Read the Signs: Rue des Dames in Paris
The convivial Parisian street with many stories to tell
Word has it, it's the place to be when the clock strikes aperitif o'clock. Rue des Dames, in the Batignolles district, stretches from Avenue de Clichy...
Learn about the French “Secrets Under The City” in Laon, Aisne
On your way to South of France, on A26, stop and visit the beautiful medieval city of Laon with more than 80 historical monuments and an amazing labyrinth of underground passageways.
“Secrets under the city”...
Looking for Les Misérables in Paris
On the 135th anniversary of Victor Hugo’s death, Chloe Govan heads to Paris to relive the life-changing experiences that shaped one of the world’s most famous novels, Les Misérables
For those Francophiles who have seen...
Book Review: Notre-Dame de Paris by Kathy Borrus
On April 15 last year, the world looked on in horror as Notre-Dame blazed in the heart of Paris. Kathy Borrus’s book offers a fascinating look back at nine centuries of this landmark, which...
Hot Potato: The History of Hachis Parmentier
Author and French cookery expert Mardi Michels reveals that the French were rather slow to embrace the humble spud, considering it only good for animal fodder.
Hachis (the “h” and the “s” are silent) Parmentier...
Book Review: Trianon and The Queen’s Hamlet at Versailles
Created by Louis Le Vau for Louis XIV, Trianon was an oasis for the French royal family on the fringes of political life, far from the rituals of the monarchy. It was here that...
Worth its Salt: A Trip to Salies-de-Béarn
Get your fix of ‘white gold’ in France’s capitale du sel, Salies-de-Béarn
Nothing enhances a good meal quite like a top-quality table salt produced in the time-honoured way. France is blessed with a number of...
A Year after the Devastating Fire at Notre-Dame De Paris
A year after the devastating fire at Notre-Dame, Caroline Harrap looks at what comes next for the world-famous cathedral – and discovers why its future could still be at risk
Standing across the Seine from...
In the Footsteps of Disney in France
Chloe Govan unveils the truth about an icon and discovers the secret French roots of one of the world’s best-known brands
The founding father of one of the most famous American brands of all time,...
Read the Signs: Rue Vaugirard in Paris
Paris’s longest street, and its even longer history
The rue de Vaugirard starts at boulevard Saint-Michel, outside the Sorbonne University, and travels westwards across two arrondissements to end at the Porte de Versailles, tracing its...
