I didn’t know Provence too well before embarking on a road trip there recently with a good friend of mine. We – well, she (I still don’t have a license) – drove from Montpellier to Avignon to Château Sainte Roseline winery, then to the coastal city of Sainte Martine and back to our rural stay…
A quick walk around the tourism office of Cabourg gave us the idea for our next stop in Normandy. We walked down to the grand casino to photograph the blue-and-white beach huts for which this part of France is so famous, and visited the local market to oggle at artisanal apple ciders and Pommeau Normandie.…
I noticed my hand shaking as we drove along the Emerald Coast of Brittany, having just visited Mont-Saint-Michel and the beaches of Normandy right before. We were fast approaching the town of Cancale. Let me begin by admitting that I’ve had the good fortune of enjoying many a great oyster in my life. With a…
In the morning, we climbed the steps of Mont Saint Michel. In the afternoon, we slurped oysters in Cancale. And by nighttime, we had reached Saint Malo, a paradisiacal port city alongside the English Channel in Brittany. Monumental granite walls surround the charming historical center of a city that’s not just about tourism, despite its…
Dinner with the girls. Exploring Bordeaux’s culinary scene. Didn’t take too much convincing me to decide on Jean Pince, a seafood restaurant specializing in the “democratization of lobster,” whose concept and star dish was inspired by none other than good old Luke’s Lobster in Boston’s Back Bay. The four French friends behind Jean Pince dug the…
Hovering over Slussen in central Stockholm like a gigantic construction crane is Gondolen, a walkway forged in black metal, leading to the historic Katarinahissen (Katarina Elevator). Originally built in 1881, this passenger lift once served as a shortcut to the various levels of Södermalm Island. To understand just how old it is, imagine: it originally ran on…
Planning a trip is just a tad less stressful when my uncle and aunt host. On our most recent trip to Stockholm, they literally thought of everything. Just the right amount of sightseeing, some shopping and exactly the right restaurants for experiencing what Stockholm’s food scene has been up to recently. Our trip to Rosendal’s Trädgård…
Djurgården, there are few places like it. I wouldn’t mind getting lost here for hours, breathing in the remarkable freshness and quiet of the place before returning to the noisy city. One of the 24,000 scattered islands and islets making up Stockholm’s massive archipelago, the place is home to a vast array of historical buildings,…
A peaceful stroll through the grounds of Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm brought us to the scenic lakes, parks and gardens influenced by the lifestyle of Louis XV in his Versaille. What counts as a private residence of the royal Swedish family has been largely turned over to the public as a gorgeous little park in…
Faded wooden benches and tables, simply set and decorated with inventive French fare, artfully plated. Boasting a privileged location on a grassy bluff that overlooks the untouched Plage de Cenitz in Guéthary, Restaurant Le C. is a great choice for a long lunch or sunset dinner, ocean-side. Order a frosty bottle of rose to share…
That Best Bite 