Misunderstandings on Paris, France

A lot is said about Paris and also Parisians and having spent a lot of time here in Paris a few thoughts.

Frogs legs are a speciality and not a common place food. Similar to dog restaurants in South Korea (where they do exist but are a speciality and only really common with the oder generation) frog legs are a food many French people themselves have not tried. I experienced the same thing when living in Helsinki, Finland. I was told that all Finnish people have done the sauna to hole in the frozen ice dunking so I did it. Afterwards I found out that many Finnish people have not even tried it.

Parisians I also have found to be very friendly. It is like anywhere in that if you can at least try and speak even 1 or 2 words in French then people will try and help you. French people can be stubborn but then so can Catalans, Brits, Italians and every other nationality.

Culturally Paris, France is a fantastic city and a great city break or week long break location. Happy Xmas to al lour blog readers. You can also learn more about Paris cuisine online.

Faire du shopping a Paris!

When is comes to shopping, Paris has it all. Even those people who hate shopping enjoy the experience. You can find something for everyone from haute couture, perfume, flea markets, misic stores, department stores and outdoor markets.

Opening hours - In Paris, the shops are open from 10:00 to 19:00 Monday through Saturday. The department stores remain open until 21:00 one evening each week. On Sundays you can find the large chains open and some on the Champs-Élysées but almost every where else will be closed.

Department stores - The main department stores are Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayettes, Samaritaine, Printemps, and Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHV). They all ffer a huge selection of products.

For music, books, gadets, and electronics, try either Virgin Megastore or FNAC. They also sell tickets for shows and travel services.

Paris fashion - Everyone knows a little about Paris fashion and the boutiques of the major designers are situated on avenue Montaigne (Yves Saint-Laurent and Christian Dior, Faubourg Saint-Honoré (Hermès and Gucci), la place de la Madeleine, Saint-Sulpice, or Sèvres-Babylone areas. The more hip could venture to the Halles district (Agnès B, Claudie Pierlot), la Place des Victoires, (Kenzo) or Marais (Ventilo, Et Vous).

Carrousel du Louvre which is a huge mall under the Louvre museum has loads of stores such as André Courrèges and Lalique. There are also a number of boutiques and a gigantic food court. Perfumes and cosmetics are found in the Opéra area. If it's food you want, For gastronomic products, try the two great gourmet food shops of Paris, Hédiard and Fauchon which can be found on place de la Madeleine.

Paris Motor Show

From the 4th until the 19th of October Paris organizes the Salon Mondial de l'Automobile. Over 500 international brands from 23 countries will be represented on 80000 square meters. Many new products will be presented as a world or European preview.

There will be plenty of free fun at the show, including: an off-road track, an indoor electric karting track, and a special exhibition on taxis from all over the world. This year they expect 1.5 million visitors and that makes it the largest and most important car salon in the world.

Tickets at the entrance : Ticket (over 18) : 12€ Ticket child age of 10 to 18 : 6 € Children under age of 10 : free Works council group (from 15 tickets) : 10€ / ticket
For more information: http://www.mondialautomobile.com/

Parisian heat, all year long: Hammam and sauna in Paris

The Marais remains a very attractive place for whoever wants to feel the heat in Paris. The area is ideally located at the heart of everything and enjoys a very bubbly atmosphere with young fashion creators’ shops and other small artisanal boutiques during day light and its bars and restaurants in the evening. Not to mention that this is the Parisian gay area by excellence. This together brings aliveness and unexpected colors into the small streets of Le Marais.

But even during winter the heat goes on. Les Bains du Marais has become an institution for a lot of locals. This hammam and sauna place offers some of the best treat in Paris. The main steam room is ideal for long rests. The sauna and hot steam room will do the rest of the treat.

As for black soap massage and skin cleaning, you can use the main steam room to self indulge you or get a proper clean from one of the, tough and rough but efficient masseurs. After a couple of hours there, make sure you take the time for a mint tea before joining back the outside world.

There is really so much to do and see in the Marais part of Paris that it would be hard to list all the possibilities, suffice to say there the area has an abundance of excellent cafes, bars and restaurants and is in my opinion, the best part of the city in which to stay as a tourist.

Le tour de Paris

Something hot hit the French capital last summer. Something that turned even the most car advocates into mere cyclists. The French “vélolution” was under way. In August, Paris' socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoë launched finally launched his initiative of cheap bikes everywhere to riddle the French city. 10,000 Vélib were originally installed with that number now close to 30,000.

The so called “freedom bikes” scheme is nothing new for someone that knows France main cities, given that Lyon, Rennes and a few others started before the capital. Others have joined since then such as Marseille, Toulouse. For only 1€ a day you can enjoy the thrill of biking in Paris, all worth every cents you spend and much cheaper in the end than a good old rollercoaster ride. It’s a bit tedious to go through the registration process from one of the street station (assuming you have a security chip on your credit card) but at least it is available to visitors, unlike in other cities such as Barcelona where only the locals get access to it.

