Our whole lives long we've been calling the baguette a "French stick." We munch on them when we visit Paris, thinking we're eating like a local. But here's the news: Baguettes are not even French, and an important French baker is urging the country to give up the crumbly white loaves (apparently they're actually Austrian) and focus on real French breads instead.

Apollonia Poilane, who inherited a famous French bakery from her parents, has been telling the world that the le pain Poilane is real French bread. It's a round loaf made from grey flour, sea salt, and dough left over from the previous batch. Doesn't sound quite as easy to snap off and snack on with your Camembert or Brie, but, when in France...

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[Photo: mike fischer]]]> amandak 2007-07-02T09:43:59-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/6/6/72949/29459

Time to get ready for the Le Mans 24 Hour Car Race where drivers drive round and round and round the track near Le Mans for, obviously enough, 24 hours. It's on from June 16 to 17 and if you're keen to sniff some gasoline fumes, check our guide for the Le Mans craziness:

Where to Stay
The Mercure Le Mans Batignolles (17 Rue De La Pointe) brags that it's strategically located near the Le Mans race track, rather than right in the town center: this should give you the jump on other race-goers. During June the restaurant's closed on weekends, but that just gives you the incentive to check out some local eateries (or stay forever at the track).

Where to Eat
Splash out on some hearty French cuisine at Le Flambadou (14bis, Rue Saint Flaceau). In the winding alleys of the Old Town, the cassoulet landaise always gets a big write-up--you'll find ingredients like beans, sausages and preserved duck or goose on your plate.

Where to Get Drunk
We'd like to find a totally automobile-freak bar in Le Mans, but we can't. So go quirky and hit the Paris Texas Cafe (21 rue du Dr. Leroy) for a crazy cross between France and the Wild West. Or for a full-on French discotheque night to get in training for the 24 hour car race, try the Le Select (44 pl.de la Republique) with plenty of noise and lights.

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[Photo: Eelke Blok]]]> amandak 2007-06-06T09:10:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/5/16/51724/2269

In the ongoing war between budget airlines and good ol' train travel, the Eurostar train line is busily pumping out its own good PR. Eurostar trains generally travel between London and Paris, with a few trips to Brussels, Euro Disney and the south of France. They reckon they're fast, convenient, and recently, punctual.

Yep, punctuality is the big Eurostar news of the week. Between May 7 and May 13, 98.5% of trains arrived on time (or early!). And the big news: on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week, 100% of the Eurostar trains were punctual. Eurostar is quick to point out that performance like this "easily outstrips airlines." Add to that the assumption that the carbon footprint is smaller and it almost seems logical to take the train. Except when you see an airfare for just a couple of pounds.

[Photo: lazytom]

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· One or One and a Half Tickets, Sir? [Jaunted] ]]> amandak 2007-05-16T09:01:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/9/23751/32455
So the French have this reputation about not wanting to speak to tourists, unless you happen to speak perfect French. Whether or not this is true is now irrelevant because the Paris Tourist Board has given up on fronting friendliness and come up with a compromise. Launched with the Cop the Parisian Attitude website, this new campaign is designed to tell the visitor how to really communicate with Parisians - for example, by learning the Gallic shrug:

1) Stick out your lower lip, 2) Raise your eyebrows and shoulders simultaneously. Use it to deny knowledge, agreement or responsibility.

Kirsten Dunst plays Marie, France's ill-fated queen in this biopic that covers everything from her forced marriage to Louis XVI, to her social rejection by royal family members, to her (ewww) beheading, and everything in between.

As the film was shot all over some of the most beautiful parts of France, today we offer you some of the country's must-do's and see's. Pack your corset and hit the road!

Where To See a Castle:
Chateau de Chantilly
See where many of the actual castle scenes were shot at this amazing chateau originally built in the 1500s in Chantilly. Owned by the Institut de France, it's now open to the public for your visiting pleasure. Features include one of the world's most impressive art galleries, libraries (a copy of the Gutenberg bible is here), and gardens. And yes, you might recognize it previously from the Bond flick, A View to a Kill.

Where To Pretend To Check In:
Hotel du Soubise
Ok, so you can't really stay here as a guest (it's now a historic site), but this former city palace was once the home of the Prince and Princess de Soubise, and is right in Paris. The prince arranged for a complete remodeling in 1704, and the building now houses the Museum of French History. Close your eyes and imagine snoozing here while your multitudes of attendants wait in the hallway outside.

Where To Eat:
Le Francois
Head to Fontainebleau and dine at Le Francois on Chef Bernard Crogiez's cuisine, which has been heralded. Of course, the fare is classic French: hare, duck, partridge, snails--you get the picture. The terrace is a great choice for a decadent lunch on a nice day.

[Photo: MSNBC]]]> sedona 2006-10-20T15:03:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/10/15/163046/76
A culturally-sensitive way to travel is, of course, to meet and mingle with the locals. But say you're traveling through France and you want to meet real French people: should you just walk up to local people in a Parisian supermarket and tell them you want to be friends?

Of course not, and that's why someone came up with the idea of Meeting the French. This website can set you up with a host (matching your age and interests, naturally) who will invite you into their home for a meal. Your side of the deal is to choose the menu (ranging in prices), foot the bill in exchange for the hospitality, and the agency delivers the food to the happy (English-speaking) hosts. You can preview some of the available hosts, one of whom has the admirable goal of wanting "to demonstrate that french people are not so haughty and unbearable." Next time you're dropping through Paris, test out the haughtiness level yourself.

[Photo: digital_trash]

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· Makin' German Mates [Jaunted] ]]> amandak 2006-10-16T08:34:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/9/26/173158/864

Croatians cannot be happy right now. Despite the fact that the Dalmatian Coast is on everyone's list as one of the top places to visit (well, for this past summer anyway), their accession to the European Union is more in doubt than ever before. Bummer.

After agreeing today to admit Romania and Bulgaria under rather harsh terms--certainly the stiffest for any new member states in the EU--the French PM, Domenique de Villepin asked "How far can we go without rendering the E.U. inefficient?". That's not good for the Croats (or Serbs, Turks, Montenegrins and Albanians), who were hoping to join the EU in 2009. Maybe if they promise to act with more of a French attitude, they'll be admitted? We say, toss those burek and start baking some baguettes.

[Image via Miguel Pereira/Flickr]

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·   Europe Set to Endorse Romania and Bulgaria [NYT]]]> AVB 2006-09-26T17:31:58-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/