Travel Stories

  At least once when I am on a trip to Paris, I cannot resist picking up a “crêpe” at a street food stand.   Sometimes the kiosks are attached to a restaurant with a dedicated staff member whipping up this traditional French dish as fast food for passerbys.   Every year, on February 2nd,…

  It has been another of my dreams to visit the 19th century Château de la Motte-Husson, located in Martigné-sur-Mayenne (yes, I know, it’s a mouthful) more than 200 kilometres slightly southwest of Paris.           It’s the château featured in the British TV reality series, Escape to the Château, which stars…

  French Men Quiz True or False? French Men make the best lovers.    French Men admire and pursue women who radiate femininity. French Men are well-read and knowledgeable and appreciate a good debate.  French Men are more comfortable with their feminine side.  French Men are more likely to be unfaithful.        I…

  You cannot go to Paris without seeing it from the water or  enjoying the water.  After all, the river Seine is the soul of this city as it runs right through the heart of it. So here are my recommendations for the Five Best Ways to Experience the River Seine!   1. Take the…

  Do you have a word for 2024?   About three months before every new year, for some reason, a word comes to me that tends to encapsulate what my next year will be about.   And the word that came to me for 2024 was Strength.   I never know how this will play…

  I love that in the South of France it can be just as lovely in the winter as in the summer.   In fact, summer in my opinion, with temperatures running well into the 30’s these days, is far too hot to walk around and explore unless you get up at 6 am and…

  As I begin a new year, I am reflective about the journey I have taken to write about Paris that began in 2018.   Yes, I have been doing this for 5 years now (with a library of almost 200 blogs)!     This all started with an idea to create my so-called “retirement…

When I am in Paris, I often find myself walking across the historic Place de la République, the former roundabout remodeled into the city’s largest pedestrian zone. (right across from the Metro hub by the same name.) Usually, I am on my way somewhere else but my eye is always drawn to the towering bronze…

  What is it about a little independent bookstore that is so compelling?   Where one must slither sideways to pass but you still end up scraping by other patrons.   Where you may have to step over indiscriminate piles of books on the floor,  and where other new, used, and rare tomes are lovingly…