Happy New Year everybody! It’s a new day, a fresh start, and a joyful vision of travel all over France.

It’s time to plan trips – for this month, for April, June, Summer, August, Fall and on into winter and Christmas. As always, there’s way more to see and do than anyone can do even in a decade – so let’s get started.

To simplify our lives and packing, how about jettisoning some of the paper for the iPhone travel apps? I like the idea of using the 21st century to explore the 17th.

Everyone is buzzing about the many travel apps on the iPhone or iTouch, so here are a few, harvested from a bunch of sites. Please note: I have not received any apps nor any money for endorsing or even mentioning them. This is just pure research and is only a sample of what’s out there.

A. General Interest for travelers

1. Shazam – for local music which is often not available outside the borders of a particular country. France has amazingly diverse musical traditions and fusions, which tend not to be available from US commercial outlets – for obvious reasons.

2. WiFi Finder – Especially useful for Skype users, to avoid expensive international data rates. It tracks 200,000 hotspots (free and paid) in 135 countries. (Note: Found this on multiple sites – not highly rated, but in common use it looks like. )

3. Skype – oh my – WiFi access to free or very cheap calls. My son told me about this one. My best friend’s daughter called me from Thailand, with a webcam. We were able to talk and see each other – very little delay, great picture. Amazing! (You probably all already know about this one.)

4. IAmHere – sends an email with link to Google maps. Go ahead – make your friends jealous!

5. SiteOrSquat – ok it’s neither delicate nor euphonious – but it helps the traveler find clean bathrooms and you can even rate bathrooms that haven’t been listed.

6. WorldView- lets a traveler check webcams for weather (9,000 sites)

7. Tripit for iPhone – automatically generates master trip itinerary from travel confirmation emails – not a top priority for the simple trip (“I’m going to France for 3 months” or I’m island-hopping through Indonesia and have no idea where I will be on any given day”.)

8. Yelp – Yelp is the well-known source of reviews of restaurants, shops, cafes, and so on- written by locals and users. Tap local, candid knowledge before you spend your precious euros.

B. France and Paris (also in no particular order)

1. Rick Steves: Rick Steves has created a bunch of applications: (a) Historic Paris Walking Tour, with text, audio, and video; (b) Louvre Tour; © Musee D’Orsay Tour; (d) Versailles Tour.

2. Paris Metro iPhone – Eliminates the need to struggle with big paper maps and look obviously out of place and touristy. It’s searchable, by station. Its GPS lets you locate the closest stop. AND it can plot your route – you input your starting point and end point by metro station and it will display the best route.

3. Lonely Planet iPhone Paris City Guide. Many people love Lonely Planet’s resources for navigating Paris.

4. Frommer’s Paris iPhone App Guide – Get the picture???

5. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Guide – CDG is huge and crazy – especially after a 10-12 hour flight or lots of layovers. Depending on your comfort level with big and strange, maybe this could be re-assuring.

6. Language applications – there are a bunch of these. I suggest looking them up on-line or talking to friends who have used them and choosing the one(s) that work for you. Some offerings include: (a) Free French Tutor and French Essentials- self-explanatory – can help the traveler get familiar with the sound of spoken French (b) Talking French Phrasebook. Simple – displays what you want to say in English and French, and then talks to you. © Oxford Translator French Pro iPhone – More options than simple phrases – with icons for categories, e.g., food, drink, hotel/lodging.

7. Paris2Go: An all-around Paris application with information, highlights, transportation, and neighborhood info – i.e., what’s near where you happen to be. I looked it up. It’s a searchable map and guide, with access to pages of in-depth and updated historical data, maps, and so forth – not just short squibs. You can browse without an internet connection. .

8. Paris Street map: very handy because the streets of Paris are not always that easy to navigate and it is a great pocket resource and you don’t have to look so silly unfolding a big paper map. It is GPS enabled, helpful. The Paris Offline Street Map works without an internet connection.
9. Paris Lite HiGuide: GPS enabled map of Paris, helpful.
10. Follow the Tour de France! – use Rabo iTour or http://www.itourdefrance.com .

11. mPassport – Access to medical care in Paris, developed by HTH Worldwide, a global health and safety services company. mPassport is an application that helps English-speaking expats and travelers access medical care in Paris – search, map, and choose among pre-selected English-speaking doctors, dentists, hospitals, and pharmacies; get an appointment on short notice; translate medical terms and find equivalent brands; get directions from where you are or from landmarks.
According to AmericaBlog, medical care in France is fast, inexpensive, and patient-friendly – they assume you have a right to the care and worry about the money later.
One final tip: Take your iPhone charger and adapter with you or check one of your apps for the Apple Store nearest you in France!

