Report On Brittany - A Forward

I spent almost 3 weeks in Brittany and the photo above was taken ( in the last days of my trip) in the northern part of Brittany, in the beautiful seaside town of Perros-Guirdec. This area is famous for its Pink Granite Coastline. The homes here have the feel of a quiant New England village or a village set on the English Cornwall coast. The photo was a view from my room and it was magnificent (day or night) ,even in the throws of a stormy winter day!

But I am getting a ahead of myself. In the following days, I will post a series of travel stories and photos about my stay in the Brittany area of France. It has turned out that this area is now one of my most favorite places to visit in France, and that's saying a lot.

So, as I recover from jet-lag in the next day or two, please check back for a colorful and wonderful journey through - BRITTANY.

New Year's Eve with a French Count and Countess in France's Loire Valley

Perhaps you are looking for a truly exclusive New Year's Eve
celebration? Not the same old celebrations you have year after year?
Then might I suggest -As private guests of Comte and Comtesse de Vanssay at Chateau de La Barre, in the Loire Valley, France, you will :
~ experience a Renaissance feast in Leonardo da Vinci's home on the 31st of December 2009,
- return back to Chateau de La Barre to usher in the New Year with champagne underneath the ancestral portraits of the Renaissance drawing room,
- enjoy a gala dinner in the XVIIth century dining room on New Years day, January 1st 2010,with all the family silver and crystal

Let me know if you would like to receive more information.

I'm Off To France - Brittany, to be Exact.

Even the most worldly-wise traveler must be continually struck dumb by the infinite variety of France.In the U.S., the standardization of goods and services has all but eradicated the once pronounced identity of individual regions, but in rural France long held customs are living, breathing forces, deeply cherished and lovingly nurtured.
The ethnic and linguistic differences from region to region are as startling as the swift and dramatic changes in landscape, architecture and cuisine. In Alsace one sips Gewurztraminer and speaks in a clipped German accent, in Nice the lyrical French is practically Italian in intonation and in remote parts of the Basque country the French language altogether disappears.
So on the 15th of November for about 2 weeks, I am off to the land of myth and legend, a wonderland of seascapes - the tides, the crashing waves, the rocky inlets, wide beaches and coastal cliffs - the area of King Arthur's legends, of an amazing array of fish and shellfish (Oysters and sardines my true love) and of people who are friendly,outgoing and completely without airs. The region of France known as Brittany.

France - "off the beaten tracks - The 3 B's!

If you have visited France before, have done the Paris - Provence - French Riviera itinerary, I'd like to suggest the following for your consideration:
BORDEAUX - BIARRITZ - BILBAO
Fly into Paris and take ( direct from the airport) the TGV (Bullet train) to Bordeaux ( 3 hours). Spend three nights at the new and wonderful Regent Grand Hotel ( in the heart of Bordeaux). Rent a car with chauffeur and spend the whole day in the vineyards( 30 minutes away),choose from (my favorite) the Village of Saint Emilion and it's medieval city or the Medoc and the Chateau road and sauternes with the best dessert wines to taste.
The enjoy 2 days in the city.
On the 4th day, pick up a rental car and drive to Arcachon, one hour away and enjoy this seaside resort and oyster breeding area, then climb the Pyla Dune,the biggest sand dune in Europe.
Then drive to Biarritz (2 hour drive away) and check in at the luxurious and famous Hotel du Palais. Spend 3 nights there and the basque country surrounding it.
Finally drive to Spain, San Sebastian and Bilbao ( 1 hour away) and on the way back try some local tapas.

