<![CDATA[ruby's holiday residences - Ruby\'s Travel Blog]]>

<![CDATA[ruby's holiday residences - Ruby\'s Travel Blog]]>Tue, 07 Apr 2020 23:40:36 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Paris?… Ah Paris…. Mon amour….]]>Wed, 21 May 2014 12:09:48 GMThttp://rubysresidences.weebly.com/rubys-travel-blog/paris-ah-paris-mon-amourI recently had a request from a school friend to recommend places to eat in Paris, so I felt it was my duty to share my beloved Paris and I decided to put together a 'beginners guide' to Paris. This was going to be via a number of walks, however, with the amount of information I wanted to include for this first walk, these “walks” will become a BOOK! So this blog page will take you on one “walk” which will probably take a few days, but will cover some compulsory, and some more unknown, stops. Included in this “walk” will be museums, food places and other “WOW” places, as I like to call them. I love sharing my WOW places with Paris virgins! So if the feedback is good for this first walk, I will share more….

Depending on where you are staying you can “start” the walk at any point. Stay as long as you want at the various places, or continue on if you’re limited for time. This way you’re getting a taste and feel for Paris so you know where you want to come back to when you do have more time.

Lets start at the big mother of sites…. The Louvre. ...... (Click on photos/ arrows for full pictures)

I just couldn't resist sharing this video I took at the Louvre! All I can say is
"wait for it...." like I did on the video!!

Step one: Go inside! The Louvre will blow you away and if you were to do it properly will take you many visits to get through it all. But for a first visit, the biggest must is the Mona Lisa. The funny thing is, when you see the Mona Lisa in real life, she’s almost a let down. She is so small! I think it’s like with all celebrities, you imagine them so much bigger than they really are! She is small. And quite a special woman with a whole wall, and 4 security guards dedicated to her alone…..

NOTE: included in this huge building complex is the Musee des Artes Decoratifs. Another must while you're around here or for another day. The rather discreet entrance can be found on the Rue de Rivoli....

After you have exhausted the Louvre (or it has exhausted you!) find the Arc de Triomphe and walk the straight line towards it. Yes, it’s a straight line. The one thing I love about Paris is the way things line up. You can stand in the middle of the Tuileries Gardens outside the Louvre, and look straight towards the Arc de Triomphe, and then even beyond that you can see La Defense in a direct line too (well, only on a clear day!). In fact the Parisians are such a stickler for lines that even the temporary ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde was placed in line to an exact degree that even my perfect eye couldn’t fault it!

Once you hit the Place de la Concorde, cross the street to the middle island and then take a look in each direction. Perfect lineage, if that’s the correct word. Straight ahead you have the Arc de Triomphe, on the left you have the Assemblee Nationale, and to your right you have La Madeleine. See how beautifully centred these buildings are! And if you turn around you will see the Louvre centred behind you.

Anyway, next turn will be to the right, and you will walk towards La Madeleine….

On the left hand side, note Maxims. Yes, the famous restaurant, which also has a museum, which I have never been to as every time I go, it is closed, or the tour is not in English… Hmmm, one day…..

Once you approach La Madeleine (LM), there are a few things to do/ see:

- On the right hand side there is a gorgeous patisserie. Laduree. Go in and feed your eyes.

- go inside La Madeleine. Not a wow moment, but it’s still a beautiful building.

- Veer around to the right of LM and you can check out the Maille shop, if you’re into mustards.

- Then follow the right hand side of LM until you hit Fauchon! Ooh la la! Go inside and feed your eyes here too!!

- Just across the road, behind LM, is another Fauchon shop, but more for packaged foods. One thing I love about the French is the gorgeous packaging. With a food business in my past I certainly can appreciate the effort and cost in all of this gorgeous packaging!

