New York Taxi?

Is this the long awaited replacement for the iconic New York Taxi? This is one of the finalists.

Rural Cumbria

Reading an article lately in a taxi magazine. What do you think. A good idea or not.
Personally I dont know much about this or how it operates. Anyone care to explain?

Fuel Surcharges - about to hit the tourist industry in more ways than one!

One of the great advantages of living in the Dordogne is that we are only a short drive away to the nearest airport from where you can catch daily flights to a huge selection of destinations in the Netherlands or United Kingdom. We may not like the way airlines such as Flybe and Ryanair operate, with their dubious no cancellation/no refund policies (and slapping on a massive 'cancellation fee' which precludes them from paying back the taxes - as is dictated by law), but they do make it easy for thousands of people to fly in and out of the Dordogne. People still talk about the 'low cost' airlines and seem not to have notices that there is not much 'low' about the costs these days -- but we still appreciate the fact that we can hop across the channel at a reasonable rate.
However, in the past month many of the major airlines have been increasing their fuel taxes, which will of course make a significant difference in the total price you pay for an airline ticket. All airlines are expected to announce increases soon and further fuel surcharge increases are also anticipated again later in the year, including some airlines who have already implemented fuel surcharges increases. No doubt the 'low cost' airlines will find some way in which to rub the honey around our mouths -- or sugar the pill -- and yet, I suspect that they just do not care anymore, and the fuel taxes and surcharge was just the excuse they needed to drastically increase their prices. One thing is for certain -- with the Euro being as strong as it is against the Pound and the Dollar, the already slow and dwindling tourist numbers in the Dordogne Perigord are bound to be affected radically, and the local tourist industry is going to have a tough time ahead -- for this is not something that is ever going to be reversed -- and it will be very interesting to see what the governments will do aboutg the situation.........


Related links:
Flybe flights to the Dordogne
Who flies where in France
Alternative travel: By train



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A great new magazine in the Dordogne

I recently came across a magazine - freely on offer on the counter of my little supermarket -- that I took home and read from cover to cover - finding the articles pertinent, well written and informative, and presented in a reader-friendly and attractive way.

In a market already well-supplied with various how-to and setting-you-on-your-way publications, this one appealed to me. It contains just enough to take in in one go.

Expats have no shortage of helpful publications, but often they are so packed with so much information that it is impossible to remember half of it -- let alone remember where to go look for it again when you need the information.

"Impressions" has just enough of a variety of things, and with the clearly defined content, coming back to the correct copy which contains the specific information you will need some time in the future, should be a diddle.

I decided to go look for the person behind this lovely little magazine, "Impressions".

Jon Burton is the man, and he was ready to tell me more:

A: Thank you for your kind words regarding Impressions magazine.
The magazine was launched in April 2003 in the Deux Sèvres department of the Poitou - Charentes. Its aim was to help integration between the French and English speaking communities, promote local attractions and events and to promote both French and English speaking registered artisans. Impressions magazine carries both feature and general interest articles making it different to the likes of French News, Connexions and Sud Ouest which are predominately current affairs newspapers.

Impressions magazine expanded rapidly in the Deux Sèvres and soon was being distributed in all departments of the Poitou Charentes. It now has a content of 28 pages, a readership of over 20,000 and carries 60+ advertisers.

Q: So it is not a new magazine?

A: No, in the Dordogne it is, but as a magazine it is already well established ---- In fact, it is now in its fifth year.

Q: You say there are 60+ advertisers. Yet reading the magazine, one does not get that 'crowded' feeling with too many advertisements competing for space with the articles.

A: That is good, because it really is a symbiotic relationship ---- the advertisers are not only important to us, but to the reader as well, as they are the people that make up the networking system of the expat in his new home. And of course, the magazine is wholly funded by advertising revenue, keeping it free to the reader ----- thus generating greater exposure for the advertiser. Impressions magazine also has a large subscriber base of readers who have the magazine delivered to their door throughout the world. Being a well-established magazine already, it has become a much relied upon and successful medium and has many advertisers who have been advertising from issue one including Century 21, AXA insurance and local Notaires.

Q: Interesting, because it is not a very 'big' magazine.

A: Yes, but we are confident we can replicate the success of the magazine here in the Dordogne and believe that Impressions magazine will be a good medium for businesses to advertise at a lower cost than other publications. --- Although Impressions magazine is starting as a 12 page magazine for the Dordogne edition, this is expected to increase in size rapidly.

