With the glorious sunny days Paris has been enjoying recently, I will always prefer to picnic than to sit in a restaurant. My friends and I try to organize a picnic every week and our numbers have been growing. The trend is catching on. Our picnics are a bit of a...
Every morning I walk to work. Not when it’s pouring rain or when I’m dragging along a suitcase in preparation for a weekend getaway, but I average about four mornings each week. I started quite involuntarily back in December 2005 when the New York City Metropolitan...
Determined to take advantage of this beautiful weather and do some hiking on Sunday, but preferring not to rent a car or travel too far, some friends and I headed for the Parc naturel régional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse (oof, that’s a mouthful). It’s only about...
With less than six weeks to go before embarking on the second leg of our Corsica hike, I have posted the itinerary for part 1 of our hike under Longer Trip Itineraries. Corsica is a magical place, close to Paris and yet curiously exotic. For fervent hikers, the GR20...
Of the numerous shopping arcades throughout Paris, Galerie Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement is still my favorite. Tucked between the rue des Petits Champs and rue Vivienne, just north of the Jardin du Palais Royal, this arcade is a gem for shoppers, foodies,...
There is no better time to visit the Basilica of Sacré Coeur, atop the Butte de Montmartre, than an hour or so before sunset, when the sun is low enough in the sky to cast on everything in its path that gentle golden glow but still high enough for the rays to hit the...
You can’t forget any essentials because there may not be any stores where you are going, but you certainly don’t want to bring more than just the necessaries, because you’ll have to carry everything on your back all day, every day. So how do you pack for a hiking...
I spent this past weekend with friends in a small village near the town of Vimoutiers in the region of Pays d'Auge, Normandy. It was a relaxing weekend of sleeping in, cooking in and basking in the sun as it played peek-a-boo with us through the frolicking clouds. ...
In France it's expected that if you are throwing a party, you will post a note for your neighbors explaining that you are hosting a get together and leaving your phone number so they can contact you if you are making too much noise. It's the polite thing to do and...
Recently, I spent an afternoon at Cook ’n with class, a cooking school on rue Custine in the 18th, on the back side of Montmartre. The classes of up to seven students are taught in English and the focus ranges from bread making to cake decorating to molecular...
