Ile Saint Louis (Island of Saint Louis) is the gorgeous island in the River Seine in Paris. You’ll find this fab little typical French restaurant –Auberge de la Reine Blanche – on the island opposite a picturesque little church (easy to find).
Once you step into Auberge, you’ll be in a very busy quaint old retaurant where the tables are so close you can’t help but chat with your dining neighbours :-)
Eating here is like a big old family dinner, and the staff are so lovely and welcoming, even though they seem to be rushed off their feet as they zip through the tiny spaces between tables. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you classic French meals arrive – excellent quality, great value. Go for the Prix Fixe – Fixed Price – Menu for a meal which suits just about all budget-conscious diners.
Let me know what you think, post a Comment on this page – I love to see whether my readers enjoy the places I recommend :-)
Are you a shoe person? Love gorgeous delicious amazing shoes? When you’re on holidays you’ll want to check out the designer shoe shopping in Paris! I’ve listed the stores by arrondissement (district).
As I locate the websites, I’ll add that info to this page – if you find other designer shoes you think should be on this list, please click the ADD A COMMENT link below and let me know – thanks in advance!
If you’re travelling with children, make your kids a Travel Journal before you leave home, and document the things they loved about where they were visiting.
Buy mini-staplers (they’re so tiny!) and glue sticks and supervise if necessary as your kids staple in business cards from toy stores, museums etc you’ve visited. If you forget to buy before you leave home, buy on arrival in a supermarket.
Encourage them to :
DATE each item
DRAW in their Travel Journal
and WRITE about what they liked … and didn’t like :-)
Help them create PAGES at the start of your trip for things like:
What are the new foods I tried?
What is the best candy I tried? (or “lollies”)
What are the new words I learnt?
What are the most fun/boring museums we visited?
Explain how they can answer these questions whenever they like throughout the trip, and they’ll have fun drawing on the pages to remind them.
Show them how to staple cool stuff in their Travel Journal, like:
the entry ticket to a museum
or a brochure about the Catacombs
or a business card from that fabulous icecream place where you had so much fun
perhaps a postcard of a tourist attraction like the Eiffel Tower
or maybe even a price tag from something they purchased, the brighter and more colourful the better
you can even staple in the tear-off luggage tags from their bags – and boarding pass stubs – to get them started.
They can cut out words from tourist brochures and glue or staple into their book, then write what it means in English beside it.
When you get back home, go over your Travel Journals together to remember the fun you had and to share your experiences again – the kids will love this!
My Travel Journals to buy online
I’ve created several new travel journals with my own photos and designs, which have unlined pages (great for drawing!).
The spiral spine allows the kids to open the journals flat or fold under while they write on the pages, great for travelling.
Order these to arrive before you leave on your trip, and the kids can start putting in some headings and questions at the top of the pages.
Be one of the first to own this new Journal!
Size: 4.5 x 8.5″
50 pages/100 sheets
Introductory Price to 7th July 2014: $US14.97 + shipping $5.00 worldwide (total $19.97)
Great Creole Restaurant in the 13th arrondissement
Great menu at Cafe Couleurs
In June 2008 my friend and I were staying at a hotel in rue des Cordelieres, Paris, and one night we wandered around the corner looking for a place to have dinner.
Very close by we stumbled upon CAFE COULEURS, in rue Pascal, just off Boulevard Arago and what a delight!
Tiny little restaurant nicely decorated, felt fresh and alive; wonderful seafood theme, delicious menu, and the waiter/owner was a hoot – name of Aldrick – although I’m not 100% not sure of the spelling :-)
The Creole cooking was delicious, the ambiance was lovely, in this tiny jewel amongst the residences and streets off Place d’Italie.
