Teeny, whiskery brown shrimp, vast platters of fruits de mer, whole fish pleasingly scorched on the embers: simple stuff, simply served.

BBC: Postcard from Etang de Thau, France

Highlights: a mosaic of fruits de mer, scallops with quail eggs, roast chicken for two, a bitter chocolate mousse with ginger, and tarte Tatin.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

Some people still swear they can read the English word "sex" in the fronds of the Coco-de-Mer palm tree that adorns the ten-rupee note issued by the island nation of the Seychelles.

FORBES: Living People On Legal Tender

The celebration of silence continues at the Quiet Shop on the ground floor, where you'll find exclusive de-branded versions of recognisable products, including pots of Marmite, bottles of Heinz tomato ketchup, Creme de la Mer face cream and Levis red label jeans.

BBC: Silence is golden at Selfridges

William Windham and Richard Pococke were transfixed by the grandeur of 15, 781-foot Mont Blanc and the four-mile-long glacier known as the Mer de Glace.

FORBES: Flocons de Sel: A French Alpine Gourmet Sanctuary