Little Black Guidebook

A friend sent this: “Happy New Years from Rio where we are practicing our fire works skills before the Olympics.” So jealous.

Sorry for the general lack of posting in the last week. I got back from a quick 3 day trip to Chicago (not really worth posting about because I spent the entire trip in the Airport hotel) and then flung myself into work before going out on a work trip. This was my first time visiting an Alaskan village and I wish I had more time to explore. My biggest experience was with village travel and small planes.

Left FAI (Fairbanks) for ANC (Anchorage) the night before, slept in ANC for a few hours and then flew to BET (Bethel) at 7am in a 737 which was half full of cargo. Then was put on a 4 man Cessna charter and flew at about 500 ft. out to MOU (Mountain Village) which took about an hour. It was like a flight-seeing tour over a completely alien landscape. I fly over Alaska all the time, but the view is different when you’re above the clouds in a 737 than it is when you can see the moose a couple of hundred feet below you. The flight out was freezing cold as the door barely closed and the window leaked air through a couple inch gap. I plugged some of the holes in the plane with napkins so that I wasn’t being sprayed with water that was running through the gap in the window and that helped a bit. Pretty miserable, but got great views. Unfortunately my camera was in my bag below the plane so I was taking photos with my camera phone. The N95 takes pretty good photos, but I would still have preferred by camera. I about lost it out the door when I dropped it during some turbulence, but rescued it just in time.

I was boots on the ground from 11am until 3:45pm when it was time to go meet the plane. Now if you’ve only flown commercial flights in and out of major cities you need to reset your mental picture of this. Basically 3 trucks with people who were on the outgoing flight pull up to this big gravel pad a little ways outside the village. There are some lights stuck in the ground and a windsock, no terminal, no staff, nothing. Eventually one of the other trucks pull up and say they just spoke to the airline on their radio (from their car) and that the plane is delayed by an hour (or so) so we continue sitting there. Eventually everyone gets out of their trucks and starts talking, a few people walk off to the side of the gravel pad an pick some wild blueberries for snack food on the plane. Nobody stresses, because really there isn’t anything you can do about it. Eventually someone hears something and we all go quiet. You can hear a motor coming and eventually someone spots the plane. When it lands and the passengers get out, we realize its full of all the teachers who are coming back to work at the village school. Talk about packing light, they have to live for a school year out of a duffle bag, no rollybags in sight and no, there won’t be any other bags coming on future flights. At $1.35/pound, you learn to condense your needs into as little luggage as possible.

This plane is huge compared to the one I came in on, it holds all of 8 people and is a slightly larger Cessna. Still no oxygen masks or boarding passes, but hey the doors actually seal. The only thing they ask before boarding is “How much do you weight?” This time I have my camera, but the flight is higher off of the ground since the plane is larger. Midflight the pilot turns around and yells back that our connection from BET back to ANC is still good as they are delayed an hour there as well. Nobody stresses. My biggest concern on this flight is that since we are at a slightly higher altitude we are basically flying through, not above, not below the clouds the whole time. And since its such a small plane, I see what the pilots are seeing, which is not much besides white puffy clouds. Good thing they have instruments. The air is also choppier since we are going through the clouds, blech. Eventually the heater kicks on and my jaw stops chattering and we arrive safe and sound in BET.

BET feels far more civilized after leaving MOU. It has a counter and boarding passes and everything. Well the computer can’t print my boarding pass so nobody worries about it. Again I’m asked my weight and we all board another plane, this time it probably held almost 20 people and felt enormous. The altitude went up again to just above the clouds and the ride was smooth enough that I got a few winks on the flight. Having been up since 5 am and on my 4th flight of the day I was wiped. ANC to FAI was uneventful and I look back on the whole day as a pretty unique experience. Life is just different in the village. It isn’t rude to stare, everybody knows everybody, mot people are related and half of the construction crew had the same last name. They were genuinely friendly and would strike up a conversation without reserve. I was offered more food than I could ever eat and genuinely felt welcome to be there. I wish the trip could have been longer so I could have seen more of the village than the project.

A few lessons learned:

1. Be friendly, it pays in having a richer experience
2. Be flexible, you can’t control the weather/flights
3. You’re on village time now, the bush has its own pace, speak more slowly and learn to listen
4. Nothing stays clean for long, be prepared for mud
5. If you need it, bring it with you, be prepared to stay longer than you planned if the weather doesn’t cooperate and pack accordingly
6. Bring cash, if you do need anything don’t expect either an ATM or credit being accepted

   

   Our baby plane

   

   Beautiful changing colors

   
   

   

   The pilot’s view

   

   Leaving Mountain Village, what a beautiful airport

   
   
   

Opatija (1) – Croatia – Croacia, originally uploaded by Paco CT.

