Join us on a photo journey of France, Europe and beyond on our photoblog. Click on the photo or go to: www.france-and-beyond-photoblog.com
Chambery App
If you have an IPhone or IPod and are planning a visit to Chambery, buy my ITunes App. It will walk you through the city of Chambery to each historic landmark with walking directions, history, a map, and narrative. It's just $2.99. Click on the above photo of the elephant fountain for the link to the app.
Travel Resources
Planning a trip to France ? Stay in a Paris apartment during your trip to the city of lights.
Get my Chambery, France Guide Book free with the purchase of my Cookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.' Get both for only $7.99. Click the photo to get more information or to purchase your books now.
French Tutorial
A basic grammar and vocabulary review of the French language, as well as some informal & slang vocabulary and a special section on vocabulary for English-speaking expatriates living in France. Also included is an appendix on French pronunciation for English speakers as well as IPA transcriptions for most of the vocabulary lists and all of the verb conjugations.
Visit the Store to buy the e-book for $9.95 or paperback book for $24.95.
Join us on a small group tour of the French Alps June 9 - 16, 2012. I designed this tour to include the best of the region. Wander the Medieval town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the French Alps, and take a boat ride on its crystal blue lake. Do you like pampering yourself on your vacations, then why not spend an afternoon at the Aix les Bains thermal baths inside your lakeside hotel? Are you the adventurous type? Then take a horseback ride in the Alps or fly through the trees at the High Ropes Adventure. Are you a foodie? Taste local chocolates, cheeses, wines and hazelnut oils. Are you a history buff? Then satisfy your curiosity at Lyon's Old Town or Vienne's Roman Temple and Forum. Or just enjoy watching the hang gliders and sunset while enjoying an outdoor aperitif on the top of a mountain overlooking Annecy's lake. See you in the French Alps! www.french-alps-tours.com
Alps Cookbook
Get my ECookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.'
51 recipes of the region, collected from friends and local cookbooks. This is the only English language Savoie and French Alps cookbook in print. Only $7.99 and includes a bonus book: The Chambery Guide Book.
Click the photo to buy yours now or go to the Cookbook Page on the Navigation Bar!
French Comfort Food
Visit my French Comfort Food website for articles, recipes, videos, tips and products about French Food and Wine. Click on the photo or go to www.frenchcomfortfood.com
Videos, photos and posts can be used or posted noncommerically (this means you can't sell my films, photos or put them in or on anything you sell!), but everything must be linked back to this blog and must list me as the creator.
Sometimes I get emails or comments talking about how lucky we are to be able to make two or three trips a year around France experiencing the diversity and beauty of this lovely country. And usually there’s a statement in there about how it would be nice to have the disposable income to do so much traveling. I always have to laugh at that part of the comment because one thing is for sure – I have NO disposable income. When I lived in California, I had a thriving business and a six-figure income. But since my move to France, I lost most of my contracts due to the problems of time zones and communication breakdowns, and am as poor as a church mouse these days. In fact, I can’t ever remember being this poor as an adult. My husband retires this month with a reduced income, adding to the challenges.
