Paris – je t’aime.

An illustrated journal of pleasure.

 

                                                               le Musee de Paris

Paris, the capital of France and celebrated throughout the western world as the “ City of Love” is also just as well known as the “City of Art” ,and as frequent visitors will no doubt agree there are many good reasons for both descriptions.  In the 18^th century the city was also referred to as the “City of Light” after the first street lights in Europe were installed on the rue Dauphine in 1763, but for me Paris will always be the world capital of style and beauty.

                                            In the Montmartre studio of Henri Landier

My first visit to Paris was also the first opportunity I had to leave behind the (imaginary) safety of the country I was born in.   It was the early spring of 1957, I was seventeen years old and had spent the best part of a whole year organising this trip based around a fictitious cultural journey around the museums and art galleries of Europe.   Sufficiently believable to persuade my father to lend us ( I took my thirteen year old brother with me ) his new Ford Anglia motor car I took off armed not with a list of museums  but a detailed map of the most direct route from Paris to the South of France.   The truth was that in a purloined copy of The News of the World taken from my father’s secret hiding place, I had read about a place called St Tropez, where dozens of beautiful girls lay on the beach wearing only the bottom halves of their tiny bikini swimsuits - and I was determined to find it.  

                                         A colourful display of fresh fruit and vegetables   

In those days ordinary people like us were only allowed to take £50 out of the country without further government approval, but that restriction didn’t bother us at all - as in any case we were only able to raise £80 between us.  Packed and ready to go, with a tent just about big enough for both of us and the bare minimum of everything else, we were soon off in my father’s brand new car – courtesy of the Ford Motor Company - who would probably have had a fit if they knew it was about to be chained down to the floor of an old converted Hercules transporter plane.  With a few shudders and roars we were off the runway at Southend Airport, up in the air in seconds and soaring over the English Channel.  About a noisy and bumpy hour or so later we landed at a small airport just south of Paris. 

                                                             Erotica for sale on the Left Bank

Our destination for the first night was a small camp site on the western outskirts of the city and it was an easy route to follow then , even though it took us right through the very centre of Paris .  The camp site was a pretty little place in a woodland setting right on the bank of the river Seine and nothing like any other we had been used to on our UK holidays, which usually consisted of a muddy field with practically no amenities except for a water tap and very basic toilet facilities.  

M. Rodin on the Right Bank

   
There was even a little cafe , where next morning we bought a delicious breakfast of warm croissants , a pot of rather sloppy jam and a huge cup of coffee each for next to nothing with some of the French money which we had already bought in England.  It was so nothing like we had ever experienced in England, where our usual breakfast since birth had been stodgy tasteless porridge for six days of the week and a boiled egg on Sundays.  We were even able to buy a huge bag of French fries – the kind of chips we had never seen before let alone taste, to take on the next stage of the journey.  Delicious !.

                                                           Filming in Montmartre
After a fantastic continental tour with lots of exciting and unforgettable experiences behind us , almost four weeks later we landed back in the UK with a few pennies over three shillings left in my pocket – about 30p in today’s money and just enough then to buy a gallon of petrol to get us back home.

                                                                  Les Abbesses.

Whatever the real purpose for our voyage  – and we did in fact manage to see nine different countries and one or two museums as well - it actually turned into a real eye opening journey of discovery, changing just about everything I had so far been led to believe about foreigners and their way of life – with immediate effect - and for the rest of my life too. 

Music on the Metro

We did find St Tropez of course and spent several days hiding at the back of the beach staring at the half naked girls,  then wandering around St Tropez itself doing roughly the same thing.  That was also an eye opener of another kind.  At some stage during our trip I said to my brother “ one day I will live in this wonderful country” – and one day I really did.    But not only did I fall in love with Paris, but ultimately with the whole of France , which over the passing years I have spent a good deal of my life visiting, writing about and photographing.  

                                                              Outside Moon City. Clichy

Seven years passed quickly by before my next visit to Paris and by then I was in my early twenties, with a wife and child.  By my mid twenties we had another child and I was running my own business with the freedom and money to do virtually what I wanted and I spent much of the early part of my married life experiencing all the things which were then only available to a limited section of society.  My business (a niche sector of the world of art and antiques) took me and my young, beautiful and glamorous wife all over the world, where together we discovered many and diverse pleasures of life, with Paris regularly on the menu.  

                                                        Fetish Club - Bvd Clichy

 

Later in that same decade I discovered much more about the South of France including an adult version of my previous schoolboy antics in St Tropez. Regular annual holidays with our children to a variety of places along the Riviera always included a stopover in Paris as well as some of the other main cities of the south.     My personal and business interests in the arts continued right throughout the 1970’ and 80’s requiring regular visits to Paris and European travel soon became an essential part of life. 

