Pierre Soulages: Beyond Black in Rodez
Corinne LaBalme saw only the dark side of Pierre Soulages, France’s most celebrated living artist, until she visited his namesake museum in Rodez, Aveyron, and saw the light.
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.
5 Days in Auvergne, Part V: Mont Dore, Saint Nectaire, Chaudes-Aigues and Yu
The Auvergne diary. In which, over seven years later, the author finally responds to Yu Jia's message: "Too bad parts V and VI aren’t up, I did want to read about Mont Dore and Saint Nectaire."
Blade Running in Laguiole (Aveyron)
Corinne LaBalme ventures into Deep France to explore the cutting edge of cutlery in the town of Laguiole (Aveyron) and reports on the collision between age-old craftsmanship and high design at La Forge de Laguiole.
France Commemorates First National Day of Homage to Victims of Terrorism
While the current health crisis causes us to withdraw into our homes, France on March 11 commemorated fear-inducing events that previously brought millions out into the street: terrorism.
Villa Majorelle, Iconic Art Nouveau House, Reopens in Nancy
With the reopening this month of the Villa Majorelle, Nancy reaffirms its attraction as a destination for visitors who delight in the floral- and nature-inspired curves, the flowing design and the craftsmanship of the Art Nouveau period.
French Wines for an American Thanksgiving
Americans celebrating Thanksgiving in France typically, even traditionally, enjoy their fresh French turkey with some fine French terroir in their selection of wine—make that wines, plural, since a long meal calls for more than one.
D-Day Turns 75: Five Threads Leading from the Beaches of Normandy
Beyond the numerous commemorative ceremonies that accompany the 75th anniversary of D-Day and of the liberation of villages and towns over the ensuing ten weeks, here are five telling ways in which organizations and businesses are using, (re)interpreting or inspired by Normandy’s wartime memory in 2019.
Winter on the Riviera: The Mimosa Route
All that glitters on the French Riviera, the Côte d’Azur, is not 18K gold. As Corinne LaBalme reports, bright yellow mimosa flowers add Mother Nature’s Midas Touch to the winter season, particularly along the Mimosa Route between the medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas and the perfume capital of Grasse.