So how is it we can travel? Well, fortunately, my husband has worked for SNCF (the national train system in France) for his entire life. That entitles us to virtually free train travel throughout France, and at a discounted rate in other countries. That means we never fly unless we can get one of those Easy Jet deals for 29 Euros. Another benefit is that he has access to the resorts that SNCF owns throughout France. For instance, we stayed a week in Sete on the coast in a one-bedroom apartment for 200 Euros (that’s the entire week!). Since it was a fully equipped apartment, we ate our breakfasts and cooked our dinners there, and ate lightly and cheaply at bistros for lunch. In fact, we virtually ate for the same it would have cost us to eat at home. If we don’t stay at the SNCF apartments then we stay at very inexpensive hotels – 1 or 2 stars. My requirements are a private bathroom with hot water and a clean bed. I don’t care about anything else. So, depending on the city, we spend 30 to 60 Euros per night for two people. We’re also looking into the online Home Exchange programs for the future so that we can visit other countries and stay for longer periods of time without having to pay for accommodations. We have also rented inexpensive gites in the countryside for what averages out to 20 euros per night. We never buy anything when we travel with the exception of a refrigerator magnet from each region we visit. We look for restaurants with specials or with low cost ‘menus or formulas.’ Sometimes we’ll just stop at a grocery store and pick up some items such as smoked pork deli meats, cheese, drinks or wine, yogurt, fruit, and bread and do a picnic. We often walk or else take metros or buses and never use taxis. We pack lightly so we don’t have to drag a lot of stuff with us and deal with big suitcases. If I don’t take my laptop with me (when a hotel or SNCF apartment has free WiFi), then I’ll use an internet café to check emails and monitor my work, which is very inexpensive in France. I have a credit card that does not charge commissions or transaction fees for use overseas (they are hard to find but it is possible – Capital One is one option). Since we travel for free on trains, it’s usually cheaper to rent a car for a few days at our destination than to drive, especially if it’s a full day drive just to get to the destination. Our car is old so we don’t like putting too many miles on it. Bernard’s daughter takes care of the cats for free so we don’t have pet sitter costs either.
So what did 5 days in Marseille, Toulon and the coast cost us this summer?
160 euros for hotels
129 euros for car rental for three days (drop off at different location than pick up)
50 euros for gas
15 euros for my train reservations, roundtrip
247 euros for eating out (we splurged a little more than usual)
3 euros for my magnet
601 euros Grand Total (120 euros per day for two people)
Subtract what we would have spent if we had stayed at home: 125 euros
601 minus 125 = 476 euros for five days for two people (47.5 euros per person per day)
Here’s another example:
Sete and Languedoc for one week:
200 euros for SNCF accommodations
89 euros for groceries (breakfasts and dinners and travel snacks)
179 euros for car rental
65 euros for gas
13 euros for my train reservations
156 euros for eating out
4 euros for my magnet
706 euros Grand Total Subtract what we would have spent if we stayed at home: 175 euros
706 minus 175 = 531 euros for seven days for two people (38 euros per person per day)
So there it is. These were some of our more luxurious trips. We have traveled often for much less – using the motorbike, staying at gites in the country and cooking all our meals, staying with family or friends, and just staying in cities so we didn’t need a car rental. When we go to festivals they are almost always in our region so we can do it in one day and just pay for our motorbike gas or travel free on the trains to the events. Since my income is almost existent now, I’m lucky in that my husband has been picking up most of the costs of our trips for the past year, so I’m basically traveling for free. Sometimes I feel guilty about that since I’ve totally supported myself my entire life, but there’s really nothing I can do about it until I can find additional income.
Perhaps you have found some ways to save money on your travels. Please share them in the comments. Bottom line? You don’t have to have a lot of money to travel – at least not the way we do it.
Today my father-in-law, and more importantly, my husband’s father, turns 90 years old! He has experienced many things in life including being a prisoner of war in Germany in World War II, raising a son, and celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his lovely wife. His health and sense of humor are still intact. I hope I look and feel that good at 70!
He and his wife will be coming in a few days to stay with us and celebrate over a nice meal at a lovely restaurant.
As I announced a few weeks ago, the Glamour Magazine July Issue (USA) is out on the stands and I was quoted in the article. Unfortunately, the article ended up being smaller than originally planned so my (and the others) interviews ended up being just a short quote for each of us. Here’s a photo of the section where I’m quoted. It’s nice to have been recognized and chosen for the article but since my ego needs are pretty low these days, and my profit needs quite high, I was disappointed that none of my websites (particularly the French Alps Tours one) were mentioned. But I’ll take it as a ‘warm fuzzy’ just the same and appreciate the acknowledgment.
The video gives an overview of some of the main landmarks and things to do in Lisbon. The music is traditional music sung in Portuguese. The singer in the video was selling CDs which I bought and used for this video. His name is Kal Robson. Very nice voice.
