Tag: travel

Posted on

Joyeuses Fêtes de Paris

IMG_0397IMG_0392 {Christmas at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte located in Maincy, outside of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne département of France}

Our reporters are off to Europe for the holidays and the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maincy, located in southeastern Paris was first on their list of sites. And, what better way to start celebrating than at this French baroque château decorated in a most distinctively Gallic style.

IMG_0399This residence marked the beginning of the Louis XIV influence by combining the architecture of Louis Le Vau, interior design of painter-decorator Charles Le Brun and landscape designs by Andre Le Notre to create an extremely royal estate. Can anyone say Hugo Drax from the James Bond’s thriller Moonraker…”Cute isn’t it”!!!!

image4 image5{Notre-Dame de Paris in the fourth arrondissement}

Next on their list of sites was the Boulevard Saint-Germain with a view of Notre Dame Cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité. A fine example of French Gothic design with the western facade illuminated by joyous decorations and lights.

Happy holidays!!!
K

Posted on

December Solstice

104_0478{The InterContinental Le Grand Hôtel decorated for the holidays}

In the northern hemisphere the December solstice marks the first day of winter. And though I am not in the land of the midnight sun, but actually in the mid-Atlantic we have been experiencing shorter daylight hours and extremely long evening hours, with that said I am beginning to understand why we celebrate with so many lights at this time of year.

104_0480 104_0496{L’oiseau de feu [Firebird] by Niki de Saint Phalle that was at the Charles Pompidou Center and la tour Eiffel with the evening beacon}

Perusing through my photographs the other day I noticed that I have been in the “City of Light”, better known as Paris several times during the month of December and most definitely on the 21st of the month. Whether its the decorations in the lobby of the InterContinental Hôtel or the artwork of Niki de Saint Phalle this all adds up to warmth no matter what time of the day or where you are standing in the city. Going through my earliest photographs of this wondrous town I though I would share a few pictures of how I like to celebrate the beginning of winter… well in Paris of course!!

Happy Solstice!!!
K