2018 06 01 - France

FRANÇOISE HARDY BUZZ-INESS AS USUAL
THE QUEEN OF YÉ-YÉ SINGS AGAIN THE SWEET STORY OF HONEY
TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY July 2018 | Issue 238
ALPINE BIKING
…the easy way
FOOD
& eDlin-sRtaIrrNed K
recipe
● Mich
ral Tarn
● Dining out in ru pes
● Gastronomic
esca
● Bold wines
of
the south
Beautiful
villages 45 unforgettable
places to visit
BOULOGNE-SUR-MER
Enjoy a seaside city break
Britain and North America’s

ON TWO WHEELS AMIENS ROAD TRIP best-selling magazine about France
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2 FRANCE MAGAZINE www.completefrance.com
conception & réalisation : L’ATELIER de communication
BIENVENUE
A quiet corner in the village on the abbey island

of Mont-Saint-Michel off the coast of Normandy
Rural wonders
I
n my opinion, there is little to rival a relaxed plenty of accommodation suggestions for village
amble around a French village. It is something stays, too, as well as a study of that most
I never tire of, and I know many of you feel rural-feeling of products – honey.
the same. Narrow alleyways draw the visitor The July issue, of course, welcomes the
into a tangled heart of flower-bedecked houses; stone beginning of cycling madness with the Tour de
walls warmed by the midday sun giving a fascinating France. We share the 2018 route, take a look at
glimpse of local geology. the history of the bicycle, and follow as Sophie
The intentionally lost soul can suddenly find itself Gardner-Roberts tackles some of the race’s iconic
spilling out into a bustling market square, where climbs… on an e-bike.
colourful local produce jostles for position, making A city break in Boulogne-sur-Mer delivers
its way into baskets and bags, to be rushed homewards. a change of pace for Rudolf Abraham, while Eddi
Just as likely is an unexpected, breath-stealing view Fiegel chats to Françoise Hardy about her life and
of France’s matchless countryside or coast. her new music. There is plenty more to occupy the
In this issue, Naomi Slade tells us all about the culturally inclined with reviews, news and the
Lara Dunn
world-famous Plus Beaux Villages – the initiative diverting challenges of the language pages.
seeking to nurture and protect the country’s most We have loved putting together such a celebration Editor
ROLFST/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; NAYOMIEE/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
precious communes. Vicky Leigh takes a lakeside of French village life, and I really hope that you
stroll in Yvoire, Howard Johnson samples the enjoy reading it just as much. There are, after all,
delights of rural restaurants in Tarn, and there are plenty of them to visit. À bientôt!
Simply type in your word in one
SUBSCRIB-EEng! lish language and find out the

equivalent word in the other.
& receive a Frenchtronic Looking up those tricky words is
Elec now a quick, simple and intuitive
Dictionary
BUZZ-INESS AS USUAL
FRANÇOISE HARDY THE SWEET STORY OF HONEY
THE QUEEN OF YÉ-YÉ SINGS AGAIN
process with this handy, portable

Bookmark
July 2018 | Issue 238
| HISTORY
TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE CULTURE
|
FOOD
ALPINE BIKING
easy way
…the
gadget. The perfect partner for
worth £24.99
& DRIN K
starred recipe
your next holiday in France.

Michelin-
●
in rural Tarn
● Dining out escapes
●Gastronomic of
● Bold wines
the south
Beautiful (Battery included).

villages unforgettable
45 places to visit
BOULOGNE-SUR-MER
See page 46 ifplc.com ABOVE: Organic produce on display at a French market

France
best-selling magazine about
AMIENS ROAD TRIP

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www.completefrance.com FRANCE MAGAZINE 3

CONTENTS
July 2018
36
42
30
WIN
● TRAVEL GREAT PRIZES ●BON APPÉTIT
08 FRANCE AT A GLANCE TO BE WON 66 FEEL THE BUZZ
Let our stunning images take you on WRITE A LETTER – 14 Learn all about honey and the bees
a virtual journey around l’Hexagone. TAKE A PHOTO – 15 that produce this golden nectar.
FIND SERGETTE
THE SNAIL – 20
17 LES NOUVELLES DO A CROSSWORD – 91 70 EAT OUT IN RURAL TARN
All the news and inspiration you need to Enjoy simple but satisfying cooking
HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; BENOÎT PEVERELLI; YUKI SUGIURA; NEVIO3/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
PHOTOGRAPHS: FREE ARTIST/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; LAURENT SALINO/ALPE D’HUEZ TOURISME;
inform your next trip to France. while relaxing in three quiet villages. F. CEREZ/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; COLLECTION TOURISME GERS/MAIRIE DE LAGRAULET;
28 ROAD TRIP 48 BOULOGNE BREAK 72 FOOD & WINE

Visit historic cities and World War I Stay awhile in France’s largest fishing Go on a cookery course in France, plus
memorials on a drive from Amiens. port and see its fortified old town. a Paris café and a restaurant reviewed.
30 RURAL JEWELS 52 HISTORY TRAIL 73 WINES OF THE MONTH

Discover the prettiest villages in France Follow France’s naval heritage from its Master of Wine Sally Easton gives us
and the association that protects them. beginnings in the Hundred Years War. her pick of the best bottles to buy.
36 ALPINE E-BIKING 54 FRANÇOISE HARDY 74 FLAVOUR OF FRANCE

Let power-assisted bikes take the strain The singer who found fame in the 1960s Re-create chef Daniel Galmiche’s tasty
out of riding in the mountains. ‘yé-yé’ era talks about her new album. sausage dish from Franche-Comté.
42 TAKE A STROLL 59 WHERE TO STAY 76 MOURVÈDRE UNEARTHED

Explore the village of Yvoire, which lies Choose a rural retreat that suits you The spicy red grape variety is making
between Lac Léman and the Alps. in our accommodation guide. a comeback in southern French vineyards.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND RECEIVE A FREE ELECTRONIC DICTIONARY! SEE PAGE 46

59 70
66
74
54 ● EVERY MONTH
● LA CULTURE 14 BOÎTE AUX LETTRES
Have your say and share travel tips PAGE 48
79 NEWS to win a great prize.
Post-Brexit Britons face fee for visiting EU, PAGE 28
and Seine booksellers launch Unesco bid. 25 HOLIDAY PLANNER
Organise your next trip with PAGE 72 PAGE 26
80 ICONIC BICYCLES our guide to travel routes. PAGE 20
See how the two-wheeler has become
a popular part of French culture. 86 LANGUAGE PAGE 60
PAGE 18
We find the best resources for PAGE 24
82 MARINE VACTH brushing up your language skills. PAGE 74
The exciting new screen star talks about PAGE 66
PAGE 42
her life and latest film, L’Amant Double. 88 LANGUAGE HELP PAGE 62
Find the phrases you need when booking
84 FILM REVIEW an overnight stay on a camping holiday. PAGE 30
PAGE 36
Pierre de Villiers gives his verdict on PAGE 98
L’Amant Double and its provocative plot. 90 LANGUAGE GAMES
Improve your French with our PAGE 70
PAGE 8
85 BOOK REVIEWS selection of fun puzzles and games. PAGE 17
PAGE 76
Indulge your love of France a little further
with our pick of the best new reads.
● VIGNETTE PAGE 34
85 FIVE MINUTES WITH... 98 CAROL DRINKWATER

Cookbook author Georgeanne Brennan Our columnist takes a journey of
shares her love of Provence. discovery across southern France. ON THE COVER

XXXXX
MEET OUR WRITERS…

We ask them to share with us their favourite thing about
the French countryside
CUMBERLAND HOUSE, ORIEL ROAD, CHELTENHAM GL50 1BB Naomi Slade
TEL 01242 216 050 Naomi is a journalist, photographer and presenter
[email protected] specialising in gardening, the environment and lifestyle.
FACEBOOK.COM/FRANCEMAGAZINE
@FRANCEMAGAZINE With a degree in biology and a lifelong love of both plants
and travel, she is the author of An Orchard Odyssey and The
Editor Lara Dunn
Plant Lover’s Guide to Snowdrops (naomislade.com). On
Deputy Editor Simon Reynolds
page 30, Naomi explores the Plus Beaux Villages de France.
Designer Kieran Sparrow
“The French countryside has a romance to it that I find incredibly appealing.
We couldn’t have made this issue without:
Rudolf Abraham, Pierre de Villiers, Carol Drinkwater, I love the way it envelops you and sends you on an adventure that is so
Sally Easton, Eddi Fiegel, Heidi Fuller-love, Daniel Galmiche, different to the British landscape. The sun rising over soaring mountains,
Sophie Gardner-Roberts, Robin Gauldie, Régine Godfrey,
the swallowtail butterflies and fields of sunflowers; it is dramatic, beautiful,
Sandra Haurant, Howard Johnson, Vicky Leigh, Neil Puttnam,
Dominic Rippon, Mark Sampson, Naomi Slade, Peter Stewart, amazing and full of new discoveries.”
Tim Wesson, Melissa Wood, Joe Worthington
ARCHANT FRANCE PORTFOLIO Rudolf Abraham

