1 comments about Peter Mayle's Provence: Included A Year In Provence and Toujours Provence.

1. Our whole family has enjoyed being transported to Provence by these tapes while on long distance driving trips. The readers voices conveyed perfectly the flavor and humor of these stories, and wheted our desires to join the author in the bucolic splendor of the French countryside. After a year I still recall the feeling of the warm summer sun and the icy winter winds, the tastes of the provincial restaurants, and the uniqueness of the neighbors and friends we met and enjoyed via these remarkable tapes. Were that all books on tape were as well done and captivating. Highly recommended if you would like to savor the unexpected joys of an often not-so-quiet country retreat.

5 comments about Exploring the Flea Markets of France: A Companion Guide for Visitors and Collectors.

1. I roadtested this book on a recent trip to Provence and it was just what I needed. Not only did it tell me about the markets and their wares, but it also directed me to the best meal of my trip. The other big plus was useful French phrases for transactions with vendors who had little English.



2. Thank you, Sandy, for this great book! Just returned from Paris where 3 other antique dealers and I visited all the markets listed for Paris that were available in November. The information was accurate and honest and the directions very complete. This is a great time saver for serious shoppers like we are and enabled us to maximize our limited time in Paris. We plan to use the other sections of the book on a future trip (soon we hope!) and recommend it to others we discover that are planning a shopping trip in France. Well worth the modest price!



3. Would never sell this book! Would never loan this book! But you can come to my house and look at it. Every bit of information (and there is a lot) is absolutely accurate!
   My friend Joann and I had planned two weeks in Paris, just for Flea Markets, when my "brilliant" friend Annie in California sent me this book. I can't image my "hunt" without it. It made preparing for the trip a blast and the actual running around a breeze. Thank you Sandy. I would buy anything that you wrote. To the rest of you: Don't even think about it. Just buy the book and hop on a plane. Take along Sandy's advice and extra suitcases!



4. This book gives prices in FF (French Francs). France changed from Francs to Euros in 2000. Does that give you a hint of how out-dated this book is? Granted, a lot of the information will still be valid, but much will not; needs another edition with a serious update. Also, could use lots of photos or drawings to illustrate the points she's making (for examples, Price discusses various types of French pottery; it would be nice to see what she's talking about)
   This is probably a better book for armchair travel than for actually guiding you through French flea markets. Good luck!



5. Every time we go to France, I pull out this book and read about the flea markets in the area or city we will be visiting. It has been a kick to visit flea markets here and there in our travels in France. Albeit it's quite dated now, but I still found it amazingly accurate on a trip to Brittany in June 2007. I knew what days to look for markets in what towns. I'd love to see another addition and like the idea of photos or drawings in the first section of the book where she writes about the kinds of items to look for.

No comments about IN THE LAND OF TEMPLE CAVES: From St. Emilion to Paris's St. Sulpice : Notes on Art and the Human Spirit.

5 comments about Paris Out of Hand: A Wayward Guide.

1. This book is a georgous book, from its looks (plush cover, ribbon bookmark, illustrations) to its content. It describes a slew of fictional places (and a few non-fictional) creating a surrealistic, dreamlike landscape. As nice as it is, this isn't a sit down and read sort of book, more of a coffee table type, wonderful to flip through and see what you find.



2. This imaginary guide to Paris is full of surreal imagination that will just make you smile. Helpfully divided up into sections on hotels, restaurants, the nightlife, sights, etc., you'll read about places and services you've never dreamed of! What a shame, they don't really exist! Peppered thoughout the text are helpful French expressions translated into English such as "Do you have a ladder so I can reach your airmail clerk suspended from the ceiling?" You can read some guest comments for the hotels which of course, are also bizarre, and learn about special services such as a kidnapping service or a food tasting service (so you don't get poisoned). The book has some quotes from real people too and the lavish artwork gives it an other worldly feel. It will transport you immediately to a wonderful alternative reality Paris.



3. Lovely useless french phrases that just beg you to use them.
   "there is a frog in my bidet". How great is that.
   
   Superb imagination. On both the behalf of the writer and the illustrator.



4. This book did not come close to the Griffin and Sabine series despite its recommendation for people who like Bantok's work. While parts are funny, other parts are too hard to follow or just too outrageous to get what the author is trying to convey.



5. As an off-beat book that sems to be about Paris this was amusing but of limited value. The book is too cheeky and cute to serve as a useful guidebook. I felt lost on some entries - as if it was necessary to already be an insider to get the references made on some places.
   
   If I already knew Paris well, I might have appreciated this book. Don't know. But it did not seem to be very useful as a travelogue that I'd carry with me next time I trek over to the City of Light.
   
   A bit too wayward, and not enough of a guide. Beautifully typeset, I might add, which means a lot to me, But not sufficient for me to keep it and pop it in the laptop's carrying case.

1 comments about Michelin 2006 Atlas Routier France (Michelin France Atlas (mini-spiral)).

1. I ordered this atlas and then sent it back. The maps have no detail whatsoever, and it doesn't show any streets, just major highways. Maybe it would be good for people who would be traveling a lot on the highways in France. But once you get somewhere you'll be out of luck because it doesn't show the streets of towns.

No comments about Karen Brown's France: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries 2006 (Karen Brown's France Hotels).

1 comments about Life in Mexico.