But all in all it changed the face of Paris and of Parisian for that matter. With more and more bikes, car drivers – not to say maniacs – have shown increasing patience and even “savoir vivre”. The Vélib has also brought a sense of social networking, not just at Vélib station, or waiting at a red light but also on online blogs where Vélibists exchange tips and experiences. So during your next visit to Paris, give it a ride!

Paris, it’s not just about cheese!

In 1992, the face of Paris changed once and for good. The charismatic French city put on another jacket for millions of worldwide tourists. Coming over to Paris was not just about cheese, baguette and other popular clichés any more. Entertainment and breath taking experiences were not to be found in Pigalle any longer, the colorful face of a libertarian Paris, but in a small city on the outskirt of Paris, Marne-la-Vallée.

Disneyland Paris opened its doors during 1992 and began welcoming tourists in 1993. The concept of transporting the Californian dreamland concept of Disney over to France was daring, at least from a French point of view, but turned out successful as the attraction is now the largest in Europe, fifth in the world and has dragged close to 160 million visitors over its 15 years of existence.

The amusement park was primarily targeted to a European audience, reputably harder to satisfy than American and Asian citizens. So the imagineers (imagination + engineer) came up with a slightly different concept. They tried to make people dream about a modern America rather than the traditional American way. The outcome of that reflection became Main Street USA, while the city also grew with years passing by to become a very “alive” place to hang around.

But recently, Disneyland Paris hit the tabloid other than for the launch of a new attraction. French president Nicolas Sarkosy, presumably single at the time, decided to expose his relationship with former top model Carla Bruni during a visit to the magic world of Disney, sacrebleu!

Flights from the USA to Paris, France

Many of you who contact us for Paris, France vacation rentals are flying in from the USA, from cities such as NYC, Washington DC and Miami. Below we take a look at some of the best flights to Paris, France for March and April 2008.

Air India are doing some specials from NYC to Paris, France for around $532 Roundtrip (5th to 12th March as an example), whilst Air France and Continental continue to be two of the best fare airlines for NYC to Paris, France flights.

From Miami, fares are slightly higher and often involve 1 stop over. The US based airlines United, American Airlines and Contintal tend to offer the best fares. Flying from Washington DC, the Spanish airline Iberia have some special fares at around $634 Roundtrip are were by far the cheapest from DC, for dates I checked.

By far the easiest way to check all fares at one time is to use a price comparison site such as http://www.expedia.com/

Out and about in Paris: The 'Ice Kube BAR'

As you probably know nightlife in Paris is as busy as daytime. You do have the choice of bars and clubs, but if you want to try something different to start (or finish) your evening with, why not try an “Ice Cocktail”?

Paris' Ice Kube Bar offers a chilling mix of ice, frozen furniture and very, very cold vodka. The Ice Kube brings an Arctic atmosphere, pitched at a cosy -5 degrees. Greet the chic punters (this is Paris after all) as they lounge about on blocks of ice drinking frozen vodka cocktails.

Spacious and bright, its huge lounge has mixed design furniture and a cosy touch. You won’t find any dinning area: nibble the chef’s, Nicolas Guillard, creations (Finger food, Bouillon Kube, and some Kube sandwiches) on comfortable sofas.

Every night from 9, the Kube looks like a club, the DJ comes in, and the atmosphere gets a little warmer. Enjoy Paris by night before going back to your Paris apartment. Due to its popularity, reservation at the Kube Bar is mandatory. Warm clothes available for the people who get a little too chilled.

When: Daily. Where: Ice Kube Bar. Cost: €38 for 30 mins (with free bar). Opening Hours: 7pm-2am.

Paris attractions: Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

Almost 600 years after its completion, the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris continues to amaze and inspire the masses that flock there each year. Begun in 1160 by Bishop de Sully, the cathedral was completed in 1345 with its piece de resistance - the spectacular rose windows. Restoration work begun in the 19th century after heavy petitioning to repair damages was spearheaded by public figures such as novelist Victor Hugo, who immortalised the cathedral in his masterpiece, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Much of the main frieze was redone, with steeples and gargoyles added.

Inside is the Tresor, a collection of 19th-century liturgical objects, with a few dating back to the Middle Ages. The recently reopened north bell tower leads up to a gargoyle-lined gallery and also gives a decent view of the Paris skyline. Look out for the point on the front square which is the mark from which all motorway distances from Paris are measured.

The public gardens behind the building are worth wandering through on a sunny day, generally remaining a little less crowded than the busy front and affording another perspective of this colossal work. Maybe you would like to spend some days on its island?