The Prettiest Street in Paris

I was walking home from Gare de Lyon with a friend last week, zigzagging towards Seine opposite the start of Boulevard Saint Germain, and we happened upon what we have deemed the prettiest street in Paris. Rue Crémieux in the 12th arrondissement runs for just one...

Château de Méry & Auvers-sur-Oise

This weekend, I was invited to the beautiful wedding of two close friends at the Château de Méry in Méry-sur-Oise, located about 30 kilometers or 45 minutes north of Paris on the SNCF (local train) in the Parc Vexin. With its traditional château and chapel and...

Hiking Along Brittany’s Southern Coast

I am now a bit addicted to the grande randonnées, the long-distance trails known affectionately as the “GRs” that criss-cross and wind their way through France and along its land and sea borders.  After finishing the GR20 in Corsica over the July 14...

Paris Walking Tours

Looking for something unique to do during your stay in Paris? I can no longer stand to visit a city and see tourist site after tourist site, shuttling myself from monument to monument and above all without knowing the stories behind them.  Walking tours are a...

A Visit Home & My New Wide Angle Lens

I make it back to the U.S. two or three times a year: for Christmas and once or twice in the spring or fall, planned around a wedding, funeral or reunion (or oftentimes two or more of these events grouped together).  Last month was my first visit to the U.S. in four...