When it comes to accommodation in Paris, we are drawn to the 6ème arrondissement. The left bank area surrounding boulevard saint-germain has somewhat become our second home. Rich in café life, some favourite restaurants, bars, even a fresh market, this an area Paris that makes us feel less of a visitor and more of a [...]

Think of Provence and you conjure up images of golden sunshine, lavender fields, undulating hills with citrus and olive trees. So how do you bring the essence of Provence back home? This collection of souvenirs arrived with family after their brief sojourn in the towns of Bonnieux and Gordes. The provençal bread basket tied with [...]

Paris has been one of the cities I have visited frequently be it either for business or pleasure with Ms Gourmantic. Equally important as its art and history is its food. Be it the top flight restaurants, the traditional bistro or an up and comer, as long as the food is treated with respect and [...]

I enjoy nothing more than bringing home with me food items from France that evoke the memory and taste of travel. When I first laid eyes on a box of Calissons d’Aix in a shop window in Avignon, I was smitten. Calissons d’Aix are a regional specialty of the provençal town of Aix en Provence. [...]

The visit to Fontainebleau was brief. The reason being we have a date with an old monk in Epernay. We continue along the N6 to Melun past Crécy La Chapelle on N36 through smaller picturesque departmental roads before we join the N3. In between vast plains and valleys, we pass little villages that seem void [...]

The final day of our Tour de France starts in Orléans. This is the last day of exploring splendid countryside, sampling regional cuisine and getting ourselves lost through a myriad of rond-points. We can’t help but feel that we did not have enough time to see everything after miscalculating driving distances. There is but only [...]

With the Chateaux de la Loire behind us and the sun at oblique angle, we soon reach Hotel Terminus in Orléans sans problemes. The three starred minotel has a central location, a lift and friendly people. Our room is very comfortable and has a little balcony with views over the town. We decide to take [...]