tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18208174142801871972024-03-13T12:01:59.700-07:00Enjoying Paris and Istanbul Off the Beaten PathENJOYING PARIS and ISTANBUL OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Sally Peabody works with culturally curious travelers to get to their best in Paris (and France), Istanbul & elsewhere in Turkey, Andalucia, the Pays Basque and Athens. She leads small groups to enjoy various cultural and culinary small group tours in spring and fall. http://www.yourgreatdaysinparis.com http://www.turkishjourneys.comSallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.comBlogger267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-36454369248850516482017-02-24T19:26:00.004-08:002017-02-24T19:26:33.838-08:00Cows, cheese, chocolates, all things good!Once again the Salon International de l’Agriculture is rolling into Paris. The 54th salon takes place from February 25-March 5 at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles. This isn't just a massive showcase of France's prized livestock and its world-renowned agriculture, the salon is an opportunity to eat and drink your way around this food-obsessed nation. Each region sets up in the food hall with stands and tastings galore. And, you'll find kids games, educational activities, chef's classes, cow beauty pageants, wine and beer tastings and more. If you're in Paris, this is a delicious way to experience the rich agricultural traditions and even richer array of products. Great for gifts, great for you!<br /><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-52293463587476285882016-12-09T14:20:00.003-08:002016-12-09T14:20:41.912-08:00Gorgeous textiles for your home and you from IstanbulTulu Textiles is one of my favorite shops in Istanbul. The multi-level small building is packed with beautiful textiles for the home and for wearing (beautiful scarves, bags) and the upper floors have magnificent rugs, kilims and other textiles from Turkey and around Central Asia. Tulu designs cottons and linens with contemporary designs that have their inspiration in traditional Ottoman patterns. They are lovely and unusual. Tulu now offers online ordering in the US, so, if you aren't going to Istanbul any time soon you can still treat yourself to these lovely products. Check them out. <br />
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www.tulutextiles.com<br /> info@tulutextiles.com <br /> binbirdirek mah. peykane sk.<br /> no:38 ersoy han kat:3 d:7 sultanahmet 34122<br /> istanbul- turkey<br /> 90.212.518.8710 <div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-87426720182905618672016-12-07T13:12:00.001-08:002016-12-07T13:12:16.936-08:00More fabulous chocolate... and cakes in the MaraisThe 'haut' Marais (upper Marais) just keeps getting better. While you browse the alluring shops along rue Charlot and surrounding streets, be sure to indulge your sweets-loving-self at a new chocolates and patisserie shop, Chocolats Matthieu Bijou.<br />
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Matthieu is a fine chocolates maker with a good selection of irresistible chocolate confections. He also makes 'sweets for children' including beautiful fruit guimauves (marshmallows) and yummy paté de fruits. Also known for exquisite lemon cakes and other small cakes, this shop at 28 rue Charlot is worth a detour, or a beeline to go right there!<br />
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Open Tuesday through Sundays.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-46110239091668988072016-12-01T10:57:00.003-08:002016-12-01T10:57:50.036-08:00Icons of Modern Art at the Vuitton MuseumThe Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton museum is hosting a remarkable show of 130 masterpieces from the Shchukin Collection in Russia. Collaborating with the Hermitage and the Pushkin museums, and celebrating a year of Franco-Russian collaborations, this show is packed with works rarely seen outside of Russia. This is an important show and one that won't be replicated any time soon. So go!<br />
<br />Through February 20. Works by artists including Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Rousseau, Cezane, Sisley, Gaugin and numerous other noted artists are included. The Vuitton museum is located in the Bois de Boulogne on the west side of Paris. The museum is a work of art in itself.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-78760621491469048972016-10-21T09:40:00.002-07:002016-10-21T09:40:19.959-07:00Black Sea Cusine and Culture in IstanbulI am an advocate for exploring the communities on the Asian side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul... Kadikoy, Uskudar, Beyerbeli , Kuzguncuk and more. Culinary Backstreets, that estimable collection of culinary bloggers obsessed with authentic food and dining experiences (to all of our beneftis) has just written up a cultural center and restaurant in Uskudar that highlighting the Black Sea area and its distinctive culture and cuisine (and Butter!!). Here is the link.<br />
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If you are in Istanbul and want to go, best bet is to take the Marmaray or the ferry over to Uskudar and then take a taxi to this wonderful sounding place. Unless you are fluent in Turkish and can figure out the local buses, a taxi is probably the best and would not be terribly expensive at all.<br />
