Forget flying around Europe. Take the train

by Iva Skoch on

For the eco-sensitive traveler, there is no excuse now for not taking the more environmentally friendly route through Europe, writes The Independent, among others. Rail companies are starting to advertise to the eco-conscious traveler as well. Who knew they cared so much about the environment, wink wink.

The truth is, Europe has been pumping a lot of money into upgrading its railways and encouraging people to take the train, rather than flying, especially if traveling only a short distance. With the budget airlines making it affordable, it is not uncommon for Europeans to fly from place to place even if it is only as little as 150 miles away because it is cheaper than taking the train.

Some of these new upgrades, however, might really make it better to take the train:

  • High-speed link between Madrid and Barcelona now only takes 2 and a half hours
  • The new east-west, Paris-toward the Rhine TGV route cruises at over 200mph and offers WI-Fi from Paris-Frankfurt
  • The new Lotschberg Base Tunnel through the Alps cuts an hour off the time of Basel-Milan trains

More upgrades, such as the long awaited Moscow-St. Petersburg fast train should be done next year.

Who’s that hot woman? It’s the First Lady of France

by Anna Brones on

Just when you thought Sarkozy drama (he’s the much talked about French president, remember???) couldn’t get any better, his wife Carla Bruni goes and poses nude for the April 2008 issue of GQ Magazine.

Can you imagine any other First Lady posing sexily for a men’s magazine? Oh la France, how you spice up the world.

Sarkozy may have bad manners, but I think his wife one-ups him on scandal. Leave it to the French to make presidential politics très risqué.

French politics: Jean, the other Sarkozy

by Anna Brones on

Like others here at Gadling, I just can’t get enough of Nicolas Sarkozy gossip. Last week the French President outdid himself at the Salon d’Agriculture when he swore at a man who refused to shake his hand. Although you probably already know that Sarkozy recently married ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, you may not know the most recent piece of Sarkozy gossip: his son, Jean Sarkozy, is currently running for local office, and he’s only 21.

The oldest of the Sarkozy children, Jean Sarkozy is running in a “canton, ” the smallest administrative division in France, in the Parisian suburb of South Neuilly. Following in his father’s footsteps, Jean Sarkozy is also running under the ruling UMP party.

French politics may bore you, so let’s get down to the fun stuff. Not only was Jean Sarkozy featured on the Most Beautiful Man website for being charged with a hit and run, but I also tracked down his profile on Facebook. Apparently he is well liked by the ladies. If the Sarkozy dynasty wasn’t “celebritized” before, things are only going to get better. Watch out Nicolas, you just might have some friendly family competition for political drama.

American Airlines guide to Paris

by Anna Brones on

You probably don’t need another guide to Paris, but this month’s American Airlines Milestones Parisian overview is just too amusing to pass up. Besides a helpful section of what’s going on in Paris, there is a funny video guide to the city of lights. My favorite line from the clip:

“Behold the world’s most famous museum, the Louvre. Home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and that cute picture of dogs playing poker.”

Check out the “Backstreets” video for some humorous tips on all the typical Parisian things to find around the city. As the guide bites into a crepe full of Nutella, he intelligently points out, “Crepe. Or as they say in Paris…. Les crepes.”

And the video is complete with romanticized accordion music. You don’t have to use the site as your guide to Paris, but at least check it out for your own amusement.

Photo of the Day: 3-2-2008

by Catherine Bodry on


The gray, almost gloomy roof is offset by the ornate window and the welcome glow from within. Localsurfer, a favorite for Gadling’s Photo of the Day, wrote that he imagined if Wallace and Gromit built a church, the roof would look like this one at Lourdes.

Have travel photos that bring to mind the architectural capabilities of cartoon characters? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool, and we’ll consider them for our Photo of the Day feature.