Tag Archives: France

16 April 2016
Saint-Tropez, France: An Artist’s Lure


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Tropez Sandler2

Saint-Tropez 16Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4427

Saint-Tropez 16Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4421

Saint-Tropez 16Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4439

Saint-Tropez 16Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4436

When we say Saint-Tropez, most people think of Brigitte Bardot in a bikini or perhaps modern Children of the Sun lounging around on the beach in no bikini at all.

But the handsome French Riviera beaches and towns of the region were also home to a martyred saint from Pisa, a Japanese sumarai in the early 1600s, and an almost-forgotten World War II invasion site.

Many artists and fashion designers were drawn to the beaches and the special light of maritime places.

Saint-Tropez 16Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4426

Silver Cloud at anchor off Saint-Tropez today

The painter most directly associated with Saint-Tropez was Paul Signac, born in Paris in 1863, but a regular visitor and resident. In 1884 he met Claude Monet and Georges Seurat. He was struck by the systematic working methods of Seurat and by his theory of colors and became Seurat’s faithful supporter.

Seurat and then Signac abandoned the short brushstrokes of impressionism and experimented with carefully placed dots of pure color, intended to combine and blend not on the canvas but in the viewer’s eye. It was called pointillism.

Signac inspired Henri Matisse and André Derain among others, leading to the evolution of Fauvism. (The Wild Beasts, including Matisse, Dufy, and Georges Braques.) Pablo Picasso was also a frequent visitor in the early 1950s.

The next generation of artists who came to work in Saint-Tropez include Bernard Buffet, David Hockney, and Donald Sultan.

Saint Tropez Sandler3

Saint Tropez Sandler1

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

15 April 2016
Bonjour et bienvenue from Nice

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Hello, and welcome aboard from Nice on the Côte d’Azur of France, the Azure Coast.

At the same time,  we bid arrivederci and safe travels to guests leaving us here.

Nice is a handsome seaside place, somewhat surprisingly France’s fifth largest city. (First is Paris, then Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse.)

NICE 15Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4376

NICE 15Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4379

NICE 15Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-095757

NICE 15Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-095645

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Nice, built by Czar Nicholas II of Russia in 1912 when the South of France was a favored gathering place of European Royals

We’re headed off on a cruise to some of the most culturally rich ports of France and Spain.

Midday tomorrow we are due to arrive in Saint-Tropez, one of the playgrounds of the rich and famous but also a place with a fascinating history. After then we visit Marseille and then Sète in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, a place with a distinct identity of its own within France.

v1610c

After then, its due south out to sea to Alcudia on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Balaerics. From there west to Valencia, and then this cruise ends in the spectacular port of Barcelona.

I hope you’ll join me here for photos and observations each day.

CALVI 14Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4339

Not an itsy-bitsy spider, but a large piece of art climbing the walls of the Citadel in Calvi, Corsica 

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

14 April 2016
Calvi, Corsica: No Island is a Man

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

CALVI 14Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4364

Silver Cloud at anchor in the Bay of Calvi today

CALVI 14Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4373

Snow still lingers in the hills above Calvi, even as summer arrives in Corsica 

Napoleon was born here. Nelson left behind a body part. And everybody claims Columbus.

But in the end, no island is a man.

Calvi_BLOG_DSC7689

CALVI 14Apr2016 EDIT BLOG-4337

Corsica, at least in the wishes of its people for centuries, has always been a place unto its own.

A French flag, an Italian heritage, and a Corsican culture

It is an island of jagged granite mountains and dense, dark forests.

It even has its own perfume, a scent of the maquis: fields of aromatic herbs and shrubs.

Deep in the woods, bandits once roamed. And generations of Corsicans maintained blood feuds: vendettas.

For its entire existence it has been a fortress.

The Citadel de Calvi, in the main part of town and not far from the port, is the most popular attraction in Calvi. It was first built by the Genoese as a monastery in the 13th century, most recently rebuilt in 1570.

CALVI 14Apr2016 EDIT BLOG 4334

Time passes at a different rate here on Corsica.