FRANCE Magazine, Living France, French Property News Rudolf is an award-winning travel writer and photographer
Group Editor Karen Tait whose love of France stretches back three decades. He is
Digital Editor Emma Rawle the author of more than ten books and has contributed to
many more, and his work is published widely in magazines
ADVERTISING
ARCHANT SPECIALIST SALES DIRECTOR SUE CRWYS-WILLIAMS (www.rudolfabraham.co.uk). On page 48, Rudolf takes
[email protected]
ADVERTISING MANAGER EMMA KESTIN a weekend break in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
TEL: 01242 265 891, [email protected] “There are many things I love about France, not least of them being the
ACCOUNT MANAGER DANIELLE MAY
TEL: 01242 264 760, [email protected] French countryside – whether hiking across a snow-streaked ‘col ‘ in the
ACCOUNT MANAGER STEPHEN EGGERTON
TEL: 01242 216 070, [email protected] Pyrénées, sipping Pineau among the rolling hills of Charente, cycling along
CUSTOMER SERVICE tree-lined canal paths in Brittany, or enjoying a ‘bière‘beside the vast,
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES TEL: 01858 438 840, dune-backed beaches of Pas-de-Calais.”
[email protected]
ALL OTHER ENQUIRIES SARAH GOUGH TEL: 01242 264 785,
[email protected]
Eddi Fiegel
ARCHANT SPECIALIST MAGAZINES Eddi is an award-winning journalist and author, contributing
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MAGAZINES PETER TIMPERLEY
[email protected] to publications including The Telegraph, The Independent
EVENTS DIRECTOR DEBBIE MACLEOD
and The Guardian. Her grandparents lived in Paris
SUBSCRIPTIONS & LOYALTY TEAM MANAGER PAUL UPTON
[email protected] throughout her childhood and she grew up visiting France
DIRECT MARKETING EXECUTIVE ABIGAIL STOCKTON
[email protected] regularly. She has a passion for French cinema and music.
WEB TEAM JAMES PARFITT, CHRIS SCARLE On page 54, Eddi profiles the singer Françoise Hardy.
[email protected]
PRINTED BY WILLIAM GIBBONS LTD, WILLENHALL, ENGLAND. “I love the tranquillity, clear air and majesty of the French countryside.
But most of all, I love the way it so often feels as though you are wading into a
COVER IMAGE: THE PLUS BEAU VILLAGE OF NAJAC IS PERCHED ON Monet or Van Gogh painting. Whether you are ambling along avenues of
A ROCKY RIDGE IN AVEYRON IMAGE BY LAURENT MOREAU/HEMIS.FR
plane trees or strolling through fields of shoulder-high sunflowers, you can
FRANÇOISE HARDY
BUZZ-INESS AS USUAL
THE SWEET STORY OF HONEY
AVALLON AMBLE
DISCOVER HIDDEN BURGUNDY
WEEKEND GETAWAY
SUNSHINE IN THE CITY IN CANNES
see why the landscape has inspired so many artists.”
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TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY June 2018 | Issue 237
TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY July 2018 | Issue 238
BON
Summer
APPÉTIT
of baking a tart
● The art
ALPINE BIKING ● Armagnac tasting

tips
Eating out in Nantes
Sea
●
● A drop of eau
là là!
…the easy way by the 21
FOOD
Turn to page 46 to see
coastal
places to
& DRINK
C O N TA C T U S
stay
recipe
● Michelin-starred Tarn
● Dining out in rural LOIRE CYCLING
Explore the valley of
Gastronomic escapes
our latest exciting

● the kings on two wheels
● Bold wines
of
the south
BARGAIN BUS-TER
Cheap and convenient
city-hopping by coach
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BEAUTY IN THE ROUND
Lavender fields and olive groves surround the picturesque Provençal village
of Simiane-la-Rotonde, which is dominated by a round castle keep
PHOTOGRAPH: STEVANZZ/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
POETIC INSPIRATION
The village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is the source of the River
y Sorgue and inspired the medieval poet Petrarch among others
PHOTOGRAPH: OLEG ZNAMENSKIY/iSTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
TOWERING PRESENCE
The 14th-century Tour des Forgerons is one of the entrances to the historic
heart of Molsheim, an Alsatian town where the Bugatti car factory is based
PHOTOGRAPH: GUY-OZENNE/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
WINDOW ON THE LOIRE

In the Loire Valley, intricate carvings embellish a window at the royal
abbey of Fontevraud, one of the world’s largest surviving monastic cities
PHOTOGRAPH: W JAREK/iSTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
ATLANTIC WAVES
Beaches at the resort of Seignosse in Landes stretch for
miles, and are popular with sun-seekers and surfers
PHOTOGRAPH: LEONID ANDRONOV/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
BUSINESS HIGH FLYERS

The highest skyscrapers in France dominate the business district of
La Défense, which covers three municipalities to the west of Paris
PHOTOGRAPH: ANKORLIGHT/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Boîte aux lettres
Send us your stories and memories of France
Stamp disapproval However, much to the disgust of the
La vache qui rit®, France’s STAR people of Orléans (Joan of Arc had been
famous cow, may be LETTER canonised only nine years earlier), the
laughing now (June 2018, company’s advertising slogans seemed to
issue 237) but back in 1929, be ridiculing the new saint. The most
only eight years after its trademark offensive slogans in the eyes of the
appeared, the cheese did not tickle orléannais were ‘La vache qui rit en
everyone’s fancy. excursion’ and ‘La vache qui rit pour la
On 2 March 1929, the French postal cuisine’. Printed below the image of Saint LEFT: The 1929
service (PTT) issued a 50 centime stamp Joan on horseback, they were seen as stamp with the
to commemorate the 500th anniversary mocking the national heroine and the offending
of the Relief of Orléans by Joan of Arc. nature of her death, and being tantamount advertising slogan
The stamp depicted the maid triumphantly to blasphemy and treason. at the bottom
entering the city on horseback. At the Loiret deputy Maurice Berger was
time, the post office was offsetting the approached in May 1929 by he was ignored. In order to honour the
printing costs of stamp booklets by representatives of Orléans who advertising contract with La vache qui
encouraging companies to advertise their demanded the withdrawal of the rit®, the offending booklets were simply
products and services in the booklet pane offending booklet. Correspondence put to one side and, once the fuss was
margins; La vache qui rit® was one reveals that the Under-Secretary for State over, put back on sale in less sensitive
such brand to take advantage of this for the PTT agreed to such action and parts of France.
initiative. The booklets were put on sale immediately issued instructions for the Mike Bister
the same month. booklet to be withdrawn, but in reality Sandy, Bedfordshire
The writer of this

Villages marathon There are currently 157 villages in the
I have every edition of FRANCE association, and we recently completed
month’s star letter
Magazine since winter 1992, and over visiting those in metropolitan France – all
wins a signed copy
the years it has introduced me to many 156 of them – at Brouage in Charente-
of Perry Taylor’s
aspects of the country I love. One Maritime (pictured) We have been to more
award-winning book
important moment occurred around the than this, because some villages have left
Petites
time of my retirement in 2002, when, the association, while others have joined.
Gasconneries, which
through the magazine, The final village to
features the artist’s
I became aware of the Plus see is Hell-Bourg on
amusing drawings of life in his
Beaux Villages de France. La Réunion in the
adopted rural French home.
With more time to Indian Ocean, which
To see more of Perry’s work visit
spend, I set myself the task I am planning to visit
perrytaylor.fr
of visiting every one. As within the next year.
my partner and I travelled My partner cannot
Share your thoughts, tips throughout France, bear the idea of the
PHOTOGRAPHS: MIKE BISTER; GRAHAM PARSONS; CAROLINE QUENTIN; FOTOLIA
and memories with us! journeys usually included 11-hour flight, so

Send your letter to: a ‘déviation’ to a PBVdF I shall be taking our
Boîte aux Lettres, FRANCE or two. Some of the villages were out of mutual memories of the other 156 and
Magazine, Cumberland House, this world, while at others (fortunately he shall visit by proxy.
Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Glos, a very few), we struggled to understand The association informs me that it
GL50 1BB, or email: editorial@ how they were members. What each visit knows of one other person who has
francemag.com. did do was to generate a discussion on visited all the villages, including Hell-
Please supply your name and each village’s merits. Bourg, and he is from Japan.
address. At one very small village in Provence, Thank you, FRANCE Magazine, for
we bumped into an elderly resident in setting me off on a quest which has been
You can find FRANCE Magazine’s a deserted street. “How many people live a tremendous adventure.
updated index for issues 100-200 here permanently?” we asked. “Six,” Graham Parsons
on our website via this link: www. came the proud response. We also visited Nailsea, Somerset
completefrance.com/FMIndex the village museum, which was in the ● Editor’s note: See our feature on the
front room of her house. Plus Beaux Villages on page 30.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Calendar surprise members to arrive and were told that all Don’t forget to like us on
When I turned the page on my FRANCE our reserved moorings had been taken, Facebook, ‘FRANCE Magazine’
Calendar from March to April, the so we were directed to another pontoon. Where is your favourite French village?
picture looked familiar. I searched on my We imagined that we would be with There is no shortage of picturesque
computer for photographs of a rally other large yachts, and so we were – the French villages to visit but where do you
which our sailing club did monster vessels many times start? We have selected some of our
from Nice, and found our size completed dwarfed favourites to help you decide which ones
this photograph of the us. They all seemed to have to explore first. completefrance.com
Île de Porquerolles. As a lot of crew in smart Sally Roberts Just come
you can see, it is even the uniforms, scuttling around back from Annecy
same tree! looking after their billionaire and Yvoire which were
A large group of club owners’ every whim. both beautiful.
members had chartered It was interesting to see Chris Harold Village,
boats out of Nice and we spent a week how the other half lived, but I am sure not town or city! Places
sailing along this beautiful coast. Our we had much more fun on the like Annecy and Turenne in Corrèze
little group took the charter company’s sailing boats we had chartered, doing Carcassonne are not villages! Oh and
biggest yacht, a massive 54-footer. everything ourselves. Sainte-Enimie ranks with the best.
One night, everyone decided to moor Caroline Quentin Lisette Bøgelund I have so many favourites,
in Saint-Tropez. We were the last club Southend, Essex Saint-Tropez, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Gassin,
Grimaud.
Bruce Jewell Do I have to pick?
READER PHOTO COMPETITION Tessa Meijer Sainte-Enimie.
Julie Wheeler Garrison Lourmarin and
The winner of this month’s competition is Peter Friend, from Manosque...many favourites
Mazamet in the Tarn département, with his photograph of the Tiffany Andrews I Beynac and Saint-
Montagne Noire, in south-west France, overlooking the mountain Guilhem-le-Désert.
village of Pradelles-Cabardès. Charlotte Westerberg Grimaud .
Christine Bevan Carennac in Lot.
For the chance to have your holiday picture capturing the essence of France
AVALLON AMBL
included in the 2019 FRANCE Magazine calendar, send us your high-resolution

