How incredibly lucky we were to spend more than two weeks in France. It was a fantastic first visit. I will be back. The last day in Paris we saw the Eiffel Tower from the ground (there was a strike), took a cruise on the Seine, did a little window shopping at the Printemps Department… Continue reading The Last Day In Paris

Just before we left for France, a friend recommended we take a walking tour with a gentleman he had toured with several years earlier. An excellent recommendation. I contacted Gary Lee Kraut, an American expat who has taken up residence in Paris and edits the web magazine, France Revisited. Gary also offers tours of Paris… Continue reading Paris: The Walk ‘Til You Drop Tour

Festival Django Reinhardt is an annual Gypsy jazz music festival during the last week of June that dates back to the early 1980s. It is usually held at Samois-sur-Seine, France, but because of flooding in 2016, was moved to the extended grounds of Chateau de Fontainebleau. The festival brings in talents from across Europe and… Continue reading Festival Django Reinhardt 2016

Just your average, quaint little summer hunting lodge, if you happen to be a king or emperor. The chateau was originally built in 1137 by King Louis VII a as hunting lodge and summer hang out in the Fontainebleau Forest, located about 50 miles south east of the heart of Paris. Ten additional monarchs and… Continue reading Chateau de Fontainebleau

Vin en Provence! There are so many choices of wineries to visit, we were somewhat perplexed where to start. However, we let our taste buds do the heavy lifting – with the help of the maitre d at a couple restaurants – and settled on two. Chateau la Dorgonne (chateauladorgonne.com) is nestled into a beautiful… Continue reading Sampling Wine in Provence

The Frioul Islands, an archipelago just off the coast of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea, are a set of four islands with rare birds  as well as historically recognized structures. We took a ferry ride from the Old Port of Marseille out into the bay, past the first island on which Chateau d’If – the… Continue reading Vieux-Port de Marseille & Iles du Frioul

Arles, France sitting at the top of the delta where the Rhone meets the Mediterranean Sea, was an important city for the Roman Empire from about 100 B.C. to almost 600 A.D. Many Roman architectural features and ruins remain today and have been named as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including walls surrounding the city, an… Continue reading Arles: Romans – Van Gogh – Bullfights

Avignon is a walled city that sits on the banks of the Rhone River where it widens and splits into two branches. Construction of the Pope’s Palace began in the mid-1200s, and it became the seat of Pope Clement V when he moved way from Rome to escape from the city’s violence and chaos. The… Continue reading Avignon: Palais des Papes

Aix-en-Provence, located about 470 miles south of Paris and about 20 north of Marseilles and the Mediterranean coast, has a different look and vibe than Paris. It’s tile roofs, stucco walls and narrow winding streets – any of which are for foot traffic only – announce its Mediterranean roots. The center of Aix clearly caters… Continue reading Aix-en-Provence

  Heavy rains in Paris in early June caused flooding on the Seine, forcing the Louvre to close its doors to the public briefly in order to ensure protection of collection pieces on its lower levels. To our great pleasure, the Louvre reopens just before our visit. The structure was originally built as a fortress… Continue reading Musée du Louvre