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Read and enjoy! http://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/istanbul/2016/trabzon-kultur-dernegi/ <div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-25981060963348340842016-10-07T07:19:00.001-07:002016-10-07T07:19:15.966-07:00Dine like a French King and Queen at ORE, new at VersaillesFamed chef Alain Ducasse
created a dinner in honor of Princess Diana and former French President Valéry
Giscard d’Estaing in 1994 and since then he has been on a mission to tell the history of
the <a href="http://bonjourparis.com/paris-day-trips/art-buzz-anish-kapoor-at-the-chateau-de-versailles/" target="_blank">Château de Versailles</a> via the table.<br />
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Set in a space overlooking a magnificent courtyard this is Ducasse’s riff on a
chic gastronomic café by day (estimate 35 E plus drinks per person.) At
night, the space is booked for private“<em>dîners d’exception</em>” when guests can dine like a King (from the kingly starting sum of 500€). So if you have a group of gourmands with a budget, this is an unforgettable option.<br />
Ducasse and Executive chef Stéphane Duchiron delved
into Versailles’ archives and, inspired by the past and the bounty of today,
created dishes such as hot and cold starters, amuse bouches such as snail <em>croquettes</em>, <em>foie gras cromesquis</em>, beignets of frogs legs, main courses such as sole with shrimp,<em> turbot au champagne</em> and <em>quail pâte en croute</em> – followed by regional cheeses and a multitude of incredible desserts including,<em> Les Délices de Marie-Antoinette</em>, seasonal soufflés and Ducasse's famous baba au rhum. <br />
There’s also authentic Croque Monsieur de jambon de Paris et Comté (14€)
or roast chicken sandwiches with courgette, aubergine and basil – paired
with a glass of Cider or a bottle of Champagne BRUT Alain
Ducasse available at any time of day for a royal snack. <br />
<em>Château de Versailles, Pavillon Dufour, Place d’Armes, 78000, Versailles. Tel: 01 30 84 12 97</em><br />
<img alt="Jaïs restaurant" class="size-full wp-image-26620" height="524" src="https://bonjourparis.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Ja%C3%AFs-2.jpg" width="650" /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-27879193089356968542016-09-29T07:41:00.002-07:002016-09-29T07:42:36.415-07:00New cafe in Kadikoy. Tea and Ferries...Late September in Istanbul was eerily tourist-free. You can walk up to the Hagia Sophia or Topkapi Palace and get in with short waits. You don't hear European or American accents in the streets of the Old City or other major tourist venues. Too bad this... Istanbul is arguably no more dangerous than any major world capital these days. And the the lira is so low that a trip is incredibly inexpensive. Hotels are offering nice rooms at great prices. How about a four star opposite the Hagia Sophia for $47 per night? In normal times, $175.<br />
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One of the delightful finds from my trip was a new café on the top floor of the Kadikoy ferry pier. The city of Kadikoy has developed this lovely cafe with stunning views over the Bosphorus to the Old City with the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque on the skyline. The ferries which go back and forth constantly provide endless visual entertainment.<br />
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The cafe is a fabulous place to hang out. There is no alcohol, but very good tea, coffees and light snacks are served. Glorious at sunset. A big cup of tea is 2 lira or about 66 cents. And no one rushes you!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-47269863772265828472016-09-29T07:35:00.000-07:002016-09-29T07:35:23.078-07:00Magic slippers, antique kilims and moreOn my flight back from Istanbul I had the good fortune to sit next to Millicent Armstrong, of Artemis Design Co. Millicent works with high quality artisanal specialists in Turkey to craft gorgeous, one of a kind shoes made from antique kilims. She also imports kilim bags and some stunning Moroccan rugs made by women in small cooperatives in Morroco. www.artemisdesignco.com<br />
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Check out Millicent's website. Her products are gorgeous, unique and well worth a look!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-14671152143540315292016-09-06T18:04:00.000-07:002016-09-06T18:04:28.385-07:00Making croissants from scratch with a baker in Paris...One of my favorite culinary colleagues in Paris is now offering a private croissant making class with a professional boulanger. Making croissants from scratch is time consuming and requires lots of folding and layering the buttery dough, but, the results are absolutely worth it!<br />
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These folks also offer private market walks in various atmospheric markets and talk with you about how Parisians shop and eat. They offer cooking sessions as well, with all that bounty from the markets. And, another popular possibility are family baking classes where kids, parents and grandparents can bake Parisian classics like madeleines in a lovely Parisian apartment with a big kitchen.<br />
