Sunday Market in France - Olives Galore!

(The olive lady at the L'isle sur la sorgue Sunday market in Provence.)

I love all types of French outdoor markets and my favorite booth is always the olive one, that showcases scores and scores of olives.
This one is in the town of l'isle sur la sorgue (also the antique capitol of France)
Green olives with thyme or pickled lemons, black olives with garlic or red hot chili peppers are just a few of the many types of olives you can buy at the market here. Olives are so much part of the Mediterranean culture!, but are found all over France at local markets.

Glass floor for Eiffel Tower - 2013

The Eiffel Tower is about to provide its visitors with a step into dizzying suspension. Soon visitors to the first level will look straight down the Eiffel Tower through a plate of glass instead of looking through the fence. The idea of the architect, Alain Moatti, is to give the impression of floating above Paris.

In its third major renovation since 1889, a portion of the Eiffel Tower’s solid flooring will be transformed into a 1.5m (5 ft) wide platform of glass. An inclined glass barrier is designed to replace the present grilled fencing. The work begins February 2012 and will be available for viewing during the summer 2013.
The present buildings from the 1980s with their mirrored windows will give way to transparent, windowed buildings to give the visitor the sense of openness into the surrounding space. The lateral walls framing the glass façades will be painted in the original brown-red color of the Eiffel Tower.

TV Commerical As Only The French Can Do It!

This Dior commercial, with Charlize Theron, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe was directed by Oscar-winning French director Jean-Jacques Annaud and made using CGI or Computer Generated Imagery.

2011 Christmas Windows at Galeries Lafayette

The cities departments stores have window displays not only for children, but for adults.

Ambassade d'Auvergne - Paris Comfort Food At It's Best

I have many favorite comfort food restaurants I love in Paris and one of my all time favorites ( I desperately hope it never changes) is the restaurant that features the cooking from the Auvergne ( central France) area.

Located in the Marais in an ancient house (two floors) it has been running since 1968. Comfortably spaced tables, the service is well rhythmed, the welcome warm and the prices moderate and the food, absolutely delicious, made up of hearty peasant dishes to showcase the quiet pleasures of the French cooking.

This is stick-to-your-ribs food, no fou fou here. Start off by trying a large bowl ( that call it a salad – but no greens here) of brown PUY lentils seasoned with vinegar, a large amount of creamy goosefat, nice chopped thin onions and chunks of very thin Auvergne bacon all mixed together – served warmed and you spoon as much as you wish on your plate. Maybe slices of Bon de coche de la Chataigneraie, one of the world’s finest hams. Rubbed with salt and aged for 6 months in a smokehouse over a chestnut-wood fire.
For your main, I like the Guinea Fowl stuffed with cabbage, but just a stuffed cabbage is also a star here. One of the best dishes here is the sausage and cabbage served with aligot. Aligot is a staple of the Auvergnat region. It’s a blend of whipped potatoes, young Tomme cheese and garlic and it provides a bit of old-fashioned table side theatre, since the waiter brings it to the table in a thick copper pot and whips it a few times, holding his wooden spoon high so that you can see that is has the surprising texture of molten latex and is it good! Not, make that great! Even if you don’t order it, ask them to bring you a sample, they will.

Talk about comfort food, this is the place.
Located at the North Corner of the centre Pompidou.

The Rebirth Of a Great Paris Hotel - Hotel de Crillon

http://www.crillon.com/ - For Romantic adults only
http://www.crillon.com/#video/children  - For Children Only!
Paris has 6 Grand Dame Hotels and among my favorites is the classic Hotel de Crillon. After a muli million Euro facelift, the hotel is more spectacular than never.