Once you’re all done here, head back towards the Maille shop and we’ll be taking a left down Boulevard Des Cappucines. It’s a bit of a walk, but head straight along……

You will shortly see a large intersection approaching…. Once you hit this large intersection, get to the corner and look left. WOW! The Paris Opera House. Cross to the middle traffic island for a centred photo, but from any angle this building is beautiful! Look for a street coming off this intersection behind you to your left, at 45 degrees, Rue de la Paix, and you will see the beautifully centred Vendome Column, originally erected by erected by Napoleon I, between 1806-1810, while the square of Place Vendome was laid out in 1702. This is where you’ll find The Ritz, and where Princess Diana got into that car on that fateful night…. But definitely go for a walk around here when you have time. You can go and see where Coco Chanel used to live at 15, Place Vendome.

But back to the Opera House…. If you have time, go around to the left of the building to the ticket office for a tour of the inside. It will really take your breath away!

Otherwise, follow around the left of the Opera House and on the opposite side of the road you will find the Lindt shop. Go inside even if it just to see the tempering machines (you will learn about tempering when you go to the Chocolate Museum!). And you may find flavours not yet available at home e.g. Wasabi! And watch them in action at the back of the shop while they make chocolates…. YUM!

Back out the door of the Lindt shop, turn left, continue on and you will hit Boulevard Hausmann, named after Georges-Eugène Hausmann, a famous Parisian, who re-designed and planned Paris (wikipedia.haussmann's renovation of Paris).

It is here that you will find the two famous department stores, Printemps and Galleries Lafayettes. You will definitely get stuck in this area for a while, but don’t miss out on the following:
(no photos here. I don’t want to wreck the three WOW moments!)

-       the Galleries Lafayettes Homeware store.

-       Turn left, cross the street and walk down to Printemps. Go in and take the lift to the top floor. Out of the lift walk straight ahead into the restaurant/ bar. Walk right in, and then LOOK UP!........ WOW 1!

-       Back on the street, head back towards the Opera House, go into the Galleries Lafayettes Mens store. Head to level 1 (downstairs) and check out their amazing Food Hall.

FOOD STOP. Buy anything here! It will be great.

-       Back outside and continue to the Galleries Lafayettes Ladies store. Walk in and head straight to the cosmetics counters (keep your eyes down!!). Please do not be tempted to look up yet…. Just go in, keep your eyes cast downwards but look for the Chanel stand, or Clarins, then LOOK UP!..... WOW 2!

-       After you put you tongue back in your head, keep walking in the same direction within the store, veering to the left. Look for the elevators. Take one to the top floor. Walk out past the packaged gifts, and up the staircase…. You will find yourself on the roof, with a gorgeous view of Paris. Most of the major sites are visible from up here.

- Next stop is across the street. A bank, would you believe? Look for the Societe Generale bank. If you’re there on a weekend, then I guess you’ll miss out this time. Anyway, walk in the big double doors, and veer around to the left. Check out the old desks and counters, and then…. LOOK UP!.... WOW 3!

OFFSHOOT 1:
As another option at this point, walk back towards Printemps and follow Boulevard Hausmann. Along this route you will pass the Église Saint-Augustin, a lovely church built between 1860 and 1871.

Then continue to a really lovely, little known museum, the Musee Jacquemart-Andre. The museum was created from the private home of Édouard André (1833–1894) and Nélie Jacquemart (1841-1912) to display their art collection. Make sure you have a good look at the double spiral staircases.

It’s a long walk, but continue straight on and you eventually you will hit the Arc De Triomphe! Well worth a visit! And when you do get there, remember to stand under the arch, look in one direction, straight down the Champs Elysee, and on to the Louvre. And then turn around and see the perfect line to La Defense. WOW.

But back to where we left off before the Offshoot…. Head straight ahead along Boulevard Hausmann with the department stores behind you.

FOOD STOP:
If you’re feeling peckish, walk down Boulevard Hausmann and take a right at the Blvd Des Italiens. Walk down and on the left hand side at number 11 you will find the Cafe Le Marivaux. Pop in and try the raclette (though you really must like cheese for this. Yes, in the photo below that IS a slab of cheese under the "grill"!). It's a Swiss traditions that crept across the border into France. For more information read wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette

Back on Boulevard Hausmann (with the department stores behind you again), start walking and the street will change names as you walk along. But keep an eye open for a street on the left hand side called Rue Lafitte, just after the Hotel Paris Marriott, and look left while crossing the street! WOW!

