Posts filed under 'France'
My daughter is planning her wedding for May 2007. She is having a really difficult time deciding where to go on honeymoon. My personal choice would be France.
France is a really beautiful country and has been associated with romance for centuries. The French language is considered the language of love and how much more romantic can you get than staying in a beautiful Chateaux, sipping champagne and being serenaded in French.
The Loire Valley is a good place to start your honeymoon in my opinion. There must be a reason why all the kings and gentry of France spent so much money on building their fortresses, mansions, palaces and castles in the Loire Valley.
The Loire Valley is only a short train ride away from Paris, so you won’t have to miss out on the irresistible charm of gay Paris. Just think of the food, the culture, the grand boulevards, the Eiffel Tower, the art, the Seine River, the romantic bridges and naturally the shopping. What more could you ask for on your honeymoon?
If anyone has some input, let us know. It would be good to get feedback from recent honeymooners!
By Doreen B.
September 10th, 2006
Cancelled and delayed flights are sure to have cost airlines millions of £ and $ but I wonder what the long term effect will be on travellers in Europe? The low cost airlines with their cheap air fairs have become such a normal part of travelers lives between London and Spain, Greece and France that it will be a Hugh blow to tourism should that change.
I recon that all low cost airlines like easyjet and bmibaby are going to have to increase their prices simply to cover the extra cost of security since these latest terror threats at Heathrow last week. Budget airlines depend on things like quick turnaround time to keep their costs down and that is not going to be easy anymore. I wonder when we will start to see the impact of last weeks events?
I recon we should start looking at taking the ferry to Spain or France. Make the holiday about the total journey not just about bums on beaches. You could take a ferry from Plymouth to Santander (Plymouth also services France) or Portsmouth to Bilbao. Bilbao is a great option if you want to see Northern Spain, south western France and Portugal. It may take longer to get to your destination but it beats being blown out of the sky or held up at the airport for hours on end or having your flight cancelled all together.
My daughter just happened to be travelling on ‘the’ day of the heightened security at Heathrow and two things she observed of interest was: As busy as the airport was with queues going for miles and miles and waiting times well over 3 hours in some instances to check in and board a plane, she says that people were amazingly calm and even become more human and friendly towards one another. The other observation was that it was such a pleasure to board without hand luggage. There was no congestion in the Ilse and all the passengers found it pleasant and stress free to get on the plane and be seated in record time. I recon the airlines can learn something from this. Get rid of the whole hand luggage thing. In most cases hand luggage is not necessary at all! I am personally in favour of less stress, hand luggage free flying!!
What do you think?
by Doreen B.
August 15th, 2006
If you are bored with Spain, Turkey, Italy, France or the USA why not try the latest adventure to hit planet earth? Space Travel – No really, space travel is now a reality! On July 24th the first spaceflight was arranged for a paying tourist by an agency that prides themselves as specialists in Space Adventures. You can zoom off to space and meander around in space for a mere $15 million dollars. Well that’s the latest and apparently much cheaper than the $35 million quoted earlier this year. (source = BBC)
Now it looks like Russia is considering the possibility of people walking around the international space station, as long as they have a months training prior to the trip and they have the psychological and physical ability.
Well I know I won’t be spacing out! I don’t have the cash, the guts and the inclination.
How about you?
by Doreen B.
August 3rd, 2006
Hello out there
Below is an email sent to Indigo Guide. I thought this might benefit someone else out there so I am posting it. Let us know if you want more information and please let us know what you think of La Brande below?
(email as follows)
Dear Indigo Guide
We are a new ecotourist business with a woodland & wildlife holiday course programme commencing in France this year.
Would you be kind enough to view our site and let us know whether we are eligible for representation on your website?
