Tag Archives: Frugal First Class Travel

Closerie Falaiseau, France, Loire Valley, Paris, Travelling

Beyond the Eiffel Tower: An Insider’s guide to Paris with Frugal First Class Travel

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Regular readers will already be familiar with Jo Karnaghan and her Frugal First Class Travel blog from my Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up series. She recently asked me if I would agree to an interview and here is the result. And click on some of her other posts while you’re there – Jo has some wonderful suggestions and information for those who like to “travel in the most luxurious way we can afford, at the cheapest price – spending money on the things that are important to us, but saving money on the things that are less important”.

BEYOND THE EIFFEL TOWER: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PARIS

tuileries_gardens

Hi Frugalistas!

Do you wish you had a best friend who lived in Paris?  One who could fill you in on all those places that only locals know about?  Or are you someone who is terrified at the thought of tackling Paris on your own?  Either way, help is at hand!  Rosemary of the blog Aussie in France agreed to an interview with me recently to share some of her favorite secrets with we Frugalistas.  Having lived in Paris since 1975, Rosemary is the perfect person to help us find the best of Paris beyond the Eiffel Tower and I was delighted she was willing to share her experience with us. Read more

Denmark, Italy, Sightseeing

Eating Well in the Cinque Terre – A Self-Guided Tour of Copenhagen

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This week’s blogger round-up takes us to two very different parts of the world. Jo Karnagan from Frugal First Class Travel gives tips to eating well in the Cinque Terre, that  wonderful area on the west coat of Italy that I’ve blogged about in the past and where I probably had the best seafood meal ever, while Laurence and Vera from Finding the Universe take us on a self-guided tour of Copenhagen, home of the Little Mermaid and definitely on my wish list, illustrated with their usual stunning photographs. Enjoy!

Eating Well in the Cinque Terre

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

cinque_terreThe Cinque Terre is, like much of Italy, pure joy for frugalfirstclasstravellers.  It is easy to eat well on fantastic local, seasonal food, and drink fabulous local wines, all at a bargain price!  What’s not to love?  So, here is the official frugalfirstclasstravel guide to eating and drinking well in the Cinque Terre:

Food  – The Cinque Terre is all about fish and other fresh seafoods.  Red meat and poultry is not well represented (and in some places not represented at all) on restaurant menus, so seafood is the way to go here. Read more

A self-guided tour of Copenhagen

by Laurence from Finding the Universe, of British origin who, with German-born Vera are travellers, into writing and photography, slowly exploring the world.

copenhagenThere are definitely more comfortable places to sit than on Hans Christian Andersen’s left knee. On top of that, instead of telling me a story out of the book that is resting on his right knee, he is staring over to the Tivoli, the famous theme park, completely ignoring me.

Well, I can’t say that’s good manners but I do understand why he is like that. Who even knows how many people sit on his lap on a daily basis to have their picture taken. Apart from that, it’s a really nice sunny day in Copenhagen, with the first flowers announcing that spring might finally have arrived after this long cold winter. So maybe Hans is just day-dreaming.

I, on the other hand, ain’t got time for that! I arrived here in Denmark’s capital yesterday and I have only today to see the city. Luckily it’s very walkable. Hey, why don’t you guys tag along? Yes? Cool! But I’m warning you: I’m a fast walker… Alright, let’s go! Read more

French customs, Paris, Restaurants

A fishy start to April – True French dining experience for a savvy traveller

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Wednesday’s bloggers round-up this week features two Australians whom you already know: Phoebe from Lou Messugo, who explains the history and customs of the French version of April Fool’s Day or poisson d’avril, and Jo Karnagan from Frugal First Class Travel, guest posting on My French Life, who explains how to have really good French food in Paris without paying the earth. Enjoy!

A fishy start to April

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia

poisson_davrilToday is the 1st of April and just like in many countries around the world, it’s the day of jokes, hoaxes and pranks.  Newspapers and other media publish fake stories but the real speciality in France is the Poisson d’avril.  This consists of sticking a paper fish on someone’s back and seeing how long they go without realising it.  Once the fish is discovered you shout “Poisson d’avril”!  Children adore trying to catch out their teachers if it falls on a school day or their parents when it’s a day at home.  My elder son has been sporting a fine specimen for a couple of hours as I write this, stuck on his back by his little brother completely unbeknownst to him. Read more

True French dining experience for a savvy traveller

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

This post was published by My French Life, a global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French 

frugalista_restaurantI love eating really good French food. But, like a lot of visitors to Paris, I’m put off by the €200 plus prices of the grand eateries –  just not within my budget. Therefore, on a recent trip to Paris, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to savour really good classic French food served in the formal European style at a relatively bargain price. Read more

France, Paris, Sightseeing, Travelling

Hotel Dieu: The unexpected inside of Paris’ oldest hospital – Itinerary Planning 101 – Map of Literary French History

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Three very different posts in this Wednesday’s Bloggers Round-Up: Yetunde from Like Home in Paris takes us on a guided tour through an unexpected venue: Paris’ oldest hospital, Jo Karnaghan, in her usual practical way, gives excellent tips on how to plan an itinerary (part 3, so don’t miss the others) while Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France, has found a wonderful French site connecting up geographical locations and famous French writers. Enjoy!

Hôtel Dieu: The unexpected inside Paris’ oldest hospital

by Yetunde from Feels Like a Home in Paris, local Paris holiday rental specialists, who blog on tips, happenings & lots of food & drink from the city they love.

hoteldieuVisiting Notre Dame on Ile Saint Louis in Paris, you can’t help but notice the rather large Hôtel Dieu hospital close by. It has maybe even shown up on a few of your photos but have you ever been inside?

