I am going to give you 3 underground Travel Tips for traveling around Toulouse, France. 1, 2, 3 the end! Go back home.

You see travel tips generally suck and if you can read about it online, so can everyone else. This means it cannot really underground or off the beaten track etc. But you already know this, I hope. I mean the best way to find out about the good stuff is from friends who live where you are going. Please don’t call them locals or I get to call you an asshole. Really, if you have friends who live somewhere, go out with them, you will see all the good stuff. Don’t write about it afterward like you are the new annointed expert or we get to call you even worse names.

So you don’t have any friends where you are traveling? Why should you get access to the good stuff then, you should work on your friendship skills instead.

All of this was prompted by a hilarious post I read on a blog called Miss Expatria, read the post here. Read the comments, they too are funny, all 90 of them, so jealous, 90 comments. She made a recent comment here, and in just a sentence, hit the nail on the head about living in France, so I visited her blog thinking how authentic her voice was, and was happily skimming through it. Working again at my blog, I realize that, sometimes you run across greatness, cloaked in humility, unassuming, check out her blog.

http://missexpatria.wordpress.com/

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When you live in France as a foreigner, lots of other foreigners begin sentences with, well in France, or they end them with, only in France, so I am doing my part to fit in. Well in France, the other day we were driving along the turnpike, tollroad, highway, freeway (but not free), autoroute and we needed to stop to use the bathroom. The bathrooms on the autoroute are really nice, I guess that is why the tolls are so high. Going into the bathroom I saw this sign and my first thought was, the woman in the logo looks like she is strangling the baby. It actually took me a minute to realize it was a separate room for changing diapers. It made me think about all the cultural differences I live with and how the design of logos and icons is so heavily influenced by culture. So yes, France has baby strangling stations, shakes head, mouths the words, “Only in France”, and spits in urinal while peeing, a cultural trait the French do not have.

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This article is the first in a series about popular tourist destinations in France focusing on cruises.

On June 6, 1944, one of the bloodiest and most memorable battles of World War II occurred on the beaches of Normandy, France. The allied operation on this day, historically known as “D-Day,” featured the largest amphibious invasion that the world had ever seen. Over 175,000 troops landed on “D-Day,” and the beaches of Normandy were stained with the blood of many courageous men. With a possible casualty tally of 9,000 allied soldiers, “D-Day” was a battle that would never be forgotten, and it remains one of the most famous events of World War II. ??Normandy, France would be forever etched in the hearts and minds of the world as the home of the beaches of the unforgettable “D-Day” invasion.

In popular culture, the “D-Day” invasion of Normandy, France has been depicted in various successful war movies. From 1962′s “The Longest Day,” all the way up through 1998′s “Saving Private Ryan,” the public has continuously associated Normandy, France with the “D-Day” invasion of World War II. ??Well after the war, when Normandy, France was finally able to recover from being occupied by the Nazis, “D-Day” and World War II were embraced by the locals, and the artifacts of this historical milestone were preserved. Because it was such a famous and influential event in history, and the events have been reflected upon and depicted in various forms of art and literature, visitors of France usually always make the Normandy region a priority on their itineraries.

For travelers looking for greater insight into the famous event, the region of Normandy has been a huge draw. Tourists flock from all over the world, and have many ways to visit the area, including D-Day battle tours, Normandy Beach Tours, and river cruises (Viking River Cruises) with famous Normandy attractions as major destinations. Battle tours can be a few hours to two days in duration, and take visitors to specific sites, such as site of the first allied military hospital in Normandy and the first town to be seized by the 82nd airborne. A popular WWII landmark to visit is the Pointe du Hoc monument, which was erected by the French to honor American elements who defended against German counterattacks at Omaha Beach by scaling vertical cliffs to capture German weapons.

Other sites many tourists visit in the area include the Arromanches Debarquement Museum and the American Military Cemetery, where people pay respect to 9,000 U.S. servicemen and women. Café Gondree, the first house in France to be liberated, is a site that many visitors of the landing beaches see also. Some people also choose hiking and bicycle tours. On hiking tours, tourists enjoy the towns and villages of the region, and dine at the many restaurants and stay at the various hotels, along with visiting all the historical sites of D-Day. Although thousands of allied forces lost their lives on D-Day in Normandy, there noble and courageous sacrifices are forever remembered and celebrated, as the popularity of these tourist attractions demonstrates.

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Beynac-et-Cazenac, Chateau de Beynac in the Dordogne
For my birthday we went to La Recreation in the Lot. It is a wonderful restaurant located in the tiny village of Les Arques. There is a museum dedicated to the sculptor Zadkine there.The owner of the restaurant has published a book that seems to be well known among English speakers. I think he is American. The book is called “You Can’t See Paris From Here”.