Back from LA where it was a balmy 70. The 50 degree increase in temperature was nice, even if I wasn’t out in it for long. Not much to say, its LA, once you’ve done Universal and downtown there isn’t much to do except shop and go out with friends.

The thing that made me smile the most this weekend was browsing the Borders book store in the Seattle airport and coming across a book by the title: “The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists” That’s about the strangest book title I’ve seen in awhile. Apparently its a reprint of an old vintage title.

Instead I left with Berlitz Croatian dictionary and audio lesson cd which was on sale. Why Croatian? Well, a close friend is from there and who wouldn’t love a country with Mediterranean beaches and cuisine, lovely mountain regions (close enough to drive to Austria and Switzerland if there isn’t enough skiing for you), and 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 8 national parks. Now add in the fact that I could couch surf and stay at his families private island and you’ve got a recipe for major wander lust.

I always try to get functional in the language of a country before going there so I’m starting now.

• Address: 209 East 500 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111
• Tel: 801 524 8200

I won’t be here on Thursday, but if I was I might stop by and watch the Mormon tabernacle choir rehearsal. Location: Tabernacle on Temple Square (occasionally the Conference Center), Duration: 1 ½ hours, but you may come and go as necessary, Hours: Most Thursday evenings from approximately 8:00 PM until 9:30 PM, Tickets: Visitors are welcome. There is no charge.

Here is a Walking Tour I found. I’ll probably create my own when I get back.

Hawaii Wishlist

Hubby has an upcoming trip to Hawaii in May for an Army meeting. He’ll be busy 3 days and they will pay his airfare, but we are planning on extending the trip a few days on either end and spending a week there total. It is providing just the necessary motivation to stick with the Weight Watchers meetings and complete food journaling. I call this image my Hawaii wish list. If my wishes are full filled I’ll be wearing the two-piece bathing suit, but I would be content rocking the coral colored one piece as well. I could totally go a full week packing only the items above. Two dresses and two pairs of shoes and a cardigan to throw over-top in the evening. One of the dresses is nice enough to go to dinner in at night. All I would add is some toiletries, a pair of jammies and maybe my new Macbook for blogging. A girl can dream anyway, especially in this weather. So that’s my wish list.

Today we arrive in Paris, city of lights. We’ll most likely be train-lagged from our overnight train from Rome last night. But, before we even get to our hotel, we’ll be hitting the ground running taking a Chocolate Tour to discover why Paris is famous for dark chocolate. Since we’re far too busy stuffing ourselves silly to post, we’ll leave you with our list of favorite free things to do in Paris. A full list can be found on the National Geographic website.

Even though traipsing around pricey Paris might sound like serious damage to your wallet, not to mention your holiday joie de vivre, that’s only if you don’t know where to look (and when to go). Indulge in some of the City of Light’s sweetest luxuries—gratuit—from hidden nooks of authenticity to world-class museums and sights.

Admission is waived at the Louvre, Mona Lisa’s home—and one of the most well-known buildings in the world—the first Sunday of each month as well as Bastille Day (July 14). Guests 25 and under get in free on Friday nights from 6 to 9:45 p.m. (except for exhibitions in the Hall Napoléon). Bear in mind: The Louvre is a popular attraction, and lines on free days are predictably extra long.

Explore the greatest hits of Impressionism at the Musée d’Orsay, a tourist-favorite art museum housed in a former train station facing the Seine, for free on first Sundays (always free for kids under 18). On the top level, navigate the crowds to discover world-class paintings by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas, Manet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Seurat, and Matisse.

Centre Pompidou, a gaudy architectural exclamation point designed to look like a building turned inside out first opened in 1977 and reopened in 2000 after an extensive renovation. Free first Sundays for everyone and always for those under 18, the Pompidou Center’s huge collection spans the 20th century and is a must-see for contemporary and modern art lovers. Plus, the adjacent square by the quirky Stravinsky Fountain is a dynamic spot to bask in Paris’s sprawling cross-section of culture.

France’s centenarian department store at Galeries Lafayette holds free weekly fashion shows on the seventh floor. Paris is teeming with aspiring artists who are more than happy to display their works to you free of charge, both on the streets and in beautiful art galleries. Art lovers need look no further than the streets surrounding major museums, especially in Montmartre and near the Musée Picasso and Centre Pompidou in the Marais. A few highlights: Galerie Yvon Lambert (108 rue Vieille-du-Temple, tel. +33 [0]1 42 71 09 33 ) for minimalism and conceptual art; and Galerie Maeght (42 rue du Bac, tel. +33 [0]1 45 48 45 15 ) for more traditional art in St-Germain-des-Près. Revel in French fashion Fridays at 3 p.m., March through December, on the seventh floor of France’s centenarian department store at Galeries Lafayette’s weekly free fashion shows. A team of models flaunt the latest high-couture trends during a 30-minute presentation. Reservations required (e-mail welcome@galerieslafayette.com, tel. +33 [0]1 42 82 36 40 ).