Calvi SANDLER DSC_2938

Calvi SANDLER Corsica France DSC_2992

Columbus was born here, or so say some wishful believers.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

4 April 2016
Cannes, France: Strolling La Croisette

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Cannes Sandler4

Cannes Sandler3

Cannes has the film festival and its red carpet, fabulous hotels and casinos, tres cher shopping…and a piece of the Grace Kelly story as well as tales of modern jewel thieves.

It requires more than a little bit of suspension of disbelief, but Cannes was once a small and humble fishing village.

It is no longer small, by no means humble, and today’s fishing is aimed at the wallets of visitors.

In the 10th century the town was known as Canua. Canua was probably the site of a small Ligurian port, and later a Roman outpost on Le Suquet hill, suggested by Roman tombs discovered there.

Most of the ancient activity, especially protection, was on the Lérins islands and the history of Cannes is the history of the islands.

In postwar times—since 1946—Cannes is most famous for its film festival, held each May.

Producers shop for financing or hope to strike distribution deals.

Actors come to see, but mostly to be seen.

Especially the actresses: from starlets like Brigitte Bardot who posed on the beach in 1953 and helped make herself—and the bikini swimsuit—famous.

Cannes Sandler1

Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7683

Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7658

We will be back in Cannes on April 25, and I’ll have more commentary then.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

21 September 2015
Sète, France: The Venice of Languedoc

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Sète is a commune in the Hérault department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.

So it is French, of sorts, although its ancient origins are as part of Occitania.

Occitan is a Romance language, still spoken in places here and there in the Languedoc region that includes parts of southern France, the Occitan Valleys of Italy, and Spain’s Val d’Aran.

Languedoc means the Language of Oc.

Oc is the Occitan word for “yes.”

And so we have arrived in the Land of Yes. Take that for whatever you want.

What else is Sète?

Poetry, mystical sometimes indecipherable love songs, mussels, and oysters.

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3054

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3057

A city built around an ancient canal, a place that apparently is the world capital of the sport of water-jousting.

And a relatively obscure port that in 1947 was the embarkation place for 4,500 Holocaust survivors on a barely seaworthy former cruise ship that on its way to Palestine changed its name to Exodus.

On this visit,  I went with guests on a visit to the charming town of Pezenas,  once  a wealthy trading center and home of the great French author Moliere.

A PEZENAS ALBUM

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3062

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3069

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3088

From there we went to the Abbey de Valmagne, which dates from the 13th century and later. In more recent times,  it is home to spirits of a different kind: a wine cave.

ABBAYE DE VALMAGNE

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3102

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3110

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3116

BLOG Pezenas Valmagne FR 21Sept2015-3125

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

20 September 2015
Marseille, France: The Second City

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Marseille is the oldest city in France, and the country’s second-largest city population behind only Paris.

This is very much a working city: it is France’s largest commercial port.

Out in the Bay of Marseille is the Frioul archipelago of four islands. One of those, L’ile d’If, is the location of Château d’If, made famous by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

There have been settlements in this area for almost 30,000 years.

The city of Marseille was founded about 600 BC as a Greek trading port; it was named Massalia. It became a link between inland Gaul and Rome, importing wine and other goods and exporting agricultural items and slaves to Rome.

Skipping forward, in 1792, Marseille sent 500 volunteers to Paris to support the French Revolution.

The song they sung on their march from Marseille to Paris, a call to arms that became known as La Marseillaise, is now the national anthem of France.

For many visitors to southern France, the gem is Aix-en-Provence, about 20 miles north of Marseille.

And on this glorious Sunday morning,  with a hint of autumn in the air,  I returned to Aix with guests.

The settlement of Aix or Aquae Sextiae was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus.

Aix flourished after the 12th century, when, under the houses of Aragon and Anjou, it became an artistic center and seat of learning.

Aix-en-Provence is situated in a plain overlooking the Arc, about a mile from the right bank of the river.

The main thoroughfare is the beautiful Cours Mirabeau, planted with double rows of plane-trees. It is bordered by fine houses and punctuated by decorative fountains.

Aix Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d’Aix) is built on the site of the 1st century Roman forum of Aix.

