2022: Welcoming in a Hopeful New Year

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2022: Welcoming in a Hopeful New Year

As we bid adieu to a turbulent 2021 and say hello yet again to a new beginning, we may have mixed feelings.

I love this photo (above) of French college pals enjoying a champagne holiday. They beam with the carefree abandon of youth. Many things changed in the world they’ve inherited five years hence. Older and wiser now, we share along with them a pandemic-shadowed world that is curbing some celebrations. And dampening hopes.

Still others, young or seasoned, are nevertheless popping the bubbly with a no-holds-barred approach to embracing 2022.

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Montreux, Switzerland

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Montreux, Switzerland

The best Christmas market in French-speaking Switzerland, and one of the largest in the country, is the Marché de Noël à Montreux. This traditional Christmas market spreads along the Lake Geneva lake-side quays. (Interestingly, French speakers call Lake Geneva Lac Léman. And in German, it is called der Genfersee.)

Montreux is known as the pearl of the Swiss Riviera. The setting is indeed picture perfect with snow-capped mountains rising above crystal blue waters and jazzy holiday music playing everywhere. This is the home of the famous summer Montreux Jazz Festival after all—and there’s a hip, jazzy vibe to the entire locale.

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Prague, Czech Republic

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Prague, Czech Republic

The Christmas markets in Old Town Square in the center of Prague are the largest celebrations of their kind in the Czech Republic. Studded by a gigantic 22-metre tall lavishly decorated Christmas tree you can probably see from space, dozens of wooden stalls fan out on the pretty square and beyond.

Here, merchants offer typical Christmas goods and items such as traditional Czech blown glass balls, products made of glass pearls or straw, hand-embroidered tablecloths, wooden toys, biscuit cutters, traditional Czech fabrics and foodstuffs, specialty beer and wine, and many other offerings…

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Strasbourg, France

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Holiday Markets in Europe: Strasbourg, France

Holiday Markets are preparing for celebrations as worldwide travel is opening up again—at last!

As I also prepare to head back to Switzerland and Austria to visit some of the most beautiful holiday venues in the world, I thought a celebration of past holiday markets might be just the thing to spark some of that holiday joy. First up is Strasbourg, one of the most popular Alsatian locales in eastern France.

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Splendid Waterways: Italy, Switzerland, France, Washington DC, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and England

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Splendid Waterways: Italy, Switzerland, France, Washington DC, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and England

Is there anything more mesmerizing than the shimmering blues of a beautiful waterway, be it pool, lake, river, canal, estuary, or sea? We can’t resist the beauty of these watery venues—and have traveled far and wide to capture them in words and images. Here are a few of our favorites.

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Paris--When it Sizzles

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Paris--When it Sizzles

It’s summertime in Paris. Parisians are out, enjoying the freedom and the fun. Paris is a summertime kind of city. Markets are brimming with dazzling fruits and vegetables. Fish and fowl are plentiful. Cheese and wine are on the menu. People are soaking up the rays. Kids are playing in the sunshine. And a stroll—or a kiss—by the Seine anytime day or night is sublime.

Tourists of course flock to Paris in the summer. But what are Parisians doing? Here’s a look.

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French Love: “I’ll be a poet, and you’ll be poetry.”

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French Love: “I’ll be a poet, and you’ll be poetry.”

Passion and romance are inextricably linked in the French concept of amour. It is everywhere in France. And when I’ve been wandering around Paris alone, I even get a few appreciative glances myself (just like the woman behind me; French men are equal-opportunity flirts)!

French men ARE flirtatious. But to the French, it’s all in good fun.

Sex without romance would be considered gauche. But sometimes the French have a unique way of conducting “flirtation.”

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Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part Two

/ Château de Kirwan/
Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part Two

Bordeaux Wine tasting in Southwestern France and surrounding areas is plentiful. And you will have your choice of low cost large group bus tours, small group guided tours, or intimate (and relatively expensive) private tours. We like to try several wine tasting venues when visiting an area, but our favorite is one or two personalized tours of high-end estates. These are two of our Bordeaux favorites: Château Kirwan and Château Pontet-Canet.

