Gallic Sand

Now that summer is here, I am getting asked by clients traveling to France, what some of the best beaches are. My first response is to say, if you are from the western hemisphere, the best beaches are here, why you would want a second rate beach in Europe, but that said –here are a few recommendations, if you must:

Corniche de l’Esteral, Cote d’Azur: It’s not only my opinion, but the French also, that the Cote d’Azur is now concrete from end to end. Development has gone crazy! But for solitude-seekers, the Corniche de ‘l’Esteral, from St Raphael to Cannes is the place. Hard to get to and so you’ll find more solitude here.

Pampelonne Beach, St Tropez: Not for the impoverished of dress and pocket. Still attracts the beautiful, the famous and RICH! It’s the most famous beach in southern France. Bring lots of money and a strong ego!

Les Landes, Aquitaine: The long coastline (north of Bordeaux) is marvelous – the beaches here are flat, endless and pounded by France’s finest rollers, dunes lineup like coastal defenses and vast pine forests behind contain an infinity of secrets. You’ll find more French tourists here, all requiring peace and quiet; no souvenir shops nor chic cafes and restaurants to speak of.
And speaking of dunes…my all time favorite visit along this coast is Europe’s highest sand dune; Grand Dune du Pyla, (in the photo above) just west of Bordeaux. It rises to a spectacular height of 328 ft and oh! What views you get from here.

Howard Lewis is named by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine as one of their 126 World's Top Travel Specialists for 2009

In the August, 2009 issue of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, Howard E Lewis has been named as one of the 126 World's Top Travel Specialists. Mr. Lewis has won this award since 2003 and is honored once again to be part of this very special group of world wide travel specialists.

Food Shopping Through French-Colored Glasses

This weekend I went to a local farmers market in Los Angeles and although the food was fresh and there were many varieties to choose from, a certain excitement was missing, something was lacking. lacking from what I experience in France every time I am there. What was it? I could not put my finger on it, ..until this afternoon, when I looked again at author Mirelle GUILIANO's wonderful book "French Women Don't Get Fat" and there it was and here is what she wrote:

Whether in the French provincial villages, cities or Paris itself, on certain days of the week you can always see the trucks in the local squares and lining the streets. This caravan is hauling fresh produce, the best of the season, from meat and game, fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices. Have you ever seen twenty-seven varieties of olives in as many barrels?

Market day is a tradition dating back centuries, since before France was Gaul. Why does it persist in the 21st century even as French conglomerates have erected hypermarchés (supermarkets that could rival any American ones in size)? Why do people of all walks of life brave the cold and heat, rain or shine, to choose among three varieties of string beans, seven types of potatoes, various shapes of bread, quail eggs, organic hens, wild boar, forty-three varieties of cheese, untold numbers of herbs, fish, and of course fresh-cut flowers?

Knowing where it comes from

The term "artisanal" lately creeping into American restaurants and markets provides a clue. Handcrafted quality has always been at the heart of French gastronomy and culture. French women live by it. It encompasses handling as well as production: eggs that are hours, not months, old; the yolks not pale yellow, but orange and exploding with flavor. It means white peaches picked early that morning oozing with juices and destined to live at peak intensity for but a day before slowly dying.

Faire son marché (to do one’s food shopping) remains a vital French institution, here to stay despite the proliferation of the hypermarkets (now, mercifully, limited by law). It’s a vital social occasion. We see our neighbors, compare notes, and crucially, get to know the producers, the farmers who come to recognize you and you learn to trust. It’s critically important, because in France one does not dare squeeze the merchandise; rather, the trusted purveyors pick among the produce for you according to when you plan to eat something, how and with what. This discussion can go on a bit, and the next in line waits quite patiently, respecting the seriousness of her neighbor’s business.
If you go to France and never experience an outdoor village market, then your French experience is not complete, you will never understand the culture unless you do!

Royal Summer Evenings At Versailles

During the summer in Paris, Versailles hosts several night time evening spectaculars around its water basin. Music and fireworks at 9:30pm.
A highlight this summer is the Fêtes de Nuit, allowing visitors to step back in time, themed around Cyrano de Bergerac, Fantastic fireworks and giant images on water screens are set to music.
Saturday 29 August, 5 and 12 September
Friday 4 and 11 September
Thursday 10 September
Bassin de Neptune – 9.30 pm
Prices from Euro 35 to 85 (the higher rate is for your car parking - but of course visitors don't have cars)
Tickets can be ordered on line at the Versailles website.

Vive Le France - Happy Bastille Day!

