A curious map
Pictured is a plastic contraption, dating back to 1983, that a friend found when cleaning out her chalet. I loved it, and she kindly gave it to me. It’s the most curious map I’ve ever seen. Yes, it’s a map. …
Tag: landscape
Fête des Lumières 2010 in Lyon
This year’s Fête des Lumières in Lyon was full of cool stuff and some disappointments too. Held for just four days a year — and often with bitterly cold temperatures (it was about 2°C when I was there on Friday …
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
[svgallery name=”2010stjeansnow”] I’m sure you’re aware that Europe has been getting a big dump of snow due to some Siberian winds travelling further south than usual and meeting up with warm, moist Mediterranean air. The result? The photos above. St …
Italy vs France
Here is a photo of Vernazza, one of the five villages that makes up the Cinque Terre in Italy. I was there last month, walking the paths — often just some stones raised off the slanting ground to flatten it …
Parking, French style
I think the picture says it all, but in case you don’t see it, there are some parking bay lines painted over a new walkway and garden. Was the painter annoyed at the loss of some car parks to this …
Corsica: The Ugly
Friends warned me about Corsica before I left home, from: “They’ll ignore you in shops if you’re not Corsican,” to the rather extreme: “The locals slash tyres of tourist cars: buy a Corsica sticker and put it near your number …
Corsica: The Bad
Before I visited Corsica, I imagined hot, sunny beaches and perfect snorkelling lagoons with the lush backdrop of mountains. I think it does have all those things, but summer was on its way out by the time I arrived. It …
Corsica: The Good
A quick visit south last week was my last hope for warm days before winter kicks in, so Corsica seemed like a good place to start. Although the island is closer to Italy, it’s under French governance (after various others …
Faux de Verzy – wonky trees
Between guzzling glasses of bubbly last weekend in the Champagne region, I visited the lovely Faux de Verzy – a forest of twisted beech trees that have a really magical quality about them. We visited the forest late in the …
A jigsaw puzzle picture-perfect house
Is this not something you’d find in a jigsaw puzzle? I live near it. The close-up with my terrible photography skills does not do this beautiful chalet the justice it deserves. How many flowers can exist on one wall? Walking …