The cote d’Azur is one of the most splendid and sumptuous places in France. The crystal clear water reflecting the almost always clear but always magical blue sky has strange powers over one’s psyche. That combined with the sweet sea air, spectacular beaches which make your bare feet smile, and a plethora of splendid villages […]
It was the mid 1950’s in a charming but little known fishing village on the French Riviera coast. The fishermen, as usual, unloaded their daily catch at the harbor where they kept their colorful fishing boats and where they stretched out their nets at the end of the day for maintenance and repair. The local […]
It’s always great to get back to the sea, in this case, the Mediterranean Sea. I love all the cities I visit in Europe, but there’s a lot to be said about the experience in a city by the sea. The vistas. The smells. The boats. The food. There is definitely a special relationship that […]
It is a bright and brisk spring day in tiny L’Arbresle, France, about 30 miles northeast of Lyon, France in the Rhone Valley region. I just got off a short train ride from Lyon at the train station which looks like a medieval meeting house. I’m on foot and my route to my destination is […]
HAPPY AND ALONE BETWEEN THE RHONE AND THE SAONE IN LYON Located in the Rhone valley in southeastern France in the heart of Beaujolais wine country, lying just south of the Burgundy region and just north of the Provence region, is Lyon, France’s third largest city in terms of population, culture, and commerce after Paris […]
It’s spring in the Alps. The water is perfectly clean, perfectly clear. There’s a tiny dock with a gazebo decorated with hanging pots of fresh colorful multi-color flowers. There’s hardly a soul around. It’s very quiet. There are no cars, no buses, no crowds of tourists. It’s a good time to just sit a while […]
Water! There’s always something about water that lures us to its presence. Whether it is an ocean, or a lake, or a river, or a creek, or a trickling spring, we are all automatically hypnotized by and lured to it. We want to see it, touch it, smell it, and sometimes jump into it. Add […]
Perched in the southeastern corner of Parc de la Villette in Paris, the new Philharmonie de Paris building makes its presence forcefully with its gigantic looming form which many say resembles a crashed spaceship. With its creative and iconic combination of boxy and angled and organic forms, this imposing structure is a fitting new addition […]
Churches, cathedrals, monuments, museums, sidewalk cafes, café au lait creperies, pastry shops, crème brulee, and macaroons (yum!)—these are all things that Paris is famous for. Not to be missed though is all the parks, cemeteries, and gardens that are spread throughout the city providing residents and visitors with refreshing oases away from the traffic […]
Strolling along quaint old glass covered sky lit lanes that Parisians have done for more than a century is an experience I can savor over and over again. Long before enclosed shopping malls became the norm in America, the idea of covered shopping avenues was alive and well in Paris. In the first half of […]
europe on 15 espressos a day 