Jaunted - Tag: Paris Travel

Another Month, Another French Transportation Strike

kjb — 2012-02-06T08:57:35-05:00

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.

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

juliab — 2012-01-20T15:46:56-05:00

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]

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

juliab — 2012-01-16T16:48:11-05:00

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.

Paris: Foreign Grocery Friday: The Spaghetti Bolognese Chips of Paris

juliab — 2012-01-13T15:31:09-05:00

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]

The Best Travel Movie of 2011 Is...

Jaunted11 — 2011-12-29T14:17:52-05:00

It's that time of the year again, the time when the year just plain ends. Alas, we can't just let 2011 go that easily, especially since travelers spent it both up in the air and up in arms over a crazy range of topics, encompassing everything from nudie scans to tarmac delays. Needless to say, we're ready for 2012, but first we're taking a brief look back at the best of 2011 with the Jaunted Travel Awards,—or as we fondly refer to them—The Jauntys.

With so many travel-centic movies hitting the big screen in 2011, like We Bought A Zoo, The Hangover 2, Contagion, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (which is part of a series that inspired not only an amusement park, but also a museum), and Tower Heist (which was filmed almost entirely in one of NYC's best hotels), it was hard to choose the Best Travel Movie of 2011, but in the end there was really only one ideal choice.

This year, the Best Travel Movie has to be Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. It's hard to watch a Woody Allen movie, whether it's one of his more recent projects like Vicky Cristina Barcelona or a classic like Manhattan, and not want to hop on the next flight to that city, and Midnight in Paris is no different.

Paris: Tuk-Tuk Taxis Have Arrived in Paris (and They're Free)

kjb — 2011-12-28T08:27:04-05:00

There’s plenty of cheap—and electric—cars roaming the streets in and around Paris these days, but now there’s a new type of public transportation arriving in the City of Lights. Tuk-Tuk taxis are most common over in Southeast Asia, but a fleet of free-to-use vehicles are now available to tourists and locals alike.

An optimistic entrepreneur has brought 20 or so of the vehicles into town, and there’s like 150 different places to jump aboard around the city. The operation is newly up and running, and the taxis are scheduled to do their thing each and every day of the week.

Paris: The Louvre's Newest Addition? The Nintendo 3DS.

kjb — 2011-12-22T09:30:15-05:00

Nintendo’s Game Boy has finally hit the big time, as the latest version of the handheld video game is getting a spot at the Louvre in Paris, but not in the way you'd think. The portable game system has evolved into a 3D version known as the Nintendo 3DS, and the museum is starting to hand out a few of them to visitors. Mario and Luigi aren’t exactly getting displayed next to creations from other Italian masters, but the Nintendo 3DS is being utilized as a sort of guide and map for the bigger than big art museum.

The museum wants to keep up with the technology demands of the 21st century, so beginning in March they’re getting rid of the traditional audio tour thingers in favor of the video game system. Nintendo has teamed up with the museum to start this program—they’re saying it’s the first in the world—and they’ll be like 5,000 of the devices available for use once things start up early next year.