BonjourParis

Whether you're in Paris for vacation or on business, you may find staying in hotels where the desk clerks know your name and room number as you walk in the front door more appealing than some of the giant hotels. Boutique hotels (typically, less than 50 rooms) are a relatively recent phenomenon in the City of Light. Here are six Left Bank hotels and there are so many more. Bonjour Paris is going to unearth many more similar hotels on both banks of the Seine. Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

It’s not news in Paris. Residents or people passing through the City of Light usually visit at least one wine bar. They’re great places to taste selections of two or three wines without falling on your face. Knowledgeable bartenders will tell you a bit about what you’re drinking and if their English isn’t the best, your neighbor will fill in the linguistic gaps. And probably make a suggestion or two. But the trend has hit Washington big-time. Perhaps it’s because there are so many foreign tourists. You can still get a glass of over-priced plonk without even trying, but good wine by the glass is easier to get—and afford—than ever before in the District of Columbia. Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

Americans aren't heading to Paris they way they used to. The weak dollar, the U.S. economic downturn, and the high cost of airline tickets, due to the rocketing cost of fuel and the airlines' own misguided efforts at nickering-and-diming travelers, all convince a lot of people to stay home. Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

My mother died on May 21, 2008. She was a formidable act to follow. She made a difference in the lives of so many people not to mention in the city of Washington, D.C. Without reciting her resume, I can assure you she was a remarkable woman. Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

In these days of travel dollars not buying what they once did, the price of oil adding surcharges to everything, and the dollar in the dumps, perhaps it’s best to fantasize about what luxury travel means. There are still destinations where things are available for relatively moderate prices. But the reality is that even destinations in developing counties such as Indonesia don’t sell luxury cheap. Nor do India and China. Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

What's a better way to travel France then tugging along extra guide books? Take along the Kindle. New (and more to come) technology allows readers to download entire books and read a few pages when they have time. There are still a few glitches but they'll be resolved sooner than later. Many people become addicted within only a few hours. They curl up in lounge chairs and lose themselves in a world of reading. The size is very appropriate and travelers won't feel as if they're flittering away their time while in transit.

Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

Americans frequently ask Bonjour Paris about moving to France or another European Union country. For many, it’s the dream of a lifetime to live in a place they consider culturally more enriching.  For others, it’s an adventure.  These people are generally ones who’ve been coming to Europe for years. If they had the foresight to buy property—a pied a terre or a country house, perhaps for retirement—they have a leg up on a lot of people.  But unless they also converted dollars into euros a couple of years ago, living in the EU with the dollar at its lowest in history should make you stop and think.  And think again.  And pray for divine guidance.  

 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

It’s May and if you’re visiting France for pleasure or trying to do business, be forewarned. May is a sacred month when there are three holidays and life tends to inch along at a snail’s pace.  Some people call it a moveable feast, but the problem is that traffic is so bad that nothing moves.  It’s more like an ongoing vacation where if you do your calculations correctly and tweak your calendar, it can add additional time-off to your already allotted five-week-long vacation period and the annual eleven national jours feriés (holidays). 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 July 2008 )

The adage that you can’t get a bad meal is Paris is ever so wrong. And during this time when the dollar buys relatively nothing compared to the euro, Alexander Lobrano’s book is especially welcome. It’s also a breath of fresh air for passionate eaters, whether they are gourmets, gourmands or people who simply care about what they put in their stomachs.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 May 2008 )