Arles: Van Gogh’s CafeTerrace at Night – then and now

Ever wanted to put yourself in the picture? It was evening and the sky was precisely the deep Prussian Blue that Van Gogh portrayed in his painting of “the Café Terrace at Night”. The lights under the awning reflected warmly in the wine glasses as we toasted our meal and our …

French carousels – colourful past and present

One of the great delights, whether in the Tuilleries garden in Paris or at the centre of many French towns, are the myriad colourful carousels. They are loved by children worldwide and form a component of almost every amusement park. Once they were the main attraction, but time and technology …

Van Gogh’s bridge to Japan

Why are bridges so fascinating? Bridges hold a special place in every culture. They are a means to cross  from one place to another; over a hazard, a dangerous river or chasm. So bridges are both a connection and a marker for a division. When you step off the land …

Driving through the looking glass

Driving in France is like driving through the looking glass – at least for those of us who usually drive on the left and sit on the right. The hire car was straightforward – I asked for the smallest they had, and it was only a little bigger than the …

Paris – an office to rival Versailles

Imagine working in a local council office. Now imagine that the view from your desk involved gilded statues and paintings worthy of a national museum? What if your office made the Palace of Versailles look plain? There is such an office. If you are the mayor of Paris (Anne Hidalgo) …