Burgundy Memories: The Bottle in the Basement
Travel writing during lockdown: a train into Burgundy, a child's hill, stolen wine, a mysterious neighbor, courting pigeons, a bottle of Chablis, a paulee, and stories to share.
Photolog: An Excursion into Normandy
A photolog of a 3-day stay in Normandy, destination the Landing Zone, for a D-Day tour including stops at Pegasus Bridge, Juno Beach, Arromanches, Bayeux, the La Cambe German Cemetery, Sainte Mere Eglise, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery.
The Silence of Oradour-sur-Glane
As Elisabeth Esris walks the charred and shattered streets of Oradour-sur-Glane (near Limoges) with other visitors the uniformity of silence is remarkable. This is not a place for conversation or expletive even though each step leads to palpable savagery.
Noshing In Nice: Bread and the Bagel
The bagel isn’t about to overtake socca, the time-honored chickpea pancake, as a favorite nosh in Nice, but having made inroads into the bread-life of Paris, it’s gaining attention in the capital of the Riviera. Among those paying attention are French-born Daniele Thomas Easton and her Brooklyn-bred husband.
Making Peace with Bouillabaisse in Marseille
By James d'Entremont
I recently returned to Marseille for the first time in over four decades, and came away wondering how I could have waited so...
Why I like Menton… and limoncello (6/8)
By Stephanie Sommers
Concurrent with Nice’s great Carnival that I’ve been blogging about, Menton, the pretty French town sitting between the Italian border and Monaco,...
The Begonia Conservatory: Without Rochefort There Would Be No Begonias
The town of Rochefort in western France, best known for its historic naval dockyard, is home to Europe’s most important collection of begonias, which is to be expected given that there would be no begonias (or magnolias or fuchsias) were it not for Rochefort. An explanation and a visit.
Drizzling in Provence: On the Trail of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
On the trails of an olive oil education, the author visits producers in the Luberon and near Les Baux, participates on the jury of an international competition, and adds some balsamic vinegar to this travel salad.
Resort Report: Medieval Meets Modern at Le Moulin de Vernègues in Provence
In this hotel and resort report, Corinne LaBalme finds something old, something new, a spa and a golf course, too, at a stylishly revamped inn midway between Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.