Art & Culture Paris Restaurants: Art & Culture Paris Restaurants
by maribeth
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Rubens, Poussin and Seventeenth Century Artists at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris
Louis Le Nain, Le Concert
Peter Paul Rubens, Le Bain de Diane
It promises to be a gem of a show in a jewel of a museum. And it’s opening very soon, September 24, to be exact. Thank goodness it runs through January 24, 2011. That still gives me time to figure out how to beam myself over to Paris for this most alluring exhibition. You see, along with eighteenth century France, I’m passionate about the seventeenth century, especially when it comes to Flemish Baroque and French Classical school paintings from that era. And that’s exactly the focus of this Rubens, Poussin and Seventeenth Century Artists exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris. Think fleshy figures by Rubens, dramatic displays by Poussin, pleasant scenes by Le Nain, all masterfully painted in the richest and most penetrating colors imaginable.
My first visit to Europe was to Antwerp, Belgium, home of Peter Paul Rubens, grand master of the Baroque. I visited The Rubens House, an impressive dwelling that looks like it’s just out of the film “The Girl with the Pearl Earring.” From there, I traveled to Paris and as they say, the rest is history.
The Pastry Selection of the Musée Jacquemart-André
This exhibition offers a unique view of these two great artistic movements of the seventeenth century. And best of all, these extraordinary works will be presented in one of the loveliest and most intimate museums of Paris. I can imagine no better setting. A visit to the Musée Jacquemart-André is a must, even if you can’t make this show. It is a glorious temple of art, originally a private home of notable art collectors, where you can admire significant pieces from the Italian Renaissance, eighteenth-century France and Flemish masters such as Rembrandt at any given time.
But here’s the pièce de résistance of the Jacquemart-André museum: They boast an exquisite café/tea salon that makes you feel as though you’re sitting in a painting while you enjoy your perfect respite within this most elegant museum. Mais attention! Too many gâteaux from the pastry cart are apt to leave you feeling decidedly Rubenesque. Only kidding, enjoy to your heart’s delight! Isn’t that sometimes what Paris is all about?
Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 boulevard Haussmann, eighth arrondissement, 33 (0)1.45.62.11.59, Musee-Jacquemart-Andre.com
The Café/Tea Salon of the Musée Jacquemart-André
Nicolas Poussin, Coriolan
Thank you to Sofiacome and FranceGuide for the above images.
Art & Culture French Life French Provinces Hotels & Lodging Paris Podcasts: Art & Culture French Life French Provinces Hotels & Lodging Paris Podcasts
by maribeth
Comments Off on Oh Château Life!
Oh Château Life!
A Perfect French Summer Scene: Colza Fields Blanketing the Château de la Motte d'Usseau Landscape
If you’ve caught any coverage of the Tour de France, you’ve seen some glorious shots of the French countryside dotted with fairy tale-looking castles and elegant manor houses. Families still live in most of these impressive dwellings, many of whom have lived there for centuries. And even better, some of these families of long lineage open up their stately residences to visitors on a nightly or even weekly basis. (Yes, you can easily rent your own château in France for your destination wedding, family reunion or other exciting event.)
Château du Fraisse, A Grand Property Near Limoges
But how do you go about connecting with these people, some of whom may be just familiarizing themselves with the Internet? Enter Diane Ohanian, French château expert par excellence. Diane created au Château some ten years ago, a company and e-newsletter that dials Americans into château life in France. In my Travel Fun interview with Diane (and through her au Château Web site and newsletter), I’ve found her to be an incredible resource on French châteaux and on French life in general. As an ardent Francophile for more than two decades, Diane has made it her mission to suss out some of the most glorious and welcoming abodes in the gallic land. Indeed au Château is a great English-language resource for travelers looking to stay in historic places.
Room with a View at Château Sallandrouze and Many Other Châteaux
Click on the play button below to hear what Diane has to say about château life in France, French hosts and what she appreciates most about life in France. Hint: it has nothing to do with traffic jams and fast food.