How To Be Chic and Un-Chic In Paris This Summer

It's almost Bastille Day and Paris has started the holiday shutdown so it's a good time for a few random tips on being cool in the French capital this summer. Here are some tips from an Ex-pat living in Paris (over 20 years) from his ‘hip’ children.
The style of the season is nouveau modeste
Le look for women: retro and slightly ethnic. The Sarouel (above)is the look again this year, along with white everything and creole loop earrings.
Footwear: espadrilles Castaner
Paris teenagers carry big hand-bags permanently on the crook of their elbows
Sunglasses (men and women). Persol only. Classic French marque. Never, of course, to be perched on top of the head
Men: Anything as long as it does not include sneakers/trainers, sandals, shorts, trousers with big appliqué pockets, t-shirts with logos or slogans, back-packs, shoulder bags, or, heaven forbid, man capris
Simple rule: Below
Paris is an elegant northern city not a Med package resort
Dog: English bulldog, known as le bouledogue anglais. The Jack Russell terrier is ending its reign as top four-legged Paris accessory.
Car: Toyota IQ. Replaced the Smart as chic Paris wheels. Do not be seen near any 4x4 (SUV).
Parking: give your keys to one of the hundreds of voituriers (valet parking attendants) who have multiplied around hip cafes and restaurants. You don't have to be a customer, just tip well.
Top transport: bicycle. Le Vélib, the city's self-service bikes; are great but very 2007.
Public transport: The municipal autobus is to be preferred to the smelly Métro, especially in light summer traffic. It's a more pleasant conveyance and you see the city.

Places to be seen: La Réserve (rare book collection) at the Bibliothèque Nationale. The terrace of Le Café de l'Alma on the avenue de la Bourdonnais [those two cited as top snob spots in Figaroscope] Sunday brunch at the Neuilly-sur-Seine market.
Places not to be seen: The Champs Elysées, the Eiffel tower, the Fifth arrondissement, Paris Plage or anywhere along the central Seine banks. Any cafés and brasseries that display English-language menus or claim to have English-speaking waiters.
Where Parisians holiday this year: Inland rural regions like Picardy, Lorraine, Ardèche and the Cévennes. Provence and the Mediterranean coast are to be avoided like la peste.
Parisian pastimes on holiday: Fishing, bicycling, jeux de société (board games), listening to vinyl records, barbecue.

Monet's "The Nympheas" Rediscovered After Decades

In 2 rooms at the Musee de l’Orangerie is the new restored fabulous paintings of Claude Monet, the light here is soft and white, the emptiness is absolute, and the eyes encounter no obstacle. The visitor is as though caught up in this landscape; he turns, he turns round again, he looses himself and is finally drowned among these paintings with such evocative names as “morning”, “clouds” and “green reflections”.

Paris Outlet Stores

There’s an extraordinary best-buy factory outlets mall in the east of Paris, La Vallee Outlet Shopping Village. There are more than 70 prestigious and luxury brands with reduce prices (by at least 33% - often far more - of their original on their previous seasons collections).
Some of the shops are:
-Celine
-Kenzo
-Miss Sixty
-New Man
-Bodum
-Calvin Klein
-Max Mara
-Puma
-Versace
-Polo Ralph Laurent
-Charles Jourdan
-Cacharel
-Diesel
-Mexx
-Nina Ricci
-Gianfrance Ferre
-O Neill
-Tommy Hilfiger
-samsonite
-Furla
-Donaldson
-River Wood
-Timberland
-Cafe Cotton
-Darjeeling
-Blanc Bleu
-Mandarina Duck
-Givenchy
-Camper
-Anne Fontaine
-Longchamp
-Cerutti
-Cristian Lacroix
-Agnes B.
-Burberry
-Armani
-Reebok
-Francois Girbaud

The village opens everyday (In France, usually shops close every Sunday) from 10.00-20.00.
There are some place to eat too, such as Starbucks Coffee and Berts.
Almost all the salesperson here can speak English.

Footsteps of the Romans - albeit.... in the water

One of the major sites to visit in Provence is the Pont du Gard near Avignon.
The Pont du Gard was built shortly before the Christian era to allow the aqueduct of Nîmes to cross the Gard river. The Roman architects and hydraulic engineers who designed this bridge, which stands almost 164 feet high and is on three levels – the longest measuring 900 ft – created a technical as well as an artistic masterpiece. Its one of the treasures of France and a must to visit.
If you are there from March to October, I can suggest a new way to view it…from the middle of the river on a canoe.
For a great family day out I recommend a sporting but relaxing adventure cameoing through the meanders of the river Gardon from Collias ( just north of the bridge) to the Pont du Gard. You rent a canoe and meander down the slow moving river to the Pont and then the canoe company will pick you up and take you back to the rental station.
The 8 km trip for 2 hours usage ( picnic on the banks ,if you wish) of the canoe with transfers runs Euro 20. Please Email me for details.