There are many things to see along this very long road, which next becomes Blvd Montmartre, and without actually being there to tell you as they pop up, keep an eye out for the following:

-       Once you hit the metro stop Richelieu-Drouot look at both sides of the street as you walk and you will spot some famous old covered Passages, or shopping arcades; Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, Passage des Princes to name a few. See bonjourparis.com/story/paris-passages-shopping-arcades/ for more info.

-       You’ll next stumble upon Musee Grevin, which is a wax works. See grevin-paris.com/en for more.

-       then keep an eye out on the left hand side for Rue du Faubourg Montmartre.

FOOD STOP. Turn left at this street and on the left hand side not too far down you will see a red and white sign for Chartiers. Walk through the arcaded entry and step back in time….

“In 1896, the Bouillon Chartier was born out of a very simple concept – provide a decent meal at a reasonable price and give customers good service in order to earn their loyalty. Fifty million meals, and only four owners later, the recipe is still every bit as much a success.” - www.bouillon-chartier.com

I visit every time I am in Paris. The food will not make you go wow, like to look of the place will. But it’s cheap, honest French food (order the duck confit with potatoes. They are the best potatoes I have ever eaten), with great, efficient service. Bring a dictionary though as the menu is only in French and be prepared to share a table if there are less than four of you and it is peak time! Be warned that if you do come at peak time you will probably need to queue. So make it an early or late, lunch or dinner.

Continue down the main street, (keep an eye out for the next street you cross on the left had side and take a look left as you cross!) which has now become Boulevard Poissonniers, to Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle (same street and same Metro name too), and it is along here, on the left hand side that we will find Choco Story, also known as Le Musée Gourmand du Chocolat. You will now learn everything there is to learn about chocolate, from the birth of chocolate to viewing the chronological displays of equipment used in chocolate making, to cups and pots for hot chocolate (look out for the cup designed for men with moustaches!!!), chocolate moulds and even old packaging. And you can even try some original (think Aztec!) hot chocolate recipes on your way out. That is, after a demo in the kitchen where you will be shown how to make filled chocolates! AND taste them too! Yes, definitely worth a visit.

Continue along this road after the visit in the same direction and you will come across the Blvd St Denis and the Blvd St Martin, where there are two very large stone “portes” (doors). In this area, if you take a turn to the left, you will find a lot of Arab cafes and restaurants and food stores. If you’re into Arab pastries and halva, definitely walk down and grab some (if you can handle anymore sugar after the chocolate museum!)…

OFFSHOOT:
If you’re into gorgeous French architecture and seeing something a little on the quirky side, then it’s time to turn left at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, at the second porte. Walk up until you see a gorgeous “fairytale” building and you will have stumbled on the Biblioteque Chateau D’Eau, one of the public libraries in Paris. Stand there and just absorb that beauty!

This divine building is on the corner with Rue Chateau D’Eau, on the right hand side. Walk down this street and look for number 39, on the right hand side. Take a good long look at number 39 Rue Chateau D’Eau, and you will be looking at the smallest building in Paris, measuring 1.1 metres wide, by 5 metres deep! Yep!

But back to the porte at Boulevard St Martin. There are a number of streets that will take you to our next stop, but just follow this one straight on and in no time you will hit the Georges Pompidou Centre!

Make note for FOOD STOPS. As you just hit the Pompidou Centre the street to the left and right is Rue Rambuteau, and all the cafes along here to the right are nice. I would just avoid the cafes facing the Pompidou Centre.

BUT WAIT, time for a DRINK STOP! …. Head to the discreet (red? yellow?) elevator to the left hand side of the entrance to the Pompidou Centre and head up to the 4th floor, walk along the walkway to… Le Georges. There are seats outside, but go inside even if it is just look at the roses…. But check out the funky bar as well. Absorb the views while you take in your drink. On your way out, take the escalators to the bottom so you can appreciate the views and the “inside out” architecture of the building.

