The last time I was in snow ecstasy was in February. The photography gods were thoughtful enough to shake me awake at 5 am, and I went forth into the darkness, camera in hand, to capture the spirit of the snow. That morning, as I wandered alone in the silence, I understood the meaning of [...]

Misty morning in the Bois de Boulogne
Patterns on the water; these leaves in the basin of a fountain were swirling in a circle, almost hypnotically.
Hydrangeas in the garden of the Musee de la Vie Romantique

When I lived in New York I would have to go to either Central Park or upstate New York to see the fall foliage. Luckily in Paris I just had to walk down the street near my apartment in the Marais to see the glorious autumn colors. Riotous reds, vibrant yellows, and faded greens permeated [...]

After seeing the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit, some friends and I strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens on a beautiful, crisp autumn day. The leaves had turned and surprisingly there were still colorful flowers surrounding the statues on the western side of the park. Someone cleverly dressed a statue in fall fauna and a small red rosebud.
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Back from three weeks with the in-laws in the Southwest. Doing the summer thang, French style. Which, if you are married, generally consists of going out into some idyllic French countryside where inevitably there is an old house that once belonged to great-great-uncle Gaston’s cousin’s niece. Up until somewhere in the 20th century, the French [...]

France is perfectly designed for picnics with its baguettes, cured meats, cheese and wine. While there is never a lack of beautiful spots to set up camp, the other night we found the ultimate picnic spot. It’s in Le Parc Buttes Chaumont, which is possibly the best park I have ever been to, it has [...]

Since 2002, Paris Plage has been enchanting sojourners with imported sand aligning the right bank of the Seine. And this sand is the good stuff too. It’s not the course grainy sand of the Pacific. It’s as though they sifted all the junk out, leaving only a fine layer of a bit of Heaven that [...]

 
After a couple of months scraping by in Paris I was looking for a change when I stumbled across an ad for a hostess on a canal barge in the north of France. I spoke to them on the Thursday and was on a train to Dijon Saturday morning with the first week of guests [...]

 
Occasional warm and sunny days, the trees finally bursting with leaves, drinks on outside terraces and the first gelato of the season – it’s easy to love spring in Paris. Still, as a big city, it isn’t always the best setting to enjoy the delights of the season. Wouldn’t it be nice, just occasionally, to [...]

Ah, the sun is out, the daffodils are in bloom, and the gardens of Paris are finally recovering from the cold and soggy winter. Celebrate the season with a trip to one of the oldest gardens in Paris, the Jardin des Plantes, where the famous botanical illustrations (or vélins) of Pierre-Joseph Redouté are on exhibit in Le Cabinet d’Histoire. [...]