HER
HEAVENLY HATS IN MONTREAL, CANADA -- writes
Beth from Detroit, USA -- When I travelled
to Montreal I spent a full afternoon browsing on St. Denis Street.
So many of the boutiques had original items that I hadn't seen
any place else. A wonderful store is Chapofolie that specializes
in hats -- everything from hand knitted winter styles to straw
hats for the summer. I think other JourneyWomen will really
like this place.
P.S. Most shopkeepers
in this part of the city speak French but they will switch to
English if you don't understand. Address: 3944 St. Denis near
Roy. This shop is not open on Sunday morning. They open at 1:00
PM that day.
SCARVES
AND RUNNING SHOES IN PARIS? -- writes Nancy
from Edmonton, Canada -- I've travelled to Paris several
times and a scarf is definitely not a must. It can be a plus,
though. It was fun observing how the French women tied their
scarves. Then I bought an inexpensive one for myself and tried
the same thing. Why not? I guess I did blend in until I had
to use my grade three French. Ooops... scarf or not I was no
longer a sexy Parisian woman. About not wearing sneakers, I
agree that with so many fashionable walking shoes on the market,
wearing your athletic running shoes is just not necessary (or
sexy).
EDITOR'S NOTE: At Journeywoman, we believe that the way a woman dresses as she moves around the world is very important. It affects her safety. It affects her social interactions. It can make or break her travel adventure. (And, if she packs too much, carrying her bags can make her very tired, very cranky and very vulnerable!) For excellent clothing advice, click here.
CHOCOLATE,
CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE IN PARIS -- writes Sally
from Medford USA -- On the left bank, master chocolatier
Christian Constant's boutique and adjacent salon de chocolat
are must-visit destinations for exquisite chocolates and patisserie.
Located just off the Luxembourg Gardens and close to the shopping
delights of St. Germain, Constant is a luminous star in the
glorious Paris-chocolate-galaxy. With its select menu of gourmet
salads, sandwiches and a hot plat du jour, Constant's tiny salon
is a great destination for lunch. And of course, throughout
the afternoon the salon is a fine destination for a cup of decadent
chocolat chaud, tea, coffee and patisserie or ice cream. Located
at 37 rue d'Assas, a street once home to Gertrude Stein, the
experience of visiting Christian Constant causes one to wax
philosophical about life's serendipities.
B
& B IN SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA -- Cindy
in Wilton, USA -- I wanted to share with your readers
a wonderful place called Journeys Within in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Journeys Within is owned by an American couple; they were travelling
through Cambodia several years ago and fell in love with the
people and country. They bought a house and land, which has
now been expanded to include three bungalows and a pool, surrounded
by nicely landscaped grounds. Journeys has a friendly, attentive
Cambodian staff. Through them we arranged for a driver and guide
to take us to explore the temples at Angkor Wat, a truly amazing
experience. Rooms were lovely; breakfasts were delicious and
abundant; and rates quite reasonable. In addition to the B&B,
Journeys also runs a non-profit organization which is building
wells to give Cambodian villages access to fresh water; and
providing English classes for youth and adults. We had an opportunity
to visit a school where US volunteers were teaching. It added
meaning to our trip to learn about Cambodia beyond the typical
tourist experience. This would be a great place for woman travelling
solo to stay, as we felt like we were staying with a caring
family. Find out more at: www.journeyswithin.com
SHE
PACKS NOTE CARDS FOR A CRUISE -- writes Ellen
in Oxford, England -- My girlfriends and I love to
cruise and therefore most of our journeys are on the water.
We always find the staff on cruise ships are so helpful and
attentive to our needs -- be it providing an extra blanket when
necessary or delivering a cheese platter if we entertain on
our cabin balcony. At the end of the cruise I like to use note
cards with scenes from home to write my thank you messages and
to enclose any tips I leave for the staff. I'm sure they enjoy
the extra effort and it gives me a chance to share with these
helpful folks what my city looks like.
A
MODERATELY PRICED FRENCH RESTAURANT IN SHANGHAI --
writes Helen from China -- Here's a great lunch
tip. In Shanghai there are two Cafe Montmartre Restaurants --
the New Factories address and another on Hong Mei Lu, near Hong
Qiao Pearl City. Both are very nicely decorated in traditional
French Cafe Style and (very important) have nice clean toilets
and washrooms. Each day Cafe Montmartre offers a blackboard
menu with choices like venison, rabbit and sole which are no
more than $12 per dish -- some even appear under the daily special
for $7. If you choose from the blackboard menu -- a beer, glass
of house wine or coffee is included as well. My husband takes
business clients there regularly as he loves their goose liver
pate appetizer.
SO
SIMPLE SO SMART -- writes Milly from
Don Mills, Canada -- Which lock? Which key? When travelling
with several suitcases or bags that need to be locked, mark
each lock and accompanying key with a dab of different coloured
nail polish. This makes it easy to tell which key applies to
which suitcase. Such an easy solution!
One of the nicest notes we received in 2007... Lyn in Australia wrote: I've
just received my Journeywoman newsletter and thought I'd
take the time to say thanks! Late last year, I travelled,
with my 15 year old daughter, though Europe for three
months. I was very excited about our trip, before we left,
but also pretty nervous about travelling for such an extended
period of time with my daughter, and feeling very responsible
for her etc. Europe felt such a long way from Australia. |
Create your own first aid kit...
P.S.
Remember that any liquids over 3 oz. should go into checked
luggage. Prescription drugs and over the counter drugs
may be taken on board but they must be properly labelled.
For further information CLICK
HERE |
Mark
Wise is a Family Doctor in Toronto, Canada who specializes
in Tropical and Travel Medicine. He is the Medical Advisor
to VSO Canada and the author of Malaria, Montezuma &
Me. When not travelling himself, he loves to talk and
write about it. We recently asked Dr. Wise to outline
for us some of the key items and medical supplies to carry
in one's suitcase on wheels or backpack. For his suggestions
