In France structures of the Middle Ages that elsewhere are referred-to as half-timbered buildings are called “batiments à colombages.” Elsewhere, except in England and the United States, where they are called Tudor-style buildings. This might lead you to think that somehow the Tudors, the dynasty of English monarchs that began with Henry VII […]
Author Archives: marina.woodson
France has a generous share of remarkable women who grace the pages of its history. Blanche de Castille, Eleanor d’Acquitaine, Jeanne d’Arc, Diane de Poitiers, Gabrielle d’Estrée and Marie Antoinette are some of the most illustrious (even if some were imports). During the Middle Ages many of them ruled in their own right and […]
Of the many Museums of Fine Arts that were created in France in the 19thcentury, one of the most unique is the André Malraux Museum in Le Havre. Like much of that city, the former Le Havre Museum of Fine Arts was destroyed during the Allied bombing raids of 1944. Almost all of its sculptures […]
Travelers contemplating a trip to France in 2019 are trying to determine whether the Yellow Vest movement has run its course, or whether there is more of it still to come. Paris Luxury Tours has had some prospective clients postponing booking their 2019 tours, and others who have booked anyway, assuming that sanity will prevail. […]
The Pont des Arts is one of the most emblematic bridges in Paris. It was the first metallic bridge to be built, precisely under the reign of Napoleon the Ist between 1802 and 1804. It is a fully pedestrian bridge and a symbol of romance for lovers in the city. It is also […]
Upper Normandy abounds with must-see sites that you can include in a multiday tour of Normandy. This is true whether you are planning a two, three, or four-day tour. One of the most compelling options is a chateau that is intriguingly named ‘Champ de Bataille’ (field of battle). The name commemorates a battle fought and […]
Norman rusticity is an iconic part of the myriad charms of Normandy and France. Few aspects of the French Hexagon attract the visitor’s attention as much as the appeal of simple life in the countryside of Normandy, replete with its own identity, cuisine, culture, way of life and economy. That is one reason why […]
Three ‘Modern’ Bridges One of the most beautiful bridges in the world spans the Seine River estuary just before the Seine River empties into the English Channel. It is called the Pont de Normandie, and it links the charming fishing port Honfleur on the left bank with the very industrial shipping port of Le Havre […]
For most of the world, eating snails is particularly difficult to understand, if not a revolting prospect. Yet the prestige of French cuisine is such that dining on snails has become one of the pinnacles France’s culinary delights. You might wonder how this came to happen? The term “escargots de Bourgogne” literally means Burgundy snails. […]