Paris, anyone? Part 2

This little travel series was originally published in the Spring of 2010, and here it is again...start packing your bags!

Last week I did a brief intro of how we frugal mamas can realistically get “across the pond” (if you’re just tuning in, you can find it here.

Now I’m going to get into the nitty gritty of travel to Europe.

Here’s how the next few weeks of this series will go:

March 13th: Get Yer Transportation On! (that's today!)
March 20th : Where to Sleep?
March 27th : Eating your way through Europe...yummo.
April 3rd: Shop 'till Ya Drop!

Okay, so let’s chat about booking flights. I know this is not necessarily a Dreamy topic, but let’s face it, it’s probably THE way you are going to get there, so you need to know about it!

Do not (I repeat, do not) book your travel through a travel office. If you have a ton of money to travel, these companies are great, but if you are trying to get there the frugal way, then you need to book tickets on your own.



1) I use the following airline’s sites: American, Northwest, United, and Lufthansa (Lufthansa is my favorite…better seats & better food!).

Occasionally I do find decent prices via Travelocity and Expedia, but for the most part, the best tickets I've booked have been through the individual carriers.

2) Hopefully your dates are somewhat flexible – flying midweek (typically Wednesday) is much cheaper than weekends.

Each airlines typically has a flexible fares chart that shows you pricing by day of the week or pricing throughout an entire calendar month.

3) There are often amazing flights leaving from NYC to Europe. I’ve booked flights using different carriers before. Example: A flight from Houston to NYC via Delta, and then a flight from NYC to Paris via AirFrance. You have to become your own travel agent, but it’s worth it to save some $$$ for other trip necessities (like shopping…).

If you think you won’t have the time for this, carve some time away from your typical online duties (ie Facebook!) and use that time for your travel homework.

4) If you would like to see more than one country (which I would highly recommend), we often fly into one country and then fly home out of a different country. Example: Fly into Paris, take a night train to Rome, then fly home from Rome.

To look at flights like this, most airlines have the Multiple Destination option to search.

5) Flight prices drop dramatically in early September and do not rise much until the end of April. I typically hit Europe in early September or early April as these are not peak months and the weather is still somewhat decent.

Summer months are when you see the crazy flight pricing…try to avoid summer travel dates if you can.

6) One last tip regarding booking flights is to consider baggage charges. When I was booking flights recently for this month's travel, I noticed that US Airways had a ticket that was much cheaper than American's.

I did a little digging and noticed that to check a second baggage, it was an additional $200 on US Airways, while it was only $50 for a second checked baggage on American.

That is very significant to me, as bringing some sweet stuff is at the top of my travel list!

So, now that you’ve made it across the pond, let’s chat about how you’re going to get around those cobblestone paths!

Trains, trains, trains! Most major cities have a metro rail and that is what we always use – incredibly cheap, convenient and fun to figure out!

Don’t be afraid to get lost – your fun little adventures will make for a great blog later on!



Most cities have their rail maps posted online, so you can study them prior to your arrival.

Here is Paris’ Metro

Here is Rome’s Metro

Here is Berlin’s Metro

Once you arrive in your city, you can purchase a Metro Pass that will save you a ton of money (see? Your shopping stash is growing by the minute…).

Most Europeans speak more English than we speak of their native language, so you can always ask for help. I have to say that the Swiss and Germans speak a LOT of English, even though they personally think their English stinks. The French don’t seem to speak as much English, and can be somewhat reluctant to help, but we have always found a good Samaritan in a pinch.

In any country, the key to starting off right is being able to ask for help in the local language. If you do need help at some point, at least attempt a little of their language - they will find your horrible pronunciation endearing, and they will in-turn help you out.

Just a Note: Nothing is more annoying to me than sitting in a quaint European bistro, and being interrupted by a loud American screaming, “DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH ??!!!”.