DISCOVER HIDDEN E
BURGUNDY WEEKEND
SUNSHINE IN THEGETAW AY
CITY IN CANNES
image to [email protected] by 18 June, marked ‘Calendar Photo’. Winners TRAVEL | FOOD &
WINE | CULTURE |
HISTORY
June 2018 |
Issue 237
will also have their image published in the magazine, and will receive three copies of BON
Summer
APPÉTIT
● The art of baking a tart
● Armagnac tasting tips
the calendar for them and their friends to enjoy, as well as a one-year subscription to
● Eating out in Nantes
Sea
● A drop of eau là là!
by the
21
FRANCE Magazine (RRP £47.88).
coastal
places to
WIN! LOIRE CYCLIN

Explor e theG
the kings onvalley of
two wheels
stay
A PLACE IN Ch
BARGAIN BUS-TE
R
THE 2019
CALENDAR

LES NOUVELLES
Inspiring your next trip to France
AIX-travaganza!
T
he former capital of Provence FROM TOP: A Midsummer
so beloved of artists such as Night’s Dream by Britten
Paul Cézanne is celebrating performed at the Théâtre de
the 70th incarnation of its l’Archevêché; Bizet’s Carmen
world-famous Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Mozart’s Don Giovanni
this month. from last year’s festival
One of the most important opera
festivals in the cultural calendar, the
2018 event has the theme of love, and
will feature full-scale works by Richard
Strauss, Prokofiev, Mozart and Purcell,
as well as orchestral, chamber and other
vocal performances.
Some of the world’s leading musicians
PHOTOGRAPHS: VINCENT PONTET; FESTIVAL D’AIX-EN-PROVENCE
and singers will appear at the festival,

which is being held from 4-24 July in
a variety of venues in the town, including
outdoors under the stars at the Théâtre
de l’Archevêché.
The event’s Académie, which trains
and nurtures artistic talent, celebrates its
20th anniversary this year, and some of
the 2,730 performers who have taken
part since its inception will be appearing
in concerts.
festival-aix.com ➳

BOOK
NOW...
July
What to do in...
TASTE OF LYON
ART ON THE LOIRE 1789 and the beginning of Robert Plant, as well as Explore the gastronomic capital of
The western Loire city of the French Revolution. The theatre, classical concerts, France on a four-day Lyon Taste Break
Nantes once more provides biggest celebrations take circuses, opera companies tour with Taste Breaks. Guided by
the setting for a truly place in the capital with and dance troupes. Events a passionate local host, you will go
innovative arts festival this a military parade along the are held outdoors in various on a walking tour of the Unesco listed
summer. Le Voyage à Champs-Élysées, but you venues, and many are free. historical quarter, visit the Les Halles
Nantes, running from will also find impressive Tickets for individual market and have the chance to dine at
30 June to 26 August, links fireworks displays over headline concerts are a bouchon – Lyon’s own traditional
art installations, pop-up the bays of the Côte d’Azur available separately from bistros. Prices start at £419pp
exhibitions and cultural and in the Alpine town of around €45. including return flights from the UK,
activities by means of Annecy, among many others. festivaldecarcassonne.fr airport transfers in Lyon, and three
a marked 12-kilometre route nights’ B&B accommodation at the
that visitors can follow on COGNAC CHEER four-star Mercure Lyon Centre Saxe
foot or by bicycle. Some The town of Cognac in Lafayette Hotel.
installations are temporary, Charente celebrates its most Tel: 01283 245 359
while others have been famous export at a festival tastebreaks.co.uk
so popular that they have on 26-28 July. The Fête du
become synonymous with Cognac welcomes more than
the city, such as the 20,000 visitors to taste the
incredible giant elephant, one efforts of cognac producers
of the Machines de l’Île de as well as other specialities
Nantes (pictured above such as the Pineau des
near the Carrousel ODES IN AUDE Charentes aperitif and
des Mondes Marins). The fairy-tale walled Marennes-Oléron oysters.
levoyageanantes.fr medieval cité (pictured) is the Food and drink are served in
setting for the Festival de fishermen’s shacks on the CHAMPAGNE TRIP
VIVE LA FRANCE! Carcassonne from 15-31 marina, and there are Spend a weekend in the heart of the
On 14 July, the French July. Audiences at the Unesco concerts in the evening – Champagne wine region and improve
PHOTOGRAPHS: FRANCK TOMPS/LVAN; PAUL PALAU; ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES;
celebrate the Fête Nationale, World Heritage site can performers this year include your language skills on a French
also known as Bastille Day, enjoy diverse international Gregory Porter and French Immersion course from The Real
which marks the storming of musical acts including Simple DJ Klingande, and tickets Grape. The trip includes visits to
the Bastille prison in Paris in Minds, A-ha, Beth Ditto and cost €14. a Grand Cru champagne producer
HORNET83 iSTOCK GETTY IMAGES PLUS; CHAMPAGNE LE GALLAIS
lafeteducognac.fr and a family-run domaine, exploring

Hautvillers and Épernay, and French
lessons tailored to the group’s level.
DID YOU KNOW? Prices start at £350pp, which includes
two nights’ B&B accommodation
France was
Until World War II, as London. overlooking the vineyards, based on
zone
in the same time
cu pying Fran ce in 1940, Nazi two people sharing a room. The next
After oc
it to conform with trip is scheduled for 28-30
Germany forced
hour ahead of September, but a tailor-made tour
Berlin time (one
Time) and this can be organised on other dates.
Greenwich Mean
anged. The
has never been ch Central
therealgrape.com
ca lle d
zone is now
Eu rope an Time.

LES NOUVELLES
Golden oldies
From the legendary Le Mans circuit to the streets
of Angoulême, classic cars have their day in the sun
BURGUNDY CRUISE
Relax and watch the landscape of
Burgundy pass by during an eight-day
trip with Backwaters Cruising. On the
Waterways of Rural Burgundy tour, you
stay overnight at hotels in Sens and
Auxerre (pictured), and spend the days
drifting along the River Yonne and the
Canal de Bourgogne, stopping to
explore historic towns and landmarks
including Château Ancy-le-Franc,
Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and Pontigny
Abbey. The next cruise runs from
▼
11-18 August. Prices start from £1,150pp LE MANS CLASSIC, Sarthe CIRCUIT DES REMPARTS,
including coach travel from Kent, The 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Angoulême
Eurotunnel crossings, hotel stays and Button will be joining hundreds of other Classic cars will once again be racing around
daily cruise itinerary, all meals and professional drivers at the Le Mans Classic the streets of the Charente capital, during the
refreshments and entrance charges on 6-8 July. The event is held on the same Circuit des Remparts on 14-16 September.
to listed destinations. circuit as the 24 Heures du Mans, but Spectators can enjoy exhibitions and motor
Tel: 01303 263 420 features vintage sports cars, most of which parades before the climactic race around the
backwaters.tours have previously competed in the famous historic ramparts on the Sunday. The course
endurance race. English driver Button will be has not changed since the inaugural race in
at the wheel of a 1988 Jaguar XJR-9. 1939 and with two right-angle bends and
In addition to the racing, spectators can enjoy three hairpins, it is not for the faint-hearted.
exhibition and car club displays. Advance Tel: (Fr) 5 45 94 31 90
tickets from €55 a day. circuitdesremparts.com
Tel: (Fr) 2 43 40 80 00
www.lemansclassic.com ▼ TOUR AUTO OPTIC 2000
Held over five days in April, Tour Auto
DORDOGNE DRIVE Optic 2000 is a revival of the Tour de
Step back in time on a self-driving tour France Automobile which began in 1899.
of Dordogne and Lot organised by Classic car models that competed in the
French-based, family-operated tour original event between 1951 and 1973 make
BRATO CC BY-SA 30; VINCENNES EN ANCIENNES ASSOCIATION; MATHIEU-BONNEVIE
company France Just For You. On this their way from Paris to the Mediterranean
seven-day trip, you can explore the coast on a route that varies each year. The
prehistoric caves at Les Eyzies, the cars are displayed at the Grand Palais in
medieval towns of Sarlat-la-Canéda Paris before the start, and a village with
and Rocamadour (pictured), numerous ▼ entertainment and activities is dismantled
TRAVERSÉE DE PARIS
PHOTOGRAPHS: iSTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; FOTOLIA;
châteaux and beautiful villages. France and rebuilt in each stopover town.
Just For You organises six nights at Twice a year, in January and July, the streets tourauto.com
premium B&Bs, a rental car with of Paris are taken over by classic cars, when
unlimited mileage, a personalised more than 700 retro vehicles drive across the
guidebook, a French smartphone with capital, transporting the city back to a more
GPS and a table d’hôte meal. The tour romantic motoring era. Organised by
costs £1,090pp and can be arranged to the Vincennes en Anciennes association,
suit you. the event, next being held on 22 July,
Tel: (Fr) 7 68 64 66 76 attracts enthusiasts as well as families for
france-justforyou.com a great day out.
vincennesenanciennes.com