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Cordes-Sur-Ciel, A Magical French Village on a Hill

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Cordes-Sur-Ciel, A Magical French Village on a Hill

Off the main tourist route in the Tarn department between the Dordogne and the wine rich Languedoc is the village of Cordes-Sur-Ciel. The name means “rocky heights above the clouds” because the elevation of the village above the surrounding countryside means that the 1,000 inhabitants often wake up to sunshine above the mist shrouded fields below.

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Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part One

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Wine Tasting Bordeaux Style, Part One

When I first made my way to Bordeaux in Southwestern France, I drove in from Barcelona, Spain. I sped west toward along the fantastic superhighway that stretches across southern France. My little Citroën soon entered the Bordeaux region via small roads cutting through the wine fields of Saint-Émilion.

Grapes!

I was enveloped immediately by ripe grape aromas and an earthy smell that hinted at dark soil, freshly mowed grass, and fermenting juices. As I passed by wine château (estates) and the local rivers that bring a palpable moistness to the area, it felt like ripe molecules were practically seeping into my pores. This is one of the most famous wine regions in the world to visit. And it does not disappoint, especially when you get to sample the liquid delights of a region that produces some of the most famous wines on the planet.

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Enchanting Bordeaux: The Paris of Southwestern France

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Enchanting Bordeaux: The Paris of Southwestern France

The lush Bordeaux region sits regally on the edge of the Atlantic in southwestern France. The city of Bordeaux (same name) has a rich history and an even richer present as the gateway to one of the most fabled wine regions of France.

This area, known as the Aquitaine. was a medieval political focal point as one of the largest regions of France helmed not by a king, but a powerful woman: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bordeaux city served as her power seat when she married young Henry II. Soon the two reined over a French/English kingdom famed as much for courtly love, as cruelty and bloodshed (see The Lion in Winter movie, a real-life royal struggle that paved the way for the likes of Game of Thrones).

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Saint-Cirq-Lapopie: A Medieval Gem in the French Dordogne

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Saint-Cirq-Lapopie: A Medieval Gem in the French Dordogne

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a tiny village, population 220, in the Lot Department in southern France. This tiny hamlet is perched 400’ above the River Lot on a broad promontory overlooking a picturesque valley. Some years ago it was voted the #1 Most Beautiful Village in France. Consequently it sees a lot of tourists—so arrive early in the morning if you want to avoid the crowds!

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Sonoma Wine Country Offers Some Gems

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Sonoma Wine Country Offers Some Gems

Just 45 minutes north of San Francisco lies Sonoma Wine country, one of the trendiest grape-growing enclaves in Northern California. Many know Napa with its famed vintners and Micheline-starred restaurants. But Sonoma is its more rustic—and more accessible—cousin over the hill, home to more than 425 wineries ranging from rustic to regal.

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Juicy Food Photography--Does it Make you Want to Take a Big, Delectable Bite?

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Juicy Food Photography--Does it Make you Want to Take a Big, Delectable Bite?

Photographing food can be a tricky process, although certainly a delicious one. The shot above was taken in real time, in a real dining setting where no special lighting was used. At times like this, we feel a shot from above helps focus on the food, rather than the surroundings. (Sometimes an I-Phone’s special settings help with focusing. But if your real-deal camera is available with high-powered settings, it could even be more dramatic.) Our Moto: if you can’t resist it, shoot it!

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Vienna, Austria - Part Two

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Vienna, Austria - Part Two

Part 2 of the Vienna guide looks at the cultural life of Vienna and places to rest your bones after long days of sightseeing.

Mozart is everywhere in the city. While Mozart was born in Salzburg he made his name composing music for wealthy Austrians, including the Emporor, who were living in Vienna. If you are a fan of Mozart’s music, or, you want to learn more about him, you could spend weeks in Vienna.

While Mozart at 34 died in 1791, he lives on in the form of his music, but also Mozart impersonators who wander the center of Vienna attempting to sell tickets to one of the many Mozart concerts that play in the city most nights of the week.

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Vienna, Austria - Part One

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Vienna, Austria - Part One

Vienna Austria is one of Europe’s most interesting capital cities. The fact that it is also one of the least visited (compared to Paris, London, Rome, etc) makes it attractive to journey there any time of the year. There is so much to describe, we split this Vienna post into two parts. In this first part we will describe the major sights. In the second part, we will discuss cultural, dining, and wine items of interest.

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