Plane, train, and automobiles -- and wifi?

Closing off one chapter in my life and about to begin another, with a harrowing -yet sure to be fun- journey across the Pond, the Channel and the Pyrenées and back again, in the sky, on the tracks, and on the curvy French and Catalan country roads. Oh, and perhaps even across the Aegean, which would turn this into a trip of Odyssean proportion. How fun!

I will get to London first, flying across the pond of course, where The Fat Duck, St.John, and Tayyabs await. Then Eurostar to Paris, pick up a car, off to Brittany where Olivier Rollinger and some unknown local lobster shacks will be our destinations. From there we get back to Paris and grab a ride on the TGV down to Monpellier, then over the country roads to Laguiole, and not just for the knives. Then back in the car over and across to Spain, pardon me, Calalonia: Barcelona and Roses to be precise. Yes, y'all know where I'll be eating. ;-) Getting back from Barcelona back to Paris will be on the overnight train, which really should be fun. There is something so quaint and romantic about overnight trains, no?

What of the Aegean, you asked? Well, that bit of the trip is unknown yet. I've heard recently that someone in my circle is taking a house for six months on an Island off the coast of Greece, so I might just drop by for a week or two of shoeless -if not entirely clothless- existence. Mmm...grilled fish with nothing but a little olive oil, thyme from the side of the road, and a squeeze of lemon....mmm...

But now that I don't work for The Man himself, connecting to the Internets might prove a little more complicated than before. That's why I need your help. I know there must be some wifi places where I can get a wifi connection for my G4, but I've never really looked for them so have no idea where they might be. Any idea? Parisian readers, aidez-moi?

Comments

[Cara Black]

Pim,
Re Paris:You can get a wifi connection at the Mairie in the 3rd arrondissement off rue de Bretagne and you might like that it's across from Enfants Rouge covered market!
Bon voyage, Cara

[Pim]

Thanks everyone for all the great pointers. I'm in London now, and apparently haven't quite got time for blogging. I'll hope it will change soon.

[Meg]

I was going to point you in the direction of our apartment for wifi but it looks like you've been given a number of better more central points! So instead, I'll point out that you might want to stop in Vichy on your way Laguiole for a meal chez Jacques Decoret. I had the chef's tasting menu there last fall and thought it was a hoot:

http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001336.php

I'm looking forward to seeing your reports on all the above places - and like the others, extremely jealous!

[naf]

Pim, in Paris, you can also access WIFI in a museum called Palais de Tokyo. Actually it is quite a fun place to visit too. It's for young artist, exhibitions tend to be more experimental. I think you can roam freely with WIFI in the whole museum, in their resto and cafe, even 300M outside. Read more here.

[Laurent]

Pim,

I was at Entredgeu tonight. It is in my neighborhood. I thought about you as I know it is one of your favorite bistro(t)s in Paris.

I think it is quite a nice place and, therefore, I'll post something about it soon on my blog.

Btw, it would be great to exchange some addresses as I'll be in San Francisco next summer (honeymoon actually !).

Have fun in our nice Old World...and tell us about El Bulli (I can't believe you managed to book a table there...which you'll have to explain as well !).

PS : I have not forgotten I must post the foie gras recipe as well but I don't have that much time to do so these days. Moreover, I'll be in New York next week (Bernardin, Bouley, ... me voilà !)

[mindy]

please keep us FULLY informed of your grecian odyssey!!! Greece is incredible, the islands parfait!

[Ptipois]

"Hope we can be both at the same time and at the same place somewhere." - er, silly me, I meant "sometime".

[Silly Disciple]

it's fairly easy to find wifi spots in Barcelona, and several big hotels offer it as well. in Roses, if you sit in the touristy restaurant/hotel right accross from Rafa you can get fairly good access, I guess from a friendly neighbour?
Will you be staying in BCN long, or are you going straight to Roses?

