France

The Château de Villandry was the last great castle built during the Renaissance period.  Acres of geometric box hedges surround carefully tended fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers.

This French castle has it all - an ambitious mistress, a vengeful wife, and a king killed in a jousting tournament (by a spear in his eye).   King Henry II gave control of Chenonceau to his mistress [...]

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian polymath and Renaissance man.  An artist, engineer, architect and scientist, he prolifically sketched designs that weren't constructed or even feasible in his lifetime.  He fled political strife in [...]

Troisgros is a Michelin 3 star, the highest honor a restaurant can achieve.  They've had 3 stars since 1968, making them an unprecedented success.   Many gourmets consider Troisgros to be the finest restaurant in [...]

Lyon is the third largest city in France, and the entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, because of the early Roman influence.  Cinematography was invented in Lyon, by Auguste and Louis Lumière. [...]

THIS is our new most beautiful place in the world.   In a quick chairlift, Chamonix has mind blowing summer hiking.  Most famous for skiing, the Winter Olympics were held here in 1924.

Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is the largest glacier in France, twisting through the Alps like waves frozen in a storm.  It's also disappearing at an alarming rate due to global warming.  The 9 [...]

The Camargue is the wild west of France, home to the black bull, tended by rough and tumble cowboys who ride the famous white Camargue horses.  Instead of bullfighting there is something like bull chasing. [...]

Did you know salt has 14,000 uses?  Sea salt, rock salt, and vacuum salt are just a few of the kinds harvested here in Camargue at Salin d'Aguies-Mortes (literally salt of the dead water).   There [...]

Parc National Des Calanques, created in 2012 is the only national park in Europe that is terrestrial, marine and peri-urban (near Marseilles on one end and Cassis on the other).  It stretches along the warm sunny [...]

Nice is normally crowded in the summer, but because of the attacks, tourism was down by 40%.  We enjoyed being there with some elbow room.  

St. Tropez is a crazy busy touristy spot along the French Riviera.  Beaches stretch for miles, and change personalities - there's the family beach, the beach with dogs, the couples beach, the gay beach and [...]