Prices were very reasonable – starters 5-7 Euros, mains 12-14 Euros, and desserts 5 Euros.
cut travel maps to fit wooden drawer fronts, attach with glue, paint with clear gloss
cover a lampshade by cutting the map in sections to fit
cover books with travel maps
cut up travel maps to make bookmarks, laminate and give as gifts
cover containers (or old tins) with travel maps and use for your pens etc on your desk (paint with clear gloss to protect them)
cut the travel maps in strips and attach to the spines of folders for your bookcase – the map will continue along a series of folders and looks very cool (paint with clear gloss to protect them)
make your own greeting cards with small parts of the travel maps cut up
laminate and display on the wall
buy some inexpensive cork drink coasters, cut travel maps the same size, attach with craft glue, and paint with clear gloss to protect them
cut them the same size as placemats, laminate them and use at mealtimes to remind you of your fabulous travel adventure!
cover shoe boxes or hat boxes with travel maps to give them an exotic adventurous look
make your own postcards – cut to fit postcard-sized heavy paper, attach with craft glue, attach sticky postcard-backs to them
You can do all of these things for your own pleasure, and you can also give them away as gifts to friends, family, co-workers and associates. Receiving something handmade is always greatly appreciated by the person receiving the gift.
Got a travel tip of your own? Click the ADD A COMMENT link below to share it – thanks! Have fun!
Do your feet swell when you fly? Then you simply must wear comfortable shoes in Paris when you’re exploring this marvellous city.
In 2008 I had a real problem with my feet – I couldn’t fit into any of the shoes I had with me, and ended up doing a quick search online to find large shoes, preferably somewhere close to where I was staying. I was struggling to walk and couldn’t walk for too long at all.
My feet usually swell when I fly, because I am in the air for so long when I depart from Sydney, Australia, but they generally settle down after a day or two.
Not this time – yikes!
So I let my fingers do the walking (over the internet) and I found a place which was only about ten minutes’ walk from my friend’s apartment – fabulous!
I headed off, found the shop, introduced myself to the owner (after I squeezed through all the precariously balanced boxes) and was treated to the best service I can ever remember receiving in a shoe store.
My feet were swollen all over right up to the ankles, so I needed wide shoes with an extended strap of some kind. After trying on about a dozen pairs, I slipped on these little beauties and they felt like soft leather gloves – perfect! They were available in right up to size 42 (European) which is size 11 in US fittings.
The brand is Reiker and they come in lots of styles and colours for normal to wide feet. I highly recommend them! There is absolutely nothing worse than hobbling around in Paris with painful or sore feet, so treat yourself either before you leave home, or when you get to Paris. You won’t regret it, I promise!
PS – they were so comfy I bought TWO pair! :-)
Where to buy your comfy shoes in Paris
I bought mine at the Marvin shoe shop – Chaussures Marvin – 56 rue Marx Dormoy, 75018 Paris
Telephone in Paris 01-42-05-77-72. Here’s the business card I collected:
Buy before you leave home!
If you want to buy before you leave home, I’ve found the Reiker shoes at a great price online – click this banner and type REIKER in the search box on their website. Good luck!
With all the travelling I’ve done over the past 30 years, I’ve had to learn how to beat (or avoid) jet lag, so that I don’t miss out on a day on both ends of my trip while I try to get into the normal timezone.
I’ve never taken sleeping pills when flying (or not flying) so I can’t really comment on that – they may work for you, but I have no first-hand experience.
My sure-fire tricks have worked for almost 30 yrs of travel … for me. Maybe they’ll help you too …
1. Whatever time I land, I have to be part of the timezone.
Arriving in Paris or another city early in the morning? If possible, have a quick shower. If you know in advance you can’t check-in to your hotel or accommodation early, shower at the airport after arrival. You’ll feel refreshed after your long flight, and be ready to start the day … on ‘Paris time’.
Head to your hotel etc, drop off your bags, grab your day bag of necessities (sunglasses, camera, map, journal – whatever you’d normally carry on a day-to-day basis). Go sit in a café and get into the ‘zone’ or go somewhere to keep your eyes busy (away from your bed). What about taking a cruise along the Seine? The Hidden Paris Barge Cruise for 2.5 hrs would be perfect! Do some research before you leave home to see which tours etc start early.
Arriving late in L.A. or Berlin or Melbourne? Go out for a drink, go window shopping, go somewhere relatively lively or meet friends etc.
2. Never nap for more than one hour on the first day
If you absolutely cannot stand up or stay awake during the day, have a ONE HOUR NAP – but NO LONGER THAN ONE HOUR.
