Tag Archives: Paris Weekender

Art, France, Paris, Sightseeing

Acting French in Paris – Creating the French look – Chateau de Mery and Auvers-sur-Oise

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On this Wednesday’s blogger round-up, we have Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney giving us tips on how to make the most out of a visit to the Eiffel Tower, Jill from Gigi’s French Window giving her interpretation of French decorating styles and Abby from Paris Weekender describing a visit to Méry and Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh lived his last days before taking his own life. Enjoy!

Acting French in Paris

by Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney, an Australian who writes about all things French in La Clusaz, Annecy and Haute Savoie as seen by an outsider by Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney, an Australian who writes about all things French in La Clusaz, Annecy and Haute Savoie as seen by an outsider

eiffel_towerOne of the great things about living in the French Alps is that it’s so totally different to life in big French cities. When I go to Paris, I’m a tourist: loud noises grap my attention, the Metro is confusing, and I need a map to know where I’m going.

If this alternative angle photo of one of the world’s most recognised landmarks doesn’t already give it away, I spent the weekend in Paris with the French in-laws who live there. Read more

Creating the French look

by Jill from Gigi’s French Window, French ponderings from an Australian who must have been French in another life

french lookAt the moment I’m working my way through  a book  titled  Creating the French look by Annie Sloan, which covers eight different french decorating styles, inspirational ideas and 25 step-by-step projects. A great read.

I purchased it because I was curious to see which  would stand out to be MY  favourite style, but as  it so happens , I appear to have  a ‘mélange’ of french  tastes.  I should have known it wouldn’t be as clear cut as that! I mean to say, there are EIGHT different styles……and none are exactly what I would choose??? Let’s have a look together, and you tell me which style resonates  with you :). Read more

Château de Méry and Auvers-sur-Oise

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Mery-AuversThis weekend, I was invited to the beautiful wedding of two close friends at the Château de Méry in Méry-sur-Oise, located about 30 kilometers or 45 minutes north of Paris on the SNCF (local train) in the Parc Vexin. With its traditional château and chapel and ultra-modern hotel on the château grounds, this made for the perfect wedding venue.  Congratulations, my friends!

As the wedding was in the evening, a friend and I decided to take advantage of the first sunny day in the Paris area in three weeks, so we headed to the Val d’Oise (Valley of the Oise River) in the morning.  After leaving our bags at the château, we walked about 15 minutes through the town of Méry and across the Oise River to Auvers-sur-Oise, famous as the residence and final resting place of Vincent Van Gogh and his younger brother Theo. Read more

Art, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Paris

The French wine region of Burgundy – Interview: Daisy de Plume of THATLou – Official Butterfly Report for 2012

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It’s Wednesday again already! Burgundy is a wonderful place to visit and Carolyn from Holidays to Europe gives us an excellent introduction to its charms. It has beautiful countryside, fantastic wine and amazing bike paths. Abby from Paris Weekender interviews Daisy de Plume of THATLou who organises treasure hunts in the Louvre. I haven’t had a chance to join her yet, but I certainly intend to. Susan from Days on the Claise tells us about surveying local butterflies in Touraine. That’s another thing I’d love to do. Her photos are bewitching. Enjoy!

The French wine region of Burgundy

by Carolyn, from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of

brancion-500I had heard many a travellers tale of France; of the beautiful green countryside, fields of blooming sunflowers and red poppies, depending on when you travel, medieval buildings and ancient ruins, and produce as fresh as you will find anywhere; but after a few wonderful days in Paris, I have to admit I wondered would the French countryside reach the bar? We were heading to Chaudenay, a little village not far from Beaune, the regional capital of Burgundy, and we were in for a very pleasant surprise.

It wasn’t long after leaving the urban sprawl of Paris that rural France began to take its hold on us!  Yes, the countryside was green; yes, there were plenty of medieval castles and ruins atop hills; but there was also plenty more. Read more

Interview: Daisy de Plume of THATLou

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

THATLou-2-3Many of you may already be familiar with Daisy de Plume from my post about the Treasure Hunt at the Louvre I enjoyed over the summer. Daisy is the creator of these amazing scavenger hunts, a unique and exciting way to visit this classic museum. But she has also been up to a whole lot more recently, including the launch of THATd’Or (Treasure Hunt at the Musée d’Orsay) and even the coming-soon THATMet – yes, you guessed it. Treasure Hunt at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art! So I asked Daisy to share with us an update on these exciting developments, as well as some background on her innovative creations. For more information on Daisy’s events, as well as the most current updates, I also invite you to visit her site: THATLOU.com.