Funny story: When I took my mom to Paris, she had this weird theory that if she spoke in English, very SLOWLY and LOUDLY then that would aid a non-English speaking person to suddenly begin to understand what she was saying. This theory does not work.
Do not attempt this.

Two more Tips before we part for today:
1) To work on your travel cash, start cleaning out your closet. You’ll make some cash in the meantime (don’t touch it!) and you’ll be making room for your new precious purchases from overseas.

2) To get really inspired about your destination, go get a Rick Steve’s book and start planning. Rick has always been right on the money and he’s a frugal dude as well! Here are some of his books on Amazon. You can always buy last year's version - they don't change that much from just one year to the next (more pennies saved!).

Start your planning now and you may be posting a picture that looks something like this:




Thanks for stopping by this week!
Stay tuned next week, as we learn how to book Your sweet Euro Apartment!

Now I'm off to pack, pack, pack. Three more days to go!


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Shabby Decor, A la Nada!

This is the year of me giving my house some sweet vintage love.

I’m always quoting to myself that old saying about ‘the cobbler’s kids are the last to have shoes’.
That’s been the unfortunate story of my house.

But hey, I’m not all to blame – moving 3 times in 3 years may have something to do with it. (thanks Uncle Sam…)

Last week I posted a little blog about some Frenchy-fied mirrors that I finally painted for our bedroom. I was also pretty proud of the fact that that little décor only cost me @ $54 (compared to the $450 that Anthropologie wanted).

This week I moved down to the living room and the best part of this reveal is that the total re-do tally is $0 !!! Zip. Nada. No dollars. Woohoo!

Here’s how it goes…

I found this set of plates for free.




Yep, free.

It’s a good thing that my friend Britney wasn’t with me, or there just may have been a cat fight over these. No, not really. Brit and I are both southern sweeties.

Fighting = gross.

I’ve tried like crazy to look up some info on these. They are English and the maker’s mark is very clear, but I can’t find much of anything on them – even on English sites. Hmmmm….



All I know is they were FREE and they are adorable = score.

Part II…

I have a monster collection of old frames, all waiting to be loved again. My husband is developing a twitch every time I come home with a new one, so I’m really trying to find homes for each of them lately.

I pulled this one out of the pile…



A hammer and a few nails later, and I have some sweet shabby living room décor…


LOVE it!

Now I’m onto the bazillion things I have to conquer this week…mailing orders, booking flights for EUROPE (extreme excitement), prepping items for auction, updating the website, and let’s not forget that I’m a MOM and WIFE. Oh my.

No wonder I don’t get to blogging as often as I would like…

Check out the new shop & have a blessed week!
As always, thanks for tuning in!

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Paris, Anyone? Part 4

We’re back! Finally. Life got in the way this past week, so I’ve been somewhat absent from blogville.

If you’re just now joining us, we’ve been chatting about how anyone (that means You) can travel to Europe, and on a frugal mama’s budget! We’ve covered the general info and then dove into the details of travel and lodging.

This week we’re taking a peek at where to eat while in Europe.

Mama Mia…this subject always makes me hungry.

When in Rome, do as the Romans. In other words, while in Europe, eat like a European! Europeans are natural foodies (well, most of them are…) and they truly enjoy food.

My last trip to Paris was an all girls trip (actually it was an all mommies trip!) and believe it or not, my favorite part of the trip was our nightly evening meal. We spent hours over our meal with lots of wine and dessert included. We talked and talked and talked, with no interruptions. It was bliss.

So be ready to relax a little over meal time – Europeans cherish food and good conversation and you should too!

Here is how our food is typically mapped out within a day. Remember that this is the frugal mama way to tour, to get the best bang for your Euro budget!

Breakfast: we grab a wonderful cup of coffee and a pastry from the local bakery (there are @ 3 bakeries on every corner) and we’re on our way!

Lunch: if we are in more remote area, we stop that morning at a local market and grab some bread, tasty cheese, fruit, and water (or wine!) and pack it with us for the day. If we’re in a more metro area, we eat off the streets! (no, not literally…). We find the most delectable paninis, crepes and such, made right there in little street stands - they are wonderful and cheap!

