A TALE OF TWO CITIES:  LONDON & PARIS Dates: October 2012 & Spring 2012 Visit both for a diverse 7 exciting days that combines the best of these two favorite European gems. No matter how many times you have been to London and Paris (and I have visited These 2 cities more than a hundred times) you will find so much that’s new and cutting edge, they are guranteed to excite and delight you. LONDON Highlights: … BRAVURA THEATRE… No one does theatre better than London. Some of Our favorite London theatre venues: The Royal Court; the National Theatre; Barbican, an amazing theatre complex; the Old Vic, the Donmar Wharehouse And, of course, all the classic theatres in the West End. We will choose 3. … A GREAT HOTEL LOCATION with the chic sophistication of Sloane Square, Sloane St.and Harvey Nichols. I have never seen women so beautifully dressed as the  ladies shopping around Sloane St. Brava! …LONDON IS NOW A GREAT PLACE TO EAT whether it’s a fast food place with a new slant, a trendy pre-fixe dinner spot in Soho, Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor restaurant, Or a celebrity chef emporium. Our favorite place to eat in London: one of  Yotam Ottolenghi’s take out/restaurants. Small and casual but the food, Wow! You can’t even imagine his glorious vegetable concoctions. …Just for fun…The one hour cooking class that includes lunch. Whether or not you are into cooking, you will enjoy the  L’ Atelier des Chefs one hour cooking class.  It’s a trend that we first encountered in Montreal and is now a part of our Montreal Culinary tour. The London class is the most fun I’ve ever had in a cooking class. My all Brit fellow “classmates” were friendly and “jolly”. Highlights of our London itinerary: Day 1…Arrive London. Transfer on your own to our hotel in Sloane Square located in the very upscale Chelsea neighborhood across the street from the Royal Court Theatre and the London Tube. Depending on your arrival time I will plan an orientation walk around the area that can include Harrod’s. Evening: Performance at the Royal Court Theatre that is known for its new plays with off-beat themes. Day 2… Walking tour of the West End noted for its “Theatreland”with some 50 historic Playhouses. The pleasure-loving Charles  11  licensed the first two theatres in the 1660s, still thriving as the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.  Lots of lore about names you know:  Eliza Doolittle; Oscar Wilde, David Garrick; Noel Coward and more. And resident “ghosts” who live in some of the old theatres. Lunch in the West End Matinee performance of War Horse, hit show that is also playing at Lincoln Center In New York City. To say it’s the story of a horse and a young man’s love  is an over simplification of the theme but it is a gripping and sentimental story; the staging is incredible. Informal dinner at Yotam Ottolenghi. Day 3… Morning free to visit one of London’s superb museums on your own or Shopping. Noon: Meet at  L’ Atelier des Chefs for one hour cooking class/lunch. Pre-theatre dinner at National Theatre Play at National Theatre Day 4… Walking tour:  Westminster Abbey & Beyond… With our Blue Badge guide we don’t have to wait on line and with all the attention to the Abbey and “that wedding”, it’s time for another look.  There are some 20 kings and queens buried in the Abbey. Poets’ Corner has the graves of Dickens and Tennyson and many others. Scientists’Corner graves of Newton and Darwin.  After the Abbey,we walk through perfectly maintained 18th century Georgian streets and  see a magnificent Baroque church. Afternoon free Evening ballet or concert  (optional}. On to Paris.... Day 5…Early morning departure for Paris on the Eurostar, a quick two and a half hour trip. Eurostar has a very special service that ladies with cumbersome luggage will appreciate. Ask for help and you will be assigned someone to take you to your train AND actually take you to your seat and store your luggage. There is no charge for this service but, of course, you will give a generous tip. You are given a coupon which is supposed to gurantee someone will meet you in Paris. It didn’t happen but c’est la vie. Maybe next time! Arrive Paris, transfer to our small boutique hotel in the fashionable St. Germain - des-Pres neighborhood. Afternoon free to go to a museum or shopping. Before that I will lead you on an orientation walk around the trendy area. Day 6… Morning: literary walking tour. Lunch ½ hour cooking class…An abridged  version of our 1 hour London cooking class . In just a half hour you can learn to make a dish, mine was lamb curry, and Eat lunch. If we book a 1:30 pm class we get more time to linger. You may want to squeeze in a visit to one of Paris’ main tourist attractions: The Eiffel Tower, a boat trip down the Seine on the Bateau Mouche, the Louvre. Evening: We like the evening author readings that are part of an ex-pats tours. Hopefully, there will be an event while we are in Paris. Day 7…Walking tour of the Marais, it’s history, palaces and the beautiful Place Des Voges. Lunch: at the iconic falafel fast food emporium. Other food is available. After our Marais walking tour, we visit the Marais Picasso museum. Day 8…Leave for home… Stay on in Paris for a day or two. We can plan and escort you if you wish. Costs: $3850 includes hotel room 7 nights  (no single supplement)  London 4 nights breakfast not included,  3 theatre tickets,  2 walking tours, cooking class with lunch, 2 meals Paris: 3 nights superior class room, breakfast included, Literary Tour, Marais walking tour, half hour cooking class with lunch, 1 dinner, lunch in the Marais Not included: airfare from your home city, airport transfers to hotels, Eurostar to Paris (price Has ranged from $114 to $150), lunches,optional activities, alcoholic beverages Fly to London, Eurostar to Paris, return from Paris. We will book your Eurostar train ticket A  word about our hotels:  Your room in London will be tiny but you will love the location. Limited number of single rooms available. Our Paris hotel has raised the price of its rooms $50 a night but you will have a nice sized room In what we consider the best location in Paris.   Diverse Paris Activities The half hour cooking class The Manet Exhibit at Musee D'Orsay Author reading of Edith Piaf Book Galeries  Lafayette Galeries  Lafayette

London & Paris Photo Album April 2012 (click images to enlarge) London Theater Royal Court Theatre Lecture at Royal Court Theatre & Delicious Brunch Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber & Band Concerts and more Barbican Performing Arts Center Barbican Performing Arts Center London Eats Yotam Ottolenghi Desserts and Vegetable Salads Harvey Nichols Terrace Dining Spicy Sausages for breakfast London Style Color for men Color for women London Taxis - Traditional & Jazzy Team cooking class Paris in the Springtime Lilacs spell April in Paris Ralph Lauren's Paris Restaurant The Best Hamburger in Paris? My Paris Favorite Foods Fettucini with Beef Ragu Bistro Soupe de Poisson Worlds Best Fallafel Amazing Gellato Laduree Famous macaroons Green Cheese at a Street Market Grilled Potato Onion Tart Paris Style Fedoras are everywhere Men’s purple suede shoes