Paris- Australian Embassy for Art?

Do you ever feel like you just need a little "art fix" while in Paris? Not a large museum, not a complicated plan of action, just a bite-size exhibit to indulge your senses for a brief sensory escape?




Well look no further than the Australian Embassy in Paris a short distance away from our layover hotel on 4 Rue Jean Rois (this is the same street as the Portman Hotel and the Mercure Suffren). It has ongoing free art exhibits on its street level lobby gallery space - a glass enclosed salon with tons of lovely natural light - of unusual, but interesting art.




To enter the gallery, approach the embassy's main entry glass doors (photo enclosed). They are located at street level. Enter the building and through the glass, you will be able to see the front desk security desk. Pass the security machines and once at the desk, ask to view the art gallery to the left of the desk. They will wave you right in.

On my first visit to this gallery several years ago, I was fortunate enough to catch an amazing exhibit of large format, Aboriginal paintings from Australia. The paintings so mesmerized me with their beauty and use of unusual earthly colors, that I was stunned to find out they were made by untrained artists from the Aboriginal tribes of Australia. The exhibit was a gem!

On my second visit to this gallery just recently, I caught a tapestry exhibit of artists from around the world. Once again, these were large format pieces of stunning color. Tapestries that looked more like exquisite paintings, or street graffity than something weaved. Amazing work. Here are some photos of what I saw. You be the judge.




The Australian Embassy's exhibit hall is usually empty of people and thus, it is a very peaceful space most days of the week. It's also free. Like most embassies, it only operates during the week and during office hours. Each time that I've visited, I was the only person in the gallery. For me, it's a nice, quiet refuge from the crowds in Paris when I don't feel like going too far. Check it out next time you fly to Paris and let me know what your think.

Do you have any favorite quiet spots in Paris?

About us - Australian Embassy

Gorgeous Travel Posters

I love vintage travel posters because they transport me to childhood memories when I use to dream of traveling to distant and exotic places around the world.



Today I Googled "travel posters" while I searched for the ideal travel poster combo for my wall's and I found a great Internet site to purchase them. I compared several Google sites, before I settled on the Amazon site where I found the best and most varied selection for the lowest prices. Some copies of full size vintage posters were selling for as little as $5.99 dollars a piece - a real steal for a highly decorative item (once framed properly).



So, if you are like me, and you have a soft spot in your heart for these bygone travel adds, check out the enclosed link to view more beautiful posters and enjoy the show (and the memories?).

Amazon.com: travel posters - Home, Garden & Pets: Home & Garden

Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris by Train - RER

Lately, many crew members are seeking information on how to best travel from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport to the layover hotel with their family members. This, since the crew pick-up bus no longer is permitted to swing back to the terminal for additional pick-up's.

So, what can you do? You can take the RER from Charles de Gaulle to the center of Paris. It's fast and it's relatively cheap. How to do it? Read on, it's really pretty simple.

-First, you must clear customs and immigration. Then, look for the signs in the terminal (you're in TERMINAL 1) that say AIRPORT SHUTTLE. Photo enclosed. Follow the arrows and go down a level.
-Once there, go through the sliding glass doors and up a level via a set of
electric ramps - photo enclosed of doors.
-You will now be on the Tram Station. Take the tram from TERMINAL 1 to TERMINAL 3 -
(Roissypole/RER station)
-Once in TERMINAL 3, go to the ticket booth and purchase a "billet to Paris" - It will
cost you $8.50 Euros.
-With your ticket in hand, look for the RER/Blue line B - direction PARIS.
-The ride will take about 35 minutes to Paris and your first stop in "downtown" Paris
will be GARE DU NORD; the second stop will be CHATELET DEL HALLES.
-Either station will have options to connect to the Paris Metro for your final destina-
tion.
-If you're going to the layover hotel, the closest Paris Metro Station is BIR-HAKEIM -
part of line 6 of the green line.
-The same applies for a return to Charles de Gaulle airport, if you need to return via
RER.

If you want additional information about the RER - Schedules, instructions, etc., in
English, please click on the enclosed link of the official RER website.

