Champagne Rosé, the most elegant drink for festive moments – Meanderings through France n° 214
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny White Champagne was created in the 17th century but it was not until the second half of the 18th century...
The art of choosing the right bottle of wine – Meanderings through France n° 213
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Who has never felt lost and confused in front of wine shelves filled with dozens of different bottles all claiming...
The “Invalides”, a witness of French history since 1670 – Meanderings through France n° 211
ByAnnick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny We all know the “Invalides” museum for being the place where Napoléon’s tomb is, but this huge place has much more to...
Normandy cider, fit for demanding connoisseurs – Meanderings through France n° 210
By Annick Dournes For many people Normandy is synonymous with white and black cows, Camembert cheese, half-timbered houses and … apples! It’s a long-term love story...
“Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon”, a room with a breathtaking view – Meanderings through France n° 209
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny The Courtyard Paris Gare de Lyon hotel is the very first Parisian Courtyard by Marriott address and this first...
A city-break in Paris side by side with Napoleon
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny When Napoleon took power as France First Consul in 1799 he already knew that he wanted Paris to become the most beautiful...
Go off the beaten tracks, go to Oman with Al Nahda Hotels (Part three) – World Meanderings (n°80)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Photos ©Frederic de Poligny & Annick Dournes Back to Oman to continue our discovery of this incredibly varied country set...
Go off the beaten track, go to Oman with Al Nahda Hotels (Part two) – World Meanderings (n°79)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny After visiting Oman capital, Muscat, one of the most authentic cities of the Middle East, lets fall under the spell of...
Go off the beaten tracks, go to Oman with Al Nahda Hotels (Part one) – World Meanderings (n°78)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny With its impressive desert and mountain landscapes the Sultanate of Oman offers a wide range of destinations. Set between the endless...
Nimes boasts its Roman heritage – Meanderings through France n° 207
By Frédéric de Poligny & Annick Dournes Nimes is a French southern town created in ancient times by the Roman invaders. At only a few miles away from...
Walking in the foot path of Salvador Dali, the Spanish Master of Surrealism – World Meanderings (n°77)
By Frederic de Poligny What could be the future of Catalonia, Cadaquès, Figueras and Putbol will forever stay as the Salvador Dali’s country. These three places are...
Annick’s Favourite of 2019. Winter white paradise in Saint-Gervais – Meanderings through France n° 173
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny After going down in history during the glorious times of the Mont-Blanc’s conquest, Saint-Gervais is today a trendy ski resort....
Christmas’ Magic in French iconic chateaux, part three: Chambord Château – Meanderings through France n° 206
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Welcome back again to French chateaux festivities! This year for Christmas time we invite you in three different wonderful French chateaux,...
Christmas’ Magic in French iconic chateaux, part two: Château de Cheverny – Meanderings through France n° 205
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Welcome back to French chateaux’ festivities! This year for Christmas time we invite you in three different wonderful French chateaux, Vaux-le-Vicomte,...
Christmas’ Magic in French iconic chateaux, part one: Vaux-le-Vicomte – Meanderings through France n° 204
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny This year for Christmas time we invite you in three different wonderful French chateaux, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Cheverny and Chambord. Each...
Provence forever at the foot of Sainte-Victoire – Meanderings through France n° 203
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Provence shelters a small valley stretching at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire Mountain. It’s called Vallée de l’Arc. Its...
A great inaugural cruise for “Norwegian Encore” – World Meanderings (n°75)
By Annick Dournes I had the privilege to attend the inaugural cruise of “Norwegian Encore”, the brand new cruise ship launched by Norwegian Cruise Line. With...
Halloween through the world, how do you like to play at being scared? – World Meanderings (n°74)
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny If Halloween was only celebrated in Anglo-Saxon countries for decades it now has invaded the whole world and each...
Amboise, Royal city and Leonardo da Vinci’s last home – Meanderings through France n° 202
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny French king François I undoubtedly is the symbol of French Renaissance and during his reign he built and transformed...
