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A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Dinant & Namur
On this part of our journey to Namur, I discovered that the Belgian section of the Meuse river offers as many delights as the French. And as the amazing rowing tour I was on had just crossed the border, they began to appear. An Enchanting Château The first was the beautiful Renaissance castle Château de Freÿr and its formal French gardens which were designed by Le Nôtre, the designer of the fabulous gardens of Versailles. I would have loved to explore them; to wind my way through their terraced, hedge mazes. And then to visit the beautiful belvedere tucked in on the top of the hillside. Perhaps another time. Belgian…
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Hôtel Dieu: A Secret Parisian Garden
In the heart of Paris, a stone’s throw from one of its greatest attractions, lies a secret garden. Located on Place Jean Paul II, in the shadow of the majestic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, and under the watchful eyes of her gargoyles, sits Paris‘ Hôtel-Dieu – Hospital. And within its walls, the most wonderful courtyard and garden reveal themselves to you. In the Shadow of Notre-Dame The great thing is that, despite the square outside usually being full of tourists, the unassuming entrance of Hôtel-Dieu means that very few venture in to visit it. This leaves this fantastic building and its secret garden both a very convenient and very quiet…
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Christmas Eve in Paris: Sainte Chapelle
In the heart of Paris, on the tiny Île de la Cité, a stone’s throw away from Notre-Dame Cathedral, sits the stunning Sainte-Chapelle. This other ecclesiastic treasure of the City of Light is difficult to see from the street though. You see, it forms part of the Palais de Justice – Courthouse – complex. And so it is tucked in behind the walls of this prestigious institution. A Gothic Masterpiece However, as I walked along Boulevard du Palais one Christmas Eve, past the gorgeous clock on the wall of the Conciergerie, I caught a glimpse of it, hovering above the courthouse. I had just finished enjoying un chocolat chaud –…
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Christmas in Paris: City of Light – Part 2
A gentle snow is falling as I write this. The view outside my window makes it look as if someone is sprinkling icing sugar over my neighbourhood. Slowly it’s blanketing the ground with a fine layer of white, as if decorating a cake. Christmas is definitely in the air! So what better time to continue my Christmas in Paris: City of Light tour? Luminous Place Vendôme If you’ve read my post Christmas in Paris: Window Shopping, you will remember that much of it focused on the Place Vendôme area. So let’s return there for a bit. This time we’ll take a look at the decorations on the exterior of some…
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Art Deco Dining in London: Brasserie Zédel
As you’re probably already aware, I love French food. So I was delighted when one of my fellow Blister Sisters added a French restaurant to our London visit the week before our rowing tour of the Thames. What I didn’t realize was that Brasserie Zédel is the place for Art Deco dining in London. I would discover this on our first full day in London Town, when we made our way there for lunch. But first, we emerged from Piccadilly Underground station that morning and strolled the grand, curved Georgian architecture of Regent Street. From here, we set out on our walking tour of some of the world’s great luxury…