Ah, Paris in springtime. Well, not exactly, since this photo of the Eiffel Tower was taken by bamassippi on February 18th. Still, the image certainly captures the beauty of this magnificent city, doesn’t it?
If you’d like one of your travel photos to be featured in our Photo of the Day, be sure to visit our Flickr Pool, and upload your best shots there. Every day we’ll pick one to be featured here on Gadling.
Okay, in another day or two I’m going to get really sick of all the press I’m seeing these days about the new Da Vinci Code movie–including here on Gadling where I’ve been guilty myself of posting a few too many items about this blockbuster.
The truth is, however, that the book/movie is bursting with the very historical gems that make us want to travel in the first place. That’s why today, for example, I couldn’t resist the urge to post yet again on the most recent Da Vinci Code article I’ve come across. And, quite frankly, I’ve done so because it is one of the best I’ve encountered so far.
The LA Times has a whole section about “Unlocking the Secrets of the Louvre.” The museum, as you may recall, plays an important role in the book’s plot. Although the article by Susan Spano doesn’t really “unlock” any mysteries, it is rather a nice summation of the history and holdings of the world’s greatest art museum. Spano also tosses in some helpful travel tips as well for those hoping to visit the museum in the near future.
The truly cool part of this article is the interactive online elements. A decent flash animation map displays where to go in the museum and a Mystery Quest takes you on a fun little treasure hunt where you must solve anagrams and other little puzzles. The online elements aren’t top-of-the-line, but they are well-done and exactly the type of content newspapers need to start incorporating more of if they want to compete in today’s digital world.
Actually, the more time I spent bouncing around this site, the more I realize that almost none of it refers back to the Da Vinci Code. Perhaps that is why I like it so much.
So, here I am doing some internet shopping, surfing the www for a cute little top with a lot of flair and personality (and I’m not talking about those stupid new Myspace shirts) when I suddenly make a small discovery of sorts. Not that you care to know, but I’m an impulse buyer and most times I buy things that have a global theme or one that embraces a travel related concept like a bunch of monkeys in a van headed to the beach, a ship sailing the high seas or a giraffe floating up in the sky in a vibrantly colored hot air balloon on a washed out brown colored tee. (I don’t own any of those items.) Anyways here I am visiting one of my favorite sites, Stars and Infinite Darkness when I come across these awesome “I’ve never been to____” tees ($42 USD). There are three from what I can tell and each completes the statement with places like Rhode Island, Paris and Bonfacio. “How cool!” I think.
Seeing how I’ve been a good many places, yet haven’t been to any of the three mentioned I thought these shirts would fit my personality just fine, but before my impulse could click and select my size for purchase I decided to read just a bit more and well found that these “never been” shirts have far more flair than I particularly need. Apparently there is a glow in the dark penis screen printed on the back of each top and perfectly visible when the lights go out. Now why did they think to go and do that? What could have been a great semi-travel related gift just went out the window for some, but I’m sure many people will buy these nifty tee’s and perhaps no one will notice the glowing phallus on the back.
Just thought to toss it out there for any one looking for a gift for whatever reason these days.
Yesterday I got all wigged out about learning languages that challenge us a bit more or aren’t as widely spoken as the one I’m about to throw at you today, but not everyone is ready to jump on this bandwagon. So tonight as I order sweet smelling flowers for my mother for this upcoming mum’s day I’ll teach a word from a language just as sweet as all mother’s around the world. I’ll remember to start up my language revolution again tomorrow!
Today’s word is a French word used in France:
ma reum (mère) – my mum, mother
French is the third largest Romance language in the world in terms of native speakers according to the Wikipedia and is the official language of 29 countries. There are a number of places to learn French abroad which include Canada and Switzerland in addition to France. Amerispan offers immersion programs in all three of the countries and more info can be found by clicking here. Search other study abroad programs at some of these sites here: Coeur de France, Accord French Language School, and Transitions Abroad to name only a few. Swing over to My Language Exchange where you are sure to find someone willing to exchange their lingo skills for some of your own. Free online sources for learning French include France-Pub, French Assistant, and the BBC Languages.
Past French words: confiture, difficile, frottis
There’s been a lot of press recently about Da Vinci Code tours in England, France and Scotland and we here at Gadling have also jumped on the bandwagon. Now it’s Travel & Leisure’s turn.
Jessica Antola’s Travel & Leisure article covers much of the same information many of the other articles have conveyed about what to see and the impact the famous book/movie has had on these locations (tourism to Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh, for example, has increased from 6,000 visitors pre-book to 120,000 annually).
What makes Antola’s article unique, however, is that she recognizes that such tourism is nothing new. 65,000 people a year still visit the legendary baseball diamond from Field of Dreams, she tells us. Other movie locations draw even larger crowds, such as Lord of the Rings, Notting Hill, Sideways, Lost in Translation, Harry Potter and Amélie.
It’s a love/hate relationship for those who must endure such tourist invasions as a daily part of their lives. With nearly 100 people a day visiting the small café in which Amélie worked, you can imagine that the regulars who used to enjoy a nice quiet cup of coffee have long since vanished.