Category Archives: Transportation in Paris

Priscilla’s Picks: Paris Métro App That Works Offline

Posted by Weekend In Paris in France, Planning Paris Trip, Transportation in Paris, Travel Tips Paris and tagged with , , , , , ,
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Using the Métro in Paris is now even easier with the Kemtro iPhone App! Other versions of the Métro map only work above ground where you have a cell phone or WiFi connection. What makes Kemtro superior to all others is the fact that it works offline and underground. Why is this important? Here’s are a couple of scenarios that I think we can all relate to when traveling for work or pleasure.

Métro CDG to Odéon

You are jet lagged but determined to take public transportation from the airport to your boutique hotel or apartment in the City of Light because it’s rush hour and the traffic will be enormously expensive in a taxi. While Paris is a very safe city, it does suffer from its lion share of pickpockets. Nothing screams, “I’m carrying wads of cash, a passport and am vulnerable” more than a big old map on your lap. Kemtro enables you to relax knowing that you can map out your route on your cell phone while chilling out listening to tunes and acting blasé like a local. If you have a big old suitcase en route from Charles de Gaulle to the very chic 6th arrondissement, and you are dressed in black and pretend you know where you are going, it makes you less of a target.

Picture this, you are running late and jump on the train just as it’s about to pull out of the station headed for your designated stop when you hear over the loud-speaker that the station you need is closed for repairs, emergency or strike of some kind. What do you do? You could stand up and begin scanning the maps on the train wall or you could simply pull out your handy iPhone Kemtro map and look up your best course of action.

Another great feature of Kemtro is that it shows the configuration of the buildings exits. Got luggage? It’s worth it sometimes to get off at a faraway stop with an elevator than to take the closest station with several sets of stairs. Speaking from personal experience, I stupidly took the train from CDG one year just before my shoulder surgery and got off at a stop without an elevator with beaucoup luggage. Not smart! Had I access to Kemtro to know the station right before mine did indeed have elevators, then I would have saved myself the pain caused by lugging my bags up three flights of stairs that lasted the entire trip.

Available via iTunes, Kemtro costs a mere 99 cents. To me, it’s worth so much more. Apply for that passport, hunt down that reasonable fare to Paris and then download Kemtro, my new favorite French App.

The opinions in this post are my own. No compensation was given for the review.

All photos property of Weekend In Paris or Kemtro. All rights reserved. Must obtain permission before use.

Elvis is Alive and Well and Lives in Paris…

Posted by Weekend In Paris in France, Funny Stories, Gal Pals, Transportation in Paris and tagged with , , , ,
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Antique Elvis found in Bruges shop

I’ve always been a little sensitive to the Elvis thing.  For starters my parents named my three siblings normal names like Susan, Patty and John while I was stuck with the name Priscilla.  Born in the 60’s and fully aware of the hot Elvis and the fat Elvis married to the infamous babe Priscilla Presley, people always asked me, “How’s Elvis?” and thought it was a hilarious question – like I had never been asked that before.  I remember when my mother announced that Elvis was gone – her first call was to my Aunt Sue who I believe was in mourning for a good month after hearing the news.  Unreal…

Many Elvis fans found it too painful to believe that he was gone and have given in to the conspiracy theory that he ran away to Europe to escape.  I thought that they were nuts until this year.  Elvis is alive and well, living in Paris and driving a taxi.  Yes, he’s driving a fabulous singing cab!

Elvis picked us up at La Tour d’Argent after our amazing meal which I will blog about another day.  We should have known something was up when the door man at the restaurant put us into the cab and told us we were going to have a fun ride.  Two seconds into the trip our cabbie asked if we liked Elvis and put a tune on.  Happily full from our seven course decadent meal we were game to sing along.  Not long after, Elvis put his white bejeweled sunglasses on while the Gal Pals were joining him singing at the top of our lungs.  Then the true confirmation that he is indeed Elvis came at a red traffic light at the corner of Saint Germain Boulevard – Elvis put the taxi in park and we all jumped out dancing and singing in the street to the shocked locals who were queuing up for movie night at the nearby Odéon theaters.  Some pedestrians chimed in and many danced as well.  Only the REAL Elvis could get stuffy Frenchmen to dance and sing in the streets with strange American women shouting from a cab!!!!

We hadn’t quite embarrassed ourselves enough yet so we asked him to swing by the Gal Pal rendezvous place Café de Paris where we had planned to meet the newly arrived Gal Pal Lisa.  Lisa, living in Britain and not terribly big on public scenes was sitting having a glass of Bordeaux (the official wine of the Gal Pals) when to her surprise we pulled up right in front with the windows down banging out our American Idiot version of Jail House Rock.  Needless to say, The Queen Mum as we are now calling her was a bit shocked, but laughed none the less.

I know, I know…you want video as proof – well here it is at last!  Rough and ready…when watching it, look for Lisa who is in the upper right hand corner at a table.  You’ll see her look somewhat annoyed, then she puts on her glasses to see who the heck is yelling in the streets of Paris.  Enjoy folks and until I post some more video, Let’s Rock, Everybody Let’s Rock…