Just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris exhibits art movements from the 20th and 21st centuries—including Fauvism, cubism, Dadaism, surrealism, abstractionism, and more—in the free permanent collection that boasts works by Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall.

Each first Sunday of the month, Auguste Rodin’s famous bronze and marble sculptures, including The Thinker and The Kiss, are on display free of charge at the Musée Rodin in the quiet 18th-century Hôtel Biron and its manicured garden.

The free Musée Cernuschi, in a recently expanded and renovated mansion, houses ancient Asian pottery, jade, bronzes, and more bequeathed to the city of Paris by philanthropist Cernuschi in the late 19th century.

Scaling the Eiffel Tower, Paris’s most famous icon, has a price, but the view from below is spectacular in its own right, and a perfect backdrop to a leisurely picnic in the surrounding grassy area. Be sure to visit the tower at night when it sparkles each hour with an awe-inspiring ten-minute display of 20,000 glittering white lights.

Cinching Paris in the midsection is the Seine River, which divides the city into the Left and Right Banks. For true romance, slowly stroll the riverbank; for quirky souvenirs, browse the book stalls that line the Left Bank on street-level.

Notre Dame Cathedral (6 Parvis Notre Dame, Place Jean-Paul II, tel. +33 [0]1 42 34 56 10 ) is the historic heart of Paris. All distances from Paris to elsewhere in France are measured from the square in front of the basilica. Snap a photo of your feet planted on the plaque at point zero before entering the cathedral, the masterpiece of French Gothic architecture and one of the most-visited sites in Paris (no admission charged). Be sure to walk the perimeter to glimpse the flying buttresses that support the structure as well as the famous gargoyles. On each first Sunday from October through March there’s no fee charged to climb the 387 steps of the North Tower.

Tucked behind the walls of the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité, the awe-inspiring Gothic Sainte-Chapelle’s walls consist of 15 exquisite panels of stained glass and a large rose window. Admission waived on the first Sunday of the month from November through March and always for kids under 18.

In the shadow of the Sacré-Coeur basilica and near where Picasso lived and worked, Montmartre’s Place du Tertre square is a lively spectacle teeming with aspiring artists selling souvenir-ready artwork and drawing tourists’ portraits.

In the Marais, Paris’s impressive Hôtel de Ville (City Hall, 29 rue de Rivoli, tel. +33 [0]1 42 76 43 43 ) features a fountain-laden square and free admission. Much of the grandiose building is off-limits for security reasons, but Parisian exhibits and free information are available in the lobby. See the city from the Promenade Plantée, an elevated railway viaduct leading east from near the Bastille, which is one of the few such linear parks in the world. Steps along the path lead to tiny parks and arcades with public art, people playing sports, and gardens.

Located in the heart of the Latin Quarter, the domed Panthéon was commissioned by Louis XV in the 18th century as a church, but the landmark was converted into a secular mausoleum dedicated to the great men of the French liberation and is known best for its dark marble interior and Corinthian columns. Admission is free first Sundays October through March.

Blow off steam in one of the city’s public parks, where grassy knolls are sprinkled with playgrounds and carousels, like the Park André Citroën, Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg, Parc Monceau, Square Willette (in front of Sacre-Coeur), and Jardin des Plantes. Le Petit Ney (10 avenue de la Porte Montmartre, tel. +33 [0]1 42 62 00 00 ), a literary café in Montmartre, organizes a board-game night the first Saturday of the month starting at 7 p.m. Most games are for teenagers and adults, but they always have something appropriate for little tykes as well. No cover charge.

Plot your path through the Père-Lachaise Cemetery with the online virtual tour of the graveyard’s celebrity residents, from Oscar Wilde’s lipstick-smudged grave to Jim Morrison’s modest plot.Established in 1798, the Montmartre Cemetery (20 av. Rachel, tel. +33 [0]1 53 42 36 30 ) hosts the graves of artist Edgar Degas, film director Francois Truffaut, and many more. Pick up a free map near the entrance.

Walk through Montparnasse Cemetery (3 blvd. Edgar Quinet, tel. +33 [0]1 44 10 86 50 ), established in the 1700s, and wend your way past the final resting places of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, writer Simone de Beauvoir, and car maker André Citroën. Free maps are available at the main entrance.

