One of the joys of visiting the Loire Valley from late August to early October is the carpets of the pink autumn flowering Sowbread Cyclamen...

Because the local limestone (Fr. tuffeau) is so soft it is ripe for graffiti of all sorts. One of the most striking we've seen recently ...

 In July I had the pleasure of guiding for a group of Americans who have been friends since school. They were kind enough to leave a nice re...

The first tobacco shops in France opened in 1716. Over a century earlier the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot, had introduced it t...

Jane, her husband Jerry and their 10 year old grandson visited three chateaux with me over three days in the summer. She took the time to le...