Art & Culture Food & Wine French Life French Provinces Girl Talk Paris Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel: Art & Culture Food & Wine French Life French Provinces Girl Talk Paris Podcasts Romance & Relationships Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Elizabeth Bard Talks About Lunch in Paris, Love and Provence
Elizabeth Bard Talks About Lunch in Paris, Love and Provence
Elizabeth Bard
I don’t think there’s a woman out there that hasn’t dreamed about falling in love in Paris. C’mon, admit it to yourself. See, I told you—I’m sure you’ve allowed just a shred of this fantasy to play out in your head at least once in your life. Many women indulge themselves with full-blown visions of strolling hand-in-hand with a lover alongside the Seine or sharing a tête-à-tête in a cozy French bistrot over a savory coq au vin and a good Bordeaux with the man of her dreams. Others just allow a glimmer of a romance flash through their minds. I bet there are some men (those sensitive types!) that have thought wistfully about love in Paris as well. I may be biased but Paris is surely the most romantic city in the world.
What makes it so? Well, it would take a whole book to divulge that—the decor, the mood, the ambiance, the food and wine. Elizabeth Bard does just that in her book “Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes.” I found it to be a terrific read. And I know Paris, love and the whole bonne salade of it all. Elizabeth has done a wonderful job at describing the sights and tastes of the moveablefeast that is Paris. (I haven’t yet tried the recipes she shares, but they seem wonderful and quite easy which is actually what most French cooking is all about.) And of course, Elizabeth meets a love, a Frenchman, and we are swept into their lives like a tourist on a fourteen-day European tour. Fortunately she provides many opportunities for us to savor their moment as well.
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Art & Culture Mountain Living Podcasts Travel Writing & Books: Art & Culture Mountain Living Podcasts Travel Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on Lisa Napoli Talks About Bhutan and Radio Shangri-La
Lisa Napoli Talks About Bhutan and Radio Shangri-La
Lisa Napoli in Bhutan, Her Adopted Country
It’s almost off-season here in Telluride, the time many people in these mountain towns are heading out for extended trips to far-flung destinations. Aah yes, there are people lucky enough to go to Bhutan, a country the size of Switzerland, sandwiched between India, China and Nepal, in the Himalayas—the mountains are always calling. So I thought it fitting to make my Travel Fun interview with Lisa Napoli, author of “Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth,” available to you now. It’s a terrific book for armchair travelers as well, a delightful read that allows you to visit one of the most exotic countries in the world without ever leaving your living room. Just click on the play button below.
Lisa talks about how she worked for public radio for years and then all of a sudden was given the opportunity to head off to Bhutan to help the Bhutanese with their burgeoning radio station. (At that time—in 2007—they only had one station for a country of over a half million inhabitants.) As she recounts in her book and in our interview, this period in Bhutan turned out to be a life-changing experience for her. I chuckled at so many of her descriptions of her time—and the cast of characters—at the radio station where she worked in Bhutan. Some of them—especially the more quirky people and the locale—reminded me of life here at KOTO, our own little public radio station in T-ride.
Here’s a glimmer of what Lisa shares about travel to Bhutan, a devout, Buddhist country that was closed to the outside world up until forty years ago:
-Bhutan does not keep track of it’s GDP. They do, however, measure GNP or Gross National Happiness. What is that anyway?
-Most people have to go through a tour operator to travel to Bhutan.
-What does the $200./day tourist tax entail?
-Listen to what Lisa likes the most about this intriguing land.
You’ll also hear Lisa read a couple of excerpts from “Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth.”
Click on the play button below to listen to my interview with Lisa Napoli.
Thank you to Lisa for the above photo.
Phallus Symbol: A Part of Bhutanese Life (Note the T-Mobile Card Next to It)
Thank you to Sharon Shuteran for the above photo that she took of this “sculpture” on the doorway of a shop in Trongsa town. Sharon travels to Bhutan regularly to do service work, a domain that is still quite closed in Bhutan. Listen to her story at Service Travel: Two Different Approaches. Lisa refers to the proliferation of phallus symbols a fair amount in her book. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t have the nerve to ask her about them on air. Apparently they’re used to ward off evil spirits.
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Art & Culture Colorado Fashion & Style Mountain Living Music & Dance Telluride The Rockies Travel: Art & Culture Fashion & Style Mountain Living Music & Dance Telluride The Rockies Travel
by maribeth
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Ferraris, Blues, Brews and the Rocky Mountains
Ferraris Flanked by the Rocky Mountains
Ferrari epitomizes design and style. The Rockies furnish some of the most dramatic and outstanding views in the world. Put the two together and you’ve got one helluva good-looking scene. Add a little blues, brews, and bountiful helpings of food and wine and you’ve got a number one formula for a spectacularly good time. That’s just what you’ll get throughout most of southwestern Colorado this weekend, especially in Telluride when the Ferrari Club of America Rocky Mountain Region is due to cruise into town on Saturday, one of the peak days of the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival. Yes, over thirty of these beauties will be lined up on the center lane of Telluride’s main street for all to admire.
“We’ll be there rain or shine,” says Fred Bishel, club member and tour coordinator. “Only a blizzard will stop us,” he adds. From a near-vintage 1988 model to a brand-new 2011, in a regalia of black, silver, yellow and the iconic Ferrari red, this cavalcade of some of the world’s most magnificent cars will be traveling through southwestern Colorado as part of their fall foliage tour. Their journey begins Friday on the Skyline Drive outside of Canon City where they’ve obtained special permission to drive in the opposite direction on this stunning route. From there, they go to Gunnison for lunch and then Grand Junction in the evening. It’s no surprise they’re making Gateway Canyons, home of the Gateway Auto Museum, showcase of the private collection of Discovery Channel’s founder John Hendricks. It’s a key stop at 9 a.m. Saturday before heading to Telluride for lunch. By Saturday evening, these fine Italian specimens (I’m talking about the cars not the drivers although I haven’t met any of them yet!) will be claiming forty parking spaces on Durango’s main drag—what a sight! Sunday they’re off to Pagosa Springs, then over Wolf Creek pass to end with a fundraiser in Saguache. Members of the club will be chatting with admirers and handing out schwag at every stop.
If you love beauty, don’t miss this happening. It’s rare to see so many Ferraris assembled together. The last time I saw such a showing of these magnificent works of art was over two decades ago at an exhibition entitled Hommage à Ferrari at the Fondation Cartier, located outside of Paris in Jouy-en-Josas at the time. Leave it to a world-renowned jeweler to recognize the splendor of this celebrated brand.
Yet to see these sparkling gems set within the stunning vistas of our majestic Rocky Mountains, it looks like we’ll likely out shine them.
The Official Ferrari Tour License Plate
Read Always on My Mind: Telluride Blues & Brews Festival and Willie Nelson to read my take on this year’s lineup. Check out Gateway Canyons: One Big Discovery to learn more about this gorgeous resort.
Art & Culture Colorado French Life Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals: Art & Culture Colorado French Life Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
Comments Off on Silence is Golden on Telluride Film Festival’s Silver Screens
Silence is Golden on Telluride Film Festival’s Silver Screens
Buster Keaton in “The General,” a 1920s American Silent Comedy
Who said silent films are a thing of the past? “The Artist,” an ebullient silent film depicting Hollywood during the roaring Twenties, generated quite the buzz this year at both the Cannes and Telluride Film Festivals. I missed it since I was away for most of this year’s festival in T-ride but hope to catch it after its November 23 release in movie theaters (likely art houses) across America. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Cannes Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin, leave it to the French to create and produce a silent film in the year 2011.
I was, however, able to catch “From Morning to Midnight,” a German silent film from the Twenties the last night of this year’s Telluride Film Festival, a showing made memorable by the accompaniment of the Alloy Orchestra. The film itself was rather macabre (dare I say very German?). But I was highly entertained nonetheless by watching and listening to the Alloy Orchestra, a Telluride Film Festival favorite that has been gracing this world-renowned festival with their presence for about two decades. This three-man musical ensemble has played the world, bringing silent films magically to life in such distinguished cultural centers as The Louvre, Lincoln Center, The Academy of Motion Pictures, the National Gallery of Art and more. If you ever have a chance to see them, seize it! This year was my first in the eight years I’ve been attending the Telluride Film Festival and I’ve become a huge fan.
Art & Culture Colorado Four Corners Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants The Rockies: Art & Culture Colorado Four Corners Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants The Rockies
by maribeth
Comments Off on Strater Hotel: the Grande Dame of Durango, Colorado
Strater Hotel: the Grande Dame of Durango, Colorado
Strater Hotel in Durango Backdropped by a Quintessential Colorado Blue Sky
If you’ve read some of my posts on my blog and/or if you’re familiar with my books on France, you likely know by now that I love hotels. Historic hotels in particular move me. I’m a big fan of experiencing these bastions of history and tradition during one’s travels, whether it’s to pop in for a drink or to stay a few nights. No matter how you choose to discover these landmark properties, a visit to them allows you to soak up the spirit of the place for either a brief moment or a more luxurious stay. The world is peppered with such places of lodging, steeped in history, that folks have been enjoying in many cases for more than a century. I encourage my readers to seek them out at every turn because it’s often within their splendiferous interiors that we gain the true essence of the place we’re visiting; it’s here we’re able to peer into the past while embracing the present.
In most cases, these fine establishments serve as the cornerstones of the cities and towns we love to visit. Many were built during the golden era of that destination in an effort to express to the world all that the town had achieved, all that the community was becoming. Erecting a notable place of lodging for business and leisure travelers alike was a sure-bet way of putting a destination on the map in addition to providing the right conditions for welcoming visitors in a more dignified and glorious manner.
Nearly every town and city in Colorado boasts a fine hotel, most of which were built during the boomtown era of the mining days toward the latter part of the nineteenth century. It was one of the most significant ways of saying “we’ve arrived.” Finally an old cow town could receive its potential investors and other movers and shakers of the day in a proper manner. The Strater Hotel in Durango, Colorado stands out as one of the finest examples of this necessity to build a handsome place of lodging in emerging towns throughout the West.
Art & Culture Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants: Art & Culture Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Music & Dance Restaurants
by maribeth
Comments Off on Fun this Summer and Year-Round at The Curtis
Fun this Summer and Year-Round at The Curtis
Curtis Philosophy and a Nod to the Beatles
Who says summer fun is all about building castles in the sand, running through sprinklers or taking a dip in a secret water hole? Sure, those activities can provide many hours of giggles and entertainment, but when was the last time you checked into a hotel that really made you smile? And smile. And smile. And smile.
Kids on vacation and weary business travelers alike can’t help being endeared to The Curtis, a Doubletree Hotel, located in downtown Denver. A stay at The Curtis leaves an indelible mark on your funny bone–and every other sensitive part of your body–from the moment you spot their giant building blocks sign that say “all together now” to when you’re back home recalling your fun-filled visit at this unique property.
To me, some of the best hotels are ones that provide a memorable experience, a positive stay that you can’t easily create at home. The colorful and cheery Curtis does this and more. You can just sashay through a Laugh In-like set or pay closer attention to the Light Brite artwork and oversized wooden game board in their lobby. Here it’s also fun to check out the video art that displays favorite retro games and the Cartoon Network playing on the T.V. You can catch up on pop culture trivia in the library or drink a retro soda at the 5 & Dime and nibble on one of the hotel’s fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies on this level as well. If you’re indecisive about personal or professional doings, just ask to play rock, paper, scissors with the frond desk attendant. Head to your room and the real fun begins.
Art & Culture Colorado Denver Fashion & Style Paris: Art & Culture Colorado Denver Fashion & Style Paris
by maribeth
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Yves Saint Laurent Comes to Denver
One of Many YSL Creations to be Shown in Denver
So long cow town, hello haute couture. Maybe I was a bit ahead of my time moving to Telluride, Colorado from Paris, France. Well, there’s nothing like the combination of natural beauty and sophistication and clearly that dynamic duo is increasingly on the rise here in our magnificent Rocky Mountain state.
Mention of an Yves Saint Laurent exhibit in Denver popped out at me yesterday in a piece in the New York Times about Pierre Bergé. (Read Saint Laurent’s Other Half.) My excitement quickened as I discovered that Denver was selected as the only U.S. city to present the major Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective featuring forty years of this world-renowned designer’s creativity, organized by Monsieur Bergé. It came as no surprise that the show will be hosted by the Denver Art Museum (DAM), one of the most stunning showcases of art and history in our country. The show opens March 25, 2012 and will run through July 7, 2012.
Art & Culture Hotels & Lodging New Mexico Travel: Art & Culture Hotels & Lodging New Mexico Travel
by maribeth
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Light and Luminarias in Taos, New Mexico
Taos Mountain from La Posada de Taos
New Mexican Light and Luminarias by Day
It’s been so unusually grey here in southwestern Colorado lately that I can’t help wondering what it’s like south of us in New Mexico. I love the light in that part of the country-––sort of like America’s Provence-––no wonder so many artists such as Georgia O’Keefe have called this land of enchantment home. The wondrous play of light in the sky and on the raw landscapes and adobe architecture especially enchant us this time of year when the sun is low in the sky. These mystical scenes become even more beguiling at night during the holiday season when luminarias light up the rugged southwestern dwellings like candles on a birthday cake. Today many of these small lights or lanterns have been electrified and bulbs have replaced the candles that were originally set in sand-filled paper bags, but no matter-––the effect is still magical and quintessentially New Mexican.
