Travel Maven Blog ...... David Molyneaux posts from TheTravelMavens.com

Paris, satisfying day in a favorite city

Never give up the opportunity for a extra day in Paris.

My work/play tour schedule ended on a Saturday afternoon, with no need to be in Frankfurt, Germany, before Monday. So, I grabbed an October Sunday in Paris for myself. No plans, no schedule.

Rain would mean museums. Sun would dictate a long walk.

On the Internet, I found a single room at Hotel Cujas, on the Left Bank near the Sorbonne and close to a metro stop for the RER train to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Reviews from other travelers suggested the hotel was just ok – it was – and I wasn’t paying for charm, so I booked at 78 Euros a night ($215 for two nights) on booking.com.

I made the correct decision not to buy breakfast for an extra 7 Euros, as the breakfast room at Hotel Cujas was too warm, too crowded, and windowless; plenty of breakfast possibilities were nearby on St. Michel, even a Starbucks and a McDonald's, had I been so inclined.

On a sunny Sunday morning, fully croissanted and coffeed, I set out in my walking shoes with a grand plan to make a big circle tour of a city I last visited about 10 years ago. I ran out of day before I ran out of city.

The $7 flight from Frankfurt to Paris

Take a look at Internet booking sites, and you may be amazed at the price of flying between major cities in Europe. Sometimes the flight is very cheap. Just be careful to check which airports are listed, because some are hours away from the city center.

I flew roundtrip from the main airport in Frankfurt, Germany, to Charles de Gaulle in Paris for $7.

Or so the chart said. Government fees were an additional $109. Still, $116 for a roundtrip ticket between Frankfurt and Paris, on a full-sized Air France jet that did not charge me extra for my suitcase, is a very  good price. And it’s available most any day.

The flights went well for me, except for the waiting area at Charles de Gaulle, where international travelers were crammed into a tight section of the Air France concourse.  Seats and food were difficult to find, and announcements hard to hear.

What made the cramped, overheated wait worse was the cheery sign: It said that “For Your convenience” temporary walls were put up during reconstruction of the waiting area.

I wish that governments wouldn’t insult my intelligence with such signs. That crowded room, with scarce chairs, a tiny duty-free shop and limited food for travelers, was NOT for my convenience.

At best, the construction was aimed at other travelers, far down the road, who may find the new waiting area convenient, long after I have moved on, my suffering nearly forgotten. Nearly.

 

Packing for a two-month trip to Europe

Travels with Charlie, the suitcase

How do you cram enough stuff for two months of travel – during the changing weather of fall – into a 50-pound bag? That was my limit, imposed by most international airlines, and specifically Lufthansa, which flew me from the United States to Frankfurt, Germany, in late September.

This was a smart weight limit anyway. I was not going on a tour bus, nor preparing to sit in a resort. I would wheel and carry my luggage through Europe – France, Germany, Italy, Greece – on planes, trains, buses, subways, a barge, and three ships, including one that eventually would cruise me back across the Atlantic to the United States.

Pulling 50 pounds of suitcase on wheels along city streets is not so tough, even in hill towns. Lugging 50 pounds up the steps of budget hotels is a bit of work. Carrying it up and down the steps of Europe’s train and Metro stations is a serious strain. I would have fared better with a 40-pound limit.

The 50-pound bag I named Charlie. It’s made by High Sierra, with three compartments, and actually can convert to a backpack. Fat chance.

Dogs run magically at Disney World pet resort

When I was growing up in Ohio, everyone in my family agreed that when our current life was over we all wanted to come back as dogs, but not just any dog, one of my aunt Marcia’s dogs. They lived  that well –  loved, cared for, and cuddled on the couch.

Now I’ve found a new place for the next life, as a dog at Disney World, where the Mouse folks have built VIP suites at a one-of-a-kind pet resort for dogs, cats and "pocket pets" on Bonnet Creek Parkway near Port Orleans Resort.

Dogs even have their own splash park for chasing dancing water, pictured above.

Read more about boarding your pets at Disney in this article at TheTravelMavens.com

SATW Phoenix awards honor New York, Canada

Five tourism projects -- two in New York City and three in Canada -- are winners in the 2010 Phoenix Awards from the the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).

Phoenix Awards recognize conservation, preservation, beautification and anti-pollution accomplishments.

In New York,  SATW honored the High Line, a vertical public park, and the Central Park Conservancy.

In Canada, Phoenix Award winners were Miscou Island in New Brunswick, the Trans Canada Trail, and Dr. Mary Majka and Mary’s Point Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve in Harvey, New Brunswick.

For the Phoenix Awards video, click Phoenix Awards 2010 from SATW Video on Vimeo.

SATW 2010 travel auction opens online

The annual auction for travel bargains from the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) is open for business at SATWauction.com.  It closes Nov. 20 at 10 p.m. (MST)

Top items range from attractions and hotels around the United States to lodgings as far away as Venice and Bali, and Caribbean cruises with rock stars.

Values range from a $160 culinary tour in Colorado to four nights in Bali for $4,422. Bids for some items start as low as $25.