Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid (or Operation Jubilee) on 19 August 1942 and as a tribute, I would like to share some of my photos taken in 2008. When I first visited Dieppe in June 2008 … Continue reading
One month and two weeks ago, I set off to volunteer for 2 days in Calais to help sort donations for refugees (or some may prefer to use the terms asylum seekers or migrants). Little did I know that within … Continue reading
Up on the hill of Dieppe in Normandy, France stands a 15th Century castle, Chateau de Dieppe. The castle was originally built in 1188 but was destroyed in 1195. Eventually, the castle was restored and expanded between the 14-15th Centuries. … Continue reading
One of the chateaus that the Tour de France passed by in 2015 was Château de Gudanes. In this footage on their Instagram page, you can see the château in the background.
Château de Gudanes in July 2015
Château de Gudanes is a formerly abandoned mid-18th Century chateau in the Chateau-Verdun village in the south of France. ‘Le Roi des Pyrénées’, the king of the Pyrenees, Louis Gaspard de Sales, Marquis de Gudanes, commissioned the chateau in 1745. The architect of the chateau was Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who later designed the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The chateau changed owners as a result of the French Revolution and a generation ‘dying out’. For many years, the chateau was neglected and became dilapidated. Yet there was hope for this chateau when, in 2013, it was bought by an Australian couple who then endeavoured to lovingly restore the chateau. Their hope for the chateau is that it will be “a place to simply rest, breathe and enjoy the calm.” The Instagram page and website is full of beautiful before and after photos. Who knows, maybe I shall have the opportunity to visit inside someday. 🙂
Continuing on with the temporary Paris theme, here are a few places I dined at in Paris in January 2015. Les Éditeurs 4 Carrefour de l’Odéon (6th arr.) Les Éditeurs is a cafe, restaurant, lounge bar, tea salon, and library all … Continue reading
The Lady and the Rose 