The Jewels of Spring

FAMILY LIFE AND RIVIERA DREAMS IN NICE

We have a new House Hunters International show airing on HGTV this Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 10:30 p.m. EST!

“Family Life and Riviera Dreams in Nice” – Episode 20602

“High school sweethearts from Tennessee, now raising three kids, trade their fast-paced life for the seaside charm of Nice, France. With a tight budget and a need for space, they’re seeking a home that blends beachiness with everyday practicality.”

For more information, visit our HHI page.

To watch on HGTV, (if you are outside the U.S., put on your VPN to the U.S.), then go to their site.

Watching HGTV live from outside the U.S. (like France) is tricky—but absolutely doable if you set it up correctly. Here are the real options, from most practical to most “techy.”

The Reality (Quickly)

HGTV is geo-restricted to the U.S. To watch it live, you need to appear to be in the U.S. and have a U.S. TV provider. This is when you want to use your VPN! We recommend Express VPN.

Best Working Options:

1. U.S. Live TV Streaming + VPN (Most Complete Solution)

This is the closest thing to “normal” HGTV live viewing.

What you need:

• A U.S. live TV service:
• YouTube TV
• Hulu + Live TV
• Sling TV (often cheapest)
• A VPN (like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, etc.)
• A U.S. billing method (sometimes required)

How it works:

1. Turn on VPN → set location to U.S.
2. Log into your live TV service
3. Watch HGTV live just like you’re in America

Best overall option if you want the real channel experience

2. HGTV Go App + VPN (Good if you already have U.S. cable)

HGTV Go

What you need:

• U.S. cable login (Comcast, Spectrum, etc.)
• VPN set to U.S.

Works great if you already have access—but not helpful otherwise

3. Sling TV (Simplest Paid Option)

Sling TV

• Cheapest entry point ($40/month range)
• HGTV included in basic packages
• Works well with VPN

Often the easiest setup from abroad

4. “Unofficial” Streams (Not recommended long-term)

• Random streaming sites sometimes carry HGTV
• Unreliable, poor quality, legally questionable

Fine in a pinch—but not something to depend on

What Does NOT Work

• Discovery+ → No live HGTV feed
• Amazon Prime → On-demand only
• French TV → HGTV not broadcast live

Good luck! And have fun watching the show!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG CHEZ LEEDS!

The icing on the renovation cake of my Marais apartment took place on Saturday morning when four planters were delivered filled with the most beautiful big red geraniums one can imagine!

In years past, it was an annual ritual to visit the nurseries along the Quai de la Mégisserie mid-March, pick out the prettiest geraniums, fill the marketing cart with the flowers and bags of earth, then head home to plant them and install them on the “garde corps”—the railings outside the four windows.

The best of the nurseries is Vilmorin, and it’s also possibly the oldest. Founded in 1743 along the banks of the Seine, when Paris still had one foot in the countryside, Vilmorin began as a modest seed and grain shop. What makes it remarkable is not just its longevity, but its role in democratizing gardening itself. Long before Amazon and online catalogs, Vilmorin introduced one of the very first mail-order seed catalogues, believe it or not, in 1766—making it possible for ordinary people, not just landowners or botanists, to cultivate their own gardens. That simple idea changed everything.

Going there was a yearly affair until global warming took over and the geraniums began lasting through the winter season…miraculously. My four windows were the brightest spot on the street thanks to the bright red geraniums…until I moved out and took them with me to the rental apartment a few blocks away. They (the geraniums) loved that new spot, too, finding the perfect balance of light and moisture, until a hail storm surprised us all and killed them…just like that. It was like losing my children!

Last August, we moved back to the Saintonge apartment upon completion of the renovation and waited all this time till the perfect moment—mid March when the flowers first appear in the nurseries. The date was set in the agenda months ahead in anticipation.

Diane Carruthers and I met at Villmorin to order them up. This time, there was no marketing cart. This time, I got smart. We arrived early so no one was there. Within seconds one of the sales clerks approached and I gave him my schpiel.

“J’aimerais que vous me prépariez quatre jardinières remplies de vos plus beaux géraniums et que vous me les livriez à mon appartement.” (“I would like to have four planters made up with your most beautiful geraniums and delivered to my apartment.”) (I didn’t say it quite as eloquently as that, but he got the point.)

At first he was a bit bewildered and asked me again if I wanted what I said I wanted and then promptly began the quest to find the planters from the zillions they have in stock. I chose the dark gray plastic ones, to be light, picked out the biggest, brightest red geraniums they had (newly arrived), and for just 35€, they kindly planted them and delivered them…the very next day just as promised!

It could not have been easier or more fun! And not at all expensive. In addition, two beautiful African Violets were added to the order to further enhance the newly arrived blooming orchids (9.99€ each at Ikea) and voila! Life is once again both indoors and outdoors.

This make the apartment 100% complete and more than that, makes me very, very content. Spring has sprung Chez Leeds!