A Vineyard in the Heart of Paris

Montmartre, for all its renown, is a part of Paris that I usually avoid. Busloads of tourists throng the square near the cathedral, especially in summer. And the cheap businesses that have sprung up to serve them lend a tawdry atmosphere to this otherwise beautiful neighborhood. But that said, I love to visit Paris's last remaining vineyard, nestled on the Butte Montmartre. It is one of Paris' most secret gardens with its only remaining vineyard.
You will feel as if you were in a French San Francisco as you climb the Butte Montmartre. Make sure to look around as you walk. The Butte Montmartre is one of the most charming neighborhoods of Paris, full of individual houses that have lots of character compared to the homogeneous Hausmannian apartment buildings lining the streets of many arrondissements. You also can catch glimpses into the secret gardens of several of the surrounding homes, as well as a stunning view of the icing sugar castle that is the cathedral of Sacré Coeur.
The wine produced here is called, Le Clos Montmartre and in the middle of October a big wine festival goes on. Today, the harvest is a celebrity event, and sale of the wine goes to charity.
To discover the vineyard of the Clos Montmartre, take the #12 Métro line north of Place Pigalle to the Lamarck-Caulaincourt stop. Go up the steps in the photo and follow the signs for the Musée Montmartre.

Romance and Exercise do not go together, but in Paris...

As a Romantic, I do not equate exercise with romance, but I must admit, taking a tour on an electric bike in Paris, discovering hidden pearls within this city, an old monastery in the heart of the city, ageless ruins, an extravagant mountain chalet found between modern buildings....few tourists, I guess, suspect that Paris abounds in countrysides , real meadows, hamlets rising along malls..YES, only goats and mules are missing. You can see this and more with an electric bicycle and a tour guide.
Paris Charms and Secrets- offers 3 daily, 4 hour tours thru hidden Paris..via charming avenues and secret alleyways...The cost is about Euro 45 with an English speaking guide. The tours begin in the most romantic of places...the Place Vendome...Home of the Ritz Hotel...as Gershwin once wrote " Who could ask for anything more?"

My Favorite Guides in France...Burgundy

Burgundy has been called un etat d'esprit, a state of mind.It is the indivisible bridge between northern France and the Midi (southern France), a transition from the cerebral north to the earthy south. Every Parisian is a born-again Burgundian at heart. Here is not only a golden area of vineyards and gentle slopes, but a patchwork of prosperous wine country and fertile pastures interspersed with woodland. Truth be told, it is my favorite area of France. I only have three words to say about Burgundy.." Beautiful, but fattening"..but don't get me started on the food here!
My favorite guide in Burgundy is Colette BARBIER, who is a native and an official licensed guide for over 25 years. Her day job is teaching wine and the history of gastronomy at the University of Burgundy. She loves and knows the French life style, spectacular scenery and the culture of the region and her encyclopedic wine knowledge and vintner contacts are amazing.
She was my secret for so many years, but now the world is finding out about her, so it is important, that if you want to engage her fabulous services, you'll need to book her many months in advance. You won't be sorry!
Contact me for details.

Give Me The Simple Life....Paris Style Eating!

Although I have been privileged to eat throughout France from Michelin 3 stars Haute Cuisine to simple farmhouse cooking and everything in between. Truth be told, , my main interest in traveling to France is to experience its food and cooking.

Ask me what one of my favorite type of meals is in France and my answer is simple, it is -Entrecote (beef rib steak) and fries. It’s simple, straightforward, hardy and soul satisfying.
The best place in Paris (the locals eat here on a regular basis, even thought it might seem touristy) is the Relais de l’Entrecote ( there are three locations in the city) and no reservations are taken, so sometimes the lines are long; but it’s worth waiting for. The menu is super simple - here only one dish is on the menu: steak frites with a simple green salad.
I suppose you’re wondering what’s the big deal, since one can get steak frites at any corner bistro. True, but what makes L’entrecote special is the secret sauce that tops the steak. A tangy mustardy, béarnaise-like mysterious sauce, it was scrumptious and gives the steak a whole other taste dimension.
Please, don't ask for it well done ( you'll be shown to the door!)
Served already sliced, the meat is tender and juicy, and the frites, are the perfect temperature and crispness. Yes, you get second helpings too……
Its a family run show, now into it's third generation and their care for their food and clients well being certainly shows…It's cozy and comforting...Who could ask for anything more?
Enjoy!