AN AIX ALBUM FOR TODAY

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3028

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3024

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3019

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3040

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3038

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3030

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3050

BLOG Aix Provence FR 20Sept2015-3015

Built and re-built from the 12th until the 19th century, it includes Romanesque, Gothic and Neo-Gothic elements, as well as Roman columns and parts of the baptistery from a 6th century Christian church.

A MARSEILLE ALBUM

Marseille Sandler1

Marseille Sandler 4

Marseille Sandler3

Marseille NDame de la Garde1

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

19 September 2015
Saint-Tropez, France: The Headless Saint and the Creation of Woman

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

When you say Saint-Tropez most people think of Brigitte Bardot in a bikini, or perhaps modern Children of the Sun lounging around on the beach in no bikini at all.

But Saint-Tropez has a more substantial history, including a martyred saint from Pisa after whom the town is named, a Japanese sumarai who came on a voyage of exploration in the early 1600s, and an almost-forgotten World War II invasion site.

There was also the painter Paul Signac, one of many greats who were drawn to the beaches and the special light of maritime places, long before there were fancy bistros and outrageously priced shops.

Saint Tropez Sandler2

Saint Tropez Sandler1

Saint Tropez Sandler3

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

 

17 September 2015
Cannes, France: Front Row Center

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

It requires more than a little bit of suspension of disbelief, but Cannes was once a small and humble fishing village.

It is no longer small, by no means humble, and today’s fishing is aimed at the wallets of visitors.

It is, though, a very interesting place with grand architecture, high-end shops and restaurants, and a back story of movie stars, high fashion, and romance, fabulous festivals, and jewel heists.

Oh, and a beach.

In postwar times—since 1946—Cannes is most famous for its film festival, held each May.

Producers shop for financing or hope to strike distribution deals.

Actors come to see, but mostly to be seen.

Antibes is on the Mediterranean between Cannes and Nice, in the direction of Monaco. It is a handsome seaside resort, with snowy Alps in the background.

The city was founded in the 5th century BC as a Greek Colony of Massilia, which we know now as Marseille. It was named Antipolis, literally the “city across.”

Pablo Picasso came to Antibes in 1946 and was invited to stay in the castle.

During his six-month residence Picasso painted and drew, and crafted ceramics and tapestries.

When Picasso departed, he left a number of his works to the municipality. The castle has since become the Picasso Museum.

Another worthy trip is to the perfume city of Grasse or to the lovely mountaintop village of St-Paul de Vence in Provence.

This region, stretching along the coast from east of Monte Carlo and west to the Italian border, is part of the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

While it has been part of France for more than five hundred years, it still retains a distinct cultural and linguistic identity.

A CANNES ALBUM

Cannes Sandler1

Cannes Sandler3

Cannes Sandler4

On this visit,  we ventured about 30 minutes away to the handsome city of Antibes to visit the Picasso Museum and stroll the streets of this very French place.

AN ANTIBES ALBUM

Antibes FR 17Sept2015-2986

Antibes FR 17Sept2015-2990

Antibes FR 17Sept2015-2988

Antibes FR 17Sept2015-3001

Antibes FR 17Sept2015-3004

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

13 September 2015
Calvi, Corsica: Napoleon, Nelson, and the Vendetta

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Corsica, at least in the wishes of its people for centuries, has always been a place unto its own.

A French flag, Italian heritage, and a Corsican culture.

It is an island of jagged granite mountains and dense, dark forests. It even has its own odor, a scent of the maquis: fields of aromatic herbs and shrubs.
Calvi Corsica1

 

It was a beautiful day in Corsica as we were at anchor,  but the wind and seas were a bit on the wild side at midday,  and the tender ride from shore to the ship was . . . exciting.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

4-6 September 2015
Bordeaux and Sainte-Emilion, France: The Pearl of Aquitaine

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Victor Hugo said this:

“Take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux”.

That’s a pretty good lineage.

Add to it Bordeaux wine, Bordelaise sauce, and a handsome mix of architecture and culture.

The city is built on a bend of the river Garonne.

A growing sector of industry in the area is high-tech.

The French Ministry of Defence has invested something like 2 billion Euros in the Laser Mégajoule project in Bordeaux. The project is intended for basic research on laser and plasma technologies.

