Paris’ Musee D’Orsay

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…

Versailles and Louis XIV

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…

Paris’ Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

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…

Six Hours in Nice

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…

The Ultimate Guide to Lyon!

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…

The Culinary Capital of France

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…