ParisOptimizer

19/03/2024

Bonjour Paris-o-philes!!

Thanks for your interest in the Paris Optimizer page.

I post content from time to time on my favorite city and hope you enjoy it.

My current focus is on promoting our Travel Rewards Optimizer (TRO) service. This service shows people how to turn their routine credit card spending into free travel. I hope you will check out the website and learn more about what TRO can do for you.

I realize some of you are from outside of the United States. At this time, we can only offer the TRO service to US citizens and US residents with American Social Security numbers.

Thanks again for your interest. From time to time, I will post TRO content that is relevant to travel in France, including information about Air France.

A bientot

https://www.travelrewardsoptimizer.com/

https://www.travelrewardsoptimizer.com/

Start planning your dream trip today with our expert advice on using credit card points for travel rewards.

26/05/2023

Realistically, this only covers a small percentage of domestic flights in France and will have a negligible impact on visitors from other countries.

Even if they expand the program to longer routes, it is not necessarily an unattractive idea. When factoring in travel time to and from airports, checking and retrieving luggage, getting through security, etc., high speed trains might be faster than flying.

In an effort to cut down on carbon emissions, France has officially banned many short-haul domestic flights. The country will no longer allow flights within its borders when similar high-speed train service takes two-and-a-half hours or less. “As we fight relentlessly to decarbonize our lifestyles...

05/05/2023

Bonjour, mes amis.

I enjoyed creating the Paris Optimizer and London Optimizer guidebooks and hope they helped visitors make the best use of their time and money in these great cities. Many thanks if you purchased an Optimizer book or stopped at this page in the past.

Now, I am changing my focus with the launch of the Travel Rewards Optimizer (TRO). The Travel Rewards Optimizer is a customized plan to help travelers turn their routine credit card spending into free travel. There are many travel rewards credit cards to choose from and the offers are constantly changing. The TRO plan cuts through all the clutter and, in the spirit of the Optimizer guidebooks, helps you optimize your credit card spending for the most free travel. Each customized plan is based on your travel goals and credit card usage patterns.

The TRO is best for credit card users who have very good to excellent credit scores, who pay their credit card balances in full every month, and who want to turn their credit card usage into travel. For the time being, I can only offer this to US residents or citizens.

Please check out the website at www.TravelRewardsOptimizer.com .
The website offers a chance to review a sample TRO plan and also includes regular posts on "points and miles" programs. This week's post is entitled "No, You Don't Need 30 (or Even 10) Credit Cards for Optimal Travel Rewards."

Again, thanks for your support and encouragement in the past. I hope the Travel Rewards Optimizer can play a role in your future travel.

A bientot
https://www.travelrewardsoptimizer.com/no-you-dont-need-30-or-even-10-credit-cards-for-optimal-travel-rewards

Start planning your dream trip today with our expert advice on using credit card points for travel rewards.

08/04/2023

The prehistoric French?
https://phys.org/news/2023-04-humans-giant-snails-apex-predator.html?fbclid=IwAR2ixtYK-SvAni3VeFKWKuAqAN6VuOD05zcTIW62Vn3DvkZAXJpVSrKp1vU

Humans are the ultimate apex predators on planet Earth. No matter how large-sized, sharp-toothed, razor-clawed, pointy-horned or venomous a creature may be, humans have hunted it for food. Moreover, according to a study led by the University of the Witwatersrand, they have also done so no matter how...

31/03/2023

CHAGALL EXHIBITION AT THE ATELIER DES LUMIERES

The Atelier des Lumieres is a former foundry in the 11th arrondissement that has been turned into a multimedia facility that offers immersive digital exhibitions.

Through January 7, 2024, this venue offers "Chagall, Paris - New York" which covers two significant periods of the artist's work. The images, decribed by the venue as "his entire creation," will be accompanied by klezmer, jazz, and classical music on the spatial sound system.

Full price adult tickets are 16 euro with discounts for seniors and youth (25 and under). The Atelier des Lumieres is located at 38 Rue Saint-Maur. The nearest Metro stations are Rue Saint-Maur (Line 3) and Voltaire (Line 9).

https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/

Peintre prolifique et inclassable, Marc Chagall (1887-1985) est à l’honneur à l’Atelier des Lumières. Une exposition numérique inédite présente l’ensemble de sa création, dévoilant une œuvre ancrée dans son temps, au croisement des nouveautés artistiques et culturelles de son siècl...

08/03/2023

LONG DISTANCE HIKING IN PARIS?

France offers a network of trails, the Grandes Randonnees (GR), which make the country a great destination for hikers. But, you can hike one of these Grande Randonnee ("great hike") trails without even leaving Paris.

Created in 2017 in anticipation of the 2024 Olympic Games, the GR75 (aka GR2024) is a 50+ kilometer (30+ mile) urban trail that generally follows the Peripherique (the beltway road that encircles Paris).

Although an urban trail, a hiker can encounter over 70 green spaces along the circuit including the Bois de Vincennes, the Bois de Boulogne, and the Parc Villette. Additionally, the loop includes venues from the 1900 and 1924 Olympic Games.

The ambitious can attempt to hike the entire GR75 in one day but it is easy to section hike as Paris' Metro system can get you to and from many points on the trail.