AL THANI JOYAUX DYNASTIQUES

They say that The Hôtel de la Marine is “Paris’s Most Elegant “”New Museum.””

If you haven’t yet stepped inside the Hôtel de la Marine you’re missing one of Paris’s most beautifully restored secrets—right in plain sight on the Place de la Concorde. Sadly, I hadn’t…until this past Saturday.

For over 250 years, this building was closed to the public. Today, it’s a museum—but not in the traditional sense. It’s more like stepping into a perfectly preserved world of power, refinement, and quiet opulence.

Originally constructed in the 18th-century under Louis XV, the building was designed to house the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne—essentially the royal furniture repository. Think of it as the storage and showcase for the monarchy’s finest objects: tapestries, chandeliers, and ceremonial pieces.

During the French Revolution, the building became a strategic site. It was here that the Crown Jewels were stored—many of which were famously stolen in 1792. After the Revolution, the building took on a completely different role: it became the headquarters of the French Navy, a function it held for more than two centuries. Decisions affecting France’s global maritime power were made in these very rooms. Only in 2015 did the Navy finally vacate the premises, allowing for a meticulous, years-long restoration, reopening to the public in 2021—the result is nothing short of spectacular.

The Current Exhibition is The Al Thani Collection, all about jewels: “Dynastic Jewels” (Joyaux Dynastiques), on view from now until April 6, 2026. It is presented by the Al Thani Collection Foundation and the Centre des monuments nationaux, in collaboration with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

The exhibition focuses specifically on historic royal and dynastic jewelry—exploring jewelry as a language of power, prestige, lineage, seduction, and statecraft, bringing together rare pieces associated with reigning families and aristocratic dynasties from roughly the 18th to the mid-20th century.

There was one diamond that knocked my eyes out: a pear-shaped (pendeloque) diamond of extraordinary size—just over 90 carats—that doesn’t “sparkle” like a Tiffany diamond,it glows, almost like liquid light. That’s the hallmark of older cutting traditions and this isn’t just a diamond. It’s wealth condensed into a single object making it completely portable, a reminder of a time when jewels were political instruments, not accessories.

What makes it all especially fitting is the building itself. The Hôtel de la Marine began life in the 18th century as the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, the royal institution responsible for the monarchy’s furnishings and ceremonial objects, and during the Revolution the Crown Jewels stored there were famously stolen in 1792. So there’s a wonderful historical echo in presenting a jewel exhibition in this particular place.

So yes: for the current show, the Al Thani Collection at the Hôtel de la Marine is all about jewels. The diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, etc., etc., etc. worn by the aristocracy is mind-boggling. I couldn’t help but think about the value of the pieces, which must be priceless and how on earth the exhibition was even assembled. I wondered where the security was—as there were few visible guards and the staff at the museum were dressed as if they might be taking their kids to the park. It wasn’t fitting with the elegance of the museum of the exhibition.

The rest of the building is open for visiting. You won’t want to miss seeing lavishly restored state apartments, the intimate private rooms of the intendant and the grand ceremonial salons dripping in gold leaf and silk. And then there’s the loggia—one of the best-kept secrets in Paris—with a sweeping view over Place de la Concorde that feels almost cinematic.

NO KINGS! NO TYRANTS!

Start making your signs…and get out there this Saturday, March 28th—the NO KINGS MARCH in Paris and NO TYRANTS in Nice!

PARIS:

Saturday, March 28
11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Place de la Bastille, 75011
(To be confirmed, RSVP for updates)

We have the power and are claiming it together. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings. No Tyrants.

What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy. Our peaceful movement is bigger than ever.

When our families are under attack and costs are pushing people to the brink, silence is not an option. We will defend ourselves and our communities against this administration’s unjust and cruel acts of violence.

On March 28th, rise up, take to the streets, and say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings. We’re not watching history happen—we’re making it. Join us.

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.

NICE:

Saturday, March 28
4:00 p.m.
Réplique de la Statue de la Liberté, Quai des États-Unis
Nice 06300

In 2025, millions of Americans came together in nonviolent protest to oppose the growing authoritarian actions of the Trump administration and affirm that this nation belongs to its people. Since then, Americans have continued to rise up against the escalation of brutality and authoritarianism on families and immigrants across the country.

Our next day of resistance is set for Saturday, March 28, when we will once again join voices in protest against the current administration—standing in solidarity with demonstrations across the United States and around the world. Trump and his administration continue to ramp up attacks on our rights and democracy, ignoring due process and the law, and we will not be silent, we are not backing down.

Note: As with our previous protests, we are required to apply for an official permit to assemble on the Quai des États-Unis. Our applications have always been approved in the past, and we have every reason to expect the same outcome this time. Once we receive the permit, we’ll provide updates on our Riviera webpage, our Facebook page and in our WhatsApp groups.

A la prochaine…