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For the fifth year in a row, France has topped a list of the best places in the world to live.

International Living magazine’s 30th Quality of Life Index surveyed almost 200 countries across nine categories, including cost of living, culture/leisure, environment, and safety/risk.

“In France, life is savoured,” said International Living publisher, Jackie Flynn. “I don’t think anyone would disagree that France is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, where there is so much pride in all the small details. The French love little window boxes filled with flowers, tidy gardens, pretty sidewalk cafes and clean streets.”

International Living paid particular attention to provincial France, praising the affordability and services outside Paris, especially for retired people and their families.

Australia jumped up the rankings from fifth to second place on the strength of its economic recovery, while the US dropped from third to seventh. International Living claimed that sustaining the ‘American Dream’ had escalated out of the reach of many.

Top Ten
1. France
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. New Zealand
6. Luxembourg
7. United States
8. Belgium
9. Canada
10. Italy

The UK’s position? A lowly 25th behind the Czech Republic and Lithuania.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique can help you book some of the finest luxury hotels in Paris and in many other areas of beautiful France.

The Belgian city of Ghent is declaring every Thursday a vegetarian day.

Civil servants and councillors will opt for vegetarian meals and are urging the public to follow suit. Recipes and tips on vegetarian cooking will be offered and about 90,000 ‘veggie street maps’ are being printed to help people find the city’s vegetarian restaurants.

A party was held in the city, 30 miles west of Brussels, to celebrate the first Veggie Day. On the buffet tables were aubergine caviar and broad-bean falafel.

Ghent’s initiative is aimed at drawing attention to the impact of livestock on the environment. The UN says livestock is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Councillor Tom Balthazar said that abstaining from meat for one day a week was ‘good for the climate, good for your health and good for your taste buds.’ “There’s nothing compulsory,” he added. “We just want to be a city that promotes sustainable and healthy living.”

by Andy Moreton

Belgium is often neglected by tourists doing the grand European tour. Luxique can help you book some of the top luxury hotels in Brussels, the capital, as well as beautiful luxury hotels in Bruges.

Former James Bond, Sir Roger Moore, says it saddens him to return to places that have been spoiled by mass tourism – in one case, partly due to him.

In the feature series, ‘My Hols,’ in the Times newspaper in the UK, he singles out Ko Tapu, a small island in Thailand, where The Man With The Golden Gun was shot in 1974.

“At the time it was a completely deserted paradise with miles and miles of empty white sandy beaches,” said Sir Roger. “These days, it’s been renamed James Bond Island and has really been destroyed because of the film.”

Sir Roger, who’s just turned 81, considers - somewhat surprisingly - that the best food in the world can be found in Belgium. He also loves Venice, particularly black squid for lunch at the Cipriani.

He recalls one trip to Venice when he had dinner at the celebrated Harry’s Bar with Mr and Mrs Gregory Peck and Liza Minnelli. “After a wonderful dinner we hired a couple of gondolas. Quite a lot of wine had been consumed and the party was fairly raucous.

I remember Liza singing ‘Start spreading the news …’ It was about two in the morning by this stage and someone opened a window in one of the houses and shouted: ‘Shut up, who do you think-a you are? Liza Minnelli?’”

by Andy Moreton

Luxique would be delighted to help you share the experiences of 007. We can offer great rates at some of the best luxury hotels in Thailand, Belgium and Venice, including, of course, the world-renowned Cipriani.

One of the most unusual landmarks in western Europe is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.

The Atomium was built in the Belgian capital, Brussels, to mark the city’s staging of Expo ’58. It’s 335 feet tall and features nine interconnected steel spheres forming the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

Three spheres are currently closed to the public for safety reasons, but others are easily reachable by escalator. A two-year renovation of the structure has provided revamped exhibition spaces, a restaurant and activities for schoolchildren.
A number of events are planned to mark the anniversary and all people celebrating their 50th birthday between now and October 19th will get free admission on their special day. Details at www.atomium.be

Brussels’ charms are rather unsung in comparison with London, Paris and Rome, but it’s a beautiful city with many interesting places to visit. Luxique offers a selection of luxury hotels in Brussels, including the chic Dominican, which stands on the site of a 15th century abbey.

By Andy Moreton

On my travels I’ve seen museums dealing with everything from sex to lawnmowers, but until now I’ve never come across one devoted to the French fry or, as we say in the UK, the chip.
Yes, it’s here – and where better to house it than in Belgium, where its fries are already world-renowned?
The Frietmuseum (www.frietmuseum.be), in the beautiful city of Bruges, was founded by Eddy Van Belle, who has already set up museums devoted to lamps (he collected 6,500 of them) and chocolate. He said that when he Googled ‘chip museum,’ he couldn’t find one anywhere, so he did what any of us would have done – he started his own.

In words, pictures, film and potatoes, the Frietmuseum tells the history of the French fry. The legend has it that in the 1700s, Belgians would catch small fish, fry them and eat them whole. During severe winters, however, the rivers froze, so they fried fish-shaped potato pieces instead. The French might contest this version of events, but it sounds convincing.
The museum also offers advice on creating the perfect chip and the Belgians, it has to be said, are rather good at it. Travel writer Patrick Barkham says: “In size, Belgian fries are halfway between chunky British chips and spindly American/French fries. And they taste even better with local moules and washed down with Bruges Zot, the city’s latest award-winning beer.”

by Andy Moreton

Luxique offers a unique selection of award-winning Bruges hotels.