Beaujolais - A visit here is just about simple pleasures - nothing more

Beaujolais just may be Frances's prettiest wine region.  For real wine enthusiasts who come to France,they of course aim at either Bordeaux (in Southwest France) or Burgundy (in the Center). 

But the terrain that produces the world's most refined wines in those regions often turns out to be, well can I say, disappointing: nothing but long rows of vines marching along gentle river valleys. 

Beaujolais on the other hand is worth a journey and a stay. Yes, Yes most of,if not all of its wine is merely fun. BUT, BUT here you will find a lovely countryside: rugged hills and winding roads,villages with ancient stone churches, forest ridgelines touched at sunset by tendrils of fog. 
Here its all about simple pleasures - walks, bike rides or lazy drives ( my favorite). 

Hurrah, here you'll find no real museums, no serious art to admire, no historical monuments to speak of - just landscapes, food and wine.
As Ira Gershwin once penned: 'Who could ask for anything more?...''

18 min to the 12th-Century - Taking the TGV within France on days trips from Paris

The time machine although a novel by H.G. Wells was set in fiction, today it can be no longer just a fiction. 
The modern day Time Machine is the ultra fast French train,the TGV. At speed of over 200 miles per hour, you can base yourself in Paris and do day trips to almost anywhere in France and be back the same day for dinner in Paris. 

Visit the 1st century ( Roman ) Provence , or the 17th-Century Napoleonic era or 20th Century Battlefields of Normandy are all possible and every Century in-between.

La Guinguette - The scene could be right out of a Renoir painting

Guinguettes - riverside pavilions: live music and dancing - have been a part of the French culture for centuries. Their heyday came during the Bel Century, when hundreds lined the rivers outside Paris.

But a few remain, like Martin-Pecheur) and here you'll find a magical, carefree place; almost out of a dreamy sun-splashed impressionist painting and if you are like me, this type of entertainment draws the nostalgic city dwellers seeking an escape into the past. 

The most beautiful drives in France

The only way to really see France, is by driving and there are many wonderful driving trips from the Mediterranean coast to dramatic winding Alpine roads to the picturesque wine routes in Alsace, driving in France ( it's easy) offers some of the most breathtaking and incredibly varied landscapes to be found anywhere in Europe.

One of my favorites ( if truth be told, my favorite area in all of France - Brittany) is the coastal stretch called Cote d'Emeraude ( the Emerald coast) here the sea turns a bright colored green along the many craggy shores are a feast for the eyes.

Brittany’s beautiful secret Islands

Brittany (my favorite French region, if you must really know) has a score of amazing islands sadly under-explored by tourists to visit for a day.

Ile de Brehat, Ile d’Ouessant, Ile de Groix, the Golfe of Morbihan to name a few.

With some drifting far out to sea and others set just minutes from mainland resorts. Local ferries let you explore and savor the magnificent seascape in all its splendor. Each island has its own ultra-mild microclimate making them idea destinations to soak up the sunshine from Spring to Autumn.

Just outside Paris - Live like Tarzan

A night (s) in the heart of nature with the tree houses of the big oaks.

1 hour outside of Paris is an area of great oaks with a sublime castle nearby. Its here in a beautiful forest that you'll find various tree houses you can stay in. The tree houses are far enough  apart to make you really feel alone in the world.
You'll love it!!

Look at www.cabanesdesgrandschenes.com

Short Hikes around France - even just outside Paris

There is a wonderful app in France ( in English) www.hikideas.com that gives you great day walking itineraries right from your Iphone.

 

Café Pouchkine – Moscow of old Comes to Paris

In Paris, a city full of spectacular pastry shops, it really takes something major to grab me and shake me to attention.

Café Pouchkine has jaw-dropping pastries that you don’t find elsewhere in the city and On of that, they also know have a full time tea parlor  And on top of that, the store and tea salon unlike the clear, monochrome boring cafes ( found in the city) with open spaces, this shop and café has decorative décor that if you are not wowed, then you are ‘dead’.