05.28.09
Posted in Expert Advice at 8:59 pm by Paris Ambiance Blogger
For those who follow our blog, you know how much I love the Jardin de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne. This upcoming week is the most splendid time for a visit! If you are in Paris, please do not miss the opportunity to see this beautiful rose garden. See our past blog for more details:
http://blog.parisambiance.com/2009/04/16/jardin-de-bagatelle
Another “don’t miss” while you are there are the peacocks. At least two peacocks strut around the wooded edge of the rose gardens. For our first several visits, we admired them from afar. With their loud calls and proud posture, they can be a bit intimidating. But for some reason on our most recent visit, we were a bit more assertive and began following them.
After a little winding, they lead us to a beautiful pagoda and offered us quite a show! The male seemed determined to try to impress the female peacock and us. Of course, I could have this completely wrong, not being a peacock expert. However, I did read in National Geographic that female peacocks pick their mates based on the color, size, and quality of these tall iridescent feathers. So with a giant momentum the male peacock spread all of his feathers and began to vibrate his tail with gusto. He certainly got our attention. Our cameras were all snapping furiously, though only a video would have done it justice. I hope you will have the chance to enjoy his show. He seemed quite pleased with himself and was very photogenic.
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05.27.09
Posted in Expert Advice at 7:57 pm by Paris Ambiance Blogger
What is the greatest source of all information? Today, most people would argue that the Internet is the best source. But that has not always been the case. When I was growing up, most of my mother’s interesting information came from her weekly visits to the “beauty parlor,” as we called it. For her, it was the source of all reliable “scoop.” So, it should not be a great surprise that today’s blog came from just such a source.
While I was waiting my turn at the hair salon, a lady was discussing what a lifesaver MedjetAssist had been for her and her husband. While traveling in the Cotswold in England, her husband had suffered a heart attack and been rushed to the hospital. As soon as his condition was improved, they were ready to go home. But his condition was too high of a risk for the commercial airlines to fly him back to the U.S. for several weeks.
Fortunately, they had recently become MedjetAssist members. MedjetAssist offers medical transport to the hospital of your choice from virtually anywhere 150 miles away from your home. With this service, she and her husband were flown comfortably in a fully equipped intensive care aircraft back to their chosen hospital.
The whole story really interested me. Our family travels regularly and often internationally. Plus, that summer my son had planned to work in Africa with a nonprofit organization. He would be traveling alone in several countries. The MedjetAssist concept would at least bring me some peace of mind. We had planned to be in Europe during his time in Africa, and the family membership plan made sense for us.
Fortunately, none of us needed to use our MedJetAssist membership, but I had no regrets for making the purchase. The program seems like a reasonable insurance for an unexpected emergency. For more information, you may visit: http://www.medjetassistance.com
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05.15.09
Posted in Expert Advice at 6:52 am by Paris Ambiance Blogger
Late spring or early summer - is there a more wonderful time to visit Paris? And this year, it is even more wonderful with the amazing airfare specials! Though we do not usually offer apartments on our blog, there are a few specials that I could not resist mentioning.
Over the New Year holiday, we stayed in a perfectly located apartment in the 6th arrondissement. We had such an incredible time! We also had the opportunity to get to know the owner of the apartment and her daughter, Cécile Gabillet. Cécile manages six apartments that she and her family own. She does such a great job and booking with her is a pleasure.
Her apartments seem to stay booked, but I noticed she had a few openings that seem too good to pass up. The apartment that we enjoyed so much, the St Germain Buci One Bedroom, has availability from June 12-19, for 1090 EUR instead of 1190 EUR. http://www.parisambiance.com/details.asp?parisID=50
Another lovely one bedroom, the St Germain Luxembourg, has air conditioning, which can be really desirable in July. There is one week left from July 4-12 with the 8 nights for the price of 7 at 1290 EUR.
http://www.parisambiance.com/details.asp?parisID=55
In the Marais, the Marais Village One Bedroom apartment is available for May 23-June 6. When booking for this two-week period, the price would be 150 EUR per night instead of 170 EUR.
http://www.parisambiance.com/details.asp?parisID=67
In addition, Cécile is offering two other apartments in the Marais that are both two bedrooms. The Marais St Paul is available from June 18-23 for 5 nights for 1590 EUR for 4 guests.
http://www.parisambiance.com/details.asp?parisID=61
Also, the Marais Village 2 apartment has availability from May 26-31 for 1490 EUR for a party of 4.
http://www.parisambiance.com/details.asp?parisID=74
Cécile has amazed me with her apartments. Not only does she manage the apartments, but she also researched and chose each one for the location, size, and accessibility, and then she oversaw the remodeling and decorated each apartment to assure their design and comfort. They are a special find in Paris!
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05.08.09
Posted in Expert Advice at 8:23 am by Paris Ambiance Blogger
The gardens of the Château de Versailles are truly alive during the magnificent Les Grandes Eaux Musicales. One can stroll through the gardens with music and the fountains flowing in their most beautiful form. From the current schedule, it seems the shows will be on Saturdays, Sundays, some Tuesdays, and holidays.
For those who have visited Versailles, you know the lines for tickets can be very long. However, the website has a new feature that allows you to purchase your ticket and print it before you visit. On this page you may choose the PASSEPORT 1J+GRANDES EAUX, which includes the music and fountains, and the date you would like to go before printing your ticket. This should assure that you would not miss the wonderful fountains on your next trip to Versailles. The link for the online tickets is: http://billetterie.chateauversailles.fr/online/Manifestations.aspx?langue=en
If you have visited the Château before, but missed the fountains, you may enjoy an enchanting summer evening with Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes, a display accompanied by fire, water, and Baroque music. I have bookmarked this for my next opportunity:
http://www.chateauversailles-spectacles.fr/en/accueil.htm
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05.05.09
Posted in Expert Advice at 7:59 pm by Paris Ambiance Blogger
There is a long tradition in our family of stretching out the holidays. We laugh at some of our family members who prefer a birthday-week to just a birthday. In addition, we have another ongoing strategy of coming up with any excuse to go to France. So in keeping with these family traditions, I have come up with a very special idea. How about celebrating an extended international Mother’s Day that begins in the US, the second Sunday in May, and ends the last Sunday of the month in Paris for Fête des Mères, the French celebration of Mother’s Day?
I certainly don’t know many mothers who would pass up this offer! May is a fabulous time to be in Paris. I have read that Napoleon began the French tradition of Mother’s Day. Perhaps, the beautiful flowers in May inspired him.
This is certainly one of the most amazing times to visit Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, an easy half-day trip from Paris. My favorite memory of the gardens was on a cool morning at the end of May. France, flowers, and family definitely create a dreamy Mother’s Day! Could we also add dark chocolate in there somewhere?
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