Three châteaux have been featured in the above images including Château de la Motte d’Usseau, Château du Fraisse and Château Sallandrouze. (For Château Sallandrouze, please check with Diane directly at inquiry@au-chateau.com for this property’s availability.) Note that au Château boasts nearly eighty members on their site, so you have a variety of experiences to chose from in every corner of France.
Diane (on the left) with One of Her Hosts
Diane on the French as Hosts
“They’re excellent hosts, warm and friendly. The nobility is nice, too. Not at all condescending. I hope it’s not a disappointment when they (travelers) find out that they (the noble families) are like everyone else.”
Book Pick
“The Paris Neighborhood Cookbook: Danyel Couet’s Guide to the City’s Ethnic Cuisines,” by Danyel Couet and David Loftus
Listen to what Diane has to say about this book in the above interview.
Being Green Cycling Paris Tours: Being Green Cycling Paris Tours
by maribeth
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Tour Mania Versus Zee Segway
The Segway Peloton of Paris
I’ve been thinking about whizzing around Paris these days.
It’s July and I’m consumed with The Tour. I’m referring to the Tour de France, as I’m sure you might have guessed.
I love watching the undulating ribbon of the peloton weave its way through France, but it’s in Paris on the last day of this epic bike race that this colorful procession mystifies me the most. I think it’s because Paris is so familiar to me: I’ve walked the great length of the Champs-Elysées countless times, wended my way around the expansive place de la Concorde, strolled beneath the arcades of the rue de Rivoli from Concorde to Palais Royal. Seeing the Tour de France posse (caravan, cyclists, team cars, press and officials) dominate this familiar terrain mesmerizes me the most. How incredibly fitting it is to have some of the world’s finest athletes power over the same routes reserved for royalty and heads of state.
If you’re not able to be in the City of Light on the final day of this great race, I encourage you to at least catch part of the last stage on T.V. Even the lively commentary of the sportscasters can’t drone out the pack’s thunderous rumble over the cobbles, the resounding swoosh and whir as they travel along Paris’s centuries-old streets.
If you’re at all like me, you’ll also be envious of the racers having the streets of Paris to themselves. Quel bonheur! Can you imagine how great that feels, pedaling through these historic streets at lightening speed?
There’s nothing like experiencing a place from a bicycle or I suppose, even a Segway. I’m reminded of this every time I hop on a bike but it really hit home recently when a friend told me about how he breezed around Paris standing head and shoulders above the masses. He had taken a Segway tour and visited a good number of Paris’s best-loved sites and monuments in a flash, without the inconveniences of sore feet or having to get on and off a bus a ton of times.
Art & Culture Fashion & Style French Life French Provinces Paris Travel: Art & Culture Fashion & Style French Life French Provinces Paris Travel
by maribeth
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The French Will Always Have Monet and Much More
One of Monet's Views of Rouen
I’ve been thinking lately about a couple of major gatherings I attended for the tourism industry last fall. Both of my beloved lands were covered: France and Colorado. The French event, entitled French Affairs ’09, put on by Atout France (also known as the French Government Tourist Office and Maison de la France), took place in New York City. I attended one full day and evening of this grand gathering of largely travel suppliers and tourism representatives, many of whom had traveled from as far away as France and Tahiti to promote their products and destinations to some of the most attentive travel experts in the U.S. It was a whirlwind day, marked by fine wine and cuisine, tons of networking and colorful multi-media presentations of some of the most alluring regions of France and many other exotic French-y locales, such as Guadeloupe and Saint Bart’s. (Some of our favorite island get-ways also fall beneath the umbrella of the French Tourism Office, hence the name Atout France, which I interpreted as a play on words of sorts meaning all of France although the exact translation of atout is asset. Are you confused yet? )
Now that this year’s tourism season is well underway in France, I’m thinking about how it seems to be shaping up, especially in view of the somewhat jittery feelings that were echoed last fall as the French travel experts touted their products and services. The elephant in the room—the world’s bad economy—was not dwelled upon too much and instead most everyone projected a wistful c’est la vie attitude. Perhaps it was the copious amounts of French wine served at the luncheon, the farewell cocktail and the closing dinner, that contributed to such elevated spirits amid so much recessionary doom and gloom. But I think it had more to do with the fact that the French have seen hard times before and with such extraordinary tourism destinations as Paris, Burgundy, the Côte d’Azur, Saint-Martin and much more, worrying doesn’t make much sense anyway.
