Category: France

  • A Return to Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Part II

    Père-Lachaise Cemetery has such extraordinary, moving details. Here is a second photo essay dedicated to Paris’ largest cemetery. If you’d like to see Part I of my Père-Lachaise Cemetery series, see: If Headstones Could Talk: Pondering at Paris’ Père-Lachaise Cemetery.

  • Two women stroll along a lane in Paris' Père Lachaise Cemetery. On either side of the lane there are grey mauseoleums. The street is partially covered with brown autumn leaves.

    If Headstones Could Talk: Pondering at Paris’ Père-Lachaise Cemetery

    I had long wanted to visit Paris’ storied Père-Lachaise Cemetery. However, during past jaunts to the ‘City of Lights,’ the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysées, and Notre Dame had taken center stage on my itinerary. During our most recent trip to Paris, our hotel in Paris’ 11th arrondissement was a short walk from the cemetery. With…

  • A gargoyle-overlooking-the-seine-notre-dame-paris

    Photo du Jour: The Gargoyles and Grotesques of Notre Dame

    In the shadows of Notre Dame, we waited for just under an hour to ascend the 387 stairs of the cathedral’s north tower. Once high above the rooftops of Paris, we strolled about the Galerie des Chimères marveling at the figures there. The statues gazing at La Tour Eiffel and Sacré Coeur are technically not gargoyles since…

  • Photo du Jour: Looking for La Vie en Rose

    In Europe, one can already feel summer’s upcoming departure from the stage. Indeed, autumn is not so patiently waiting in the wings… To savor one of the last weekends of summer, Shawn and I have decided to go in search of ‘la vie en rose’ this long weekend. A return visit to Paris is on our…

  • A church steeple rises above a field of sunflowers in France's Burgundy region.

    Golden Moments in Burgundy, France

    It is no wonder why one of the counties in France’s Burgundy region is known as the Côte d’Or. During our July sojourn in France’s ‘Golden Hills,’ the fields were ablaze with vibrant tournesols (sunflowers), freshly-groomed wheat, and vineyards — where still-maturing grapes glistened with dew. In the villages of Burgundy, sand-colored stone homes were accented with shutters painted…