Well, not really Spain, I spent a large part of the day in France. Whenever I think of Basque culture, I’d only ever heard of it in conjunction with Spain. The tour I took today taught me otherwise—parts of France are considered Basque as well. The Basque region is mostly located in northern Spain, on the Bay of Biscay at … Read More
Beautiful Bridges
In a recent article in Conde Nast Traveler, they listed the world’s most beautiful bridges. I didn’t agree with all of their choices and thought they left some iconic bridges off the list. So, I searched to see what bridges other publications chose as the most beautiful. Nearly all mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge, Tower Bridge in London, Széchenyi Chain Bridge … Read More
Paris – through an art lens
I’m getting fond of taking buses in Paris now that Google maps directs me where to board them, and then tells me stop-by-stop where I am. My first bus ride today took me to the Tuileries. It’s one of my favorite places in Paris—I am a lover of gardens and people watching. In the park I got to do both. … Read More
Paris – New and Old
Today included some of the oldest and newest Paris sites. It started with the new – the Foundation Louis Vuitton. The building, designed by Frank Gehry, is in the Bois de Boulogne and was completed in 2014. It is an art museum, but I doubt many people go there for the art. It’s the building that’s the star. I was … Read More
Vienne and Lyons, France
Prior to this trip I’d never heard of Vienne, so I was surprised by how much I liked it. We took a “Toonerville trolley” to a high point above the city that had an expansive view of the city. The Rhone River snaked through a city awash in red-tiled roofs. Directly below where we stood was the massive, ancient Roman … Read More
Valance, France
Last night we took a short scenic cruise to see Avignon’s famous Pont Bénezet (bridge) lit up. It’s famous due to a song about it. Most tourists assumed (as I did) that it was destroyed during the second world war. In fact, it was abandoned long before that. Built in the 12th century, it was washed away several times by … Read More
Marseilles to Arles
Woke up this morning to bright sunshine and a gorgeous view of Marseilles’ old port. We started the day with the most typical of French breakfasts, a croissant and café au lait. We walked around the area, stopping at the morning fish market. I wish I could have bought some of the fish, it could not have been fresher. From … Read More
Travel Travails
It’s 9:15PM and my friend Sue and I are in Marseilles, France. We just enjoyed a glass of wine and wonderful Bouillabaisse dinner, in a restaurant with a view of the old port. But since last evening it has been a crapshoot as to whether we, and our luggage, would make it here. It started with a gate change … Read More