Chocolate to Resistance Fighting!

Jean-Charles Rochoux, Chocolatier
francetoday.com - Jean-Charles Rochoux with his Maker's Mark chocolatesJean-Charles Rochoux opened his charming shop on the rue d'Assas in 2004 after working for years with master chocolatier Michel Chaudun and othe...

Inland Side Trips from Nice
blog.bookingchannels.com - May 14, 2012 Inland Side Trips from Nice – France Although the Cote d'Azur region in France is known for its stunning coastal resorts, it is also home to picture-perfect hilltop destinations that a...

In The Limousin Forest – A Meeting With a French Resistance Fighter
this-is-france.com - Stories of The French Resistnce are often shrouded in romance, lanterns swinging on bicycles pushed by young men and women in dark trench coats wearing berets, with a half-smoked Gitanes hanging fr...

Limousin Cattle, Limousin Countryside, Limousin Life
http://www.1st-for-french-property.co.uk/community/articles/Limousin-Cattle,-Limousin-Countryside,-Limousin-Life/18231970/
It may not be the famous Limousin cows that draw you to the rolling landscapes of the Limousin. But the Limousin breeders are justly proud of this breed of cattle for their ability to produce lean, tender meat. The Limousin countrys ...

Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French Pyrénées
technosyncratic.com - by Christy on May 11, 2012 Bagnères-de-Luchon is a remarkably quaint and photogenic town; snow-capped mountains peek out from between the buildings, the doughy scent of fresh bread wafts from corne...

Les Landes Must Sell - French Property of the Week

Typical Les Landes style at a very attractive price! Lovely summers and mild winters make this area popular. Snap up this bargain!

Town: Moustey
Department: Landes
Region: Aquitaine
Price: € 187,200

Chalet wood types including Landes entrance covered wooden terrace overlooking vast peasant living room with fireplace, the kitchen is open plan.

More Photos and Details: Les Landes Property

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France Tourism 2012 Video

The video is in French but it easy to get the gist of the script, and you will discover some new places to visit. Hey you might learn some French!

The following video is a presentation on tourism in France. It includes descriptions of French festivals, historical monuments, theme parks, gardens, Perpignan and more!

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Boasting of Burgundy + Video

Join Rick Steves on a journey through the delightful region of Burgundy. Not just vineyards as you will see!

My favorite corner of France is Burgundy, a region overflowing with edible, drinkable, scenic, and floatable delights. Its rolling hills and a handful of sleepy villages have given birth to the superior wines and fine cuisine that say "French."

The city of Beaune, snug within its medieval walls, makes a handy base for exploring the region. You'll feel comfortable right away in this prosperous and popular town, where life centers on the prestigious wines grown in the picturesque vineyards all around. Medieval monks and the powerful dukes of Burgundy laid the groundwork that established this town's prosperity. The monks cultivated wine, while the dukes cultivated wealth.

Beaune's real charm is the town itself, which is especially vibrant on Saturday, the market day, when colorful stands fill the square. There is one must-see sight in town, the Hospice de Beaune, a medieval hospital. Six hundred years ago, concerned about the destiny of his soul, one of Burgundy's wealthy sons attempted to buy a ticket to heaven by building this charity hospital. Rich and poor alike came here to die (or occasionally get better). The colorful glazed tiles on its roof established the classic style repeated on ancient buildings all throughout Burgundy.

Read more of the article about Burgundy Wine, Barging, and Beyond

Rick Steve's Barging through Burgundy Video

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French Basque country Video

Another professional video from Rick Steves! Enjoy this striking area in SW France.

The land where Spain and France meet the Atlantic is Basque Country. Compared to their more stridently Basque neighbors across the border in Spain, Basques living in France seem more integrated into French culture. Nestled in the Pyrenees, St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port has an endearing energy, with its mix of day tripping families and determined pilgrims using the town as a springboard for the time honored pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in NW Spain, 500 miles away. Visit Bayonne on the coast to feel the region's urban pulse. The cathedral marks the town's old center where tall, slender buildings, decorated with typically Basque green-and-red shutters, tower above narrow streets

Check out some Basque properties in Pyrenees Atlantiques and Gascony

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Stunning Views of the Pyrenees - French Property of the Week

Dramatic views across to the Pyrenees whilst you contemplate a swim in your pool!

Spacious villa with pool set in 2400 m2 of attractive garden.In beautiful calm spot with marvellous views on edge of village.

All for just 295,000 euros!

