Fashion and the city of Paris are two old friends. Ever since the royal courts of France took up residence in or near Paris, centuries ago, social codes and fashionable dressing developed. And as fashion thrived, so did the merchants and the businesses that plied the trade. Colbert, who was Minister of Finances under […]
The French railway network is justifiably one of France’s pride and joy assets, affording an extensive network of comfortable rail transportation services in nearly every corner of France. It is rated as one of the best in the world, when taking into account speed, comfort, punctuality, price and safety. Each day 14 million passengers […]
Of the 130 museums in Paris, no less than seven of them relate to the world of fashion. This one was created by the Foundation Pierre Bergé — Yves Saint Laurent and is located in the headquarters of the YSL haute couture house from 1974 to 2002, the year the house closed and was […]
Some of the issues that have divided Parisians to the point of bitter debate have been the Paris municipality’s decrees ordering the closure of some of its expressways to vehicular traffic and their conversion into pedestrian malls. The two most important were the Left Bank and Right Bank expressways.
The Left Bank expressway conversion was […]
In Paris we don’t talk about the weather unless something really unusual happens. Unusual by Parisian standards, of course. In the summer if the temperatures rise above 27° C (80° F), which does not happen often, everyone laments their lot, with constant bleats of “il fait chaud” (It’s hot !).
This week we got […]
Paris is experiencing another flood, reminding us of a fact that we tend to suppress: the City of Light historically has experienced a super flood more or less every century, and the last one was in 1910, which now puts us in overdue territory. Could this be the start of the next big one?
It […]
Almost everyone who visits Paris has heard of Montmartre, but few know that the butte is such a storied place. So many fantastic events, many gruesome, have taken place on it for so long, since the dawn of time, that most tourists have no clue of its amazing history. Not many visitors even know that […]
Many visitors to Paris ask if its nickname is the City of Light, or if it is the City of Lights. The short answer is that both terms are correct, for different reasons. Visitors also ask how the city acquired its monikers, and there are several explanations.
In 1670, the lieutenant general of police of […]
If you are interested in porcelain, you will recognize the name Sèvres, a virtual synonym for exquisite porcelain ever since its factory was created in 1740. You might not know that in the same suburb of the same name, Sèvres, there is an amazing museum devoted to many of the different forms of ceramics […]
We all know about Normandy with regard to its history, monuments and touristic highlights: Mont St. Michel, the D Day Beaches, its Cathedrals, artists, and charming towns such as Honfleur. Within its very varied topography, there is an area that is unique and unlike the rest. It is not like Normandy ‘s flatlands and […]