Up the Seine Without a Paddle: Pros and Cons of Houseboating in Paris

Last year, weary from hostels and trains, I met my mother in Paris. Though we’re not ideal travel partners, she was footing the bill so I couldn’t refuse a stay aboard a houseboat on the Seine River that she had rented. It was impeccable–the summer home of a wealthy businessman and his gorgeous girlfriend–and though boats can be cramped and uncomfortable, this one was amazingly luxurious.

Here’s what’s great about staying on the Seine
: Though the boat was permanently moored, the location couldn’t have been better — we were right across from the Tuillerie Gardens. The boat itself was amazing. And we didn’t have to spend too much money on restaurants, since we had our own kitchen. Plus? The look on peoples faces on the tour boats as they motored by us–enjoying wine and good food on the top deck–was pretty priceless.

Here’s what’s not so great about staying on the Seine:
Said tour boats cruise the river all freaking night, using flood lights to illuminate the city and loudspeakers to explain what attractions are passing by. And the smell on the river was … um … ripe at times. The were also a group of people who actually lived under the stairwell near the boat, not to mention people fishing in the river constantly (and, if you’ve seen the Seine, you’ll know it is not a fishing river.) We feared the fishers were actually nearby restaurant owners, hence another reason to enjoy having a kitchen.

All in all, it’s a nice stay if you can get it. Though at 2000 EUR for a week, I’d be hostelling it if it wasn’t for mum.

World’s Sexiest Beaches 2007

Each year, our friends over at Concierge.com put out a list of the world’s sexiest beaches, featuring the best places to “flirt with millionaires, lick the salt off a margarita glass, siesta in a hammock, and gaze at blood-orange sunsets night after night.”

If these don’t make you wish you were somewhere else, you’ve either got your toes in the sand right now, or you’re dead to the world. Here is 2007’s sexiest beaches:

  • Caprera Island, Sardinia, Italy — “La dolce vita meets Euro bling.”
  • Salvador da Bahia, Brazil — “Slow, happy, and inexpensive.”
  • Cousine Island, Seychelles — “Me Tarzan, you Jane!”
  • Playa de los Lances, Tarifa, Spain — “Surf hard, play hard. Flirt even harder.”
  • Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas — “Colonial swagger with high society tennis games at dusk.”
  • Kuta Beach, Bali — “Beachcombing boho chic.”
  • South Beach, Miami, Florida — “Nightlife hub, arts mecca, de facto capital of Latin America, Miami is all sexy, all the time.”
  • Pigeon Point Beach, Antigua — “British aristos meet Hollywood movers-and-shakers for a love-in, colonial style.”
  • Bodrum, Turkey — “European? Asian? Yes”
  • Santa Maria Beach, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde — “The calm before the storm.”
  • Laguna Beach, California — “California lovin'”
  • Ihuru Island, Maldives — “Just say no to shoes.”
  • Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica — “City kids get physical in a tropical playground.”
  • Paradise Beach, Mykonos — “You’re only young once. If you’re not, keep drinking-you’ll feel young soon enough.”
  • Grande Plage, Biarritz, France — “Beach bums meet fashion plates.”
  • Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii — “The vibe: Chilled-out aloha spirit.”
  • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — “It was this big-honest!”
  • The Similan Islands, Thailand — “Wash my hair tonight? Why bother?”
  • Motu Tane, French Polynesia — “Fashionistas air kisses and catwalks on the beach.”

For detailed information on each of these beaches, including the best places to stay, visit Concierge.com.

Cannes Cam 2007

Can’t make it to Cannes this year? Me either. But that’s okay — The IFC’s website is streaming a live video feed from a camera hovering over the red carpet at Grand Théâtre Lumière at the Palais.

According to IFC, “Most film premieres take place around 7pm and 10pm local time, or 1pm/4pm ET,” but action on the carpet is dead right now (save for a few birds and honking horns). Occasionally they will pan the camera around the bay to show off the billion-dollar boats bobbing up and down in the Mediterranean.

According to the festival schedule [PDF], LES CHANSONS D’AMOUR is set to premiere in less than an hour at the Palais, so keep an eye on the camera. [via]

Paris Writing Workshop, July 2-27

Let’s see…live for a month in Paris, write, learn how to be a better writer from Rolf Potts, drink French wine, and generally enjoy the most beautiful city on earth. Sounds awesome. If, like me, you want to pretend you’re Hemingway during his Paris phase, you’ll be interested in the Paris Writing Workshop, to be held July 2-27 of this year.

In addition to building your writing portfolio and taking “nonfiction storytelling classes” (that’d be travel writing, to you and me), attendees will participate in one-on-one critiques with professional writers, give readings in Parisian bookshops, and receive “survival” French lessons. Mon Dieu!

However, much like college, it isn’t all about class time. Happily, there will be ample opportunity to experience the city, attend cultural events, visit museums, take day-trips to the countryside, read books, hang out in cafes, and even go on a chocolate tour — all of which you can write about during your free time.

Free time?

[Via Written Road]

French Drivers Crazier Than Usual

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.