Burgers in Paris

Have you ever craved American food while in Paris? a juicy burger with fries, a pecan pie, pancakes with maple syrup or cheesecake? Well, now there are some pretty authentic places for American food in Paris and they are getting rave reviews from the locals!

One of them is Breakfast in America, a 50's like diner establishment that opened it's first locale near The Sorbonne in St. Germain several years ago. They were so well received, they decided to open a second location in the Marais. Just to give you an idea of the prices and the selection of food in their menu, their burgers with fries go for around 8Euros; The BLT is 7.50Euros; Ham & Eggs are 8.95 Euros (breakfast is served all day) and Sunday Brunch is 16 Euros and it includes a drink a hot dish and a pastry - muffing, toast, etc.

For more information on the location, prices, history, menus, etc. for Breakfast in America, please click on the enclosed link or go directly to their official website at www.breakfast-in-america.com . Breakfast-In-America.com - Home

A second option for American fare is the sleek and popular Scoop Cafe located near the Louvre in rue St Honore. I have not visited the place, but reviews rave about the "terrific food" the "reasonable prices" and "the best burgers in town". They also have a nice brunch on Sundays and serve dinners three nights a week - Thursday's Friday's and Saturday's.

For more information on Scoop Cafe, please click here or go to www. scoopcafe.com.

A third and more exclusive option for American food while in Paris, is the brand new Ralph's restaurant opened recently by Ralph Laurent in the exclusive Blvd. St. Germain. The setting is supposed to be gorgeous, furnished with luxurious leather chairs, decorated with paintings of hunting scenes and the menu serves a selection of American classics like burgers, fried chicken, meat loaf and carrot cake.

Be prepared to pay through the nose. A burger goes for 27Euros. For this hefty price, you get a burger made from grass fed beef flown directly from Mr. Laurent's farm in Colorado. Book ahead, for there's a two week wait since they opened. So much for eating like the locals!

Ralph's
173 rue Blv. St. Germain - 6th
33-1-44-77-76-00

Breakfast in America Diner
4 Rue Malher (Marais)
Metro - St. Paul
8:30am - 11pm

17 rue des Ecoles (by Sorbonne)
Metro - Cardinal Le Moine or Jussieu

Scoop Cafe
154 Rue St. Honore
01-42-60-31-84
Metro - Louvre/Rivoli

RESTAURANT LE TRAIN BLEU PARIS

This magnificent restaurant in Paris should be saved for a special occasion. Luxuriously decorated in an Opera Garnier style , Le Train Bleu (blue train) is a gourmet French Brasserie that serves traditional French cuisine in a historical location inside the Gare de Lyon.

The restaurant, a historical monument, takes it's name from the 1920's "First Class" night train that shuttled wealthy French and British Passengers on it's famous blue leather seats to the French Riviera. The original "blue train" was featured also in the Agatha Christy movie "The Mystery of the Train Blue". Today this luxury train no longer exists, it was sadly replaced by airplane rides and faster trains like the RER.

Le Train Blue is an expensive restaurant, but don't let this dissuade you from paying it a visit. Even if you only go (to look) or for lunch or for a coffee and a dessert, make an effort to visit. It's a must. Once inside the Le Train Blue, you will be transported to a bygone golden era of train travel as you stare in amazement at all the gilded painted ceilings and at the larger that life depictions of scenes from the south of France - scenes from areas that the old trains would service from the Gare du Lyon.

For more information on the Le Train Bleu restaurant, please click on the following link.
→ RESTAURANT LE TRAIN BLEU PARIS - OFFICIAL WEB SITE - RESTAURANT GASTRONOMIQUE PARIS 12 - LE TRAIN BLEU

Le Train Blue
Gare De Lyon
75012 Paris

Reservations : 01-4343-0906
reservation.trainbleu@ssp.fr

Photos, courtesy of Le Train Bleu website

London: Free sights! from Budget Travel

This summer, we have to be prepared for Volcano eruptions and flight interruptions! Will the gods be on our side during our next trip to Europe? Hard to predict, so in case you get stuck in London and you don't want to spend more of your hard earned cash in daily activities, here's a handy list of some FREE sights in London published by Budget Travel! London: Looking for a silver lining? Free sights! - This Just In - Budget Travel

Can you think of any other cheap or free sights in London?

Free and Cheap Alternatives to Expensive Hotel Wi-Fi

Ok, I admit it, I'm not the most techno-savvy traveler around but I'm all for reducing the high costs of hotel Wi-Fi while traveling abroad. With some hotel's charging around 10 to 20 Euros or more per day! for Internet access, let's face it, we need all the help we can get. So take a minute to look at Gadling's easy suggestions to reduce your costs of hotel Internet access and let us know what you think.

To read the list of suggestions, please visit Gadling's website at www.gadling.com or click on the following link - Five free and cheap alternatives to expensive hotel Wi-Fi | Gadling.com

ps- In addition to the Gadling suggestions, I also recommend the free Skype iPhone application that can be downloaded from iTunes from the Application button on your iPhone. Once you download it, you can make free calls directly from your iPhone when you're in any free Wi-Fi zone in the world.