Shoe-Lovers Dream in Paris

Shoe-worshipping shoppers now head towards the Galeries Lafayette Department Store in Paris! A space devoted to 12,000 pairs of shoes.
In a boutique atmosphere, with large aisles, brown wengé wood and white varnished furniture and comfortable chocolate brown leather sofas, any style of shoe under the sun can be found. From 10 Euro flip flops to 1000 Euro boots, hundreds of brands are gathered in this immense area dedicated entirely to shoes. Among these, 25 brands are new and exclusively distributed at Galeries Lafayette. Here, all of the must-haves of the season can be found in a very “Cinderella” like ambiance, where the models are arranged by theme and displayed on tall podiums decorated with fringes of crystals, beads and sequins. Slippers have even made it into the fashion scene (20% of shoe sales in France are for slippers) with a new area entirely devoted to sequined clogs, multicolored ballet slippers, sophisticated mules and embroidered oriental slippers. A special area “leather and foot care!” offers everything needed to take care of your shoes and feet: special brushes, shoe creams in all colors, foot-care lotions and so on…

Hip I Ain't - But This New Left Bank Restaurant Is!

La Société Restaurant Draws Fashion Crowd!
The Costes family, the hip restaurateurs behind many of Paris’ most fashionable canteens, has opened a new hot spot only steps away from left-bank legends Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots.

La Société, a 130-seat eatery located in a 19th-century building across from the historic Saint Germain church, has already attracted the Fendi family, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Bernard-Henri Lévy and former French justice minister Rachida Dati.( who in my opinion is drop dead gorgeous!)

French interior designer Christian Liaigre, the man behind Selfridges in London and the Mercer Hotel in New York, gave the place an artsy bent with contemporary sculptures like Marc Rebollo’s “Never Die” marble work and Sara Favriau’s marble cubes. Meanwhile, the patina finish of the parquet floors and the leather and mahogany furniture lend a modern and loungelike feel.

The menu, which includes lobster and herb salad and shrimp risotto, will not surprise Costes regulars, but there are a few additions, including a “Le Club Saint Germain” sandwich or the Paris gratinée (French onion soup), that are a wink to the Saint Germain spirit.

Uniqlo, Tokyo Style Opens In Paris

The trendy Japanese mass market leader has just opened there third store ( Tokyo and New York) in Paris near the Opera.
This ultra-design brand has been all the range in Tokyo and New York - their reasonably priced cashmere in all colors of the rainbow are a great buy.
The collections are constantly renewed ,customers enjoy endless choice.. Men love their screen-printed T shirts and jeans with high-quality weaves, while women swoon over its quilted jackets and knitwear.

A Wine Tasting Tour Of France in Paris - In the Cellar of King Louis XV's Sommelier

O Chateau Wine tasting - Just a block from the Louvre Museum, Taste-Master Olivier MAGNY has several wine tasting courses available, held in a moody warren of vaulted stone rooms that were formally the personal cellar of the sommelier of King Louis XV. called the Caves du Paradis.
There are several two-hour presentations - for example
~ Wine and Cheese tasting lunch
~ Tasting Grand Wines
~ Tour de France - tasting wines of 6 different regions of France
~ Champagne tasting
~ A beginners course in wine appreciation
............ and many other courses are offer plus private tastings.
Prices range from 20 Euros to 90 Euros per person
http://www.o-chateau.com/caves-du-paradis.php

Sweet, Cool & Stylish - A new "hot" Paris Patisserie!

The brand new,Left bank, Patisserie des Reves is today the most buzzed-about pastry shop in Paris. Owned by the former Michelin-starred chef, Phillipe CONTICINI, he is a man who knows how to whet his clients appetites and the decor at his shop is every bit as delicious as the day's bake.
His mission, he says, is to reach peoples souls through their taste buds. You just try his melt-in-the-mouth Tarte Tatin served with a dollop of lime-flavored Chantilly mascarpone.
93 rue du Bac, 7e.

Vitre - A Day Trip From Paris to Vist the Best Preserved Medieval Town In Brittany

An historic day trip by TGV (Bullet train - a little over 2 hours)from Paris to Vitre.

Vitré is perhaps the finest medieval town in Brittany, with a very attractive old-town centre and lots of narrow streets lined with medieval cottages. The old town is brimming with cafes and bars - and positively overflowing with lovely colombage (half-timbered) houses. It is one of the few places where you can see a complete Gothic town.

