It has become a huge effort to visit Château de Chantilly and its wonderful collections. This Saturday, the electric gates to enter the parking lot were not working properly and everyone was enraged. I could not find anyone to help my friend Garance, who walks poorly, and reaching the drawing galleries through the main court is an ordeal. The usual … Read More
Morvan, Aveyron, Berry, a precious trip through la France profonde
There is nothing I love most than getting into my small car and driving away from Paris. This time, I got really lucky and managed to see areas totally unknown to me like the Morvan (South of Vézelay) in Burgundy, and the north of Aveyron, along the Lot valley. I had a chance to compare Charolaises and Aubrac cows, the … Read More
Tuscany wins on every count!
How perfect can a week in Tuscany be? Far from the book “A Summer’s lease” by John Mortimer where everything goes wrong for the poor British tenants of a villa, my week in Fiesole and San Giovanni d’Asso near Pienza, were perfect from beginning to end, with a variety of activities from chamber music at “Incontri in Terra di Siena” … Read More
My “spy” Georgia de Chamberet went to Buckingham Palace gardens
In celebration of the easing of lockdown, the Royal Collection Trust has been reopening its royal residences to the public. Although thousands of people visit the Buckingham Palace State Rooms and gardens every non-pandemic year, lingering and picnicking are a no-no. This year it’s different. There may be no royal garden parties, but the garden at Buckingham Palace is open to … Read More
Vaux le Vicomte, Versailles, Paris, music at candlelight is everywhere.
One of the advantages of the summer is that you can wander around castles near Paris and have dinner outside in grand decors. At Vaux le Vicomte, lights illuminate the park and there are fireworks organized every Saturday night until October 2. You can have dinner in the restaurant facing the castle and visit the grand salons painted by Charles … Read More
At Château de Chantilly things are moving fast!
A new music festival “Les Coups de Coeur à Chantilly” celebrating revered pianist Martha Argerich‘s 80 th birthday, a new administrateur général for the castle, Didier Selles who comes from the Louvre, and a popular “Fête du Terroir” the week end of the 26 th of June. On Saturday July 3, the film Vatel with Gérard Depardieu will be screened at … Read More
Magic is in the decor! with Benita Kusel.
Benita Kusel is a painter of decors… She does marble, wood, slate, but mostly frescos on paper with shells, flowers, vegetable and can paint on anything including radiators to hide or ugly chests. For a wedding in Belgium, she painted silk vests, tablecloths in Italy, for a country house she devises a decor of deers and willow trees and with … Read More
At Propriété Caillebotte, five post impressionist painters to discover
Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922), the famous art dealer who admired painters from the 1830’s, represented many Impressionists and exhibited Monet’s series of cathedrals in 1895, also fiercely defended five post-impressionist painters who were represented exclusively by his gallery at 35 avenue de Friedland. He was a major agent in discovering new painters of the late 19 th and early 20 th century. … Read More