Terri July 31st, 2008
With the dollar weaker than ever, here is some good news. You can still find decent hotels in Paris for under 100 Euros. They may not have all the amenities, but they do have clean rooms with en-suite bathrooms.
Marilyn McFarlane June 30th, 2008
Other cities have their wonders, but for me, Paris is queen. Dazzling, compelling, impressive and sometimes infuriating (don’t try to drive in that traffic!), the City of Light draws me back.
Marilyn McFarlane June 21st, 2008
You’ve been to the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral, gazed up at the Eiffel Tower and the Arch of Triumph, taken a sightseeing cruise on the Seine River. Now you get to discover the lesser-known treasures of Paris — which is what we did on our latest visit to this fabulous city. John and I checked out a few old favorites and looked up places we’d never seen. We did our usual endless walking, poking into covered passageways and tiny shops, and when we tired of that we rode the bus.
Marilyn McFarlane June 13th, 2008
For eight centuries, pilgrims have come to the great basilica in Vezelay to be blessed on their long journey to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a pilgrimage that was, and is today, a significant spiritual journey. The Basilica Saint Mary Magdalene still awes visitors like John and me. A masterpiece of Romanesque architecture of the Middle Ages, it was famous in the 12th century for its relics of Mary Magdalene, which drew crowds of worshipers (and conveniently boosted the regional economy, as they all had to be housed and fed.)
Marilyn McFarlane June 4th, 2008
The price of gasoline in France is high — about 1.55 euros per liter (that’s more than $9.50 dollars a gallon — ouch.) That’s the bad news when you’re driving. The good news is that touring in the Loire Valley means you don’t have to travel far to see the grand chateaus and pretty villages that dot the landscape. John and I stayed in one place, Chenonceaux, and found a multitude of treasures on short day trips along and over the rivers that wind through this green, broad valley.
Marilyn McFarlane May 29th, 2008
The 3:47 train from Paris (sounds like an Agatha Christie title) slid swiftly southward into the green Loire Valley, and by 5:30 John and I were in Blois. The hilly town of 50,000 people, rising from the banks of the wide Loire River, was the first stop on this tour of the valley and its famous chateaus.
Terri May 22nd, 2008
Aix en Provence, a beautiful old Roman town, was built on the ruins of Entremont in the year 122 B.C. The area had hot and cold springs and was thus named Aquae Sextiae. In the Middle Ages, after it was abandoned by the Romans, Aix became the center of trade in the region and the home of the Sovereign Counts of Provence. Today, with a population of 137,000 (including 40,000 university students), Aix is a lively, vibrant cultural center from which travelers can explore all of Provence. This ancient city was also the birthplace of its most famous citizen, Paul Cézanne.
Terri May 5th, 2008
On a recent trip to the Basque region of France, we spent one wonderful night at Ostapé, a country inn owned by Catherine Pere-Verge and operated by Alain Ducasse, who grew up in Basque country.
Terri April 21st, 2008
We just returned from a few days in the Southwest corner of France and were delighted to find that this area is France’s other summer playground while offering travelers a unique cultural experience.