Get in the festive mood
Digital installations, theatre performances and Breton dancing are all in the summer mix
Festival Festival le
Constellations Cornouaille, Finistère
de Metz Since 1923, the town of
See the capital of the Moselle Quimper has been hosting one
département in a new light of Brittany’s most important
during the Constellations de events, the Festival de
Metz festival, which runs from Cornouaille, which attracts
28 June to 16 September. 250,000 visitors a year. From
Four art trails will showcase 24-29 July, the town will
the work of artists specialising celebrate Breton culture with
in digital installations, street an extravaganza of music,
art and sculpture. There will CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Concertgoers in the courtyard of the Palais dancing and costumes spread
also be performances from des Papes in Avignon; Bagadou players at the Festival de Cornouaille; over more than 200 shows.
musicians, circus acts, theatre One of street artist Julien Nonnon’s digital projections Highlights include performances
groups, dancers and street by bagadou (bagpipe) players,
artists, exhibitions at the Pesquet from the International theatre shows will take place fest-noz dancing, and a parade
Centre Pompidou-Metz and Space Station. from 6-24 July, many of with everyone dressed in
displays of photographs taken constellations-metz.fr them against the backdrop of Breton costume.
by French astronaut Thomas Avignon’s historic buildings, festival-cornouaille.bzh
Festival d’Avignon including the Palais des Papes
For three weeks in July, the and the Cloître des Célestins.
town of Avignon hosts one Screen stars Isabelle Adjani
of the world’s biggest and Lambert Wilson
performing arts festivals, now are among the big names
in its 72nd year. More than appearing this year.
40 music, dance, art and festival-avignon.com
PHOTOGRAPHS: CHRISTOPHE RAYNAUD DE LAGE/FESTIVAL D’AVIGNON; DONATIENNE GUILLAUDEAU/CRTB; JULIEN NONNON

LARA LOVES
Les aventures de Sergette
Our intrepid gastropod Sergette is Our resident
out
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aboutin in
France.
France.
Her
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£41-£170, by Blanc Cerise snail is
As stylish as it is comfortable, this en vacances –
beautiful pure linen bedding comes do you know
in a huge variety of chic colours
and includes pillow cases, flat and WIN! where she is?
fitted sheets, as well as duvet
covers. The Oeko-Tex certified If you know the visitor
town thatcentre
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that Sergette
is visiting,
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answer,
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(nakedwines.com).
Wines
and is pre-washed for softness. (nakedwines.com).
Deadline for entries
Deadline
is 4 Julyfor
2018.
entries is 31 May 2017.
Best of all, though, it requires no
The winner of the May
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
competition is Mrs Maria Ellis, from Welling in Kent, who correctly
ironing! blanc-cerise.co.uk
identified the town of Conques in the Aveyron département.

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LES NOUVELLES
THE GRAND TOUR BEGINS

XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX of Noirmoutier-en-
l’Île, make their way
across the island
and then go over
the bridge to the
mainland, finishing
189 kilometres later
in the Renaissance
Read all
town of Fontenay-
le-Comte.
Le Grand-Bornand:
about it...
The 157 villages awarded Plus
The Alpine resort Beau Village status can be found
in the Annecy from the northern coasts to the
Mountains of shores of Corsica (and even
Haute-Savoie marks beyond to La Réunion). You can
the end of the first discover all about them in the
mountain stage, glossy 2018 Le Guide Officiel:
on 17 July. Les Plus Beaux Villages de
Carcassonne: The France (Flammarion, £16.95).
walled cité in Aude As well as stunning pictures and
greets the cyclists at a brief introduction to the
the end of stage 15 villages, the guide features
on 22 July. They places to stay and eat, local
ABOVE: The 2018 route map; INSET: The peloton in the Pyrénées have a rest day in specialities, events
Thexxxxxxxxxxxx
world’s best riders will Spain being the only detour the Unesco World Heritage and attractions.
be testing themselves to the beyond French borders. site before setting off on the
limit over 3,329 kilometres Here are some of the places Pyrénées stages on 24 July.
and 21 stages in the 105th
Tour de France this month.
where you can catch
a glimpse of the peloton.
Espelette: Visit the Basque
town famous for piment
DID YOU KNOW?
The pursuit of the Île de Noirmoutier: The d’Espelette peppers to watch The youngest winner of
coveted yellow jersey begins small island half a mile off the climax of the the Tour de France was
on 7 July and finishes on the coast of Vendée is 31-kilometre individual time
29 July in Paris, with hosting the Grand Départ. trial on 28 July, the
Henri Cornet, who won
a 15-kilometre section in Cyclists will start in the town penultimate day. letour.fr in 1904 aged 19 years
and 350 days.
SUR LE WEB
PHOTOGRAPHS: AMAURY SPORT ORGANISATION (ASO); RAZVAN/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Our guide to websites that can help you
Contributor
INSIDER TIP ON FRANCE
broaden your knowledge of France
If the Tour de France inspires you to get on

your bike and explore France – albeit at
“If you are planning to drive a more leisurely pace – then the website
through France at the experiencefrancebybike.com, run by cycling
beginning of a school or bank enthusiast Maggie LaCoste, is a good place
holiday, take a look at to start.
www.bison-fute.gouv.fr. It will France is ideal for a cycling holiday, with
show you where there are its long stretches of traffic-free cycle lanes,
likely to be hold-ups, and picturesque canal paths, and bike trails such
suggest alternative routes and as the Loire à Vélo and the Véloscénie from
times to travel. It is also Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel. You will find If your next holiday is still a little way off,
available as a free app.” a wealth of information about these routes you can live vicariously through Maggie’s
Alison Hughes, on experiencefrancebybike.com, as well as regular blog posts about her cycling trips,
The Cotswolds travel updates, a guide to renting bikes and which may even introduce you to new areas
an online shop selling Maggie’s own guides. of France to discover.

