Tag: France
I did not visit Notre-Dame cathedral when I went to Paris. Here’s why
Soon after the devastating fire at the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, many people who have visited the French capital put up pictures they had taken of the 850-year-old church.
At the risk of sounding like an ignoramus, let me admit that till the time the news of the fire broke, I only had a hazy idea about the this Catholic church that the French people identify so much with.
By “hazy idea”, I mean I was aware of the presence of Notre-Dame as a church, but I wasn’t aware that the most famous one of the name was present in Paris. (There are 18 churches only in France called Notre-Dame, says Wikipedia.) Continue reading I did not visit Notre-Dame cathedral when I went to Paris. Here’s why
French President promises to rebuild fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral
Paris (TAN): French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the 850-year-old Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris that was ravaged by a massive fire on Monday evening.
The fire brought down the world-famous cathedral’s spire crashing to the ground as onlookers watched aghast.
“This Notre-Dame Cathedral, we will rebuild it. All together. This is part of our French destiny. I am committed to this: from tomorrow a national subscription will be launched, and far beyond our borders,” President Macron, who visited the site, tweeted in French. Continue reading French President promises to rebuild fire-ravaged Notre-Dame cathedral
‘The Sweater Guy’ knits sweaters of holiday spots, takes selfies
New York City (TAN): Travel can do you wonders, or at least bring out your creative best. And that’s what it did to Sam Barsky.
At age 43, Sam knits sweaters of famous global destinations, followed by travelling to the actual sites and clicking photos of himself wearing his creations.
The resident of Baltimore in the US east coast stitched his first sweater with an actual trip in mind about twenty years ago, that of the Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, and has knit 132 sweaters since.
Although the first sweater ‘of a specific landmark was the Tower Bridge in London’. “I was inspired by a picture I saw in a magazine. I had never been there before and did not make it for a specific trip. But, once I started knitting more landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge and Venice, I knew I wanted to go there while wearing them,” Forbes quoted him as saying.
Continue reading ‘The Sweater Guy’ knits sweaters of holiday spots, takes selfies
US tour operators name Italy as 2019 ‘hot’ destination
December 19 (NITN): The tour operator members of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) have named Italy the most popular or “hot” destination for travellers in 2019, a recent survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) revealed.
The top 10 “hot” destinations for the coming year also include Iceland, which ranked second, followed by Japan, Vietnam, Australia, France, Spain, Colombia, Cambodia and Portugal.
USTOA members also identified their top 10 off-the-beaten path or emerging destinations that they see gaining popularity in 2019: Iceland ranked first, Cambodia ranked second, followed by Croatia, Colombia, Vietnam, Portugal, Bhutan, Bolivia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.
Continue reading US tour operators name Italy as 2019 ‘hot’ destination
Eiffel Tower to remain closed today: Reports
December 8 (NTIN): Amid fears of further street violence by the “yellow vest” group, the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris is expected to remain closed today, media reports said. Some other attractions could remain closed too.
Across France, 89,000 police officers will be on duty and armoured vehicles will be deployed in the capital, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was quoted as saying by BBC.
Police have asked shops and restaurants on Paris’s Champs-Elysees to remain closed on the day, reports said.
Some museums will also remain closed.
The French administration has blinked in the face of the Yellow Jacket protests with France Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday declaring a roll back of the fuel tax hike that had resulted in violent protests across the country, latest reports said.
According to the BBC, the suspension in the tax hike will be in place for six months. Philippe said the people’s anger must be heard and the measures would only be implemented after debate with the affected people.
Continue reading Eiffel Tower to remain closed today: Reports
France waives airport transit visa for Indians
July 28 (TravelAndy): Indian passport holders will no longer need a transit visa for transiting through airports in France.
“I’m pleased to announce that, with effect from 23rd July 2018, holders of Indian passports will no longer require an Airport Transit Visa (ATV) while transiting through the international zone of any airport in France,” tweeted Alexandre Ziegler, the ambassador of France to India.
People need airport transit visa if they are transiting through the international zone of an airport in the Schengen area. Continue reading France waives airport transit visa for Indians
Normandy in France to promote tourism
April 25 (Notintown.net): The Cotentin Peninsula – also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula – in the Normandy region of France, will soon see its many tourism boards undergo a major restructuring in the next few months.
By June this year, 11 local tourism boards will have merged into one big entity and renamed Cotentin Tourist office making it, arguably, one of the most powerful tourism boards in the country with an annual budget of EUR4 million.
Out of this budget, up to EUR1 million will be kept aside to promote Cotentin worldwide; of which India, Middle East and China will be important focus markets. Continue reading Normandy in France to promote tourism
Budget airline French Blue takes flight
September 14 (TravelAndy): Paris Orly based low cost airline French Blue has started its debut service with flights operating between Paris Orly in France and Punta Cana in Dominican Republic.
This new low cost airline will operate thrice a week flight on the Paris Orly-Punta Cana route, facilitating travel between Paris and the Caribbean.
The one way inaugural fare on this route is EUR199, said the airline. Continue reading Budget airline French Blue takes flight
Floating waterfall at Versailles
June 10 (TravelAndy): Palace of Versailles will have an extra attraction for tourists this summer with it hosting an exhibition of the work of internationally-famous visual artist Olafur Eliasson.
The waterfall has been crafted in such a way that it seems to be magically hanging from the sky, over the garden of the palace.
“This waterfall reinvigorates the engineering ingenuity of the past,” said Eliasson.
“It is as constructed as the court was, and I’ve left the construction open for all to see—a seemingly foreign element that expands the scope of human imagination,” he added. Continue reading Floating waterfall at Versailles
Terror attack hits tourism in Paris
Novemeber 17 (TravelAndy): Tourism has been severely affected due to the recent terror attack in the city of Paris.
Tourists from Asian countries are cancelling their Paris flights post the attack, said reports.
Paris has indefinitely closed the Eiffel tower, one of the most popular tourist attractions across the world. Continue reading Terror attack hits tourism in Paris
French help for faster Delhi-Chandigarh train
April 13 (TravelAndy): If things go to plan, the travel time between Delhi and Chandigarh by train will come down to less than two hours.
Indian Railways and its French counterpart signed a pact to this effect during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country, PTI reported.
The two countries will co-finance an execution study “a semi-high speed project on upgrade of the Delhi-Chandigarh line to 200kmph”.
At present, the fastest train on this route is the Shatabdi Express that takes nearly three-and-a-half hours to complete the 266km journey.
Greetings: Kiss, hug or shake hands?
I was quite surprised the first time I saw two grown men greeting each other with loud kisses on the cheek on a pavement in the university area of Paris.
I had the idea that in the West, when two men exchanged greetings, they shook hands, a man and a woman greeted each other by kissing both cheeks of the other person and girls just hugged each other. So, I decided to ask my French friend Géraud about it. Continue reading Greetings: Kiss, hug or shake hands?