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France’s Provence region should be on your vacation list Before high fashion, multi course meals, political intrigues, grand boulevards and palaces, there was, and always will be, the French countryside. All French regions claim to be the ultimate countryside experience. Sorry everyone, but that honor truly belongs to Provence. It’s the history, the food, the informality. …
While visiting Normandy, you just may feel as if you are walking through a painting. Impressionism: the vibrant colors, sweeping landscapes, and charming villages are so picturesque, you may start to wonder if, in fact, they are real. You can rest assured that everything in this region is real and authentic. Perhaps that is the…
Summer Lavender Tours from Paris Day trip from Paris. July only. Provençal market, Sault (the lavender capital), Gordes, and Sénanque Abbey’s famous lavender fields. Books early—this one sells out. Six Days in Provence (Avignon to Nice) Three nights in Avignon, two nights in Nice. Cooking class at Avignon’s covered market, wine tastings in Tavel and…
A chronicle of a one day visit from Paris to the Loire Valley When I was a kid I considered Europe to be a place where knights and damsels and castles were still the way people lived, with some peasants picturesquely gathering wheat in the background of a jousting tournament. There was definitely a guy…
The Founding of Paris Long before it became the “City of Light,” Paris began as a humble settlement founded by the Celtic Parisii around the 3rd century BC on the marshy banks of the Seine. Centuries of strife with Roman legions led to Julius Caesar’s conquest in 52 BC, embedding the fledgling city—then called Lutetia—firmly…
A short history of the charming town of Bayeux Bayeux, a quaint town in Normandy, France, is situated near the English Channel in the Calvados region. Nestled along the Aure River, it is approximately 16 miles west-northwest of Caen and about 166 miles northwest of Paris. This charming town is renowned for the medieval tapestry…
A chronicle of our day tour from Paris to Caen and the Normandy beaches Hail had hit Paris the night before my trip to Normandy, and the morning dawned cold. It was April, so I don’t even want to think about what February was like that year. I was wearing a long coat, turtleneck, a…
A Century as France’s Royal Residence The Palace of Versailles served as the royal residence of France for more than a century, from 1682 until the French Revolution in 1789. It began humbly in 1624, when Louis XIII built a small hunting lodge in the village of Versailles, just outside Paris. That modest structure would…
France’s Legendary Coastal and Countryside Escape The Normandy region combines a stunning 360-mile coastline—highlighted by the dramatic WWII landing beaches—with a lush interior dotted with farmland, market towns, and historic cities like Caen, Bayeux, and Rouen. Here, you’ll find culinary delights (cheeses, cider, and Calvados brandy) alongside centuries of pivotal history. Truly, welcome to Normandy!…
Get to know the city of Marseilles, the Gateway to Provence Marseilles is the second largest city in France, behind Paris, and has the varied population you’d expect in a port city which is one of the major European gateways to Africa. Cruise ships and freighters use the modern port, but all the charm is…