The following is Part I of my interview with Daisy. Part II will follow next week! Read more

Official butterfly report for 2012

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history, and running Loire Valley Time Travel (remember Célestine?)

adonis_blueJust as I am gearing up to start surveying my local butterflies for 2013, waiting and watching for the weather to improve sufficiently to make it worthwhile, the official STERF report on last year’s national survey has landed in my email inbox…with a covering message from Luc Manil, who co-ordinates us STERFistes, saying ‘Don’t even think about going out and doing your first survey until the last 10 days of April. The weather forecast is awful and there will be nothing flying but those few species that hibernate as adults…’

The French national butterfly survey has been going since 2005. From an initial 14 survey sites it is now 215 sites. 44% are allocated randomly and can be anywhere within 10km of the surveyor’s home base, 56% are chosen by the surveyors (and are usually nature reserves). Last year both my survey sites were randomly allocated. Read more

Cycling, Paris, Restaurants

Change of Plans in Snowy Paris – New EuroVelo Website Launched – Updated Restaurant Guides

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This week’s blogger round-up features three very different posts. Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, unable to take the Eurostar back to Great Britain, perfectly echos what a lot of  us in Paris feel about yet another fall of snow. Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike brings us one of her usual exhaustive cycling posts, this time on launching of the new EuroVelo website, while Abby from Paris Weekender, oblivious to the snow – but then, she’s in New York at the moment – has updated her very useful Paris restaurant and bar guides which I strongly recommend that you download. Enjoy!

Change of Plans in Snowy Paris

by Carolyn Barnabo from My Sydney Paris Life, writing about global families and change and life in special geographic places that have captured her heart.

eiffel_towerMarch snow in Paris. No Eurostar. No UK friends to greet at Gare du Nord.

What else to do when the weather thwarts our plans than venture outside for a walk in the quartier? We last enjoyed a snowy walk in January, which seemed appropriate then. The 12th of March isn’t that late but still, today’s snow seemed out of place to me, perhaps because Saturday — was it only three days ago? — was so wonderfully warm. Read more

New EuroVelo Website Launched

by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history

eurovelo_networkBicycling in Europe just keeps getting better and better!  The European Cyclists’ Federation has announced the debut of the new EuroVelo website, a long-awaited resource for the long distance European cycling network.

As promised, the new website will be a great source of information for trip planning on the 14 EuroVelo routes.  Each of the EuroVelo routes will have its own page with information ranging from route maps showing the status of stages along the route, lodging and support services and things to see along the way.  There will also be links to more detailed information from each country along the route.  The website is available in German, French, Dutch and English. Read more

Updated Restaurant Guides

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

It’s that time again – time to share my latest Paris food & drink finds. Below are the latest bars and restaurants that I have added to my guides. As always, “**” signifies some of my real favorites. Purchase the updated print-ready PDFs of my bar and restaurant guides, as well as my Mini Guide to Paris here.

French:

  • L’absinthe (1st) 24, Place Marché St Honoré, Tel. 01 49 26 90 04. Located in the lively Place Marché St Honoré, this restaurant offers friendly service and a mix of traditional and modern cuisine in a traditional setting. Outdoor seating also available. Read more
France, French customs

The most original Valentine’s Day chocolate in Paris! – Getting a French Driver’s License – Part 1 – European Capital of Culture 2013

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A break from Barcelona for this week’s bloggers’ round-up, starting with Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, who ferreted out the most original Valentine’s Day chocolate in Paris.  Abby from Paris Weekender tells us how to go about getting a driver’s licence in France. Don’t forget to read Part 2 as well!  Andrea from Rearview Mirror takes us to Marseilles, one of the European capitals of culture for 2013. Enjoy!

The most original Valentine’s Day chocolate in Paris!

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

valentine_lovelocksFor the past couple of weeks, I’ve been pounding the pavement and scouring the city for the most original Valentine’s Day chocolate. Peering through store window after store window, all the while trying to keep my cravings at bay, I’ve seen chocolate hearts, shoes, dresses, cigars, wafers with “I Love You” written in multiple languages, hearts appearing to be on fire, Eiffel Towers, birds with heart-shaped nests, and, did I mention, hearts?