Town: Quillan area
Department: Aude
Region: Languedoc - Roussillon

Lots more photos and further details: Aude Villa

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3D travel Tour: Saint Paul de Vence

Great New Find: 3D Travel Tours at PanoramicEarth.com. If you go to this location:
http://www.panoramicearth.com/Europe/France
you can view all the 3D Panoramic Tours in France. At the last count over 20 tours to enjoy.

Panorama of Modern Art supplied by Panoramic Earth

Saint-Paul or Saint-Paul-de-Vence is located in the Alpes-Maritimes department of Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur in southeastern France. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well-known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries.

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Mont St Michel: Still an Attraction?

It seems a shame that the French Authorities are making a visit to a major attraction so difficuly!

Cars have been banned from the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel in northwest France. People coming to the country's most visited tourist site now have to park their vehicles three kilometres from the historic mount, walk one kilometre, then take a shuttle bus to the entrance. It's the latest stage in a long-running project to turn Mont-Saint-Michel into an island once more. But it's getting a mixed response from tourists!

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No France Restaurants in the World Top 10

Surprise, surprise! No restaurants from France feature in the World Top 10. A bad day for Gastronomy in France!

A post in Paris By Mouth reveals: Last year’s highest ranked Paris restaurant Le Chateaubriand, which fell this year from #9 to #15, was surpassed by L’Atelier Saint-Germain de Joël Robuchon (now #12). While Alain Passard, Pierre Gagnaire and Pascal Barbot continue to jockey for position at the far end of the Top 20, Alain Ducasse was kicked off the list entirely, not even making the Top 100.

Among the younger Paris chefs, Bertrand Grébaut and his restaurant Septime snuck onto the extended list at #87, but there was no love for David Toutain, Daniel Rose or Gregory Marchand.

This Year's Top 10

1. Noma, Denmark (no change)
2. El Celler de Can Roca, Spain (no change)
3. Mugaritz, Spain (no change)
4. D.O.M, Brazil (up 3)
5. Osteria Francescana, Italy (down 1)
6. Per Se, USA (up 4)
7. Alinea, USA (down 1)
8. Arzak, Spain (no change)
9. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, UK (new entry)
10. Eleven Madison Park, USA (up 14)

For the full results and analysis: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2012

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Vineyards You Must Visit?

Kerascoet,photos and guide,village in Brittany,hotel and cottages

a-taste-of-france.com - Kerascoet in Brittany photos and guide to our visit to this hidden village. The village is about about 7 miles from Pont Aven and a couple of miles from Nevez The sign for Kerascoet Kerascoet is a ...

Where to Ski and Snowboard in Morzine, France

expertscolumn.com - Morzine may look like a sleepy ski resort village, but there's plenty going on under the surface. Morzine is a truly residential ski resort, and its several chalets and restaurants are often family...

Vineyards you must visit

blog.mytravelanswers.com - You can never call yourself an expert on wine if you haven't visited the best vineyards of the world. A fine wine grows with age and it is only once you come to these long established vineyard retr...

Chateau de Maintenon - Near Chartres

discover-chartres.com - My first impression of Chateau de Maintenon is, it reminds me of one of Walt Disney's... with round keep that fortified the castle… it resemble so much to Snow White's!!The very first time I visit ...

Allez France - no make that Allez London!

The French elections at the weekend could have a big effect on the French moving to London according to a report in Euronews - extract here:

Some wealthy French citizens may be preparing to swap croissants for full English breakfasts with a move to London if Socialist candidate Francois Hollande becomes the next president of France.

It is less than a week to go until the election, and one of Hollande’s proposals is more tax on annual incomes over one million euros.

There are already around 300,000 French citizens living in England’s capital, but some of those who decide to leave France if Hollande wins may go to Brussels or Switzerland instead.

Read the full story here: Wealth tax could cause exodus from France to London

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1st for French Property on your Smartphone!

1st for French Property have entered the digital age. Is this the first UK company to offer a smartphone app to view the Latest French Properties? Here is an extract from their French Property Ramblings blog:

1st for French Property have launched their first app (application) to run on Smartphones.

You can access all the latest French Properties for Sale – the latest properties are updated hourly. In addition you can view videos about the popular French regions, access our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

You can download the app “1st for French Property” on Google Play (Android Market). Alternatively when you browse to our home page (http://www.1st-for-French-Property.co.uk) on your mobile where you are offered the option to download our app or go to mobile version of the website.