The town is a listed Artistic and Heritage town and has many 15th and 16th century buildings remaining from the days when it was one of the most powerful towns in Brittany. A significant part of the original ramparts of the town is still intact.

Eiffel Tower - Advance Ticket Sales - Finally!

Finally, not having to wait in line to purchase your tickets to enter the Eiffel Tower!

Soon to be available to all visitors are an on-line booking sight by the Eiffel Tower Monument.

Choose the day and time of your visit (depending on availabilities), pay using the secure server, print out your ticket at home…
*Only 200 entrance tickets on sale each day
for the second floor, except weekends,
and limited periods of time.
Purchase of a supplemental tickets for
the top floor available at Tower ticket booths.

RATES
FROM APRIL 4, 2009 TO MARCH 26, 2010 Adults

Elevator entrance tickets
(to second floor) 8.00 €
Elevator entrance tickets
to top floor 13.00
Stair entrance tickets
(to second floor)4.50 € 3.50 € 3.00 €

Blvd Beaumarchais - A Happening Area In The Old City Of Paris

Between the Place de la Bastille and the Place de La Republique is the Blvd. Beaumarchais. This Blvd and area surrounding it is the backbone of an incredible network of design shops, trendy boutiques and stores filled with exceptional arts and crafts, half hidden down a series of delightful passages, cul-de-sacs and alleyways.
This extraordinary neighborhood is attracting the fashionistas of Paris, but for the moment is still managing to keep its soul and sense of living alive. So make the most of it before its too late!

The famous "Clown Bar" with its tiled decor of sad clowns is nearby and has been the meeting place for artists since it opened in 1907!

Why Burgundy? I Only Have Three Words - Beautiful, but Fattening

Today I was taken to task by a friend in France; a Burgundian to be exact, why I have not highlighted Burgundy more often on my blog. Well, I do apologize, because Burgundy is my favorite area of France and so I have been remiss.
So, below is my tribute to Burgundy and more stories will following in the coming days.

Feel the rich texture. Feel your expanding waistline. The Burgundy landscape remains sumptuous with memories of its years as a centre of Christendom (Cluny, Citeaux, Fontenay abbeys) and big-time European power (the Ducal Palace, in Dijon).
Soon enough, though, the region took early retirement from such wearying prominence to play to its real strengths – eating, drinking and growing a little stout. A sound decision, given the resources. Wines flow in from some of the planet’s finest vineyards. Pastures way off any beaten track provide the Charolais beef. Dijon has the mustard, Bresse the chickens. The Hautes Côtes hills are thick with soft fruit and there’s honey and cheese all over.
This isn’t gluttony. The distinguished past bathes Burgundian eating in a cultured glow. Fine dining is a duty imposed by a benevolent heritage. And then, well, the world is your lobster, from the traces of Thomas à Becket in Sens cathedral to the vine-stitched hills of Chablis and the Côtes-d’Or. Towns ripened by the wine trade – Mâcon and, especially, Beaune – cede to gentle, then tougher countrysides. To the west, the Morvan uplands remain a world apart, of water, woods and lives lived hard. And don’t miss Guédelon, where they’re recreating a 13th-century chateau using only medieval means. Near St-Fargeau, southwest of Auxerre, it’s among the most fascinating historical sites in France.
To stay: lush is a good way to do Burgundy, and life doesn’t come much lusher than at the British-owned Abbaye de la Bussière, at La Bussière-sur-Ouche, in an undiscovered valley , south of Dijon.

What's In A Name? A Lot If Its Biarritz

Monte Carlo or St Tropez - there is something inherently glamorous in what the place happens to be called. Biarritz has that magical name and The Hotel du Palais and Biarritz are inseparable to most visitors to this turn the 20th century seaside resort.

Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie (of France) put the initial oomph into Biarritz when they built a holiday palace on a headland in 1854. The place suddenly became party central, drawing the great, the good and idle loafers from across Europe. Napoléon’s reign burnt out in 1870, the palace shortly afterwards — only to be rebuilt on an even grander scale as the Hôtel du Palais.