High-tech companies include Dassault, EADS Sogerma, Snecma, Thales, SNPE, and others.

Dassault Falcon private jets are built there, as well as military aircraft, the Airbus A380 cockpit, the boosters of the Ariane 5 rocket, and the M51 SLBM missile.

But many visitors have come to worship at the font of Bordeaux wine.

I will leave the fine points of oenology to the wine experts and our sommeliers aboard ship.

I’ll just say that this region produces what some say are the best cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes and wine, as well as some other varieties.

Grapes were introduced to the region by the Romans, probably in the 1st century.

They liked what they got, and it has been a constant ever since.

Bordeaux now has about 116,160 hectares (287,000 acres) of vineyards.

There are about 10,000 wine-producing chateaux, and 13,000 grape growers and amongst them they produce about 960 million bottles per year.

This area has been occupied for tens of thousands of years, which pleases the tourist bureau greatly.

La Grotte de Pair-non-Pair, just north of Bordeaux above the Dordogne river before it joins the Gironde, was discovered in 1881 in a vineyard in the Côtes de Bourg.

The cave has some of the world’s oldest known cave drawings: horses, ibexes, deer, and mammoths.

Remains found in the cave may be Neanderthal—at least 30,000 years old and perhaps much older—and an 18,000-year-old Cro-Magnon.

The presence of remains across such a wide range of time?

I’m guessing the cave was actually a popular wine bar.

Here are some photos from our visit.  The first image shows German U-boat pens which still stand very close to downtown Bordeaux: they were constructed so robustly that they have withstood plans and wishes to remove them for 75 years.

We went next into the heart of Chateau country in Bordeaux,  visiting the town of Saint-Emilion and then the small family winemaker Chateau de Tailhas in Pomerol.

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2625

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2636

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2644

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2632

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2658

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2662

BLOG Bordeaux Emilion FR 04Sept2015-2672

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

 

 

3 September 2015
Belle-Île-en-Mer, France: La bien nommée

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

The name of this place should give it away, don’t you think?

Belle-Ile-en-Mer.

Beautiful Island in the Sea.

And that it is.

In fact the local nickname for the island extends to La Bien Nommée, the Well-Named.

Belle-Ile, Brittany’s largest island, lies about 9 miles or 15 kilometers off the coast of Morbihan.

It is a place of beautiful beaches—about 60 of them, spectacular craggy coastline, and lovely pastoral interior.

At the island’s main town of Le Palais, the first thing you’ll notice is the star-shaped Citadelle Vauban, which was built by the famous French military engineer in the 18th century.

It was called by some, “The Battleship of the Atlantic.”

The fort now houses a luxury hotel-restaurant and a museum about the island’s history.

Many of Belle-Île’s residents are descended from the 78 Acadian families who returned from French Canada as part of Le Grand Dérangement, the expulsion of the Acadians, in 1765.

The dramatic landscape of the island has long drawn artists.

The most famous work was that of Claude Monet in the 1880s who was drawn to the wild north coast. According to local history he had to have an assistant hold down his canvas he worked to keep the wind from flinging it into the sea.

It is said that within an hour after first setting foot on Belle-Ile-en-Mer in August 1894, the French actress Sarah Bernhardt purchased an abandoned fort on the cliff top at La Pointe des Poulins.

She would spend parts of her last thirty years there. Bernhardt ended up creating a compound for friends and family, which she called her “menagerie.”

Bernhardt is buried in Paris. And here on Belle-Ile there is no sign of her other coffin, the one she often used as a place to sleep. She claimed it helped her understand her many tragic roles.

Here are some photos I took on our visit to the beautiful island in the sea, also including a peek at the museum chez Bernhardt.

BLOG Belle Ile FR 03Sept2015-2567

BLOG Belle Ile FR 03Sept2015-2599

BLOG Belle Ile FR 03Sept2015-2611

BLOG Belle Ile FR 03Sept2015-2593

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

2 September 2015
Saint Malo, France: Location, Location, Location

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

This little piece of Brittany has a story of its own as well as a firm hold on pieces of European, North American, and South American history.