1. Madam Calderon de la Barca was a young woman from the east coast USA who was a natural born writer. She kept a wonderful personal journal about her life in Mexico after she married the Spanish ambassador. They travel by ship to Havanna then on to Veracruz where she encounters mangos and other New World delights. After a long hard road via stage coach to Mexico City they settle into their new home in the Mint on the Zocalo in the heart of downtown. Senora Calderon de la Barca has an eye for detail and a wonderul understated humor she uses to describe life in Mexico in the early 1700's. She visits haciendas, nunneries, great ballrooms, corner tortilla and lace makers, drinks pulque and she notes it all down with a most deliciously transporting pen. Enjoy.

1 comments about Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet (Modern Library).

1. What a great opportunity to learn more about the Paris I love, and French food which I do not prepare at home. I wait for my trips. I am not intimidated with the snooty waiters, as I did my "homework." I'm prepared to ask questions about loaves and wine and anything else. The set-up of the chapters was easy reading, too. I trusted the writers. I discovered more secrets in Paris via their investigations and risky ventures. I didn't have to suffer the frustrations of getting lost on the metro nor the pains of tusseling with those Parisian cabbies. I especially enjoyed the trips to the new and modern Paris as described by Paul Goldberger. Do you want to loaf with a loaf, drink a bottle away from the bottlenecks? Read this book. Also, I will read other books in the Modern Library Food series based on my enjoyment of Ruth Reichl choices.

2 comments about Provence.

1. Absolutely wonderful! It really brought back fond memories of my trip to Provence.



2. I borrowed this book from a friend, and was surprised to be so disappointed. The photography doesn't do the region justice, and isn't particularly good. It's such a beautiful place to be; it seems that photographers who have lived there for so long would be able to capture the feel, the essence of the villages, the people, the flowers. You'd be better off buying almost any other book on Provence!

5 comments about The Rough Guide to France (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. What I like best about the Rough Guides is that they give critical reviews. They will point out the tourist traps and will give negative reviews. I find that Frommer's and Fodor's rarely point out the negatives to a particular hotel or site. The rough guide is very critical and is a great balance to these other guides. I would balance your trip to France with a Fodors (or Frommers) book because the maps and illustrations are often better and there are more higher-end hotels listed.

   This book will help you decide where is best to spend your vacation in France. There are clear critical descriptions of all the regions and great general info on getting around in France.

   If you aren't interested in "roughing" it and staying in lower priced hotels.. the guides are still very useful in rating attractions, and areas in which to stay... but you will need another book to look at more moderate and luxury hotels.

   I would definitely read this book before going to France.




2. If you are looking for a small book to fit in your back pocket, The Rough Guide France is not for you. If you are looking for a guide that lovingly describes even the smallest French town in careful detail and clear format, then this IS the guide book you should be looking for.
   
   The Rough Guide to France does an excellent job in several areas where many guide books fail. For example, smaller attractions are often overlooked in favor of the larger cities, such as Paris or Lyon. Rough Guide ensures that for those who want to go provincial, they won't be going in blind.
   
   Another merit of the guide is in it's clear, concise format. Not overburdened with irrelevant maps/illustrations (a pet peeve of mine), Rough Guide has clean, simple directions and mapping. This is a vast improvements over Guides like Lonely Planet, where I often feel the editors publish more with an eye towards their own self-satisfaction than towards the serious traveler.
   
   The resturaunt/hotel features are adequate, frequently include useful maps, and will not tax anyone's checkbook too harshly.
   
   Perhaps the greatest strength of this guide is the seeming conviction of the editors to tell you that which you NEED to know for that trip to France. Michelin might the cultural ask-all, DK may have lots of lovely photographs, but Rough Guide is for when you're ready to get serious about your trip to France.
   
   Well-written, informative, with a clear and honest style that should impress both casual and budget traveler alike, The Rough Guide France should be your FIRST PICK in guide books.



3. This is THE BEST practical guide for visiting France. It's well-organized, with highlights at the front of each chapter, and practical transportation information at the end of each chapter. In addition, their evaluations of a site's merit have, thus far, been right on. While their lodging and dining sections might focus on the lower-end, the accuracy and comprehensiveness of their information more than makes up for it.



4. I live along the border of France and Switzerland. I like to take excursions around France and needed a dependable guide. So far, I have found this one to be pretty good, with straightforward basics about how to get around, where to stay and with pretty accurate opinions. I would recommend it overall, but bottom line, the very best resource is Michelin. If I were to buy just one guide I would make it the Michelin green guide, or of course for restaurants, the red guide.



5. I purchased this book to use for an upcoming trip. I purchased the newest edition which it the 9th.
   
   I found that some of the information has not been checked or updated. For example, there is a aquarium called Nausicaa where the book info was about 5 years out of date.
   
   Other complaints:
   1) The writers seem to be extreme leftists in their opinions. If you are a gay vegan tree hugger this is the book for you.
   2) Not enough info for people travelling by car. I realize that this isn't Rough Guides focus, but I found the coverage in Rough Guide Italy to be much better.
   3) Minimal coverage for people travelling with families.
   
   Positives:
   1) Good coverage of camping
   2) Breakdown by regions is helpful, as is summary of region in opening paragraph of each chapter.
   
   I still intend on using the guide, although if I had to do it over I would probably buy a different guide.