And the party continued. England's Edward VII (Queen Victoria's son) as a winter regular. The Duke of Windsor and Frank Sinatra, too. Deborah Kerr’s husband, Peter Viertel, took a plank out to sea, and so introduced surfing to Europe. This area is now a big surfers paradise, believe it or not.

Life slowed down in the 1950s and 1960s, but is speeding up again now. Brighter Parisians prefer it to the Riviera. Alain Prost and Karl Lagerfeld have houses in town. But the background, thank heavens, remains Basque, with its taste for berets, boisterousness in bars and putting the rest of the world right about rugby. If you want to dispute this, try the Red Café, on Avenue Foch.

The presence of the royal French couple and their court attracted the wealthy English. And they imported their favorite sport, golf. Biarritz boasted the first golf course in France. Today, an air of English gentility still wafts over Biarritz, adding to its nostalgic charm and distinguishing it from the lustier, more folkloric towns around it, which form part of the Pays Basque, as the region is known.

I was there in April and feel in love with the hotel and the town. You feel here, that time has stopped and you are plunged back in the early 20th century.
To sit in hotels lobby and take a glass of wine and look out, on to the sea is worth the price of admission. One of my great experiences of traveling in France.

I promise that ,the beautiful and chic GM, Jeanne MARCHETTI will take good care of you, as she did myself and Actress, Michelle Pfeiffer and her movie company who were there filming, Colette's "Cheri" ( soon to be released this fall.)



PS: For great custom made jewelry,you must visit ( just across the street from the hotel) Dora Zee.

700th Anniversary Of The Popes in Avignon and a Room With A View at My Favorite Upscale BB in Provence

2009 and into 2010 is the 700th anniversary of the Popes in Avignon.
In the heart of Provence, just 25 minutes drive from Avignon, secluded in a romantic valley is the hilltop chateau home ( now a luxurious BB) of Chantal and Jean TOMASINO, Chateau La Roque. The nicest people you'll every meet in France!
With only 5 rooms, this BB is the gateway to the Luberon Valley and is a unique base from which you can explore!
Just to sit on the terrace and take in the valley below, after a full day of touring the area with a glass of wine in hand, is worth the price of admission!
Jean also is the chef here and cooks the most fabulous meals.

A Drink Of Liquid History -Come to London and Enjoy a Glass of 1770 Cognac

The Lanesborough Hotel in London, one of my favorite places to stay, has just acquired the world's oldest bottle of cognac, distilled in 1770, and is offering it to patrons of their plush Library Bar (above) for £4,000, or about $6,000, per shot. In addition to the 240-year-old tipple, the Lanesborough, has just installed a new walk-in cigar humidor, the first of its kind in a London hotel. The humidor houses 1,000 cigars and contains 25 private lockers for the personal collections of top patrons, who can enjoy Cuban and even pre-Castro smokes in the hotel's posh Garden Room.
Although British Law prohibits smoking in restaurants, private clubs, bars and hotels, the Lanesborough GM, the affable Geoffrey Gelardi has established (after a long fight with the local powers that be) at the rear of the hotel in the garden a semi enclosed room to smoke your favorite cigar and and enjoy
a glass of Port or even, a shot of 1770 cognac.
The hotel is offering some phenomenal winter rates that include daily breakfast, round-trip airport transfers, room upgrades and much more. Please contact me for more information.