A Garden Wall on Jean Nouvel's Musee du Quai Branly

The Musée du quai Branly, known in English as the Quai Branly Museum, nicknamed MQB, is a museum in Paris, that features indigenous art, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. The museum is located at 37, quai Branly -, situated close to the Eiffel Tower. If the museum does not interest you, you at least MUST see its outside vertical garden wall produced by landscape genius Patrick Blanc. It’s breathtaking!

Wine - The last Drop..two favorite wine shops on the Left Bank

The Parisian wine shop/ bar is as good a place as any to ‘refaire le monde ‘ or -"remake the world" - as the French say, over a glass of wine. Not just any corner bar/shop, mind you, but one run by the right patron - a public benefactor who scours the French countryside for wines to satisfy the usual suspects or a new face such as yours. Many of the wines on offer are hand made by small producers. They will never be found on the shelf of a foreign, or even a Paris, supermarket.

Two of the best in the Left Bank are:
Caves Miard-La Crèmerie This narrow little shop ( located in a stunning former cheese and dairy shop) has scarcely changed since the 1880s - its belle-époque ceiling is a listed monument. The wine list, however, is all about the present. Most of the 200 bottles cost between €6 and €15. There are salads and Italian antipasti to match your Anjou (Domaine de Griottes), a rich, smoky white Givry (Chez Joblot), or a smooth red from Saumur Champigny (Domaine du Collier).
Rue des Quatre-Vents 9 (4354 9930), 6th; Métro: Odéon. Closed Sun-Mon.
La Dernière Goutte (rue Bourbon le Château 6),is a candidate for best little wine shop in Paris. Vintners offer free wine tastings there most Saturdays at 11am and 4pm. American Juan Sanchez runs the establishment, just off the well chosen, Rue de Buci market. Rue de Seine 69 (4354 3469), 6th; Métro: Odeon. Closed Mon.

Relive Renoir's Luncheon Of The Boating Party

The restaurant just outside Paris, where the painting was painted is now open again ( just 10 minutes by the RER suburban Metro) in the town of Chatou.
The Restaurant La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes is open for lunch and dinner and so if you are a romantic like me, have lunch there and relive those days of Renoir and his fellow artists.
Yes,the area around here is somewhat industrial (not the idyllic countryside that Renoir experienced over 100 years ago) ..but, with a little imagination..as Edith Piaf once sang..."Put On Your Rose Colored Glasses"...and enjoy yourself and yes, don't forget to wear your straw hat!

Thinking of Renoir and the Impressionists

One of my good clients and I started talking this morning about our love of French Impressionists and the subject of Renoir's "Luncheon Of The Boating Party" came up. That painting is my favorite in all the world! Being a romantic, my thoughts turned to having been able to be there when it was painted.............for those who don't know me well, I have always thought I was born too late and much preferred to have been alive in another era....

The Arc - in 2009

Paris Monuments Get the Brush!

For those of you who have not been to Paris in a while, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the Governments scrubbing of dirt ( centuries old) from the major Paris monuments.
The photo above was taken in the 1960's before the 'scrubbing' began and what you might remember things looked like.
Above this is the same monument, the Arc de Triomphe as it looks today.

A secret place for reflection and sweet treats! on the Left Bank

“My friend, let’s not think of tomorrow, but let’s enjoy this fleeting moment of life” – Omar Khayyam

The traditional architecture and romantic courtyard of the famous Paris Mosque make this the perfect spot to relax with a hot drink after an afternoon promenade in the nearby Natural History Museum or Jardin des Plantes. Enjoy sweet mint tea and flaky pastries laced with honey in an authentic Moorish-style cafe on the grounds of this famous Paris mosque.
You may just want to spend the whole evening here, enjoying couscous (vegetarian, chicken, or merguez sausage) while the sun goes down.

La Grande Mosquée de Paris
2, bis place du puits de l'Ermite
5th arrondissement
Metro: Place Monge, Jussieu, or Censier
No credit cards

Paris - Louis Jordan - Gigi and Observatory Fountain

Other Paris film location shown in the video:
Place Furstenberg - 6th Arrondissement
Pont Alexandre III bridge - 7th Arrondissement
Parc Monceau (garden and swans)- 8th Arrondissement

Romance - Paris Style

Being a unabashed romantic, one of my favorite spots to get romantic in Paris is the Observatory Fountain. Its at its most romantic at night!
The Observatory fountain (featured in the movie "Gigi"), created by Davioud in 1875, is one of the most photogenic in Paris. The sculptures representing the four parts of the world are by Carpeaux (some of his works can be seen at the Orsay Museum), while the horses and dolphins are by Frémiet.

