Tag Archives: Petite Paris

Cycling, France, Paris, Sightseeing

How to Experience France on a Budget – Cycle Path from D-Day Beaches to Mont-Saint-Michel Open – Two books that take you off the beaten track in Paris

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Welcome to Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up.  To start, Petite Paris gives tips on how to experience Paris on a budget, with a list of free things to do. Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike then takes us from the D-Day beaches to Mont Saint Michel by bike while Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris takes us off the beaten track in Paris, first by bike and then by metro. Enjoy!

How to experience Paris on a Budget. Without compromising quality or quantity. And free!!!

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles 
portedauphine1Here are our local tips and secrets on how to cut corners (and lines), avoid expensive tourist traps and overall save your precious Paris pennies with some smart, practical city advice.

TIP: sometimes a glass of red is more worthwhile than a coffee. 3-4euro per cup/glass.

a. Museum Madness

·       Free entrance to museums: On the first Sunday of each month for all major museums run by the City of Paris Includes: The Louvre; Musee moyen Age; Musee d’Orsay; Musee National Picasso; Musee Rodin; Musee Quai Branly and Centre Pompidou. Read more

Cycle Path From D-Day Beaches to Mont-Saint-Michel Open

by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

mont_saint_michelJust in time for the summer season, a new bicycling path has opened from the D-Day beaches to Mont Saint Michel.  On this route through Normandy, cyclists will have the opportunity to pass through the Regional Park of the Cotentin and the Bessin wetlands and test their athletic skills on the itinerary that runs through the Gorges of the Vire Valley.  The reward at the end of the route, the magnificent Mont-Saint-Michel. The complete itinerary is about 120 miles, passing through the beautiful medieval town of Bayeux and the Abbey of Juaye-Mondaye. Read more

Two books that will take you off the beaten track: “Paris by Bike” and “Discover Paris by Metro”

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

discover_paris_bike_metroI haven’t done a lot of cycling in Paris, mainly because I’m afraid of all the crazy drivers, but one of my best memories is of a magical afternoon when Joseph the Butler, Stéphane and I biked to the Bois de Boulogne for a picnic. Circling around the Lac Inférieur with a backpack full of cheese, foie gras, champagne and a baguette, we paused for a moment to watch a small boy diligently rowing his father across the placid lake and a family playing croquet on the shore. It felt as if we were a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets.

Cycling, France, French language, Spain

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs! – One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona – English French words

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Some interesting posts this Wednesday on very different subjects. Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France, interviews English cyclist Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels, about his bike trip across France. Australian blogger Frugal First Class Travel, whom I discovered recently, describes the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. She also has lots of tips for winter travelling. Regina from Petite Paris, the Australian website that has all those wonderful B&Bs in Paris, talks about all the French words that exist in English. Enjoy!

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs!

Interview by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France

with Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels “… a terrific guide to the culture, history, food, B&Bs and other French delights”. He also blogs on cycling and skiing in Adam’s Blog

adamloire-300x218It’s amazing who you meet on Twitter. Through my @llamamum account, I happened across Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels. As a keen cyclist, I’m always interested to find out about fellow cyclists so I contacted Adam and asked if he’d write a guest post for me. And here it is.

Many travel books start as a publishing or fundrasing idea, and most travel articles start as that ghastly word, an angle. Others develop out of a real holiday or journey, and my book, France on Two Wheels, falls into that category.

A friend rang me to say he was looking for someone with whom to ‘bicycle’ (he does hate the word ‘cycle’ unless applied to washing machines or the economy) to or from Switzerland. I agreed to the return trip. Read more

One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a FirstClass trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

sagada_familiaI’m not a religious person.  In fact I’m a card carrying atheist.  But I couldn’t help but be so moved when I recently visited the Sagrada Familia – the Gaudi designed Basilica in Barcelona.  Building has been underway for over 100 years now, and there are plans (hopes?) to complete the works in time for the centenary of Gaudi’s death in 2026.

Gaudi was a very religious man apparently, and it was this faith that drove him to spend the bulk of his life (and indeed until the end of his life) dedicated to this project.  But the Sagrada Familia is not just a testament to religious faith.  Regardless of your own spiritual beliefs, consider this:

Gaudi knew the church would never be completed in his own lifetime, but he did it anyway. Read more

English French Words

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles

It’s incredible (“uncreaaabl”) how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore…

At this moment I am listening to my Michel Thomas audio – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. Its a practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! [AND SO DO I – Fraussie] Read more

Accommodation, France, Sightseeing, Travelling, Uncategorized

Travel Tip for Biking in France – My New Paris Baby – The Marais Poitevin

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Interesting posts from other Anglophone Bloggers on France this week include a travel tip for biking in France from Experience France by Bike, but it’s not restricted to cycling -getting a chip credit card can make life a lot easier! Next Petite Paris introduces her “new baby” – a B&B in Paris that I’d just love to try if I didn’t already live in the City of Light. Then Abby from Paris Weekender takes us to the Marais Poitevin which has been on my list of places to go for some time. I’ll let you discover it for yourself!