The GR75 is another way to explore Paris, already a great city for walking, on foot. The next time you go, be sure to pack some comfortable walking shoes for this unique trail and feel free to eat that extra croissant as the GR75 will provide ample opportunity to burn it off.

02/03/2023

CONSIDER ADDING THE CANAL DU MIDI TO A FUTURE FRENCH VACATION

This page is about Paris but after my last trip to France, I felt compelled to post about the Canal du Midi which extends from Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea.
This 240 km (150 mile) canal, when linked to the Garonne River, allowed navigation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean without a need to sail around Spain. Begun and completed during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, the Canal du Midi is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats of the 17th century.

Built originally for commerce, the Canal is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is used for leisure boating. Mrs. Optimizer and I, along with two other couples, rented a self-drive “barge” and spent one week cruising along the western part of the Canal. Several companies offer boats for hire and there is no license or previous experience required to operate these slow moving boats. After a brief training, you are sent on your way to enjoy your vacation with the freedom to decide your schedule and where you will stop.

The Canal, in operation for almost 350 years, is a destination in itself as you cruise amid history under a mix of Mediterranean sun and the shade of majestic plane trees. This is an active vacation as the passengers are also the “crew” and have a role to play as your boat passes through dozens of canal locks. While cruising along, you will pass the picturesque towns, vineyards, and farmlands of France’s Languedoc region. Along the section we cruised, one highlight was stopping in Carcassonne and visiting the Cite, an expansive medieval fortress that overlooks the city.

And, of course, there is great dining to be had whether trying out Occitanie specialties in restaurants along the Canal or eating al fresco on the upper deck of your boat.
Renting a “barge” and cruising the Canal du Midi is not everyone’s idea of a great holiday, but for our crew of six, it was a uniquely special and memorable way to see a lovely corner of France.

OPTIMIZING: Toulouse is a great base for a holiday in this region and is worth several days by itself.

27/02/2023

I was always skeptical that Notre Dame could be restored in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics but it's great to hear that the spire is on track to rise again before the end of this year.

Notre-Dame Cathedral's spire will be back in place by the end of the year, but a full reopening following the devastating fire of 2019 will not happen before next year's Paris Olympic Games.But the sharp spire, added by architect Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc during the cathedral's redesign in the 19th cent...

12/02/2023

MUSEE DU LUXEMBOURG SPRING 2023 EXHIBITION

The Musee du Luxembourg, located on the northwest corner of the Luxembourg Garden, tends to have two special exhibitions each year. Mrs. Optimizer and I enjoy these exhibitions because they provide in-depth focus on a topic, are well curated, and are rarely as crowded as Paris' more famous art museums. And, of course, Luxembourg Garden is a great place for a stroll or picnic afterwards.

The next exhibition will be based on Leon Monet, the older brother of Claude Monet. The older Monet was a color chemist, industialist, and collector who actively supported the work of his famous younger brother and other Impressionists. In addition to works of Claude Monet (including a portrait of Leon), the exhibition features the works of Renoir, Sisley, Morisot, and Pissaro.

The exhibition runs from March 15th until July 16th. Tickets are 15.50 euro (11.50 for 16-25 and free for under 16). Audioguides are available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley Le Musée du Luxembourg présente une exposition inédite dédiée à Léon Monet (1836-1917), le frère oublié de Claude (1840-1926). À la fois chimiste en couleurs, industriel rouennais et collectionneur, Léon Monet joua un rôle décisif dans la carriè...

14/07/2022

Happy Bastille Day

09/07/2022

EIFFEL TOWER TO GET 60 MILLION EURO PAINT JOB

The Eiffel Tower is being repainted for the 20th time in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. But, reports say that the 133 year old iconic structure also needs repairs for damage caused by decades of rust. If you have dreamed of seeing Paris from the Eiffel Tower, it might be a good idea to do it sooner rather than later.
https://www.ibtimes.com/she-not-well-reports-say-eiffel-tower-needs-urgent-repairs-2024-olympics-3562808

The Eiffel Tower is in serious need of repairs after officials dithered for years on ensuring the structure's problems were addressed.

06/07/2022

MUSEE DU LUXEMBOURG FALL EXHIBITION

The Musee du Luxembourg, located on the northwest corner of the Luxembourg Garden, tends to have two exhibitions each year. We enjoy these exhibitions because they provide in-depth focus on a topic, are well curated, and are rarely as crowded as more famous art museums. And, of course, Luxembourg Garden is a great place for a stroll or picnic afterwards.

The next exhibition will be Mirror of the World, a collection of artworks and objects accumulated by the Prince-electors of Saxony in the 15th through 17th centuries. Such collections were a means of demonstrating power. For the modern visitor, these objects tell us what was of interest and value to the Prince-electors as well as how they perceived the wider world.

The exhibition runs from September 14th until January 15th of next year.

https://museeduluxembourg.fr/en/agenda/evenement/miroir-du-monde

The exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg brings together around one hundred remarkable artworks and objects collected between the 16th and 18th centuries by the powerful Prince-electors of Saxony. During a period marked by the struggle for imperial power between the Electorates of the Holy Roman E...