But of course, you must go inside! … My second favourite room on the planet can be found in this building (my favourite being the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles). I don’t know the name of this room, but it’s in the modern section. UPDATE: It's called the Winter Garden, by Ean Debuffet, and it's no longer there. Shame!

FOOD STOP: On the other side of the building you will find Rue des Blancs Manteaux. One particularly good lunch I had (see below) was at a café on the corner with Rue des Archives, called Le Bouquet des Archives. This is the beginning of the Marais area. Besides just having a good wander around this area, go on a Sunday to the Rue des Rosiers and join half of Paris queuing and enjoying felafel, Jewish pastries and other kosher food!

FOOD STOP: Once you have walked around the Marais, head to the corner of Rue de Archives and Rue de la Verrerie (just behind BHV department store), and you will find Café la Comete. Another regular of mine! And regular it is. Nothing flash. Just simple, cheap French food. I go because I know I can get a salad with giblets!! Yes, if you like giblets, make sure you look for geziers on menus!!

You really can’t go wrong with food in Paris. In all my travels here, and I have had countless meals in Paris, I have only had one bad one. Some not so memorable, but some made me feel giddy with excitement and disbelief at the quantity and quality that 11+ euros can buy you here!!

Some food tips:

- Salads – just order salads. They are big and they are great.

- Steak frites – the French know how to cook a steak! They will ask you how you would like it cooked. Beware, in Paris there is no medium/ rare, or medium/well done. These are terms they use:

i) Bleu – as rare as raw can be.

ii) Saignant (pron: sen-yont)– as rare as rare can be.

iii) A point – (pron: ah pwainh) “Perfectly cooked; á point is used in the French kitchen for any food perfectly cooked, and for a steak it does not mean medium-rare! When an Italian chef wants perfect pasta he or she will say al dente. In France for the same perfect pasta, the chef would say à point. A perfectly cooked steak in France is considered rare-to-medium-rare, with the accent on the rare. “..… And trust me, and trust the chef, it’ll be perfect!

iv) Entre à Point et Bien Cuit - Medium rare; a little closer to medium.

v) Bien Cuit- A medium to well-done steak.

vi) Très Bien Cuit (Carbonisé)– An exceptionally well-done steak; however très bien cuit is not in any French chef’s dictionary, though it will be understood. However, do not order France's popular steak frites very well-done, or you will be served the equivalent of fried or grilled leather.

- go for a Prix Fix menu. They are very good value. In some cases you really will wonder why the French aren’t obese. I try to avoid 3 course menus. It can be a bit too much food.

If you continue to the end of Rue Des Archives you will hit the Rue de Rivoli and the back of one of my favourite buildings in Paris, the Hotel de Ville, or the Town Hall. Walk to the right, around to the front of it and take in the beauty of this magnificent building! MAGNIFICENT is the only way to describe it. If you’re fortunate, there will be something happening in the square in front. During the last Olympics they had a big screen, bean bags, chairs, tables and a bar set up for the public! In winter there’s an ice rink. Just fabulous!

At this point you can follow the Rue de Rivoli all the way back to the Louvre, passing lots of shoe shops, clothes shops and places like C & A (department store), Zara, etc… Once you start getting close to the Louvre the shops all start selling souvenirs, so best to cross the road and walk through the Louvre at this stage.

DRINK STOP:
About 3 blocks before you hit the Louvre, keep an eye open for a street on the right, Rue du Pont Neuf. Turn right and on the opposite side of the street find the office building entrance with the word Kong somewhere on the glass. It’s at number 1 Rue du Pont Neuf, but from experience, having the address didn’t help. Take the lift up to the bar, and once you have gone WOW, ask if you can take a look upstairs at the restaurant. WOW. Designed by Phillipe Starck, it’s worth a peek!

