The Battle to Cross the Atlantic

Next week, I will be crossing the Atlantic Ocean on my non-stop flight from Amsterdam to Philadelphia. A common occurrence I hear you say, however a little over a 100 years ago, people were literally dying in their attempts to …

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Marseille, the Capital of Culture and a Giraffe

This weekend, Marseille celebrates its status as a European Capital of Culture. There are parties and events all weekend, so if you’re in the south of France, check out their itinerary! The idea behind the Capital of Culture programme, in …

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Letters from Indian Soldiers in France, 1916

The memory of the First World War, its events and consequences, its victims and victors, remains very much alive today. It has become part of the individual and collective memory of Europe and of countries across the world – the …

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All for one and one for all!

210 years ago this week (on July 24th 1802 to be exact), Alexandre Dumas, the writer of classic adventure novels The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers was born. Dumas was the grandson of a French nobleman and …

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The Forgotten Master: Jean-Honoré Fragonard

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French Rococo painter and printmaker, born on April 5th 1732 in Grasse in the south of France. He trained in Paris with Chardin and then later Boucher. Fragonard is considered as one of the all-time masters of …

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The Art of Seduction: Giacomo Casanova

Giacomo Casanova, Venetian adventurer and writer, was born on April 2nd 1725 in the Republic of Venice. During the 18th century for Casanova, as well as other upper class nobles, love and sex tended to be casual and not attached to …

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