Top Paris Pavement Cafes

Although winter is descending on Paris, my thoughts go forward to Spring and Paris cafe life; you know, "April In Paris" and the great Gallic ritual that begins with strong black coffee in the morning, through to a kir or pastis at lunchtime, and then chiiled rose or a ballon de blanc for the evening apero.
I have many favorite hang outs, but one I'd like to highlight here is Le Select ( Left bank)
Montparnasse has changed a lot since the decadent days of the Belle Epoque when an explosive mix of chic cafe society and bohemian artists flocked to grand Art Nouveau locales like La Coupole and the Closerie des Lilas, but today, it is still worth grabbing a table on the terrace outside legendary literary cafe - Le Select, once the haunt of Hemingway, Picasso and Henry Miller. Opened in 1925, apart from the prices which are not cheap, it still posses a slice of Left Bank Life. Students earnestly discussing philosophy, businessmen holding an impromtu meeting or elegant fashionistas taking a break from shopping.
* 99 boulevard du Montparnasse, 6e Take the Vavin metro stop

October 09, Friday Evening Memories - I Love Paris

So, what's stopping you?
Give me a call or Email and lets plan a trip to Paris for you!

2 Things To Always Remember or You'll Get the Famous Gallic Shrug

Two hints to always remember in order to make your stay in France that much happier:
1) PARIS - most Michelin starred restaurants ( especially 2 and 3 ones) are closed on the weekends and thus Thursdays and Fridays become the hardest days to get reservations. Plan ahead!

2) In The Countryside: Because shops and restaurants are open on Saturdays, they certainly are closed on Sunday and many, you'll find on Monday also, especially food stores and restaurants. So if you have a villa OR an apartment, make sure to stock up on Saturday, because for the next two days it may be hard to find a market open.

My brother and I had rented a barge in Burgundy on Saturday and thought we had stocked up with enough for 2 to 3 days, but ate ourselves out of house and home ( on Saturday and Sunday) and on Monday, along the canal and small villages, we found not a store was open. We ate crackers and drank wine for the entire day until Tuesday morning!

..another beautiful village in France, outside Lyon

One of my clients just returned from France and spent a few days in the Beaujolias area, which she said was vastly underrated as a tourist area and one should explore it. She recommended a hilltop village called Oingt and a restaurant, Donjon to have lunch at. The terrace overlooking the valley is to die for!
The village of Oingt has been classified at one of the most beautiful villages in France
At 30 km from Lyon, perched on a hill and surrounded by the Beaujolais vineyards, Oingt is one of the jewels of the "Pays des pierres dorées". With a medieval past, the village has kept from this time period the ancient chapel of the castle, the fortified door of Nizy, and a dungeon from which you will have a splendid vista on the valley of the Azergues river. In the heart of the village, ocre yellow facades houses are home of craftsmen and artists.

The World Of Tea In Paris

According to an old English proverb "The Path To Heaven Passes Through A Teapot:.
I have found as of late, that more and more Parisians swear by the virtues of tea.
Below is a brief look at the Capital's best addresses for tea-time tastes from all over the world:

CHINA: La Maison des Trois Thes - Yu Hui Tseng, who is one of the worlds greatest tea experts manages this tea tasting room and shop, light, sober and serene, decorated with splendid antique Asian furniture. 1, rue Saint-Medard 5e

EAST: Zyriab - Seated comfortably in the sun on the open terrace of Zyriab, on the 9th floor of the Institut du Monde Arabe, just ordering an enchanting mint tea, the only thing missing is a flying carpet!
1, rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard, 5e

JAPAN:Kilali - (in Japanese it means 'spark of Light') a Japanese teahouse and sales outlet in a setting that is subdued, elegant..zen..of course! 3, rue des quatre--vents, 6e

ENGLAND Tea Caddy- Opened in 1928 by a former English housekeeper, this tea room has preserved its original decor of dark wood and even its willow pattern porcelain. Very English! 14, rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, 5e

FRANCE:Dammann Tea Shop ( in the photo above)- Since 1825, today this shop offers close to 250 teas from the best origins and is installed in a luxurious boutique with a hint of Asian atmosphere, all in black and deep red.
15, place des Vosges, 4e

"You Say Oyster and I Say 'Erster'

“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.”
-- Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
For any true lover of Paris, upon landing, one must make a beeline for their favorite oyster bar and have a dozen or so with a glass of flinty Sancerre and crusty French bread.
For those wanting the best of the best, the (120 years old) Gillardeau family oysters ( from Rochefort) are the Rolls Royce of the bi-valves. They only grow speciales; which are plumper than the standard oyster.

