Derniere Minute Travel tips

Bear is ready. I am not...same old, same old.
Bear's bag is neatly packed.
Mine is not, comme habitude...
 A French travel tip I noted waiting at JFK. Many disembarking Frenchies had ribbons tied to their suitcase. The better to spot their bag on the carrousel. Who knew?
My secret tip - take New York apples to Paris. Are all French apples mushy?

I took your advice and bought a ticket to the Vedette boat (save 4 euros online).

I bought an NY MTA T-shirt with matching socks. Let Parisiens get directions from my shirt...

One of my all-time top travel secrets is to hide my valuables in a sport bra - Now everyone knows...ahem

A must-do before I leave is buy Fr Girl her Murrey's bagels. Bagels in New York have become monsterous, but posting this picture, I fell victim. I ate 1/2 a bagel. I hope FG doesn't see this...

Deciding which books to take is maybe the hardest...

I'm crazy for Japanese books on Paris, so I'm take this Metro guide. No, I can't read one word of Kanji but I love the graphics.

No matter how much you prep can you ever be ready for a national transit strike/le greve? Next week in France...

I watched an excellent French film, Human Resources (1999 Ressources Humaines) this morning so I'll be prepared.

I got my Place Vendome drawing done, so I'm almost ready. More to come once I'm in Paris!!

BON WEEKEND!

Parisian Squirrels ride bikes

So my niece called this morning at 5:30 am woke me up and said, (yes it's the same niece that said "my blog was just a bunch of cakes" and that "I shoot everything in rows").

 There was a SEPTA transportation strike on in Philadelphia. Why not ride bicycles to work?

Which reminded me of the greve (strike) in Paris when everyone was velos (bikes).

Parisians get their training early. They learn how to tie a scarf Parisian style by 2 years old.

Les enfants learn their numbers counting bikes.

They learn about romance first on a bike!

Foreign exotic places? They get it early plus bikes.

They learn too that someday, when they are a grand mere they will still be riding those bikes.

A Parisian dog gets into the act.

OUAF! OUAF!

 

They get the bike training early with good reason - Paris circulation (traffic) is the pits. It used to be until the Velibs took over.

There are Velib stations everywhere.

Including in front of Pierre Herme rue Cambon

 Is that why Pierre Herme designed these macaron boxes to look like bicycle wheels?

Does anything look nicer than a Pierre Herme sac in a Velib basket?

OUI! A pack of luscious Pierre Herme macarons. You have to be grateful to a niece who gives you good blog post ideas early in the morning when you haven't a clue what to post?

BONJOUR ANABEL!

(that's my niece...Anabel not the squirrel)