A Tour of the World's Grand Hotels
June 15th 2010What makes a great hotel great? Architecture, history, service and, of course, staff. You can find out a lot about the world's great hotels online, but if you really want to know what makes a great hotel great you have to dig deeper to find their stories.
Nights with Roman Gladiators in Nimes, France
April 29th 2010Nimes is the most Roman town in France, yet in some ways is more Spanish than French. In fact, with its long pre-Roman history Nimes was not defeated by Rome but rather accepted as an important trading partner. Just watch out for the $10 Cokes.
Visiting the Villages of Provence with Viator
April 22nd 2010Rail travel has a warm place in the hearts of Francophiles, but is not the ideal mode of transport when trying to reach, say, a remote mountain village like Provence. You could rent a car, but Peter Mayle's beloved perchés are hard to find, and parking stinks (pardon my French). But there is another way...
A History of Human Conflict: On the River from Normandy to Paris
April 19th 2010Our group drove across the windy landscape from Rouen along the bleak waterfront. "It always rains in Normandy," say the superior people in the south, in Provence. Suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds and lit up Anilore Banon's masterpiece as if it were on stage.