5 Film Remedies for Holiday Burnout

The holiday season is over and credit cards bills will soon follow. Many of us have already seen more than enough snow for one winter. Or maybe you're on tech overload. I'd like to recommend five movies that can slow life down and take you away to a simpler time and place. No car chases or nail-biters in these films; their appeal is enchanting scenery and brilliant cinematography. Pour a cup of tea (or glass of wine), put your feet up and dream of sunny skies in Italy or France.

Paris and Montmartre

Paris, 2012 - Our second day in Paris got off to a great start with a delicious cup of café au lait and two pain au chocolat still warm from the oven. Breakfast is one of the little things that lured me back to France.

The included city sightseeing tour would take in many sights we had visited the last time we were in Paris, but we joined the tour as far as Place de la Concorde. From here we walked through the Tuileries Garden and onward along the River Seine to Ile de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Paris - Tuileries Garden

Paris - Right Bank

Paris, May 2010 - We arrived in Paris yesterday on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour through England, France and Italy. And I was excited to find pains au chocolat on the breakfast buffet this morning to accompany my cafe au lait. We needed to fortify ourselves for the sunny but blustery day ahead of us that would start with a brief sightseeing tour, followed by a visit to the Eiffel Tower.

Les Invalides, Paris