No, I am not talking about me. Not yet anyway! But I am a sucker for a love story, especially for one where someone did find true love in Paris. Here is a book I highly recommend.  New York Times bestseller Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod. Honestly, this is one of my favourite books ever!…

“It must be the finest summer salad of all.”  Chef Gordon Ramsay     It was in Nice where this salad originated, that I had my first “salade niçoise”. That was more than 40 years ago but I still remember that it was was lunchtime and I was dining with a friend in a restaurant facing…

Dee Poquette’s love affair with Provence began 12 years ago.     She and three of her friends attended cooking classes at Julia Child’s home in Placassier nestled in the hills above the Côte d”Azur. (Julia Child and her husband built the house in 1967 and had it until 1992. You may remember seeing it featured…

A favourite American writer of mine, Elizabeth Bard, recalls an episode when she went shopping with her mother in Paris. Elizabeth lives in Paris and her mother was visiting.   In one particular boutique, her mother barged in  eyeing something she wanted to buy.  She approached a salesperson to assist her and was subsequently given…

“In travel we explore who we are. Through jewellery we reveal who we are! Isabelle Fish, Founder of Rue Pigalle When someone told me I had to connect with Isabelle Fish, and that her business was called “Rue Pigalle”, I was definitely intrigued. Rue Pigalle refers to the red-light district of Paris. And so I…

Sundays are sacred in Paris. Work is never discussed as this is time reserved for families, long relaxing brunches,  reading, quiet reflection, short naps and the art of just being.     Since most Parisians live in small apartments, as the weather permits, many flee their cramped quarters to head out into the sunshine and…

“I empower women one bottle of champagne at a time!” Cynthia Coutu, Founder of Delectabulles Paris, France   What is more French than champagne? WOMEN drinking champagne — in Paris.  At Cynthia Coutu’s Champagne Club for Women. Cynthia calls her business Delectabulles and it offers visitors a diverse array of classes, activities and even retreats where…

How did I find myself “French kissing” an Italian man I had just met in Rome? I knew that would get your attention. I was in my early sixties (so a few years ago) and no one was more surprised than me because I had been not been kissed in a very long time, let…

Where I come from people generally shake hands when they meet. French people “faire la bise.” Pronounced “fair la bees.”   The first time I went to France many many years ago,  I can remember being slightly alarmed when, after being introduced to someone for the very first time, they leaned into kiss me on…

Margaret Ann Gendreau from Vancouver, Canada, was the winner of my Giveaway Draw for the beautiful travel-themed pink and gray silk scarf from Green Scarf Boutique. This week her gift arrived in the mail and it wasn’t long before Margaret Ann was posing for pictures! It looks great on her doesn’t it?     Paris…