Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for france
The Grand Canyon of Europe
By Linda Tancs
If you prefer your deep river canyon to have a hint of that je ne sais quoi, then you’ll find it at Verdon Gorge, France’s version of the Grand Canyon. Straddling the departments of Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence for 15 miles, the majestic cliffs are the result of the erosion of the Verdon River. Europe’s biggest canyon, its summertime appeal with the locals is owing in no small part to the wealth of activities that beckon from its cliffs, trails and waterways–like aqua trekking, hiking, biking, climbing, paragliding and horseback riding. Those lavender fields and cheese plates will just have to wait.
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Villages of the Gard Provençal
By Linda Tancs
The Gard Provençal in southern France is filled with natural attractions. For instance, La Roque-sur-Cèze was built on a rock peak overlooking the Cèze. Dominated by the traces of the former castle and its chapel, the village has sloping cobbled streets offering breathtaking view of the Cascades du Sautadet. Nearby, at a bend in the Cèze River, is the medieval village of Montclus, nestled between wooded hills, lavender fields and vineyards. From mid-June to early August the lavender prairies stretch as far as the eye can see. What are you waiting for?
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Art and Decadence in Marseille
By Linda Tancs
In the Panier quarter of Marseille is a French gallery-turned-guesthouse that proudly proclaims its marriage of art and decadence. Known as Au Vieux Panier, each room in the five-room B&B boasts a different design by a different artist, redesigned annually by a new group of creatives. The rooms have sported monikers like Purgatory Palace (a convergence of geometric patterns and biblical imagery), Catch the Wind (a 1960s style commune) and the Panic Room (a down-the-middle split between stark white and graffiti gone wild). De beaux rêves!
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Paris on the Half Shell
By Linda Tancs
The City of Light conjures up dozens of gastronomic delights: snails, frogs’ legs, bouillabaisse, pot au feu, boeuf bourguignon and….oysters? Mais oui. France is Europe’s number one grower, exporter and consumer of the bivalve extraordinaire. King Louis XIV even had fresh oysters delivered from Cancale to Versailles every day, or so the story goes. So where is the best place for half shell cuisine in Paris? The favorite appears to be Huîtrerie Régis. Do you agree?
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A Little Piece of France
By Linda Tancs
A little joie de vivre awaits you just south of the Canadian province of Newfoundland. There you’ll find Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, France’s smallest and oldest remaining overseas territory. Once a mecca for cod fishing, the area is now prized for its ancient trails drawing hikers and birdwatchers. Every spring, whales migrating towards Greenland are spotted off the coast of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon as well. You can reach the territory by air, ferry (at Fortune, Newfoundland) or set sail on your own. Bon voyage!
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More Brightness in the City of Light
By Linda Tancs
The Luxor Obelisk in Paris would be hard to miss at 230 tons and 75 feet in height at the center of the Place de la Concorde. With new lighting, though, it’s even more visible at night. The pink granite monolith was given to the French in 1829 by the viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali and is decorated with hieroglyphics portraying the reigns of the pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III. What’s your favorite landmark in Paris?
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National Food Fest in France
By Linda Tancs
The late cookbook author and TV chef Julia Child referred to French cooking as a serious art form and a national sport. So it might be surprising that France has never hosted a national food festival. Until now. The inaugural La Fête de la Gastronomie will take place this year on 23 September (the first day of autumn) and will herald the start of autumn each year thereafter. The theme this year will be “la Terre” (the land), highlighting local products made in different regions of France. Famous chefs will cook on the streets, including Thierry Marx and Alain Ducasse. Bon appétit!
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Playing Solitaire in France
By Linda Tancs
Only single hands on deck for France’s La Solitaire du Figaro, a skipper-only race around seaside towns in France (and one in Ireland). Sailing only the Figaro Bénéteau 2, the 49 rivals comprising this year’s competition will sail a 1,695 nautical mile race in a traditional format with four legs set between the 46th and 53rd parallels, starting in Perros-Guirec on the North Brittany coast on 23 July and visiting Caen, Normandy, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, Les Sables d’Olonne, Vendée, before finishing in Dieppe, Pas de Calais, on 28 August.
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Mountain Do
By Linda Tancs
The largest ski resort in the world is Les 3 Vallées in France, boasting resort areas Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Meribel and Courchevel. With an enviable 600 km of skiable area, you might expect the luxe destination to be largely off-limits to the uninitiated. Au contraire. Out of the area’s 330 runs, practically half are easy and half are for experts. And all are superbly accessible thanks to one of the most efficient and modern ski lift networks in the world. Eighty piste grooming machines guarantee snow cover from the beginning of December to the end of April over the entire ski area. That gives you plenty of time to plan your stay.
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Corsica Museum Reopens
By Linda Tancs
Like any Mediterranean island, it’s far too tempting on the French island of Corsica to spend your days strolling among the beaches, bays, cliffs, mountains and parks. But there are plenty of museums, too–the best known probably being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. Don’t stop there, though. Check out the recently reopened Museum of Ethnology, located in the citadel in the former governor’s palace in Bastia. In addition to coats of arms, city maps, paintings and manuscripts, you can trace the history of Bastia and Corsica from its pre-Roman origins to its role in World War II.
