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Hopefully This First IKEA Airport Lounge Won't Be the Last

We hear it over and over from frequent travelers—why isn't Apple designing seat-back airplane entertainment systems and why isn't IKEA in the business of outfitting airline gate areas? Well it looks like we may have gotten the latter wish, as IKEA has opened a pop-up airline lounge at Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

Why Paris? Why not? There's a regular IKEA store like a 5-minute drive down the A1 from CDG, but it's not like it's that easy to just duck out of the airport to scarf some Swedish meatballs or purchase a living room set.

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Celeb Travel / Cannes Film Festival / Film Festivals / France Travel / Cannes Travel / Festival Travel / → All Tags

Celebs Flock to All of Cannes' Usual Party Spots

This year the Cannes Film Festival, taking place through May 27 in the south of France, is serving up its annual dose of Hollywood glitz and glam in all the usual places.

The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France is a hub of A-lister activity again this year. On Saturday night the star-studded Vanity Fair and Gucci party brought out stars like Robert De Niro, Naomi Watts, and Salma Hayek, while other celebs, including Jennifer Connelly, have been spotted checking in.

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Air France Gives Instagram a First Peek Inside Their Largest Lounge Ever

So, do you think the $1 Billion sale of social photo sharing site Instagram to Facebook has had any effect on photos posted this week? We mean aside from any jokey reaction shots after the news of the sale hit the wire. For one, we've personally noticed increased brand activity on Instagram, especially with travel brands who realize it's a channel they can control (and no one wants to read press releases--just show the pictures!)

Air France has fully adopted Instagram, though only recently using it as a kind of supplementary news stream. The latest news? Air France will open their largest lounge ever, at Paris-Chares de Gaulle's new S4 boarding satellite, this summer.

The 3,000 square meter Salon d'Affaires will have 600 seats. Here's a few views, via airfrance on Instagram:

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Paris' CDG Airport to Get an Attitude Adjustment

We love Paris—and so does everyone else—but that love usually doesn't extend to the city’s largest airport. Well, city and airport officials have finally dealt with Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and its reputation for long enough and it sounds like they’re finally going to do something about it.

This summer marks a new beginning for the airport, as Aéroports de Paris—they’re the ones in charge—plan to streamline operations. The hope is that things will become a little more convenient, a little friendlier, and whole lot more enjoyable for those flying to—or connecting through—CDG.

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Provence Travel / Travel Toiletries / France Travel / L'Occitane / → All Tags

Visiting the L'Occitane Factory in Provence

It may not be growing in the fields right now, but in Provence, lavender is always in the air. And no more so than around Manosque, a town high in the hills between Marseille and Nice, and where toiletry brand L’Occitane En Provence is based.

L’Occitane is probably our fave brand of smelly stuff so when we stayed at the official L’Occitane Hotel, Le Couvent Des Minimes, our priority was to fit in a factory tour of the operation at Manosque.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be. We arrived at the hotel on a Sunday, when the factory is closed, and the staff had no idea when, or even if, there would be a tour (of their sister outfit) on the Monday. On the Monday, they told us that there was only one tour that day – at 4pm, in French. And though our pigeon French could have muscled through, we had to be on the road to the airport at 3.

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Airports / NCE / BMI / Nice Travel / Provence Travel / France Travel / → All Tags

The Approach to Nice Airport is Pretty...Nice

Nothing says glam quite like the French Riviera, so it’s fitting that Nice Airport—while it may be small—is beautifully formed. From the airport buildings that look like a grand hotel to the palm trees by where the planes parked, arriving there is all rather glamorous, but the most glamorous part of all is the runway itself.

See, Nice airport is right on the coast—the runway is actually built out in the sea—so landing there, if you’re on the right side, gives the impression you’re in a seaplane. Luckily, we had a hunch and chose our side well; a nice blast of adrenaline as you come in to land over the water, and a nice surge of prettiness as you land with the wing practically skimming the Mediterranean. Views of the surrounding coastline aren’t half bad either.

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Wish You Were Here: 39,000 Feet Above the Snowcapped Alps

Ah, la belle France. We flew to Provence for this Presidents’ Day Weekend but without the sunflowers and lavender out, the landscape lacked a little je ne sais quoi.

What totally blew us away, on the other hand, was flying down across France, passing flat plains, rolling hills and then, finally, lapping the foothills of Les Alpes on the left as we approached the palm trees of Nice.