Do you have any technical suggestions for making cheap phone calls or for accessing the Web? if you do, please leave a comment or write to us at postcards@me.com and pass this information on!

10 Annoying Things you Might not Realize you're Doing on the Airplane

This is too funny and right on. A list of the 10 most annoying things "you might not realize you're doing on the airplane" published by Gadling, a popular air travel information website.

Some of the obvious ones, like get out of the aisle when people are boarding, or pull your shade down when it's light outside are listed with some other ones you will want to read.

To see the full list, please go to Gadling's website (www.gadling.com) or click on the following link.
10 annoying things you might not realize you're doing on the airplane | Gadling.com

Can you think of any more "annoying things" we can add to this list? leave your comments and pass it on!

A Historic Cafe in Buenos Aires - Cafe Tortoni

If you visit the Cafe Tortoni in Buenos Aires, you will feel as if you've entered a movie set from Europe in the 1800's. The cafe's interior resembles an aged Parisian cafe that has not changed it's beautiful interior for some time.

In the late 1800's, the Cafe Tortoni was a magnet for the local intellectual and artistic elite. The most famous Argentinian artists and writers like Jorge Luis Borgues, Carlos Gardel, Alfonsina Storni and Benito Quinquela Martin met there often with their friends. Today, there are still visual reminders of these famous guest. There are sculptures, paintings, photographs and letters by the artists through out the cafe's interior and some sections are named after a writer or painter of that era.

In addition to it's rich history and art, the Tortoni now hosts these wonderful, intimate Tango Shows every night in their two tiny backroom theaters - The Alfonsina Stormi room and La Bodega. I often tell first time visitors to stop by the Tortoni for a tango show. They are beautiful shows for very reasonable prices - about $80 pesos per show ($22 dollars). Can't beat that with a stick!

Unfortunately, unlike the old days, when the cafe was quietly populated by locals, today, the Tortoni is filled with tourists from around the world. for it's benefit or it's demise, it has been included as a "must visit" in the route of the yellow double-decker tourist bus that drives around Buenos Aires these days. Oh well, it is still a must see.

On the good side, the cafe does a wonderful job at spacing just the right amount of people inside the cafe, so it does not disturb its quiet, genteel air. People are only allowed in as tables empty, so if you go, wait patiently, for it's really worth it. Once inside, don't forget to visit the back room where they have the original shaving room. In the old days, one could go to the Tortoni to get a coffee and a shave.

The cafe is opened most of the day, so feel free to stop by for lunch. For more information on the cafe's history or to access their daily tango show schedules, please click on the following Internet link. Gran Caf�Tortoni 150 a�os con la Cultura Argentina

Cafe Tortoni
Ave De Mayo 825
Buenos Aires, Argentina
54-11-434-24328

Fun in Miami - Kitesurfing Lessons in Biscayne Bay

For an amazing experience in Miami, head to Key Biscayne for kite surfing lessons with the pros from Miami Kite Boarding. I just completed my first two hour lesson with them and it was exhilarating! I swear! I can't wait to go back!

Classes are held in the beautiful shallow waters of Biscayne Bay, inside Key Biscayne's Crandon Park. Call ahead to schedule your lesson and they will provide you with all the necessary gear. Bring a hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. Also, it helps if you wear a long sleeve shirt and a pair of long shorts (so you can wear their harness comfortably over the shorts). If you have neoprene booties, bring those too, but if you don't own a pair, don't worry, they have a bunch to lend out.

Lessons can be scheduled for 10 am or 1 pm everyday and prices vary according to the learning package you select (check their website for more information on this). We chose a two hour morning class that cost us $150 dollars each. It was a good call, the beach was cool and empty when we first arrived and the two hour lesson was long enough.

During our lesson, we first learned to prepare a kite for flight. For this, we cleared the lines of knots and hooked the lines to the kite. After this, we launched the kite in the air and practiced "feeling" the wind with the kite while our feet were firmly grounded on the sand. Initially we used a small training kite that measured only 3 meters by one. But even though this was a tiny kite, we quickly learned that it was powerful enough to drag us through the sand if placed in the right angle to receive the full force of the wind.

Stewart, our friendly Aussie instructor, told us that women were faster learners of this sport. Why? because, he claimed, learning to maneuver the kite was not so much about muscle, but about finesse and women were better at this. Humm, that sounded encouraging.
On my first attempt at holding and directing the kite in the wind, I realized that it was not as easy as I had first imagined. The kite was extremely sensitive to my shifting of the handle bar and it tugged heavily on my arms. One wrong move and it could fly out of control into a "danger zone" - the area in front on me where if the kite were to go, it would knock me to the ground in a fraction of a second, that fast, boom, down. After a few tries, I began to get the "feel" for the wind and for the kite. It was a rush and I was hooked!

If you're interested in a Kite Surfing lesson, please check Miami Kite Boarding's website in the following link - Kitesurfing Lessons - Miami kiteboarding Lessons

Miami Kite Boarding - IKO Certified
305-345-9974
info@miamikiteboarding.com