“Jesuit and Franciscan Roads”, the historical marvels of Paraguay – World Meanderings (n°73)
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny This is the second part of our reportage in Paraguay and it’s the most important page of...
Paraguay, one of South America’s best kept secrets – World Meanderings (n°72)
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Paraguay, a name that makes you dreaming, maybe a mixed dream of jungle smells, wild life and...
Cross the oceans to the blue-feet-boobies’ country – World Meanderings (n°71)
By Frederic de Poligny & Annick Dournes Can you answer this tickling quizz? What is this strange country where these “blue-feet-boobies” freely...
Feed your body and soul in Conques – Meanderings through France n° 201
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Conques is a superb village east of Cahors and Bergerac in southwest France. Set in a remote semi-mountainous region,...
Celebrating Leonardo and Chambord 500th anniversary – Meanderings through France n° 200
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Once again Chambord was in the spotlight to celebrate the 500th anniversary of its foundation. Works began on September...
Sweet Indian summer in Nantes – Meanderings through France n° 199
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny According to opinion polls Nantes is one of French people favourite towns where they would love to live. Ideally...
Fontevraud Abbey, the impressive Plantagenet family necropolis – Meanderings through France n° 198
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny Fontevraud Abbey is one of the largest monastic cities in Europe founded in 1101. Two great historical characters, Robert d’Arbrissel...
A festive “grape harvest day” in Cheverny – Meanderings through France n° 197
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny For the ninth consecutive year winegrowers and winemakers of the Cheverny DOC organize a wine festival on Saturday 7...
Fort La Latte, Brittany’s most visited castle – Meanderings through France n° 196
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Fort La Latte is an ancient medieval fortress built on top of a pink sandstone cliff overlooking the Channel, a...
All the charms of Italy in Pavia – World Meanderings (n°70)
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny The name “Pavia” refers to both a town and its surrounding area. Located in Lombardy in northern Italy Pavia...
Splendour and misery of Chateau de Cadillac – Meanderings through France n° 195
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny If Cadillac is a name known worldwide thanks to the famous car brand founded in Detroit in the USA in...
Marmande, from Richard the Lion Heart to an iconic tomato – Meanderings through France n° 194
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny When asked about Marmande every French person will think and answer “tomato”! This tomato variety is the true emblem...
Blois, much better than a history book for a glimpse of French Royals’ life – Meanderings through France n° 193
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Blois is only a two-hour drive from Paris and an ideal starting point to explore the Loire Valley and...
Obernai, all of Alsace in a single village – Meanderings through France n° 188
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny At only 25 km south of Strasbourg on the “Alsace wine road” Obernai is a concentrate of the Alsatian...
Bordeaux, an appealing town between vineyards and ocean – Meanderings through France n° 192
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny In less than 25 years Bordeaux has been going through huge works of renovation and innovation, turning this old...
How about taking part in the day-to-day life of Alsatian winemakers? – Meanderings through Francece n° 191
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny All summer and autumn long Alsatian winemakers organize an amazing great number of events during which tourists are invited...
Medieval Knights Templar’s Commanderies in Aveyron – Meanderings through France n° 184
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny In the 12th century back from the Holy Land Knights Templar came back to Europe not only with fame...
500 years ago, Chateau de Chambord’s birth, Leonardo’s death – Meanderings through France n° 190
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny If leaving today no doubt that François 1er would have made tabloids headlines very often. In 1519 the 25...
Gourmet trip in Alsace
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny When travelling in Alsace one could think that Alsatians mainly focus on food and drinks. Without being completely true this is not...
The “Lot”, a bewitching French department (Part three) – Meanderings through France n° 187
By Annick Dournes & Frederic de Poligny Today is our last getaway in the Lot area. It will take us to Saint-Céré a charming little town...
The “Lot”, a bewitching French department (Part two) – Meanderings through France n° 186
By Annick Dournes & Frédéric de Poligny After last week discovery of Rocamadour and the L’Ouysse Valley let’s go back to beautiful Lot and wander along...