Lisbon, the ‘civilized’ city, dates back to Roman times (and even earlier with the Phoenicians and Celts). Lisbon was taken over by the Moors in 711AD thus the beginning of the building of the mosques and Moorish palaces and castles you see all over Portugal. For centuries the Christians and Muslims lived in peace together until in 1147 when, as part of the Reconquista, crusader knights led by Afonso I of Portugal, besieged and reconquered Lisbon. It became a Christian city (with religious intolerance) at that time.
Wikipedia can describe more recent history better: “Most of the Portuguese expeditions of the Age of Discovery left from Lisbon during the 15th to 17th centuries, including Vasco da Gama’s departure to India in 1497. In 1506, thousands of “New Christians” (converted Jews) were massacred in Lisbon. The 16th century marks the golden age for Lisbon. The city became the European hub of commerce with Africa, India, the Far East and, later, Brazil, exploring riches like spices, slaves, sugar, textiles, and other goods. This was the time of the exuberant Manueline style, which has left its mark in two 16th century Lisbon monuments, the Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery, both of which were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Portugal lost its independence to Spain in 1580 after a succession crisis, and the 1640 revolt that restored the Portuguese independence took place in Lisbon. In the early 18th century, gold from Brazil allowed King John V to sponsor the building of several Baroque churches and theatres in the city.”
In 1755, Lisbon suffered a major earthquake which leveled the buildings and killed 40,000 residents (the population was only 250,000). The Prime Minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, demolished the old town and rebuilt it as a modern urban city.
The history is fascinating but we also had a very interesting experience with the language. When we heard people speak (in Portuguese, of course) it sounded like Russian! I am not joking. And I wasn’t alone. Everywhere we went we heard people commenting on how the language sounded like Russian. I was astonished. I’ve heard people from Brazil speaking in Portuguese but they didn’t sound like they were speaking Russian, so perhaps there is a difference in dialect between the ‘Old World’ and ‘Newer World’ Portuguese language.
This video is the first in a month long series of videos about our trip to Portugal – Lisbon, Belem and Sintra. I was pleasantly surprised by Portugal. The people were warm and helpful, there was wonderful energy, amazing history, fabulous architecture and tile artistry, and the town of Sintra was stunning. Lisbon is a faded glory but still offers so much to do and great food. It’s also quite affordable. I enjoyed it since it was not a sterile and tourist-ready facade but a real city with real people and real problems.
One thing I will warn you about if you plan a trip to Lisbon. Watch your purse and wallets! Keep your purse zipped up and in the front of your body and hold on tight to it when on the buses and trams, especially the tourist trams – numbers 15 and 28. I was pickpocketed on Tram 15 along with two other people during the crush to get on. He got my wallet which unfortunately also had my official documents in it like my Carte de Sejour (which I need to legally stay in France), my French drivers license, along with several other documents. I only had about 25 euros in it so he didn’t get much money from me. I was crushed about the documents though – you have no idea how hard it is to deal with the French bureaucracy and how difficult it would be to replace those documents! But alas, for once, luck was on my side. Two days later the police emailed me to tell me they found my wallet in the port area with most of my documents still there, minus the money, of course. I picked it up the night before leaving for France. The police were quite nice but we did spend 2 hours in the police station with many other victims of pickpockets from all over the world, waiting to do the report. We all had stories to share of the clever pickpockets in Lisbon.
The pastries you see in the video are pasteis de nata. They are crisp layers of pastries filled with cream and dusted with cinnamon. They have other varieties that included chocolate and coconut and additional creations which I didn’t get around to tasting. The ones I did try were wonderful.
I apologize that this series of videos are not as visually clear as my others. My computer is having problems and I can’t run my usual editing program on it so I have had to resort to an old version that is not able to handle high definition footage. It also won’t let me do voice overs. I’m still trying to find a way to fix my computer – not an easy task in a small city in the French Alps!
More information to come about Lisbon (and Belem and Sintra) in future posts. This will just give you an overview of some of the main landmarks.
Here’s a video of my first impressions of the first afternoon in Lisbon.
Don’t delay. Only one more place left on our June Tour! Several places are available in September so bring a friend or spouse. See: www.french-alps-tours.com for more info.
