I love French bakeries. There is one at every corner and they all carry fresh bread, croissants, pains au chocolat and pains aux raisin. They also have their specialties, from elaborate cakes to...
I love French bakeries. There is one at every corner and they all carry fresh bread, croissants, pains au chocolat and pains aux raisin. They also have their specialties, from elaborate cakes to...
For our last week-end in France, Feng and I went back on the Atlantic coast. We spent a few days with my family and left to explore St Nazaire, a few kilometers away. The town isn't pretty: it was...
I love cities by night. Most change a lot and reveal a totally different atmosphere -- it's like traveling. I've already shown you snapshots of Ottawa by night, Toronto, London, Paris... Here is...
The 12 meters high mechanical elephant is made from 45 tons of wood and steel. Several times a day, it takes passengers for a walk around the Isle of Nantes, located in the middle of the Loire River...
Jules Verne, the famous French author, was born in Nantes. And today, in the warehouses of the former shipyards of Nantes, artists try to recreate a travel-through-time world which borrow from both...
The other day, we went to see Kiss & Kill, a U.S movie. You may have heard of it: the English title is “Killers”. Why did the French bother changing the original English title to another English...
This is a sleepy village 45 minutes from Nantes. Its claim to fame is the cookie factory. Other than that, there isn't much: a roundabout (French love roundabouts and even the smallest village has...
Sunset is around 10:30 pm in France right now and with the summer heat, we had plenty of time and motivation to roam around Paris at night. I have my favorite spots, they are not so original but they...
Once we reached the doors of Versailles, we realized we were in trouble. The lineup was so long I couldn't even find where it started. I asked how long it would take us to get tickets: at least 90...
We got extremely lucky with the hotel the first couple of days: we had booked online again from London with Expedia (which really should be paying me for all the times I mentioned them!). The hotel...
After London, Paris. Don’t hate me for saying it, but at first sight, it felt like going from Peru to Bolivia. I have never liked Paris. Go ahead, call me a little spoiled French girl, I’m used to it...
Aren't cities at night truly beautiful?
London didn't disappoint. Lots of lights, lots of sights, lots of amazing skylines coming alive before our eyes after sunset. Next, Paris and Nantes again...
Coming from a country which executed Louis XVI, the last king, by guillotine, I tend to consider monarchy a custom somewhat obsolete and old-fashioned although harmless if a Parliament is in place...
The many bridges crossing the River Thames are all different. The Millennium Bridge is a modern footbridge steel suspension bridge leading to the Tate Modern, while the Tower Bridge, with its two...
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London, is actually more a castle than a tower. It is among all famous for being the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The castle...
London was a great surprise to me. I had been to England many times as a teen, first by taking the ferry across the channel and later by the Eurostar train. England to me was buying "crips" with...
While the Louvre in Paris may be more famous, London also has awesome museums. We took the opportunity to visit the British Museum and the Tate Modern and I must said I was amazed by both. One really...
The tube, the subway, the underground... London wouldn't be London without it, no matter how you call it. I usually have a love/ hate relationship with subways: while they are often the most...
The last time I was in London, not including multiples transfers at Heathrow airport, was in 1998. I had never seen the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel set up in the capital to celebrate the...
Crêpes are Brittany's specialty and crêperies can be found everywhere in Nantes. These very thin pancakes are made from flour, eggs, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt. Normally, crêpes are slightly...