Two New Finds In The Paris Suburbs - Art Deco and a Gourmets Delight

There are two new finds in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt; southwestern part of Paris.
Just 10 stops ( by metro )from the Trocadero, This industrail part of Paris sports( home of the first Renault Auto works and home to Paris's movie studios) , here you'll find a brand new restaurant that is sure to be on the Paris Restaurant radar very soon. The restaurant is ;Ducote Cuisine. Their 43 Euro three-course lunch menu is a jewel and a must for any "foodie"

After lunch, the other must see here is the new Art Deco museum; the Musee des Annees Trente; a modern complex - 5 floors of some of the best examples of the art deco period to be found anywhere in France.

Because of the old movie studios in the aera, the first major career retrospective of sex kitten/actress, Brigitte Bardot will be launched at the Landowski Exposition Hall nearby.( unitl 31 January 2010).

Roussillon (Provence) - The Village Where The Paint Bucket Fell Upon

The village of Roussillon. Perched on a hilltop on the northern side of the Luberon range, is classified as one of France's most beautiful and owes its bright wall colours to the ochre quarries located nearby. It is said that the village boasts 17 different shades of ocher ranging from pale yellow to vivid orange or deep red with all manners of peach, banana, nutmeg or rose tones in between.
Ochre is a natural pigment extracted from the earth and just outside the village, the old quarry trail provides a dramatic scenery of red and orange cliffs against bright green pine trees and vivid blue skies - a real Van Gogh palette. The village itself hosts a large number of arts and crafts studios and galleries as well as some great restaurants. It isn't hard to fall in love with the place.
One of my clients, The Steinfeld's just returned and recommended having lunch at the Hotel David in the center of town.

You ask the Question - Is Food The Only Thing I Think About When In France? OUI! OUI! OUI!

French Food critic, Francois SIMON; love him or hate him, I love his honesty and his recommendations is a frequent contributor to the newspaper Le Figaro and numerous magazines (GQ, Cassa Brutus-Japan, le Figaroscope, etc.) He also has his own television show on the French station Paris Première.He is the author of a number of works on gastronomy and the hospitality industry, the most recent of which, Pique Assiette, analyzes the conservative tendencies of certain French chefs. He has also published a novel entitled Toscane. Simon’s hallmark is never showing his face on television or in other media, so as to avoid being recognized in restaurants and to be able to maintain his independence. He is a devotee of rock and roll, and he can cook a chicken 200 different ways.
In his review of George,(Below) I hardly concur in every way. he is right on target!
Bravo! M.SIMON

He writes:

"I’ve been coming to Georges rue du Mail, near the Place des Victoires, for 20 years. And I’ll admit it – I always get the same thing. When I say always, I mean always, without exception. Everyone has their little rituals that they won’t give up. This is one of mine. Rain, snow, or sunny weather like this evening in June: I’m there! I love the place, especially the table in the entry near the window.

It’s this kind of meal you think about when you’re out of the country. As soon as I’m off the plane, I stop by to get myself back in the groove and give my stomach a treat. A cheerful welcome, a high-flying clientele, upwardly mobile and hip…In the kitchen is Alain, from Bretagne, who I’ve gotten to know. He’s going to retire soon, so get moving! "

George : 1, Rue Mail, 75002 Paris‎ - 01 42 60 07 11‎ Figure 40 euros

Temps Perdu - Howard's Style

"Americans are just beginning to regard food the way the French
always have. Dinner is not what you do in the evening before something else.
Dinner is the evening."
~ Art Buchwald

