Archive for 'Curiosities in France'

The Musée de Cluny, or Musée National du Moyen Âge, is a rather special museum that is located in one of the oldest buildings in Paris, a former townhouse that dates to the 14th century, with the foundation of 3rd century Gallo-Roman thermal baths beneath it.

The museum itself is dedicated to medieval life and is home to objects such as sculptures, graphic works, manuscripts, stained glass, and furniture and other decorative items.

However, the most famous thing in its holdings are the iconic “The Lady and the Unicorn,” tapestries.

Founded in 1843 by the French State, the museum is made up of 23 rooms, all crammed to the gills with fascinating objects. These pieces are the focus, of course, but the museum is worth visiting for its pretty gardens and the building itself, which is a beautiful mansion in Gothic and Renaissance styles.

Public buildings are often the crowning jewels of cities and libraries, in particular, are commonly very special architectural gems. However, most of us imagine grand, classical buildings, not giant heads. Yet, that is exactly what you will find in Nice.

As France is ringed by coasts on three sides, there are endless beaches to choose from and many different wonderful seaside destinations. However, while many are beautiful, some are more interesting or lovely than others. So, in order to help you narrow down your choice of destinations, we have rounded up our picks of ten of the best beaches in the country. Here are more of our best beaches in France…

3. Palombaggia, Corsica

If you have found a vacation rental in Corsica and are venturing off the mainland to this beautiful Mediterranean holiday destination, there is one beach that you must check out: Palombaggia Beach. Known as Corsica’s most beautiful beach, voted as one of the Top 10 best beaches in Europe and UNESCO certified, it is a picture-perfect stretch of white sand and bluer than bluer water that gives any tropical beach a run for its money. Dotted with incredible white boulders and bordered by an evergreen forest, it curves in a half-moon for 2 km.

Shakespeare and Company is arguably the most famous independent bookstore in the world but is much more than that. As we discussed in the last post, it was the site of the meetings of great artistic minds in Paris since the 1920s and was a second home to the likes of Hemingway, an office and publisher for Joyce and a safe haven for banned books. It has featured in endless city guides, novels, television shows and movies and is an important tourist attraction in Paris that garners thousands and thousands of visitors each year. If you are a literature fan or are merely an English-speaking tourist looking to pick up a good book once you have found a vacation rental in Paris and are spending time in the city, it is a must-see destination.

Shakespeare and Company is the name an iconic independent English-language bookstore on Paris's Left Bank. It was first opened by the American Sylvia Beach, in 1919, at 8 rue Dupuytren and is famous as it was, at the time, a gathering place for many then-aspiring writers such as Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Djuna Barnes, James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford. Closed during WWII, it was reborn again at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement, and is still in operation today. For book-lovers and literary history buffs, it is an absolute must-see landmark in the city. Just find a vacation rental in Paris and visit it for yourself.