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A couple of years ago, in those heady days before the world was turned upside down, I began a series on my annual London pub crawl, conducted on the Sunday before World Travel Market each November. Alas, while you’ll undoubtedly recall the first two – The Grenadier (for its famous Bloody Marys) and The Nag’s Head (for its jazz jams) – the final stop, The Star Tavern, fell through the cracks of COVID. Call it “pub interrupted.” Until now.

The Star, visited again earlier this month for the first time since 2019, was the last of the trio to be added to our roster, discovered by chance when the first two didn’t seem quite enough for a Sunday afternoon foray. (How many pubs make a crawl one wonders, though the prospect nowadays of crawling on hands a knees does seem extreme.)

Besides proximity – being just a short walk from the other two, albeit in the dizzying streets and lanes of Belgravia (for reference, think kind of near Harrod’s in embassy district of central London) – we picked The Star for it’s unusual history.

Indeed, the pub is known for its role in one of Britain’s most notorious escapades, which is detailed on a sign on the wall, declaring: “This very room was the location for the planning for what was the century’s biggest heist – the Great Train Robbery – which netted the 18-man gang £2.6 million (about £40 million in today’s money).”

The train thieves were just some of the “master criminals” who reportedly hung out at The Star in the 1950s and ‘60s alongside the city’s rich and famous, such as Peter O’Toole and Albert Finney.

And while we lured by the notoriety of the 1963 heist, made more notorious by the fact that most of the money was never found, we stayed (and return), for the atmosphere, particularly the venue’s upstairs “library,” a pleasant sitting room with plenty of space to spread out on couches or at a table if desired.

The room boasts its own bar, though we’ve yet to see it open, but the main station downstairs suitably serves, and waiters attend patrons upstairs at regular intervals.

And what’s a library without books? Not that we’ve ever been inclined to read one. Nevertheless, the collection is curious, ranging from an antique three-volume set of “Modern Heating and Ventilation” to more recent editions of The Good Beer Guide. If you have the time, there’s a collection of Dickens, and other vintage volumes to spare.

Of course, pubs are equally about the beer, and The Star, a Fuller’s affiliate, also serves cask conditioned ale, and proudly notes that it has been listed in every edition of the aforementioned Good Beer Guide. And it was named WL CAMRA (campaign for real ale) Pub of the Year in 2017, and last year received a CAMRA Golden Award, recognizing the pub’s significant contribution to the cause.

A worthy wine list is also available.

Meanwhile, food embraces the farm-to-fork ethos, with menu items ranging from pies of the day to burgers and sandwiches, and more eclectic fare like gnocchi and chicken Kiev.

The Star Tavern is located at 6 Belgrave Mews West, a short walk from Knightsbridge Station (and Sloane Square and Victoria). It’s open from noon to 11 p.m. (9 on Sundays).

With glass purposefully in hand, we at Travel Industry Today continue our series on some of the planet’s best bars, patios and rooftop venues. For more articles in the series, click here:

PREVIOUS ARTICLES: https://travelindustrytoday.com/pub-patio/

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

What’s not to love about Paris? The City of Lights manages to live up to its every accolade around each corner. Marvel at the steel and lace of the Eiffel Tower. Breathe in the aroma of freshly baked buttery croissants oozing from a bakery on the Left Bank. Spend an afternoon with the lovers at Musée Rodin. Window shop ‘til you drop along the Rue du Faubourg Sainte-Honoré Visit the haunts of Ernest Hemingway and Julia Child.

Some might opine that “budget Paris” is an oxymoron. I beg to differ. Many of the pleasures in the city that Ernest Hemingway described as “a moveable feast” are free and there are savvy ways to scrimp and save. But just because you haven’t won the lottery doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a few frivolous fantasies. Here’s how to make the most of your euros and enjoy la vie en rose. (Note: all prices are approximate.)