OFFSHOOT 2:
Running parallel to Rue de Rivoli at this point is the Rue St Honore. It’s a very trendy street, famous for it fashion stores, it is also home to the Hotel Costes, which, like the Café del Mar, has created a number of chill out CD’s. But it is a spectacular place to see, worth the 17 euro for a glass of wine it cost me last time! You’ll find Hotel Costes near the corner of Rue de Castiglione, just past the Place Vendome. Look for the very cool, very black exterior. Definitely take a walk down this street. But don’t eat here unless you have a Titanium Amex.

At this point I will stop or I will never finish this…. Oh Paris je t’aime!.... and there is so much more to share…. So, until the next walk!

If you would like a printable copy (a word document or a PDF, with no photos) to print and take with you, please email me at ruby's holiday residences with Paris in the subject line.

]]><![CDATA[In Bruges..... the Venice of the north!]]>Sat, 15 Mar 2014 11:20:13 GMThttp://rubysresidences.weebly.com/rubys-travel-blog/in-bruges-the-venice-of-the-northBruges… I have two words for Bruges…. Colin Farrell!! No, really..... History and chocolate.

I love arriving in a city that I know absolutely nothing about. Bruges to me has only been associated with Colin Farrell, who introduced me to the city back in 2008, in the movie "In Bruges". Prior to that I had not even heard of it. And all I can say is “thank you Colin”!

To quote ‘Arry, from the movie, “it’s like a fairytale”. And it truly is. It is human in scale with most buildings only 2 or 3 storeys high, except for the oversized public buildings of which there are a few. These are so ornate they actually look “fairytale” like. The local horse and carriage rides, with their clippity clop sound, transport you not only around the city, but also back in time to when it would have been the only form of transport. Obviously a small city (430 hectares with a current population of only 27,000 people), and given the preservation of the original buildings, the streets are small and usually one way for traffic, if they allow vehicles at all. Though you must keep an eye open for bicycles, which besides walking, are a very popular mode of transport here. Or just listen out for the bell ringing a warning for you.

Immediately upon setting eyes on this city, I was fascinated and intrigued. I needed to discover its history. So in a nutshell, here you go:

Bruges had a Viking beginning, way back in the 9th century. It is thought that the name derives from an old Scandinavian word “Brygga” meaning ‘harbour’ or ‘mooring’. Geographically Bruges is connected to the North Sea by the river Zwin, which made it an important international trading port given it’s ideal location between the northern Hanseatic League (a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. It stretched from the Baltic to the North Sea and inland during the Late Middle Ages and beyond, and the southern trade routes). In the thirteenth and fourteenth century, Bruges was one of the largest economic centres of Western Europe. There were large scale imports of all kinds of raw materials and production and export of luxury and artistic goods. The most important import was English wool, which was utilised to make the renowned Flemish linen, which was then exported. Traded materials included fur, oak, iron, silver, grain, wine, gemstones, ivory, oil and gold. Bruges was known for its production of luxury textiles and confectionery, as well of course, art, having given us painters such as Jan Van Eyck and Hans Memling.

But Bruges success was tidal, with it’s rise, and fall, and rise again. When the river began to silt up, (soon after the 12th century) Bruges adapted by creating ports in Damme and Sluis and developing land transportation. Traders from all over the world continued to do business in Bruges. In fact it is believed that the first stock exchange was born in Bruges. On Vlamingstraat you can still find the Ter Beurze building (see photo below), a famous 14th century inn. Through it’s location in the commercial and financial heart of the city, it was very much frequented by foreign traders. The business transacted here (securities were bought and sold, money exchanged, etc) served as an example to other European centres and hence the name “Bourse” (from Beurze) is now utilised and remains the same in many different languages.

The fall of Bruges started around the 15th century when the Zwin started to silt up further and the larger harbour in Antwerp began to dominate. Art and architecture continued to flourish however. But by the end of the 16th century Bruges no longer held any power and by the middle of the 18th century, it was the poorest city in Belgium.

The last half of the 19th century saw another rise by way of tourism, attracting wealthy British and French tourists. It truly experienced a renaissance in 1965 when it underwent major renovations and restorations and generated a surge in tourism and economic activity. It was then designated “European Capital of Culture” in 2002 and now attracts 3 million tourists annually.

