Best Parisian Baguettes

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the more amusing sights of Paris is the numerous locals making their way through the city with a baguette sticking out of their bags. I’m not sure why I always found this funny, perhaps because that long loaf of bread always seemed so out of place amongst the fashionable Parisians.

The baguette is literally an accessory in Paris; one hardly leaves the house without one. Unlike the latest pairs of shoes or stylish hat, however, the fashionable baguette is eventually intended to be consumed–and the sooner this happens, the better.

When a tourist takes a bite of a baguette for the first time, he quickly understands why this simple loaf of bread has such a magical appeal.

Finding the perfect, flaky masterpiece amongst the hundreds of boulangeries which populate the streets of Paris, however, is a truly Herculean task. Thankfully, the fine folks at Budget Travel have done the homework for us and have come up with a list of the city’s five best boulangeries in which to find the perfect baguette. Make sure to visit at least one on your next trip, pick up a golden loaf, and then parade it about for a few hours like the locals do before devouring it with a bit of cheese and wine.

Friday Funny: Kitsch Souvenir Photos

by Erik Olsen on

Sometimes I’m not sure where travelers like Michael Hughes get all their time and money to travel. Like the famous Dancing Matt, who has paraded and boogied around the globe and done a fine job chronicling said adventures via little video dancing bits, Mr. Hughes is apparently traveling the globe in pursuit of fleeting photographic fame by taking kitchy, souvenir objects and placing them in front of the actual objects and then shooting a picture of it….all of which can be seen at his Flickr site here.

But despite my questioning these photos provenance from a lifestyle/financial angle, I have to say the whole enterprise is pretty damn clever. And fun.

(via Boing Boing)

MTV Launches Travel Guidebook Series

by Neil Woodburn on

Here’s a slightly odd combination that just might work.

Youthful icon MTV is partnering with the guidebook king Frommer’s to bring the hip edgy world of music videos to the hip edgy world of international travel.

The two companies have teamed together to produce a series of guidebooks that will appeal to the MTV demographic. And no, the series will not be called Pimp my European Vacation.

The partnership kicked off in September with the publication of MTV Ireland. By next year the stables will also include Italy, England, Spain, France, Europe, Mexican beaches, and American road trips.

The guidebooks aim towards those traveling/backpacking internationally for the first time and promise to point neophytes towards the best sights, and of course, the best drinking holes, beaches, and clubs. I suggest they might also think about publishing Dude! Where’s my Passport?

I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of MTV Ireland yet, but it will be interesting to see if MTV dethrones Let’s Go as the guidebook of choice for traveling American college students.

Photo of the Day (11/14/2006)

by Erik Olsen on

Local favorite localsurfer gets yet another POTD from us with this lovely shot of the Eiffel Tower. Not content to shoot the tower from a distance and to align the shot like every postcard you’ve ever seen…and certainly not content to put some family member in front with a big awful smile, he gives us this odd angle shot the likes of which you’ve probably never seen before. You know it’s the Eiffel, but you’re not exactly sure which part.