In Dordogne: A Winter’s Woodcock Tale
One wintery day in Dordogne, Janet Duignan spots a woodcock foraging in the backyard, leading to reflections on 250 years of fine-feathered cuisine and wine.
Near Paris: The Giverny – La Roche-Guyon Daytrip Combo
How and why to combine a visit to Monet's House and Gardens at Giverny with a visit to the chateau of La Roche Guyon, whether on a daytrip from Paris or a longer excursion to Normandy.
The French Ardennes, Part 1. Charleville-Mézières: The Runaway Poet, Great Beer Bars and the...
Two hours by train from Paris, in Charleville-Mézières, capital of the French Ardennnes, near the Belgian border, the author glimpses the flight of Arthur Rimbaud, sets out to investigate beer and beer bars and encounters the giant lizard Mawhot.
The French Ardennes, Part 2. Charleville-Mézières: Place Ducale and the Bare-Ass Casserole
On the Place Ducale, the great square of Charleville-Mézières, the author tries the Ardennes' celebrated bare-ass casserole and encounters men and women in colorful robes and floppy hats during the Festival des Confréries.
The French Ardennes, Part 3: The Meuse, Sedan, More Beer and the Big Boar
In which the author continues his beer travels in the Ardennes and finds quirky bars, aspiring breweries, a magnificent view over the Meuse and an enormous boar named Woinic.
Blond Girl in Saumur: When Our Eyes Met for the Second Time
A photo/video-log from the Saumur area of the Loire Valley in which Gary Lee Kraut remembers when travel was less about fooding and more about flirting, less about getting reservations and more about losing inhibitions, less about looking for recommendations and more about following your own nose.
La Ciotat: A Splash of Reality on the Riviera
Corinne LaBalme forgoes the Saint Tropez glitz-krieg and heads for the refreshingly quirky (and under-hyped) port of La Ciotat to enjoy great food, unspoiled beaches and affordable prices in one of the all-too-rare Mediterranean enclaves that's escaped paparazzi pollution.
Moulins (Auvergne) and the National Costume Center
Deep in the heart of France, the little-known town of Moulins (Auvergne) reveals the fabric of great theater at the National Costume Museum, particularly this year when the museum celebrates the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth with an exhibition of costumes from some of the bard’s most emblematic plays, on display through Jan. 4, 2015.
Unexpected Provence: Meet the New Aix
The Provençal college town of Aix-en-Provence, celebrated for Cézanne, bel canto and fountain-side cafés, puts the finishing touches on a massive urban renewal project. Corinne LaBalme sets out beyond the town's tawny-tinted 17th-18th century façades to discover 21st-century Aix.