Of course I must detail the meal at La Recreation. We started with a velouté d’aspèrge, asparagus soup and of course we began with an aperitif, fenelon. Apparently fenelon is a regional speciality, walnut liquour and red wine maybe, I forget. For entrees we tried the Lobster Ravioli and the Scallops wrapped in angel hair pasta. Both of these have been on the menu of La Recreation for 18 years, since the restaurant opened. They came recommended by the waiter. Then for the main course I had Caille Supreme, small wild chicken and Charles had Agneau, lamb. We also had a 1/2 bottle of Pecharment. I first tried Pecharment when I lived in the Dordogne. It is a wine that comes from Bergerac, but a good one, not the typical Bergerac wines. For dessert we had a fondant chocolate and something glacée, I forget exactly. Highly recommended. Visit La Recreation if you get the chance.

After that we drove around the Lot and the Dordogne stopping at Domme and Beynac-et-Cazenac, and Chateau de Beynac. I took many photos of the chateau de Beynac. I will add them in a future post so you can see it. We also took a guided tour so I learned quite a bit about it. Many recent films were also shot at the chateau de Beynac. It is a private chateau completley undergoing renovation by a private family who actually lives there. When we finished we came back to Toulouse in about 2 hours. One of the biggest treats in France is that it is relatively small and you can see a wide variety of landscapes available to you in a short drive.

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Today the Eiffel Tower turns 120. Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower will celebrate its 120th birthday and, as a present, will receive a brand-new coat of paint.

The job will take over a year and will involve the labor of 25 painters applying over sixty tons of paint at a cost of 170 million euros.

This won’t be the first makeover. Designed by Gustave Eiffel and built for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889 to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, the tower has had seventeen cosmetic updates since its birth, changing color several times, from brown-red to yellow to bronze.

Quoted in France’s daily Le Figaro, one of the painters chosen for the project spoke of his love for the job. “Once you’re up there, you forget the ground, your worries, the dangers, everything stays behind,” said Aderito Dos Santos Baptista.

There have never been any fatalities from the painting of the Eiffel Tower although there have been some injuries.

The first-floor restaurant, renamed ’58 Tour Eiffel’, will also be inaugurated after a complete make-over.

At 300 meters tall (324 meters with antennae) and weighing 7,000 tons, the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building until 1930. There are 1665 steps to the top. One of the most visited sites in the world, the tower can boast a new record with nearly seven million visitors in 2008. Come visit the Eiffel Tower to say Happy Birthday.

If the Eiffel Tower was controversial at the time of its inception, it is now completely accepted and is one of several symbols of Paris’s beauty. Much like IM Pei’s pyramid entrance the Louvre, the French resisted the change, but now most agree upon its merits.

Happy Birthday Eiffel Tower.

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Recently I have started to ski again. There are many places to ski that are not that far from Toulouse. I have been twice to Pas de la Casa in Andorra to go to the Granvalira Ski Resort.

El Pas de la Casa is a ski resort (part of the Grandvalira resort) and mountain pass in Andorra next to the border with France. It is located at an elevation of 2408 m, one of the highest points on the European road network.

The ski resort of Pas de la Casa sits below the pass on the side closest to France. Its first ski lift was opened in 1957 and currently it counts 31 lifts, 100 km of pistes and 6.26 km² of skiable terrain. The highest point is 2640 m. It is the highest resort in Andorra, boasts the best snow record, and is the easiest to get to from Barcelona or Toulouse airports.

It attracts a large number of British and Irish winter sports fans, as well as French and Spanish. It is also favored for its southern latitude and duty-free status, READ- go shopping!

The nightlife is particularly youth-oriented, and a prevalence of red pistes perhaps makes the skiing more suited to intermediates than beginners or the most advanced.

We stayed at the Hotel Christiana which offered a demi pension special rate of 65€ per person. That is a little higher than some of the resorts closer to Toulouse, but since it included dinner and breakfast it was not much more expensive. The best part is you are less than block from the entrance to the resort.

I highly recommend visiting Habana Pub if you want to go out at night. Beware though, things don’t get started until well after midnight. It is more like Spain than France. The first time we went we stayed until 3AM, there was a huge storm and it was not sure we could ski the next day so we stayed late. This time we left around 12:30 and it hadn’t gotten started yet, there were people, but they were just arriving. They play a mix of Reggaeton, Latin House, and American club music. Very interesting place. For more ideas on what to do in Pas de la Casa, if you aren’t skiing in the Pyrenees click here.