Quick guide to... TRAVEL NEWS
Bourges
The Gallo-Roman city of its original mechanism The same chefs also
Bourges lies at the very from 1424. run Les Petits Plats du
centre of France and has One of the city’s most Bourbon (menus from €18,
a clutch of titles: capital of famous sons is Jacques lespetitsplatsdubourbon. BORDEAUX RAIL LINK IS NEAR
the Cher département and Coeur, a 15th-century com). The Michelin Rail passengers might soon be able to travel
of the historical province merchant who rose to Bib Gourmand brasserie from London to Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean
of Berry, Ville d’Art et become master of the occupies a stunning abbey (pictured) in under five hours on a new direct
d’Histoire, and, thanks to royal mint. Visit the palace chancel within the Hôtel de service. The route could be open in less than
its cathedral, Unesco he built in his home town Bourbon, where diners can two years, as the British and French railway
World Heritage site. and admire the rich choose from a short operators involved are working to agree
Bourges even had a brief decorations inside and out. selection of dishes chalked timetable slots. The route would bypass Paris,
spell as the French capital Learn more about the up on a slate, such as avoiding the current change of train, and use
in the mid-15th century, region’s history at the lasagne of veal with broad the recently completed high-speed rail link
when England and the Musée du Berry and seek beans. south of Tours, cutting at least half an hour
Duchy of Burgundy out the museum dedicated For further great-value off the journey time. The idea has been
occupied much of France. to the little-known but Bib Gourmand dining, discussed in the past, but issues surrounding
The half-timbered fascinating 20th-century head for Le Beauvoir border and security controls have hampered
houses (pictured inset in artist Maurice Estève, who (menus from €17.50, progress. Under the plans, security controls
Place Gordaine) and lived in nearby Culan. restaurant-lebeauvoir.com), would be located in Bordeaux. The four
Renaissance mansions of Bourges is a great and sit beneath the terrace operators, including HS1 Ltd, believe they can
the old quarter are popular place for walking, thanks pergola to enjoy compete with low-cost airlines, which fly
attractions, as are the to its network of well- croustillant de lapin with around 1.2 million passengers between the
many green spaces. The marked pathways linking creamed aubergine and two cities every year. highspeed1.co.uk
city also has a thriving natural attractions such as other treats.
cultural scene, exemplified Lac d’Auron and the 140 CHEF’S ULTIMATE HIGH TEA
by the Printemps de hectares of marshland Where should I stay? French pastry chef Eric Lanlard has
PHOTOGRAPHS: QUISAIT/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; WOUTER HAGENS CC BY-SA; GORDON BELL PHOTOGRAPHY/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Bourges music festival, where residents grow fruit Book into the four-star partnered with Virgin Atlantic to offer day-
which attracts a variety and vegetables in carefully Hôtel de Bourbon (doubles flight passengers a special ‘high tea’ menu.
of singers and groups tended allotments. from €118, accorhotels. Created specifically for the airline, the menu
every April. com), which occupies includes a glass of rosé champagne or a pot
Where are the best places a converted 17th-century of tea; smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill
What can I see and do? to eat? abbey close to the historic mini-croissant; plain or sultana scones with
The obvious place to start If you hanker after centre and the railway strawberry preserve, lemon and clotted
is the Cathédrale Saint- a Michelin-star experience, station. The rooms are in cream; dark chocolate brownie with salted
Étienne; this masterpiece book a table at Le Cercle a contemporary style, with caramel sauce, and more. virgin.com
of 13th-century Gothic (lunch menu €28, other bright, colourful decor.
architecture won Unesco menus from €55, LEARN LANGUAGE IN THE AIR
status through its restaurant-lecercle.fr). Get me there! Language-learning company uTalk has
innovative design, awe- Chefs Pascal Chaupitre The train journey from teamed up with easyJet to offer on-flight
inspiring use of space, and and Christophe Lot London to Bourges via lessons. The ‘Learn-As-You-Fly’ scheme will
treatment of light, showcase innovative Paris takes 6hr (tel: 0844 allow passengers on selected flights to get
particularly in the stained- cooking in a contemporary 848 5848, oui.sncf); The help with the basics for free through the
glass windows. Look out setting within drive from the northern in-flight entertainment system, using their
for the restored a 19th-century maison ports takes 5hr 15min. own smartphones, tablets or computers.
astronomical clock bourgeoise, using local easyjet.com
representing the signs of ingredients including For more information, visit
the zodiac, which retains bourbonnais lamb. ville-bourges.fr JET2 UNVEILS NEW FLIGHTS
Looking ahead to summer 2019, low-cost
airline Jet2 will be introducing new weekly
flights from Birmingham to the town of
Bergerac in Dordogne, and from Manchester
to the port of La Rochelle in Charente-
Maritime. jet2.com

LES NOUVELLES
Lyddair
Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth Eurostar
(Apr - Sept) & Poole Brittany Ferries Eurotunnel from Folkestone
Stena Line from Portsmouth DFDS Seaways from Dover
from Rosslare P&O Ferries from Dover
Irish Ferries DFDS Seaways
from Rosslare & Dublin Brittany Ferries from Dover
from Portsmouth
Flybe Dunkerque
Aer Lingus
Eurostar Air France
Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth Calais British Airways
Condor Ferries from Poole and easyJet
Portsmouth (indirect), Lille
Ryanair Flybe
Jersey & Guernsey DFDS Seaways Jet2
(Apr - Oct) from Ryanair
Newhaven Le Touquet
bmi regional
Disneyland
Ryanair HAUTS-DE-FRANCE Eurostar (Apr - Sept)
Aurigny Air Services Eurostar
from Guernsey Dieppe
Le Havre
Ch
Brittany Ferries from

Deauville Ryanair
er
Plymouth & Cork

Marne-la-Vallée
b
Irish Ferries Caen

ou
from Rosslare British Airways

rg
(May - Sept) NORMANDIE Ryanair

ÎLE-DE- Strasbourg
Roscoff St-Malo FRANCE
easyJet
Flybe Brest Paris GRAND EST Swiss Air Int.
Dinard
BRETAGNE
Quimper Rennes Aer Lingus
British Airways
(May - Aug) PAYS DE Basel-Mulhouse British Airways
LA LOIRE easyJet
Flybe
Aer Lingus CENTRE-VAL Jet2
Flybe DE LOIRE Swiss Air Int.
Tours BOURGOGNE-
Nantes FRANCHE-COMTÉ Flybe Air France (winter only)
British Airways Titan Airways British Airways (winter only)
easyJet (winter only)
Flybe
Aer Lingus Flybe
Ryanair Poitiers
easyJet (May - Sept) Clermont- Geneva
Eurostar (Dec - Apr)
Ryanair Jet2 (May - Sept) Ferrand
Lyon Bourg-Saint-Maurice
La Rochelle Aime-la-Plagne
Chambéry Moûtiers
British Airways Limoges
Ryanair AUVERGNE- Aurigny British Ryanair
Flybe NOUVELLE AQUITAINE RHÔNE-ALPES Grenoble from Airways Norwegian
Ryanair Guernsey easyJet Jet2
(Mar - Oct) (Dec - Feb)
Ryanair (Mar - Nov)
Brive Aer Lingus easyJet Eurostar
Flybe Jet2 (Apr - Oct)
Bordeaux British Airways (Dec - Apr)
Aer Lingus
British Airways Bergerac
easyJet British Airways Rodez Flybe (May - Sept)
Ryanair (May - Sept) Avignon Eurostar (Apr - Oct)
Flybe Flybe
Ryanair Nîmes PROVENCE-ALPES- Nice
Jet2 (May - Sept) CÔTE D’AZUR
OCCITANIE Montpellier Aer Lingus
Marseille Flybe Titan Airways
British Airways
Ryanair Toulouse (Charter only with easyJet
Biarritz Toulon
British Airways Ryanair Corsican Places) Flybe
(May - Sept) Aer Lingus Ryanair
Ryanair Béziers British Airways Bastia Jet2
Flybe Carcassonne easyJet (Apr - Oct)
Lourdes Ryanair easyJet
easyJet
(Jun - Sept) Eurostar Calvi (Apr - Oct)
British (Apr - Oct) Flybe
Ryanair Perpignan Airways CORSE
Aer Lingus (May - Sept)
Aer Lingus
British Airways
Aer Lingus easyJet Ajaccio Air Corsica
(May - Nov)
easyJet Flybe
Flybe Ryanair
Flybe Ryanair Ryanair Figari
Air Corsica
Flybe Ryanair (May - Nov) British Airways
(Jun - Aug) (May - Oct)
Corsican Places
Air Corsica
(May - Nov)
ROUTE PLANNER
easyJet
(May - Sept)
Plan your journey to France with our handy map and directory
FERRIES P&O Ferries OUI.sncf Aurigny Air Services Flybe Ryanair
Brittany Ferries Tel: 0800 130 0030 Tel: 0844 848 5848 Tel: 01481 822 886 Tel: 0371 700 2000 Tel: 0871 246 0000
Tel: 0330 159 7000 poferries.com oui.sncf aurigny.com flybe.com ryanair.com
brittanyferries.co.uk Stena Line AIRLINES bmi regional Jet2 Swiss Int. Air
Condor Ferries Tel: (ROI) 1 907 5555 Air Corsica Tel: 0345 601 0956
Tel: 0330 333 7998 Tel: 0333 300 0404
Tel: 0345 609 1024 stenaline.ie Tel: (Fr) 8 25 35 35 35 bmiregional.com jet2.com swiss.com
condorferries.co.uk RAIL aircorsica.com
British Airways Lyddair Titan Airways
DFDS Seaways Eurostar Aer Lingus
Tel: 0844 493 0787 Tel: 01797 322 207 Tel: 01279 680 616
Tel: 0871 574 7235 Tel: 0343 218 6186 Tel: 0333 004 5000
britishairways.com lyddair.com titan-airways.co.uk
dfdsseaways.co.uk eurostar.com aerlingus.com
Irish Ferries Eurotunnel Air France easyJet Norwegian
Tel: (ROI) 818 300 400 Tel: 0844 335 3535 Tel: 0207 660 0337 Tel: 0330 365 5000 Tel: 0330 828 0854
irishferries.com eurotunnel.com airfrance.co.uk easyjet.com norwegian.com

6
E T
G
HE
PA R I S PA
PA R I S PAG
OF OUR FAVOURITE
HE
T E
SUMMER EVENTS
From film and music festivals to beach games, there are plenty
of ways to chill out as the sun beats down on the capital
OPEN-AIR CINEMA ▼ PARIS-PLAGES

