Most visitors to France have heard of the Marne Valley, east of Paris, only because Disneyland is located there, but the verdant river valley is home to many wonderful attractions, not the least of which is the town of Noisiel, … Read More
The sculptor and poet Jean Arp (1886-1966) may be best known to English-language cruciverbalists (yes, it’s a word, referring to a skilled crossword-puzzle solver) for his three-letter last name, which provides convenient fill for awkward gaps in a crossword grid, … Read More
The words “ebullient” and “irrepressible” are weak when it comes to Ben, the 87-year-old Fluxus artist, who showed up last week at the Fondation de Doute (Doubt Foundation) art center in Blois to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Fluxus … Read More
The creation of a new museum in France today is a rare and challenging feat, even more so when it is accomplished by a village with a population of only 5,000. The Musée du Verre François Décorchemont (François Décorchemont Glass … Read More
An immense, watery green paradise called Les Hortillonages lies in the very heart of the city of Amiens, close to its famous Notre Dame Cathedral and traversed by the River Somme. Forget about motor vehicles and public transportation in this … Read More
There is much more to Dijon than mustard. That’s the point the city seems to be making with its ambitious new project, the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin (International Gastronomy and Wine Center), which opened at the … Read More
When you are the daughter of a filthy rich Gilded Age banking tycoon, you would probably be expected to find a rich husband, have children and settle down to a life of luxury. Instead, Anne Tracy Morgan (1873-1952), daughter of … Read More
Last week, I was introduced to an element of French culture that had completely escaped me until now: a summer historical pageant. This one takes place in Meaux, a small city northeast of Paris, but I have since discovered that … Read More
The early-17th-century Château de Cheverny, one of the few in the Loire Valley that has been continuously inhabited for its entire existence by the same family, has added a new attraction to the many it already has: a “Love Garden” … Read More
