Sitting behind Île de la Cité, Ile Saint Louis in Paris’ 4th arrondissement has plenty of its own things to offer. While it may not be home to Notre Dame, it’s a lovely place in itself and can boasts some unique views of the city. I actually had one of my life’s wildest adventures here, […]

Covid-19 France Quarantine: Part 3 in the countryside. C’s birthday passed. The weather got warmer. Flowers were abundant, but the days were long. Already, twice, with hope, we had watched the state newscast as the president updated the situation. And there was nothing to look forward to. Despite the change in the weather and the […]

Covid-19 France Quarantine: Part 2 in the countryside. Quarantine became more bearable as the weather warms. The weathered stone of the cottage, though charming, was poor insulation. Although, at least it kept out the rain. There were many a tempest as I had never experienced before. Thunder, lighting, the most ominous skies. The Storm One […]

Photographs from the COVID-19 France quarantine. When the first COVID-19 quarantine lifted last year, I hurriedly threw together a blog post so that I would remember it all. It all happened so quickly as we hastily packed up for the French countryside in the early spring. We were barely out of winter as we bumped […]

Download the Free Provence Travel Guide This post is the last in a series of three covering the things to do in Provence. Welcome to Verdon, France. “Bonjour,” I said. “Vous êtes Franck?” With a reply in the affirmative, I continued, “We’re going to arrive in five minutes or so.” Bert the Bullet was bumping […]

Download the Free Provence Travel Guide This post covers things to do in le Luberon region of Provence. While all three mountain ranges are iconic, I think it’s the Luberon that springs to my mind when I think of Provence. Hilltop towns of Bonnieux and Gordes provide lookout to the valley below, and the intensity […]

Download the Free Provence Travel Guide One of my goals for 2020 was to stand in a field of flowers. Specifically, a field of flowers in Provence. I can now say that my 2020 is over as I accomplished this goal with three delightful artist friends, Sarah, Madeleine, and Hope. We hopped, skipped, sketched, squealed, […]

If you love France or are planning a trip, download one of my FREE travel guides! One of my goals for the last days in Paris was to see the local Paris. If you, too, crave a more intimate portrait of the city, then the 9th arrondissement is where you should start. I’ve been here […]

While I was not in Paris for the shelter-in-place, my dear friend Madeline was. Here is Paris in her words and film photographs from that time — a stark, somber, and intimate portrait of the city. Madeline is a gifted street photographer. You can find these moments on her Instagram. I got to photograph Paris during […]

If you love France or are planning a trip, download one of my FREE travel guides! A truck whizzed by me, the air pushing me ever so slightly closer to the edge of the already quite narrow shoulder. Frantically, I looked behind me, thankful that it now seemed the wave of vehicles had abated. Peddling […]