THE ‘CHEAP THRILLS’ SAVE LIST

An Unpretentious Little Hole in the Wall

Oh Purée (9 Rue Tournefort), just steps from Place Monge and Rue Mouffetard, serves up yummy seasonal dishes in a tiny rustic space. I recommend the mushroom ravioli, scallops with Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut cheesecake. Starter, main course, and dessert cost €32. (www.ohpureeparis.com)

Fantastic Falafels

In the heart of the Jewish quarter of Le Marais, L’as du Fallafel (34 Rue des Rosiers) reigns as king of kosher Middle Eastern food. Folks line up for the garlicky chickpea fritters, served in a pita with hummus, pickled red cabbage, salted cucumbers, fried eggplant and just-hot-enough harissa (€9). It’s so good you might contemplate becoming a vegetarian!

My (No Longer) Secret Hotel

Finding a well-located, quiet, commodious hotel room in Paris is easy if you’re on an expense account or related to the Rockefellers. But for those of us who don’t want to blow most of our Paris budgets on beds, I’ve found a moderately priced gem in the fifth arrondissement. Hotel des Grandes Ecoles (75, rue Cardinal Lemoine) has 51 spacious and immaculate rooms. Some, on the main level, open into the garden. What sets this apart from most Left Bank hotels is the idyllic, peaceful location down a cobblestone path leading to a Provence-style courtyard garden where guests mingle and enjoy alfresco picnics.

Proximity to the Sorbonne explains the hotel’s name. The Metro Cardinal Lemoine is two minutes away. The Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame Cathedral and more delights of the Latin Quarter are all nearby. Lively Rue Moufftard, two minutes away, is crammed with inexpensive restaurants, bars and cafés, plus butchers, bakers, fromageries, fruit vendors, chocolate makers and more. (www.hoteldesgrandesecoles.com)

Take a Free Walking Tour

There may be no free lunch, but Discover Walks offer free walking tours of various parts of Paris. I have toured Montmartre, from the Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur. I also learned a lot about the trendy Marais area, including where Victor Hugo lived on the Place de Vosges. Although Notre Dame is still closed after a devastating fire in 2019, the Left Bank, Notre Dame and Latin Quarter tour taught me much about the cathedral’s iconic gothic architecture, showed me the location of Shakespeare and Company, Paris’ famous English bookstore and (now) also a coffee shop, and ended at the Pantheon near the Luxemburg Gardens. Book online and meet your guide, who wears a pink vest, at the designated time and place. Note: Your guide’s income is based on tips, so be generous if you liked the tour. (www.discoverwalks.com)

Le Petit Pontoise

I always book dinner at Le Petit Pontoise (9, rue de Pointoise), a cheery bistro that never tries to be cool or chic. Try their delicious artichoke tart followed by herb-crusted rack of lamb served over roasted vegetables. Other specialties include duck parmentier—a sort of gourmet shepherd’s pie consisting of layers of duck confit and mashed potatoes topped with foie gras. But who’s counting calories in Paris? (www.lepetitpontoise.fr)

Scenes from the Seine

Embarking from the foot of the Eiffel Tower, a cruise along the Seine aboard Bateaux Parisians offers the ideal way to soak up the major sights. A tape-recorded commentary provides history and anecdotes as the boat floats under Paris’ many beautiful bridges, passing the Assembly National, the Musée D’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre Dame cathedral, plenty of joggers and the odd troll who’s camped out along the shores, Parisian monuments and architecture seem even more impressive when viewed from the water. The approximate hour-long cruise, €16, also offers new camera angles for avid shutterbugs. (www.bateauxparisiens.com)

Romancing Rodin

The Rodin Museum gets my vote as the most beautiful in Paris. Start in the park, fragrant in summer with masses of old-fashioned roses. Sit on a wooden bench and admire the master’s work. Le Penseur seems to be thinking with every muscle and sinew of his body. Walk around the Burghers of Calais and note the anguished facial expressions. Inside, the 18th century Hôtel Biron houses more masterpieces, including Rodin’s pièce de résistance, Le Bazier (The Kiss). Musée Rodin is closed Mondays; admission to park and museum, €13. (www.musee-rodin.fr)

