BonjourParis

I wanted to see the Great Synagogue in Bordeaux for some time. Luckily, I paid no attention to the guide who told us that Bordeaux’s celebrated synagogue was closed. I had to see for myself. Last Updated ( Saturday, 27 September 2008 )

I live in Vauvenargues, a small village about 10 minutes east of Aix-en-Provence and Bruno’s office is in St. Cannat, a larger village on the opposite side of Aix. The trip takes about 30 minutes, and I arrived in St. Cannat to find Bruno in jeans and a T shirt, covered in plaster dust Last Updated ( Sunday, 31 August 2008 )

You can imagine my reaction when I found myself in Lyons, a city with over 150 painted walls. They are, to my mind, works of art. Having written once before about Trompe-L’Oeil in Perigueux, but I now entered the grand city of Lyon to a dazzling array of pictorial art whose roots are common to all civilizations. This is the first art form known to man going back some 35,000 years with figurative murals appearing in Europe during the Paleolithic era. Last Updated ( Sunday, 24 August 2008 )

Paris is unfailingly seductively absorbing. But as Francophiles know, another great advantage of Paris is its proximity via air, train or car to wonderfully diverse places all over France. Consider the Pays Basque. Bayonne and Biarritz are about as far south and west as one can go in France. But talk about a trip within l'hexagon that is vaut le voyage! Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 September 2008 )

The city of Lyon has something for every taste. It is modern but retains its older, well maintained sections. It is filled with churches, museums and parks. Some of the best restaurants in France are found here as well as chocolates and pastries. The museums are first class, especially the Museum of The Resistance. Two great rivers, the Soane and the Rhone meet here. But most importantly, there are stories of famous men in Lyon and today I turn to three of them. Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 September 2008 )

With the current level of the dollar/euro exchange, I know that many people are postponing travel to Europe. My husband and I are true Francophiles, however, and refused to let that deter us. So we decided to bite the bullet last month and revisit France. Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 August 2008 )

Even Parisians, who live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, need a break from their lovely environs, historic monuments, and seeming gourmandism. One can perceive a marked hush in the months of July and August during which the French go on vacation, often to the Riveria, the Côte d’Azur, or the Alps which offer completely different aesthetic and feel. Fortunately for me, a trip to Annecy has revealed a refreshing face of France as well as myself that I could have never seen in Paris. Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )

There's always something new in St. Tropez, new look/colours for super-yachts, hair, nails, fashion, arm-candy. This year ze “pipole” are buzzing about Laurent Tarridec flogging his beautiful Lei Mouscardins restaurant, on the edge of the port, to Joseph, who has six canteens where the likes of Pammy Anderson, Jack Nicholson, Ivana Trump, Naomi Campbell & co., chill. Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

Fabled Biarritz, that soigné seaside resort in the French Pays Basque, attracts visitors both humble and haute and has for centuries. Indeed Le Palais, one of Biarritz’ grand seafront hotels which welcomes guests in baronial yet surprisingly homey style, was once a glorious seasonal home to Napoleon the Third and Princess Eugenie. Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 July 2008 )