Dinner: We only have about two actual nice sit-down dinners a week. Most nights we will stop at a walk-up restaurant or grocery and purchase fresh baked chicken and scrumptious salads…oh, and of course wine and dessert!

Eating this way will save you a ton of money, you will enjoy a great variety of foods, and you will actually be eating like a real European!

Here are some notes about Food by Country, based on our experiences:

Switzerland Favorites
KaseKuchen. In Germany this is their version of cheesecake (I’ll get to that later…), but in Switzerland, this is an amazing thin-crusted cheese pie. It’s a nice combo of emmental, gruyère, and appenzell cheeses and it literally melts in your mouth. Here’s a recipe that I found that looks pretty close to the real deal.

Poulet Curry Sandwich. This is just a basic curried chicken salad served on some tasty bread. Most bakeries carry this and it’s a perfect grab for lunch!

Laugen bretzel. These are basic pretzels that have been split and made into a little sandwich. I literally eat my weight in these – I can’t stop. These are found in local bakeries.


Bircher Muesli. This is a must-have for breakfast. I’m not a big muesli girl, but this is a major exception. A mix of muesli, yogurt, fresh honey, juice, heavy cream and fresh fruit. Most tea rooms and hotels serve this. You will also see it in little yogurt cups at the grocery, but that’s not the real deal.



Last on the list for Switzerland (and most important) is a visit to the Sprüngli store. They make the most killer macaroons. I’ve tried them everywhere I can find them and nothing compares to the Sprüngli version. Tons of sugar, but not too sweet and they melt as soon as you bite into them. Besides sending your taste buds through the roof, look how cute they are!


Italy
The best advice for Italy, is to stay away from Italian restaurants that advertise a lot or those that are in the heart of touristy areas – go to those found in side streets that don’t have many tourists eating there – eat with the locals!

Gelato: all I can say about this is eat as much as you can possibly stuff down! I realize that there are gelato shops in the States now, but there’s nothing like a scoop of pure Italian gelato- and for only 1 euro per scoop!



Germany
The fresh fish on the menu is always tasty and if you order a steak, it will actually be a side of beef – they believe in big portions!

For coffee, order a Latte Macchiato (tiny bit of espresso with lots of foamy milk) – it’s the perfect pick-me-up.

For olive fans, there are Turkish olive bars all over the place. I accidently spent a whopping $22 on olives the first time I stopped by one (my husband was not amused). But trust me, it’s olive heaven.

The pastries are not as good as they look – they don’t use much sugar in them, so their flavor is very floury. Their cheesecakes look divine, but the looks are deceiving . Try one if you like, but your best bet will be a pastry that includes some good ol' German chocolate.

For breakfast, milchreis is amazing. It’s a version of rice pudding that is both filling and sweet.


A note about pizza – in both Germany and Switzerland, pepperoni is actually banana peppers. If you want our version of pepperoni on your pie, you have to order your pizza “mit salami”.

France
If you’re in a more metro area (Paris!), a quick bite can be found at Brioche Dorée. This is a little in and out café that has something for everyone, and you’ll see them all over the city. Prices are very reasonable and the food is always fresh and tasty. This is a no-frills eating experience, but if you’re looking to get back to the shopping district in a flash, this is where you’ll want to eat!

My personal favorite food in France is the Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame. Let’s just say it’s the gourmet version of a grilled cheese.
The Croque Monsieur is the simple version,



and the Croque Madame includes a fried egg on top.


My husband was the brave one to first order the Madame version and we ended up fighting over his sandwich. True story. It was worth the fight.

The Croque Monsieur/Madame is amazing for either lunch or dinner, and you can find this little foodie in both walk up cafes and nice restaurants as well.

So our trip down Euro-foodie lane was more extensive than I had planned, but it was deliciously worth it. Be sure to take a peek here next week - it's all about the frugal way to shop Europe. You won't want to miss this one!

