Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

by Neil Woodburn on

Last week I posted about my love for quality hot chocolate and the very best places to find a steaming mug in New York City according to New York Magazine.

By coincidence, the LA Times has just published a similar article on where to find the best hot chocolate in Paris. Hmmm….. if there is anything better than a mug of hot chocolate on the cold streets of New York, it would have to be a mug of hot chocolate on the cold streets of Pairs.

Of course, the French call it chocolat chaud and they’ve been serving it for more than 200 years. Naturally, since it is France, they turn up their noses at the thought of making it with powder and rely instead upon real chocolate and real milk or cream. A glass of cold water is often served as an accompaniment to balance out the richness of so much chocolate.

According to Elliott Hester, the author of the article, the very best place in the French capital to indulge is Angelina at 226 Rue de Rivoli. Other favorites include Dalloyau (serving since 1802) and Les Deux Magots, an old favorite haunt of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, according to Hester.

Yum! Anyone want to join me on a New York/Paris hot chocolate run?

French Drivers Crazier Than Usual

by Jonathon Morgan on

In France, it’s tradition for incoming presidents to offer pardons for traffic violations — everything from parking tickets to more serious infractions. The practice has been curtailed somewhat by current president Jacques Chirac, and it’s likely to cease altogether after the next election, but that hasn’t stopped the nation’s motorists from driving like crazy people.

The transport ministry released statistics earlier this week that show a 13.9 percent increase in vehicle-related deaths in January, suggesting that drivers are counting on presidential pardons when the new leader takes office in May.

According to Transport Minister Dominique Perben: “I hope that’s not what it is but it is probable that the vagueness which remains as far as the prospects of an amnesty are concerned may be involved.”

Obvious Travel Tip: when visiting France, stay off the roads.

Seven Wonders of the World: Bollywood Style

by Jamie Rhein on

Can you name the Seven Wonders of the World? I made it through a partial list before I became stumped. Here’s a refresher course. In true Bollywood fashion, a musical number is linked with gorgeous costumes, scenery — and a bit of name-that-place. All are rolled into one fun package of a tour around the world to seven of it’s most famous places.

This montage is from the Indian movie, Jeans. Aishwarya Rai, actress and former Miss World, sings and dances with a mighty handsome male partner to the song “Ajooba.” They start dancing at the Great Wall of China and don’t stop until they do a dance segment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Okay, that’s two of the wonders. What are the other five? Check the first comment to find out.

Thanks to Fahed Zariwala, uk2k4u, for sharing this on You Tube.

Paris: Romance Perfection or Romance Disaster? You Decide.

by Jamie Rhein on

Now, that this day has been filled with love, here’s the other side of the coin. Paris is touted as the city for romance. Tom Cruise proposed to Katie Holmes there. Gene Kelly danced through puddles to “Singing in the Rain” in An American in Paris. Frank Sinatra crooned “I Love Paris,” (click for lyrics) Cole Porter’s song. We’ve all seen pictures of the Eiffel Tower backlit with kissing couples doing some perfectly framed eye-gazing.

Sure, Paris might be the place for romance, but my first time there during my junior year in college was romantically disasterous. The first misstep was not convincing that dashing Canadian fellow I met at that youth hostel in Norway to ditch his friend in Germany for a couple of days and come to Paris with me. “There will always be Berlin,” I had said.

Being young and determined, instead of altering MY course and going with him like he thought I should do, I headed to Paris alone on my “I’m independent” streak. No, nothing terrible happened, but I did fend off a custodian’s advances at a Metro stop which involved drawing a toilet on a scrap of paper after I unwittingly wandered into his custodial closet while looking for the restroom. With that coloring my impressions, I wasn’t too thrilled to brave out my adventure. I did get in a boat tour on the Seine River, toured the Louvre and the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, went to a symphony concert and walked along the Champs Elysee before heading out of town feeling disappointed. I sighed all the while, thinking about my missed Canadian opportunity. Oh, the follies of youth.

Thankfully, I’ve been back to Paris three times since then and each time was better than the last. So, go ahead, give Paris and romance a shot. Just avoid the custodial closets.

If you are going to be in Paris on Valentine’s Day here is a romantic dinner cruise you can take on the Seine. If you can’t make it by the 14th, this cruise is a daily event made for two, but book ahead.

Do you have any of your own sad-sack love/travel stories? Here is a place for venting.

Valentine’s Idea: Visit Valentine

by Willy Volk on

Believe it or not, there are actually a number of cities named Valentine. For example:

  • Valentine, Nebraska (“America’s Heart City”) is home to the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. According to the website, the Heart City plans to host a Valentine’s Day event, although — like shy suitors — they haven’t expressed their feelings about it yet. In 2005, the town hosted a chili cook-off.
  • Right off Purple Heart Trail, there’s a Valentine, Arizona. Generally speaking, though, unless you’re a bit of an adventurer, I doubt this is where you’ll be spending your special day.
  • Only a few hundred people live in the west Texas town of Valentine.
  • There’s a Valentine Village in New Mexico.
  • Upper Austria seems to dislike the fact that it has a small village called Valentine.
  • France boasts Saint-Valentin — “The Lovers Village” — which also has a Garden of Lovers. Not surprisingly, thousands of couples marry in this village of 258 permanent residents each year.

It’s amazing to me that so few of these Valentines have taken advantage of the rather obvious brand management they could so easily monopolize.