But lets get back to Colin…oh, sorry, I meant chocolate! I kept wondering how it is that there are so many chocolate shops in Bruges. And I mean the streets are literally riddled with chocolate shops. Chocolate hit mainland Europe in the 17th century and it seems that Belgium was the fortunate recipient of a steady supply of cocoa beans when it’s colonized the African Congo in 1908. Belgium now produces 172 000 tons of the stuff! In fact the Belgians must have a sweet tooth because not only is chocolate everywhere, so too are waffles, specloos (spicy crisp cookies) and sweet cafes, yes that’s right, cafes only selling sweet things!

Besides chocolate, typical food and drink include a traditional Flemish stew, which is meat, cooked long and slowly, with a beer specially brewed for cooking only, mussels, waffles....

And now to beer… well it would be impossible to try all the beers that Belgium produces without requiring a liver transplant. Given that there are currently 3000 different beers being produced now, with new ones introduced each week, it’s hard to keep up. During the 15th century, when the city was at its most powerful, Bruges boasted no less than 54 breweries within its fortified walls.

Of course there is plenty to see in Bruges, though you could cover it all in a jam packed few days. From the Belfry with its 366 steps, to an exhibition of Salvador Dali and then from Picasso to the potato (yes, there is a Frites Museum!), there is a lot to see. Of course you must visit the Historium as it has recreated 15th century Bruges as a walk through exhibition.

Of course, besides the history and architecture, the people are what make a city, and the Belgians don’t disappoint. Friendly and relaxed, it is a pleasure to deal with them (aside from making me completely jealous as everyone I met here could speak three languages!). I could not fault the service I got anywhere, from buying frites to ordering a drink at a 5 star hotel. Ultra friendly and sincere service. Where have these Belgians been hiding all this time!? A special thanks to Hans at my hotel for the great service from both himself and his staff. See you again this summer!

PS See the movie In Bruges. Consider it a travelogue! Besides featuring Bruges, it features Colin Farrell! (Anyone would think I like Colin Farrell? :) )

PPS I obviously was heavily influenced by the portraits on display all around.. it was all about the Portrait!

]]><![CDATA[Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Cote d'Azur]]>Sun, 02 Sep 2012 08:39:34 GMThttp://rubysresidences.weebly.com/rubys-travel-blog/villa-ephrussi-de-rothschild-cote-dazur

The Villa viewed from the French garden at the back of the house.

If you're into all things French, old and decadent, your itinerary while in Nice must include a trip to the Villa Ephrussi de Rothshild. More easily accessed by car, it is a very short train trip from Nice. Catch a train towards Italy, hop off at Beaulieu Sur Mer and you're nearly there.

The Villa is located on the exclusive St Jean Cap Ferrat, which extends out between Beaulieu Sur Mer and Ville Franche. However Beaulieu Sur Mer offers you another villa to visit, Villa Kerylos (which is also, by the way, just next door to Mr Eiffel's old residence) as well as a beach for a post visit dip! It's also slightly closer, so Beaullieu Sur Mer is the better option to hop off the train.

As you leave 'la gare', (the train station - if you're going to France, you'd better get used to it), turn left and head down to the main road, a 1-2 minute walk, then it's a right hand turn and you'll soon find yourself walking along the beachfront with St Jean Cap Ferrat ahead of you, heading out to sea on the left. Atop this you will see a very large pink house. This is the final destination.... March up the first hill, take the second street on the left and keep walking. It's a tough walk in the heat of the day with parts of the street not even having a footpath! But once you're up at the Villa, a cool sea breeze will be your reward.

So the story of this Villa? And what an interesting story it is.....