The sprawling grounds of Jardin du Luxembourg, a landscaped garden in the Latin Quarter in the 6th arrondissement, features an 1861 Medicis fountain, several 19th-century statues, and locals relaxing on pleasant afternoons.

Grab a free copy of the bicycling map, “Carte Vélo à Paris,” at any tourism office and most bike rental agencies. The map provides help in navigating the city’s maze of bike lanes and establishing the most scenic routes.Paris Rando Velo leads free Friday night bike tours of the city, meeting at 9:30 p.m. in front of the Hotel de Ville. Each ride lasts from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. The group also hosts similar rides on the third Sunday of the month at 10:30 a.m.

It’s not nearly as hard to find helpful websites for London as it was for Venice, Rome, and Paris because in London they speak English (duh). Many museums in London are free too, so any budget savings are mostly to be had in the dining and accommodations areas. Hotels were so expensive in London that I couldn’t find anything from the usual sources Trip Advisor, Expedia, and newspaper review sites. I ended up finding a boutique B+B in the Belgravia area (cha-ching). It’s cute, modern, has 24-hour tea service, breakfast, and free loner bicycles.

Here are a few links that we found useful. We also used Rick Steve’s London guidebook a bit. Please post your useful links in the comments.

Planning Your Time:
The London Pass itself is unnecessary as most of the museums in London are free. It just wasn’t cost effective for us. That said, the London pass website is a great place to start planning a trip to London with its interactive maps and other features.

The London Guide has a great list which they call Combining Attractions. It groups together sites which are within walking distance of each other and accessible off of the same metro stop.

London Walks offers a variety of tours priced at £7 ($14 USD). These are guided trips on foot that last roughly two hours. Most leave in the vicinity of an Underground stop. Look for a guide holding up the company’s white sign. A good way to skip the lines at the Tower of London and a few other sites.

Online Guidebooks:
Fodors London

Frommer’s London

How to Get Around:
How To Save Money on London Transport

How to Recognize Bus Stops

London Tube Trip Planner

Gatwick Airport: Getting from Gatwick Airport to London, Heathrow, or other UK cities by train (Gatwick Express), coach service or car service.

Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Terminal 3 Check-In Advice

Heathrow Express train transfer to central London website, cheaper than a cab, more expensive than the tube, faster than both

Eurostar Website: Info and booking engine on the train that nearly 22,000 people take between London and Paris every day.

Other Links:

Theater tickets are way cheaper in London than in New York, even with the exchange rate. This website has an event guide which will tell you what is playing while you’re there.

Attraction Official Websites: Go to the source for the most up-to-date information, dates of closure and special exhibit information.

Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace-View the schedule here.

Imperial War Museum’s Cabinet War Rooms

London Design Museum

Madame Tussaud’s London Wax Museum

Museum of London

National History Museum

National Museum of Science and Industry

National Portrait Gallery

Royal Residences

Sherlock Holmes Museum

Tate Museums

Victoria and Albert Museum

Here are some of the sites we found most useful for planning our upcoming stay in Paris. Last time I was in Paris I didn’t think I would have much time for site-seeing and I didn’t want to ruin some things like going up the Eiffel Tower for the first time by going without hubby so I put off a lot of things. I did end up finding a small Parisian bookshop and asking them for a guidebook. It was a touristy area so they had a whole shelf worth. I asked the nice French shopkeeper which one he would recommend to a French friend who wasn’t from Paris and he handed me a copy of the Green Micheline guide and a small map book. I’ll be taking these back with us despite the fact that they are from 2006. I just went to the attraction websites to pencil in a few updates. I wish that the currency exchange quoted in the book from 2006 were still accurate. I can’t complain too much, the dollar has strengthened to its 6 month high this week so the trip is cheaper than when we first started planning it.

Please post your favorite links for the DIY trip planner in the comments.

Where to Stay:
Lonely Planet Paris Hotels

20 Paris Hotels Under £100 – This hotel list includes some pretty special places, and while not all are extreme budget picks, they are something to consider.

USA Today Hotel Picks – Our hotel is one of their recommended picks. We like the variety of funky to functional digs.

How to Get Around:
How to use Paris Mass Transportation – A complete guide to using the Paris metro, buses, RER, and tramway.

Metro/RER/bus trip planner – Need to plan your route? This website will tell you how long it will take, what stops will be involved, where you will transfer and how much it will cost on public transportation.

Paris airports website – How to get a shuttle, maps of the 3 terminals and other helpful info.