Vaux le Vicomte - Video

PALACES AND PLEASURES; Vaux-le-Vicomte: A Perfect Chateau, Envied by a King

To be honest with you, the Vaux Le Vicomte castle is my favorite place to visit over Versailles. It indeed inspired the King of France after seeing it, to duplicate it ( albeit on a grander scale) with Versailles. I find the Vaux (Privately owned and thus better kept)to be less crowded with visitors and more magnificent in scale.
For children its a treat, as on weekends you can rent ( at the castle for 4 Euros) costumes so that they can dress up as Princes, princesses and Musketeers when touring the castle.

A New ecological style of chauffeur - driven in Paris

Cyclobulle is a new electrically powered means to discover a different Paris. Enjoy a ride into the typical streets of Paris, as well as the chat with your driver. You want to know the best places to be in? Ask him !

Pick up the tour of your choice, seat back, and enjoy !"

Rates : €19 for a 30 minute ride
From Monday to Saturday 2AM to 7PM
Reservations : +33 (0) 1 42 36 58 43

Petit Train Jaune or Little Yellow Train - French Pyrenees

For a breathtaking yet enjoyable ride through the Langedoc-Roussillon area (just southwest of Provence) , try taking the "Petit Train Jaune" or "Little Yellow Train" through the Pyrenees mountains from Villefrance de Conflent to Mont Louis. The 63km route is open all year. Its a fantastic ride ( unless you are afraid of heights!) through 15 tunnels or so and over 2 major bridges. The scenery is absolutely breaktaking at almost every turn. If you have a France Rail Pass, it does cover this ride. Picnic at the top before your return ride.

French Cheese Lesson For June

Saint Nectaire, (Sahn Neck-tare) this historic cheese of the France, is crafted in the Auvergne region. Made exclusively from the Salers cows’ milk, (a breed that produces very rich milk due to the volcanic pastures and aromatic flora of the region). Saint Nectaire has a creamy, dense texture with a delicate taste of hazelnuts and mushrooms. It goes well with fruits, vegetables, soups and many dishes. Enjoy it with a glass of Beaujolais or a light Pinot Noir.

Hidden Paris - In Plain Sight!

Paris boasts numerous waterways: the majestic Seine needs no introduction, of course, but most tourists are unlikely to have ever seen Canal Saint-Martin. This is an incredible romantic area of Paris. From rustic walks to serious shopping, wonderful cafes and restaurants and cruises lasting over two hours. Once a working class area, it has become the hip side of Paris.
One of the best ways to get a 'taste' of the canal is by a small cruise boat, a 4.5 km cruise.. The price is about 15 euros per person.

Who says there is no more sweetness in the movies anymore?

Être et avoir (To be and to have) is a French documentary that tracks the life of a school teacher, Georges Lopez, and his class of 12 children between 4 and 12 or 13 years of age, studying in a one-classroom school. The film is a portrait in ordinariness of life in an unnamed French village, but it is a portrait in the extraordinariness of the all-encompassing process of education and individual growth and change.
The film is not given to emotion. It is not really a traditional film, with a story line, a well-defined beginning. The sweetness, I speak of is best represented at the end of the film as the students bid good-bye to their teacher and in a world, where a teacher can no longer touch a student without inviting awful aspersions, it was nice to see so many kisses being exchanged.
Above all, Être et avoir offers one the luxury of a journey down memory lane, at least for those, who attended idyllic, old fashioned, prep schools with small class sizes, where the teacher truly made a significant contribution to how we turned out. I don’t know about you but slice-of-life appeals to me. And Être et avoir did very well on that count. A well-spent afternoon! The movie can be found on Netflex.

Where In France?

The Chateau de Pierrefonds is one of Frances most handsome and imposing medieval castles and yet to most visitors it is unknown.
Originally built as a fortress 600 years ago, it fell into disrepair for many years and then in the mid-19th century, Napoleon III commissioned it to be rebuilt.The castle is located on the eastern edge of the wonderous Forest of Compiegne, 80 km north of Paris.
There is no rail station, so you'll need to drive there yourself or hire a private driver to take you.

The drive up to the castle is worth the price of admission!!