The Battle of the Somme
In the summer of 2014, just in time for the centenary of the Great War, a huge black-and-white fresco was installed in a long tunnel in the Métro station Montparnasse-Bienvenüe Read More …
Category: France
Orangerie
As the name implies, the Orangerie in Paris was originally built as a greenhouse for growing orange trees. The building is located in one corner of the Tuileries garden next to Read More …
Voiturier
Here’s a tip for all you rich folks who insist on driving your heart-attack machines into the center of Paris. I’m sure you are aware that on-street parking is not Read More …
Boat trip on the Seine
One day I was crossing the Pont Neuf when the sun came out, which was a fairly rare occurrence that week, so I decided that would be a good time Read More …
The Edict of Fontainebleau, 1685
My least favorite thing about Fontainebleau is that this is where Louis XIV promulgated his infamous Edict of Fontainebleau on October 22, 1685, ordering relentless and brutal persecution of the Read More …
Love in the Forest of Fontainebleau, 1559
My favorite thing about Fontainebleau is the music it inspired at the beginning of the five-act versions of the opera Don Carlos (in French) or Don Carlo (in Italian), by Read More …
The Royal and Imperial Palace of Fontainebleau
Since the French King Louis XIV was so obsessed with expanding and embellishing his palace at Versailles, you might have thought he spent all his time there. But no, he Read More …
Paris to Massy on the RER B line
The RER B line is a regional rapid transit line that cuts through Paris in tunnels from north to south, connecting the northern and southern suburbs and also two major Read More …
Opera in Massy
Massy is the only suburb of Paris which has its own opera house. Admittedly the opera house does not look very prestigious from the outside. In fact, I would call Read More …
Au Printemps in Paris
The two department stores Au Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette are both on the same street, Boulevard Haussmann. They are both in large historic buildings with Art Deco cupolas. And Read More …