Getting a decent view of the works of art while visiting the Palace of Versailles is an exercise in futility. Try standing back in the Palace to get an appreciation of a six-metre long tapestry without a bunch of noisy school kids or intrepid tourists getting in the way.
I have been going to Sainte-Chapelle since the early seventies when there were no tourists, no queues, no selfie sticks and no security. Then, it was free. But, it was hard to find. Buried behind the Palais de Justice, it was the hidden gem of Paris. It hadn’t even found its way into the guidebooks.
A visit to Beaune would not be complete without seeing the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune. A hospital until recently, the Hôtel-Dieu is part of a charitable institution created in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy.
Le Président is a cake, but it is no ordinary cake. While Bernachon makes an extensive range of chocolates and patisseries, its most famous creation is Le Président, a dessert created for the 50th birthday of President Giscard d’Estaing.
To leave Lyon without visiting the Café de Fédérations is like visiting the Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa. If you like eating with strangers, filling your innards with innards, washing it down with some excellent Burgundy wine, all for a very modest price, then this place is for you.