a reminder that I just received in the mail from Lobster Films.com Mark July 7th on your calendar - and don’t miss this show if you’re in town. It’s FREE! You will have the opportunity to see silent films and hear the incredible Serge Bromberg play piano. I’m not sure where Serge’s passion for film ends and his joy for playing piano begins - they are probably inextricable. Attending a Retour de Flamme show is not simply entertainment - it’s a chance to learn a little about film preservation and the urgency. What will happen in this digital era to film and photo preservation. Well, that’s another question you might want to ask Serge.
“We are pleased to inform you about our RETOUR DE FLAMME summer show,
an open-air and free event, on Saturday, July 7th, at 10pm, at la BUTTE MONTMARTRE.
More specifically, the show will take place at the Louise Michel square,
place St Pierre entrance, Anvers Metro station.
At the head of the bill : Stan Laurel, 4 years before he started his duo with Oliver Hardy,
Georges MГ©liГЁs with Jeanne dВ’Arc (Joan of Arc), the first version of
La belle et la bГЄte (Beauty and the beast). You also will meet a young woman with a strange tic,
a contorsionist who is going to hurt youВ…and more other incredible discoveries !
Serge Bromberg will host the event and play the piano.
Special guest Aidje Tafial (Yeux Noirs band) at the drums !
RETOUR DE FLAMME is part of the Paris CinГ©ma festival which offers an ambitious
line-up of films (600 screenings, 450 films, presented by more than 200 French and foreign guests,
talents and professionals) in 20 different movie theatres or screening
venues in every quarter of Paris,
www.pariscinema.org
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
A restaurant where you can drink your cocktail on the top of a Formula 1 motor? A restaurant that has goldfish in its toilets? Dining in the dark - complete darkness, or dining in a garage, or in someone’s private apartment? It seems like anything and everything is possible when it comes to retaurants in Paris. I’m not going to give any of Jacques Garrance and Stephanie Rivoal’s secrets away from their book
Paris Bars & Restos Insolites, Editions Jonglez.
I found their book at the FNAC bookstore (136, Rue de Rennes, Montparnasse)and even though I’ve heard of some of the restaurants through various news stories, there are plenty that I didn’t know about, some I’ve tried out - like the Palais du Chaillot restaurant (with the great view of the Eiffel Tower) which has gone through several hands since we last went - and several price increases as well!).
Even though this book is written in French, you can catch the gist with the aid of ample illustration. For those of you who are disappointed to hear that the Samaritaine cafe view may no longer be an option, it’s nice to know that there are still some restaurants with great views of the capital. You’ll find them in this book. Buy this book - and keep it under your hat!
Posted by admin on under Prague's Travel and Accommodation News |
Mandarin Oriental PragueVichit Mukura, an Executive Thai Chef from the world famous Oriental Hotel Bangkok
In addition to Essensia’s regular offer, enjoy for example a fantastic 3-course Thai menu of your choice at EUR 33.50
Starters (EUR 10)
Po Pia Ped Yaang (deep-fried roasted duck with rice sheet)
Plaa Hoy Shell Yaang (spicy pan-fried scallop salad with Siamese herbs)
Yaam Pla Mueg (spicy squid salad)
Soups (EUR 10)
Tom Yaam Nuea Hom Jiew (spicy beef shank soup with lime and deep-fried shallot)
Tom Kha Goong (herbed coconut tiger prawn soup)
Main Courses (EUR 17)
Goong Thog Prig Gub Takrai (deep-fried prawns with garlic, chili and lemongrass)
Nuea Poo Phad Bai Gaprow (stir-fired crab meat with chili and holy basil leaf)
Ped Priew Waan (sweet and salty duck breast)
Gai Yaang Khow Niew (grilled chicken with sticky rice)
Desserts (EUR 8.50)
Gaeng Buad Mamuang Khow Niew Moon (warm coconut milk and mango with sweet sticky rice)
Tub Tim Grob (chilled water chestnut rubies in coconut syrup)
Waanyen Grajieb (roselle sorbet)
Nebovidsk 1, Prague 1 - Lesser Town
Lunch: 12 Noon – 2.30 PM / Dinner: 6 PM – 11 PM
For a table reservationor further information, please call +420 233 088777
For some photographs, visit
Posted by admin on under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Notre Dame de Paris
Photo by Chris Card Fuller
Yesterday we chatted with an English and a Mexican visitor in France. (Sheila and Sylvia). Sheila admitted that she wasn’t too keen on visiting cathedrals - she and her friend Sylvie were visiting Rouen. When I asked about the cathedral, she said they had visited the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake - and the new church built in her honor. As for the cathedral of Rouen, she said that she had a hard time with cathedrals - she preferred the simple beauty of the monasteries (like Bec Hellouin in Brionne). All the ornate decor of the larger churches just reminds her that the churches were built on the backs of the poor.
Bec Hellouin near Brionne, Eure
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
This comment reminded me of a French student’s comment (that has aways stuck in my memory) Why not make a swimming pool out of Notre Dame? If this gives you a sudden shock (as it did for me), it’s simply a good reminder that not everyone reacts to monuments in the same way. Some of us see beauty or at the very least a concrete reminder of human endeavors, examples of the greatness that can be achieved out of faith . . .others see a great expense of human effort spent on vanity, whether it be personal vanity or the vanity of institutions.
