What qualities go into a great museum? For me, there are a few. A great museum has to start with a great collection. Whether it’s art, antiquities, or anything else, a museum cannot be truly great without a world class collection. Secondly, it has to have a good physical space. A beautiful view, a historic…
Well, this is definitely no simple hunting lodge. The palace of Versailles, built by Louis XIV just outside Paris, is one of the most overtly conspicuous displays of wealth and ego ever built, by a monarch for whom wealth and ego were like mother’s milk. Walking around, golden domes, gates, window adornments - golden everything…
Montmartre, Montmartre, where the throngs and the songs continue Montmartre, Montmartre, where Paris (Paree) on a spree gets in you Montmartre, Montmartre Can Can While not home to the most recognizable sights in Paris, Montmartre is perhaps the most famous neighborhood, heavily represented in popular culture for more than a century. It is the traditional…
This is part one (of four) of my Germany and surrounds trip. In total, I’ll be spending just under eleven weeks in Europe, most of that in Germany, the country of my ancestors - and of my recent(ish) citizenship acquisition. In this post, I will give you the basic outline of the first two and…
For the first time since the world shut down, I am finally off on a multi-month adventure, and it is one I truly couldn’t be more excited about. In December of 2019, I became a German citizen, acquiring the citizenship that had been stripped from my grandparents and great-grandparents by the Nazi regime. Now, I…
Editor’s note: my entire experience in Nice was a fifteen minute train connection between Marseille and Monaco. It is a place I want to actually see, and this beautiful piece by Mandy just reinforces that. For more of Mandy’s writing, click here to visit her index page. There are often times when I have to…
Editor's note: I met Mandy on my first full day in Marseille, and believe you me, she is an awesome tour guide. That's why I'm so excited she wrote up this walking tour of Marseille for all of us, complete with a Google maps link to keep track! For all of her articles on The…
France is an amazing country, and one of the easiest for Americans to see and navigate. However, from my extensive experience in the land of croissants and cheese (trademark pending), there are some things foreigners should know before arriving here. 1. France is More than Paris For many people, going to France means going to…
Lyon is France's third largest city and second largest metro area. Sitting at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers in the shadow of the Alps, it is a perfect base to explore eastern France. More than that, it is an incredible destination in its own right, and is easily my favorite city in…
France is known for many things, but good food probably stands out as one of the top reasons visitors flock here. And good food abounds. It can be found everywhere. Yet one city stands out from among the crowd for its gastronomic greatness: Lyon. Lyon sits in between the rivers Rhône and Saône, fetching incredible…