Take a Pass

Paris is vast. You’ll want to explore its many neighbourhoods on foot, but to get from one end of the city to the other, buy a Paris Visite ticket (three days €29.40) for unlimited travel on the subway, RER trains and buses in zones one to three. The bus system is well mapped and often preferable to the metro. Wouldn’t you rather see more of Paris’ streets and less of its tunnels? (www.en.parisinfo.com)

Pay Your Respects

If ever there were a who’s who of cemeteries, it would have to be Père Lachaise. Named after Louis XV’s confessor, Father Lachaise, the 43-hectare park is the final resting place of Molière, Balzac, Edith Piaf, Chopin, Proust and rock star, Jim Morrison, to name but a few. Oscar Wilde’s Egyptian-style gravestone is covered with lipstick kisses. You can easily spend a peaceful afternoon wandering through the maze of graves. Buy a map at the gates or nearby tabac store.

THE ’YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE’ SPLURGE LISTCafé Society

Opened in 1927 La Coupole is an unabashedly brash brasserie in all the best ways. The glamorous Art Deco setting is the ideal spot to dive into a dozen or more oysters or tackle the tiered platter of shellfish. Ernest Hemingway and his literary pals were regulars at this Montparnasse eatery. (www.lacoupole-paris.com)

Trace Julia Child’s Footsteps

Eating Europe offers food-walking tours in several European cities. If you were a fan of Julia Child, who co-wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, consider the In the Footsteps of the French Chef Food Tour. You will savour decadent eclairs, sample a classic quiche, taste wines and cheeses at Café Flore and see where Julia and hubby Paul lived. Tickets cost €109. (www.eatingeurope.com)

Window Licking

We say window-shopping. The French say lèche vitrines, which literally means window licking. No society creates more delicious displays. Start with a stroll down the fashionable rue Fauberg St. Honoré. At Hermès (number 24) you might be tempted to buy the ultimate French status item, a silk scarf or tie.

Château Envy

The Château Versailles has been the stuff of legends and movies, but why not visit the Château de Vaux-Le-Vicomte, the estate that inspired Louis IV to build Versailles?

Its creator, Nicolas Fouquet, was appointed superintendent of finance to King Louis in 1653. Fouquet, who had a flair for hiring genius, brought together architect Louis Le Vau, painter Charles Le Brun and landscape gardener André Le Notre. With a seemingly unlimited budget, the talented trilogy created a palace and gardens of unparalleled beauty and harmony. When the King visited Fouquet’s masterpiece, it is said that he was envious and went on the hire Le Notre to create the gardens of Versailles.

The audio tour of the Château is entertaining, and the gardens are truly magnificent. If time is short, rent a golf cart. To get there, take the RER R train (about 30 minutes) from Gare de Lyon to Melun and take a 10-minute taxi from the Melun station to the Château. Buy tickets on-line. (www.vaux-le-vicomte.com)

Eat With Locals

Eat With is a website that offers the opportunity to dine in the homes of Parisians. You can choose from an elegant dinner with wine pairings in Montmartre to taking a soufflé lesson and lunch in in the 17th arrondisement. A couple of years ago I selected “A Cozy French Luxury Dinner” for about, €80.Carla and her husband were the consummate hosts. Their apartment was stylish and Carla was a fantastic cook. Somehow, they managed to orchestrate a gourmet dinner with fine wines and still be on hand to chat and make guests feel like friends. This was a five-star experience for me and four other diners from the US. When I return to Paris, I will try another Eat With experience, sans doute. (www.eatwith.com)

Puttin’ on the Ritz

I doubt Hemingway ever forked over €40 for a cocktail, but the intimate Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel with its comfy leather armchairs and paneled walls covered with photos and memorabilia from the Nobel Prize-winning author is worth a stroll and a sip down memory lane. Legend has it that in 1944 Hemingway stormed into the hotel and declared he was liberating the Ritz Bar from the Nazis. He rang up a tab for 51 dry martinis. The Bar Hemingway was named in his honour in 1994. Colin Peter Field, head bartender, has been ranked best bartender in the world and the Bar Hemingway the best bar in the world. So, splurge! (www.ritzparis.com)

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

A little Chuck Berry, a touch of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and guitar case full of blues, Gary Clark, Jr., is a shining light of the blues-rock world, having already scored four Grammys (and six nominations) in his just over 10 years on the scene.

