Suck Your Wine In Paris

Paris / Go Eat
en by Momondo, 31. Mar 2008
 
Photo by Redking

Innovation has no limits, when looking at ways to avoid taxes. Just look at Parisian restaurant Le Refuge des Fondus in Montmartre, where wine (both red and white) is served in baby bottles, in order to circumvent tax laws on glasses of wine (and distract attention from the quality of the wine!).

The formula ‘fondue washed down with wine served in baby bottles’ is really popular and the restaurant is always filled with a relatively rowdy and fun loving (predominantly expat) crowd. The guests are seated shoulder to shoulder on benches along communal tables sucking on their baby bottles while dipping meat and vegetables into the bubbling oil or cheese in the fondue pots.

Le Refuge des Fondus is anything but a bastion of haute cuisine, which the restaurant's prices clearly indicate. A fixed menu including appetizers, a fondue meal and dessert plus a bottle (baby, of course) costs € 17, and the price also includes free tagging opportunities on the walls.

Le Refuge des Fondus
17, rue des 3 Frères (near bottom of Sacré Coeur)
75018 PARIS
 

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7 Things To See & Do Switzerland

Zurich / Go See
en by Momondo, 19. Mar 2008

Switzerland is the nation with the world’s best tourist conditions – at least according to the new Travel and Tourism Report from the World Economic Forum. The report argues that Switzerland has “… the most conducive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry”. At Momondo, we don’t really know what this means, but we want to celebrate the nomination anyway and have selected 7 things to see & do (in random order) in Switzerland:

The Swiss Riviera

Just because you don’t have a coastline, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a Riviera. The “Swiss Riviera” is situated in Lavaux (Cantan of Vaud) and goes along the Lake Geneva. Here, you should visit the UNESCO world heritage terraced vineyards that overlook the lake, the thrilling castle Château de Chillon and the town of Montreux famous for its annual jazz festival and for being the place where Charlie Chaplin spent his last years.

Brissago


Photo: Tom-Switzerland

Discover the Italian spirit in Switzerland in the town of Brissago situated on the shore of the stunningly beautiful Lago Maggiore and surrounded by the Alps. The Italian border is just a few kilometers away and you get a feel of “la dolce vita” when you stroll around in the medieval town where Italian is spoken, the restaurants serve osso buco and saltimbuca and where palm trees and exotic plants grow. Take a boat to the island of Brissago (Isole di Brissago), which is entirely covered by a beautiful botanical garden with plants from all over the world. No wonder that local botanists (and tour guides) claim that you see the whole world here.

Mount Pilatus


Photo by Jaxed

Of course you can’t visit Switzerland without going to the top of a mountain. If you aren’t a mountaineer, choose Mount Pilatus near the town of Lucerne. The top can be reached by aerial panorama gondolas, cableways and the Pilatus Railway, which is the world’s steepest cogwheel railway (the latter operates from May to November depending on snow conditions). From the top there is a great view over the central Alps and the Lake Lucerne.

Grand Hotel Giessbach


Photo by Kugelfish

Experience the past at the historical Grand Hotel Giessbach. The hotel is an exquisite world of its own from the golden age of tourism (dating from 1873) and has a unique setting high above the lake Brienz surrounded by mountains and forests – and is right next to the foaming Giessbach waterfalls.

The thermal spa in Vals


Photo from triarc.dk

If you need a break from the “old world charm” at Grand Hotel Giessbach, then visit the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor’s amazing thermal spa in Vals. This ultra-modernistically designed spa, built entirely in grey local rocks, has achieved an iconic status among architecture fanatics and spa connoisseurs.

Zurich


The Red Factory Zurich. Photo by Toni_V

Switzerland is not all about stunningly beautiful nature end exclusive retreats. There are several cities of interest, especially Zurich which is by far the most liberal and edgy place in the rather conservative and well-ordered country. Years ago, the west end of Zurich was an industrial district but today, it's a hot spot with clubs, bars and fashion shops. For instance, it's the place where the world famous Freitag-bag comes from and where the company has its flagship store (the Freitag-tower).

EURO 2008


Photo by CharlesFred

Some people couldn’t care less, and for others it’is the highlight of the year. We are of course talking about the EURO 2008, which Momondo dares to put on our top 7 list of things to see & do in Switzerland. This year’s European Championship in football is not held in Switzerland alone but also in Austria. If your country doesn’t play in Switzerland but in Austria, you should expect some pretty good conditions too -  Austria is second on the World Economic Forum’s list of countries with the best tourism conditions.

Author David Rich

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A Tourist's Guide On How To Spot A Mafioso

Palermo / Go Shop
en by Momondo, 17. Mar 2008

Scene from the movie "Mafioso" (1962). 

