Tag: gardens and parks
Paris Parks & Gardens: Nudism in the Vincennes Woods
In which the author visits the officially designated nudist zone in the Vincennes Woods for a close look at public nudism in Paris and discovers that it's not so different from visiting the Eiffel Tower.
Paris Parks & Gardens: Ratatouille’s Extended Family
“Maman, Papa ! C’est Ratatouille!” screeched a delighted child as a furry little creature scampered across the playground. It wasn’t an isolated sighting. I’d had several brushes with rats on my daily strolls, so when posters announced a town meeting dedicated to "the battle against rodents,” I saved the date.
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.
Loire Valley: Where There’s a Château There’s a Garden Waiting to Be Discovered
The chateaux of the Loire Valley each tell a story, many stories in fact, mostly told in limestone and slate. But not all of its stories are written in stone. Some are also told in vegetation (gardens, parks, woods and forests) and water (rivers, streams, canals and basins).
Chaumont Playfully Imagines Gardens of the Future
Corinne LaBalme reports on the International Garden Festival at Chaumont, one of the most delightful castle ground strolls in the Loire Valley. With “Gardens from the Coming Century” as its theme for 2016, the festival presents the brave new world of flower beds, hydroponics and botanical fantasies. Castle-hoppers exploring the valley and day-trippers from Paris take note.
A Year Ends, A Year Begins in a Hopeful Little Paris Garden
The year 2015 ends on a bright and hopeful day in Paris. I’m relieved to feel no compulsion to come up with resolutions for 2016; I can simply reuse those of 2015 since none of them was realized. Something about this makes me happy.
The Coulée Verte: A Green and Gentle Promenade in Eastern Paris
Sixteen years before New York's instantly celebrated High Line opened, Paris inaugurated its own planted promenade, a strip of green cutting east-west through the 12th arrondissement along the path of old train tracks. The 3-mile long path of greenery called the Coulée Vert René-Dumont flows from near the Bastille to the Paris beltway, offering views of urban architecture along the way.
A Little Loop in the Loire Valley: A 2-day Cycling Route from Blois
There are those big biking trips that you spend months preparing. Then there are those short trips that begin with “Hey, it’s going to be nice out this weekend—let’s go biking… in the Loire Valley!” This little Loire loop—three days, two nights, including two days of biking—is of the latter kind. Beginning and ending in Blois...
Nissim de Camondo Museum: The Glory and the Tragedy
The Nissim de Camondo Museum overlooking Parc Monceau in Paris presents an extraordinary collection of 18th-century decorative arts, reveals the technology and services of an ultra-modern early-20th-century home, and tells of the life and times of the de Camondo family as bankers, philanthropists, collectors and Jews.