Our website is www.labrande.com
Many thanks,
La Brande Holiday Courses in France
June 16th, 2006
What are we to make of the Da Vince Code? My my what a raucous the film has caused. First the book and know the film. I read the book and will be seeing the movie this weekend. I am Catholic and I am willing to keep an open mind about such matters. Why cant people let it run its course? Dan Brown has made more money over the debacle than the story itself, I recon.
Anyway, Leonardo Da Vince is a fascinating character and his work and legacy should not be marred by all this. He was a painter, a sculptor, an architect, an engineer, and a scholar. He was born at Vinci, near Florence, Italy in 1452. He died at Cloux, near Amboise, France on 2 May 1519. He has left us more enlightened than most as there are few men that had such varied talent and amassed such a mountain of knowledge.
For those who want to see with their own eyes what he was capable of producing, I believe that the wonders of the Louvre in Paris is a good place to start. This is where the portrait of Madonna (Monna) Lisa, was once displayed. It was acquired directly from the artist by Francis I. They managed to preserve it for three centuries before it disappeared in August 1911. Leonardo took so much pride in this particular painting. He devoted four years of his life to this single face. Another one of Leonardo’s works now stands in its place, the St. John Baptist.
Top Tip: When you travel to France, try and time it so that you are there for the first Sunday of the month. All the big galleries are free to the public on the first Sunday of every month.
What do you want to see on this site?
By Doreen B.
May 19th, 2006
Midway between Spain and Italy, lies the little village of St Reme, Provence (France). It is here that a Motor Biking Holiday company is based. I found this website by accident and thought it would be of interest to people looking for something different to do this summer. Its a Motor Bike Touring Holiday designed to cater for bikers as well as those with non-biker partners and children.
Moto Provencale offer guided tours or self guided tours, so take your pic. You can stay local and enjoy Provence and take short trips to Lyon, Rhone Valley, Vienne, Marseilles and Arles or you can choose to travel further afield staying at different towns and hotels every night. The great thing about this lot is that if your partner or young adult children don’t want to ride bike they have alternate holiday solutions. They also offer bike riding lessons to those who want to learn how to ride motorbikes. Its not always easy to teach people you are close to, so this could be a great solution.
The best part of all though is that they are situation in a very beautiful part of France (San Remy) so you should be kept busy with beautiful scenery, miles of open hilly roads to bike on, plenty of sunshine, stunning landscape and all the culture that France has to offer. There is also the small pleasurable issue of fantastic French Food and Wine which you can indulge in after a hard days riding (or shopping for the ladies if you prefer). If you want your regular fix of junk food though you will have to go to Avignon (about 10 miles away).
Have a look at Moto Provencale for details.
If you are wondering about San Remy, the town is really quaint and is home to the likes of Princess Caroline of Monaco. It was also where Nostradamus was born and where all his inspiration came from for all his weird and scary predictions. San Remy offers its visitors vineyards, galleries, museums, markets and lovely restaurants to enjoy during your visit. If you have time to explore Provence, then don’t miss the wonderful ‘Gorge du Verdon’ which is the Grand Canyon of Europe.
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by Doreen B
April 13th, 2006
When we think of expo’s we usually think of art but France is hosting a different sort of Expo this year. This will probably interest the guys out there. Its the Star Wars L’ Expo at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, 30 ave Corentin-Cariou. Click here for more info on Cite Science and what there is to do. For exact details of the Star Wars Expo click here and then follow the ‘Press’ link at the bottom.
This should really excite the boys in the family (big or small) as you can take a behind-the-scenes journey of George Luca’s sci-fi trilogy. Meet R2-D2 or C-3PO or just drink in all the expo has to offer like the original costume warn by Darth Vader or the many models made for the film set. You can draw inspiration from the stunning effects used in the film to perhaps one day become a groundbreaking film maker yourself. Who knows? The obvious benefit of being at the Cité des Sciences in France is that you get the opportunity to explore so much more like volcanoes, laser guns, physics and robotics to mention a few. Get in there quick though cause it all finishes on the 27th August.