Set your alarm clock, cellphone or ask the front desk to call and wake you – then have a shower to wake up and feel refreshed if possible.
I find if I nap for over an hour during the first day, I just can’t get into the swing of things.
Depending on the city I’m visiting, I follow all of the above, then go out for a few hours, have lunch, then come back for a one hour nap. When the alarm goes off, I force myself up (take another shower if you’re not already water-logged – or go for a swim if possible), put on my happy face and head out again for a few hours.
Instead of coming back to your room about 3-4pm, find a nice little place to have an aperitif, and talk to strangers, people-watch, savor the experience.
3. Do everything in your power to stay awake until 8pm
I’ve tested different ‘bed times’ and for me 8pm is the magic number. I have told myself that if I can stay awake until 8pm then I’ll get over jet lag fast, and I do :-)
Whatever you do, don’t laze around on the bed wherever you’re staying – you’ll be asleep from 3pm till 9pm and then awake until 6am – not good at all :-)
If at all possible, push through for as long as you can, or have a shower to freshen up and try to hang in till around 10pm.
4. Avoid doing things which help you fall asleep
Here are a few things which I know I shouldn’t do when jet lagged:
‘resting’ on the bed
just ‘closing my eyes for a minute’ – a big no-no
going to a movie – I’m bound to fall asleep, and maybe even snore and scare the rest of the audience
sitting/laying anywhere you feel very, very comfortable
Strike up a converstion to keep your brain active, whether it’s with a companion, someone at your accommodation, in a café, asking for directions, or just passing comment with a stranger … all of this helpsI’ve found this has worked for me time and time again – I am only ever a ‘bit tired’ for the first 2 or 3 days, I do wake up very early but I use that time to write in my journal or go for solitary walks around the district while the city is still stirring, then I’m right into the swing of things.
In Paris there are many cafés open at the crack of dawn (for example near the major stations like Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est) where you can have your café creme, watch the city start to awaken, and write in your journal or write postcards; you do still write postcards, don’t you? :-)
5. Ever heard of a floatation tank?
Haven’t heard of these for a few years, but I had friends who said floatation tanks were their answer – get into one as soon as you land at your destination – they reset your internal clock immediatly.
PS – I don’t have any hard and fast rules about being on the plane – eat when hungry, sleep when tired usually gets me through :-)
If you have any of your own tips or suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Simply click the ADD A COMMENT link below this text and share it with us.
Today’s Top Travel Tip is for Return Address Labels
I always take a few printed sheets of these with me whenever I travel, and make sure I have them in my day bag, backpack or handbag each day before I head out into the streets of Paris (or whichever location I’m visiting).
There are so many reasons to have your own stick-on return address labels with you – here are a few that I use:
every time you buy a book or item you want to keep, but a return address label on it, in it or under it
when you want to swap details with someone, hand them one of your sticky labels (with the back on it) so they can stick it in their journal or address book or whatever
when you’re in a shop or gallery and you’d like to add your name to their mailing list, simply stick a sticky label on their list
stick the labels onto camera and digital items, fold-up-umbrella, any other item you would like returned to you if you misplaced it
please note that if someone steals your items, a sticky label is easy to peel off – if your camera or other digital items have serial numbers, make sure you have those written down somewhere, and take photos of all items before you leave home, and download the photos in case you need them for insurance purposes on your return
if you need to fill in forms of any kind while travelling, your stick-on return address labels can be used instead of all that handwriting :-)
if you write in a journal while visiting cafés and restaurants, make sure your return address label is stuck on the inside front AND back covers (and if your Twitter name is on there, you’ll get a tweet about it as soon as you login somewhere!)
if you buy posters and plan on shipping them home, or even carrying them on the plane when you return, you will probably keep them secure in a cardboard mailing tube of some kind – put a couple of sticky labels on the outside (AND INSIDE) of the tube in case it gets misplaced on the flight
you probably have laminated tags on all your belongings, but it’s always a good idea to put sticky labels in pockets of suitcases, handbags, carry-on bags, backpacks etc.