▼
July and August 7 July to 2 September

Catch a classic film for free at the The capital dons its summer finery for
Cinéma en Plein Air this summer. the annual opening of the urban beaches
The Parc de la Villette in the 19th along the banks of the River Seine. As in
arrondissement sets up an open-air 2017, the beaches themselves are set
film theatre, where visitors can sit to shun sand in favour of vegetation,
beneath the summer sky with a picnic but the concerts, entertainments
for the perfect Parisian pick-me-up. and joie de vivre remain the same.
Films vary from modern action thrillers Water sports and activities, as well as
to French classics. lavillette.com three open-air swimming locations
at Bassin de la Villette complete the
▼ FESTIVAL PARIS L’ÉTÉ theatrical performances, some of which urban seaside package. parisinfo.com
16 July to 4 August are free while others require tickets.
Since 1990, this city-wide event has been Venues include parks, squares and
offering a variety of entertainment, from monuments throughout Paris and its
circus and dance to concerts and inner suburbs. parislete.fr
TREASURE HUNT
8 July
Organised by the Mairie de Paris, this
free treasure hunt takes participants on
a magical mystery tour of the city as they
pick up clues along the way. The 2018
event starts at the mairie of the 3rd
arrondissement and follows the tale of
PHOTOGRAPHS: PARIS TOURIST OFFICE/AMÉLIE DUPONT/MARC BERTRAND
a missing chef. Registration is online or

at the mairie. chasseauxtresors.paris
LOLLAPALOOZA PARIS TOUR DE FRANCE

▼
21-22 July 29 July

For the second year, this popular festival The climax of the Tour de France is one
moves into the Hippodrome de of the most eagerly anticipated stages
Longchamp for its French celebration of of this world-famous cycling event.
musical diversity. Artists include Depeche Spectators have the chance to be up close
Mode, the Killers, Rag’n’Bone Man and to the action, as riders tackle the cobbles
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Food and tactics of the Champs-Élysées. The
features large in the festival experience, crowds are impressive, and getting about
with chef Jean Imbert in charge of all can be challenging, but the experience is
things gastronomic. lollaparis.com one not to be missed. letour.fr

© Bal du Moulin Rouge 2018 - Moulin Rouge® - 1-1028499
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M O N T M A R T R E 8 2 , B L D D E C L I C H Y 7 5 0 1 8 P A R I S - T E L : 3 3 ( 0 ) 1 5 3 0 9 8 2 8 2 - W W W . M O UFRANCE
L I N R O MAGAZINE
U G E . C O M 27
Lens
RoadTRIP
Visit historic cities, Western Front
battlefields and Unesco heritage sites
Abbeville
Amiens
Arras
Thiepval
HAUTS-DE-FRANCE
Les Rues-
des-Vignes
on a journey through Hauts-de-France
DAY ONE the picturesque squares surrounding the The 473 white stone graves are a poignant
AMIENS TO AUTHUILLE Église Saint-Germain or the 18th-century reminder of what happened in this part
46 KILOMETRES theatre, the hamlets and farmland of France a century ago, and the cemetery
The medieval city of Amiens, with its hugging the river are sure to impress. is eerily quiet, except for the tweeting of
historic buildings and network of canals, The commune of Rivery, on the outskirts birds and the splashing of the river
makes a spectacular backdrop to the start of Amiens, is a charming place of Rent a caravan or park your camper
of a journey across north-eastern France. winding avenues and plant-lined stone at Camping Bellevue in Authuille (open
Explore the narrow, winding streets and bridges. Traditional cafés and Mar-Oct, rentals from €40, tel: (Fr) 3 22
large open squares before visiting the coffee shops line the riverside and make 74 59 29) and dine at the Taverne du
imposing 13th-century Gothic cathedral. an ideal refreshment stop. Cochon Salé (menus from €13, tel: (Fr)
The building was completed in 68 years Continue along the D1 to Corbie and 3 22 75 46 14), which specialises in local
– an amazing feat for the time – and is visit the town’s former Benedictine dishes. Alternatively, stay and dine at the
known for its stained-glass windows and monastery. Founded in the 7th century, three-star Hôtel de la Paix (doubles €89,
light-filled interior. the abbey soon became a leading hoteldelapaixalbert.com) in the centre of
The River Somme flows through the European centre for illuminating religious nearby Albert, just a few steps from the
city, irrigating the 300 hectares of manuscripts and later in the Middle Ages 1916 Museum.
floating market gardens known as developed an extensive library. Nearer to
hortillonages. You can explore the islets our own time, the damage caused by DAY TWO
and small canals on a flat-bottomed boat shelling during World War I is still visible AUTHUILLE TO LENS
(barque à cornet). During a festival on on the abbey and in the grounds. 118 KILOMETRES
the third Sunday in June, hundreds of Branch off on to the D42 to Méaulte A short drive brings you to the war
growers in traditional outfits bring their and then take the D159 to the military memorial and cemetery at Thiepval.
fruit and vegetables to sell at market, just cemetery at Authuille, where British field Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the
PHOTOGRAPHS: SOMMETOURISME; JONATHAN NICHOLLS/iSTOCK EDITORIAL/GETTYIMAGES PLUS; R. VIMONT

as they have done for centuries. ambulances and Indian labour units were memorial honours the 72,000 British and
If you can drag yourself away from stationed from 1915 to 1918. South African soldiers who were killed
on the Somme and have no known grave.
It is one of the most recognisable sights
on the Western Front and stands close to
the visitor centre and museum.
Take the D73 past the Pozières
memorial to the missing, and then follow
the D929/D930 to Cambrai. Just south
of the town, in Les Rues-des-Vignes,
stands the 12th-century Abbaye de
Vaucelles, which has the largest surviving
Cistercian chapter house in Europe.
Between March and October, the abbey
is the setting for arts and theatre
productions, and the cavernous
auditorium is impressive in its own right.
Head north to Arras and stop for
lunch in the conservatory of the O Ptit
Paradis brasserie (menus from €13,
ABOVE: Colourful displays line the floating market gardens of Amiens tel: (Fr) 3 21 21 08 08). Spend the

ROAD TRIP
ABOVE: The Thiepval memorial to the 72,000 allied soldiers missing on

the Somme; RIGHT: Place Jean-Jaurès in the former mining town of Lens
afternoon exploring this picturesque city, industrial landscape

which was extensively rebuilt after being is just as intriguing: the
badly damaged in World War I. Attractions cone-shaped slag heaps create
include the Flemish Baroque town houses an unusual skyline and are especially
MORE
in Grand Place and Place des Héros, effective when casting shadows over the
ONLINE
Vauban’s citadel and the childhood home town at sunset. One of the old mining Explore more of the Hauts-de-France
of revolutionary leader Robespierre. yards now houses the strikingly modern region with our insider’s guide
Continue northwards towards Lens, Musée du Louvre-Lens, which displays www.completefrance.com/regions-of-france
making sure to stop at the towering exhibits from its parent museum in Paris.
memorial on Vimy Ridge which Retrace your route to the outskirts of Finish your journey at the small but
commemorates the 11,000 Canadian Arras and pick up the N25 for the hour’s perfectly formed Château de Bagatelle,
soldiers killed here during World War I. drive to Naours, a village containing former holiday home of Louis XVI’s
If you want to be in the centre of Lens a fascinating ‘underground city’. Caves brother, and explore the decorated rooms
while still enjoying tranquil surroundings, dug out of the limestone acted as hide-outs and formal gardens.
try the eco-friendly l’Arbre chambre for up to 3,000 inhabitants, from the Joe Worthington
d’hôte (B&B from €105, les-chambres- Middle Ages onwards, and contain 300
de-larbre.fr). Have dinner at Le Tassili, rooms, a bakery and chapels, as well as GETTING THERE: Amiens is a 1hr
a restaurant that combines local ingredients World War I graffiti. Have lunch at Le 45min drive from the northern ports via
with Middle Eastern and North African Cheval Blanc (menus from €15, tel: (Fr) the A16 autoroute; The train journey
recipes (menus from €13, tassili-lens.fr). 3 22 45 10 17), a short walk from the from London to Amiens via Calais-
Campers can stay the night at the Camp caves, and then take the D925 for the Fréthun takes 3hr 15min.
Municipal l’Étang in Violaines (open 45-minute journey to Abbeville.
Mar-Oct, tel: (Fr) 3 20 29 41 25). The gateway to the Baie de Somme TOURIST INFORMATION: visit-amiens.
has two notable churches: the Église du com; tourism-lenslievin.co.uk;
DAY THREE Saint-Sépulcre and the Collégiale www.somme-battlefields.com;
LENS TO ABBEVILLE Saint-Vulfran. The former was built on explorearras.com.
114 KILOMETRES the site where French knights met at the
Lens was at the heart of the Nord start of the First Crusade in the 1090s, Enjoy this article? Tell us where you
Pas-de-Calais mining region, which is and now has a set of modern stained- would like your road trip to be and we
now a Unesco World Heritage site. glass windows; the latter is a fine will plan it in a future edition. Email
There are few historic buildings, but the example of the Flamboyant Gothic style. [email protected]

