This was my third visit to the Louvre. I remember the first time I got busted by a security guard for snapping a photo of The Mona Lisa. That was years ago, and on this most recent visit, Ms. Mona had relocated to her own space in the Salle des Etats. The lines to see…
In Spring of 2006, travel journalist Sue Frause spent three weeks in Europe. Her travels took her to Paris, Brugge, Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf. Over the next few months she’ll be sharing her thoughts and photographs about the people and places she met along the way… PARIS — Although I’m a travel writer, I seldom…
If you’ve ever craned your neck skyward to view the Eiffel Tower (in France, not that fake one in Vegas), the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, or any of the other famous sites in Paris, then today’s storybook ending for American Floyd Landis to the Le Tour de France is even more poignant. I was…
Ok, I admit it. I love the Da Vinci Code. I’ve read the book twice, will be one of the first people to see it when it’s released next week, and can’t wait to visit the Louvre when I return to Paris in two weeks. If you’re like me and want to tour the mentioned…
It’s a coffee table book. It’s a rich resource. It’s a travel planner. It’s practical and it’s wide ranging. It is “Gourmet Shops of Paris” by Pierre Rival, a striking new book about the City of Light’s food and wine stores, packed with the history, the colorful backgrounds, the boutiques, wine stores and bars, tearoom…
Looking for the the world’s best coffee shop cum sushi or tapas bar? You think you might find it in New York, LA or SF. But you’d be way wrong. It’s actually on the tres fashionable Left Bank in Paris. At L’Atelier de Joel Robunchon, last year’s best Parisienne chef and winner of three consecutive…
A flight from Dublin to Paris cost about $600 in the 1990s. Today, it goes for about $50 US, round- trip. That’s why, according to a Washington Post article, “growing numbers of Europeans are buying second homes in other countries because they can afford to travel to them frequently, creating building booms along seasides from…
We love all types of boutique hotels. Some are perfect for architecture aficionados. Some are great art lovers. But the Kube Hotel in Paris blends the best of all worlds. Utilizing a cube-shaped theme in its rooms, halls, elevators, and everywhere else, it’s a cool blend of old and new, future and retro, square and…
I love Paris in the winter more than the spring or summer. Why? Because everywhere you want to go — The Louvre, The Rive Gauche, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Orsay, et.al — is not overflowing with American tourists or European travelers. Now, according to our friends at The Informed Traveler, the newest “in” neighborhood…
Starwood Capital Group operates the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points Sheraton and W hotel chains. It just announced the launch a new international luxury brand with a French flavor called the Crillon to develop European-style hotels in major global destinations. The flagship and the first to be upgraded will be the only six-star luxe lodgings in…
The Europeans may be experiencing a cold wave this Winter, but these hot low fares on Air France may very well warm things up. Book by January 31 and fly through March 31. Sample fares include: • $320 round-trip, New York to Paris; • $434 round-trip, Chicago to Paris; and • $442 round-trip, San Francisco…
It snowed one day last December when I was in Paris. It made our trip even more memorable. It melted a short while later and everyone continued with their day. This year, things are radically different. A heavy snow storm across northern and central Europe is causing major problems — from northern England to Italy…