3 October 2017

Day breaks


Invigorating fall morning from a rooftop terrace.

Distant skyline: steeples, dome of L'Académie Française, Saint-Jacques Tower, Centre Georges-Pompidou

Nouveautés

2 October 2017

Vaux-le-Vicomte fait son cinéma


A special exhibition goes behind the scenes to celebrate the many films made at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
 
(click on photos to enlarge)

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No sooner back from Italy it was off to Vaux-le-Vicomte -- the château about an hour's drive outside of Paris that inspired Versailles -- to an invitation-only exclusive evening where lucky guests had the run of the castle into the night.

Above: thousands of candles light our approach; chamber group welcome; costumes from some of the many movies filmed here (Man In The Iron Mask, Marie-Antoinette, James Bond Moonraker, Versailles, Three Musketeers....); a room set up and ready for filming; outstanding créatrice-costume designer Madeline Fontaine; champagne apéro-dinatoire

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Ends November 5
  

29 September 2017

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia! #4


Eataly!

Today's photos focus on Apulian FOOD: seasonal, organic, fresh from local farms.... and it's everywhere.

Above: cheese tasting in the countryside; homemade herb pasta w/dried figs, toasted almonds and cream; outdoor market stalls; taralli in a variety of flavors; bagged fresh oregano; nonna rolls out orecchiette ("little ears") pasta; crunchy potato focaccia fresh from wood-fired ovens topped w/prosciutto and onions; a hearty autumn soup

Below: my start-the-day espressino and flaky lemon cream dream crostata





23 September 2017

Cravings


A woman stops to admire pastries as her dachshund tugs on its leash.
 
 
 
 

22 September 2017

Procaffeinating


In the heart of the old Marais district a café at the back of an offbeat bookstore looks onto a vegetable garden.

La Mouette Rieuse
(The Laughing Seagull)
17bis rue Pavée 75004 

21 September 2017

Dinoseine


Life-sized chrome replica of a T-Rex skeleton adds zing to a stroll along the river.