During that time, he has shared the stage with the likes of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and B.B. King, as well as Stevie Ray’s brother Jimmie Lee in the pair’s mutual hometown of Austin, Texas.

Clark has appeared multiple times on the iconic TV show Austin City Limits, from which we extract this sizzling performance of “Travis County.”

Lyrics

Travis County took my picture
But no, I didn’t smile
They told me I was gonna be here
For a pretty long while

One day I was walking down the street when
I should’ve been walking down the hall
Heard a voice calling out, saying
“Ooh, where you going, y’all?”

Now before I could’ve gathered my thoughts
I turned around and I saw the cops
I pointed arms up right when
He told me I better stop

Oooh, oooh

They put my hands in cuffs
Oh boy, they even locked me up
When I thought that it was all a bluff
Till they started taking my stuff

Now I’m sittin’ ’round in my cell
Just a looking at the wall
I didn’t even get to make
My one phone call

After I was just sittin’ ’round
You know I started getting down
When they let me out
All I could do is scream and shout

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News

Ponant may not be the most well-known cruise company in Canada, but it’s a brand that is increasingly gaining profile with both consumers and the trade, says the French company’s global sales ambassador.

In Canada for two trade events last week (Toronto and Montreal), Frederic Janson, admits that until around 2015 (after its rebranding from Compagnie du Ponant and expansion began to take hold), the 34-year-old cruise company was largely known for its Gallic origins and catered to a French clientele. But with the addition of new ships (giving greater capacity), the cruise line’s demographic rapidly expanded.

And that includes Canada, with Janson noting, “that’s why we’re here doing the road show. The Canadian market for cruising is blooming and with the pandemic people have a bit more money save, and they’re ready to do some nice trips. And at Ponant, we feel we have the right product for the Canadian, and North American, market.”

Comprised of 13 vessels, the Ponant fleet is one of the most modern and recent in the world, fully Cleanship certified by Bureau Veritas, attesting to a reduced environmental impact. It’s stated mission is “Explore to Inspire,” centred around exploration to “better understand, learn, share and protect.”

Founded in 1988 by some officers in the French merchant navy, Ponant began with a single sailing yacht, followed by four small capacity ships “with character” sailing in the luxury space, and later added a new series of six sistership yachts dubbed the Ponant Explorers. Following the acquisition of Paul Gauguin Cruises, the m/s Paul Gauguin joined the fleet in 2019 and 2021 saw the arrival of the first high polar exploration vessel, Le Commandant Charcot.

Ships sail to the Arctic and the Antarctic as well as in the Atlantic and North Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, Asia, Oceania and South Pacific, the Caribbean, North, Central and South America.

The fleet

• The Ponant Explorers (Le Lapérouse, Le Champlain, Le Bougainville, Le Dumont-d’Urville, Le Bellot and Le Jacques-Cartier): A new generation of ships flying under the French flag, fitted with the latest technologies, the Ponant Explorers comply with the most recent environmental regulations and have been awarded the “Cleanship” label. The ships offer 92 staterooms, including four suites; all cabins include a private balcony. With limited capacity, the ships are designed for landing in the most inaccessible locations, where others do not go.

• The four Sisterships (Le Boréal, L’Austral, Le Soléal and Le Lyrial) – These four sisterships, elegant yachts with 122 to 132 cabins and suites, perpetuate Ponant’s philosophy: limited capacity, unique atmosphere, a subtle combination of luxury, privacy, and well-being.