Now that I’ve been through all these favorites, it looks like I’m heading to the store to stock up on some Euro cheeses. Mmmmmm…..I can’t get enough. Now if I could just find some Turkish olives as well…

Paris, Anyone? Part 3

How’s your French coming along? Have you been stuffing more cash into that Europe envelope each week? Here we are at week three, in the frugal way to Hop the Pond. If you’re just joining us, here’s what we’ve got going on.

Week 1 was an overview of “crossing the pond”. Many people have a false notion that travel to Europe is crazy expensive and unattainable – not true!

Week 2 covered booking your flights the cheap-o way.

Week 3 covers fabulous yet frugal lodging in Europe. (that’s today!)

Week 4 will chat about Eating your way through Europe on just a few euros a day…don’t read this one on an empty stomach.

Week 5 will cover Shopping (the best for last!) and a little snippet of traveling with monkeys (aka children).

So, onto this week! Today’s info gets a bit wordy, so I’ve included several pictures of some of the apartments that we have stayed in, to add a bit of splash between the paragraphs!

Okay, so your plane has landed, you have your luggage (prayerfully) and you’re ready to find a place to rest your tired little noggin. Forget those dingy European hotels – stay in an apartment! Our family finally caught on to the blessing of renting apartments all over Europe and I sure wish we had known more about them on our honeymoon….that’s another blog all in itself!

Here’s why you’ll be glad you booked an Apartment:
1) The difference in price compared to a tiny European hotel room is staggering,

2) you have all the amenities of home and,

3) you get the experience of living like a local – that in itself is priceless!

Our family has used these two companies for finding apartments and we have never had a problem, mishap, or the dreaded…scam.

For Paris Apartments only, Centre Paris is our choice.

For Apartments throughout Europe, we choose Homelidays.

Look how cozy this one was. One of our favorites!



Finding the Right Apartment

Location, location, location…First you’ll want to figure out what area of the city will be best for your stay. Paris is the easiest place to book, as the entire city is mapped out by numbered districts.

If your stay includes major metropolitan areas (ie. Paris, Rome, Berlin, etc), make sure that it is near a Metro/Train station – if it is, they will definitely have this in the description.

After you have a good location in mind, play online and look through the apartments for location, size, pricing, etc. Don’t forget to check their availability calendar!

This was the first apartment we booked.


As you can see, it was kid-friendly!


This was the bakery that was directly across the street. I was there, um, several times during our short trip!



Booking Your Apartment
Once you find a few that suit your needs, pick out your most favorite one and contact the owner/property manager (each website has instructions on how to contact the owner or property manager). Typically they are very quick in responding and most of the time, their English is fluent enough to communicate all the details.

Here’s an example of an email we received from booking one of our apartments:

“The place is available.

This large family flat is located in the heart of Paris. The rooms are large, very well decorated and the flat is very bright. The flat is very comfortable, located on the 5th floor with a lift, it is very quiet .

There are many shops and stores for food around the flat and the open air market located rue Montorgueil is just 15 minutes by walk from your flat. There are plenty of food stores, and restaurants immediately around the flat.

This brand new flat is located in the heart of Paris. In less than 15 minutes you can walk to Opéra, 20 minutes to Louvre Museum. It has direct connections with the major tourists attractions such as Opéra Garnier, Champs Elysées and mains streets for shopping (10 minutes). The largest European pedestrian area “Rue Montorgueil” is located less than 15 minutes by walk. This area is full of restaurants, food shops. It can be reach easily by every airports and train stations.
Walking distances from the apartment are: 2 minutes for the nearest metro station and bus.
The area is safe and quiet. There is a supermarket just in your street .

For several days or more, benefit from the large space of the apartment with a living room, 3 bedrooms, a separate kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet.

Make yourself at home, cook for you, your family or friend. For leisure and for business, enjoy this fully equipped, brand new and ready-to-live-in flat. The flat has been renovated in 2004, equipment is brand new. A wooden floor is covering the floor.”

