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Italy’s First Food Theme Park Opens
FICO (Fabbrica Italia Contadina) Eataly World opens in Bologna – Italy’s first food theme park! On November 15, 2017, the long awaited opening of FICO Eataly World, just outside of Bologna, finally took place. Similar to Eataly in Chicago or New York or Boston (or any of the other 31 locations worldwide), the difference in… Read More
Diane’s Ireland Adventure
This year has seen a huge uptick in interest for travel to Ireland, so I decided to make another trip there at the end of March. I am so glad that I did. I arrived in Dublin airport, and drove to Galway to see friends I had met when I was teaching at the University… Read More
Client Testimonial: Diane Works Her Magic in Ireland and Italy
Diane’s love for Europe and in-depth knowledge of the region are what transform her itineraries from run-of-the-mill to absolutely extraordinary! The extreme attention to detail and level of care she provides for her travelers help to build a unique, world class trip, whether you are on a month-long adventure or dashing off for a quick… Read More
Diane’s Guide to Paris: Paris to Bordeaux in 2 Hours
Hold on to your chapeaux – starting July 1st, the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, or high speed train) will make the trip from Paris Montparnasse Station to Bordeaux St. Jean Station in only 2 hours, 4 minutes! This means that Bordeaux will now be a completely feasible day trip from Paris – oenophiles and… Read More
Diane’s Guide to Paris: Cours du Commerce St. André
At Esplanade, we value our team’s personal travel experience, and each one of us travels extensively in our areas of expertise. Diane is a perfect example of this – she is our resident Parisienne and always has insightful, off-the-beaten-track advice for her clients. Keep reading for her travel tips in the City of Light! One… Read More
Client Testimonial: Normandy and Paris
We love planning fun getaways for all of our clients, but sometimes we get the honor of planning something more special than just a vacation. Please read on about our clients’ very personal and significant trip to Normandy, where her father died fighting in WWII, and Paris: Thank you to Diane at Esplanade Travel for listening… Read More
Should all acquaintance be forgot..
While Christmas has a plethora of songs associated with it, New Years only has one – Auld Lang Syne. The lyrics are a poem by the famous Scottish poet Robbie Burns and the tune is a traditional folk song. While the poem is credited to Burns, he even admitted himself that some of the lines… Read More
Winter in Paris: Diane’s Favorite Season in the City of Light
Paris is spectacular in December. There is a special light as the days grow their shortest of the year, a sparkling kind of light as night falls. Unencumbered by leaves on the trees, the streets and buildings glow with a pinkish-orange – and then suddenly, the streets are magically illuminated by varied strings of whitish… Read More
?Merci, Monsieur Le Bon : Paris’ Picasso Museum Re-Opening in October
The Marais is a small Paris neighborhood filled with winding streets and BEAUTIFUL 17th & 18th century buildings. This part of town is one of Diane’s favorite haunts and many of the buildings have been converted to wonderful museum spaces. The Picasso Museum is one such museum, located in the resplendent Hôtel Salé – a… Read More