This morning as I sit here in my sunny Beverly Hills office, my thoughts turn to ,oh, so many, many years ago, when I first visited Paris on a lovely crisp Autumn day and immediately feel in love with the city and the country. On that day, I had lunch at the Le Dome Restaurant on Montparnasse Blvd.
On my first day, I made a beeline for the legendary seafood restaurant, Le Dome, whose Art Deco traditional atmosphere with overstuffed booths and large floral arrangements filling every nook and cranny was my kind of place. No fusion, no foam, no pan-something, cuisine was to be found here, but good, honest, straightforward French traditional dishes were to be found.
I was told that Le Dome had the best sole à la meunière – a simple and sublime panfried fish embellished with nothing more than its buttery cooking juices, a sprinkling of parsley, and a shower of lemon juice. Le Dômes prized fish came, I was told, from the Ile d’Yeu on the Brittany coast and had and still is a staple at this marvelous Art deco restaurant for decades.
The advice I was given was spot on and the restaurant, low these many years later, has become one that I always go to when I am in Paris. Its like going home!

COCO BEFORE CHANEL

A new movie opens on the 25th of September about the legendary designer, Coco Chanel, who began her life as a headstrong orphan and,through an extraordinary journey, became the legendary couturier who embodied the modern woman.

Paris - Off The Beaten Track - a Lovely Museum

Paris' Musee Carnavalet, is dedicated to the history of Paris, and is housed in a unique Parisian 16th-century mansion. The luxury town house, with a typical French center courtyard, was once home to Madame de Sevigny, noted for her detailed letters to her daughter (more than 1500 of them) that tell of Parisian life in the late 17th century. The museum is located in the trendy Marais neighborhood, just steps away from the Place des Vosges.

Rarely crowded, the Musee Carnavalet is an intriguing mixture of old and new. Entire rooms have been recreated within the museum, such as an 18th century Louis XIV-style salon, complete with gold-leaf paneling, and the Art Deco early 20th century ballroom from the Hotel de Wendel. Other of the 140 rooms are devoted to such things as prehistoric artifacts from the Parisii tribe who once inhabited the Ile de la Cite, souvenirs from the Revolution, antique maps and important paintings, as well as the furniture from the room where Marcel Proust wrote his lengthy "A Recherche du Temps Perdu." There is also a spectacular ceiling painted by the French muralist Le Brun. The gardens, too, are spectacular, and are a pleasant oasis in the middle of the bustling city.
..............great to visit on a rainy day!.........
And best of all......It's Free!

My Reading List for November on France

I want to share with you, three terrific books about France that I am reading at the moment:
Paris: Wish You Were Here! ( Christopher Meason) is the ultimate postcard from the most romantic and glamorous city in the world. Filled with writings, facts, and trivia about this most sought-after destination for lovers, writers, artists, fashionistas, and travelers, Paris captures the best of the City of Lights.


A Table in the Tarn is Orlando Murrin's intimate account of how he painstakingly transformed the simple 19th-century Manoir de Raynaudes into a celebrated gastronomic destination. Beautifully written and photographed, this cookbook and food memoir includes more than 80 recipes for the Anglo-French dishes that have brought the Manoir acclaim, along with tales of the extraordinary people and gorgeous countryside of the unspoiled Tarn Valley


Savoring France: Recipes and Reflections on French Cooking. The latest entry in this Williams-Sonoma series provides a wide-ranging,look at Gallic cuisine. YUM...my dream book!

Sunday In Paris - Where You'll Find Me at 12 noon

On an Sunday when I am in Paris, you'll find me at Chez Jenny , one of the city's most famous Alsatian restaurants that was established in 1930 by members of the Jenny family. Little has changed since its inauguration except that the clientele is a lot more contemporary-looking than in the old days. Up to 220 diners can fit into this nostalgia-laden setting,( asked to be seated downstairs) where Alsatian Gemütlichkeit prevails. An ongoing specialty is the choucroute (sauerkraut) de chez Jenny, piled high with sausages, tender pork knuckles, and slices of ham, YUM!.
The local regulars have their set tables.
Also available are salmon with sorrel, grilled meats, grilled fish, and chicken supreme flavored with Riesling. Any of these tastes wonderful accompanied by one of the Alsatian wines that fill the wine list. BUT what to really have here is a Choucroute! Don't look for trendy at this establishment, its all about food, food and food!
Metro: Temple