In addition, you can access a mobile version of the site via http://www.1st-for-French-Property.co.uk/mobile.

Original article: 1st for French Property Goes Mobile

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A Cheesey Story from France

I like Cheese, I guess most people like cheese. And where is the home of good cheeses? Well France must be right up there! Would you relocate because of your love of cheese?

Interesting post from David Lebovitz's blog about cheese. Here is an extract:

I’m not going to say it’s the top reason I live here, but one of the main reasons that I live in France is because of the cheese. It’s not just that I like cheese – which I do very dearly – but it also represents something that France has held on to, and still defies modernization. You just can’t make Comté or Bleu de Termignon with a machine. Each is made in a certain region, with milk from certain pastures, then molded and ripened, then sent to a skilled fromager to be offered to customers.

If you go into a French supermarket, there are plenty of cheeses to choose from. But traditional fromageries survive in Paris because of the personal service one gets. Not every neighborhood is lucky enough to have a good fromagerie close by, but there are a good number scattered around Paris, and every outdoor market has a cheese merchant, lording over large tables covered with straw mats, with rounds, triangles, crottins, and slabs of cheese from across France

Although people do buy cheese at the supermarket, I like the one-on-one discussion with the vendor, who will verbally joust with you, until they find the right cheese for you that day. I often hope there’s a line because it gives me a chance to see what others are ordering because most shops and I like to overhear the discussions they have about what cheeses they bought a few days before, and how they liked them, and what’s best at the moment.

Got the taste for Cheese, read the full article here: Fromagerie Pascal Beillevaire

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A Cheesey Story from France

I like Cheese, I guess most people like cheese. And where is the home of good cheeses? Well France must be right up there! Would you relocate because of your love of cheese?

Interesting post from David Lebovitz's blog about cheese. Here is an extract:

I’m not going to say it’s the top reason I live here, but one of the main reasons that I live in France is because of the cheese. It’s not just that I like cheese – which I do very dearly – but it also represents something that France has held on to, and still defies modernization. You just can’t make Comté or Bleu de Termignon with a machine. Each is made in a certain region, with milk from certain pastures, then molded and ripened, then sent to a skilled fromager to be offered to customers.

If you go into a French supermarket, there are plenty of cheeses to choose from. But traditional fromageries survive in Paris because of the personal service one gets. Not every neighborhood is lucky enough to have a good fromagerie close by, but there are a good number scattered around Paris, and every outdoor market has a cheese merchant, lording over large tables covered with straw mats, with rounds, triangles, crottins, and slabs of cheese from across France

Although people do buy cheese at the supermarket, I like the one-on-one discussion with the vendor, who will verbally joust with you, until they find the right cheese for you that day. I often hope there’s a line because it gives me a chance to see what others are ordering because most shops and I like to overhear the discussions they have about what cheeses they bought a few days before, and how they liked them, and what’s best at the moment.

Got the taste for Cheese, read the full article here: Fromagerie Pascal Beillevaire

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Carcassonne Cite History

One of my favourite locations in the South of France - the fortified city of Carcassonne. Today the South of France blog publishes an excellent commentary on the history with some stunning photographs. Here is an extract ....

Carcassonne is a fortified city in the South of France. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

The Sarrasin occupation provided inspiration for one of the best-known legends of the Middle Ages…

The emperor Charlemagne laid siege to Carcassonne, then ruled by the Sarrasin king Ballak, who was succeeded after his death by his wife, “Dame Carcas”. The town had already been under siege for 5 years when famine overcame the last of its defenders. So alone Dame Carcas kept watch from the ramparts. To give the illusion that the city remained well guarded, she made straw figures and dressed them as soldiers and fired arrows at the besieging army.

All that remained in the town was a little pig and one sack of wheat. Dame Carcas fed the pig with all the wheat and then threw it from the ramparts! At the sight of such a well fed fat animal, the amazed assailants concluded that the inhabitants had plenty of food and probably weren’t going to surrender any time soon. Charlemagne called off the siege in despair. But before the huge army had quite disappeared Dame Carcas rang the bells of the city to celebrate victory.

Full article and Photos of Carcassonne: Carcassonne City

Video Exploration of Carcassonne:

Property near Carcassonne

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Montal Castle: Lot valley, France Video

Castle of Montal is near Carennac in the Lot department in south-western France.
A few kilometres from the village lie the famous Gouffre de Padirac (caves) and Rocamadour (pilgrimage) sites. Other notable landmarks are the Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux, the Castle of Montal and the prehistoric caves of Lacave and Presque. Check out the Lot Property market in this beautiful area.
The Lot department is part of the region of Midi-Pyrénées and is surrounded by the departments of Corrèze, Cantal, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Lot-et-Garonne, and Dordogne.

