“…it is the most stunning new ‘go-to’ to be seen in any city.” Architectural Review, May 1977 Forty years ago, the style and construction of Paris’ Pompidou Centre marked a revolutionary change in the design of public buildings. Loved and loathed in equal numbers by the public and the established order, it’s hard now to…
Tag: France
Rediscovering Annick Goutal, an old favourite
Annick Goutal fragrances were all the rage when I started working in the hotel industry, blah blah years ago. They were happily everywhere in fact especially in France for this perfume house is “La Belle France” personified. Then they seemed to fade a little from my view to be replaced by globalisation and its ubiquitous amenities. So…
The French Nativity
When I travelled over to the French Riviera last winter, I didn’t expect to be spending an afternoon looking at nativity scenes – but I am so pleased that I did. High up in the hills, an easy 30 minute drive from Nice, is the village of Lucéram, a medieval perched village which in 1988,…
The return of Hermione to Rochefort
As readers of this blog will already know, I love Hermione – the idea behind her creation, her physical existence and much more – the spirit and love she engenders. Hermione is, of course, a painstakingly accurate recreation of the ship that took Lafayette to the Americas in the War of Independence – her participation helping…
Foreign felines make you feel at home
It always surprises me whenever I travel how many nations love the small fluffy animal which is Felis catus or the domestic cat. (Above – Baku, Azerbaijani resident at the Karvansara Restoran in the Inner City). Once worshipped as a god, these elegant feline beauties display no linguistic difficulties when encountering strangers, enter into amicable conversations…
Three further finds – Magical Côte d’Azur
If you have read my last two last blog posts, I have been pulling out some of my treasured memories to my re-introduction to the Côte d’Azur last December – things that you might just not expect to see on the French Riviera. We know about Picasso and his links to the Côte d’Azur but…
Three sweet finds – Magical Côte d’Azur
Following on from my previous post sharing some of the secrets I found when I visited the legendary Côte d’Azur last December, these next three finds have a definite food and drink edge to them. It started at the Hôtel du Clos in the rural village of Le Rouret (15 mins drive from Grasse) which is,…
Three little finds – Magical Côte d’Azur
Last December, I spent a magical long weekend finding out a little more about a new client – the glamorous French Riviera, haunt of Hemingway, Churchill and Picasso and the habitués of the famous Train Bleu – the overnight train from Paris to Nice. En route, here’s three discoveries that I just didn’t expect to…
The story of the Christmas Tree
It has to be said, I love a good Christmas Tree. It brings a joy to my heart with the anticipation of Christmas and the start of a new, better year beyond. I was a little hazy on the origins of the Christmas tree however. It’s a northern Europe tradition, said my brother, and so…
Flower Power: Everlasting Beauty
As a lover of nature and of art, imagine my fascination with two floral sculptures which I have recently seen on my travels – on two different continents! They share the same artist and sadly, the same overcast weather! The first is located in Rhone-Alpes, seen on a visit to Lyon last year, just off…
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