The frugalfirstclasstravel Friday files – 20 Sept 2013

Hi Frugalistas!

I’m starting a new series, that I hope to post each Friday.  I’ll be featuring the work of other bloggers I enjoy, and other posts I’ve read during the last week or so that I hope will be of interest to frugalfirstclasstravel readers.

The first post this week comes from one of my favorite French blogs, Aussie in France, written by the lovely Rosemary.  The post I’m featuring is a guest post by another lovely Aussie, Carolyn Schonafinger, who has written a great piece on the Languedoc, an often overlooked part of France:

The ramparts at Carcassone
Photo: frugalfirstclasstravel

Aah, the south of France.  Over 300 days of sunshine per year, endless stretches of Mediterranean coastline, unspoilt countryside, bustling markets and untouched medieval villages.  I’m talking about Provence, right? Wrong! This is Languedoc, the real south of France.  Less well known than its famous neighbour, particularly by Australians, Languedoc offers the visitor the quintessential rural French experience.   Read on here…………..

Next, I’m featuring a great post from fellow Sydney blogger Pretraveller.  While this isn’t a new post, I only came across it this week while checking out Anne’s latest Aussie road trip adventures.  I’m featuring it, because to me, it captures a lot of the tips that lead to a true frugalfirstclasstravel experience – how to avoid tourists!

Standing in the lengthy summer queue to catch the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower was mindlessly boring. Standing under the hot sweaty sun and being assailed by illegal street vendors, touts and thieves was not my idea of a good holiday.  The lengthy tedium inspired fond recollections of the at-odds pleasure we had experienced only a few days ago on the London Eye where we had enjoyed walking straight onto our own private pod by choosing to visit just prior to sunset. The stark difference in experiences reaffirmed that avoiding peak times was well worth it.   You can read more about Anne’s tips here……

The 50min queue for the Sagrada Familia at 9.50am in the morning
Photo: frugalfirstclasstravel

My final post this week is something a bit different – it’s about The States.  Regular readers will note a distinct lack of American contact on my blog.  So I’m correcting that this week with a post by Noel Morata of Travel Photo Discovery.  It’s a really interesting post because it talks about a poorly understood part of American history – the Russian colonisation of America.  Noel’s photos are also fantastic and really bring the story to life.

Along the Sonoma coastline just north from Bodega Bay is this solitary fortress guarding a lonely and quiet cove at Fort Ross. Back in the 17th and 18th century this coastline was highly contested by both the Spanish with their Carmelite missions running all the way to Sonoma and you can read more and see Noel’s great photos here………

Photo: Noel Morata Photography travelphotodiscovery.com

 

So, here’s the first frugalfirstclasstravel Friday files.  I’d love to know what you think of my choices, and whether you’ve enjoyed the post!  You know I always love your feedback!