It would never strike me as a normal part of my day to enter into a hospital unless I really have to. I have only ever visited two emergency rooms in Paris and needless to say that I hope to never have to do it again. But when you consider a hospital that was built between the 7th and 17th century you have to take pause and notice it. Read on

Itinerary planning 101: Part 3 – the finishing touches to your travel plan

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

greatistanbul-comHow are you going with your plans for your latest itinerary?  Have you got a good outline of where you are going, your budget and how you are planning on getting about?  In the final installment of this short series we fill in the blanks with all the special moments that will make your trip one to really remember……

1.  List all the things you want to do in each of your destinations

Taking into account the length of time you have in each destination, make a list of all the things you want to do for each of your destinations and prioritise them. Read on

Map of Literary French History

by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France, an Irish llama and alpaca breeder living in the centre of France, who also runs a carp fishery and a holiday gite

Here’s something rather interesting – it’s a crowdsourced interactive map of France that allows you to discover quotations or descriptions about various destinations in the country by famous French writers.

Zoom in to the area of France that you’re interested in on the Google map in and you’ll see little blue flags. The quotations are linked to these. I was of course interested to see what’s been written about my local area. As I suspected, George Sand had a lot to say about the place. Here’s her (George Sand was the pen name of Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) view of Boussac. Read more

Travelling

Europe in the winter – 6 tips to travel well – Itarod, here we come – A Day Trip to the Great Wall

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This week’s blogger round up, slightly later than usual, starts with some very useful tips for travelling well in Europe in the winter from Frugal First Class Travel, followed by a horrendous tale of dog sledding in Lapland from Sylvia at Finding Noon (not a destination on my wish-for list) and ends with a day trip to the Great Wall of China by Susan from Days on the Claise. Enjoy!

Europe in the winter – 6 tips to travel well

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a FirstClass trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

winter_travellingIn this, the third part in my series of traveling to Europe in the winter, I look at traveling safely and how to get the most out of your trip.

1.  Dress warmly, but in layers

You will be outside a lot sightseeing and traveling from place to place.  If you aren’t used to snow and ice, don’t underestimate how cold it can be and cold you will get.  Also don’t underestimate how over-heated European interiors such as shops and museums can get.  Dress in layers, starting with thermals and work your way outwards.  See my previous post on dressing for Europe in the winter (complete with packing list) for more details. Read more

Itarod, here we come

by Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

finlandOur first morning we awoke, slightly disoriented but excited about the day ahead; we were going dog sledding!

Arriving at Husky & Co the chipper Hungarian guide told us to put on one of their ski suits.

“But I already have this quite swank, rather high tech ski suit on,” desisted Mr French, “is that really necessary?” Read more

A Day Trip to the Great Wall

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history

roadside marketOn 11 December last year we were returning from Australia via China. Because we had a long wait between flights at Beijing we took a hotel (Air China provides a free hotel room if you know to ask). We had obtained a 72 hour transit permit when the plane landed for a couple of hours in Shanghai before continuing to Beijing and Simon had booked a guide and driver for the morning. Part of the Great Wall is about an hour from Beijing and our guide was confident he could get us there, spend an hour on the Wall, then get us to the airport in plenty of time to get through security (we’d checked our hold luggage all the way through and only had hand luggage with us). Read more

Cycling, France, French language, Spain

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs! – One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona – English French words

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Some interesting posts this Wednesday on very different subjects. Stephanie, the Llamalady from Blog in France, interviews English cyclist Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels, about his bike trip across France. Australian blogger Frugal First Class Travel, whom I discovered recently, describes the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. She also has lots of tips for winter travelling. Regina from Petite Paris, the Australian website that has all those wonderful B&Bs in Paris, talks about all the French words that exist in English. Enjoy!

Croc Monsieur: Meet Adam Ruck, The Man Who Cycles in Crocs!

Interview by Stephanie, the Llamalady, from Blog in France

with Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels “… a terrific guide to the culture, history, food, B&Bs and other French delights”. He also blogs on cycling and skiing in Adam’s Blog

adamloire-300x218It’s amazing who you meet on Twitter. Through my @llamamum account, I happened across Adam Ruck, author of France on Two Wheels. As a keen cyclist, I’m always interested to find out about fellow cyclists so I contacted Adam and asked if he’d write a guest post for me. And here it is.

Many travel books start as a publishing or fundrasing idea, and most travel articles start as that ghastly word, an angle. Others develop out of a real holiday or journey, and my book, France on Two Wheels, falls into that category.

A friend rang me to say he was looking for someone with whom to ‘bicycle’ (he does hate the word ‘cycle’ unless applied to washing machines or the economy) to or from Switzerland. I agreed to the return trip. Read more

One man’s faith – a visit to Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

by Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a FirstClass trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

sagada_familiaI’m not a religious person.  In fact I’m a card carrying atheist.  But I couldn’t help but be so moved when I recently visited the Sagrada Familia – the Gaudi designed Basilica in Barcelona.  Building has been underway for over 100 years now, and there are plans (hopes?) to complete the works in time for the centenary of Gaudi’s death in 2026.

Gaudi was a very religious man apparently, and it was this faith that drove him to spend the bulk of his life (and indeed until the end of his life) dedicated to this project.  But the Sagrada Familia is not just a testament to religious faith.  Regardless of your own spiritual beliefs, consider this:

Gaudi knew the church would never be completed in his own lifetime, but he did it anyway. Read more

English French Words

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles

It’s incredible (“uncreaaabl”) how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore…

At this moment I am listening to my Michel Thomas audio – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. Its a practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! [AND SO DO I – Fraussie] Read more

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