Let’s Snoop Around the Former French Riviera Home of Coco Chanel

Today I thought we could make a quick stop at Villa Pausa on the French Riviera, the former residence of none other than Coco Chanel, between 1929 to 1953. In recent years, it was on and off the market for upwards of $50 million and in 2015, it was bought by none other than the House of Chanel. I…

They Built a Life-Sized Stunt Double of Paris

Remember when French authorities built a miniature version of Paris to save the city from Nazi bomb-fire? Well, it wouldn’t be the last time the City of Lights required a stunt double. The second time, however, was under much cheerier circumstances: the filming of the Leos Carax’s cult ’90s French film, Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. Initially, Carax…

Versailles: A Portal to Another World?

Don’t remember seeing that other-wordly staircase or a never-ending library when you visited Versailles on your last trip to Paris? Are there secret parts of the palace they’re hiding from us? Go on, click on the images for a closer look if you’re not sure… Photographer Jean Francois Rauzier says he waited 25 years…

That Christmas When Parisians Ate the Zoo

As a Parisian, I’ve learned a lot about the second time the German army occupied the French capital during the Nazi invasion of WWII. But what about the first time the Germans took hold of the city of Paris? One forgets they managed it twice. The winter of 1870-1871 was a traumatic time for Parisians, an ordeal that…

Meet the Would-be King of France (He’s Kind of a Babe)

It’s not fair that the English get to have all the fun with their monarchy. France has better palaces and all these monuments and frankly, we need more parades in Paris. Enter Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou, the rightful pretender to the French throne. In other words, if the French throne were restored, this guy would become King…

Won’t Someone Save this Scandalously Forgotten Chateau?

This post has been updated with new information you can find at the end of the post. With every passing day, the Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers falls further into ruin; another stone becomes dislodged by strangling vines, what remains of the roof sinks a little lower. Nature is winning. (c) Jean-Luc She’s a sleeping beauty situated in the…

Adopt an Abandoned French Chateau

So you know how I’m always telling you about these incredible chateaux left to ruin here in France? And then you ask, “why can’t someone save that place?” Well, I’ve come across something that can certainly help us try… Adopte un Château is a relatively new association dedicated entirely to saving endangered castles by working with…

The Real “No-Go Zone” of France: A Forbidden No Man’s Land Poisoned by War

When you imagine France and its scenic countryside, you might think of the picturesque villages, vineyards a plenty and endless rolling green hills to drive through on a blissful summer road trip. But there’s one corner of this scenic country that no one has been allowed to enter for nearly a century, known as the “Zone Rouge” (the red zone).…

Here’s an Instagram Account dedicated to finding Forgotten French Ghost Signs

Instagram has become one of my favourite resources, probably because I’ve trained my digital eye to know exactly what I’m looking for while scrolling endlessly through accounts, allowing me to pinpoint more places on my wanderlust map like a visual mood board of things I love. Make sense? Well anyway, it’s a great travel tool and…

Graveyard of the Big Red Firetrucks

What little boy didn’t dream of driving a big red firetruck? Today’s find from the world of urban abandonment feels particularly tragic– and a little bit like uncovering the tomb of childhood dreams. Not to be a downer or anything… On my daily dive into Flickr, I came across an account which has album after album of incredible urbex photography. Frenchman Vincent…