Safe journey!
Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Paris by Train | Paris by Train

Geneva - The Ariana Museum

On my last trip to Geneva, Switzerland, I visited the lovely Ariana Museum. The museum is located right next to the Palais des Nations (United Nations of Geneva) and the Parc de L'Ariana, right across from the Red Cross Museum.

For those who have never heard of this small museum, it was Gustave Revilliod's (1817-1890) private collection of kilncrafts, donated to the city of Geneva upon his death. Today, it is considered one of the most important collections of it's type in the world containing around 20,000 historical artifacts. It is a collection that reflects the last seven centuries of glass and ceramics developments, including early Chinese and European porcelain as well as Roman, and European Glass.


The museum is housed in a splendid two floor neo-clasical mansion surrounded by lush gardens. There charge no entry fee to view the main collection and there are pre-recorded tours (highly recommended) available for a fee. Trust me, once you go through the collection while listening to the recorded tour, you will never look at a set of dishes or glasses in quite the same way again. So much human effort and intrigue went into the development of porcelain and glass around the world throughout history. It sounds more like an international spy novel with all the crucial elements like lying, stealing of secret recipes, betrayals and killings, all in an effort to protect secret recipes from other nations. Riveting stuff, I promise.


If you wish to visit the Ariana Museum, you must first walk to the main train station a few blocks away from our hotel. Right in front of the station, you will catch the #15 Tram in the direction of the airport to it's last stop in front of the Palais des Nations. This is the same square where the "Broken Chair" statue is located - a huge chair with a broken leg. Look for the signs that say "Ariana Museum" and walk a couple of blocks away from the square in the directions of the arrows. The museum will be on your right. To return to the hotel, retrace your steps and take the #15 Tram from the same stop where it dropped you off. Get off right in front of the train station where you began, about 5 stops down from where you start. Use the courtesy free Tram ticket the hotel gives you with your room key. It's good for 24 hours.

Check with the concierge before leaving the hotel for museum hours of operation. They open from 10am to 5pm and they are closed on Tuesdays. The museum also has a cute small coffee shop in it's second floor with a veranda open deck for sunny days. A great place for a coffee and a small break.

Enjoy and if you go, let me know what you think of the Ariana Museum!

Dry Lips No More!

Let's face it, if one flies enough like we Flight Attendant do, one has dry lips. It's an occupational hazard. To address this ongoing (inflight) problem, I have discovered a couple of lip products that offer both, color and lip hydration in one lip balm/lipstick. These products work so well, they have me smiling lately on my flights. So what small lip miracles are these?

My first recommendation is Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer- A natural lip balm that feels delicious on dry lips, tastes minty and comes in eleven lovely colors. My personal fav's are the Fig and Rhubarb colors. These lipstick/lipbalm combination sticks sell in most drugstores for about five dollars each. They taste amazing, look wonderful on lips and last forever!

My second recommendation is the Nivea Lip Balm with color called Nivea Lip Care - A Kiss of Flavor Cherry Tinted Lip . This colored lip balm also sells in most drugstores for about three dollars a stick. Despite it's humble price, it packs a huge punch - SPF 10 and UVA protection, Jojoba oils and Shea butter to moisturize the lips, a fruity taste plus a lovely cherry color for your lips. A perfect, healthy, rosy, summer lip color!

My last recommendation, the most uptown option, is - The Bobbi Brown Treatment Lip Shine. It comes in gorgeous colors with SPF 15 protection and extra moisturizing elements for your lips. I purchased the Rosy 7 color and it feels incredible on my lips plus the color is amazing and the stain is made to last a long time on your lips. Perfect for our inflight demands. This Lipstick goes for $22.00 and it can be found at any Bobbi Brown cosmetic counter in most upscale department stores. By the way, this Bobbi Brown lipstick was featured in the September 2010 edition of More Magazine.

Have you tried any of these products? What do you think about them? Can you add any additional recommendations?

Amsterdam - Free City Guide by Design Sponge

Here's a pretty hip city guide for Amsterdam published by the folks from the design blog, Design Sponge. Print it before you travel to Amsterdam and enjoy!

By the way, they've also published other fantastic world-wide city guides on their website which is www.designspongeonline.com. Take a minute to visit them. To view the Amsterdam Guide click on the following enclosed link -
Design*Sponge � Blog Archive � amsterdam guide

Photos courtesy of Design Sponge