Viewing The Famous Bayeux Tapestry - A Secret Way To Avoid The Crowds

Listed as a “Memory of the World” by UNESCO, the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery, 70 meters long, made in the 11th century. Celebrating the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, this linen canvas was probably embroidered by monks in the south of England after the Battle of Hastings on October 14th, 1066.Legendary animals, ships, Vikings, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, another pretender to the throne of England. The tapestry is a highlight of the Normandy area along with the nearby  D Day beaches. Because it is visited by 460,000  people every year, here is a secret to having it all to yourselves ( well almost).
The museum closes at 5:00pm for entry, but is open for another 1-1/2 hours, SO, arrive at 4:45pm, buy your ticket and then after 5pm,the doors are shut and you'll have a quiet 1-1/2 hours to explore this wondrous Tapestry plus see an informative movie on the history of the Tapestry.

The town of bayeux is a treat to visit and walk around also. So allow yourself time to do that also.

A Day Trip To Strasbourg From Paris - A City Of Flowers and Sauerkraut

I have often told clients visiting Paris on a short stay, to use Paris as a base and do day trips into the French countryside. Provence is only 2 1/2 hours away, Dijon is 1 hour and 30min, and The Loire Valley is an easy hour away. On my last visit to Paris this past March, I did three day trips from Paris , One to Nancy (The Art Nouveau capital), one to Lille ( close to the Belgium Border) and one to Strasbourg (Eastern France). My favorite overall of these trip was my visit to Strasbourg. Just 2 1/2 hours away from Paris, the city of Strasbourg dominates the fertile vineyards and walled towns of the Rhine river plains and the dark, impenetrable Voges pine forests. Wonderful barge trips in the area. The city, French, yet German in feel (the population is bilingual (French and German) is shaped by the gently meandering Ill river which carves islands out the of cities most historic neighborhoods. The most atmospheric area (just an 8 minute walk from the rail station) is the area called: Petite France". Here half-timbered houses are nearly toppled by the weigh of their flower boxes and it looks as much as it did in the 16th and 17th centuries. Here Swans and bateaux-mouches paddle through the tranquil canals and past covered bridges. Strasbourg is a modern capital that has kept a small town feeling.Strasbourg

Cathedral de Notre-Dame is known as one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. The Cathedral stands on the exact site of a roman temple built on a little hill above the muddy ground and is today, the 6th tallest Cathedral in the world! As a world class city,

Strasbourg also boasts its share of world-class restaurants where chilled white Riesling is served in delicate green-stemmed Rhine wine glasses. The 3 Michelin stared restaurant Le Crocodile is the star here, but so are many informal bistros and winstubs located in the central area. Here the luxurious (which I came to really sample) Choucroute Strasbourgeois - is served at the historic Kammerzell Restaurant (within the shadows of the Cathedral). Unlike the traditional Choucroute served with 'tons" of Pork sausages, this one is served with three different types of fish. It was incredible! The restaurant occupies several floors and has been around since (at least the building) since the 15th century. Reservations are a must! All in all, what a great city to visit for a day! It’s an easy trip from Paris and one that hardily recommend.

D Day Beaches In Normandy - An Emotional Journey

A few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite regions of France - Normandy. I looked forward to my stay at the lovely Norman Manor house - La Cheneviere, located deep in the lush and verdant Norman countryside. I also looked forward to eating the last of the season - red scallops that are a highlight of the Norman winter season. Although I have been to Normandy countless times, I had never really toured the famous D Day beaches and battlegrounds at any length, so I thought that this time I would make a day of it. I used the services of Normandy Sightseeing Tours and had the pleasure to be guided by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young lady by the name of Aurelie.
My first stop was Pont du Hoc (its  behind me in the photo), Here American Army Rangers scaled its sheer 100 ft cliffs under deadly fire to knock out huge coastal guns they didn't know had been moved. Pocked by huge craters left by naval bombardment, most of the German bunkers remain to this day. The cliff-side battlefield also offers a scenic view of the French coastline that saw some of the war's fiercest fighting.

What I thought at the start of the morning was going to be an interesting trip through World War 2 history, but it turned out to be more than that. It turned out to be an emotional day that I challenge anyone to visit and not come away changed, even if you never served in the Armed forces.

My father, a paratrooper with the 101st, was a participant in the D Day landing ( but never wanted to talk about it), so my knowledge was zero as to what really transpired that early morning of June the 6th, 1944..

After Pont du Hoc, we drove another 10 minutes to Omaha Beach.

