Reims Cathedral is not the only great church that prompted us to plan a stopover in town specifically so that we could visit it. Off the top of my head I can think of at least three others. Chartres Cathedral was the very first of such churches, chronologically speaking. On…
If you ever drive through Reims on A344, you might be able to glimpse the sight of its storied cathedral from the car windows. My deep admiration for sacred architecture prompted us to plan an overnight stay in Reims on one such drive, in order to explore the cathedral site…
If there was a town that I could fall in love with after a single short visit, Aix was it. I am naturally predisposed to historic places with centuries-old architecture, small, even intimate confines, and atmospheric quality. Aix-en-Provence is all that. This one shot of a fountain and a cafè…
Azure skies, no less azure sea, sun-drenched waterfronts, sleek yachts – if this is what comes to your mind when you hear the words “French Riviera”, you are not alone. On our most recent stay on Côte d’Azur, we saw quite a lot of the same, as evidenced here. The…
The Valley of Loire, home to a few hundred castles, is a fascinating destination for a Western history and architecture buff, who I make pretenses to be. We’ve been to the area more than once, visited all major points of interest and a fair number of minor ones, and definitely…
OK, let’s next pick a city that would present me with a welcome problem similar to what I had with Florence or London – plenty of photographs to choose from. We’ve been to Paris many times, and repeatedly professed our love for the city on the pages of this blog…
A pretty interesting observation from our regular drives in and through France are the “nearby attraction” billboards on French freeways. These are normally positioned some distance ahead of their corresponding exits and pictorially depict the most important stuff that you might want to check out if you suddenly decide to…
The French are very fond of the summertime practice of producing light shows at their famous landmarks. I cannot fault them for it: Every time we come across one such, it is a great spectacle. On our return journey from the big summer trip we stopped overnight in Strasbourg. The…
I have been fairly brief so far in my descriptions of the places that we stayed at during the big summer holiday. A more expansive overview is likely due. So, for those interested, here is an entirely subjective comparative look at L’Estartit on Costa Brava in Catalunya, Roquebrune-sur-Argens on French…