[Ptipois]

Well, with all the WiFi info you got here, I have nothing to add! I do sometimes find connections with my own G4 Powerbook when sitting in a café in central Paris. You'll have a wonderful trip I'm sure. However you'll be in France and Greece exactly while I'll be in Asia, precisely Thailand and Japan! Hope we can be both at the same time and at the same place somewhere.
If you go to Greece, which island exactly are you going to? Greece is a wonderful place to visit.

[Bertrand]

Here are a few free WIFI locations in Paris, Pim . Hope this helps .
http://www.evous.com/guide/paris/communication/internet/wifi.htm
Bertrand .

[Suebob]

No wifi advice, but I am lying on the floor pounding the ground with pure jealousy. Have a good trip, Pim!

[JKR]

this may be a shameless Apple plug but .Mac and T-Mobile have a deal going on right now. 30 day free trial access to their wifi networks in to States. They also have all kinds of hotspots throughout Europe and Asia. Maybe that will solve some problems. Info here: http://www.mac.com/WebObjects/Welcome

[Laurent]

Now you know all the wifi hotspots in Paris, have the driving and train directions, what could/should I add ?

Actually, I think it's just too bad you don't make a stop in Lyon, Macon, Vienne or Valence on your way to Laguiole. But it may be another story and (why not) an idea for a future trip.

[Reid]

Hi Pim,

Have a wonderful trip. I'm looking forward to reading all about your adventures!

[gwen]

Hi Pim,

Most train stations in Paris are equipped with WiFi hotspots, and Orange has a list of its hotspots in France and abroad here: http://www.orange-wifi.com/recherche.htm

Have a fun trip !

[anne]

Tu devrais trouver ton bonheur sur cette carte à Paris comme tu vois, tu n'as pas de souci à te faire. Bon voyage

http://www.paris-sansfil.fr/map/tagmap/infosTagMap.php?region=paris

[Jean-Louis]

BTW, you seem to be driving from Paris to Brittany. Actually, there is a TGV from Paris (either Paris or directly from CDG) to Rennes, where you will find lots of rental cars. Rollinger etc. is about one hour by car, north of Rennes. Of course, if you have time on your hands, driving through the countryside is fun too, but will take a lot longer.

[Jean-Louis]

Rollinger? Very very interesting. Rollinger is the only two stars around the area (or was in the last Michelin I saw), and I am planning a visit soon after you. I will read your post with beaucoup d'interet. St. Michel is nearby, but that is rather touristy. Do not forget Dinard and St. Malo. Bon voyage.

[me2i81]

You'll be surprised at how many open shares you find in a large city these days. Instead of war-driving you can war-cafe.

If you don't already have Skype, check it out. skype.com

[emily]

lots of cafes have wifi you can pay for hourly. i know for sure there are a few near the mabillon metro, but they are bound to be everywhere. also you can get it for free in a lot of places. when i lived in the 16th the mcdonald's (!) on rue de passy offered it for free. just keep your eyes peeled for wifi signs and you'll find something in no time.

[J]

Hi Pim,

Check out this site for all your wifi finding conundrums:

http://jiwire.com/

Best regards,
hitherto lurker J ;-)

[Max]

Free WiFi access in the West End can be had at the Apple Store in Regent St, and the cafe/first floor of Foyles on Tottenham Court Road. Paid-for wifi access in pretty much any chain coffee bar, hotel, etc.

[dave]

Clickety for a list of free wifi hot spots across europe.

[Tara]

I'm SO jealous!

That aside, and considering I've never been on WiFi outside the US, I imagine you'd be fine if you keep a DHCP type connection with your own DNS servers (use the ones you have now or there are free DNS servers out there too) specified in the corresponding box on your Network control panel. So long as there are no restrictions on access to begin with, I imagine that will work almost anywhere.

[Christian]

Pim,

All of us still interned at "The Man" will surely miss you, and wish you the safest of sybaritic adventures.

After all those years connected, perhaps a few weeks of no-net would be a good change of pace? (Donning asbestos suit in anticipation of flames from other devoted readers).

Cheers, C

P.S. OMFG TOKAJI!