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Email Sally if you would like a referral. s.peabody@verizon.net<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-3114979779900931762016-08-11T13:43:00.000-07:002016-08-11T13:43:01.118-07:00Musée Carnavalet to close for major renovation in OctoberThe beautiful and beloved Carnavalet museum of the history of Paris has started undergoing a major renovation and many galleries are closed at present. In October the Carnavalet is scheduled to close until 2020 for a major renovation of its heating, cooling and lighting systems, along with other efforts to stabilize this Renaissance era mansion and to enhance the visitor experience of the various collections.<br />
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The Carnavalet is a major draw in the Marais. Fortunately the Picasso has re-opened after its renovation and the Cognac Jay are open. The Center for European Photography, the Jewish Museum remain open, as is the Museum of the 'Chasse' or the Hunt.<br />
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And that is just in the Marais. <br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-26401272262574117582016-08-02T11:39:00.001-07:002016-08-02T11:39:11.398-07:00Andalucia. Taste. Explore.Experience.Well, its not Turkey or France, but I am planning another intimately sized tour in magical Andalucia next spring. From April 22 to May 1, starting in romantic Seville and ending in Granada, this is your chance to enjoy the culinary, cultural and architectural treasures of this fabled region of Spain. <br />
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We are partnering once again with our Seville-based Andalucia expert colleague to offer this tour and it will be a terrific experience. Highlights included visits to food artisans (the best jamon, olive oil, local cheese, vintage sherry wine in Jerez and a fine winemaker in Ronda), a 'fighting bull' farm, the Royal Andalucian Equestrian Stables, and dining ranging from a Sevillan tapas crawl to bodegas and restaurants of note for delicious local cuisine. <br />
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We will, of course, enjoy guided tours of Seville's ancient juderia, the glorious Alcazar and the old city, spend a day in Cordoba and visit the great mezquita and Medina Al Zahara, and, the Alhambra in Granada. Flamenco? Yes, we will have a private performance and chat with an up and coming young flamenco guitarist and enjoy a flamenco performance in an intimate venue in Seville. And there's more.... a visit to luminous Cadiz, to romantic mountain side Ronda and other 'white towns', a visit to a private palace in Seville. Lot's of great and unique experiences are guaranteed, on and off the beaten track!<br />
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Call 781 391 6183 or email me for a tour flyer and the daily itinerary. Price is $4,650 double occupancy. Minimum 8, maximum 12 persons. s.peabody@verizon.net<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-73705769361304146772016-06-21T14:24:00.002-07:002016-06-21T14:25:06.685-07:00Creativity, Inventiveness, Contemporary Art: SALT IstanbulSalt Beyoglu, #11 Istiklal Cd. is one of my favorite contemporary art venues in Istanbul. This multi-floored building hosts several exhibitions at any one time and is always 'out there' in the most honest, exploratory sense of contemporary art and inventiveness. There is also a theater which screen films and other media. Free admission. Make it a point to stop in. Artistic freedom is increasingly important to pro-actively support in Turkey.<br />
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Just about right across the street is one of KOC University's buildings. There is a small gallery in the rear left side of the ground floor (free admission) that always seems to have a thought provoking photography exhibition exploring Turkey's cultural heritage. Having this and the edgier SALT so close by is wonderful.<br />
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Note that SALT Galata is a second SALT exhibition and research center in Karakoy, closer to the Bosphorus shores. 11 Bankalar Cd. This SALT, in a restored Ottoman Bank building also has beautiful views over to the old city.<br />
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Enter this link in your browser for an interesting article on the SALT galleries.<br />
http://www.theguideistanbul.com/location/salt-beyo%C4%9Flu<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-4868852161251472852016-06-16T13:31:00.002-07:002016-06-16T13:31:21.413-07:00Kumkapi. A World of Tastes in IstanbulOne of the many great pleasures of Istanbul is enjoying the vast range of flavors and tastes. As the city rockets forward many of the atmospheric older neighborhoods are modernizing in ways that aren't all wonderful. Character is lost, small shops close, food carts disappear, authentic tastes get watered down. Kumkapi, a densely jumbled quarter in the Old City near the Bosphorus shores is a great little neighborhood to loose yourself in for a few hours. <br />