Now the Weather in France could dictate otherwise. With Spring fast approaching, you could be tempted to just take the kids to Disneyland Paris but that’s no fun for the parents if you have already been there and done that. Maybe you should consider a 3 day pass for Disneyland and then move onto something a little different. You might want to do something more fun for the adults - like shopping! Now you might think I am talking about girl shopping but I am not. I am going to send the boys shopping with the girls this time and just maybe the kids will enjoy it too.
Two talented guys have created a design shop with a difference. At SABZ (I could give you the link but its only in French) in Paris you will find a variety of garden things but not the average gardens things. These are designer garden things. Where in the UK, can you find chairs that you can use inside and out? Well, in France you visit SABZ. They have a great selection of really different outdoor equipment like collapsible tables, funky new age parasols and watering cans to mention but a few items. It is just the place you need to visit to get the kids interested in gardening from an early age.
You can find SABZ at 10, cité d’Angoulême 75011 Paris (we have an interactive Map of Paris on our site for you). Trading hours are Mon-Sat 10am-7pm. Now that will be a holiday with a difference won’t it? Disneyland, Star Wars Expo and Garden Shopping!
by Doreen B
April 12th, 2006
My idea of a great relaxing holiday includes the luxury of spa treatments. The destressing effects of a spa with hot thermal waters and vapours not only benefit holiday makers like myself but scores of sports injury sufferers, people with rheumatic pains, all sorts of skin related problems and even sinus problems are known to have been sorted out at spas.
The latest Spa to open (or re-open) at the end of April 2006, promises to be a world famous attraction. The waters come from three natural springs and will be about 40 degrees centigrade. The spa is based in lovely urban settings and is part of a World Heritage City. The City has many other attractions for visitors but the Spa will certainly play an important part in the local economy.
You will be forgiven if you are thinking the new Spa is based at some small or ancient village on the continent. But surprise! ‘The Thermae Spa’ is actually in the UK’s very own city of Bath in Bath Street. It is the only spot in the UK where you can enjoy hot spring water, used for healing and relaxation for thousands of year.
If you are travelling from London, I found this site where you can do Stonehenge and Bath city in a day called OfftoLondon.com. Just relax and let the tour guides and bus drivers do the work for you.
I also found a spa in France with a difference called ‘ Les Sources des Caudalie’. It is just outside of Bordeaux. It’s a luxurious Spa and 4 star hotel in one. You don’t need to book into the hotel though, you can use the Spa on its own. This Spa is different because they offer unique combination spa treatments that allow visitors to indulge in red wine baths, Merlot wraps, Sauvignon massages, Cabernet scrubs etc. Sounds really wicked to me. Imagine the amount of red wine you can consume in a place like that? What a holiday!
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by Doreen B
March 30th, 2006
I think I may have told you that I have Ski mad children. My one son is a Ski Instructor and currently teaching in the USA. His younger brother has now become a Ski fanatic and Ski’s 3 x a week at an indoor Ski dome. So this gives us very little chance of experiencing any other sort of winter holiday besides Skiing.
I have been checking out cross country (or cross border) skiing and it looks like quite an experience. If you anyone has some first hand experience, please tell us about it?
One thing is for sure though, Europe offers the best opportunity for cross border skiing. Portes du Soleil is said to offer the best experience and the largest in the world for interconnected Skiing, covering 14 different Ski Resorts over 650kms of pistes, between France (Mont Blanc) and Switzerland (Lake Geneva) and almost reaching Italy.
What interests me though is the time of year. There is still a good dollop of snowfall during the spring season and plenty of sunshine and blue skies to boot.
We have already experienced Spain’s Sierra Nevada, so I think its time to see what France has to offer on the Ski Resort front.
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Doreen B
March 22nd, 2006
Anyone following this little debate over Beauvais - this is a follow up. Cate has confirmed that Gerry was right. Thanks again Gerry. We value your input.
Doreen.b
March 21st, 2006
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