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Postcards from Paris

Catch all the latest news from France Update - the daily compendium of videos, photos, stories, news and property market - enjoy it here: http://paper.li/1st4FrenchProp/1307297900

Postcards from Paris, France—A Tour Through the 'City Of Light'

eurotravelogue.com - Around every corner in the "City of Light," awaits a quintessentially Parisian-perfect postcard that fills your frame with the unforgettable sights of Paris. From its soaring monuments and magnific...

You can go hiking rural France on a day trip from Paris

easyhiker.co.uk - By Michael, April 23, 2012 It never fails to amaze me how profonde – how deeply, relentlessly rural – France can be as little as one hour away from Paris.Today's walk – which features some pretty a...

THE SIMPLE LIFE

afashionablelife010.blogspot.com - There is always a misconception of Fashion that it is all expensive and high maintenance. Not true. Fashion is a lifestyle and how you interpret your everyday life. Whether your a jetsetter, a bohe... 

Why France beats England for cycling holidays every time - Mail Online

travelblog.dailymail.co.uk - Max Wooldridge, TravelMail writer Why can't the UK be more like France? Sacre bleu, non! I hear you cry. This blog is not sponsored by the French Tourist Board, or Frequent France as it will probab...

Living in France - a Canadian View!

Here is a Canadian's expose on Life in France - not always a bed of roses. Here is an extract of her pet hates and likes!

Likes

• The cheap cheese and wine: That’s an easy one, but I will never get tired of paying 2 euros for a huge piece of Reblochon and 1.50 euros for a glass of sweet Riesling.
• The geographical position: Being in Europe is a little bit overwhelming for a North American like me, who has to travel quite a bit of land before feeling truly away. In France, though, you can get to Morocco, Portugal, Poland and Greece within an hour’s flight. How cool is that?
• The fashion: Being of a more discreet and classical taste, I enjoy French fashion immensely. Stripes, black sweaters and chunky scarves are all essential items in my wardrobe, and France is the perfect place to put them to use.
• The holidays: French public holidays: 13 to be exact. And if a public holiday happens to fall on a Thursday or a Tuesday, no worries – the Friday or Monday is also off. Perfect for long weekends away!

Hates

• The rudeness: That is a cliché that happens to be spot on. While it is certainly not the case in every establishment, it is pretty common for me, a friendly Canadian, to be offended by the lack of smile or the harsh words of other French people. Sometimes I feel like no matter what I do or what I say, I am just the biggest nuisance they’ve had to face in their lives. After living in France for 7 months, I still haven’t got used to it. How hard is it to be nice to people?
• The strikes: They are not a myth either. Just a month ago, public transportation workers went on an unannounced strike that lasted for 6 days – and it’s nothing like in Montreal, where a basic service is obligatory in case of a strike. In France, a strike means 0 service. Living in France means you are often on your toes!
• The bureaucracy: Nothing is simple when it comes to French documents. Whether it’s about renting an apartment, getting a cell phone, being hired for a new job, settling your legal status, etc., it’s always so complicated. Anyone a fan of Asterix’s 12 tasks? You know The Place That Sends You Mad? It’s actually not that far-fetched from reality.

Original Article: The Ups and Downs of Living in France

Living in France Video: American Student's View

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Eastbourne on Qwiki

Qwiki is a technology company pioneering a new media format that combines the appeal of video with the interactivity of the web. Each "Qwiki" is easily created through a browser - enabling users to combine pictures, videos, infographics and their own voice into a beautiful, interactive presentation describing anything. Here is their video about Eastbourne - and they even gound some interesting facts!

You do need to wait about 30 seconds for the Eastbourne video to load.

View Eastbourne and over 3,000,000 other topics on Qwiki.

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Eastbourne on Qwiki

Qwiki is a technology company pioneering a new media format that combines the appeal of video with the interactivity of the web. Each "Qwiki" is easily created through a browser - enabling users to combine pictures, videos, infographics and their own voice into a beautiful, interactive presentation describing anything. Here is their video about Eastbourne - and they even gound some interesting facts!

View Eastbourne and over 3,000,000 other topics on Qwiki.

Posted via email from Grumpy Old Men