So here we are with the euro at a four-year low against the dollar. Who could think of a better time to visit France? Sure, there might be a few concerns about flight cancellations due to ongoing eruptions from Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland’s troublesome volcano. But at least lately glittering images from Cannes have overshadowed that news. No, it seems as though there are more reasons for going to France in these upcoming months than what we’ve registered in a while. Here are a few of my favorites:
Paris
Don’t miss the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition at the Petit Palais, the first-ever retrospective of this revolutionary French fashion designer. You have until 29 August to view this much-talked-about show.
Antibes Juan les Pins
The celebrated Jazz à Juan festival marks its 50th anniversary this July. As the longest running jazz festival in Europe, it promises to be steamy hot with a lineup that includes George Benson, Diana Krall and Maceo Parker. There’s nothing like being serenaded by world-class jazz as a cool breeze blows through the nearby palm trees.
Normandy
The Impressionists drew inspiration from the many varied subjects of this beloved region of France, including its verdant countryside, its ports and its major sites. (Claude Monet captured the many different allures of the Rouen Cathedral in more than thirty paintings.) This year the region of Normandy pays homage to the indelible mark left by the Impressionists by launching the Normandy Impressionist Festival that runs through September. Expect lots of culture, fun events and great restaurant and lodging packages both in Rouen and throughout the region.
These happenings and more were highlighted at this French travel industry event. Find out about others—islands included—at FranceGuide.com, the French Government Tourist Office’s official site. There you’ll also find links to some attractive travel deals.
We’re ramping up for the summer season in Colorado now. It’s still pretty bleak here in the mountains but that should all change by mid June. I’ll report on the Colorado tourism industry event and how the season is shaping up in an upcoming posting. As you know, spring is the time to be in France. Here, it’s still mud season and snow remains in the forecast for the mountains the next couple of days. Tant pis, c’est la vie.
Thank you to Catherine Lancien et Carole Loisel, the Musée des Beaux Arts de Rouen and Rouen Tourisme for the use of the above image.
Beauty Fashion & Style French Life New York Paris Podcasts Telluride Travel: Beauty Fashion & Style French Life New York Paris Podcasts Telluride Travel
by maribeth
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Talking Travel and Style with Kate Betts
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Kate Betts
Travel and style go together like form and functionality. I had fun chatting about both and much more recently during a Travel Fun interview with Kate Betts, fashion and style editor extraordinare. Kate has worked as the driving force at illustrious publications including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. She has also written about fashion and style for the New York Times and is currently contributing editor at TIME Magazine. Kate and I met many, many years ago in Paris when she was an intern at the International Herald Tribune and I was operating Chic Promenade, a shopping service I had created in France. We share many interests, mutual French friends and a passion for France (although we do love to chuckle together about some of our pet peeves about la mentalité française!)
I was happy to snatch her for an interview during her March trip to Telluride. Click on the play button below to hear what Kate has to say about style and travel. As Kate says, “It matters what you look like, how you feel about yourself, how you present yourself.” She provides beauty and packing tips that she uses on all her travels whether she’s off to the fashion shows in Milan or heading out to the Rockies for a ski vacation. I loved what she shared about visualization and I’ve already picked up her favorite all-purpose moisturizing cream that’s her special secret.