Just when I was about to throw in the towel and give up on finding anything truly innovative, I paused in front of A la Mère de Famille on rue de la Pompe to look at what I thought would be more chocolate hearts. Studying the window, I noticed some chicken wire festooned with red roses, white hearts, and …. what’s that? Read more

Getting a French Driver’s License – Part 1

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in New York and Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Arc de Triomphe, ParisIf you have been residing in France for more than 1 year, you are required to get a French driver’s license. There are two ways of doing this. The first and easiest option is to trade your current driver’s license in for a French one – but this route is only available for EU license-holders, license-holders of select other countries and holders of licenses from a handful of the 50 United States. (When I last checked, the list included: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.) The second way is to re-do driver’s ed. Read more

European Capital of Culture 2013

by Andrea from Rear View Mirror (formerly Destination Europe), a fellow Australian who, after 6 years of living in France, has given up herParis apartment to live a nomadic life slowing travelling around Europe, experiencing each destination like a local.

marseille-6It used to be that there was one European Capital of Culture per year until 2000 when they went a little crazy and made 9 different cities the ‘capital’. In recent years there have been two or three per year and last year was the first time I got to visit one of the capitals when I went to Guimarães in northern Portugal. The title of European Capital of Culture 2013 is held by both Marseille, France and Kosice, Slovakia.

European Capital of Culture 2013: Marseille-Provence

It’s not just the city of Marseille which is the Capital of Culture but also the surrounding area including Aix-en-Provence, Arles, La Ciotat, Martigues and Aubagne. Read more

Cycling, France, French language, Paris, Restaurants

In search of a quincaillerie – Festival du nouveau mot – Bicycling The Burgundy Canal for 100 Euro A Day

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Three very different posts for this Wednesday’s bloggers’ round-up: Abby from Paris Weekender takes us on what seems like a wild goose chase to a large number of Paris quincailleries; LLamalady from Blog in France tells us about a wonderful competition to suggest new words in French; while Experience France by Bike describes one of her favourite cycling itineraries – the Burgundy Canal. Thank you one and all!

In search of a quincaillerie

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

I am in the home stretch of apartment renovations on my new Paris apartment. Last weekend, I had hoped to move in, but due to delays in the completion of the renovations, I found myself with a free weekend in Paris and not much desire to sit in my temporary studio wasting it away.

I thought I would make myself useful and offer to help my interior architect with any job she could give me to make less work for herself (and of course, speed up the process). She asked if I could pick up handles for my cabinets and sent me the specifications and quantities. Read more.

Festival du Nouveau Mot – OR  How to Make Up French!

by Llamalady, an Irish llama and alpaca breeder living in the centre of France, who also runs a carp fishery and a holiday gite

As an expat, I often make up French words. The word I need totally escapes me, generally because of a modicum of stress induced by trying to not appear a bumbling dimwit in front of one of the kids’ teachers or the bank manager or someone equally authoritative. There seems no quick way to find an alternative description so, since all else fails, I shamelessly Frenchify the English one I’m trying to translate. You know the sort of thing – ‘J’ai forgetté’ intead of ‘J’ai oublié’ or ‘Le steering roue’ for steering wheel (le volant). And amazingly, occasionally it actually works! Read more

Bicycling The Burgundy Canal for 100 Euro A Day

by Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history

If you are looking for the perfect deviation for an upcoming trip to Paris, look no further than Burgundy, specifically the Burgundy Canal.  One of my favorite starting points along the canal is Montbard, just over 1 hour, but light years from busy Paris.  Just a few steps from the train station you can rent a bike and quickly immerse yourself in Burgundian history, enjoy cycling along car-free bike paths, eat local Burgundy specialities, and visit picture-perfect medieval towns all at a fraction of the cost of one day in Paris.  Bicycling along the Burgundy Canal is one of my favorite itineraries in France. Read more 

Art, France, History, Paris

French Tours: Beware Madame la Guillotine – It Pays to be a Friend – The Old Woman without a Clue

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While I was on holiday in Australia, I didn’t have time to read my favourite blogs so I have a lot of catching up to do! This Wednesday, Abby Gorden from Paris Weekender, posting on My French Life, reviews a wonderful iPhone app on the French revolution which begins at my very doorstep, Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris explains the advantages of being a “friend” of Parisian museums and Bread is Pain laments about her inability to assimilate all those French verbs while her knowledge of France increases in leaps and bounds.

French Tours: Beware Madame la Guillotine

by Abby Gorden from Paris Weekender, posting on MyFrenchLife, a global community of French and francophiles connecting like-minded people in English & French

When My French Life™ asked me to review Time Traveler Tours new ‘Beware Madame la Guillotine’ iPhone app, I eagerly agreed. I was not going to pass up a chance to learn some history while having fun, outdoors, on the go.

The app is not quite a self-guided walking tour and not quite a book on tape. It’s something in between and at the same time something more. It’s jam-packed with history and interesting tidbits. It’s interactive. It’s easy to use. I had never owned an iPhone until about 15 hours before I embarked on the app-guided tour, but I still found it easy to navigate. Read more

It Pays to be a Friend

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

(Friday afternoon) 

It’s less than an hour until my father-in-law’s train pulls into Gare de Lyon and I’m in a panic. It’s not that the apartment is a mess or that we don’t have any food, it’s that the elevator is broken.

