Parisian Dispatch from Rue de Bièvre

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Look, it wasn't enough to have flawless skin, a great wig, and a plump derrière in 16th century France, you needed to have a spotless colon too.

Paris as you know, is like a jewel box, hiding endless little gems; another of which I’m going to share with you today, nestled in the iconic Jardin du Luxembourg. Begin by finding the south west entrance to the gardens on Rue d’Assas, near Hemingway’s old stomping grounds, and turn right into the fruit orchard where over a thousand trees have been planted by Le Conservatoire National des Pommes et des Poires (there are 379 varieties of apples and 247 varieties of pears growing here; some extremely rare, even biblical cultivars). Choose the path veering off to the left in between the fruit tree paddocks and you’ll soon begin to hear the distinct sound of buzzing bees. You have found the one and only Paris Beekeeping School…

I’ve been yearning to get back across the pond for a good ol’ dose of “weird America”, but I tend to forget that my own country has some pretty odd, quirky and wonderfully nostalgic sights to see when you venture off the main road. Wes Anderson would have a field day with Atlas des Régions Naturelles, an online archive of more than 10,000 photos documenting French vernacular architecture, aka, all the kinds of stuff that makes you do a double take on a road trip.Messy Nessy Chic

In the world-renowned vineyards of Champagne, known for producing some of the finest sparkling wines, an unexpected treasure trove lies hidden beneath the fertile soil. This region, famous for its bubbly delights, harbors a fascinating secret dating back to an era when it was not covered in lush grapevines but was instead a tropical beach, teeming with life. Beneath the picturesque vineyards, an extraordinary array of fossils has been discovered, painting a vivid picture of a prehistoric past when giant snails, known as Campaniles giganteum, roamed the area.

So I found this peculiar collection on Flickr by a guy in California called Frank Kelsey. He’s been collecting for 30+ years – he’s also got impressive collections of vintage ashtrays, matchbook covers and baseball cards – but it’s his sugar cube wrappers that had me really enamoured. My guess is there aren’t that many people that have gone around collecting sugar cubes for 30+ years, so this is probably something pretty rare. Each wrapper feels like a small canvas, a relic of long-gone restaurants, diners or hotels. They offered a unique form of advertisement and brand identity that added a little extra joy to a coffee or tea moment with intricate illustrations and fabulous typography.