PLUS BEAUX VILLAGES
F
or many of us, France conjures up a series of
exquisite images: the lavender fields of
Provence and the vertiginously perched
villages of Dordogne, the handsome villas of
Normandy and the châteaux of the Loire Valley.
It is a country of immense character and diversity,
but beauty only goes so far – people have to make
a living. Much of France is rural, even remote,
although the autoroute network has improved
markedly in recent years. While blessed with natural
assets, the local economies and producers are not
immune to global recession.
From a heritage and tourist perspective, one of
France’s greatest assets are the thousands of tiny
villages, each individually charming yet potentially
precarious. An exodus to the cities to find jobs is
a real issue in rural communities and, in the worst-
case scenario, can leave homesteads or even whole
villages abandoned or in terminal decline. But how to
stimulate the economy, support the producers and
keep the villages that are the essence of French life
viable and well cared for?
Mark of quality
In 1981 Charles Ceyrac, mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge ABOVE: Pretty houses in Sainte-Suzanne in Mayenne
in the Corrèze département, was reading a Reader’s
Digest book entitled Les Plus Beaux Villages de a relatable scale. The rhythm is different from that of
France, when he had an idea. Perhaps, he thought, big cities, things seem to be simpler. For both French
this could become a tourist designation; a mark of people and foreign visitors, it is an idealised version of
quality and aspiration. France where you can get back to the roots of a place.”
Considered objectively, the idea was ambitious Since then, the association has established
from the outset. His grand plan was to combine a strategy around its core motto, ‘Quality, Reputation,
a passion for place, landscape and heritage, and Development’, and in 1991 a formal – and rigorous
promote the jewels in the French rural crown. But this – selection process was established.
would require the acceptance and In the initial application, a village must show that
consistent cooperation of local it meets three criteria: a total population of no more
community leaders and villagers than 2,000; a minimum of two protected sites or
across France. monuments; and proof of mass support for
PHOTOGRAPHS: FREEARTIST/iSTOCK/GETTYIMAGES PLUS; P. BERNARD/PBVF; MAIRIE D’AUBETERRE-SUR-DRONNE

Ceyrac wrote to the membership, achieved through public debate. Once
mayors of the villages that these are met, the selection process can proceed, with
appeared in the book and invited site visits and a further 27 criteria to fulfil. The
them to join his mission and, in process is involved and only the crème de la crème
1982, Les Plus Beaux Villages de makes it through, indeed barely one in five
France was born. An association applications is accepted.
of 66 villages, including In truth, it sounds rather like studying for an exam
Collonges-la-Rouge, Salers, in being lovely – modules in heritage and architecture,
Riquewihr, Séguret and local gems and delightful discoveries. Villages are
Bonneval-sur-Arc, was founded given ‘homework’ and lists of things to improve; in
to harness the energy and some cases, the petition is politely declined and the
passion of local people and applicant is told not to bother coming back.
promote their heritage. But if successful, the effort pays dividends. ➳
“The villages are
a symphony of French ‘art de
vivre’,” explains Anne
Gouvernel, of the Plus Beaux MORE
Villages association. “They ONLINE
embrace architectural and
Discover more of France’s beautiful villages
historical heritage, gastronomy www.completefrance.com/travel/short-breaks
and regional traditions on
FRANCE MAGAZINE 31
“Because the selection process is so strict, the media character of an area? An increased footfall requires
and the public know that if a village is classified it is additional infrastructure – but can it really be possible
worth it,” says Anne. “There is an immediate to invite people to enjoy the unknown and unspoilt,
promotion through television, the radio and without their presence tarnishing the very thing that
newspapers. We regularly ask the villages about their attracts them in the first place?
motivations for becoming involved and they often From the outset, a central tenet of the association
answer that the village is known in their region but no was that the scheme’s success should not be at the
further. Becoming a member enables them to be expense of turning attractive rural locations into
recognised at a national and even international level, theme parks or preserving whole villages as a lifeless
and it gives the village an image of quality.” museum of times gone by. Though areas vary, the
Membership can also raise awareness of local issues facing a small village experiencing an influx of
heritage among the inhabitants and the need to visitors are similar.
protect it. Although each village has to pay “A village can communicate with others which are
a subscription of €3 per head to the association, other dealing with the same topics – protecting the cultural
advantages soon become clear. “Because of the heritage and developing the economy in a small area
increased profile, villages that join the association with few resources,” Anne says. “They can meet and
notice an increase of 20 to 50 per cent in terms of discuss technical issues, exchange experiences and get
inspired about what their colleagues do in fields such
If standards slip, due to as integrating modern architecture in a historic area
and managing traffic in summer.”
unwise building perhaps, With three tiers of entry – the initial members,
the designation can be those who subsequently joined before 1991, and
a more recent cohort – the villages are subject to
withdrawn from a village continuous review. Being a Plus Beau Village is not
a permanent status: if standards slip from the desired
visitor numbers,” Anne reveals. “One of the aims is to level, due to unwise peripheral building perhaps, or
maintain and develop the economy of the villages. excessive traffic noise, the designation can be
Promoting heritage increases tourism, and this means withdrawn. Inevitably, there are howls of shame and
that rather than shutting when the peak season is outrage – when Saint-Saturnin in the Puy-de-Dôme
over, increased trade over a longer period means département was declassified in 2016, the local papers
services and shops can be kept open all year, which declared it ‘degraded’ and ‘reduced to the rank of
benefits the resident population.” a vulgar dormitory city [of Clermont-Ferrand]’, while
Of course, increasing tourism can be a double- the economic impact was much lamented.
edged sword. How do you stimulate the economy to But for the visitor, the villages are nothing short of
the point where the artists, farmers and hoteliers can Francophile heaven; a seemingly bottomless box of
make an income all year, without ruining the delights that is as idiosyncratic as it is charming.
CLOCKWISE FROM
LEFT: The distinctive
red-stone buildings
of Collonges-la-
Rouge; The Église
Saint-Jacques-le-
Majeur overlooks the
Alsace wine village of
ROBERT HOETINK/iSTOCK EDITORIAL/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; D. BOYER
Hunawihr; Colonial
architecture in
Haut-Bourg on
PHOTOGRAPHS: PHBCZ/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS;
La Réunion

PLUS BEAUX VILLAGES
One can learn all about truffles and saffron at

Loubressac in Dordogne; visit a mushroom farm THE ROUTE LESS TRAVELLED
inside 15th-century cave dwellings at Montsoreau, in
the Loire Valley; check out the 11th-century Bonneval-sur-Arc, Savoie: With
Romanesque church at Balazuc in Ardèche; and see a population of just 244 and an
an exhibition of 500 spice pots at Charroux in Allier. altitude of 1,800 metres, this little
In Lussan in Gard, river walks and artistic trails await; Alpine village in the Vanoise
or one can climb to the highest inhabited village in national park is an exercise in
Europe, Saint-Véran in Hautes-Alpes, ‘where the hens isolation and natural beauty. The
peck at the stars’. traditional buildings nestle into
The 157 designated villages show little in the way a landscape of mountains and
of homogeneity, although it is possible to pick Hell-Bourg, La Réunion: France’s glaciers, come ski or sun.
a theme. In the north-east, the Alsace wine trail takes only overseas Plus Beau Village, Aubeterre-sur-Dronne,
in Riquewihr and neighbouring Hunawihr, which was Hell-Bourg is a former spa town Charente: Although near the
founded in the 7th century by the Frankish Lord situated in the island’s Cirque de tourist hotspot of Périgord, this
Hunon and is named after his wife Huna, patron saint Salazie, a huge volcanic caldera. village is surprisingly unknown, yet
of washerwomen. To the south, Château-Chalon, Surrounded by luxuriant it epitomises the elusive balance
perched in a fold in the Jura mountains, is the vegetation, the architecture blends between rural life and visitor
birthplace of the sherry-like Vin Jaune. South again, belle époque style with activities, and boasts an
near Montélimar, the ‘botanic village’ of Mirmande is an underlying créole identity. outstanding underground church.
set upon a hillside with far-reaching views of the ➳

LEFT: Walkers near It actively seeks partnerships and delights in inviting
Saint-Véran in people to experience ‘L’art de vivre à la française’.
Hautes-Alpes, the As a stimulus to rural economies and to tourism,
highest inhabited and to provide local people with a living, it works.
village in Europe Indeed, the model is so successful that it has been
adopted not just in Italy, Belgium and Spain, but in
Québec and Japan too. The very idea of ‘Most
Beautiful Villages’ inspires a wanderlust and the desire
to immerse oneself in things that are new, fascinating,
historic and quintessentially French. It creates
a serendipitous hunger for discovery and, at the same
time, provides 157 more reasons to visit France.
Rhône Valley. But this time the landscape is not one