Here I found myself under a misty, but sunny sky, amid crashing waves, lush vegetation and pleasant breezes, it created an eerie scene of seaside tranquility at the spot that one D-Day veteran recalled as mostly "darkness and confusion."Standing on this broad 4 mile stretch of silent beach, it was hard to imagine the carnage that occurred some 65 plus years ago. It was a surreal feeling to stand here and know how many American's and Germans were killed in those first early morning hours, over 3,000 on the Allies side alone. It was very humbling and in a way, very upsetting. Next we stopped at the impressive American cemetery at Colleville Saint Laurent and walked in awe among the Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David markers. Seeing so many young men's graves, most dated during the summer of 1944, was moving for anyone who has been here.. The cemetery overlooks part of Omaha Beach, and is high upon the cliff with a beautiful view of the English Channel. The cemetery is maintained by the U.S. Government. Your tax dollars are certainly at work here, because the grounds were immaculate. A monument on the grounds of the cemetery contains a statue honoring the dead and diagrams and maps of the invasion. There is also a beautiful garden and the Tablets of the missing--a list of all of the soldiers missing in action similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Our guide walked with me to point out the two graves of the Niland Borthers , a family whose story is memorialized in the movie "The Saving of Private Ryan". President Theodore Roosevelt's son is also buried at Colleville Saint Laurent, although he did not die during the Normany Invasion, but a few weeks later.
More to follow -please check back in a few days......

The French Brasserie - A Love Affair

                   
Gallopin - founded in 1876 - located just behind the Paris Stock Exchange
Just one of my favorties - sit either in the main room or the brokers Lounge.

The French Brasserie:Where the pleasure of the eye is reunited with the pleasures of the table

.A gigantic platter of fruits de mer just outside the entrance door, Art Nouveau décor everywhere, the grand entrance of a diva and as Lyricist Ira Gershwin once wrote “Who Could Ask For Anything More”

Eating out in Paris can be the experience of a lifetime or the ultimate let down. Without an insider's tip for the best bistro or the latest hot restaurant, you could end up leaving the City of Light with a bad taste in your mouth. Fortunately there is the brasserie - one of the great culinary and social institutions of the French capital that has remained unchanged for well over 100 years. A meal in one of these cultural monuments - for they are more than mere restaurants - is always a memorable experience, because not only do you eat well at a reasonable price, but you'll experience at first hand an authentic slice of Parisian life.

These sumptuous dining rooms began life as simple beer taverns - 'brasserie' actually means 'brewery' in French - at the end of the nineteenth century when residents of Alsace fled to Paris as refugees after their region had been annexed by Germany. The good news is that the brasseries are here to stay as most have been classified monuments historiques by the French Government.
The great brasseries boast beautifully preserved Art Nouveau decor. Each one with its own personality and specialities. The dishes on the menu haven't changed much in the past 100 years either: a mountain of crushed ice covered with freshly shucked oysters and shellfish, a steaming tureen of choucroute , sauerkraut garnished with a dozen different sausages, an irresistible tarte tatin , and a chunk of the wonderfully pungent cheese from the village of Munster served with a hot potato and cumin seeds.
I spent the last couple of weeks eating (NO… over eating to be truthful) in the most famous and historic Brasseries of Paris. There are 49 of them in all. I only got to about 15. As one like myself, who feels at times I was born too late and would have preferred to be in Paris during the `1920’ and 30;’s, I can say, that entering one of these historic and 'drop dead' gorgeous Brasseries is returning to that era.
The brasseries of Paris are one of the few places you can still feel, see and smell the real Paris. 

Paris - March Trip Report VIVE La France!

In the following days, I am going to report along with photos on my whirlwind trip around France to check out new and old hotel favorites, restaurant favorites, new areas to visit, new people and old I have meet along the way and interesting things going on in Paris and in France.

Right now, its 3:30pm in Beverly Hills and having just returned last night, I am being hit with jet lag and so I will sign off until Tuesday, when my report begins in earnest.
The photo above was taken at a fantastic new apartment complex (for rental, 3 day minimum) called La Reserve; located in the 16th Arrondissement, just a stones throw from the Eiffel Tower.
The apartments are lovingly looked after by the beautiful and talented young directrice by the name of Stephanie BILLAT. The apartments are very luxurious - 1 to 4 bedrooms and offer great privacy for its VIP and movie clientele , (but it is also available to ‘common folk’ like ourselves. ).
During my visit, a private chef (the apartments all have up to the date kitchens along with the services of a private chef if you wish) prepared a fabulous luncheon for myself and some fellow agents who traveled with me. What a way to start off a trip!
So check back in a day or two and take a trip around France with me.
http://www.lareserve-paris.com/ - La Reserve

An American In Paris - Returns.............And Is Not Happy About It!

It's Sunday, 4th of April and I have just returned from an extended stay in France. My stays are never long enough and it is with a touch (always) of sadness when I have to leave my 'adopted home'. BUT.......life goes on and one must work now and then and so I am home for awhile and have lots to tell and lots of photos to share with you my readers.

Lots of new and wonderful discoveries - restaurants, hotels, new friends and some surprising areas of France, that I fell in love with.

So, dear reader, check back on Monday for the first of my reports.

So..............as we use to say in the movie industry..cue the Paris music and........enjoy!