• Gaya – Part of the bistro modern trend happening in France right now, Gaya is considered the baby bistro of its much more expensive parent Pierre Gagnaire.  With plastic tables, it doesn’t have the suave and sophisticated feel of the other, yet the food was superb and probably only costs about a quarter of the cost of eating at Pierre Gagnaire.
• Le Comptoir du Relais – The perfect spot for those on a Paris vacation, this bistro serves up tantalizing food for a paltry cost.  You’ll enjoy your meal in an old art deco room.  While the menu is small, the kitchen uses amazing ingredients and combines flavors to create some of the best food my friend ever had.  The best part is it is unbelievably affordable – especially by Paris standards!
• Besson’s – Classically French, this prix fixe menu serves amazing food that you’ll remember for a lifetime.  Be prepared to enjoy foie gras, crêpes, Grand Veneur and of course, luscious French desserts.  This is a restaurant where you linger and savor every bite – they are in no hurry to rush you out the door.
• Bechu – A café/bakery that has won Paris’s best baguette contest is definitely worth the trip for anyone who loves delicious baked goods.  Don’t get discouraged by the lineup, there is a constant stream of people waiting for their prize winning baguettes.  Great place to pick up items for an informal picnic!

However, my income just doesn’t keep up with my love for travel!  Therefore, I had to make a choice – travel as inexpensively as possible and stay within my budgets so that I can squeeze more trips in to more exotic locales.

We are going on a family London vacation this summer and I know that the entry fees to all the museums, attractions, castles etc. will quickly add up.  So, to keep costs down, I started doing some research on free events and things to do while in London.  While most things will cost you money in London, a few things won’t cost you a penny – or pence!  In the spirit of sharing, I thought I’d post my list of free things to do on a London vacation!

• Speaker’s Corner – Probably the most popular free thing to do in London is to visit Speaker’s Corner based at the Marble Arch end of Hyde Park.  The speakers gather on Sunday mornings, and from what I’ve read, it can be thought provoking, humorous or just plain weird.  I look forward to seeing what all the fuss is about!
• Tate Modern Museum - Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern and contemporary art from 1900 onwards.  Admission is free and not surprisingly, the museum gets over 4 million visitors per year.  Another great find!
• Museum of London – Actually, all of London’s major museums are free.  The Museum of London documents the history of London with seven permanent exhibition galleries telling the story of London from prehistoric times until the end of the 19th century.  Special exhibitions change regularly and will usually showcase info about modern London.
• Changing of the Guard – No London vacation would be complete without viewing this royal pomp and circumstance.  The Queen’s Guard changes in the Forecourt inside the gates at 11:30 every day in summer and every other day in winter.
• Buskers – Always entertaining and free (but consider tipping these hard working performers) the West Piazza of Covent Garden Market has performers every afternoon.  All performers are licensed and had to pass an audition to perform at this locale so you can be guaranteed of some good caliber, and free entertainment. 
• Music – If you like Jazz, be sure to go over to the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank on Friday’s from 5:15pm to hear Commuter Jazz!

Women find getting away an ideal way to recharge our batteries so that we can bring even more to our families, husbands and careers.  Yet, with busy lives, spending quality girl’s time together often is put on the backburner.

Not this year, we have made a firm commitment – let’s even call it a pact – to make sure we leave our careers and families for a France vacation.

I’m so pumped because I haven’t been to France since I was 19 years old!  I have really fond memories and remember it as my favorite country of the 11 I visited in Europe.  As we’ve started the planning process, I’ve realized that there are a few essential tips necessary for planning a successful girlfriend getaway.  Here are my thoughts – feel free to add your own in the comment section!

• Plan Ahead – We’ve found that to get a date that fits all six of us, we had to really plan ahead.  In our case, nine months ahead, but I would guesstimate that six months would likely work too.  By planning ahead, it gives us more time to anticipate the trip and make all the arrangements for the trip and for our families while we are away.
• Remember That Planning is Half The Fun – Well for most of us anyway.  Two of my girlfriends hate organizing stuff so they have pretty much stated carte blanche that they’ll be happy with whatever we decide.  The four of us are having a great time planning our France vacation as we pour over travel guides, find great websites and start to narrow down the details of our time away.
• Don’t Forget To Splurge – We’ve really taken the attitude that it may be years, even decades before we get to do this again – so we are splurging on a few things.  We’ve got a full spa day planned and we are going to a few renowned restaurants.  Life is too short, so this vacation is not a time to be pinching pennies.
• Have Fun! – Of course, we plan to have a great time and we’re going to all try to take the attitude to ‘not sweat the small stuff’.  This is our time to spend some quality female time together and we plan to make the most of our decadent France vacation!  We are counting down the days and cannot wait for it to arrive!

