Rome advice for families 2015

They also do combo upgrades where for an extra 12 Euros, you can include either Coliseum (regular price 9.5)) or Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel skip the line tickets.

…Other stuff: We took the 7 Euro elevator to the top of the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument and “Altare della Patria.” (the BIG thing at the end of the Via del Corso) where you have a great view of all of Rome and the Forum.

French air enthusiasts hope to restart Concorde engines

Though I know post 9/11 and a cratering air travel market didn’t help, the Concorde flew without incident for 30 years before tarmac debris brought the first one down. … I hope that despite the claim that they only want to see the Concorde roll on it’s own power on the Le Bourget tarmac, that someone has a plan to get the bird back in the air. It’s nice to think that technological marvels of the space age could still come back, and in finding the past, we could sew the seeds to a more hopeful future. LE BOURGET, France — A French aeronautics association Saturday examined the engines of a Concorde passenger jet at an air museum outside Paris to determine if they could be used again. “The objective is not to get it (Concorde) to fly again but to get the engines working again, hoping one day to see it taxi on the tarmac for the pleasure of visitors to the museum,” said Frederic Pinlet, head of Olympus 593, named after the Rolls Royce/Snecma engines used on the aircraft.

A Moveable Feast

Newly launched, The Paris Supper Club promises to replace both outdated guidebooks and raves from nostalgic friends when it comes to searching out some of the best and truest places to eat in the French capital. The club is a project of former Gourmet European correspondent Alexander Lobrano, author of a book and blog called […]

Heads up on air travel to France this week – air traffic strikes

Bad timing if you have reservations this week.

[From Strike to disrupt French air traffic this week | Business News | Reuters ]

France Miniature

Our friend Patrick Mikla always surprises us with ‘inside’ discoveries of Paris and France. From the time we met him some 15 year ago, I can remember each and every one of our adventures. The latest is France Miniature. He took the day off and took us Élancourt, a town about an hour drive outside […]

Chez Michel

What a find. Our friends Jean-Jacques and Jane, my husband and I had a dinner out at Chez Michel, in the 10th arrondisement. Cuisine is Breton, and the atmosphere breezy. According to our discriminating friend Jean-Jacques, Chez Michel is one of the top 10 traditional bistros in Paris, and indeed, I think it lives up […]

Heat wave in Paris – temperatures in France up 104 degrees (40 C)

We leave on Sunday for Paris, so I’m hoping we’ll be cruising into Fall weather by then. It’s slightly cooler in Paris, but pretty unbearable in a city with almost no air conditioning. In Paris, where temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, crowds kept cool by splashing and relaxing in the Trocadero fountains near the Eiffel Tower.

Mona Lisa in Camelot

Two ladies in Camelot.…. Who knew… Just read in the Vanity Fair article of how the 1963 American exhibition of the Mona Lisa in New York City and Washington, D.C., was America’s first blockbuster art show. The writer Davids recounts in numbing detail the negotiations, preparations, flummoxes and successes of the exhibit. The exhibition was […]

Even those who are on a budget, Paris is an unexpected pleasure

Of course, as I read this article in NY Times , I was reminded once again, the democratic pleasures of Paris… that the Proustian aspects of Paris need not be costly…. IF YOU GO HOW TO GET AROUND The Vélib’ bicycle-rental system has become exceedingly popular. … Le Bar à Soupes, 33, rue de Charonne; (33-1) 4357-5379; www.lebarasoupes.com, offers an excellent lunch deal: a fresh market soup, two types of cheese, bread and a glass of wine for 9.90 euros.

If I could not stay at our place, this is where I would stay…

So many friends and others interested in traveling to Paris have been calling us to rent our place or to find other rentals and hotels for their summer holiday. Even though the economy is still in the doldrum and they say travel is definitely down, there are still many who are taking advantage of the […]