Irreverent Guides

There are (at last count) 14 Irreverent Guides starting with Amsterdam and ending with Washington, DC. These guides are issued by Frommer's and cost about $14 each.

I have the Irreverent Guide to Paris in front of me. These are some of the things covered in the book which is "Like being taken around by a savvy local" to quote the NY Times.

"Why do the French smoke so much?" Uh, they don't anymore. The Nicotine Nazis have made a full strike on France. Now, according to a new-ish law, you cannot smoke in any hotel at all in France. None. Zero. Benches and butt receptacles are placed outside and many are the bleary-eyed smokers you'll see in the morning, coffee cup in hand.

"What is a zebra?" The striped pedestrian crossing lane.

"Only in Paris"
The Musee d'Orsay, a former train station converted into a gorgeous museum with a collection of Impressionist paintings. I love the daylight inside it.

Pere-Lachaise cemetery where Jim Morrison, Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Colette and Edith Piaf now reside. A word of caution, the Morrison grave achieved a cult standing and many are the stoned-out dopers that used to be there. Check on this aspect before you go in.

A personal favorite of ours is a ride on a "bateaux mouche" which are sightseeing boats that travel up and down the Seine. It's a totally different view than walking along the Seine. The only drawback is the bastards who like to spit on the open-topped boats when they pass under a bridge. That's "only in Paris," too.

That old-time religion for devout Catholics - a visit to the Chappelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Medaille-Miraculeuse on the Left Bank to pay respects to the "perfectly preserved" body of a young nun who had a vision of the Virgin Mary back in 1830.

And I shouldn't be irreverent about another's religion. Shana tova! Happy New Year!