Located at the heart of France’s hexagonal territory, Auvergne is a sparsely populated land of volcanic plateaus and large valleys. Unlike the Alps to the east or the Pyrénées to the southwest, its highest peaks reach only 6,000 feet above sea level and are free of snow in summer. The local authorities? efforts to safeguard the environment have made Auvergne one of the last protected zones in Europe.
Before going to Auvergne, familiarize yourself with its history and its gastronomy.
Limited edition Eiffel Tower souvenir How many technicians does it take to change a light bulb in the Eiffel Tower? The Eiffel Tower, loved by most, loathed by the likes of Guy de Maupassant who dined at the Tower daily, “so I don’t have to look […]
0 Read More
These champagne bottles were last seen 118 years ago. Michael Boudot/Champagne Pol Roger At the beginning of 1900, French wine-making brothers Maurice and Georges Roger had an estimated 1.5 million champagne bottles and 500 casks of other wine safely stored in the cellar below their family […]
0 Read More
Imagine you’re wandering through the winding narrow streets in the old town of Nice. The sun is beating down, the sky is a deep spirit-lifting blue. You stop at Cours Saleya market to buy a snack – maybe socca, the local speciality, a pancake made from […]
0 Read More
We look at some of the most beautiful villages in Provence – in a region known for its extraordinary charm, these three stand out… Gordes – the heart of Provence If there is one place on the bucket list of most visitors to Provence, it has […]
0 Read MoreLe Havre in Normandy is an ancient town with a contemporary footprint. It’s a UNESCO listed city, recognised for its extraordinary architecture. Le Havre’s origins go back to 1517 when Francis 1 commissioned the construction of a port, it was known then as Francispolis. These days […]
0 Read More
Photo: Wikipedia/ Bain News Service. Public Domain As all eyes are focused on the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, few realize the Olympic Games as we know them today began just a little over a century ago. In the ancient Olympic Games, amateur athletes– […]
0 Read More
For years, the 11th and 12 arrondissements, two formerly quiet, working class neighborhoods in eastern Paris, have been the preferred location for the French capital’s best young chefs. Why? Affordable apartments assure a hungry young clientele for the new restaurateurs who choose the area for […]
0 Read More
Move over, Musée Picasso—there’s a new museum coming to France and it’s slated to have the largest Pablo Picasso collection in the world. Catherine Hutin-Blay, the artist’s stepdaughter, recently purchased an old convent in Aix-en-Provence with the intention of creating a museum dedicated to Picasso and […]
0 Read More
Cluny Museum, Paris, France. Between 1890-1900. Photochrom Print Collection. Library of Congress. Public Domain. Of the hundreds of museums in Paris, the Musée de Cluny is one of our favorites: a gem in the Latin Quarter devoted to the Middle Ages. The building itself is remarkable. […]
0 Read More
Wherever I go, I seem to take my Frenchness with me (whatever that is, really). Like most civilized countries, France has a particular set of rules, and don’t you dare ignore them. When visiting my home country, you’d be wise to keep some of these social norms and […]
0 Read More