Q: Ah! I hope not too big -- because that is exactly what I found was unique about it and made it so attractive to me as the reader -- the 'digestible' size!

A: And its availability, I hope! -----We are also pleased to announce that we have signed a partnership agreement with the Chambre de Commerce et Industry of Dordogne and the Bergerac Airport Authority. This will ensure that the magazine will be made available to a wider audience hence offering better coverage for advertisers.

As well as being available in the Arrival and Departure Halls at Bergerac Airport, 3000 copies of Impressions magazine will be distributed in restaurants, bars, tabacs, banks, supermarkets, immobiliers, Office de Tourisme and insurance offices, initially throughout the areas of:- Riberac, Bergerac, Eymet, Lalinde, Monbazillac, Saint Foy and Mussidan.

We wish Impressions much success in the Perigord Dordogne ---
Look out for it wherever you are and have a look for yourself --
and do let us know what you think about it!

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Eurostar re-launched at St Pancras, London! A Big day for Anglo-Franco tourism!

The Big Day has arrived! 14 November 2007, and the new terminal for the Eurostar train service at St Pancras in London has opened -- bringing with it a range of improvements and special services, one of which is a good 20 minute reduction on the London-Paris route!

For more details, read the blog entry of 10 November 2007 and by all means, click on the link above for the Eurostar website -- it is impressive -- and sure the whet your appetite! You can also subscribe to their newsletter by simply filling in your email address at the bottom -- and it is well worth your while as I see there are already very exciting special offers available in fares!

What a pity they did not think about combining the first Paris-London-Paris trip with the midnight appearance of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau -- a few hours and it could have been the event of the decade!.........But -- nothing stops you from booking your ticket straight-away and coming down to the Dordogne anyway to come marvel at the exquisite autumn colours in this region, enjoy an excellent meal of foie gras, confit de canard and pommes sarladaise, and of course, a bottle of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau!

See you there!


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The new Eurostar High Speed : London to Bordeaux in a 5 hour train ride !

On 14 November 2007 the new Eurostar High Speed service will be launched from the magnificent new Eurostar station in London, at St Pancras International. London and Bordeaux are now a short distance apart!
Closer to the patisseries of Paris! Nearer to the best beers of Brussels!
It will be possible to travel from the state of the art railway terminal in the centre of London, or from the second new terminal at Ebbsfleet International, in the north of Kent, near the Bluewater Shopping Centre (opens on 19 November) from as little as €77 (special offer) to around €250 return to the centre of Bordeaux from next month! (Allow for change over time and cost in Paris from Gare du Nord to Montparnasse station, where you change to the fast TGV).
What a pleasure! Luxury and excellent service, the best possible way to travel (I love train travel -- don't you?) sipping champagne, no long waits at airports -- in fact, no long journeys to airports as train travel takes you from city centre to city centre -- and in much quicker time than any airline can get you there:

Paris – London : 2h15 (instead of 2h35)
Lille – London : 1h20 (instead of 1h40)
Bruxelles – London : 1h51 (instead of 2h15)
London - Bordeaux : 5h45 (including change between stations)
Bordeaux to Lalinde: 1h30

The High Speed will be the first British fast train of its kind to link up with the already existing high speed trains of Europe. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL)will now, for the first time, be able to reach the same speed as the French trains -- that of 300 km/h

St Pancras, with its neo-Gothic Victorian facade, was first inaugurated in 1868 -- and the new International terminal will keep the same style, although daringly modernised to cater for the 400 meter long Eurostar trains and the highly demanding tastes of its passengers.

There will be a wide range of shops, bars and restaurants, an international brasserie, the longest champagne bar in Europe and a daily fresh produce market. First Class and Business Class lounges and WiFi connections -- everything a discerning traveler of 2007 demands.
St Pancras International links up with six tube lines, and seven rail companies -- and King's Cross and Euston are only one tube station away -- convenient and comfortable!

So, the question now remains: Did Harry Potter really travel from St Pancras? Well, yes! Although he was supposed to have traveled from platform no.9¾ in Kings Cross, the film version shows him traveling from St Pancras, where the superb architecture and neo-Gothic Victorian style forms the perfect backdrop for this all-time favourite!






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Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event

Relocation Orientation in France