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Culinary Backstreets www.culinarybackstreets.com just posted an excellent piece on Kumkapi. Check this out, and you might also want to book a foodie walk in Istanbul or buy their app on delicious 'real' places to eat all over Istanbul.<br />
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http://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/istanbul/2016/kumkapi/<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-48111041058056506292016-06-16T12:03:00.002-07:002016-06-16T12:03:32.975-07:00Andalucia. One More Time With Sally & SamIf you have always wanted to explore the glorious south of Spain, sunny Andalucia, consider a ten day very small group tour with me and my Seville-based colleague, Sam Lister of Tailormade Andalucia, in late April of 2017. Travelers remain deeply interested in Spain and Andalucia is a top destination with its superb flamenco tradition, delicious food, wine and tapas, exquisite buildings remaining from Spain's Golden Age such as the Alhambra & the great Mezquita in Cordoba.<br />
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Andalucia is home to beguiling small cities like Seville, Granada, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera (home of Sherry wines), Cordoba, Carmona.... and to beautiful 'white towns' like Ronda. And the food artisans, wine makers and olive oil producers are non-pareil. We will be experiencing all of this and more... the details of the tour will be announced by early July. Ten people maximum.<br />
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Take this opportunity. It will be a delightful immersion in a wonderfully beguiling part of Spain.<br />
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Call or email me if you have any questions please. 781 391 6183 or s.peabody@verizon.net<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-63151715700113819262016-05-24T13:44:00.001-07:002016-05-24T13:44:03.501-07:00Greece and the NetherlandsI've spent most of April and early May traveling, personally, not with a small group, in the Netherlands and in Greece. In the Netherlands I reacquainted myself with Amsterdam and its world-class museums. I loved the multi-cultural Albert Cuypmarkt market area and its affordable restaurants, including Albina, a Surinamese find. I agree that the best Appeltarte is served a the convivial Cafe Winkel just off the Nordmarkt square. We were able to get tickets for the landmark Hieronymous Bosch exhibition in Den Bosch and it was stunning. Loved Haarlem and the zillions of tulips at the Keukenhof gardens. <br />
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The main purpose of our trip was to explore the Peloponnese penninsula in Greece for 12 days. This is an area of Greece that seems to be mostly visited by Greeks, other than the occasional tours coming to see Epidaurous or Mycenae, two outstanding ancient sites. We loved those but also loved ancient Corinth, the 'Cyclopean' walls of Tiryns and various other smaller ancient sites we discovered along the way. Hill top Mystras is a wonderland of Byzantine Churches (near Sparta) and as you work down to the isolated, rocky Mani penninsula at the very bottom of the Peloponnese the scenery is rugged, wild and absolutely beautiful. Napflio is a lovely small Renaissance era city with a big harbor and nice nearby beaches. <br />
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Very convivial, pretty town to spend a few days in. Gytheio, further down the penninsula is a cute small town on the water with multi-coloured buildings and some nice small hotels and good fish restaurants. Unpretentious and welcoming. One of the finds of the trip was the Eumelia Farm and Agriturismo where the young owners are endeavoring to build a completely environmentally sustainable farm and also a locavore network of high quality artisanal food producers. They have olive and fruit trees at Eumelia and the setting, in a plateau of ancient olive trees ringed by mountains, is simply glorious. Eumelia also hosts yoga retreats and can host small groups so if you want a tranquil get away with superb local uber-fresh food check this place out.<br />
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Medieval Monemvasia on the eastern coast of the Peloponnese is a magical walled town set on a huge rock... the Gibraltar of Greece. Good wineries nearby too. <br />
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Then, four days in Athens and four days on lovely, unspoiled Milos in the Cyclades chain of islands. Lots of sun, too much good food and wine. And many good conversations about Greece's political issues and the European Union. A great trip all in all.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-64575486578226762542016-05-24T13:30:00.002-07:002016-05-24T13:30:35.356-07:00Coffee and perfect 'Chou' on the Ile St. LouisLa Maison du Chou, a gem of a specialist bakery on the Place du Furstemburg in the 6th has opened a second branch on the Ile de la Cité. Specializing in chou, or puff pastry 'cream puffs' this beautiful little shop is well worth a stop. They fill the cream puffs when ordered to assure maximum freshness. The cream is made with fromage blanc, vanilla and other goodies keeping sugar to a minimum and flavor to a maximum. The shop offers a full range of quality coffees to accompany that delicious pastry.<br />