The main character of this story is Beatrice de Rothschild, who was born in 1864, and was the daughter of the banker and major art collector Baron Alphonse de Rothschild. At the the tender age of 19, she married a family friend, Maurice Ephrussi, a Parisian banker of Russian heritage and 15 years her senior. Probably not the best of marriages (she caught a disease from him that made her unable to bear children), Maurice, a gambler, in 1904, was over 12 million gold francs in debt (about 30 million euro today). The Rothschild family took him to court and after 21 years of marriage, Beatrice and Maurice were separated.

A year later, Beatrice's father passed away and she inherited a huge fortune. It was at this time that she decided to build Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.

She came across the land, which runs along the top of the Cap and has stunning water views to either side, in 1906 and fell in love with the area. She immediately made the purchased once she discovered that King Leopold II of Belgium was also interested in it. She then discovered that her husband's cousin, Madame Fanny Reinach, the wife of Theodore Reinach, was building a Villa just across the water, the Villa Kerylos (which is built as a replica of an ancient greek home. Well worth a visit!) and she pressed on to build a bigger and better villa. Work began in 1907 and took 5 years. Apparently she was not the easiest of clients.

She furnished the Villa herself and "shopped" at the Beaulieu Sur Mer train station! One of the Rothschild businesses (well, they had shares in the business), the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranee Train Company, would send a train from Paris laden with furniture, paintings and objets d'art for her to choose from. She would select her purchases from the platform and the other purchases were then sent on to to her villa in Monaco. Of course she had many friends who were dealers and experts in the art world, and her home became an art collectors paradise, full of magnificent pieces including furniture, paintings, porcelain and the like, which can still be seen there today, including a dress laid out for her in her bedroom and her collection of Chinese costumes and shoes.

This Villa was her winter residence from 1912 and she returned regularly for the next 10 years. A year before her death in 1933, she bequeathed the Villa and all of it's contents to the Academie des Beaux-Arts.
Lucky us!

And the gardens..... well....

She obviously had a passion for gardens as displayed in her four acres. There are nine magnificent gardens within these acres, including a Cactus, Rose, Oriental and Provencal Garden with scattered patios. waterfalls, ornamental ponds, flowerbeds and lovely shady paths. Of course the priorty was given to the French Garden, the most visible garden, located directly behind the Villa, complete with synchronised fountains which dance to music every 20 minutes.

There is so much more to share, and of course no words could compete with a visit,. So make sure it's in your list of Places to See while in the South of France.

Stay tuned..... Next stop: SANTORINI, Greece!

]]><![CDATA[Grasse, the Perfume Capital, visit 1]]>Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:00:00 GMThttp://rubysresidences.weebly.com/rubys-travel-blog/grasse-the-perfume-capital-visit-1

The Fragonard Factory in Grasse

Ok, so it was a slight change of plan since my last blog…. Every time I am in Nice I keep thinking that I must visit Grasse. It is the perfume capital, and of course, I had a huge desire to go and learn about it. So since this was my last full day here, I decided to do it! Quite unprepared I might add, but I headed off regardless.

From Nice Ville, Grasse is just over an hour by train, at 9.10 euro each way and they run every hour, or thereabouts(there is bus but I imagine would take much longer). When you get on the train, don’t forget to sit upstairs, on the coast side (the left hand side as you face the direction of travel) to enjoy the lovely coastal view all the way to Cannes!

On arrival, in what looks like a rather nondescript, mountainous kind of suburb, I headed into the Tourist Information Office in the station and collected a bunch of brochures and a map of the town (yes, don’t we all love free things!). I discovered that the “town” is actually a bus ride away, or as the sign said “200 steps”, though there was no other signage directing me to those steps even if I was feeling game. And lo and behold there was a bus waiting there for me. The driver was very helpful and said that he'd let me off at my desired spot. (Well actually I discovered that it wasn’t my desired spot, but this place was even better!)

The winding, uphill trip gave me the opportunity to read the brochures and get semi acquainted with the town on my map. With only one problem, the SNCF train station I just got off was not on the map. So I had no idea where I was going, or coming from. No matter. I was dropped off at the Fragonard Perfume factory, so I was happy.

