-
Travel safety for women
Travel safety for woman is the number one concern for students, seniors and world adventurers. I’ve written chapters in my books and spoken at universities and at travel shows about “how to stay safe and travel the world”. Here are ways to be prepared and avoid trouble. 1. We can be aware of our…
-
France. Impressionist painters in Normandy
Normandy attracts anyone who loves the impressionists and their paintings, as well as food lovers. Last spring I jumped at a chance to go to Normandy to follow in the footsteps of the Impressionist Painters. I criss-crossed the countryside from Giverny to the cobble-stoned streets of Rouen, across a patchwork quilt of emerald jewel fields…
-
Paris tips for women, solo travelers, romance.
Paris promises something for everyone – sophistication, beauty, culture, history, cuisines, art, escape and that nebulous quality called ambiance and tips from a resident help you capture it all. Hopefully when you visit Paris you’ll carve out time to do more than rush to the major tourists sites; the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the…
-
Stepping out solo in Paris
Alone in Paris. The art of dining alone. Text by Stephanie Levin Traveling alone for a woman affords multiple advantageous: she meets people she would never mingle with when traveling with a companion, she depends on herself for all decisions from where to hang her hat to switching itinerary mid-trip, no discussion. There are…
-
I left my heart in … Paris
Last weekend I fell in love with a new city, Paris. For three euphoric days I ran around the City of Lights and, like most first time visitors, I tried to see all the tourist attractions. We climbed the Eiffel Tower in the teeth-chattering winter weather, fell into a trance listening to the boys’ choir…
-
I left my heart in … Paris
By Annalyse Sheppard Last weekend I fell in love with a new city, Paris. For three euphoric days, I ran around the City of Lights. Like most first-time visitors, I tried to see all the tourist attractions. We climbed the Eiffel Tower in the teeth-chattering winter weather. We fell into a trance listening to the…
-
Burgundy by bike, boat or car
Paris may be crawling with tourists scurrying to monuments and museums, but in Burgundy, a mere 90 minutes south on the TGV train, sightseeing is never an object. The pace is slow, the countryside bucolic and the pleasures of gastronomy rule supreme. The chandeliers in the Michelin-starred restaurants are eternally glittering and the puffy…
-
Culinary adventures and travel tips to avoid the worst.
Many of us travel, among other reasons, for the love of food. These travel tips to help you survive your culinary adventures worldwide. My culinary adventures include eating yak eyeballs in Tibet, bamboo grubs in Thailand, fried crickets in Myanmar and Rocky Mountain oysters (cow balls) in Wyoming. …
-
Monet’s garden at giverny is a great day-trip from Paris
The French Impressionist’s final home in Giverny is where Monet lived for 43 years, and painted every day in his gardens or studio. His water garden is perhaps the best known of all his subjects; weeping willows, a wisteria-draped Japanese bridge, water lilies, rhododendrons and a vivid pallet of blooming flowers in all…
-
Paris where the summer solstice is a night of music
I went to Paris, thinking I’d visit museums and historic sites. Jazz in St. German des Pres. Instead I happened upon the summer solstice on June 21st, the “Fete de la Musique” – one of the best free, street-music festivals in Europe. The mood was electric and I got a taste of authentic Paris culture…
-
Trendy, chic and cheap in Paris
Don’t be put off by the name or the location, Mama Shelter, nestled into the 20th arrondissement, is one of the trendiest hotels I’ve discovered in terms of quality and price (89 Euro). The lobby, rooms, lively bar and bistro are tres chic with a guests to match. On my last trip to Paris I…
-
Trendy, chic and cheap in Paris
Don’t be put off by the name or the location, Mama Shelter, nestled into the 20th arrondissement, is one of the trendiest hotels I’ve discovered in terms of quality and price (89 Euro). The lobby, rooms, lively bar and bistro are tres chic with a guests to match. On my last trip to Paris I…
-
Paris free street-music festival on the summer solstice
Best Free Street-Music Festival in Europe Don’t miss the “Fete de la Musique” on the summer solstice (June 21st) in Paris. The mood is electric and you get a taste of authentic Paris culture and performances of everything from opera, jazz and rock to hip-hop and electronic music. The music starts early afternoon in some…
-
Packing for Paris
Let’s face it, Parisian women are, at least by American standards, always stylish in unusual ways. So when visiting Paris, plan to “dress up” more than you would in other destinations. Packing takes more effort to select neat and fashionable clothes that are also comfortable. How? Pack stylish jeans, which Parisians wear everywhere. If you…