It’s all about location: offshore islands at the mouth of an important river.

Before the arrival of the Romans, a promontory fort had been erected at Aleth, south of the Saint-Servan district, commanding the approaches to the Rance River.

A monastic settlement founded by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan in the early sixth century included a follower of Brendan, Saint Malo or Maclou.

The settlement has a long history of setting itself apart.

Walking through the cobblestone streets of Saint-Malo feels like time travel, little changed from the 1500s, when the explorer Jacques Cartier set out from here for the New World.

But, in full disclosure, almost everything you see has been rebuilt from the rubble of World War II.

This beautiful little place, a fortified town on what was once an island, was a German holdout after the Normandy landings to the north. Allied forces wanted to open up additional ports to bring ashore men and supplies, and Saint-Malo was one of the places chosen.

In late August and early September 1944, the historic walled city of Saint-Malo was almost totally destroyed by American shelling and bombing as well as British naval gunfire.

On this visit,  I went with guests about an hour inland in Brittany to the beautiful,  mostly untouched Medieval town of Dinan on the Rance River.

We inspected the half-timbered shops and the simply elegant Saint-Saveur church.  I also made a visit to the Chateau of Dunan.

A DINAN ALBUM

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2541

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2555

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2537

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2535

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2532

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2529

BLOG Dinan France 02Sept2015-2559

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

1 September 2015
Honfleur and the Beaches of Normandy, France:

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Honfleur is a medieval gem, hidden in plain sight, between the major French port of Le Havre across the Seine to the east, and the D-Day beaches of Normandy to the west.

It’s a lovely place, with a certain je ne sais quoi, not at all like much of the rest of coastal France.

And so it seems no surprise that this was one of the sources of impressionism in art and a musical genius of evocative impressions.

Honfleur was the birthplace of the artist Eugène Boudin and the composer and artist Erik Satie.

And it was a favored place to visit for French painters Claude Monet and Gustave Courbet, English landscape artist William Turner, and writer and critic Charles Baudelaire.

Honfleur France 4156-1

Honfleur France 4149-1

Honfleur France 4139-1

Honfleur France 4131-1

While much of Normandy, about 50 miles or 32 kilometers way, was pounded by the Allies in the D-Day landing or by the Germans in defending it, Honfleur survived the war relatively untouched.

During German occupation, authorities in Honfleur allowed the River Seine to silt up the harbor, making it of little military value.

What remains is of great cultural value to us now.

A RETURN TO NORMANDY

We sailed out of Southampton,  England on Monday evening in a brisk breeze and under sullen, threatening skies.  We arrived this morning in Honfleur in an almost wintry first day of September

Seventy-one years ago, Southampton was one of the ports of embarkation for the invasion forces of D-Day, along with Portsmouth and other places

Among the men and boys who landed at Normandy was my father,  and I have always taken advantage of every opportunity to visit there.  And so I returned today with guests.

A Normandy Album

BLOG  Normandy France 01Sept2015-2466

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2468

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2493

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2494

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2506

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2505

BLOG Normandy France 01Sept2015-2497

We began at Omaha Beach,  one of the two principal American landing sites,  then went up on the bluff to the vast cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, the final resting place of about 13,000 Americans,  two thirds of them given benefit of a gravestone with their name,  the remainder–as the notation reads–known only to God.

We later visited Arromanches, where the British constructed a massive artificial harbor that allows the full push to Germany to begin.

No one with a soul can visit these places and come away unmoved,  and I know I will return again some day.

Text and images copyright 2015 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

28 September 2014
 Calvi, Corsica

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Another spectacular day, this time on the spectacular island of Corsica. A place of jagged peaks and deep valleys, carpeted almost everywhere by the thick maquis undergrowth.

We arrived at Calvi just after sunrise.

Calvi_BLOG_DSC7689 Calvi_BLOG_DSC7686

Calvi in the early morning light. Photos by Corey Sandler

Calvi Corsica France BLOG 28Sept2014-7710

And a photo I took in the late afternoon, with Silver cloud framed by ancient Genoese walls.

