Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most famous churches in the world.  Known for its flying buttresses, gargoyles and as the home to Quasimodo in Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame.  The Gothic cathedral has been standing guard, sometimes under serious threat of destruction, as Paris has grown and evolved over the last [...]

[Read more →]

By Chris–
To a large degree being Catholic gives a traveler advantages in navigating the ABC’s of European travel.  The ABC’s?  All the Bloody Churches.  Why does being Catholic help?  Because where there are churches there are relics and ceremonies that have protocol that even the most latent Catholic can remember quicker than you can say, [...]

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

By– Chris
Paris, France
I knew I was in a place hardly touristed when a friendly group of French at Bar du Centre gently mocked me for diluting my pastis with too much water and asked me, “What are you doing here?  You wanted to know the real deep France?”.  I responded, “Isn’t this festival des fromages [...]

[Read more →]

The Sex and the City movie is coming out on DVD so we wanted to recap some of the Paris action of Carrie going across the Atlantic to Paris to learn that she cannot live without her Mr. Big or her beloved NYC.  The finale, although not as replete with recommendations as the movie, did [...]

[Read more →]

By Sarah–
As you know from my last post I am now living in Paris. Life is starting to settle to a normal pace so I have time to share some of my discoveries.  In the first month in Paris I rented a short term studio in the Marais (French for marshes), a neighborhood with an [...]

[Read more →]

Hello Travelers!
iKangaroo has found some of the cheapest beers in Paris so you won’t be forced to surrender between €5.00 and €8.00 for a pint of beer, even if it is an imperial pint.  If you are in search of a vibrant 20 to 30 something crowd and a little rock music then click through [...]

[Read more →]

Hello Travelers!
Regardless of how your currency is exchanging it is always better to do something for free, that is, if it is worth your time.  Paris has a number of free things to do that are actually worthwhile and what you would pay for anyways. There are many free museums and exhibits in Paris as [...]

[Read more →]

Hello Travelers,
For those arriving in Paris this coming week-end (Sept 12-13) a certain added buzz might be noticed along with a few more logistical challenges because Pope Benedict XVI will be in town before going to Lourdes for the 150 year anniversary of the visions of the Virgin Mary.  Furthermore, it will be impossible to [...]

[Read more →]

Hello Travelers!
Over the years I have been on a lot of tours and I have frequently heard the same information about equestrian statues (i.e. statues of people on horses).  The spiel goes like this: “when one of the horse’s hooves is raised it indicates that the rider was wounded in battle, when both of the [...]

[Read more →]