Listen to what she has to say about fashion editors. I had to ask her if they’re all hung up on what they wear! You’ll enjoy hearing her response along with her explanation about the difference between fashion and style. People obsessed with fashion follow the crowd whereas style setters follow their own beat.
Kate’s latest project has been the researching and writing of a book about Michelle Obama, entitled “Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and The Power of Style.” “The way she has used style to set the tone has been very powerful for women,” Kate says. “Her voice has been her style. She is the quintessential American woman.” I felt lucky to get the scoop on all this since mine was the first interview Kate conducted about the book, to be published February 2011 by Clarkson Potter. In our chat, Kate also talks about her impressions of our first lady and her charismatic husband.
Throughout our conversation, Kate refers many times to the French, especially in terms of their sense of style. “Style is something you have within you,” Kate says. I guess that’s why I often say that French women are born with the knowledge of how to tie a scarf. They know how to properly apply their make up as well, being careful never to over do it, just like in Telluride. Kate and I commented that we rarely do ourselves up in T-ride but we both smiled about having touched ourselves up a bit for our radio interview. As Kate says, it does matter how you look, how you feel about yourself and how you present yourself, no matter where you are, right?
Click on the play button to hear lots more good stuff from Kate.
Cycling French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts: Cycling French Living French Provinces Paris Podcasts
by maribeth
Comments Off on Listen to Graham Watson Talk the Tour
Listen to Graham Watson Talk the Tour
2010 Tour de France Route
The 2010 Tour de France route was posted just over a month ago which means that hotels along the course are booking up fast. There’s still time, however, to plan a trip to take in some of this renowned bike race next July. Renowned Tour photographer, Graham Watson, will tell you how. Read about what I wrote about Graham and his book, “Graham Watson’s Tour de France Travel Guide,” here. You can also listen to Graham speak about the Tour and more by clicking on the play button here:
Podcast (bonjour): Play in new window | Download
French Life Paris Travel: French Life Paris Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Renting in Paris: A Dream Come True for Many
Renting in Paris: A Dream Come True for Many
Ah, Paree!
Ever imagine yourself ducking into a Paris bakery to buy warm, crusty bread and flaky croissants to accompany your morning coffee? Or perhaps you’ve envisioned yourself shopping for cheese, wine, pâté and the freshest produce imaginable at a colorful open-air market on the Left Bank? If so, you’re not alone.
I regularly hear from avid Francophiles, most of whom possess a huge passion for Paris. Many have made it their mission to live like a Parisian for a period of time—that’s to say they have rented apartments in the French capital and have embraced la vie française as if they were a native. Lately though, more and more occasional travelers to France ask me about renting in Paris. It seems as though even people that don’t consider themselves overly passionate about Paris share the fantasy of finding themselves living in a more romantic manner than how they live at home. Staying in your own pied-à-terre is definitely a charming way of experiencing Paris and I sat down and talked about this recently with Glenn Cooper, owner of Rentals in Paris, one of the most reputable companies for renting apartments in Paris.
“It’s a basic dollars and cents equation,” Glenn said. “You get more space and better value with apartment rentals.” And here I thought people were primarily motivated by the whole living-like-a-Parisian dream. Certainly that’s a big part of it, but I was extremely interested to hear what Glenn had to say about the price/quality relationship behind renting in Paris, especially during these challenging times. I couldn’t help conjuring up images of wonderful pique niques (picnics) that one could organize in their Parisian abode.
“But I wouldn’t necessarily recommend renting a place in Paris for the first-time visitor, “ Glenn added. “Especially if they need to be taken by the hand. In that case, it’s better to be in a hotel with a concierge.” Suddenly I had a flash of one visit to Paris I took with my mom. We rented a terrific place right off the rue de Buci. Our most challenging moment came when we had to organize a taxi for an early morning departure. Thankfully I knew that I had to go to find one at a nearby taxi stand or my mother and I would have been left standing in front of our building for ages with the hope of hailing a passing taxi. A first-time visitor might not have known such a thing, so you either have to be very well debriefed or more intrepid than your average hotel guest if your maiden voyage to Paris involves a rental.
