Officially known as the Cimitière de l’Est, Père Lachaise is perhaps the most famous cemetery in the world – and one of the few that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Many come to see the shrines of such iconic figures as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, or just to pay homage to the spirit of bohemian thinking and resistance that seems personified by this spot and the many who rest here.

Located in the 20th arrondissement, the 48-hectare tract was established in 1804 on the orders of Napoleon and has since become a pantheon to the great and famous of France, and beyond. Wandering among the imposing architecture of tombs and statuettes you might chance upon any of a long list of famous names, including Honoré de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Heloïse and her beloved Abelard, René Lalique, Molière, Modigliani, Yves Montand, Édith Piaf, Karel Appel, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Georges Haussmann, the man who rebuilt Paris into the grand capital it is today. (more…)

The biennial Paris Car Show is not just the oldest and one of the largest in the world, but also one of the most glamorous events on the annual car show circuit.

The names are familiar to those of us who love cars. Earl’s Court, London, Geneva, Detroit, Frankfurt and Paris. Along with a growing number of Asian car shows these are the industry’s calling cards, the glamorous occasions when manufacturers from across the world show their imminent new models and the flights of fantasy that designers and engineers have moulded into physical shape. (more…)

Austrian-born Markus Glocker is a young chef making a name for himself in the increasingly international world of top cuisine. Having trained under and worked with some of the great names in the business this two-Michelin star chef continues a fine Austrian tradition of producing top gastronomic talent. Glocker currently stars as Chef de Cuisine for Gordon Ramsey at The London, New York.

You trained in Austria and now work for a British chef creating modern interpretations of French classics – which culinary tradition would you say has been the greatest influence on you as a chef?
For me, Austrian cuisine is not meant to be the ultimate fine dining experience but combining it with different styles like British/French makes it more interesting. Austrian food is all about culture, roots and region. Most people’s idea of Austrian food is that it is rich and heavy, but nowadays it is becoming lighter and more interesting, and people are more willing to experiment and accommodate new flavours. There is a new generation of chefs that have left Austria to experience new techniques and flavours, and who are now coming back to apply what they have learned to Austrian cuisine. (more…)

Absinthe, the drink forever associated with bohemian Paris and its catalogue of late 19th century artists, poets and dangerous-living bons vivants, is at the heart of a fascinating revival.

It was a time of mystery and experimentation with Paris at its very heart. Sherlock Holmes was pursuing his imaginary nemesis Moriarty through the streets of East London just as Inspector Juve stalked the alleyways near the Place Pigale in search of the equally imagined but nonetheless formidable Fantomas. In nearby streets the poets, artists and would-be revolutionaries of the day met to plot, set the world to rights or simply to get drunk together. (more…)

A favourite with well-to-do travellers, Monaco is the ultimate playground of the rich and famous – a name synonymous with glamour and that singular Riviera feeling.

Much of Monaco’s fame is derived from the days when the worlds of classical charm and technological innovation were meeting head-on. In those days new worlds opened up for a glamorous few as ‘modern’ cars, steamships and aeroplanes carried them across continents and oceans in search of new and exciting experiences. What made those halcyon days so special was the fact that it was all done with quite some elegance and style – not to mention opulence. (more…)