France -

France – Colmar

Gosia — Wed, 04 May 2016 18:38:16 +0000

Colmar has been going around my head since I stumbled upon the photos of this amazing town. Unfortunately, the quick glance at the map, brought me down to earth. Apart from the fact that Colmar is situated very close to the border with Switzerland and Germany, its location isn’t convenient in view of the lack of cheap flights. Nevertheless, the New Year brought me new possibilities. When I was bored waiting for the flight at the Riga airport I found budget tickets to Basel. As it turned out later the flight was the tip of the iceberg. Taking into account that Swiss franc exchange rate was directly proportional to the amount of the places to visit, the organization of the trip wasn’t an easy task. After spending several long weeks on searching the internet, reading guides and analyzing the length and breadth of the map, the compromise was reached. The effect – 3-day itinerary, 1700 km to travel and little time for sleep… My happiness connected with the accomplished task didn’t last long because just before the departure I realized that Basel is not that far from Colmar. The plans are subject to change just as the amount of the sleep. I couldn’t resist visiting Colmar for a several reasons… Colorful Colmar For sure Colmar isn’t the place for minimalists. Beautifully decorated wooden houses in the medieval Colmar Old Town are painted in every possible color. What’s more, every building is uniquely decorated with colorful shutters, flowerpots or pictures. The imagination of the Colmar residents knows no bounds just as their unconventional attitude towards details. The whole town is decorated with: hearts, teddy bears, stained glass, flowers. Even Easter bunnies and eggs along with Christmas decorations seem to match perfectly! The essentials of the French ornithology… Additionally, the inseparable part of Colmar are storks – the symbol of Alsace. You can spot them everywhere: on the pictures, in the windows or as various souvenirs. Excuse me, how can I get to Venice? The most beautiful part of the Old Town is the Little Venice. Admittedly this place and the real Venice go together as “perfectly” as my earnings to Swiss bank account. Nevertheless it’s an exceptional place, to my mind even more atmospheric than crowded Venice. Pretzel only with wine! Colmar is also the place for French cuisine lovers. Local markets are full of delicacies like: cheese, cold cuts, honey or wine and the regional specialty – pretzels ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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French cuisine – the snail is not as black…

Gosia — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:35:53 +0000

It isn’t a piece of cake to learn French cuisine during only 3 – day trip to Paris, but it’s more difficult to taste it and eat one’s fill. French cuisine is a culinary masterpiece in the literal and metaphoric meaning of this word. Amount of the meal is not as important as its finesse and sophisticated taste. When French seem to celebrate every bite of their meals, hungry tourists are at the crossroads: how to eat their fill and not to damage elaborate its composition. The ideal example ale popular escargots or snails. Reportedly, at least 500 mln of them are eaten in France every year. To eat them you need special tongs for holding the shell and little fork for extracting the meat. Of course, they gained popularity, not only in view of their nutritional values but also a unique taste. They’re served with butter, garlic and parsley. They taste and texture are similar to popular mussels. Admittedly, not everyone likes their taste and look. It’s better not to analyze this dish too closely. If eating escargots is physically impossible you can wash them down with kir. Kir is a famous French aperitif. Traditionally is made of white Aligote wine and black currant liqueur from Dijon, called crème de cassis. There’re a lot of varieties of kir. Sometimes black currant liqueur is replaced by peach of blackberry one. White wine can be replaced by red (kir cardinal), cider (kir breton or kir normand) or even champagne (kir royale). There’s also another interesting kind so called kir beer or Tarantino which consists of lager and light ale. France is also famous for cheese, which is served as a dish or a snack between main course and dessert. There’re a lot of kinds of cheese in French fromageries. Even Charles de Gaulle pointed it out in the famous sentence: “How can you be expected to govern a country that has 246 kinds of cheese?” Nowadays the situation is much more complicated, as quantity of cheese has increased to more than 400. We can only ask a similar question: is it possible to eat one’s fill in Paris, having at disposal thousands of restaurants? There’s only one answer: in boulangerie – French bakeries. Famous French crusty baguettes are really delicious. This national staple food is even regulated by law. According to French regulations it must consist of flour, yeast and salt only and weight 320 g, so enough to appease hunger after visiting French restaurant! Unfortunately this brilliant idea is very popular, so you must be prepared for waiting in a really big queue to buy it. There’re also patisserie, where you can find a wide range of desserts, cakes, tortes, tarts, meringues, doughnuts or popular macarons. Macarons are sweet cookies with sweet filling. Similarly to French dishes, sweets are little pieces of art and believe us it’s very hard to choose something from shop displays. Even simple éclairs have inimitable taste… French cafes delights not only by their wide selection of sweets but also décor. Who don’t want to eat delicious macaron made by Ladurée or drink Angelina’s hot chocolate in such a palace interior? Another marvelous French invention are crepes – popular Fast food. They can be served with ham, eggs, corn, cheese or in a traditional way with chocolate. I think it’s obvious which filling is my favorite 😀 And of course the best chestnuts are on Pigalle Square. Another perfect spot to try French cuisine are various markets which differ significantly from those well known to us (you can find out more about French markets here). Ham, cheese, wine or vegetables and fruit are artistically arranged on elegantly decorated stalls. Personally, only in France I have seen white tablecloths on the market stalls. You can taste here local delicacies and traditional French cuisine and what’s the most important in the market portions 😉 Exemplary prices: – baguette around 2 € – some restaurants offer set menu from 12 to 17 € which contains: appetizer, main course and dessert – crepes cost 3-5€ – macarons – 2€ – glass of kir – 4-5 € ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Metz – the city of mirabelles

