Celebrating Leonardo da Vinci

Some of the anatomical details that he sketched were so accurate that they were not verified scientifically until as recently as the 1980s. He was the author of notable studies such as Proportions of the Human Figure, a work often known simply as Vitruvian Man, which includes text on the squaring of the circle and the observation that the length of a human’s outstretched arms is typically equal to a person’s height.

Arras Christmas market

“For me, Arras is one of the most beautiful cities in France, maybe in Europe. It’s very nice to work here, with good people and good conditions. For the business it’s a very good place for us. Belgian chocolate is very appreciated here in France they don’t have the same one — we have Belgian chocolate!” said Thomas Laforge at the Doctor Steam Bar, as, instead of trying his hot chocolate, I sipped a cup of his mulled wine fortified with a shot of rum.

Ski instructing on Alpe d’Huez

Christian Jacques is an École du Ski Français (ESF) ski instructor working in the Alpe d’Huez grande domain Ski. Last week I spent time with the 57 year old, who’s in his 38th season as an instructor, exploring the 250km network of pistes in the French resort.