There’s something quite soothing about the whole idea of impressionism in these times of endless war and frightening natural tragedies. The epicenter of impressionism has to be in France’s Normandy region. After all, Normandy is home to Monet’s house and garden at Giverny (see Givery’s layout on a Map). Why not throw a blow-out festival?

This festival is not just a series of exhibitions of impressionist art, although there are a number of those planned too. For example, the Castle Museum in Dieppe will curate an exhibition of paintings that depict that City and its surroundings; and the museum of fine art in Rouen will curate an exhibition of paintings of the city by Monet, Gaugin and Pissarro. Other exhibitions are slated for Le Havre, Hornfleur, Giverny and Caen.

Read all about the festival at Europe ala Carte: Normandy’s Impressionism Festival: Summer 2010

The Semaine de Fooding exemplifies the orderly, creative, philosophical anarchy that is a unique feature of French culture + FOOD. Sponsored by Le Fooding, this week of culinary madness kicks off November 30 and goes through December 7th. Like other Paris-based events, the whole city is involved.

This year’s theme is: Les Incorrects (presumably, the so-called politically incorrect, a term which has been corrupted from its original intent, to reflect accurately and sensitively on the subjects discussed). However, Les Incorrects for this purpose includes: Horse Carpaccio. (I don’t think I could do it, but then again, I’m living during the Paris Commune either). There is talk of a unique wine and food pairing: champagne and maggots.

One can wander and sample all week long. Chefs in masks will cook things they would never, ever want connected to their own names or restaurants.

Some of the dishes mentioned, however, actually have a long history. Remember, peasants everywhere eat everything but the squeal. Survival makes one a lot less choosy; being French means one can make it taste good. For example, my old Larousse Gastronomique has a number of recipes for cooking camel. Unlike Bear Grylls’s cuisine, these seem like they would taste good.

Invitations and the program can be found on the website:

http://www.lefooding.com

The week ends witha party at/in the 1929 art deco swimming pool, the Piscine Molitor.

All proceeds benefit the Action Contre le Faim (loosely translated: Action Against Hunger)

Then, reassure oneself that more conventional French food is alive and well by buying the annual Guide, which can be purchased on-line.

(Picture courtesy of: Deadilicious, Vingt Paris, & Le Fooding)

The website is fun and interactive. Check out the map of France: click on a province and find out where to eat.

Please note: sadly, no one has given me a Guide or tickets or anything. Alas.

Still, Paris beckons. It’s chocolate season!

Granted, it’s an unlikely pairing, but allow me to explain.

The DVD of the Star Trek movie comes out today. In a wave of brilliant marketing, Genki Wear has released and publicized a trio of scents inspired by the original series: Tiberius (for James T. Kirk), Ponn Far (vulcan mating ritual, but for ladies), and Red Shirt (“Because Tomorrow May Never Come”). So now we know the allure of James T. Kirk: top notes of citron zest, black pepper, and cedar, with warm vanilla white mustk, and sandalwood.

What has this to do with French Candles, pray tell?

The luxurious and ancient candle-making firm of Cire Trudon is the oldest such firm still in operation, dating from 1643 (or thereabouts). Remember. in France, the 17th Century was just yesterday. Its candles come in puffy, golden-green glass holds, with thick golden seals on the front. They proudly boast of their rich scent and freedom from harmful chemicals.

Recently, Cire Trudon has reinvented and updated its scents. In a unique new partnership with a modern artist, Philippe Parreno, the firm is producing a candle: Odeur de Lune (Scent of the Moon). They researched NASA reports from the moon mission and came up with a scent that starts with metallized sulphre and kerosene, dires to black coal and saltpeter, and ends with metal in fusion and smoked seasoned wood. Granted, it sounds very industrial.

I think they are also planning scent for Space (the Final Frontier).

More traditional scents include: Empire (Napoleon), Odalesque, Revolution, and Roi Soleil (candles, incense, and cold stone – the scent of church).

The website is:

http://www.ciretrudon.com

The Paris stores are located at: 78 rue de Seine and 12 rue de Temple.

Go to the website for a gorgeous interactive 17th century map to find the retailer nearest you. And empty your change jar.

Then, scented like Kirk and inhaling an olfactory vision of the Moon, boldly go!

The Eiffel Tower is 120 years old and Citroen is 90 years old. They have teamed up again to celebrate their birthdays with an amazing light show at the Tour Eiffel. Starting tonight, there will be a huge show every night through January 22.

It turns out that Citroen and the Tour have done this before. In the 19202 (forgot the date), the Tour lit up for Citroen with a huge 250,000-bulb display of the Citroen name. It was so bright that Lindbergh used it to guide his Paris landing.

Tonight, at 9 pm (presumably Paris time) we can watch the display LIVE at:

http://www.toureiffel.citroen.com

I can hardly wait. Those of you who are rich and/or live on the east coast, hop a plane and see it live.

Happy 120th Birthday to all!