Advantages: Well researched historical fiction about Louis XV's court. Disadvantages: Use of some French phrases without English translation.
The Road to Compiegne is the second book of Jean Plaidy's French Revolution trilogy. The previous book, Louis the Well-Beloved, is about the first half of Louis XV's life. This book finishes his life story.
Expenditure on maintaining a lavish court, with new buildings for himself and mistresses, plus costly wars leaves the ordinary people unable to afford the high prices of basic food. Not surprising, they are sickened by this, and the book tells us in the first chapter that Louis has a road built around Paris to his palace at Compiegne. This by-pass is to avoid travelling through the city where he has become extremely unpopular. He only wants to enter Paris when duty makes it unavoidable.
*** The Whores ***
Louis continues to have a lot of mistresses, two of whom, in this book, become much more than just ...
Advantages: Clean, basic accomodation Disadvantages: In the middle of traffic hell
It was my girlfriend's 21st birthday and I had a week of holiday to use up before Christmas. So, as you do, I booked a trip to Toulouse for the two of us.
The Kyriad is probably not the hotel I would have chosen if I'd had an unlimited budget and more time to reflect on the trip. A huge 2 star hotel at the wrong end of Toulouse's Boulevard de la Gare, everything about its decoration, situation and lack of facilities suggests that it's not a hotel for a romantic break, more one for the low end business traveller.
It's next to a canal, but at the exact point where the still waters are covered by a large concrete bridge. Crowds of typically French pedestrians throng past for much of the day, and unfortunately most of them seem to be typically French prostitutes. The kebab shop around the corner serves possibly the dodgiest kebab I ...
Advantages: Clean, well maintained, price is okay Disadvantages: Tiny rooms, very limited on space
We stayed in the Kyriad la Villette in Paris for three nights and can only partly confirm the positive review written so far. First of all, although we had booked bed and breakfast over the internet, the receptionist insisted that the breakfast was not included and that the company (lastminute.com) was at fault selling this hotel room together with the breakfast. As this young woman did not appear massively competent anyway, we came back in the evening and spoke to another member of staff - who confirmed that the breakfast was in fact included and had been paid for.
The room we had in this hotel was the smallest I've ever experienced. Even budget-chains like Etap or Formule 1 have larger rooms with more storage space. The wardrobe was absolutely tiny, more the size of a locker - way too small for two people. The bed was not a proper ...
