2011 Happy New Year!

My Find for Paris - 2010.......A wow!

In October of this year, I visited a new 5 star boutique hotel on the right bank  called Le Burgundy.Just walking in the hotel lobby, all I could say was WOW!, the restaurant and bar - a WOW!, the rooms..a WOW! I have never in such a long time been bowled over by a hotel ( and I love the Paris Four Seasons, le Meurice, Crillon to name a few) in years. It has all the bells and whistles of the major luxury hotels in Paris plus its cozy and intimate and the kind of place you never want to leave. Located on rue Duphot, the elegant and forever fashionable spirit of Paris is evident at Le Burgundy, a boutique hotel that opts to whisper its charms as opposed to shouting them from the rooftops. Make sure to check out the indoor pool which offers color therapy.

Paris is well known for its fashion, romance, song, cuisine, and appreciation for the arts. What outsiders sometimes miss, though, is the grace and balance its residents and purveyors exude when displaying them to the world. This display is very evident at Le Burgundy, a virtual case study in what makes Paris great. Firstly, the arts: Le Burgundy honors them by way of Guy de Rougemont's marble puzzle sculpture in the front lobby. And one cannot over look the culinary arts, which get their fair share of exposure at the Restaurant and Winter Garden, where Parisian classics are prepared with a creative spirit.

Architecture and interior design can be experienced in any room or suite, where classical lines add drama among various brightly colored fabrics, flower arrangements, and artworks.

Paris and its residents always strive to look their best, and guests of Le Burgundy will have every opportunity to follow suit at the Spa & Fitness Club. Swim, sweat, steam, soak, or limber your way to a more graceful and glamorous you.



Merry Christmas From Paris..............Joyeux Noel & Bonnes Fetes de Fin d'Année

Photo of a rose in the Place Vendome after some snowfall the night before

France...A" Few Of My Favorite Things"......................

As Christmas approaches, the lyrics to one of Rodgers and Hammersteins most beloved songs...'My Favorite Things..' I start to think about some of 'my favorte things' of France and one of them is the lush Loire Valley filled with it's many magnificent Chateaux....
Perhaps the most famous of the Loire Valley chateaux, after Chenonceau, Chambord is a vast Renaissance extravagance started by Francois I in the early 16th century as a hunting lodge (seriously) it contains over 400 rooms, 365 fireplaces and 84 staircases. All this for a residence only used for about 2 months during Francois’s reign. He created sumptuous hunting grounds, surrounded by an uninterrupted wall of 32km to contain his potential prey of deer and wild boar plus a stable for 1200 horses which were used for riding and hunting within the grounds. You can cycle or walk the grounds via the marked out paths but even the shorter walks can take over an hour, such is the size of the park. Wear sensible footwear for this visit and take plenty of water. You can also ride horses or take a horse-drawn cart from the stables where, during the summer months, there is an equestrian show. Inside the chateau the only furnished rooms are the chambers of Francois I and Louis XIV plus a room dedicated to the toys of the Royals as the chateau had apparently been ransacked of its furnishings during the Revolution. That said you cannot fail to be impressed by the decoration, fittings and internal architectural features of even its spacious empty rooms. Its famous double spiral staircase is said to have been influenced by Lenardo da Vinci who was a guest of Francois I at Close-Luce near the royal residence at Amboise. It is interesting to send your partner down one set and for you to take the other - and pass each other without touching! The views of the external architecture from the roof terraces are breathtaking---why so much detail Francois?—I suppose because he could! As with all popular les chateau of the Loire it is better to visit before the large tourist parties arrive or after they have gone. Each evening in July and August, of 10 p.m. to midnight, the chateau façade is lit up in a way that blends the building to the forest through a sound and light show. You can also hire bikes and boats within the grounds.

Jardin ( gardens) of France - Loir et Cher - Notes from an Unabashed Romantic

On my recent trip to France, I stayed in Paris and also spent a week in the area just north of the Loire Valley, called Loir-et-Cher. Its rarely visited by American tourists, but is really a treat for all your senses. I love gardens and here, I found two romantic ones that are a 'wow'. The Jardin du Plessis Sasnieres is said to be France’s most ‘English’ garden. Featuring a lake, rose beds and walled kitchen garden, it is the home and creation of Rosamee Henrion who spent part of her childhood in England. An expert in trees, she is also a devoted gardener and got both inspiration and tips from various English gardens including Highgrove, home of Prince Charles. So instead of being formal like a traditional French garden, hers has lawns with neat English-style edges and there are intricately clipped yew trees.Mme Henrion’s daughter-in-law cultivates fruit and vegetables, making chutneys and jams that are sold in the shop. Visitors are invited to help themselves to any spare produce and can enjoy home-made fare in the farmhouse tearoom.
I was staying with the Count and Countess of Vassay ( more on that later) and the countess, Marni, suggest I visit the ( English garden) Jardin du Plessis in Sasnieres ( just 40 minutes from their chateau) and the Jarden d'Atmosphere du petit Bordeaux ( 50 minutes away).
If I had to propose to someone, either of these exquisite gardens would be the place.

The Jardin d’atmosphère du Petit Bordeaux, is approximately 20 km due South of Le Mans, at the village of St. Biez-en-Belin. Another privately owned Garden, by Michel Berrou, and a garden that, frankly, gave me goose-bumps. It has everything, and all the brainchild of the owner. The garden is laid out in a structured way, but one can't fail to be impressed by the sheer diversity he has achieved in a relatively small space.

It's Good To Be King, or at least a Prince or Princess - Chateau de la Barre

In October, on my recent visit to France, I had the great good fortune to stay with the Count and Countess ( Marni and Guy, if you please) at their palatial chateau in the Loir valley ( just 1 hour north of the Loire valley). Hidden away in the midst of the idyllic wooded hills of the Perche, between Chartres and Tours, at the entrance to the Loire Valley, Château de la Barre progressively unfolds its history. For centuries, its parkland has protected it from noise and disturbance, and it now emerges as an historical haven, close to the small Loir Valley and the famous Loire Valley Chateaux. Although having born witness to the Hundred Years War, the Religious Wars, and the vicissitudes of the French Revolution, Chateau de la Barre could tell countless tales, and delights most in joyfully extolling a preserved way of life. Today, the Count and Countess de Vanssay (she is Anglo-American, he is the twentieth generation at his family chateau), welcome you to their home, where the rooms combine elegance and authenticity with all the important modern comforts. The living rooms, with portraits of various family ancestors, rival in grandeur with the immense dining room, a veritable chef d'oeuvre of the 18th century, complete with its monumental buffet displaying an exquisite collection of china:
Just driving into the property, you take a long road through lovely pastoral land replete with grazing sheep and somehow, you feel transported back the 17th Century, The Sun King and all that. The chateau looms on the horizon and then the magic really begins.....

There are 5 bedrooms (very cozy) and each one is different. It's like sleeping in a museum, everything is original and in the Counts family for hundreds of years. Note: There is no TV, phones, internet (to speak of), its living in a true home, albeit a royal one. A perfect getaway from the madding world!
Guy and Marni are the most wonderful hosts and nicest people you’ll every meet. They make the stay perfect!