The Blog
Like the way we think about travel?
This is where we work it out: routes and rhythms, the ethics of a cheap flight, the right way to miss a train. If it lands, Mise en Place is the same voice once a month, and the My Life in Burgundy waitlist is open.
Browse our articles…
Southern Burgundy: The Churches, the Chardonnay, and the Charolais.
(17 minute read)
Southern Burgundy is the department of Saône-et-Loire, an hour south of Beaune and a fraction of the price. A full guide: some 250 Romanesque buildings including Cluny, Tournus and Paray-le-Monial, Mâconnais Chardonnay and Côte Chalonnaise reds bought at the cellar door, Charolais beef and Bresse chicken, where to base yourself, how many nights you need, the best months to come, and how to arrive by TGV.
Take the Blue Bike
(6 minute read)
Three days and sixty kilometers on a Vélib'. What the passes actually cost in 2026, why the electric bike is the whole point, the per-trip minutes trap that catches everyone, and what a backwards saddle is trying to tell you. From people who live here.
How to Choose Your European Home Base: Neighborhoods That Work
(6 minute read)
A practical guide to choosing the right neighborhood for your Europe trip. Learn how to balance quiet nights, walkability, transit access, daily essentials, and smoother transfer days when booking hotels or apartments.
A Field Guide to France's Train Stations: Vibes, Snacks, and Mild Existential Dread
(7 minute read)
A frequent rail traveler's honest, firsthand field guide to the French train stations we actually use, from Paris Gare de Lyon and Marseille Saint-Charles to Lyon's two, Dijon, Bordeaux, Pau, and the tiny rural halts. Where to be stranded, where to build in buffer, and which one to leave for the mall across the street.
The Best Times to Visit Paris Museums: A Day-by-Day Guide
(8 minute read)
A day-by-day guide to visiting Paris museums with fewer crowds: Louvre late nights, Thursday Orsay, Orangerie at opening, plus closures, last-entry times, and timed-ticket rules.
Where to Stay in London by Neighborhood (and Why It Matters)
(8 minute read)
A neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to where to stay in London, from a family who always bases in Dalston: who each area suits, the trade-offs, and how to choose.
The Best Thing We Ever Did in Paris Was Have No Plan
(7 minute read)
Two travel planners argue against the Paris itinerary. Aimless walking that takes twenty minutes to stop feeling like a waste, the café as a pause rather than a destination, and the night a shopkeeper in the 20th locked up at midnight and took us dancing. Plus what spontaneity costs.