A Billionaire’s Fairytale Replica Chateau Sitting Empty next to Versailles

Parisians would probably like to think they know of all the major Châteaux in their vicinity. There is of course Versailles, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fontainebleau, and the hunting palace of Chantilly. But just a fifteen minute drive from the heart of Paris, nestled deep within thick forest walls, lies a jaw-dropping chateau, or a not-so-mini version of Versailles,…

Sunset Snooping in an Abandoned Roadside Chateau

So I’ll pick up where I left off yesterday. We were taking the scenic route back to Paris via bumpy country roads and soaking up the last of the Sunday sun, when we rolled through a tiny village called Bréau… Without a soul in sight, the village seemed forgotten by the rest of the world. Even McDonalds hasn’t…

A Day with Charlie in Paris

We were late, we were late for a very important date. The march began at 3 o’ clock but Paris was blocked at every turn. So we took the highway and whizzed around the city with a little encouragement from the traffic regulators… We jumped in with the march, though more of a pleasant stroll…

Then & Now: The Rolling Stones’ French Villa of Debauchery

In the Spring of 1971, Keith Richards began renting a villa on the Côte d’Azur for $2,500 a month. The British government was threatening to confiscate the bands’ funds if they did not leave the country by April 5th of that year as part of the Labour government’s punitive 93% tax on high earners. The Rolling…

A Backstage Tour of the Channel Tunnel

In 1858, on the prospect of building a tunnel that would link up Britain and France under the channel, the British prime minister asked, “Why shorten a distance we already find too short?” The idea was allegedly first brought to the table by Napoleon Bonaparte himself, after a French engineer, Albert Mathieu, had approached him with…

Here, here, a Tumblr dedicated entirely to Vintage French Photos you probably Haven’t Seen

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life just looked like one long vintage French photo album? I’ve found just the go-to online treasure trove for such day-dreaming occasions. Packed with a staggering collection of vintage photos that might have anything to do with Paris, France or the French, naturally I had to scroll right to the very end of Chamade- Vintage…

I just took a Romantic Evening Stroll in Marseille … while sitting at my desk

Admittedly, I find Google Street View a little scary. It always jumps around on me, warping me all the way down the street when I just want to see the next door down. So when I got an email from an old Paris friend telling me to check out a newly launched Google Street View…

Art at War: Lost Frescoes of the Maginot Line

The Maginot Line, considered by many to be one of the greatest and most expensive military mistakes of all time; a name rarely spoken of today except to recall something that people hope will prove effective but instead, fails miserably. But here, inside the forgotten underground bunkers that line a defensive wall built by the French between…

Weekend Guide: Pay money to get kidnapped in France

You can find anything in stock imagery. For today’s weekend guide, I was originally going to suggest some wine tasting but then I thought, nah, let’s go for the kidnapping instead. A French company called Ultime Réalité is offering customers a ‘basic abduction package’, which involves your own kidnapping, ‘Taken’ style (à la Liam Neeson), for…

Let’s Snoop around F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Art Deco French Villa

Alright, so you might have noticed I have a weakness for French real estate p0rn. [Sigh] I don’t know why I do this to myself. Anyhoo, check out my latest find, a 19th century restored villa up for sale on the French riviera, which writer F. Scott Fitzgerald himself allegedly acquired for a summer, where…