This Place de la Concorde landmark, built at the direction of King Louis XV in 1758, hasn’t lost its ornate air. Flat-screen televisions and high-speed Internet access bring modern touches to suites and salons still filled with gilt, mirrors, and Baccarat crystal, in addition to genuine Aubusson carpets and Wedgwood medallions. . The Bar du Crillon is nothing short of elegant, with its mirrored mosaics, red velvet–covered chairs, and dripping chandeliers. Request a song at the piano, then sit back on a settee and sip a Baccarat cocktail (Grand Marnier, lemon, cranberry, Champagne Rosé).
Better yet, have dinner in the Versailles like dining room, one of, if not the most romantic restaurants in Paris.
......and the location is the best in Paris ( ask me why)
Please contact me for special Protravel rates and amenities at this fabulous hotel.

France's Hidden Coast - Billowy Dunes, Briny Oysters and Easy, Unpretentious Charms

I just returned from a week at Cap Ferret, NO that’s not Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera ( a place of pop legends, Ferraris and Prada shops) but a location on France’s southwest coast, and think of salty Cap Cod than with St-Tropez!

Cap Ferret, a peninsula on France's west coast, is an exclusive summer enclave and differs from its south-coast nemesis, Cap Ferrat, by more than just a vowel and an ocean away.. Cap Ferret is a village des pêcheurs. No yachts, Sean Combs or Ivana Trump here. Instead, you'll find fishing boats and oyster farmers driving around town on forklifts. Small wood houses made from local pine are decorated with blue and white shutters. And when it comes to the social scene, there is no velvet rope: just latch onto the children riding their bicycles down the dirt lane to the beach.
At L'Horizon beach, the waves are decent enough to encourage an enthusiastic surf community. On the bay side, at low tide, people trickle across the sand to pick up shells and inspect the traps. Late afternoons are devoted to fresh oysters with white wine. The bay of Arcachon produces 70% of oyster seedlings in France and 10% of its oysters. Along the shoreline are lots of oyster producer shacks ( Quartier Ostreicole) that offer degustation of their products, it’s a must to do this while you are here. $20.00 for a dozen oysters (3 types), 2 glasses on white wine and 6 large shrimp!

Take the launch boat (30 minutes) across the bay to the town of Arcachon and have a wonderful lunch at one of the many wonderful seafood bistro's that line the beach front.
How has this throwback to summers-gone-by remained intact? Probably because, for years, Cap Ferret had been a hideaway for wealthy families from Bordeaux and Paris. Unless you owned a house, there was no chic way in until nine years ago, when one hotel was open and now there are two, the Cote Sable ( it has its own spa) being the best.
Cap Ferret has retained a carefree sense of summer, (no role playing, no high heels, no makeup, just nice people and wonderful food) something that is hard to find and that money just can't buy.
Its very quiet here, just the place to relax, take long beach walks, read and eat at local bistros and cafes, visit friends, summer backyard BBQ’s and that’s it. A mixture of wildness and quaintness.

Provence - Moustiers-Ste-Marie and Faience Workshop

Moustiers-Ste-Marie is a lovely village, in a gorgeous setting. It's there for tourists, though, so don't expect a "natural" Provencal village. But its still wonderful anyway.

The main theme of Moustiers is to sell the, admittedly beautiful, "faïence" ceramics and the village is packed full of Faïenceries shops.
The village sits astride a rushing mountain stream that divides the two halves with a narrow rocky canyon. The view of this mini-gorge, with small waterfalls down inside and medieval houses above, is beautiful. The sound of the river, and the running fountains all over the village, give Moustiers the feeling of an Alpine village. The village has narrow medieval streets and vaulted passages, and becomes more "natural" when you get up above the ceramics shops.
I recommend during your visit ( its best to stay a few nights here) is to take a private 2 hour ceramic workshop where you will create your own faience plate. It’s great fun!

Just Returned From France - Lots To Tell, But First...

Just west of Bordeaux ( 45 minutes by car) sits the lovely Arcachon Bay. Everytime I find myself in this area, I always make a point to have lunch ( along the beach front) at the Diego Plage L'Ecaillier restaurant.

The bay is known for its oyster production and various local seafood offerings, but one must have, as I always do, the Le Plateau Diego. It's not cheap at Euro 37, but how can any shellfish lover pass it by? Not I!.............. more to come about my trip