REDISCOVERING THE PICTURESQUE IN PARIS
Surprising Stories: La Place Des Vosges: Fashion and Architecture in the Marais
Architecture, Art, Art, Art
When King Henri IV arrived in Paris in 1594, after thirty years of war and destruction, he faced a momentous challenge: how to restart the economy and rebuild the capital city? A Renaissance prince with an eye for profit, he imagined a spectacular…
Surprising Stories: A Princely Wager at Bagatelle
History, History, History, History, History, History, News, News, News, News, News, News
Many of the public parks in and around Paris were created over three hundred years ago by the royal family or wealthy aristocrats. These private gardens were designed as places of play and amusement where the owners indulged their…
Surprising Stories: Monet's Water Lilies, from Giverny to the Musée de l'Orangerie
Gardens, Gardens, Gardens, Gardens, Gardens, Surprising StoriesWith the arrival of spring blossoms and warmer weather, it is all the more challenging to be confined to our homes. It was the goal of many Impressionist artists to capture this moment of nature’s splendor and few achieved this as gloriously…
Surprising Stories: Dining at Versailles: What happened to the Leftovers?
Versailles
Louis XIV was the most conspicuous diner at Versailles. His meals represented the bounty of France, and his appetite was considered a sign of his good health and the well-being of the nation. Dining was a ceremonial occasion and was regulated…
Surprising Stories: Joséphine’s Black Swans
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Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in his pioneering book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (2010), referred to the bird as a metaphor for understanding unpredictability, arguing that “black swans” are events that come as a surprise,…