The Promenade Plantée is an abandoned railway line transformed into one of the secret parks of Paris, passing over viaducts and through tunnels. I decided to walk the almost three mile trail from Place de la Bastille to Bois de Vincennes, the enormous park in eastern Paris. There are wonderful high angles on wonderful buildings. … Read more
One Sunday we took the train to Auvers-sur-Oise, a light-filled riverside village that drew many artists, including Cézanne, Pissarro–and Van Gogh. Vincent had moved to Auvers from Saint-Rémy to be closer to his brother, Theo, in nearby Paris. Here he spent the last seventy days of his life and painted seventy works of art. Outside … Read more
Paris is a little bit of everything, from high art to street art. The best way to get to know the city is by wandering her grand boulevards and petites rues, her waterways and cemeteries. Some days I would set a destination, then make my way there via serendipity and whim. Edith Piaf, in Belleville My … Read more
From Zurich, our TGV—Train Grande Vitesse—is smooth and speedy, and by mid-afternoon we have arrived at the Gare de Lyon in Paris. Soon we are standing on rue Chateau d’Eau, outside the courtyard of what will be our home for three weeks. Three flights up the polished oak stairway and we enter what was once probably … Read more
Amsterdam is a city on the move. Mainly on bikes. A population going to and fro. Straight-backed, with easy panache on bicycles of every color and configuration. Women in summer dresses. Or sleeveless sheaths and high heels. Riding their bikes one-handed with baskets of flowers, panniers of groceries, a bottle of wine. Or children in … Read more