In 2009, Scotland will celebrate it’s first ever homecoming year – created to mark the 250th anniversary of Scotland’s national poet – Robert Burns.  The entire country is gearing up and all types of organizations are planning activities and celebrations so it will be difficult to narrow down the itinerary!  If you are interested, there is a great calendar of events that will be updated continuously as events are finalized. 

Those in the tourism industry in Scotland hope that some of the 100 million people worldwide with blood links to Scotland (just like me!) will visit and take in the amazing cultural, sporting and historical events that are planned.  The more I am researching the country, the more pumped I am to visit.  Simply put – Scotland looks breathtaking.  It looks like natural beauty abounds from every corner of the country! 

The homecoming Scotland website has loads of information and every some great travel tips.  In addition, the great Virgin Vacations packages will help make this dream trip more affordable.  If you have Scottish blood and even if you don’t, I hope you will travel to Scotland in 2009 and help celebrate the homecoming!

As we were making our list of essentials for the trip, I thought it might be useful to others, hence the blog posting.  Since we will be carrying everything ourselves, it is extra important that we pack wisely, and lightly!
Here’s what we’re planning on bringing – if there are any cycling trip veterans out there – I’d love to hear your comments or advice!  Our trip includes 10 days of cycling (and a side tour booked through Virgin Vacations) but I’ve concentrated this list on what we need for the cycling portion of our journey.  (We also plan on doing laundry along the way).

• Five sets of socks and underwear
• Three sets of cycling clothing (1 pair pants, 2 pair’s shorts, 1 long sleeve and 2 short sleeve shirts).
• Rain poncho (my cycling pants are waterproof)
• One outfit for evenings out
• Two water bottles (we’ve been told to fill them every chance we get!)
• Small flashlight
• Cycling repair kit for tires and bike (we’ve both taken bike repair courses so that we’ll be prepared if anything happens)
• Sunscreen and chap stick
• Toiletries (travel size and only what’s absolutely necessary)
• Small, soft cooler bag for snacks and lunches
• Maps and itinerary

On a side note, the Tour de France is running during the month of July, so we’ve put it into our schedule to catch one of the stages of this unbelievable event.  These amazing athletes cover an unbelievable 3,500 kms in a variety of terrains so it will be a really exciting addition to our cycling adventure to see them in action!

We are both counting down the days until our journey and cannot wait to post all about it when we return!

1. Culinary Tour – It really doesn’t matter what type of culinary tour you pick, I just highly recommend that anyone who has a love of fine food add this type of tour to his or her itinerary.  A culinary tour gives you an opportunity to truly indulge in the fine foods and wines of France.  I personally took my culinary tour in Provence and even had the opportunity to learn a bit of French cooking with the cooking classes that were included.  My tour included the hands on cooking lessons, visits to local markets and vineyards and excursions in the area.  Of course, it also included tasting some of the best culinary creations and wines of my life!  I have extremely fond memories of my weeklong experience.
2. A list of my favorite France tours wouldn’t be complete without a tour featuring Paris.  I happened to book Virgin Vacation’s Paris Escape and added on two tours to this package.  The Bateaux Mouche River Cruise was fabulous and it crossed under Paris’s many bridges on the River Seine and we had the chance to view many of the famous monuments all lit up.  It was a unique way to see Paris!  I also booked the Secret Paris tour where the tour was conducted in an amazing convertible car (Citroen 2CV) driven by a very knowledgeable chauffeur.  It was a great way to see some unique sites of Paris and learn little known facts!
3. Another area that must be seen during a France holiday is the southern coast.  Often thought of as a haven for the rich and famous, the south coast of France is perfect for any type of traveler.  Consider booking a small group tour through this area and make sure the itinerary includes the place you’d like to see (Cannes, St. Tropez, Nice etc).  Another idea that a friend of mine did was to rent a private vacation home and then she hired a company that offered daily excursions in their van.  She said it was an amazing and entertaining way to see the South of France.  She gained a great appreciation for the French lifestyle, its culture and friendly people.  There are many tour operators out there, just be sure to do your homework to ensure they are reputable and will provide the experience you are looking for.

In fact, according to Wikipedia, there are approximately 57,500 pubs in the UK – one in almost every city, town and village!  So you should have little trouble finding your own favorite pub when you travel in the area.

The pub represents a place you can go for a friendly smile, good (and usually cheap) eats, and it’s a place to relax and connect with family and friends.

Every pub I visited during my UK trip to Scotland, Ireland and England was filled with friendly locales that were more than willing to regale me with wonderfully rich stories and of course, recommendations of what I positively needed to see during my trip.  Since eating out can be really expensive in many corners of the UK, the pubs were a welcome respite from the high cost of restaurants.

