“Café au lait?” asked the square, solid waitress in our Paris pensionne. “No, my wife won’t be coming down this morning” replied the American, firmly, trying to convey he understood what he was being asked, when clearly he didn’t. “Pardon, monsieur, café au lait?” repeated the puzzled waitress. “Yes, she was the one wearing a … Continued
At the moment my traveling is in South West France – think of roses still on the bushes in December, sunshine even on the coldest day, unexpected views of chateaus with fairy tale turrets, empty roads and a village seemingly growing out of the chestnut earth, houses leaning one on another under the trees, supporting … Continued
I had to go to Paris because I’m going somewhere else. Yes, I needed a Schengen Visa and (they say,) the easiest way to get a multiple-entry visa is via the French embassy. And so the Paris trip happened. Honestly, I never really thought it would be a good idea to be roaming around Paris, … Continued
Paris is like a woman of a certain age, wholly unconcerned by the need to please and with every night we spend chasing the final train she seems to say “this is who I am, take me or leave me.” I choose to do the former. I escape from my apartment unto our tiny alley of … Continued
Paris as you all know is the Romance Capital, and the city of lovers. So, whenever you are next in Paris, this is not to be missed. I think you can just make it an ultimate gift for your loved one. How about an idea of locking your love forever at the Lover’s bridge. ‘Lover’s bridge’ this … Continued
The city of Cannes has been called a jewel of the French Riviera, a pseudonym that refers to its glittering azure waters and its garb of celebrity status as home to the Cannes International Film Festival and impressive hillside villas. It is the setting of such tales of wealth, sin, and splendour as Scott F. … Continued
The river Seine hides behind the next cobbled corner, only a minute’s stroll from the Right Bank atelier apartment where I am staying, off Rue de l’Hotel de Ville in Marais, Paris. The murky Seine is ever present, snaking its way rapidly around the Île Saint Louis and Île de la Cité, carrying centuries of … Continued
I remember it as if it were yesterday. Such an old saying yet no truer words have ever been spoken. Unless they were all lies. In this case the memories are fragments, growing shorter and shorter as years pass, but the happiness even in the crustiest corners of my mind remains true. It was an … Continued
The word “burning” normally brings about visions of fire, of heat and of light. Of licking flames, flickering tongues momentarily illuminating a warm brick hearth or charring wood until a bed of glowing embers is born beneath. The word “burning” does not normally haunt the same descriptions as do “dark” and “wet”. But if ever … Continued
This Panthéon is gratitude made stone. It started life as a church, built to honour St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, in thanksgiving for her intercession during Louis XV’s illness. Since then, the Panthéon has been the site of Foucault’s demonstration of his pendulum, which showed the rotation of the earth, and the home … Continued