Things to consider
If you’re not comfortable sharing your mailing address with people you meet on your travels, consider giving them a sticky label which simply has your email name, website name, or Twitter name on it
If you don’t want to hand out your email name – create a new ‘travel email name‘ at http://Gmail.com
I’ve just ordered some new sticky labels which have my Paris website name and my Twitter name, so I will also take these with me on my next trip or travel adventure.
I’ve been an adventurer and travelled to far away lands over many years; from Alaska in the north to the bottom of Australia, and many points inbetween :-)
I’ve sent more postcards than I can count, and as much as I’d like to say every single one arrived … they didn’t.
Over the years I’ve worked out ways to help my postcards arrive, one of which is putting my OWN return address on them.
This might sound crazy to some, but if for any reason whatsoever your postcard can’t be delivered, the post office will try to send it back from whence it came.
Now I understand that as travellers we would rarely think to put our return address on a postcard or letter sent while we’re on holidays, but let’s think about this …
If your return address WAS on the postcard or letter, and for any reason it couldn’t be delivered to the address you wanted, then it will be RETURNED to your home address … even while you’re still travelling.
There could be many reasons why it didn’t reach its destination, and this just helps it get back to you, so you can deliver it or resend it when you get home. Works like a charm!
So I always take RETURN ADDRESS stickers with me, and sometimes trim them so they don’t take up too much real estate space on the postcard :-)
I always write FROM: beside the label, and TO: on the address of the friend it’s going to. Sometimes I’ll even draw a circle around the address of the recipient so it stands out more, or if I have coloured pens or highighters, I’ll use those too.
Today’s travel tip is to buy inexpensive tourist scarves from your destination – you’ll see them everywhere, and they’ll be very inexpensive, easy to pack, and very light in your baggage.
Here are a few top travel tips for using these scarves
Use the scarves:
to wrap gifts for your friends and family over the coming year. It’s such an unusual – and inexpensive – way to use a scarf, and your friends and family will love it!
to make inexpensive cushion covers for yourself, or for others. All you have to do is put two scarves together, sew around three sides, and turn right side out. Iron. Put a cushion insert inside, and stitch up the last seam. If you’re very good at sewing, you can add a zipper or velcro closure. Perfect!
as placemats
to cover books
to make a bedspread – yes! Depending on the size of your bed, you’ll need 3 or 4 scarves across the bed, times 4-5 scarves in length, so a total of 12-20+ scarves. You could even add a nice silky backing to it and turn it into a duvet.
Have fun! Keep your eyes peeled for other inexpensive tourist items you can use in many different ways.
If you have a tip, I’d love to hear it! Simply click the ADD A COMMENT link below to send me a message.
This travel Tip is about maps from your holiday destination, like Paris.
Something I love to do is save my travel maps from my adventures, and use them for lots of things when I get home.
One of my favourite things to do with the travel maps is to use them as WRAPPING PAPER for gifts throughout the coming year. My friends love getting presents wrapped up in a map of Paris (or Prague or Peru, wherever you’ve been).
It’s simple, it’s free, and your friends will have fun picking out places on the map.
When you’re travelling it’s easy to get lost, not be able to read a map, or speak the language to ask a question.
Today’s tip is to take a digital photo of your hotel after you step out into the street, and walk to the nearest corner and take a photo of the street signs.
Take a photo of the metro sign as you go down into the metro, as there are often 4 or even 5 entrances to the same metro station in Paris, and you’ll be able to work out which one to exit from when you return later in the day.
You can use these photos to show to strangers if you’re lost, or simply to work out how to return to your hotel.
Of course you can always grab a business card from the front desk of your hotel or accommodation place, but sometimes they run out of cards, or there’s no-one at the desk, or lots of other reasons.
Using this tip will also get you speaking with locals and trying to communicate … and isn’t that why you decided to travel in the first place? To visit foreign lands and meet the locals? :-)
Are you a shoe person? Love gorgeous delicious amazing shoes? When you’re on holidays you’ll want to check out the designer shoe shopping in Paris! I’ve listed the stores by arrondissement (district).
If you’re travelling with children, make your kids a Travel Journal before you leave home, and document the things they loved about where they were visiting.
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