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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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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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OpenSkies Adds Economy...Again!

Some airlines giveth, some airlines taketh away. Depending on how you prefer to travel, this could be a matter of both. British Airways' all-premium cousin, OpenSkies has announced the addition of a third class onto their 757s flying over the Atlantic. Besides the Biz Beds and Biz Seats, passengers can now expect an all new, Eco Class

Looking back at the history of this BA subsidiary, this 3-class concept is not new at all. When first launched, OpenSkies originally had a small economy cabin that offered customers a more upscale flying experience. After the merger with L'Avion in 2008, aircraft were reconfigured to an all-business class model featuring both lie-flat and recliner business class seats.

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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 / France Travel / Travel Snapshot / Ski Travel / Provence Travel / → All Tags

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]

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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]

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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]

Monaco Travel / Helicopter Travel / Holiday Travel / Monte Carlo Travel / Heli Air Monaco / Helicopters / France Travel / First Class Travel / → All Tags

From Nice to Monte Carlo in 7 Minutes on Heli Air Monaco

How do you make flying to the Cote d'Azur even more glamorous? By taking a helicopter transfer from Nice International Airport to Monaco, of course.

We were lucky enough to hop this speedy leg of a long journey from the U.S. to Monaco on a recent work trip, and we can't recommend it enough. Sure, the drive from Nice to Monte Carlo doesn’t sound bad at around 30 minutes (or, we’re told, 20 minutes by scooter). But why not reduce that trip to seven minutes and throw in staggering views and the inimitable glamour of helicopter travel?

Heli Air Monaco has over 20 daily flights between the airport in Nice and the Principality—from 110 euros each way. For this price, you get the aforementioned speed, views, air of fabulousness, and the ease of checking your bags straight through from the helipad in Monaco to wherever your final destination may be.

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Wish You Were Here: Off-Season in France's Rhône Valley

Look at the quality of that light. It doesn't get any better.

Our "Wish You Were Here" series is less intended as a bragging ground for us Jaunters than it is meant to inspire our beloved readers to follow suit and trek to the gorgeous places we feature. But you'll have to let us crow a little bit with the latest installment.

After spending some quality time in France's Rhône Valley over the weekend, where temperatures hovered in the 80-degree range, we were tempted to start poking around for property and leave city life behind for good. Check out the quality of light in this photo. This trip revealed so many breathtaking sights we had to remind ourselves to breathe at certain points.

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Paris' Coutume Café Boasts Imported Beans and a NYC-Imported Barista

This week, Jaunted correspondent Heidi Atwal takes us along to Paris, uncovering the hidden bits found in between sessions of copious macaron and butter consumption. And we do mean copious. Make sure to check in daily for dispatches from the City of Light.

It was a passing tip in a free magazine we picked up on London's streets that led us to Paris' Coutume Café, a coffee shop as decidedly anti-Starbucks as it gets. With a barista flown in from New York to head up their java producing operations, a carefully curated selection of imported beans, and monthly coffee tasting sessions for hardcore aficionados (think wine tasting, only sniffing and dry tasting rather than swirling and sipping), it's clear that Coutume is a place where the art of Joe is taken very, very seriously.

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Wish You Were Here: Paris' Jardin des Tuileries

Overcast, sure, but the Jardin des Tuileries still offers undeniably pretty views.

This week, Jaunted correspondent Heidi Atwal takes us along to Paris, uncovering the hidden bits found in between sessions of copious macaron and butter consumption. And we do mean copious. Make sure to check in daily for dispatches from the City of Light.

Exhausted after braving throngs of too-cool-for-their-own-good shoppers at Paris' Colette boutique, we stumbled away from Rue Saint-Honoré with a boxful of Pierre Hermé macarons under our arm in search of some late afternoon respite. Wandering just up the way we found our way to the Jardin des Tuileries, which lies in between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde and affords visitors a great opportunity to people watch and take in amazing views of the Eiffel Tower.

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