France

Rue de Monttessuy, Paris, 2007.

Paris

Everyone has a Paris. Although it is surely the most photographed city in the world, it must be experienced by an individual, seen through an individual's eyes. This is the Paris I have seen:

• Black-and-White Photos of Paris
• Paris on a Budget
• Le Jardin des Plantes
• A Visit to Galerie Vivienne
• Three Waiters in Place Dauphine

The Lot Valley and Cahors

The guidebooks refer to Cahors as "a sunny, southern backwater," and I guess that's as good a description as any. For guidebooks. Me, I think of Cahors as a place of excitement, always on the verge of something important. It seems it is always in a holiday mood. But I have not visited in winter.

• The Black Wine of Cahors
• The Chestnut Trees of Montcuq
• Late Summer in the Lot Valley (photos)
• The Market in Old Cahors
• Old Cahors: Twists and Turns of Dark Streets and Alleys
• A Visit to Albas
• A Visit to Le Vinois in Caillac
• The Worker in the Vineyard

Spring sunset over vineyards west of Cahors, 2005

Elsewhere in France

The train from Paris to Cahors cuts a swath through the Loire and the Massif Centrale, skirting the lush Dordogne before it brings you to Cahors. On the train you can feel yourself moving south, feel the light and the attitudes changing.

• A Visit to LaRoque-Gageac
• On a Train Going South

Fig-Walnut Tart, Cahors, 2008

Food in France

I have made some of my best meals in real French kitchens.

• Fig-Walnut Tart from the Lot Valley
• French Toast with Niçoise Lemon in Paris
• Onion-Cheese Soup in Paris
• Warm Pepper Salad in Paris
• What's in My Suitcase on the Way Home