The good news is that we could bypass the long lines of people huddling under their umbrellas in front of the Musée d’Orsay on Saturday afternoon because I’m a friend, “une amie”, of the museum. Read more

The Old Woman without a Clue

by Bread is Pain, a 30-something American living in the Rhone-Alps, and slowly eating and drinking herself through the country

I’ve been taking yet another French Intensif Course, this time at the University, and until today it has been an exercise in humiliation.  Everyone in the class is about 12 years old 20 years old and have been studying French for anywhere from 2 to 8 semesters.  They can reel off subjunctives and infinitives like it’s nothing.  When we had a session in which we described Fairy Tales, they were flawlessly reciting the plots to the Lion King*, Cinderella, and Pinnochio…and then there was me, the old lady without a clue (har har).  I could get the words out but not the correct grammar. Read more

 

Germany, Paris, Travelling

Which Travel Money Card is best? – Getting to and from the Paris Airports – Road Trip Paris to Berlin

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On this week’s list are two very pratical posts for those who will be travelling to France shortly. Holidays to Europe looks at the question of the best travel money card to take with you while Abby from Paris Weekender explains the best way to get to and from the different airpots in Paris. And, on a very different subject, Andrea from Rear View Mirror (who is also the author of Destination Europe) and taken to living the life of a nomad, describes a road trip to Berlin.

Which Travel Money Card is best?

by Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of.

I’ve written previously about the various ways of accessing your spending money whilst overseas but after my most recent trip to Europe and a report by CANSTAR, I thought it timely to provide some more information about travel money cards. Read more.

Getting to and from the Paris Airports

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Unfortunately there is no perfect way of getting to and from the Paris airports, but below are my suggestions.  Note that for the Air France bus (Car Air France) to and from Charles de Gaulle and Orly you can now purchase tickets online, and doing so will save you 10%. Read more

Road Trip Paris to Berlin

by Andrea from Rear View Mirror (formerly Destination Europe), a fellow Australian who, after 6 years of living in France, has given up herParis apartment to live a nomadic life slowing travelling around Europe, experiencing each destination like a local.

Driving directly from Paris to Berlin would normally take around 10 hours but there are so many fantastic places worth visiting along the way that you can make a great one to two week road trip out of it or even more if you prefer to travel slowly. I took around 15 days for the trip and stopped in seven cities between Paris and Berlin. The road trip looked like this:

Paris – Trier – Bacharach – Heidelberg – Schwabisch Hall – Nuremberg – Leipzig – Dresden – Berlin. Read more

 

 

Cycling, France, Paris, Sightseeing, Travelling

12 Tips for 1st-Time Visitors to Paris – 42,000 Canal du Midi Trees Threatened by Fungus – Looking for lobster on Martha’s Vineyard and the Fresnel lens

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We’ve been experiencing a heat wave this week in Paris so everyone has gone into slow motion. But there are still some bloggers out there! Abby from Paris Weekender gives us 12 very useful tips for first time visitors to Paris, Experience France by Bike tells us about the sad demise of plane trees along the Canal de Midi due to a fungus, while Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, currently in the US, tells us the origin of the Fresnel lens developed by a French physicist. I’m sure you know what that is …

12 Tips for 1st-Time Visitors to Paris

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Your first visit to Paris is exciting but may also be intimidating, especially if you have limited time and you do not know the language. I decided to write out my most common recommendations when I am asked, “I’m visiting for the first time – what should I do?”

Pick the neighborhood where you are staying carefully. Do a bit of research on the various neighborhoods of Paris before you pick your lodgings. Picking the neighborhood carefully though does not necessarily mean picking the most central or touristy area. While it is hard to go wrong with a hotel or apartment in Saint Germain or in the Marais, you may find just as pleasant accommodations in the less touristy or less central neighborhoods. Read more

42,000 Canal du Midi Trees Threatened by Fungus

by Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

One of the best-known and most popular bike routes in France is dealing with an environmental tragedy that will impact the route for many years to come.  A microscopic fungus called canker stain was first discovered on trees along the canal in 2006.  This fungus is easily transported so it quickly spread along the Canal. There is no cure for the fungus and once a tree has been infected, it dies within several years.  Through 2011, over 2500 trees had already been destroyed. Since there is no treatment for this fungus, a decision was made last year to ultimately destroy and replace all 42,000 plane trees that line the canal. Read more