After my divorce, life with my new partner continued in much the same mode except that by then we had discovered a new and virtually unknown part of the South of France called the Languedoc, an amazing part of the world every bit as abundantly rewarding – if not more so - as anywhere else I had ever been.

I have lost count of my many visits to this wonderful country over the past fifty years – the last twentyfive in my second career as a photojournalist , but whatever the time of year or the length of my stay – a fleeting visit, long weekend or extended holiday this amazingly variable country, it’s capital and it’s people  never ever ceases to surprise .

Paris – je t’aime – the photo-book.

is intended to be a cross between a personal diary, a series of art and travel features , and just a little snippet of modern history.  Short, sweet and to the point and most importantly - with over 150 photographic illustrations from my personal archives - visually interesting as well as affordable to prospective readers I am trying to produce a new  genre of books  – a cross between modern technology and conventional publishing.   We shall just have to wait and see. 
Readers can see more pictures in this series on http://pinterest.com/markgolding/

m.g.   2013. 

 

le OZ’Inn & Natureva Spa – a truly erotic experience.

le OZ’Inn & Natureva Spa – a truly erotic experience.  

A feast of the senses for the connoisseur of style and beauty. 

Historical records show us that extra - marital sex of one kind or another has always been around - and in many cases with the female half of the partnership taking as active a part as the male. But ancient sexual history is not the subject of this feature.

To le Club

In the sixties when a couple took part together in this kind of leisure activity it used to be called wife swopping. In more modern times has become more commonly known as swinging - a rather odd term considering the actuality of it all –but there you are !!.  There seem to be no age limits to this growing form of sexual variation and over the passing years I have been aware of couples of all ages, from fresh faced youngsters in their mid teens to pensioners in their eighties taking part on a regular basis. 

                                                               Just good friends

I first became interested in this oddly curious aspect of adult life almost fifty  years ago and have tried to keep up with events as time goes by  - with as it happens a reasonable degree of success. Like most human diversions – hobby , sport , pastime or whatever- swinging exists on many different levels but like most things in our lives today I am afraid to say that over the years the practice has gradually become eroded –if they are the correct words to use – and quality has been sacrificed to quantity as the desire to copulate with as many partners as possible has taken precedence over the elements of sensuality , stimulation and erotica.

The old fashioned clubs were smart comfortable places with nicely furnished lounges and a small dance floor and bar where couples could take time to get to know each other, before maybe going on to further things.  Today fetish is the order of the day with BDSM clubs springing up all over the place, mostly well run and organised but with the onus upon bondage , pain and punishment rather than a pleasant evening out leading to conventional sex  between consensual couples. 

There are still one or two places with annual events that come up to scratch but they are fast becoming few and far between.   The annual balls like those held by Erotica and  Night of the Senses in London are good examples.   Variously described  as fantasy themed nights of erotic revelry and seduction, they feature among other things playrooms,  bars and dance floors the odd dungeon or two ( think 50 shades of grey ) containing adult SM and play equipment and erotic burlesque performances.   Professionally run and organised with high standards of security and behaviour, guests are encouraged to dress up and explore their sexuality, with fetish wear, latex, leather, PVC, drag, burlesque, boudoir lingerie, cabaret, carnival and military style costume.

                                                                     Sante

 My investigations into this strange kind of phenomena have over the years taken me to many of the capital cities in the western world where private clubs of the old fashioned kind were fairly easy to find , but also on occasion to much lesser known parts where similar opportunities of a somewhat different but equally exciting kind also existed.  Readers may find out more about this in ‘A Lifetime of Pleasure’ when it eventually appears in print.

But in all my travels, as far as this aspect of life is concerned my favourite country has always been France – and in particular that part of the Mediterranean coastal area from the Spanish border right up to the beaches of the Cote d’Azure,  which has for many years been  a popular place for tourists from all over the world as well as for hedonists and sexual adventurers  of all ages and every kind of persuasion - and for very good reason.   For as far as sex is concerned the French still lead the world in their skills at refining this activity as a natural pleasure -the pleasures of food, of sex and of life itself.   Whilst the English in Victorian times hid up all manner of sexual perversions, in France such life was always open and above board -and today in France it still is.

                                               8 Km of Beach - Footsteps in the sand

As a practising naturist for most of my adult life I have spent many happy and pleasurable times in this part of the world and not all, but the great majority of the inspiration and motivation for my erotic writing comes about directly as a result of my naturist lifestyle. 

Naturism as a lifestyle is very popular in France.  It’s not only because of the usually temperate climate in the south of the country, but because the French as a nation have a completely different outlook upon such things as the rest of us, a viewpoint which is reflected in their liberal attitude towards personal freedom and their general lack of concern or apprehension about anything to do with sex or nakedness. 