This email from the property management actually went on to tell us about check-in, deposits, etc., so you can see that you typically receive very detailed information prior to booking.

Here is an apartment we booked in Rome.


It had not been updated in quite a while, but you could tell that it had been an amazing home in the art deco era. Very fun!



Deposits
I can almost assure you that there will most definitely be a deposit required (in Euros, no credit cards), that you leave with the property management upon picking up the keys. Some of these deposits are hefty, but we have always received ours back in full. Details on your deposit will be in the information you receive from the owner/property management. If they don’t mention a deposit, be sure to ask – you don’t want to be caught off-guard on this one!

So, that’s about it. You find an apartment, you book it, then you get to look really cool amongst your peers when you say, “I have the greatest apartment in Paris that I could recommend to you for your upcoming trip”. I promise that it's actually a very easy process and you will be so happy that you stepped out and did something different from the hotel route.

That’s it for now.
(Angela, I know you’re reading this, so if I've left out any details, gimme a shout! ) I’m off to do the more glamorous duties of my life, such as laundry, potty training and cooking. Ciao for now!



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Paris, Anyone? Part 2

I’m back! What a week… I’m exhausted! I’ve had to neglect my blog for several days, and here’s why…It all started on Sunday, Mother’s Day. I was blessed with a few hours of solo shop time, and during my treasured solo shop time my precious brand new cell phone was stolen. To top that, I awoke on Monday morning with the yucky crud that my family has been passing around for a week now. No…!!! Everyone knows what happens when Momma gets sick – the kids still need feeding, potty training continues, and the house gets trashed in the midst of me trying to “work” while trudging along (do you hear my sympathy violin playing in the background?). So, that was my Mother’s Day! The good news is that next year’s Mother’s Day will be much better!

Enough of my blah week…let’s get on to Paris! Last week I did a brief intro of how we frugal mamas can realistically get “across the pond” (if you’re just tuning in, you can find it here). Now I’m going to get into the nitty gritty of travel to Europe. Here’s how the next few weeks of this series will go:

Week 2: booking flights and transportation abroad (that’s today!)

Week 3: booking apartments in Europe and eating like a local.

Week 4: Shopping. Yes, shopping always gets its own week!

Okay, so let’s chat about booking flights. I know this is not necessarily a Dreamy topic, but let’s face it, it’s probably THE way you are going to get there, so you need to know about it!

Do not (I repeat, do not) go through a travel office or a European tour service. If you have a ton of money to travel, these companies are great, but if you are trying to get there the frugal way, then you need to book tickets on your own.



1) I use the following airline’s sites: American, Northwest, United, and Lufthansa (Lufthansa is my favorite…better seats & better food!). I also use Travelocity and Expedia. This does take some time, but you will definitely get a good view of the very best rates available.

2) Hopefully your dates are somewhat flexible – flying midweek is much cheaper than weekends. Each airlines typically has a flexible fares chart that shows you pricing by day of the week or pricing throughout an entire calendar month.

3) There are often amazing flights leaving from NYC to Europe. I’ve booked flights using different carriers before. Example: A flight from Houston to NYC via Delta, and then a flight from NYC to Paris via AirFrance. You have to become your own travel agent, but it’s worth it to save some $$$ for other trip necessities(like shopping…). If you think you won’t have the time for this, carve some time away from your typical online duties (ie Facebook!) and use that time for your travel homework.

4) If you would like to see more than one country (which I would highly recommend), we often fly into one country and then fly home out of a different country. Example: Fly into Paris, take a night train to Rome, then fly home from Rome. To look at flights like this, most airlines have the “Multiple Destination” option to search.

5) Flight prices drop dramatically in early September and do not rise much until the end of April. I typically hit Europe in early September or early April as these are not peak months and the weather is still somewhat decent. Summer months are when you see the crazy flight pricing…try to avoid summer if you can.

