Jan. 2010 – One reason that a road trip in Europe is such a wondrous experience is that over relatively short distances one encounter different regions, cultures, histories, accents/languages, and cuisines. Over equal distances, those differences are naturally less remarkable in the U.S. due to a briefer, more uniform history, a common language, and the ease with which citizens move and immigrants arrive. Furthermore, we tend to approach American regions from the air rather than from… Read more

Dec. 2009 - I had lunch this fall with the Count of Breteuil, after which he gave me a tour of his ancestral home, the Chateau de Breteuil, 21 miles southeast of Paris in the Chevreuse Valley. It was a fascinating, friendly, informative afternoon in the company of a man of easy-going charms who introduced himself with an “Enchanté, call me Henri.” I’m fascinated, both personally and professionally, by the way individuals, place, culture, and history fit together and/or play… Read more

May 7, 2009 – I went to Philadelphia last week to attend, along with about 55 other guests, the friendly Francophile ceremony by which Joanne Silver received the decoration of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques, the most prestigious honor a scholar or academician can receive from the French Government. Adding further weight to the decoration is the fact that the French ambassador to the United States, Pierre Vimont, in person came to Philadelphia to pin the palms on Joanne. The… Read more

April 2009 – Gary Lee Kraut and Words Travel International, Inc., publisher of France Revisited, are proud to announce their sponsorship of the arts in Philadelphia through a significant donation to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the occasion of the museum’s April 18 charity event entitled “Art After Dark: Vintage Paris,” a très chic soirée parisienne whose proceeds benefit the museum’s Division of Education. By donating nearly $5000 worth of Gary Lee Kraut’s book “Paris Revisited: The… Read more

Lesley Schwarzman and Laura Barton attended the press opening of Cézanne and Beyond, a major exhibit showing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until May 17, 2009. Here is Lesley’s report. Philadelphia, March 12, 2009 – “There is more Cézanne within a 4 mile radius of the Philadelphia Museum of Art than in all of Paris,” says exhibit organizer Joseph J. Rishel, referring to the Cézanne and Beyond exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Cezanne collection at the Barnes… Read more