Tag: france
Louvre
Queues and queue jumpers. Crowds and crowded spaces. There are great art galleries and there’s the Louvre.
Pink Martini
Anything goes and anything but typical: the eclectic curiosity shop of Pink Martini in Paris.
Sainte-Chapelle
Now almost hidden on the Île de la Cité, the Sainte-Chapelle is a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture.
Château de Chambord
Built during the long reign of François I, Chambord is probably the grandest hunting lodge in the world.
Val de Loire
Not for nothing is the Val de Loire called the ‘Garden of France’. Blooming flowers, lush pastures, rich vineyards and lazy old rivers.
Château de Villandry
A Renaissance château and garden, Villandry has been through a lot, but its best years are surely still to come.
Mondrian and De Stijl
Following a visit to an exhibition, a discussion of the life and work of the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian and the De Stijl movement.
Paris
On a cold, rainy February morning, I returned to the French capital for the first time since I was twelve years old.
Barjac
Barjac consists of narrow streets, long shadows and the langorous, whispery silence of endless afternoons.
Pont du Gard
One of the world’s finest remaining examples of Roman engineering and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Elsewhere on MikePadgett.com …
Caracol
An adventure-filled journey to Belize’s largest Mayan site with a local Mayan guide.
- Originally published: 29 Dec 2011 in Belize
Postcard from an old friend
Sixteen years after I won several races on it, my old bike is still working hard for someone.
- Originally published: 22 Aug 2010 in Personalia
The Apostle
How many actors can play winsome and sinister in equal parts? Robert Duvall can. And he can direct it for you too!
- Originally published: 12 Mar 2007 in Film
Farewell, Jamila!
Dining out at lunchtime during the working week is a rare treat. This time we say goodbye to a colleague.
- Originally published: 6 Oct 2011 in Personalia
Ronin
All style and no substance – this beautiful looking film lacks the smarts to make it a classic.
- Originally published: 18 Jun 2007 in Film
Who you gonna call?
Hello you, I'm Mike Padgett. I'm not a Princeton curator, Knoxville mayoral candidate, Kentuckian pastor or Arizona journalist, I just share the same name. In fact, I am a consultant working in user experience and information design.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm originally from Yorkshire, England but nowadays I live in Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is Black Albert.
Shameless self-promotion
Over a year in the making, Dopeology.org is my latest personal project: a topology of doping in thirty years of European pro road cycling.
I collected information from thousands of sources, then I modelled and published it via a lightweight user interface.