Travel Tip for Biking in France – Get a Chip Credit Card

by Experience France by Bike

If you are planning a bicycling trip to France or anywhere in Europe this summer, simplify your travel by getting a credit card with a chip.  Often referred to as smart cards, this type of credit card has been in widespread use in Europe for several years.  Unknowing Americans often miss trains, are unable to pay for gas at the pump, and cannot rent bikes at public kiosks all because the machines do not accept credit cards without a chip.  Sometimes the problem causes an inconvenience, sometimes it can result in a major disruption to a trip.  Missing a train because you cannot retrieve or purchase a ticket can really be a problem. Read more

My New Paris Baby

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow francophiles

Coucou friends!!

I feel like im constantly announcing new B&B! Oui, but I am! We have landed another 4 in the last 2 weeks alone 🙂 Its so exciting and I really do feel as though each one is my new special little one! hehe

This latest addition to the ‘Petite’ family is so incredible. The ‘like’ ratings are going through the facebook roof! 😀 Its a complete package… in a nutshell:  You have your own private entry into your 2 bedroom apartment, ensuite bathroom, free wifi, delicious breakfasts served in the FABULOUS salon with sunny 30m balcony around the entire apartment! Foral and green and happy!

Martine your sweet hostess lives next door and offers guided tours of her secret spots in the neighbourhood and around Paris, as well as French lessons! (additional hrly cost). Read more

The Marais Poitevin and Angles sur l’Anglin

by Abby from Paris Weekender, with her collection of ideas for Paris weekends: staying put and getting out of town

The Marais Poitevin, aptly nicknamed la Venise Verte or Green Venice, is a magical place, a large network of intertwining canals. Marais, like the neighborhood in Paris, actually means “swamp” and the Marais Poitevin is indeed a swamp. Yet miraculously, there are no mosquitos! When I first heard this, I knew I was going to love this place

The architecture of the towns around the Marais Poitevin (Coulon and La Garette, for example) looked surprisingly Provençal to me. Perhaps the bright sun and warm weather helped that impression. And we had never seen so many roses in bloom! Read more

Accommodation, Paris

Profile: Regina Ferreira – Petite Paris B&Bs

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My monthly guest post on My French Life, the Australian-based online magazine & global community of French & francophiles, has just been published. This time, it’s an interview in two parts with Regina Ferreira, from Petite Paris B&Bs. As you know, I love staying in B&Bs and only discovered recently about their existence in Paris. I love the idea, particularly when you hear Regina explain the concept.

Profile: Regina Ferreira – Petite Paris B&Bs

Regina, it’s great to meet you on Skype, with me in Blois and you in Sydney.

Your website, Petite Paris, is an Australian-based specialist booking service with a select network of charming bed & breakfast accommodations in the romance capital, Paris bien sûr!  

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, on a personal level to start with?
I’m Portuguese, although my family moved to Australia when I was very young so I’m really Australian having grown up and studied here. Read more

France, French customs, Paris

The Romance of a Sale – Zen Things in Paris – Laines Locales Wool Festival at Prébenoît

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I’m afraid I was so busy last week setting up house in Blois that I didn’t bring you my usual Wednesday’s other blogs post. But I’m back in Paris and my computer is up and working again. Thank you to the authors of this week’s posts: Petite Paris, an Australian-based independent bed & breakfast booking agent for anyone planning to travel to the romance capital of the world, on Zen things to do in Paris; Llamalady, an Irish llama and alpaca breeder living in the centre of France, who also runs a carp fishery and a holiday gite, reporting on a local wool festival; and Bread is Pain, an American living in the Rhone-Alps “slowly eating and drinking myself through the country”, talking about her love of sales.

Zen Things in Paris

from Petite Paris

When it comes to Paris, we already know the usual recommendations. We know the rule is Laduree for tea.  Pierre Herme for Macaroons. Coffee at Cafe de Flore. Or at Lipp Or at Deux Magots.  We know that a visit to the Louvre is a must see. Eiffel. Piere Lachaise. And we know all about the Batobus river boat tours. The Moulin Rouge. and the Opera. And these are all great, bien sûr… Read more.

Laines Locales Wool Festival at Prébenoît

by LLamalady from Blog in France

We are just back from a chilly and breezy but interesting morning at a wool festival. It was organised by Laines Locales of Limousin and was held at nearby Prébenoit Abbey. Had the weather been better we would have cycled there – it’s about 10 km away – but we’d have been blown backwards! Read more.

The Romance of a Sale

from Bread is Pain

I love sales.  Love them.  I will buy things that I don’t really find attractive or things that I absolutely do not need based solely on the fact that they are on sale.  As a dear friend of mine puts it “really, by not buying it you are losing money because it is such a good deal!”  (RIGHT?!)   This statement pretty much sums up my feelings when I see something marked down.  “Why look!  It’s a goose leash!  We don’t have a goose, I know, but one day we might and come on, honey, it’s 70% off!”  Read more.

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