Glenn suggests taking an apartment in the heart of Paris, and most of his are indeed centrally located and among the nicest you’ll find. And although a concierge may not be at your beckon call, Glenn does have a very competent team in place that makes sure you’re well received and assisted throughout your stay.
Your fantasy about preparing coq au vin in your own little chez vous in Paris could easily become a reality, perhaps as early as this winter when air fares to Europe typically drop to near-bargain basement levels.
Ready for Dinner in Paris
Rentals in Paris, 516-977-3318, www.rentals-paris.com
French Life Paris Podcasts Travel: French Life Paris Podcasts Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Paris and Marrakech in the Springtime
Paris and Marrakech in the Springtime
La Tour Eiffel Bien Sur!
Anyone that possesses even a vague interest in France, can’t help thinking about Paris in the springtime. I’ve made it a tradition on Travel Fun to do an April (or Springtime, if I’m a little behind schedule) in Paris program every year.
This year I whisked my listeners off to the French capital with the help of author, Diane Johnson. I’ll confess right off that I’m a huge fan of Diane’s novels, particularly “Le Divorce,” “Le Mariage” and “L’Affaire,” all intricately woven works that explore the cultural differences between Americans and the French with keen insight. A two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a three-time finalist for the National Book Award, Diane is the best-selling author of fifteen books including her newly released “Lulu in Marrakech.” She divides her time between San Francisco and Paris, a city that has taken center stage in her most recent books.
“Many wonderful books have been written about France,” Diane explained in our interview. “My publisher is always sending me books about France and the French,” she continues. “I’ve noticed a constant theme that involves people dreaming about France as the ideal place.” I’ve found that to be true with so many people over the years as well. Most seem to embrace a romantic vision of France, especially when it comes to Paris. And it seems as though that image is rarely shattered.
To understand this more, I suggest you read Diane’s above mentioned books!
As for “Lulu,” Diane once again shines at spinning a tale that holds you in rapt attention with its people, place and story. She delightfully captures the sights, sounds and smells of this exotic Moroccan land in this novel about a California blond that finds herself living all kinds of adventures—romantic and otherwise—as a spy in an Islamic country. Diane beautifully describes all the subtleties of ex-pats abroad set against a colorful backdrop painted with vivid images of mosques, minarets, souks and the call to prayer.
L’Exotisme du Maroc
Diane lived within this culture for quite some time with her husband, a prominent doctor specializing in tuberculosis research, many years ago. She wrote about many of these experiences in her book, “Natural Opium,” a compilation of travel stores. Diane’s current project delves into even more adventures she had while traveling the world with her husband to faraway lands including Japan and China. Can’t wait to see what that will bring!
When asked about her thoughts on Americans abroad, Diane sounded insightful about her compatriots behavior outside of the U.S. “Americans are more polished and culturally sensitive than they once were,” she said.
I’m sure Diane is partly responsible for this—at least when it comes to France and now in terms of Islam, I thought. She is extraordinarily gifted at helping us understand other cultures, especially the French. And, of course, there’s always that je ne sais quoi, that inexplicable something, that makes many Americans so charmed by France. Especially Paris in the springtime.
Diane Johnson’s Advice to the Traveler to France
“Read a few good books on how to negotiate the trains and other necessary matters in France.”
“Don’t be the loud American. Don’t try to speak French by speaking English louder.”
Click Here to Listen to the Podcast of My Spring 2009 Interview with Diane.
Last Words from Diane
“The mood is good in Paris these days. The restaurants are still full.” We both agreed that food is an essential part of life in Paris.
Book Picks
“Le Divorce”
“Le Mariage”
“L’Affaire”
“Into a Paris Quartier”
“Natural Opium”
and many more by Diane Johnson!
Podcast (bonjourcolorado): Play in new window | Download