I went with a group of guests way up into the hills to the perched village of Sant’Antonino. The view from below was impressive; the hike to the top strenuous but well worth the trip. Sant’Antonino may be the oldest continuously occupied town in Corisca, dating from about the year 900.

Today less than 100 people live on the hill top.

Sant'Antonino_BLOG_DSC7704 SANT'ANTONINO_BLOG_DSC7708

The view from atop, and a peek inside the small Franciscan chapel, dating from 1776 about the time France took control of Corsica. Photos by Corey Sandler

Iles Rousse_BLOG_DSC7695

The spice market in Iles Rousse. Photos by Corey Sandler

Here are more photos from Corsica.Calvi SANDLER Corsica France DSC_2975

 

The colors of Calvi
The colors of Calvi

Calvi SANDLER P1050089

Calvi SANDLER Corsica France DSC_2901

Columbus was born here, or so say some wishful believers.
Columbus was born here, or so say some wishful believers.

Calvi SANDLER Corsica France DSC_2992

Climbing the fortress walls for a view of the port of Calvi
Climbing the fortress walls for a glimpse of the port.

All photos by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy, please contact me.

 

 

 

27 September 2014
 Cannes, France: Front Row Center on the Côte d’Azur

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We arrived in Cannes on a gorgeous late summer day–still beachworthy–and also in the midst of a grand classic sailing yacht regatta. If you can’t enjoy a day and a scene like this. . .

Here are some photos from today:

Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7683 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7664 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7658 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7653 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7648 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7643 Cannes France BLOG 27Sept2014-7642

And more scenes around Cannes, including the Hotel de Ville, its impressive City Hall. And our sister ship Silver Spirit at anchor on a previous visit to the Côte d’Azur.[whohit]-Cannes 27Sept2014-[/whohit]

Cannes SANDLER France P1040779 Cannes SANDLER France P1040778  Cannes SANDLER France P1040810 Cannes SANDLER France P1040807

Cannes SANDLER France P1040799Cannes SANDLER France P1040795

The Hotel Carlton in Cannes, a gem of the French Riviera…and the site of a brazen $136 million jewel theft in July of 2013. The stones and baubles are still missing.

But still in place, atop each end of the façade, the Carlton’s famous twin cupolas. According to tradition, they were modeled after the favorite very-mentionable garment of La Belle Otero, a Spanish-born dancer, actress, and courtesan who made off with her own millions from the men of Cannes in the 1890s and the early part of the 20th century.

Cannes La Belle Otero2

La Belle Otero (Agustina Otero Iglesias) bedecked in one of her signature costumes. (Public domain.)

Cannes SANDLER France P1040793

Caryatids hold up a balcony along the beach.

All photos by Corey Sandler, unless noted. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase an image, please contact me.

 

10 June 2013 Honfleur, France

We’re off on a voyage from London to Copenhagen, with stops in France, Belgium, Germany, and Sweden.

Silver Cloud glided across La Manche (The Sleeve) or as Anglophones may know it better, the English Channel from Southampton to Honfleur in the Calvados region of France.

Honfleur is an extraordinary place, one of the best-preserved old towns of the region. It survived both world wars nearly intact, with heavy wooden beam and decorated plaster walls.

For me, I walk the streets of Honfleur with the hypnotic music of Erik Satie in my head. That may have been his intent, and he almost certainly wrote his best-known pieces while stoned on absinthe. Satie was born in Honfleur, as was the painter Eugene Boudin. Both of them were important influences on later impressionists including Corbet and Monet.

Here are a few photos from Honfleur…

Honfleur France 10Jun2013-4156 BLOG

Le Vieux Bassin in Honfleur

Honfleur France 10Jun2013-4128 BLOG

Inside Ste. Catherine’s

Honfleur France 10Jun2013-4153 BLOG

The birthplace of another quirky Honfleurais, the 19th century humorist Alphonse Allais. He wrote poetry that specialized in auditory puns (homophonous verse) and also is semi-famous for the earliest known example of a completely silent musical composition. His Funeral March for the Obsequies of a Deaf Man of 1897 consists of nine blank measures. Satie would approve.