 

Palermo’s splendid palaces, churches and museums just cannot compete with the Mafia when it comes to attracting curiosity from tourists. In acknowledgment of this brutal fact, Sicilian tour guide Augusto Cavadi has written a 55-page pocket-sized book called The Mafia Explained to Tourists.

The book tackles a lot of the questions about the Mafia, which Cavadi is fed up with answering while giving tours in his hometown Palermo.

"I included the 10 questions I am always asked, so from now on I can just hand out the book", said Augusto Cavadi according to The Guardian. These are questions such as: what does a Mafioso look like, whether the mafia will exist forever, and ”why haven't we seen a shoot-out in our 10 days here?”

Despite having certain common characteristics, it can be difficult – even for a local Sicilian – to spot a mobster. "They are usually elegant and polite and move in high circles," Augusto Cavadi says according The Guardian. "I have known dozens, but only found out years later they were Mafiosi when they were arrested. It was 15 years before I figured out my apartment building was owned by a mob family", Cavadi says.

The Mafia Explained to Tourists is available in Italian, English, Japanese, German, Spanish and French and in addition to tips on how to spot the average Godfather it includes a list of books and films which present a realistic view of the mob.

In addition to being handed out by Augusto Cavadi when he is quizzed about the mafia, the €5.50 guide is on sale at newspaper stands in Palermo.

Author David Rich Momondo 

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Tokyo Doesn't Want Michelin-stars

Tokyo / Go Eat
en by Momondo, 10. Mar 2008


Photo by Rick

In November 2007, Michelin inspectors sprinkled 191 Michelin-stars on 150 restaurants in Tokyo, which is by far the highest amount of stars Michelin has awarded any city. While just about any city in Europe and the US would market itself as a gastronomical powerhouse if it had received just a few of those stars, Tokyo renounces the honour from Michelin. Instead, the Michelin-guide has received heavy criticism from the city’s many food aficionados.

Prominent figures such as food critics, magazines and even the governor of Tokyo have questioned the guide’s choice of restaurants and ratings, and a handful of chefs have proudly announced that they turned down chances to be listed in the guide.

The rationale behind the opposition against the Michelin-guide is, that it is only Japanese people who really understand Japanese food. “How can a bunch of foreigners show up and tell us what is good or bad?”, says Tokyo chef Toshiya Kadowaki according to The New York Times.

The fact that two out of the five Michelin inspectors who did the guide were Japanese, doesn’t seem to have appeased the critical Tokyoites, who claim that the guide gave high ratings to unremarkable restaurants. 

A business man tells how he spent about $200 at the three-star Japanese-style restaurant Kanda and was dismayed to find what he called egregious violations of Japanese cuisine’s minimalist tenets, like an overly large slice of eel sushi that disrupted the dish’s balance."You needed a knife and fork to eat that,” Mr. Nagatomi said according to The New York Times. “I can see why it would appeal to Frenchmen who don’t use chopsticks.”

One restaurateur explains that he refused a listing in the Michelin for fear of turning off customers seeking authentic Japanese cuisine, and another said he turned down a Michelin rating because the idea of ranking restaurants offended Japanese sensibility against bragging and putting others down.

The Tokyo-guide is Michelin’s first guide outside Europe and the United States. The French tyre company says it chose Tokyo because it was the largest and one of the most sophisticated restaurant markets in the world. The Tokyo metropolitan area, with some 30 million residents, has roughly 160,000 restaurants, versus about 25,000 in greater New York City and 13,000 in Paris, according to Michelin.

See the Michelin rankings in Tokyo here [PDF].

Michelin’s new France 2008 Red Guide came out on March 3. To see the full details on the new rankings click here [PDF].

Related articles:

Michelin throws stardust on Tokyo
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Brussels Invites You Back To 1958

Brussels / Go See
en by Momondo, 6. Mar 2008

Photo by Timothy E. Baldwin 

 

It has been 50 years since Brussels invited the world to the first World’s Fair after World War II, officially known as Expo 58. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, the Belgian capital will host several events and exhibitions this year, which commemorate the culture and history of the year 1958.

The events will take place at the Heizel area where Expo 58 took place and where you’ll find the most durable remnant from the fair: a futuristic iron crystal molecule magnified 165 billion times: the Atomium.

The Atomium was intended to be a temporary monument for the Expo 58 but it survived and is today an iconic and super cool landmark for Brussels. The monument has just been renovated and three of its glorious spheres are now open to the public.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Atomium, a free entrance will be offered to all persons turning 50 between April 17 and October 19 on the day of their birthday. 

Related articles:

Expo Zaragoza 2008 

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