Many people from other free thinking adult lifestyles are attracted to naturism – sometimes called nudism – because of the privacy that it offers within a safe and protected environment, a combination of freedom and security that creates a very sensual and often intimate atmosphere.  It is not surprising to find therefore, that some of the most sophisticated and erotic exchanges and encounters take place either within or in the near vicinity of a bona fide naturist location and of all the exotic luxurious locations in the whole of France, there is nothing else quite like the naturist village and leisure complex at Cap d’ Agde - often referred to as “The Naked City” .

                                                  A private gated village complex

Situated in the Languedoc region of southern France  and completed in the early 1970’s, The Village Naturiste du Cap d’Agde is one of the most unusual development projects of its time. Gradually rising from a bare spit of land next to an ancient vineyard like some kind of vision of the future, it created interest from all over the world and its innovative architecture has won many prizes for design and style.   A private gated complex only a mile or so from the ancient medieval town of Agde  , built right up to the very edge of the sea, with its own private beach, yacht marina and just about every other conceivable facility, this unique place was soon recognised as the world leader in naturist leisure.

                                                    Carefully maintained gardens 

In 2011  half a dozen new enterprises opened on this two hundred acre plus site  joining the existing 150 already successfully trading here which include thirty two restaurants, a dozen or so bars, an English Pub and five nightclubs  - and also now including le OZ’Inn , a fantastic luxurious trendy boutique hotel every bit as good as anything found in New York, London or Paris and now the jewel in the crown of the Cap d’Agde naturist village.

                                                             

Boutique hotels are by definition small and intimate places, unique in individual design and luxurious facilities. Originally city destinations, the idea has spread in recent years to include exotic locations in other parts of the world and nowhere is this concept more meaningfully expressed than here in the Village Naturiste de Cap d’Agde.

                                                           An imposing corner site

This distinctive Hotel Complex was the creation of Herve Van Twembeke, a dream come true for a man of exquisite taste and good manners  dedicated to the pleasures of life, luxury and naturism - and for his charming wife who continues to play an important part in the overall proceedings.  M. Van Twembeke had an idyllic childhood actually growing up in the freedom of this unique naturist environment before being sent off as a young man to study at a prominent commercial academy. After graduating with honours he continued his education on an International level until eventually returning to the old city of Agde to devote his knowledge to family affairs.  In 1998 Herve incorporated his own property company called California Promotion, which has over the passing years completed a number of prestigious developments in the region in Avignon , Beziers and Montpelier .

                                                A view from the roof terrace 

It is impossible to miss the more than lifesized image of naked female beauty by the side of the road just 100 yards into the village entrance, or the magnificent new building on its prominent corner site just beyond it which is le OZ’Inn, a very special “Boutique Hotel” in a very special setting.  From a vantage point high on the rooftop terrace, visitors can look out over the entire village right across to where it meets the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean , a magnificent sight especially at night as the sun goes down. 

                                                               The elegant lounge.

The whole complex which is le OZ’Inn  is a fantastic place in every sense of the word – the cerebral as well as the physical. From it’s initial inception and design every single component part of this incredible building - from the curtains to the cutlery , linen to lighting , the furniture and the stunning decor has been carefully selected by experts in their field .  As well as the comfortable salon , bars and restaurant area the ground floor is also home to a huge walk in eastern style hammam, a sauna and inside /outside courtyard and tropical gardens and there is another outside lounge and bar, solarium and jaccuzzi on the vast rooftop garden terrace.   The end result is an ambience that is completely and clearly dedicated to the pleasures of life itself- a place of sophistication, taste and elegance.

 Although intended primarily for couples it’s not a swingers club – there are two or three of these already in the village - although what might go on in the privacy of ones room is your own business.   Not much more than 50 metres away from the Hotel itself is Natureva Spa, another part of the California Promotion Organisation offering a complete programme of fitness, exercise and massage within a healthy regime and including a further 56 top quality apartments to rent.

                                                               Little corners to relax

Last summer we had the pleasure of dining at l’ Oz Inn and afterwards spending a pleasant hour or so talking to M. Van Twembeke and his wife, who were themselves already relaxing in the lounge after their own meal.    He told us the history behind the project and that in his mind it was not just a building but an inspirational creation - a place in which he hoped visitors and guests would themselves  feel an essential part of from the moment they arrived.  To be comfortable and relaxed at all times and whilst appreciating the aura of sensuality, provocation and stimulation, able to enjoy themselves at whatever level they felt most comfortable.  There is very little that we could add to that, for it is almost exactly the way we felt about it ourselves at the time and still do after several more visits since.

For some it’s just people watching – with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine – but for others it’s the whole works - a slap up meal with music, dancing and entertainment and everything else that is all here for the asking.   

                                                   Le Soiree in the outside courtyard

                                                        The Marina at Port Soleil

m.g. copyright Feb 2013.