Following in Annabel Simms’ footsteps (I saw a magpie there)
Annabel Simms’ “An Hour from Paris” is an eye-opening guide to lesser known towns and villages within an easy train ride for daytrips from Paris....
Royal Chapel of Vincennes Reopens After 9 years
Far less known than the Sainte Chapelle in Paris is France's other great Sainte Chapelle of France, the royal chapel at the Chateau de Vincennes, which reopened on May 13, 2009, after nine years of restoration.
Elephants and Paradise: 10 Hours in Amiens
Amiens is unlikely to appear in the top 10 of any objective lists of daytrips from Paris, but who ever said that a traveler...
Part III: The American Versailles. Not Impressed Yet? Try This!
Versailles, for all its reflection of historical French grandeur, authority, nobility, art, craftsmanship, and etiquette, is also a reflection of American power. Versailles may well be the French monument that most symbolizes American power, after the Statue of Liberty that is.
Part II: Louis XIV’s Versailles. Purgatory and Heaven, War and Peace, Mirrors and Fountains
I’m not sure when my transformation from dread of Versailles to curiosity occurred—while listening to our guide, while visiting the Little Theater, while strolling...
Versailles, Versigh, Versails, Versighs, Versize, Versace: How I Learned to Forget the Crowds and...
Part I: Marie-Antoinette's Versailles Featuring Lolly Winston
Until recently I’d cringe when visiting friends would ask me to take them to Versailles. Too crowded, too...
Wealth and Politics: An East-West Primer for Paris and the Surrounding Region
The French electorate doesn’t necessarily vote according to its relative wealth, yet relative wealth is a pretty good indicator of voting strength, particularly in...