Gosia — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 20:34:43 +0000

Metz, the capital of Lorraine is located in the northeastern France on the banks of the Moselle and Seille rivers, around 43 kilometers from famous Schengen. We won’t hide the fact that our visit in this “untouristic” city was in a fact connected with its good location, close to Luxembourg and cheap transport by Flibco. However, apart from its perfect localization and bus connections, is it really worth visiting? Well and truly, it’s worth visiting in view of its 3000 years history which is reflected in diverse city’s architecture. Here you can see beautifully decorated cathedrals, ramparts dated as far back as 13th century, numerous boardwalks stretching along Moselle river and parks. We started our trip from Avenue Foch, where Flibco stops. This avenue is famous for a tower which is a part of former fortified walls and beautiful villas divided by a park. This avenue adjoins the railway station which at first sight looks like a church. This part of the city has a different, German architecture. The German part consists of stark buildings which are built from grey stone. It differs from French district which is mostly painted in mirabelle plum color – the symbol of wealth in Lorraine region. Why mirabelle? The answer you’ll find further. The most magnificent edifice in Metz is St. Stephen’s Cathedral It was built by connection of two churches in 12th century. It façade doesn’t differ much from other shrines in France, but it’s regarded as one of the most beautiful there. It hides the secret in a stark, gothic interior decorated with wonderful stained glasses which total surface reaches 6500 square meters. It’s no wonder that it’s called the God’s Lantern. Additionally it’s one of the highest churches in France. Apart from amazing stained glasses or sculptures, there’s a bath which dated back to the Ancient Roman’s times. It was used for christening purposes. Next to the cathedral you can see interesting building – Marche Couvert. It matches perfectly with the famous Place d’Armes architecture. This former bishop’s residence, nowadays houses a covered market. You can find here a large variety of traditional food made by local producers. You can buy here not only fruit, fish or meat but also you can taste local cheese, pâté, cakes, confitures and famous eau de vie – liquor made of mirabelles – the flagship product of Lorraine region. Lorraine is a realm of mirabelles. The festival of this little plum is organized here in August. The unique atmosphere of this market is created by the interior of this former palace and the stalls which are kept in an old – fashioned style. Additionally, there’s an outside market located just in front Marche Couvert. You can taste here local honey, freshly baked bread and delicious sweets. Marche Couvert is the quintessence of France where the way of presenting for example simple potatoes or tomatoes should deserve credit in famous Michelin guide and the art of haggling poses a great challenge to tourists who speak only in a language from the “worse” side of the English Channel. Our linguistic ignorance knows no bounds. Our strenuous efforts to communicate even in Molier’s language were ineffectual. The second famous shrine in Mets is Temple Neuf. It was built during the German rule, between 1901-1904. Then it was a military church. Many local residents were protesting against it, because it didn’t go together with the city architecture. However, Germans decided to make of this temple the symbol of their rule. Although the intentions weren’t honest and devout, the final effect is stunning. Perfect location certainly makes Temple Neuf exceptional. It’s located on the green, tiny islet decorated by numerous flowers. Its appearance surprises, as well. Grey stone contrasts strongly with pink and violet decorations, what is unusual for such buildings, especially those intended for the army. The most beutiful view is from three bridges: Pont des Roches, Pont Saint – Marcel and Moyen Pont. First two are decorated with flowers and make perfect background for the church and from the third one you can admire this temple from the other, interesting perspective. Temple Neuf adjoins to the oldest working opera in France. It’s located on the Place de la Comedie in the surroundings of the picturesque garden. During intensive sightseeing it’s Worth visiting Place St. Louis, where in the shade of colonnade you can sit in an atmospheric café. Not far from Place St. Louis is the Metz icon so called Gate of the Germans (Porte des Allemands), which is the part of fortifications built between 13th and 15th century. The gate is actually a one of the oldest such castles in France. ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

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Belgium, Luxembourg, France – incredible cheap traveling

