BonjourParis

Even Parisians, who live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, need a break from their lovely environs, historic monuments, and seeming gourmandism. One can perceive a marked hush in the months of July and August during which the French go on vacation, often to the Riveria, the Côte d’Azur, or the Alps which offer completely different aesthetic and feel. Fortunately for me, a trip to Annecy has revealed a refreshing face of France as well as myself that I could have never seen in Paris. Last Updated ( Saturday, 19 July 2008 )

There's always something new in St. Tropez, new look/colours for super-yachts, hair, nails, fashion, arm-candy. This year ze “pipole” are buzzing about Laurent Tarridec flogging his beautiful Lei Mouscardins restaurant, on the edge of the port, to Joseph, who has six canteens where the likes of Pammy Anderson, Jack Nicholson, Ivana Trump, Naomi Campbell & co., chill. Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

Fabled Biarritz, that soigné seaside resort in the French Pays Basque, attracts visitors both humble and haute and has for centuries. Indeed Le Palais, one of Biarritz’ grand seafront hotels which welcomes guests in baronial yet surprisingly homey style, was once a glorious seasonal home to Napoleon the Third and Princess Eugenie. Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 July 2008 )

Few tourist-frequented sites in Normandy trigger emotions as great as the landing beaches where Allied forces debarked on D-Day, June 6, 1944, to liberate France from Nazi occupation. Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

An enchanting old-fashioned seaside resort just south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean, Sitges has a wonderfully democratic clientele of bourgeois Spanish families, bohemian types from all over Europe, gays, and young families. The Hotel Tryp San Sebastian is right across the street from a perfect beach and far from the maddening crowds on the other side of the promontory. You don't need a car in Sitges. Just hop a train directly from the airport in Barcelona. The perfect long weekend on the coast and the paella with squid's ink and aioli served in the beach side restaurants is delicious. Last Updated ( Friday, 01 August 2008 )

Deep in the heart of the Languedoc an old Amsterdam grain barge christened Anjodi glides through a UNESCO world heritage site, the Canal du Midi. On deck are 7 extremely zenned-out, well-fed passengers and one hilarious skipper, down below is a Michelin starred chef in the making and our lovely, effective and quiet hostess. Our sweet, gregarious, can-do-it-all tour guide is off riding a mountain bike 5 kilometers back to the previous dock to get the gobarging van and pick up fresh baguettes and local cheeses. Onlookers are making “ohhhh” and “ahhhh” sounds while regarding the ship’s shiny new coat of blue and white paint, her well-oiled teak deck, and her sleek lines. My father told me when I moved to France, you should take a barge trip down the Canal du Midi. Though practically in my own backyard, I didn’t quite understand until I was onboard what he meant for me to experience—truly the slow, good life of the south of France. It was a world of it’s own, we had our own rhythm that bowed into the flow of life, into the ebb of the 400 year old canal.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 May 2008 )

Flash! The Picasso chateau, studio and burial site in Vauvenargues, just outside of Aix-en-Provence, will be opened to small groups of visitors in May. Applications for admission will be long with good reason; it’s the first chance that the public will have to visit the Chateau Vauvenargues.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 May 2008 )

Cognac has been a tourist town for centuries not for its eponymous distilled spirits, but for its location. It’s on one of the ancient pilgrimage routes to Santiago (St. James) de Compostella in northwest Spain, and, for centuries, religious travelers stopped to rest at Cognac’s churches on their way to Galicia. The Tours Saint-Jacques – St. James Towers – along the Charente River date from this time.

Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )

The village of Mouriès near Saint-Rémy de Provence is justly famous for its celebration in mid-September of the Olive Verte or Olive Cassée.  These are the crisp bright-green early olives, so named because their skin is slightly cracked to release any bitterness before they are immersed in fennel-flavored brine.

Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )