France French Life Paris Tours: Clay Jenkinson France Palais Royal Paris radio interview The Jefferson Hour Thomas Jefferson tours to France Travel Fun
by maribeth
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The Thomas Jefferson Hour in Paris
The Palais Royal Gardens
Palais Royal
Clay Jenkinson as Thomas Jefferson
Mon dieu! My heart is still singing from a whirlwind trip I took to France this past week. I enjoyed six joyous days in Paris and two in the country, in Normandy and Versailles. My spirit remains light with all the love, culture and beauty I soaked up during my stay. I traveled with a dear friend for the marriage of my goddaughter and we had a marvelous time. I will be writing more about impressions, tips and recommendations from that trip within the upcoming month. I’m also posting beaucoup de fabulous photos on social media, so go ahead and follow me on Facebook (and also FB for A Tour of the Heart), Instagram and Twitter for images of an insider’s experience in France. (Remember that I lived in Paris eleven years, so this trip was largely about connecting with old friends.) La bonne cuisine française, wine, French savoir faire and the amelioration of Franco-American relations (translation: lots of talking in French, English and Franglais) dominated the program. C’était merveilleux!
You can transport yourself there in this evening’s Travel Fun, my talk show on travel at 6:30pm MST. I taped an interview with Clay Jenkinson, scholar, writer, historical interpreter and creator of The Thomas Jefferson Hour, a podcast and award-winning NPR program, that features the third president of the United States just before I left Telluride. Mr. Jenkinson portrays Jefferson, a man of the Enlightenment, and answers questions about current affairs with all the intelligence and elegance of this renowned statesman.
Monsieur Jefferson embraced France with great passion and verve, which is why I found it appropriate that I have a conversation with both Clay Jenkinson and Thomas Jefferson about this great man’s time in France.
Tune into KOTO.org at 6:30pm MST tonight to hear the interview I conducted just before I headed to Paris.
Clay Jenkinson
Best of all: You can actually travel to France this fall with Monsieur Jefferson AKA Clay Jenkinson on a trip that takes you to Paris, the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Dordogne, Provence and Burgundy, un voyage that highlights many of Jefferson’s favorite sites, including vineyards that please American wine aficionados more so than ever centuries later. (Jefferson was surely one of the first big importers of French wine in America.)
There’s also a Canal du Midi add on to this trip, which is currently sold out yet I feel that Clay will be offering it again. Be sure to peruse the program of other trips that Thomas Jefferson, or rather Clay Jenkinson, will be leading this year, too. If they are anything like Jefferson, expect lots of excellent food, drink, conversation, history and culture in incredibly scenic places.
I hope you like my selection of Paris photos that accompany this post. I took them at the Palais Royal gardens. Even though these buildings and gardens date back to the seventeenth century, I imagined Thomas Jefferson strolling here during his time in the French capital toward the latter part of the 1700s. Don’t you?
Les Jardins du Palais Royal
Note that I will try to post this interview here soon as a podcast.
Fashion & Style Mountain Living Paris: Daryl Hannah Fashion green living Lolita Lempicka mountain girl Paris timeless style
by maribeth
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The Dress
Me Flanked by My Brothers Frank and Bob at My Niece’s Wedding
I’m sure you have “a dress,” or “a top,” or “a suit,” or some other article of clothing or accessory you’ve had forever that you truly treasure.
Here are some photos of “my dress,” a Lolita Lempicka creation I acquired in Paris well over two decades ago. I’ve worn it about a half dozen times in my life and each time it makes me feel like a million bucks. I’ve donned it for weddings, very elegant dinners in Paris, and yes, even for a beaux arts costume ball. As fancy as it is, it’s fortunately timeless. And it still fits!
This chartreuse and lavender dream dress embraced my curves perfectly in the beginning. Then there was a time when I filled it out a bit much. (Thank goodness for spanks!) Now that I’m older and somewhat withered (yes, sadly I no longer have the robust décolleté I once boasted), it fits me less than perfectly. But it’s still a showstopper–at least in my eyes.
With My Niece, Rachel, a Maid of Honor
It’s superbly cut from a thick, rich silk, which means that the fabric always hangs beautifully. I’ve kept it in mint condition aside from some pulls. My kitten gained access to it once and climbed up it with ease. I was heartbroken, especially since I normally had it covered with a plastic dry cleaner bag but somehow she caught it when it has hanging outside of the closet after a big soirée. I almost retired it then but I decided it’s so spectacular that most people wouldn’t notice. (Plus, as my almost 84-year-old mother says, “No one can see very well anymore anyway.”)
Paris Restaurants: Julien Le Vaudeville Paris brasseries Paris dining Paris terrace dining
by maribeth
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Two Favorite Paris Restaurants: Le Vaudeville and Julien
Le Vaudeville Terrace
Le Vaudeville au Soir
The Barman at Julien
Art Nouveau Splendor at Julien
Last week there was a NYT piece circulating on the internet about how Paris’s high-end restaurants are experiencing a bit of une crise. Some blamed the aftermath of the Paris attacks while others blatantly stated that there’s no need to blow your budget on a fancy-schmancy night out when there are so many wonderful meals to be enjoyed at a host of other restaurants, brasseries, bistrots and cafés in the French capital. Clearly, it doesn’t have to be all about whether un resto has a star or not.
This social media conversation prompted me to think about two of my favorite Paris restaurants: Le Vaudeville and Julien. These landmark establishments rank as what the French would call une valeur sûre, or a sure value. Indeed, when you dine–for lunch or dinner–at either of them you know you’re going to delight in a fine meal in a lively setting served with aplomb. The décor of each ranks among the most historic of Paris and a moment passed here will dazzle both your eyes and spirit. It’s no wonder these long-established restaurants are considered institutions in a city that boasts some of the finest dining experiences in the whole world.
France French Life Paris Romance & Relationships: French Life Paris Paris attacks Relationships
by maribeth
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Paris Attacks Hit Home
View from My House in Telluride, Colorado
It’s sparkling white here in Telluride, Colorado. We’ve been graced with bright blue skies after a major storm dumped about three feet of snow on our already snowy mountains. Normally my heart would be singing with the excitement that comes with the start of each ski season. But despite the glorious scene that lays before me, I feel cobbled together with a jumble of emotions I’m doing my best to manage.
I did some work with hospice about twenty years ago and learned in the training that each loss brings up a past loss. I suppose by the end of our lives our hearts are filled with an accumulation of losses. A grim thought, but hopefully we find out along the way how to balance our complexities of emotions. But still, there are times when the bottom seems to fall out of our hearts.
This has been one of those times for me. The horrific events in Paris of just one week ago have touched so many of us. They’ve triggered thoughts of 9/11and other PTSD moments, big and small. They’ve made us weep for a beautiful city loved by many whether we’ve traveled there or not. They’ve made us feel the ultimate violation of enjoying a sense of safety in the most civilized parts of the world. They’ve made us feel like one. We are one, we are one with Paris, one with France, one with the whole world.
In a city of over two and a quarter million inhabitants, I wanted to make sure that everyone I knew there was safe last Friday night. On ne sais jamais. It’s bad enough that this horrible violence was happening but I prayed that all my loved ones and contacts from having had a close connection with the City of Light for almost four decades were safe.
And then it came. The news that my ex-husband, Stéphane de Bourgies, had lost his wife, Véronique Geoffroy de Bourgies, in the attack on the little bistrot, La Belle Equipe, rue de Charonne. I felt shattered. Vraiment boulversé. No, no, please God, don’t let it be true. I had been checking Steph’s Facebook page all night for news and finally the unimaginable was posted. I had already written on Véronique’s timeline that I was thinking about her and her family and hoping everyone was safe. Oh God, please let this be a mistake.
France French Life Paris Travel Writing & Books: A Tour of the Heart beautiful images Champs-Elysées France Out and About in Paris Paris Paris finish Tour de France travel information
by maribeth
Comments Off on Out and About in Paris Showcases the City of Light and More
Out and About in Paris Showcases the City of Light and More
Happy Bastille Day from Out and About in Paris
Happy Bastille Day everyone! It’s France’s National Holiday and a good day for us Francophiles to raise our glass to the French and all that we love about France and Paris.
The Tour de France Arriving in the French Capital
There are two days–both in July–when you want to be on the Champs-Elysées in Paris: today, July 14 and the last day of the Tour de France bike race which typically occurs the third Sunday in July. On both these occasions, you can witness magnificent displays of color and might on one of the world’s most beautiful avenues in one of the world’s most magnificent cities. The parade has already passed by today, but mark your calendar for Sunday, July 26 when the Tour zooms into Paree.
Dining in France According to Out and About in Paris
Ah Paree
How do you keep up with what’s happening in and around Paris? Where do you find your daily dose of alluring images of this top travel destination? The website/blog Out and About in Paris is your answer to this and beaucoup plus! In addition to reading their blog posts, plug yourself into their social media and you’ll be gloriously showered with all that you know and love about the City of Light. The oh-so dynamic and très internationale Mary Kay Bosshart is the driving force behind all that is Out and About in Paris. Honestly, I don’t know how she keeps up with her reporting and postings but she does with great enthusiasm and panache.
France Hotels & Lodging Paris Trip Planning: Hôtel d'Orsay Hôtel Le Saint-Grégoire Left Bank hotels Paris boutique hotels
by maribeth
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Paris Update: Two Lovely Left Bank Hotels
Moi on a Recent Trip to Paris
It’s that time of year again–springtime in Paris. Not only is it a beautiful time to visit the French capital, but it’s also when a lot of people–many of whom I only vaguely know through social media or elsewhere–contact me for recommendations for Paris and other parts of France. I try to graciously tell them that they will find a wealth of hotel, restaurant, shopping, sightseeing and general information as well as a treasure trove of all kinds of tidbits in my books The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide and The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces. But still, they want some insider tips directly from me. The irony of that escapes me, since I am the author of those books as well as a travel memoir entitled A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.
So for the sake of appeasing my potential Paris travelers and out of love for the city in which I lived over eleven years, I’ve decided to start posting more on Paris and the French provinces here at my blog. Hotel recommendations are a good place to start and below you will find two of my longtime favorites.
Colorado France French Life Paris Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride: Charlie Hebdo French Girl in Seattle Paris teaching skiing Telluride Ski Resort
by maribeth
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Wishing You the Best for 2015
Skiing is Fun
How are you, dear reader?
I wish you good health, love and joy in this new year. It might seem like these well wishes are coming a little late, but strike it up to the French in me. In France, it’s tout à fait acceptable to extend new year’s wishes–both verbally and in writing–through January 31. I love how most everyone you encounter in France echoes choruses of “bonne année, bonne santé” throughout the whole month of January. I’m sure that this year those wishes are even more sincere.
After a super busy holiday season teaching skiing day after day at the Telluride Ski Resort during an extremely cold period of time, I finally collapsed from a mega head cold and sheer exhaustion (perhaps partly brought on by my big move the first part of December). I spent a whole week on the couch, one marked by the tragedy of the events that unfolded in Paris. So very sad. Like so many, my heart ached for all involved and for my beloved France. I checked in with my friends in Paris to express my love and support, many of whom attended the demonstration that was held a week ago today. Vive la France! Vive Franco-American friendship and may the French forgive us for the faux pas of not sending proper representation on their important day of solidarité.
Food & Wine France French Life Paris Travel: Belgian Friends Belgian Friendship Cassandra Moonen Clarins Entertaining France French Friends French Friendship French Life Stéphane de Bourgies Victoria Wolff Wolff & Descourtis
by maribeth
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Grateful for My Friends in France and Belgium
Laughing with Marie in a Paris Café
My Petit Dejeuner in that Café
Toasting Life Chez Michèle et Loic
Zee Sunday Brunch Spread
Pain, Vin et Fromage Chez Steph et Véronqiue
I’m big at counting my blessings year round. As challenging as life can be, I try as much as possible to pause and feel truly grateful for all that I have in my life.
There’s so much for which to be grateful, especially when it comes to love. There’s nothing like feeling love and appreciation. There’s nothing like feeling valued. There’s nothing like feeling your heart swell with love–day after day after day.
I was blessed with an outpouring of love during my recent trip to Europe when friends in France went out of their way to meet with me for coffee, organize special dinners, include me in on Sunday lunches and chat with me at great length over leisurely breakfasts and afternoon teas. My friends in Antwerp entertained me all weekend long. And throughout every encounter, I felt a connectedness with my European friends that made it feel as though I had just seen them the week before. (It had, in fact, been many years.)