In the 15th Century Grasse was known through Europe for its thriving tanning industry. In the 16th Century its perfume industry grew from the latest trend for perfumed gloves made popular by Catherine de Medici, as well as the increasing interest in the cultivation of aromatic plants. (Grasse still supplies many of the raw ingredients used for perfume making today.)

Which brings us back to the Fragonard factory… One of the last family owned artisan factories remaining, this long running business has been making and selling perfume for over 80 years. Named by its founder’s great respect for the famous Grasse resident, Jean-Honore Fragonard was a famous painter whose parents were, conveniently, a glove maker and a perfumer.

The Fragonard factory, built in 1782, contains the worlds first perfume museum which opened in 1976 where the founders grandson, Jean-Francois Costa, pays tribute to the artists and artisans who shaped the craft of fragrance making for centuries. Artefacts, equipment and memorabilia from Ancient Egypt times through to more recent times are on display here. (The business is still run by Jean-Francois' three daughters.)

Heading to the bottom floor, I discover that they conduct free guided tours, every 15-20 mins or so, in many different languages. This takes you very briefly through the steps of manufacturing a perfume, and soap, including a beautiful display of an old method (not used since the 70’s) of extracting an essence from flowers (see photos below).

Filtering the essences...

Making soap eggs...

Getting the essence from flowers....

* Flowers were placed face down into animal fat. These flowers were changed every day for a month. Alcohol was used to wash the fat from the board and this was then boiled off. The fragrant oil remaining was the essence.

The final room on this floor is the Creation Room, though I could have sworn she called it the Nose Room. A perfumer must study for 3 years, followed by 7 years of training before they are qualified. Upon completion, they must be able to identify up to 3000 essences!

The last stop of the tour is, of course, the Boutique. Here we do some smell tests and try to distinguish the different flowers, wood and spices in some perfume. It’s fascinating as some smells really are quite obvious, while others subtly tease the nose with an uncertain recognition. No, I wasn’t buying anything so I quickly exited the building…

Phew, out onto the street to breathe some (relatively) odourless air. Too many smells certainly do take its toll.

I discover that Grasse old town is a one minute walk away. It is quite similar to other old French towns, in that it is car free, with small winding streets that are braced by shops and cafes. Small squares open up and accommodate the larger cafes. One glorious addition to this town however, are the mist hoses draped across the street in regular intervals. It’s a welcome relief from the heat of the day. Thank you Grasse.

But that was all I had time for here today. So after following (read: chasing) a bus that had GARE SNCF as it’s destination, I stumbled upon the Gare Routiere, or what is known in English as the Bus Station! Bonus!

There was much more to see in Grasse, but I always need an excuse to come back to a town, so I have many more excuses left to come back to Grasse.

]]><![CDATA[Welcome to Ruby's Travel Blog]]>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:31:07 GMThttp://rubysresidences.weebly.com/rubys-travel-blog/first-post

How many times, and for how many years, have I wanted a way to share my travels. My handwriting ends up looking like scrawl, I thought of a dictaphone (but then what?), and so on and so on. I usually travel on my own , so my thoughts, questions, ideas and jokes usually go wasted and unshared. I used to hound a friend with (very) regular text messages, but then I figured that I should actually stop bothering him so much. Then I though of Facebook... then someone suggested Twitter (only just got acquainted with Twitter)..... but here I am.

Recently I was reminded of a good old fashioned method, a travel journal! (My god, how many trips, dates, places, travel tips, not to mention jokes again, have I not recorded!?)

Today my IDEA light bulb went off....

This afternoon I got an unconfirmed "yes" to listing some gorgeous holiday studios in Nice, France on this website, and my mind started to churn through all that I had read recently (read= didn't understand at all) about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that I need to understand and implement to get more "hits" to my website i.e. boost business. A blog was one of those methods! So here it is! The birth of the Ruby's Residences blog.

It won't read like a travel journal ( I wouldn't bore you with all that) but more like my travel experiences, observations and tips.

I hope it will inspire, prepare and assist you in your travels.

Happy travelling!

Stay tuned... coming up next is Nice, Cote D'Azur, France.

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