Gosia — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 20:51:39 +0000

Is it possible to organize a cheap city – break to the countries like: Luxembourg, Belgium or France? Certainly! Take a look how to organize it! Low transport cost Western Europe is famous for a very good railway system but on the other hand it can be very expensive. What we should do to minimize this price? We recommend to use bus transport, more precisely Flibco! Tickets for this bus are sold on the basis: first come, first served. The prices start from 5 euro. Travelling with Flibco can be described as a VIP transport. Usually we had the whole bus only for us! These buses are very comfortable but sometimes Wi-Fi is out of order and there are no sockets. Free overnight stay Where is the best and free overnight stay? Certainly at the Charleroi airport! For instance when you arrive at 11 p.m. it doesn’t make sense to go to the hotel, when you go with Flibco early in the morning. This airport is so popular that at 11 p.m. there’s a problem to find a good place! Of course the best places are located on the floor in various nooks of the airport. There are two drawbacks: the floor is cold (but you can take a blanket) and at 4 a.m. the airport staff will wake you up. But all in all, we can say that Charleroi airport is our best “sleeping hub”. During our 3 trips, we stayed there every time for at least one night. Great location This famous airport is a perfect place for start a lot of trips. Option 1: Charleroi – Brussels – Charleroi It’s a good destination for the first trip. What is the capital of Belgium famous for? The main attractions are: beautiful Old Town Square, Galeries Saint Hubert, peeing boy and girl and what’s the most important: the best chocolates, fries, waffles and beer in the world! (more details you will find on our blog soon). From Charleroi, you can go there with Brussels City Shuttle (it’s a part of the Flibco). It stops at Bruxelles – Midi. To get to the city center from the stop – Gare du Midi take a tram no. 4 (direction Gare Du Nord) or 3 (direction Esplanade) and get off at Bourse stop. One way ticket costs 2,10 euro (you can also buy a daily ticket). Trip planner Tickets How much does it cost? Flight – 20 euro (you can find cheaper deal) Charleroi airport lodging – 0 euro Return bus ticket (Flibco) to Brussels – 10 euro Public transport in Brussels – 4,20 euro Accommodation in Brussels (one night) – 28 euro Full cost per person: 62 euro Option 2: Charleroi – Ghent – Bruges – Charleroi It’s a very interesting weekend trip. Bruges known as Flemish Venice is famous for picturesque canals, beautiful architecture and unfortunately tourists crowds (soon on our blog). Flibco stops at the train station. To get to the city center, get on the bus no. 6 or 16 (in the direction – St. Kruis) and get off at the Brugge Kruispoort stop. There are some interesting windmills. To get to the main square – so called Burg, walk around 1 km or use these bus lines. One way ticket costs 3 euro. Trip planner Tickets Additionally it’s well worth visiting less crowded Ghent (learn more here). To get there take a train from Brugge to Ghent Dampoort (direct trains are available). Here you can find trip planner. Ticket costs 6,5 euro. From the station go about 1 km to the city center. How to return from Ghent to Charleroi airport? By Flibco, obviously! How much does it cost? Flight – 20 euro Charleroi airport lodging – 0 euro Flibco to Bruges – 5 euro Public transport in Bruges – 3 euro Train to Ghent – 6,5 euro Accommodation in Ghent – around 20 euro Flibco to Charleroi – 5 euro Full cost per person 60 euro Option 3: Charleroi – Metz – Luksembourg – Vianden – Luxembourg – Charleroi Flibco stops at Avenue Foch, in the center of French city – Metz. Main attractions can be easily reached on foot (more details on our blog soon). The cheapest option to get to Luxembourg is you know what… Flibco. Unfortunately it stops at the Luxembourg airport. The bus from the airport to the city center costs 2 euro and on Saturdays public transport in Luxembourg City is free. (more information about this city you will find here soon) Here you can find buses from the airport to the city center. Luxembourg is famous for beautiful castles. We’re able to visit only one in Vianden because we didn’t have much time (soon on the blog). Daily train ticket costs only 4 euro. To get to Vianden you need to get on train from Gare Centrale to Ettelbruck. There’s a bus no 570 from Ettlebruck to Vianden (it stops close to the train station). Get off the bus at the stop next to the canal with fountain. Transport by bus is included in the train ticket price. Trip planner How much does it cost? Flight – 20 euro Charleroi airport lodging – 0 euro Flibco to Metz – 5 euro Flibco to Luxembourg – 5 euro Transport from the airport to the city center – 2 euro Accommodation in Luxembourg – 38 euro Daily train ticket – 4 euro Flibco from Luxembourg to Charleroi – 5 euro Total cost per person: 80 euro There’s also option 4: Charleroi – Lille – Charleroi, we hope that we’ll visit it soon. It’s not the end. Flibco operates also in Portugal or Germany. Here’s the full list of stops. As you can see the sky is the limit! ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

Artykuł Belgium, Luxembourg, France – incredible cheap traveling pochodzi z serwisu .