Hi from Rick: Slower is Better
 |
| "setting my nighttime clock by the Eiffel Tower..." |
I've spent this past week in Paris. With the luxury of an entire week to settle into one place, I've been able to connect with this city like never before: sipping a kir before dinner (a genteel-feeling way to begin a meal)...spending enough time to really "be" in the Orangerie so I could take a virtual stroll around the edge of Monet's lily pond with the artist himself...developing a taste for pistachio macaroons...looking forward to hearing the folk troupe of Russian musicians that plays in the Métro station nearest my hotel...and getting used to setting my nighttime clock by the Eiffel Tower doing its top-of-the hour, crazy-twinkle-routine. Sure, a whirlwind tour is exhilarating. But when it comes to appreciating a great city, slower is better.
Today, I returned to my hotel in time to join one of our Best of Paris in 7 Days tour groups, just as their guide, Arnaud, was sharing his passion for the wines of his home region of Burgundy. Taking time to sip a few wines with a group of happy travelers in the hotel's breakfast room, I was reminded that just about the only way a traveler could improve on a week in Paris would be to spend it with a fun gang of tour members and a great guide.
In this month's Tour News we'll take you through a veritable buffet line of our city tours, dishing out tempting tastes of Paris, London, Rome, Istanbul, Venice-Florence-Rome, Berlin-Prague-Vienna, and Barcelona-Madrid. You'll also find lively interviews with our talented city guides, unabashed raves from city tour members, and video of Arnaud taking me on a walk through Paris — and on a tour of a classic, multi-course Parisian lunch.
For more impressions from my travels this summer, keep reading our monthly Travel News and Tour News — and catch my almost-daily dispatches on Facebook. It's fun to keep in touch.
Happy travels,
Rick