• Le Commandant Charcot: Hybrid electric polar exploration vessel powered by Liquefied Natural Gas, Le Commandant Charcot is a pioneer in terms of environmental protection. With her 123 staterooms and luxury service, this innovative polar vessel will take passengers to rarely explored polar destinations, such as the geographic North Pole (90 degrees North Latitude), and places where fewer people have been than the moon, such as the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and Peter I Island.

• The m/s Paul Gauguin: This 166-stateroom vessel was specially designed for sailing in Polynesian waters. Her draft allows her to get as close as possible to shallow lagoons and isolated islands.

• Le Ponant: This latest-generation sailing yacht has been completely redesigned and will incorporate new luxury features (jacuzzi, gym, hair salon). The uniquely designed three-masted yacht will be able to sail only and be connected to the electricity network in certain ports to limit her ecological impact

Besides becoming more international in both style, staff, and guests demographics (all presentations on board are conducted in both French and English), Jansen says the company has diversity significantly beyond its polar program, though it still comprises about a quarter of sailings – especially with the introduction of its spectacular new icebreaker vessel.

Across the fleet, he notes, “We offer so many different voyages, we work with The Smithsonian… there is something for everyone.”

Altogether, he adds, Ponant’s style – small, intimate, adventurous, and cosmopolitan – delivers a unique sailing experience will tick the all the boxes for most for Canadians, he says, noting that, for example, guests get to meet the captain and officers. “They’re not just bus drivers,” he laughs.

And, he adds, “Now is the right time for us to come to Canada because we are becoming more and more known. And a lot of people like our product.”

At the same time, while Ponant’s ships are certainly beautiful and luxurious, with great food and service, Jansen says the real star are the destinations, many of which are unique due to the nature of small ship explorations, and even further via zodiac.

Excursions are free, as are other onboard amenities, such as wi-fi, room service, open bar, and 24-hour champagne.

“But,” he adds, “you also have the destinations and everything we do at the destination. Yes, it’s comfortable on board, but what you’re going to learn from the expeditions and the naturalist leader on board, and the captain, this is what is important.

“Luxury is where we take you,” he says. “It is not only onboard.”

Smithsonian Journeys

Special among Ponant’s more than 400 itineraries are Smithsonian Journeys, a series of co-branded sailings for 2023. Each of the sailings (and 21 itineraries) will be led by two Smithsonian Journeys Experts – whether an art historian, a solar astrophysicist, or an international relations expert – whose expertise and knowledge will shed new light on a destination and deepen travellers’ immersion in place.

Among the new sailings is the “Symphony on the St. Lawrence,” a 15-day journey starting in Toronto with calls in Quebec and the Maritimes and Maine aboard Le Bellot, featuring the Conductor of the Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart, and performances by internationally renowned musicians including pianist Jihye Chang, cellist Alistair MacRae, soprano Allison Pohl, violist Scott Rawls, and violinists Wendy Rawls and Benjamin Sung. Maritime historian Eric Roorda will also be on board to lead discussions about the scenic St. Lawrence waterway and UNESCO-recognized landmarks like Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.

And while Jansen says Ponant doesn’t really cater to kids, they are welcome (minimum ages differ according to the ship classifications) and select Med cruises in summer do have kids clubs.

He says a growing demographic is multi-generational with grandparents often joining their children and grandchildren, or simply bringing the grandkids alone.

Travel trade

With Ponant’s growing presence in Canada, Jansen says the company is eager to engage with the trade, through road shows, such as the ones held last week, and ship visits where possible. He notes that the cruise line is represented in English Canada year-round by Cruises Strategies in Toronto, headed by well-known cruise industry figure Vanessa Lee.

Meanwhile, in November, agents making a deposit for a new booking will earn an extra $500 gift card while clients receive a 5% discount.

First published at Travel Industry Today

First published at TravelNewsHub.com – Global Travel News