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14 Facts You Didn’t Know About Marie Antoinette

14 Facts You Didn't Know About Marie Antoinette

What do you know about Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France (1755-1793) and Versailles? Here's 14 facts you may not know about this iconic French Queen who started a new life in France with youth and enthusiasm and ended up living in one of the most tumultuous periods of history.

Described by her brother, Emperor Joseph II, as “honest and lovable,” Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess and the wife of King Louis XVI. She remains one of the most iconic characters in Versailles’ rich history. She arrived at the French Court aged only fifteen. From the time of her marriage to the Dauphin Louis, heir to the throne, she found it difficult to adapt to French customs and when she became Queen, she committed more and more blunders, often unwittingly, which gradually alienated public opinion, helping to tarnish her image in a most disastrous way. - Chateau of Versailles official website

Life in Rural France – Foraging for Vegetables

Life in Rural France - Blackberry picking in Fourdan Guern

Life in Rural France - Picking Wild Fruit & Pommes Aligot Recipe

Life in rural France revolves around the seasons and that means food, festivals and chores vary depending on the ebb and flow of seasonal weather and produce. There is a time for everything. Such as delicious artichokes in March and scrumptious apples in September.

My family does not have a history of farming or land ownership so our hands on experience with crops and stock is very limited. Living part time in a farming village in France has really opened our eyes to the life of a farmer and the very real connection between daily weather, seasons and produce. Getting in tune with nature has been a very positive part of living amongst the cow pastures, chicken farms and maize crops that surround our tiny village.

Maison de la Tour Eiffel in Pontrieux

Maison de la Tour Eiffel, Pontrieux

Pontrieux is a town nestled slightly inland from the coast of northern Brittany just north of Guingamp and is home to the well known Maison de la Tour Eiffel (a half timbered building in the centre of town). The town is so pretty with all its flower boxes, colourful bushes and historical buildings and I've written about it before (see posts below). This blog post however, is all about the half timbered houses including the 'Eiffel House' or otherwise called, Maison de la Tour Eiffel.

Librairie Jousseaume – Ancient Bookstore at Galerie Vivienne, Paris

Librairie Jousseaume the ancient bookstore at Galerie Vivienne, Paris

Librairie Jousseaume is an ancient bookstore in what is considered one of Paris' loveliest covered passageways, Galerie Vivienne. Galerie Vivienne was inaugurated in 1826 and with its neoclassical decor, mosaic floor and cupola it quickly became Paris' loveliest covered passageway. Located in the central 2nd arrondissement, the gallery is 176 metres long and just 3 metres wide and has been listed as a historical monument since 7 July 1974.

Librairie Jousseaume, Galerie Vivienne, Paris 1905

When the passageway first opened, the bookstore (librairie) was one of the original tenants. The name of the initial store was Librairie Petit-Siroux and you can still see this original name above the store's window. Librairie Jousseaume is in fact made up of two shops which face each other at the point where the covered passage changes direction.

An Insider’s Guide to Provence by Keith Van Sickle

Market place with cafes in Arles, Provence

'An Insider's Guide to Provence' by Keith Van Sickle

The opening quote in Keith Van Sickle's latest book, 'An Insider's Guide to Provence' is the perfect quote describing the beautiful area of Provence ...

"When the Good Lord begins to doubt the world, he remembers that he created Provence" - Frédéric Mistral

Author Keith knows Provence well and his latest, and third book, is a guide sharing everything he's learnt over more than a decade of living part-time in, and exploring Provence, with his trusty co-adventurer and wife, Val. Acknowledging that the region is vast and covering it in one book would be impractical, Keith instead focuses on St Rémy de Provence and the places they know best.

Best Things to See in Guingamp, Brittany

Arial photo of Guingamp with Pierre II Castle and Basilica

Best Things to See in Guingamp, Brittany

Today I'm going to share what I love about Guingamp and the best things to see in this attractive town in the north western region of Côtes d'Armor, Brittany. Guingamp is the closest town to my little village and where we do our regular supermarché (supermarket) shop, go to the weekly fresh food market and purchase clothes, do banking, visit hairdresser etc. We know the town very well and fell in love with it the moment we first walked its ancient cobbled streets.

Twelve Years of Living in France

Annette Charlton from A French Collection

Reflecting on our Twelve Years in Brittany

You may know that recently I spent time at my second home in Brittany, France and if you follow my blog or social channels, you'll know it's been some time since I was there due to Covid travel restrictions imposed by the Australian Government.

I spent time with friends, worked hard cleaning and doing jobs around the house and garden, as well as a good amount of antique furniture shopping and I visited some charming little villages not previously explored by our family. While there I also reflected on what the last twelve years in France has meant to our family and how it has changed our lives. I thought I'd share my reflections with you all.

Arc de Triomphe Fast Facts

Arc de Triomphe Fast Facts

Built by Napoléon for his army and commissioned in 1806.
It took 30 years to build the Arc.
Napoléon and his army had conquered much of Europe by then and were considered invincible.
Napoléon promised his army they would return home through the arches of the Arc.
The Arc is 162 feet tall and 150 feet wide.
You need to climb 284 steep steps to reach the top of the Arc.

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14 Facts You Didn’t Know About Marie Antoinette

14 Facts You Didn't Know About Marie Antoinette

Life in Rural France – Foraging for Vegetables

Life in Rural France - Picking Wild Fruit & Pommes Aligot Recipe

Maison de la Tour Eiffel in Pontrieux

Maison de la Tour Eiffel, Pontrieux

Librairie Jousseaume – Ancient Bookstore at Galerie Vivienne, Paris

Librairie Jousseaume the ancient bookstore at Galerie Vivienne, Paris

An Insider’s Guide to Provence by Keith Van Sickle

'An Insider's Guide to Provence' by Keith Van Sickle

Best Things to See in Guingamp, Brittany

Best Things to See in Guingamp, Brittany

Twelve Years of Living in France

Reflecting on our Twelve Years in Brittany

Arc de Triomphe Fast Facts

Arc de Triomphe Fast Facts

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