Wander the Medieval town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the French Alps, and take a boat ride on its crystal blue lake. Do you like pampering yourself on your vacations, then why not spend an afternoon at the Aix les Bains thermal baths inside your lakeside hotel? Are you the adventurous type? Then take a horseback ride in the Alps or fly through the trees at the High Ropes Adventure. Are you a foodie? Taste local chocolates, cheeses, wines and hazelnut oils. Are you a history buff? Then satisfy your curiosity at Lyon’s Old Town or Vienne’s Roman Temple and Archeology Museum. Or just enjoy watching the hang gliders and sunset at an outdoor aperitif on the top of a mountain overlooking Annecy’s lake. And don’t worry, you’ll have a few hours most days to explore on your own, shop, or just take a French stroll in the mountains or on the lake promenade. And for the ultimate in relaxation, spend a couple of evenings in your hotel’s thermal pool and saunas in Aix les Bains.
Tour Dates for the 2011 Year: June 4-11 & September 3-10
Price of the Tour: 1,860 euros or approximately $2,650 ($ amount dependent on the exchange rate at the time of booking).
You’ll receive a 60 Euros discount (or $85 discount depending on the exchange rate at the time of booking), if you book before June 3rd for the September tour.So don’t delay!
See the fun we had on our last tour in this 16 second video. See more (and longer videos) of each tour day on our website: http://www.french-alps-tours.com
Bernard and I were in the market for a Macro camera lens and had been pricing them for months. When we heard there would be a Photography Fair in Paris in November, we took a train to attend it to see if we could get a good deal. Since we travel on trains in France virtually free (Bernard drives the TGV trains here), it was worth just going for the day to check out the fair. And yes, it was worth it since we bought the very lens we wanted for a nice discount. The fair itself was interesting since they offered lots of photography opportunities. Learning about some of the new technology was also useful. Visit the Fair yourself:
So how is it we can travel? Well, fortunately, my husband has worked for SNCF (the national train system in France) for his entire life. That entitles us to virtually free train travel throughout France, and at a discounted rate in other countries. That means we never fly unless we can get one of those Easy Jet deals for 29 Euros. Another benefit is that he has access to the resorts that SNCF owns throughout France. For instance, we stayed a week in Sete on the coast in a one-bedroom apartment for 200 Euros (that’s the entire week!). Since it was a fully equipped apartment, we ate our breakfasts and cooked our dinners there, and ate lightly and cheaply at bistros for lunch. In fact, we virtually ate for the same it would have cost us to eat at home. 
If we don’t stay at the SNCF apartments then we stay at very inexpensive hotels – 1 or 2 stars. My requirements are a private bathroom with hot water and a clean bed. I don’t care about anything else. So, depending on the city, we spend 30 to 60 Euros per night for two people. We’re also looking into the online Home Exchange programs for the future so that we can visit other countries and stay for longer periods of time without having to pay for accommodations. We have also rented inexpensive gites in the countryside for what averages out to 20 euros per night. We never buy anything when we travel with the exception of a refrigerator magnet from each region we visit. We look for restaurants with specials or with low cost ‘menus or formulas.’ Sometimes we’ll just stop at a grocery store and pick up some items such as smoked pork deli meats, cheese, drinks or wine, yogurt, fruit, and bread and do a picnic. We often walk or else take metros or buses and never use taxis. We pack lightly so we don’t have to drag a lot of stuff with us and deal with big suitcases. If I don’t take my laptop with me (when a hotel or SNCF apartment has free WiFi), then I’ll use an internet café to check emails and monitor my work, which is very inexpensive in France. I have a credit card that does not charge commissions or transaction fees for use overseas (they are hard to find but it is possible – Capital One is one option). Since we travel for free on trains, it’s usually cheaper to rent a car for a few days at our destination than to drive, especially if it’s a full day drive just to get to the destination. Our car is old so we don’t like putting too many miles on it. Bernard’s daughter takes care of the cats for free so we don’t have pet sitter costs either.