Paris Velib – The new bike rental system. A very romantic way to get around Paris, with a much better view than the metro.

Planning Your Time: Frommer’s online guidebook for Paris – includes itineraries, attraction info, and good walking tour and other maps to paste into your Moleskine.

Other Useful Websites:
Paris Museum Pass – The best deal for museum hoppers is the Paris Museum Pass which can be bought in 2, 4, or 6 day increments. If you’re in Paris for the shopping or food, well good for you and God bless your credit card, but if you’re here for the art or history, this deal can’t be beat. It will get you free admission to most of the sites at a cheaper rate than individual admissions most of the time. We made a list of all the places we want to go, and even with the discount I get for still being under 25, it was cheaper to go with the pass. Another advantage that might sway you, even if you won’t save money with the pass, is that you get to skip the ticket lines and go right in at attractions with traditionally long lines, like the Louvre and Versailles.

Paris Walks – A cheap way to upgrade many experiences while traveling is to hire a good guide. The folks at Paris Walks came highly recommended in multiple guidebooks. We’ll be going on their Chocolate Walk and discovering why Paris is famous for dark chocolate. This tour is so popular it has to be booked in advance. Shame as the price of the euro to the dollar has become more favorable since we paid. Oh well, I have no regrets.

Fat Tire Bike Tours Paris – Recommended by a pilot friend who always does one of these tours when he has a layover in Paris. We’re thinking about booking their Versailles bike tour if it looks like the weather will be good.

The Jules Verne Restaurant has one of the most romantic views in the world, being at the top of the Tour de Eiffel. A bit of a budget buster, you can save a few bucks if you go for a lunch time reservation instead. Reservations required and are better booked months in advance.

Paris Attractions Official Websites: Go to the source for up to date information, dates they are closed, current prices, special exhibits and other useful info.

Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower): Champ de Mars, 7th Tel: (01) 4411 2323. Website: http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/ Opening hours: Daily 0930-2300 (Sep-mid Jun); daily 0900-2400 (mid Jun-Aug).

Cathédrale de Notre-Dame (Cathedral of Our Lady): 6 Place du Parvis-Notre-Dame, 4th Tel: (01) 4234 5610 or 4432 1672 (information on tower). Website: http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/ Opening hours: Daily 0745-1845 (cathedral); daily 0930-1845 (towers); Mon-Sat 0930-1130 and 1300-1730 (treasury). Free admission (cathedral); charge for towers and treasury.

La Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (The Sacred Heart Basilica): Parvis du Sacré-Coeur, 18th Tel: (01) 5341 8900.Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/ Opening hours: Daily 0600-2300 (Basilica); daily 0930-1830 (crypt and dome). Free admission (Basilica); charge for dome and crypt.

Musée National du Louvre (Louvre National Museum): Cour Napoléon, 1st Tel: (01) 4020 5050.Website: http://www.louvre.fr/ Opening hours: daily 0900-1800, Wed and Fri until 2130; closed Tues. Opening hours for temporary exhibitions vary. Admission charge; free first Sun of each month; advance tickets can be purchased from branches of FNAC and on the Internet; tickets allow same-day re-admission.

Musée Rodin (Rodin Museum): 77 rue de Varenne, 7th Tel: (01) 4418 6110. Website: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/ Opening hours: Museum: Tues-Sun 0930-1745, garden: Tues-Sun 0930-1845 (Apr-Sep); museum: Tues-Sun 0930-1645, garden: Tues-Sun 0930-1700 (Oct-Mar). Admission charge; free first Sun of each month.

Musée d’Orsay (Museum of Orsay): Entrances at 1 rue de la Légion d’Honneur and 1 rue de Bellechasse, 7th Tel: (01) 4049 4814. Website: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/ Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1800, Thurs 0930-2145. Admission charge; free first Sun of each month.

Musée du Quai Branly: 17 Quai Branly, 7th Tel: (01) 5661 7000. Website: http://www.quaibranly.fr/ Opening hours: Tue-Sat 1000-1830, Thu open to 2130.

Musée National Picasso (National Picasso Museum): Hôtel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny, 3rd Tel: (01) 4271 2521. Website: http://www.musee-picasso.fr/ Opening hours: Wed, Fri-Mon 0930-1800, Thurs 0930-2000 (summer); Wed, Fri-Mon 0930-1730, Thurs 0930-2000 (winter). Admission charge; free first Sun of each month.

Centre Georges Pompidou (Georges Pompidou Centre): Place Georges Pompidou, 4th Tel: (01) 4478 1233. Website: http://www.centrepompidou.fr/ Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1100-2100; late-night openings until 2300 for some exhibits. Admission charge; free first Sun of each month.