Heritage Paris Restaurants saved by Alain Ducasse

Alain Ducasse, who's become the successful curator of a small cluster of "heritage" restaurants (Parisian addresses with noteworthy history and local personality) – Benoit, Allard and Aux Lyonnais) added the 1925 vintage seafood brasserie, Rech, to his stable.

The duplex restaurant, a soothing New England like mostly oyster-shell toned decor, it's one of the best places for a serious seafood feast in the city. Skillful young chef Adrien Trouilloud is supplied daily by Jégo Frères, a first-class fish monger in Etel on the Gulf de Morbihan in Brittany, (The best in my book) . Start with oysters or a carpaccio, and then tuck into skate à la Grenobloise or an impeccable sole meuniere (the best in town) – and don't miss the giant éclair for dessert. • 62 Avenue des Ternes, 17th, 

Chambord - Loire Valley Favorite becomes new again

Chambord is my hands-down favorite of all of the Loire Valley chateaux.

 The one draw back, is that many of the scores and scores of rooms are empty, devoid of furniture. The Chateau is slowly trying to change that, by added period furniture, but its going to many decades to do, Chambord’s extraordinary scale seems to guarantee the château could never be completely refurnished. Nonetheless, starting this July it will be possible to see Chambord as it would have looked centuries ago when the king and his court stayed at the château, thanks to the new, augmented reality ‘HistoPad’. 

Walk into any empty room of the château, and these small iPads, become windows into the past. When a HistoPad is held up inside a room, a reconstruction of the historic décors — tapestries, furniture, etc —appears instantly, with pop up text and multiple interactive details.

Near Bordeaux, is the Dune du Pyla

This beach is Europe’s tallest dune at over 100 metres (350 feet). It’s an hour’s drive from Bordeaux and is literally dazzling. You will shield your eyes as much from the shimmering heat haze as the pristine sand. After you’ve taken in the panoramic views over the Atlantic and pine forests behind, there are miles of beaches to explore along the Bassin d’Arcachon. Take a ferry from Arcachon pier to Cap Ferret ( much like the Hampton's in New York) for the best view of the dune. To eat, head to the oyster cabanes, where fishermen set up tables and serve oysters, prawns, paté, bread and rosé wine.

One final nail in the coffin of the romance of rail travel - The end of Night sleepers within France and Europe.

France is set to say au revoir to the couchette, as the country’s department of transport prepares to withdraw overnight train routes from Paris. The French government, which owns the national rail operator SNCF, has said sleeper trains are too expensive to run; it has withdrawn financial add.
 The news is a further nail in the coffin for sleeper trains across Europe, and a major blow for any travelers trying to reduce their carbon emissions. Overnight services between France and Germany have also been dropped.

Relive the days of Francis 1 - Visit Chateau de Fontainebleau and then dine at L'Axel

The 1960's - when flying was really fun and special - SAS airlines the mid-1960's first class service