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Perfect for a spring stroll!<br />
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La Maison du Chou – Saint Louis<br />
5 Rue Jean du Bellay, 75004 Paris<br />
Metro Pont Marie (line 7) or Cité (line 4)<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-51836807814519434912016-04-01T16:59:00.002-07:002016-04-01T16:59:33.641-07:00Ephemeral cooking classes with Alain DucasseBonjour Paris, an excellent free weekly e-news posting about Paris just published a story about several one of a kind and one time only cooking classes at concept shop L'Eclaireur in partnership with Alain Ducasse. These will surely sell out very quickly. Here is the link... price is 240 E per class, they are in early April on various dates, and you must call to register. Attendance is limited.<br />
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https://bonjourparis.com/culinary-classes/alain-ducasse-cooking-classes-famed-leclaireur-concept-store/ <div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-33500297240413603642016-04-01T13:52:00.005-07:002016-04-01T13:53:45.092-07:00Trip Advisor Picks Istanbul #2 Destination in the WORLD for 2016Trip Advisor has released its list of top ten destinations for 2016. London is #1, Istanbul is #2. Istanbul's tourism has taken a massive hit from the slow down in tourists from Russia and from the west due to concerns about safety. While there are never guarantees of safety in our chaotic world, Istanbul is, at present, a city without lines for the major sites and the entire guiding and hospitality industry is more than available to be of help in crafting a magical experience. Talk with me about guides, activity clusters, foodie walks, cooking classes, shopping and more. <br />
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While I would not travel to the southeast and to the cities along the Syrian border now, certainly the Istanbul area, the Aegean coast with its world class archaeological sites, Cappadocia and the Mediterranean coast with its blue cruises and splendid beach towns are all pretty good bets for a terrific vacation in a hospitable country with excellent food to boot!<br />
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Watch Turkish Airlines for fare sales. They offer very competitive rates. I'm a big fan of their nonstop to Istanbul from Boston. Just in case you are curious, here are TripAdvisor's top 10.<br />
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<b>Top 2016 Travelers' Choice Destinations</b><br />
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1. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-london/index.html" target="_blank">London</a></div>
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2. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-istanbul/index.html" target="_blank">Istanbul</a></div>
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3. Marrakech, Morocco </div>
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4. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-paris/index.html" target="_blank">Paris</a></div>
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5. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-cambodia/index.html" target="_blank">Siem Reap, Cambodia</a> </div>
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6. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-prague/index.html" target="_blank">Prague, Czech Republic </a></div>
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7. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-rome/index.html" target="_blank">Rome</a></div>
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8. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-vietnam/index.html" target="_blank">Hanoi, Vietnam</a></div>
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9. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/29/travel/insider-guide-new-york-city/index.html" target="_blank">New York</a> </div>
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10. Ubud, Indonesia </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-83083994543887940052016-03-21T09:08:00.001-07:002016-03-21T09:08:48.914-07:00Our hearts go out to the people of Istanbul (and Ankara)Once again violence has struck innocent civilians in Turkey. Our hearts go out to the people of Istanbul and Ankara, and to visitors to Turkey, who have been victims of cynical and vile terrorist attacks designed to kill, harm and sow fear and uncertainty. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-41136307561313690772016-03-21T09:03:00.001-07:002016-03-21T09:03:37.856-07:00Poetry in the Palais RoyalOnly in Paris. Montreal-based sculptor and artist Michel Goulet has taken discarded green iron French park chairs and turned them into poetry-points, gracing the beautiful gardens of the Palais Royal. <br /><br />Goulet redesigned the classic chairs and made them into 10 love seats. The back of each chair is engraved with a quote or short verse from a world-famous poet with their name below. And to complete the experience there is a portal to plug your headset into and listen to the poems in their entirety. Goulet's objective was to make poetry more accessible to the public. <br /><br />So take a seat and immerse yourself poetry, within a public space that is amongst the most beautiful in Europe. The image is from David Leibowitz's Eye Prefer Paris newsletter.