Gargoyle on Notre Dame de Paris
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
As you can imagine, even though this may not be my opinion, I think it’s worth discussion and worth knowing that there’s more than one way to think about architecture, especially the icons of architecture such as the gothic cathedrals of Europe.
Personally one of my very favorite locales has been the Alhambra in Granada - maybe because of the purity of light on geometric design.
Arc Boutant, Notre Dame de Paris
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
Light is what guided the first Gothic architects. Maybe along the way, future generations were sidetracked. It never hurts to talk about the motivation for great buildings. What will be next for Paris after La Grande Arche and Musee du Quai Branly? Does Nicolas Sarkozy have something in mind? If so, I hope it will include a place for Paris’s homeless!
(In the past, didn’t the homeless find lodging in Notre Dame?) In case you haven’t read in recent newspaper reports, some of Paris’s best neighborhoods will now have low-income apartments opening up at some very nice addresses. The government is relooking at its list of real estate holdings and will start listing these choice addresses as low income housing! How is that for egalitarianisme at its best? (Make no mistakes - a garret in the 16th is not to be confused with 100 sq. meters in the 13th!) Good addresses can be deceiving.
Musee du Quai Branly
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007
A final note on great architecture and exploitation - if you drew up a list of all the greatest architectural achievements in history - including the wonders of the world - undoubtedly you would find a great exploitation of human labor for each example. Others would argue that cathedrals were built by the faithful . . . I’m sure there’s enough here to merit a serious study of how monuments are constructed and to what extent over the ages the participation has been voluntary and beneficial. Maybe the next great construction for the world should be a labor of love - wouldn’t it be a coup for France - if it should be in Paris? (There are some rumors going around that the Palais de Tuileries may be reconstructed. This would in effect complete the full circle of the Louvre - with IM Pei’s pyramid becoming a focal point). So, what if the Palais was constructed by volunteers that would be guaranteed free lodging in the finished building? Just a thought.
Posted by admin on June 25, 2007 under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Peugeot.mainspot.net (Go to this site to learn more about the World Rally)
We have wheels today. It’s been a long time since we’ve actually ‘owned’ a car and for all the years we’ve been coming to France - this is a first. The car is a Peugeot 206. You can actually purchase a car you’ve leased (which is nice in some respects because you know that the only owner of this ‘voiture d’occasion’ or used car, happens to be one person- you. Rather than have the TVA or VAT tax included in the price, you need to pay the VAT directly to the customs office. In this case Peugeot Sodexa was able to handle the actual TVA payment for us to move the process along. We don’t plan on being in any rallys - but here’s a little Peugeot 206 Rally history at Sportasylum.com
The Motor Vehicles Department (or the Carte Grise department) is part of the prefecture de Police - or the sous-prefecture depending on where you live. Your ‘carte grise’ is your proof of car ownership (this is paid on a sliding scale depending on your car’s horsepower). A Peugeot 206, for example will set you back about 230 Euros, just for your carte grise. Once you have your carte grise in hand, you proceed to just about any garage to have your licence plates made up. We went to a shop that makes the licence plates on location. We watched as the owner pressed the numbers into a metal plate. This was the first time i’ve ever seen a licence plate being made. Then he attached the plate to the car bumpers for us. The whole process took about fifteen minutes and cost 22Euros for the plate (you need two plates for the front and back bumpers).
Peugeot 206 also comes in an automatic convertible version - Maybe in a few years? Who knows? So far it’s been raining so much that there wouldn’t have been enough sunny days to make a convertible worth it, but sunny days are just around the corner (we hope!)
Even if you don’t decide that you need to go so far as buying a car (public transportation is great - if you stay in Paris, all you need is the bus or metro, leasing a car over the years with Peugeot Sodexa has been a very good experience - I would recommend them.
Soon there will be a service available to rent cars (within Paris) for very short stints - (Avis). The concept will be very similar to the idea of picking up bicycles and dropping them off at bicycle drop sites throughout Paris (except that the bicycles were be available for free use).
Posted by admin on June 23, 2007 under One stop travel guide to Paris |
Today Robert and I headed over to the Luxembourg Gardens to practice Qi Gong. When Robert isn’t translating, he’s studying Chinese - or practicing Qi Gong - we met through Mathew, who’s a student of Master Wu in Kunming. Mathew is hoping to make Master Wu’s practice known to the world - so we are doing our part by practicing in the Luxembourg Gardens today right across from the Statue of Liberty. I had found a particularly velvety patch of grass where we were able to practice for about an hour (barefoot even, the grass was so soft) until a policeman came by and ever so politely asked us to get off the grass. No whistle blowing, none whatsoever. We had just finished. It was perfect timing.
The Keep off the Grass ruling in the Luxembourg Gardens depends on where you happen to be - there are parts of the gardens where you can sit on the grass - you just observe where everyone else happens to be - and you’ll be fine.
On the way to the gardens, we stopped at the Edgar Quinet market where a man was selling honey that he and his father gather in Saintes (not far from La Rochelle). The vendor told us that he and his son will be traveling to the US and a looking to do an apartment exchange with someone in New York City or San Francisco (he wants to show his son both coasts) He has an apartment in Paris and a place in Saintes (which is also a gorgeous part of France to visit). So, if you live in New York or San Francisco and you’re thinking about coming to France, here’s an opportunity.