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I spent the weekend of November 14-17th in Paris. I needed a change of scenery and that is just what I got.

I went to see my first play entirely in French, most of which I understood. Les Hommes Preferent Les Blonds, it didn’t occupy the highest brow on the cultural ladder but I got half price tickets at La Madeleine so I went. It was a goofy play about a group of gay men and gay jokes are nearly universal so even if I didn’t get the exact meanings of some of the jokes I still got the gist!

I went to the newish Museum Quai Branly, at night the garden is illuminated by beautiful lights hidden in the plants.

I went to the Petit Palais which has always been closed when I have gone. I didn’t realize that the collection was free to enter. I walked around Le Grand Palais but didn’t enter.

I went to the Museum in the Luxumbourg Gardens which had an exhibition entitled From Miro to Warhol which was quite good. I couldn’t get tickets to the Picasso et Les Mâitres so I went here instead as there were a few pieces by Picasso.

I walked around le Marais and went to the Pompidou. I bought tickets to the Futurism in Paris exhibit, which was okay but I didn’t really know much about the Italian futurists and didn’t think they were so hot.

I walked along the Seine at night and earlier in the day I went to the Bouquinistes?

What else did I see? Le Congrès, the pyramid in front of the Louvres, not enough time to try to see anything in the Louvre, of course le Tour Eiffel, Place de la Concorde, Arc de triomphe, shopping on St Germaine, 4€ express at Café des artistes, etc.

I went to a party on Saturday evening at an apartment near Bastille. An American man from NY who lived in Paris and then in Moscow for 15 years was coming back through France on his way back to NY. There were very interesting people and we danced a large part of the evening. There was a woman who has been a war reporter in Bagdad for the last 4 years, but this evening she was dressed in a Chanel dress looking very ummmm Parisian, really there is no other description for how she looked. Very interesting contrasts. At one point a man started to speak to introduce the birthday boy and he did the introduction in English, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, and German, and he was just the DJ. There was also the slightly bizarre but interesting nonetheless, man who introduces himself as Russian although he is half Russian and half Malian, he says when he enters the US jaws drop at customs, here is a shortish black man crossing the border into the US on a Russian passport, you think Arabs have problems he tells me. All in all, quite entertaining party.

On Sunday evening I went to Open Studios. In the Abesses neighborhood there was a Portes Ouvertes and over 100 artists had open studios. The event was extremely well organized. For 10€ you could buy a stack of post cards. There was one card for each participating artist. On one side there was a picture of their work and on the other side there was the address of their studio but also there was a number. The number corresponded with the number on the map you also received. It was very easy to sort through the cards to pull out the ones you were interested in seeing. Then you took the map and planned your itinerary. Since it was in Monmartre I also saw Sacre Coeur but from very different angles than I was used to seeing. On top of all this, one of my favorite things to see in open studios are the studios themselves. I saw some stunning studios that must be amazing to work in. Then of course you have over 100 post cards that you can send in the mail.

All in all it reminded me that although there is a huge dark cloud hanging over my head currently, life is incredible. Pardon my gushing but sometimes it is hard to see the silver lining when you do battle with only the clouds.

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We came home from Figeac on the 14th of July, Bastille Day. We were a little worried about the traffic due to the Tour de France and Bastille Day celebrations. There was no traffic anywhere. We got home and were very tired. We decided not to do anything, not like us. We have a large terrace on the back of our apt and a decent sized balcony on the front. Well the balcony overlooks in the direction of St Cyprien and Prairie des Filtres which is where the fireworks are. Perfect, we stepped out on our balcony at 10:30PM and had a perfect view. These photos were from my phone, but Jean-Jacques has a new fancy camera so maybe I can add those later. The fireworks were better than I expected. I had read about how many cities were cutting costs due to inflation globally. I was expecting less, but they were great.
svgallery=bastille

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WE took many pictures, photos, and images during our stay in Figeac France. We were visiting a friend in Figeac but the Tour de France happened to be passing through Figeac at the same time. Figeac was a little busier than usual. Not all pictures were from Figeac, but they are all from the surrounding area of Figeac.
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We have lots of photos from the Ariege. I have been traveling a bit lately and have not posted too much. In France the Ariege, or the people of the Ariege, are often the butt of jokes. It’s kind of like New Jersey, really not that bad but many jokes place it as the punchline, you can take girl out of the Ariege, but you cannot take the Ariege out of the girl. Lots of Ariege jokes like that. Anyway, we visited a friend and he took us around the Ariege for these photos.

svgallery=ariege

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