Looking for lobster on Martha’s Vineyard and the Fresnel lens

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

What is it that compels people to load a boat with supplies and set sail towards the horizon? Whether it’s the desire to start a new life, explore exotic lands or dine at a restaurant that serves freshly caught lobster, it helps if there’s a lighthouse to guide the way.
Thanks to an old photo of the Gay Head Lighthouse that Stephane noticed while we were traveling on the ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts yesterday evening, we learned that seafaring people have long been thankful for the Fresnel lens developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel. Described as amazing, brilliant, super-efficient, magical light machines, the multi-prism glass lenses were used by all of the lighthouses in the United States by the time of the Civil War. Read more

Cooking, France, Paris, Restaurants, Sightseeing, Wine

Lunch Cruise on the Seine – Paris Restaurants: My Short List for What Stays Open in August (2012) – Gigondas: perfect food, wines & weather… and a good idea

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The wonderful weather is more or less lasting so make the most of it! Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, took a lunch cruise on the Seine this week, Abby from Paris Weekender checked out a few places to eat and drink that are staying open in Paris during August, when nearly everything shuts down, while fellow Australian, Lincoln from Vinosolex, whose blog I have just discovered, tells us about a wonderful food pairing celebration in Gigondas. Enjoy!

Lunch Cruise on the Seine: Tourists Get to Have all the Fun!

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

Dinner at Le Dôme, shopping at Galeries Lafayette, riding around the gardens of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in a golf cart – sometimes it seems that tourists get to have all of the fun. Fortunately, my father-in-law’s visit gave Stephane and me a very good reason to momentarily forget about the long list of things that we still need to do before we travel to the U.K. on Thursday and savor the beauty of Paris.

If you haven’t already done a Bateaux Parisian lunch or dinner cruise on the Seine, I hope that this photo report will give you a good idea of what to expect: panoramic views of many of the most important monuments, live musical entertainment and a better-than-expected meal. Read more.

Paris Restaurants: My Short List for What Stays Open in August (2012)

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Paris is notorious for shutting down in the month of August.  Last year, I gave you my short list of top restaurants that stay open for all or a good part of the month.  And I figured it would be helpful to have an update for 2012!  See my Crème de la Crème list for more details on each establishment. Read more.

Gigondas: perfect food, wines & weather… and a good idea

by Lincoln from Vinosolex, an Australian now living in Provence visits France’s vineyards on a 1968-model Solex motor bike. Discovering the magic of France at the right pace, with a focus on the Rhone valley.

There are good ideas and very good ideas.
This was a very very good idea.

The young vignerons of Gigondas convinced four of the region’s best cooks to come along to the village’s central square and cook to their hearts’ content. Then they got twenty of the appellation’s vignerons to roll out their barrels and pull out their corkscrews. They threw the gig open to the public for the very modest price of 25€ and waited to see if anyone bit.

 

Art, Cooking, Paris, Spain

Don’t walk, fly… – Christian and Islamic Cultures Come Together in Córdoba – Cooking (and Eating) French pastries at L’Atelier des Sens

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I can’t believe the week can go by so quickly! Wednesday again and time for my Bloggers’ Round-up. Finding Noon takes us to a Korean painting exhibition at the Bespoke Exhibition Pavilion in the Tuileries Gardens, Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles stuns us with her lovely photos of Cordoba in Spain, which is definitely on my list of places to revisit, and Abby from Paris Weekender shares a cooking class in Paris that includes croissants. Enjoy!

Don’t walk, fly…

by Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

So a Frenchman and an Englishman are chatting about a Korean man over lunch in Malaysia…. sounds like the start of some silly joke, but this really did happen about a year ago. Only the Frenchman is the director of the Louvre museum and he was speaking with an interior designer about the photographer Ahae, and his latest project; 2 million photos taken from the same window over 2 years. Read more

Christian and Islamic Cultures Come Together in Córdoba

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian which an ongoing passion for France and the French language currently on holiday in Europe

Córdoba, in Andalusia, is reported to have the highest summer average in Europe. It certainly was hot when I visited with friends, Isa and Julio. Apart from the heat, I was struck me by the Islamic influence in the architecture and decoration. I was very much reminded of my stay at Riad Sekkat in Marrakech. Córdoba, historically was Spain’s most significant Islamic city. Read more

 

Cooking (and Eating) French pastries at L’Atelier des Sens

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

I am often asked for suggestions for not-your-usual-tourist activities in Paris. Whether you live in Paris or are just visiting for a few days, one of the best experiences your money can buy is time with an expert who will teach you a little something you can take back home. Perhaps you would be interested in a wine tasting class, perhaps a photography class or a chocolate tasting class or a cooking class…. Whatever you choose, it is sure to be a memorable experience. Read more

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