FRANCE | Sweet Leisure

Category Archives: FRANCE

Mandarin Oriental Paris

Today is my birthday. I wish I were in Paris. More precisely, I wish I were in Paris staying at the Mandarin Oriental Paris—a celebration hotel if ever there was one. Unlike other Paris five stars, which can be elegant to the point of stuffy, the Mandarin creates an atmosphere of luxury gift wrapped with […]

DAVID DOWNIE DOES PARIS

We all have favorite books about favorite places. I happen to love Paris and my three favorite books illuminating the city are Ernest Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast, Gertrude Stein’s “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” and David Downie’s “Paris, Paris Journey into the City of Light.” Although it is possible (and totally pleasurable) to explore […]

¶ Posted 02 March 2013 † Susan Manlin Katzman § PARIS § RESTAURANTS ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Cafe de l'Industrie, Cafe Rostand, David Downie, George Sand, Luxembourg Garden, Ma Bourgogne, Paris Paris, Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Château de Cîteaux La Cueillette and Pure French Magic

The address alone, on the Route de Grands Crus, in Meursault, France, is enough to please gourmets and oenophiles. The gracious chateau, sitting in the midst of Burgundy’s most historic vineyards, will charm lovers of both history and style. Add a contemporary spa based on magical (as in beautifying, anti-ageing and anti-stress) “Fruititherapy,” and Château de […]

¶ Posted 15 November 2012 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § BURGUNDY § RESTAURANTS § SPAS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off °

BARGING THROUGH BURGUNDY

We floated with the grace of a swan, paced considerably slower than a stroll. We dined for hours. We lingered and lounged and watched the ever-changing countryside. We visited sites and we biked and hiked, but whatever we did, and wherever we were didn’t really matter, for a European barge cruise is not about reaching […]

¶ Posted 25 August 2012 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BURGUNDY § CRUISING § RESORTS § SALADS ‡ Comments Off °

PARIS FLEA MARKET

My favorite Paris flea market is not the famous Les Puces de Saint-Quen at Porte de Clignancourt (covering 17 acres and claustrophobically crowded), but the gentle Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves covering two long lanes and quiet enough to allow up-close and personal liaisons with a happy array of second-hand treasures. At […]