Tea at Trianon: The 50 Most Beautiful Small Towns in America

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, December 10, 2018

The 50 Most Beautiful Small Towns in America

From Architectural Digest:

Culture and beauty are often thought to reside in large cities—but not always. From coast to coast, many towns of less than 10,000 residents prove that America is filled with magnificent microcultures. Beauty in the form of lakes, historic main streets, forests, architectural splendor, and beaches are what the lucky residents of these 50 towns call home. From Kennebunkport in Maine to Washington’s San Juan Islands—plush inland communities along lakes and within forests—here are the 50 most beautiful small towns in America. When developing this list, we looked at easy access to nature, the presence of historic or design districts, and topography that’s appealing in its own right—whether it’s a beach or mountains, or maybe a riverside perch. (Read more.)

julygirl said...: Am sure everyone believes their State has one of the most beautiful towns which was not included in the list, but we in Maryland will go farther than that and proclaim our State not only has the most beautiful towns, but is the most beautiful STATE populated by the finest people.; December 11, 2018 at 9:21:00 AM EST