Now that you’ve made it across the pond, let’s chat about how you’re going to get around those cobblestone paths!

Trains, trains, trains! Most major cities have a metro rail and that is what we always use – incredibly cheap, convenient and fun to figure out! Don’t be afraid to get lost – your fun little adventures will make for a great blog later on!



Most cities have their rail maps posted online, so you can study them prior to your arrival.

Here is Paris’ Metro

Here is Rome’s Metro

Here is Berlin’s Metro

Once you arrive in your city, you can purchase a Metro Pass that will save you a ton of money (see? Your shopping stash is growing by the minute…).

Most Europeans speak more English than we speak of their native language, so you can always ask for help. I have to say that the Swiss and Germans speak a LOT of English, even though they personally think their English stinks. The French don’t seem to speak as much English, and can be somewhat reluctant to help, but we have always found a good Samaritan in a pinch. In any country, the key to starting off right is being able to ask for help in the local language. If you do need help at some point, at least attempt a little of their language - they will find your horrible pronunciation endearing, and they will in-turn help you out.

Just a Note: Nothing is more annoying to me than sitting in a quaint European bistro, and being interrupted by a loud American screaming, “DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH ??!!!”. Funny story: When I took my mom to Paris, she had this weird theory that if she spoke SLOWLY and very LOUDLY then that would aid a non-English speaking person to suddenly begin to understand what she was saying.
This theory does not work.
Do not attempt this.

Two more Tips before we part for today:
1) To work on your travel cash, start cleaning out your closet. You’ll make some cash in the meantime (don’t touch it!) and you’ll be making room for your new precious purchases from overseas.

2) To get really inspired about your destination, go get a Rick Steve’s book and start planning. Rick has always been right on the money and he’s a frugal dude as well! Here are some of his books on Amazon. You can always buy last year's version - they don't change that much from just one year to the next (more pennies saved!).

Start your planning now and you may be posting a picture that looks something like this:




Thanks for stopping by this week! Stay tuned for Euro Apartments and scrumptious food next week! Now I'm off to read what you all are up to!


Don't forget about our Give-Away this week at Between Naps on the Porch!


And here's who we're linking up to this weekend:

Paris, Anyone?

Passport? Check. Comfy shoes? Check. Camera ready? Check. Paris, anyone?

I’ve been hopping “across the pond” for many years now - the first trip when I was just seventeen years old. As I return from each trip, I love sharing my various experiences, but I always come across the same comment from so many lovely ladies. Most of the time, it goes something like this, “Oh, I would love to go to Europe someday, but I could never afford a trip like that”. And to that, I say, 'start packing your bags, sister!'.

If you have a desire to tour Europe, then you’re in the right place. This is part one of my travel tip series in getting "across the pond". In part one, we’re keeping things short and sweet. If you’re still interested in all the details, then stay tuned next week for all of my specific how-to’s.

First let’s do a quick cost comparison. Let’s compare a stateside trip to the Coast versus a trip to Europe – this way you can see the cost difference on paper…



Wanna be frugal? Then do your homework! Book your own flights…I go both to individual airlines sites, as well as the big dogs like Expedia and Travelocity…it takes time, but you need to be your own travel agent.


Forget hotels – stay in an Apartment! Our family finally caught on to the blessing of renting apartments all over Europe. It's much cheaper and you get to live like a local!



Eat with ease via bakeries and local grocery markets – that crusty bread and cheese is dreamier than you could imagine!



Forget the rental car…while in Europe, travel like a local via Trains!


Get your Europe fund rolling now. A yard sale is a great place to start!


Don’t touch your Europe fund – no matter what!



You will have memories to last a lifetime…and hopefully some over-stuffed shopping bags to take home with you as well!



So...are you intrigued? If a trip across the pond seems appealing to you, stay tuned for next week’s detailed version of The Frugal Mama Takes On Europe!

Here's who we're linking up to this week...follow these fabulous blog mamas!