Photo Of The Day: Man Who Could Walk Through Walls

by Meg Nesterov on

You know you’ve found a popular tourist attraction when you see a statue with a shiny spot. From Ireland‘s Blarney Stone to Istanbul‘s “weeping” column in Hagia Sophia, visitors love any place that has brought luck to others. Today’s Photo of the Day, by Flickr user Kumukulanui, is from Paris‘ Montmartre, and of Jean Marais’ sculpture “The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls.” Based on a short story, it’s believed that if you touch his left hand, you might be able to pass through some walls yourself, or at least take some zany pictures giving him a high five.

Add your lucky travel photos to the Gadling Flickr Pool and we’ll choose the shiniest for a future Photo of the Day.

Woman Falls Asleep On Flight To Paris, Wakes Up In Pakistan

by Libby Zay on

A woman on a Paris-bound flight fell asleep and woke up when the plane landed back in her starting point of Lahore, Pakistan. What’s more, the plane not only stopped in France, but also touched down in Italy before completing the journey.

Express News, a Pakistani television news channel, first reported about the sleepy passenger, described as a middle-aged French woman who is married to a Pakistani. Her relatives are infuriated that nobody from Pakistan International Airways (PIA) bothered to wake her when she reached Paris.

Upon returning back to Lahore, she had completed a 7,700-mile round trip that took 18 hours.”It is a passenger’s responsibility to check about the destination and disembark when the plane arrives at the particular airport,” a representative from the airline told Agence France-Presse.

The airline, who believes a French subcontractor is to blame, has since promised to take the woman back to Paris free of charge and set up a committee to investigate how the crew failed to notice the woman during a two-hour stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Photo by Don Fulano, flickr.

[Thanks, Imran3000!]

Photo Of The Day: Moulin Rouge At Night

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Today’s photo, by Flickr user Rob_Sanderson, is of one of the more (in)famous tourist landmarks in Paris: the Moulin Rouge. I love the long shutter exposure of Rob’s shot, which brings out the warm neon’s fiery reds, twinkling street lamplights and a whirling blur from of the club’s iconic windmill. The image gives off a feeling of wonderful nighttime energy and hijinks to come.

Taken any great travel photos? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Would You Sleep In A Converted Shipping Container?

by Jessica Festa on




Beginning in September, travelers visiting France will be able to book a hotel room in a converted shipping container (pictured above).

Located near the France-Belgian border, Deûle Insolite is featuring 20-foot-long steel boxes with amenities like a kitchenette and a balcony with views of the Deûle River. According to the Huffington Post, the “cabins” were created in partnership with HouseUP, which specializes in transforming large steel boxes into beautiful vacation homes.

The shipping container rooms are just one of the quirky options offered to guests. Deûle Insolite also offers camping trailers, an Airstream Sovereign and a Mongolian-style yurt.

Would you sleep in a shipping container?

Paris Transport Board Launches Campaign To End Rudeness

by Jessica Festa on

Often thought of as a rude culture, the French don’t have the best reputation when it comes to politeness. However, the Paris transport authority, RAPT, is attempting to put an end to this with a new poster campaign showing locals how their actions appear to onlookers.

According to news.com.au, the campaign features large posters depicting Parisians as animals, as the people around them stare in shock (shown right). To allow everyone to voice their frustrations, RAPT has also created a website where people can submit their own captioned photographs.

Are they creating this campaign completely based off stereotypes? Not according to data. A recent RAPT survey found that 97 percent of passengers had witnessed “uncivil” behavior on Paris public transport. This comes two years after a separate survey completed by tourists voted Parisians the rudest people in Europe. Additionally, in 2007 a report by the Committee for Modernization of the French Hotel Trade found that 25 percent of customer complaints were caused by rude service in France.

Do you think this campaign will help or hinder rudeness in France?

[Image via RAPT]