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nbNCq6Kgr3I/VvAa889IkkI/AAAAAAAAAMM/PBKogIXI6LEOF2Uut0Tf9xtjaEJNC6Iyw/s1600/6a00d83451b0bd69e201b8d1b16b18970c-pi.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nbNCq6Kgr3I/VvAa889IkkI/AAAAAAAAAMM/PBKogIXI6LEOF2Uut0Tf9xtjaEJNC6Iyw/s320/6a00d83451b0bd69e201b8d1b16b18970c-pi.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-25776746520944097472016-03-15T12:48:00.001-07:002016-03-15T12:48:16.602-07:00Istanbul is open for business, great time to visit!My guiding colleagues in Turkey tell me that Istanbul is exceptionally tranquil and line-free these days. This city of 17 plus million people is, statistically, one of the safest cities in the world. If you have an interest in traveling to Istanbul or elsewhere in Turkey (except perhaps the south east, near the Syrian border) this is a very good time to go.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-49470251684079208542016-03-15T12:46:00.001-07:002016-03-15T12:46:07.048-07:00September Camino de Santiago WalkA good colleague of mine who is a specialist in Spain is leading a small group walk along 100 carefully selected miles of the Camino de Santiago in mid-September. The tour will start in Bilbao, in the Pays Basque. Given the leader's broad expertise and love of Spanish food and culture, this Camino walk will combine the mindful walking with lots of good meals, wine and conversation. Email or call me if you would like further details. The leader has walked the entire Camino in Spain and has chosen her route to include stretches on three different Spanish caminos which will add much to the experience.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-228468526042856872016-03-15T12:42:00.001-07:002016-03-15T12:42:32.638-07:00Tickets for the French Open avail after March 23If you plan to attend the French Open at Roland Garros stadium this spring, be aware than online tickets will be available starting on March 23. They sell out quite quickly.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-73078583504167314842016-03-15T12:41:00.000-07:002016-03-15T12:41:11.632-07:00Women in the Resistance At the Shoah MemorialThe Shoah Memorial, located in the Marais, hosts an active program of lectures and programs year round. From March 8 to September 30 there will be an exhibition on women in the Resistance exploring how women of various faiths actively worked against the Nazis, at their personal peril.<br />
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Free admission. 17 rue Geoffroy l'Asnier. Nearest metro: St. Paul. The Shoah Memorial is closed on Saturdays and National Holidays.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1820817414280187197.post-62154436925800267482016-01-19T15:17:00.001-08:002016-01-19T15:19:08.401-08:00Yet Another Stellar Cheese Shop in ParisTaka and Vermo is a lovely, high quality cheese shop newly opened on the rue du Faubourg St. Denis. Laure Taka and Matthieu Vermo are the owners and affineurs. They left other careers three years ago to seriously study cheese and the world of the affineur in France. They worked at top Paris cheese shops and spent months traveling in France and Italy to refine their knowledge and to research small scale artisanal cheese makers. <br />
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Laure is Japanese, so she has incorporated Japanese flavors into some of the cheeses. One pungent cheese is flavored with sansho pepper, another is a Saint Nectare topped with candied Yuzu. Another beautifully decorated cheese was encased in edible flowers. They specialize in classic Roqueforts.<br />
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Taka & Vermo work closely with their cheese making colleagues and mature their cheese in the shop's cheese cellar.<br />
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The shop also sells a curated selection of wines, all bio dynamic, and organic beer. There are other traditional fromagerie staples such as eggs, butter, and yogurt. <br />
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This shop is a great addition to this stretch of Faubourg St. Denis which remains a little gritty, but, which offers more and more enticing food shops. All success to Taka and Vermo! Pay them a visit when you are in Paris.<br />
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Taka &Vermo<br />
61 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 <br />
Metro: Strasbourg-Saint-Denis<br />
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Open Tuesday- Friday 9:30AM-1: 30PM, 4PM-8: 30PM<br />
Saturday- 9:30AM-8: 30PM, Sunday 9:30AM-2PM<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Get to your BEST in Paris. Your Great Days in Paris client's are adventurous travelers to Paris. Trip coaching, planning, custom guides, Sally's foodie tours, Paris is a feast!</div>Sallyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00156002358547776451noreply@blogger.com0