Here they are from 39,000 feet. Tres jolis, non? The view was enough to make us covet an immediate ski trip. And no, we don’t even ski.

[Photo: juliab]

Paris Travel / Travel News / Strikes / Travel Alerts / Delays / → All Tags

Another Month, Another French Transportation Strike

The week of your trip to Paris has finally arrived, and you’re fully packed and ready to go. There’s just one problem that might screw up your plans, as there might be a little bit of a transportation strike.

French unions are calling for a travel strike beginning today, but don’t worry, the country is still going to be open for business. It just might take a little more patience if you’re getting there by plane. The plan is a four-day strike across all sectors of the country’s aviation services, so that means back-up plans and deep breaths area required if you’re flying through or to spots like Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

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Air Chanel: Karl Lagerfeld Constructs 'Jet' Set for the Haute Couture Runway

Less than 12 hours ago in Paris, the semiannual Chanel Haute Couture runway show took place, helmed as usual by designer Karl Lagerfeld. As photos of the looks trickle onto the web, we see that we're not the only ones watching Pan Am; Karl's collection turned out look after look inspired by flight, the glamorous 1960s, and the old way of getting dressed for travel.

But wait; there's more. Not only were the fashions jet-appropriate, but the entire show went down inside a set like the fuselage of a commercial airliner. Guests sat 3-4 abreast on either side of a central aisle, and were greeted by a trolley serving juices and champagne. The fauxplane inside Paris' Grand Palais, dubbed Air Chanel, took builders five days to construct.

Says the Telegraph UK of the end result:

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Travel Snapshot / Paris Travel / France Travel / Eiffel Tower / Landmarks / Souvenirs / → All Tags

Paris Says Its, Uh, Monument is Bigger Than New York's

Someone's got issues.

That was our second thought when we saw this postcard in prime position at a Paris newsagent. Our first thought was "what the hell, is this a Vegas postcard or something?"

No, it seems that size really does matter to Parisians. Not only do they feel the need to boast about the size of their, uh, tower by plastering it in all its phallic glory over every piece of tourist tat, but also they're fully invested in the "our monument is more monumental than your monument" game, even though—yes—this Statue of Liberty does exist in Paris, though realistically on a far smaller scale. We can thank Photoshop for this fantasy depiction.

Poor old Lady Liberty. What we need now is for Dubai to make a similar postcard pitting Monsieur Eiffel up against the Burj Khalifa. That'll make the Parisian smugness wilt just a little.

[Photo: juliab]

Wish You Were Here / Paris Travel / France Travel / Travel Snapshot / → All Tags

Wish You Were Here: The Sixth Floor of the Pompidou Centre, Paris

Paris in the spring time may be lovely and all, but it's not all that. That's the opinion we formed spending this weekend experiencing Paris in the winter.

Cold it was—bitterly cold—for this level of Europe at least. On Saturday at least; yesterday, in reaction to Saturday, we wore eight (yes, eight) layers, and predictably, it warmed up enough to make five or six totally manageable.

But the upside of the chill was that there wasn't a cloud in the piercing blue sky, meaning the sun was able to flood the streets. The riverbanks too; check out the delightful walk we took along the Seine at lunchtime.

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Food Travel / Foreign Grocery Friday / Paris Travel / France Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Spaghetti Bolognese Chips of Paris

Mmmm, chips. Mmmmm, spaghetti bolognese. Mmmm, spaghetti bolognese-flavoured chips. What?

Yes, spaghetti bolognese chips are what we found ourselves eating in Paris recently. Mainly out of morbid curiosity—we assumed they’d be inedible. But in fact…

The taste: Well we’re not going to say they were amazing. They weren’t. But hey, it’s very rare that a chip is inedible. We’ve had tomato-flavored chips before and these were similar, just with a kick of herbs, which actually wasn’t bad. Still, we won’t be rushing to buy them on our next trip. No, we’ll go for the cheeseburger or pepperoni pizza one next time. Mmm, cheeseburger chips.

The price: Cheap. Like 2-3 Euros for a full-size bag, to satisfy the snack appetites of several people.

Where to find them: Corner stores around Paris, likely next to the "fromage" flavor. They really aren't all that rare, but it does take a little open-mindedness to go for these over the more recognizable chip varieties.

[Photo: juliab]