Of course, I did get to enjoy a local favorite the Toad in the Hole.  While I always thought a Toad in the Hole was a fried egg in the middle of a piece of toast, I learned on my trip that a true Toad in the Hole is a delicious mix of mashed potatoes, caramelized onions and sausages put together in a Yorkshire pudding and covered in gravy.  Not for the diet minded, this tasty treat became a quick favorite of mine.

While I was somewhat haphazard in finding pubs during my UK vacation package adventure, there are some travelers who plan in advance what pubs they are going to visit.  I came across this interesting blog http://barblog.co.uk/ that gives you reviews on many of the UK pubs and bars.  Might be worthwhile to find some with top reviews and put them on your list of things to do during your own vacation.

If you are booking a UK vacation package in the near future, be sure to visit pubs along the way.  I hope you’ll find them to be inviting, delicious just plain old fun!

Fucecchio is the Province of Florence and the village takes advantage of the Tuscan farms surrounding it.  The restaurants, wine cellars and Inns all offer local products and the municipality organizes loads of events to promote rural productions and traditional dishes.

But, what I wanted to write about is the annual event where this village puts together amazing pictures made from floral petals.  The complexity and difficulty of the pictures is absolutely astounding, especially when you consider that every inch of the picture is made from flower petals.  It was amazing to view these gorgeous floral pictures lying in the center of the village’s streets. 

Although it may be too late for you to witness this floral wonder this year, I highly recommend anyone who will be in the region during the end of May/beginning of June make there way to this village to witness this very special event.  In fact, the entire region of Tuscany is abuzz at this time of year as festivals take over piazzas as the locals celebrate pretty much everything imaginable like strawberries, tortelli, and even fried frogs!  Next time you travel to Italy, plan a stop in Tuscany and be sure to visit Fucecchio!

Here are three cities (besides Paris) in France that you may want to consider visiting during your own trip to France.

• Lyon – Lyon is the second largest city in France and is filled with great museums, delicious cuisine and wonderful shops.  Easily reached from Paris, you’ll want to visit the famous Opera of Lyon.  One of the specialties of Lyon is fondue so if you love dipping bread in gooey cheeses or meat in tasty broths, be sure to taste it in Lyon!  Also, if you love antiquing, you cannot go wrong in Lyon.  Check out Quartier Auguste-Comte for some fabulous vintage finds!
• Avignon – Another great city to visit is Avignon.  About two and a half hours from Paris by train, you’ll love this quaint and beautiful destination.  Take a stroll along the famed Avignon Bridge and walk the rue des Lices and rue Joseph Vernet.  If you like impressionist art, you won’t want to miss the Fondation Angladon-Dubruieaud with an impressive selection of impressionist paintings!
• Bordeaux – If you are a wine lover, then you must schedule time to visit Bordeaux, the capital of the Gironde.  Bordeaux is much more than wine – this city offers beautiful 18th century buildings with unique stone face sculptures.  You’ll also want to visit the Garonne riverfront with fine 18th century buildings.  You can even take a tour of the Musee National des Douanes.

Here are my five favorite Paris tours that I hope you’ll enjoy the next time you visit the city of lights!

• The Paris Pass – While not really a Paris tour, the Paris Pass is your ultimate tool to seeing the best attractions in Paris.  Prices vary based on the dates and number of days the pass is valid.  Here’s what you get:


• Paris map
• Free entry to over 60 attractions and sites
• Free public transportation
• Fast track entry to major sites like the Pantheon, Arc de Triomphe, Centre Pompidou, Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre and more!
• Moulin Rouge – In my opinion, everyone should experience the dinner and show at Moulin Rouge at least once in their lifetime.  It’s a great way to indulge in the exhilarating nightlife of Paris while you enjoy a three course dinner and witness the Paris Moulin Rouge, home of the French Cancan in bohemian Montmartre.  The food served is traditional French food and of course, wine and champagne.  It’s important to book early, as this attraction is extremely popular.
• Versailles Half-Day Tour – While I guess this shouldn’t technically be in my post about Paris tours, but it is such a great experience that I think everyone visiting Paris should take.  You can experience the splendor of the Palace of Versailles with a wide range of half-day tours from Paris.  It is a wonderful way to retrace the history of the famous palace and learn more about Louis XIV.  Most tours include a chance to browse the marvelous gardens and witness the amazing Fountain Show.
• Louvre Museum – I first visited the Louvre when I was 19 years old and the amazing works of art the museum contains captivated me.  You could easily spend an entire vacation in this magical place.  I recommend a guided tour to get the most out of the museum.  Be sure your tour will include seeing the Venus de Milo, the Victory of Samothrace and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
• Eiffel Tower – It is so iconic, that you simply must visit the Eiffel Tower while in Paris.  I personally recommend an illumination tour so you can truly experience the marvelous city of lights.  On an illuminations tour, you watch Paris transform after dark.  Most tours include stops at the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero, Invalides, Notre Dame Cathedral and Place du Chatelet.