From Warsaw with love

parisdiaHappy moments, Performing arts3 Comments

« What do you think of our country? » was the anxious question asked by my host after a four day tour of Warsaw and Krakow. Well this is not so easy to answer, since Poland is so different from the western world I know and yet, it is so familiar. What struck me the most, was the extreme kindness and … Read More

Pont Croix, chamber music at its best

parisdiaHappy moments, Performing artsLeave a Comment

It was a magical evening thanks to the talent of very young musicians and the energy of Yves Petit de Voize. Brittany was warmer than ever and we had spent the day watching antique boats crossing from Brest to Douarnenez. The old Collégiale of Pont Croix, population 1 500, was packed with music lovers. And the Hermès quartet and French … Read More

Great Britain for ever

parisdiaFlowers and gardens, Golf, Happy moments3 Comments

On a recent golfing trip to Southern England, playing the unforgettable Rye and Royal St George’s courses, I discovered by chance Goodnestone Park gardens, three miles from our inn and unknown to the inn keeper ! It is “Sissinghurst without the crowds” as a garden critic puts it…

Annabelle d’Huart, a persistent and eclectic artist

parisdiaArt, Happy moments4 Comments

When she was 18 she could be seen at auctions, buying hyperrealist artists with her sister Lorraine. The vision of the two beautiful sisters, one dark and one blond, was striking, and this is the image I always kept of Annabelle d’Huart. After being an arts photographer in New York and a collaborator of architect Ricardo Bofill in the 1980’s, … Read More

Christo reproduces Christ’s miracle on Lake Iseo

parisdiaArt, Happy moments10 Comments

One needed all the energy of Laure Martin, a long time friend of Christo’s and an art consultant, to get a little group of Toulouse art lovers into the Iseo project this past week. We are in Northern Italy, 90 minutes north of Milano, and not too far from lake Cuomo. The countryside is already mountainous and the lovely little … Read More

Safaris, Safarix and Prince Albert I

parisdiaArt, Happy momentsLeave a Comment

Visiting Musée de la Chasse in the Marais is always a great experience, and this small and chic museum has become the best shared « secret » for demanding visitors. The reason for it is Claude d’Anthenaise, its excellent director. But it’s not always easy to revive an 18 th century house devoted to stuffed animals and paintings of hunters. … Read More

Summer wines and a lot of fun

parisdiaHappy moments, Wine3 Comments

It was worth going to Claire de Montesquiou’s Spring wine sale just for the pleasure of chatting with her and of getting two sexy young men to accompany me to the car, with heavy cases of wine. I am a faithful lover of Espérance white wine, a beautiful dry Cuvée d’Or in white glass bottles.