THE RARE AND CURIOUS
of vineyards, but orchards and meadows.
Many villages are a classic of their kind.
In Ardèche, Vogüé is almost impossibly picturesque,
with a château, embraced by a natural stone
amphitheatre beneath the cliffs, and the river at its
feet. Small pebble beaches are warmed by the sun, the
wind carries the scent of fragrant wild herbs and the
terraced medieval houses capture the Mediterranean
feel perfectly.
The two newest villages, Brouage in Charente-
Maritime and Veules-les-Roses near Dieppe, also have
a watery theme. The first is a bird-watcher’s paradise,
nestled in 3,000 hectares of marshland that is home to Piana, Corse-du-Sud: The became France’s first fortified
ducks, herons, the northern lapwing and white storks. southernmost Plus Beau Village town. It was also an important
The second inhabits a chalk-cliff eyrie, with (in the northern hemisphere, at stop for pilgrims en route to
a 13th-century chapel on the 1.2-kilometre River Veules least), Piana (pictured above) Santiago de Compostela.
– apparently the shortest sea-bound river in France. looks down on the Gulf of Porto Lavardin, Loir-et-Cher: This
at the entrance to the weather- village north of Tours represents
Secret passage beaten pink granite inlets. layers of occupation from
France being France, there are a lot of churches and Classified as a Unesco World prehistoric times to the
castles on show. Belcastel, on the wooded banks of Heritage site, it captures the medieval and Renaissance
the River Aveyron, features a stone bridge with essence of the Mediterranean. periods and on to the present.
an altar where pilgrims on the trail to Santiago de Navarrenx, Pyrénées- The 26-metre-high castle keep
Compostela once paid for their crossing with prayers Atlantiques: One of the oldest looks down on an eight-arched
and offerings, and the rock of Roquecante, with seven towns in the former Gothic bridge across the River
carved seats intended for justice-dispensing nobility. independent state of Béarn, Loir, and legend has it that the
In Mayenne, Sainte-Suzanne is famed for resisting Navarrenx dates from the Ist local grottos were once the site
PHOTOGRAPHS: P. BERNARD/LPBVF; P. KAZMIERCZAK/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
attacks from William the Conqueror, although it fell century and, in the early 1300s of bloody druidic rituals.
to the English during the Hundred Years War.
La Roche-Guyon in Île-de-France, meanwhile, has
a positively ‘boys’ own’ quality. The village, which
was once a troglodytic settlement, is dominated by
a forbidding castle whose curtain wall is connected to
VILLAGES GUIDE
the keep by a secret passage 100 metres long. The Guidebook: The Plus Beaux at les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.
settlement was thought to be a 9th-century defence Villages official guide is published by org, where you can also find a map
against the Vikings, and the castle was also pressed Flammarion in French and English, of all 157 villages or order a hard
into service after D-Day as the headquarters of priced €16.95 and £16.95 respectively. copy. The website enables you
German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Each entry includes a brief history to customise a search according
When it comes to protecting the credibility of the of the village, information about to interests such as wine, food,
scheme, maintaining standards and delivering on the accommodation, eating out, travel, churches, châteaux, water sports
promise of excellence, the association of Les Plus events and activities in the area, and accessibility. There are also
Beaux Villages de France takes its role very seriously. tourist office contacts and a map. suggested routes for some areas and
Yet there is an underlying poetry and romance. The book is available to buy online a search-and-booking facility.

and the
he power
glory
Electric bikes are opening up a world of possibilities and
widening access to cycling in the thrilling landscapes of
the French Alps, says Sophie Gardner-Roberts

ALPINE E-BIKING
E-bikes ease the strain of
T
the climb to Alpe d’Huez ackling one of the Tour de France’s
most iconic yet challenging ascents is
a particularly rewarding sporting
achievement. At 14 kilometres long,
with a 1,120-metre climb (dénivelé in French) and
21 hairpin turns, the numbers involved in the
Alpe d’Huez ascent are enough to give you wobbly
legs. What if I told you that I had cycled up the
twisting Alpine route without any previous training
and having failed to go on a demanding bicycle
ride in years?
While I would like to think it was due to my high
level of fitness, it was actually down to the fact that
I was cycling on an electric bike (e-bike). In recent
years, e-bikes (vélo à assistance électrique or VAEs
in French) have sparked a small revolution within
the tourism industry, particularly in the mountains,
where they are making mountain biking more
accessible to everyday holiday cyclists, rather than
just an extreme sport for the ultra-fit.
E-bikes look much like normal models except for
the battery, which is attached to the frame, often
DID YOU KNOW? between the wheels. The battery powers a small
engine which helps the pedals turn. It is,
ascent
The Alpe d’Huez however, just a back-up; as soon as you stop
de
is back in the Tour pedalling, the power stops, too. Alongside the
for 20 18 after
France normal gears, there is a tiny monitor that allows
a two-year hiatus. you to choose how much assistance you want,
from the first level, which is barely noticeable, to
full-on turbo mode, which, after an initial and scary
lurch forward, had me cruising at a pretty impressive
speed. Before you ask, yes, I used and abused turbo
speed when going up Alpe d’Huez.
E-bikes offer exciting possibilities for tourists,
because they make cycling on tough terrain suitable
for people of all ages and fitness levels. Not only can
you cover more distance in a day, but, with
an e-mountain bike, you can access more difficult
trails that usually attract only trained bikers.
Alpe d’Huez
Starting at 1,250 metres and reaching 3,330 metres,
the resort of Alpe d’Huez is popular with cyclists
during the summer and regularly marks the finish of
a Tour de France stage. The infamous ascent from
the commune of Le Bourg-d’Oisans to the summit
first featured in le Tour in 1952 and has always
PHOTOGRAPH: LAURENT SALINO/ALPE D’HUEZ TOURISME
provoked a frenzied admiration from spectators

who gather in huge numbers along the road to
watch the peloton fly past. ➳
MORE
ONLINE
Find more ideas for activity holidays in France
www.completefrance.com/travel/short-breaks

It is difficult to appreciate the Alpe d’Huez ascent
from the foot of the mountain, though gazing up at
the pass is daunting enough, if only for the sheer
height of the climb.
Our group had literally flown down from the
summit by paraglider so, fortunately (or unfortunately
depending on how you see things), we had had
a perfect aerial view of the treacherous bends and
the road snaking its way up the mountain. The flight
had been an awe-inspiring experience, one of
complete weightlessness. In comparison, our legs
had never felt heavier as we contemplated the ascent.
With a huge grin, our guide Charlie, who has
worked in the resort for 17 years, led the way
DID YOU KNOW?
7,500 riders
up, telling us to set the electrical assistance on Every July, around
rmotte
our e-bikes to the minimum. One thing to bear take part in the Ma
ilometre
in mind is that the battery weighs a lot, which Granfondo, a 174-k
ce which
makes e-bikes much heavier than normal mountain pass ra
with the ascent to
bicycles: great when you need a sturdy ride while concludes
mountain biking, not so good when climbing Alpe d’Huez.
a road with a gradient reaching a steep 13 per cent.
Seeing our scarlet faces, Charlie allowed us to
raise the assistance level and have a feel for the
different speeds. After that, the ascent was a real
pleasure. The e-bikes’ assistance allowed us to enjoy
the breathtaking views of the valley as we climbed
steadily up without focusing on the physical effort.
With pangs of guilt, we rushed past road cyclists
taking on the challenge without a motor, but were
greeted with a friendly wave from most of them.
At one point, we overtook a couple where a man
was cycling up on a traditional road bike, while
a woman cycled alongside him on an e-bike. This is
a great advantage of e-bikes: instead of driving
behind their cycling other half, partners can now
OTHER ALPINE
E-BIKE TRAILS
Hautes-Alpes
The Hautes-Alpes département is known
for its mountain passes, several of which
appear regularly in the Tour de France.
During the Cols Réservés events in
summer, many of the routes are closed
to traffic and given over to cyclists.
E-bikes are increasingly popular and you
are spoilt for choice for hire shops
(hautes-alpes.net).
La Plagne, Savoie Le Grand-Bornand, ascent overlooking the Aravis mountains.

The Tarentaise Valley resort of La Plagne, Haute-Savoie You can also go e-mountain biking above
part of the giant Paradiski ski area, has The resort of Le Grand-Bornand has just Le Grand-Bornand during the evening on
created several fun areas for e-mountain opened a 20km circuit called the Tour du an organised trip which includes dinner
bikes, called E-spots (la-plagne.com). Mont Lachat, which includes 800 metres of under the stars (www.legrandbornand.com).

ALPINE E-BIKING
work out alongside them and provide even more

support without needing rigorous training.
We reached the top of the resort in just over
an hour and, after the obligatory photo on the Tour
podium, devoured a large burger in the restaurant
overlooking the swimming pool. After congratulating
us, Charlie was ready to go again. “Next time, you
climb the Alpe d’Huez without e-bikes, yes?” he
laughed. We didn’t.
That afternoon we were introduced to e-mountain
biking, an increasingly popular sport in the Alpe
d’Huez resort. After taking the bikes up with us in
the ski lift, we bumped our way down what is a ski
slope in winter but turns into a great playground for
mountain bikers in summer.
There is not much call for power assistance when
you are going downhill, but the resort is developing
its mountain biking trails to meet the pursuit’s
growing popularity. Families in particular are getting
involved as e-bikes open up the activity to children.
The Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine VTT offers
hundreds of kilometres of dedicated downhill cycling
paths, mountain biking trails and several bike parks.
As in winter, you can buy passes that provide access
to lifts and trails (€17.50 for a day).
Vercors Massif
Our time in Alpe d’Huez had come to an end.
Driving down the now-familiar twisting road, we
nodded sympathetically as we crossed paths with
cyclists taking on the ascent. We were heading south
to the outdoor playground that is the Vercors
Massif, a range in the French Pre-alps straddling the
Isère and Drôme départements. It is a beautiful
region of rugged limestone plateaux and mountains
where you can find the protected Vercors regional
park. Our destination was Villard-de-Lans, a charming
town and mid-mountain ski resort well-known as
a centre for nordic skiing. Many French athletes,
including biathlon champion brothers Simon and
Martin Fourcade, live and train here.
Soon after arriving in our hotel, we met up with
our guides from Vélectrip, ready to hop on to more
PHOTOGRAPHS: LAURENT SALINO/ALPE D’HUEZ TOURISME; VÉLICTRIP; PIERRE AUGIER
Portes du Soleil, Haute-Savoie MAIN PICTURE: The e-mountain bikes and go for a guided mountain bike
The Portes du Soleil resort area has 34 switchback roads randonnée. Feeling like pros now, our group
marked mountain biking trails suitable for that lead from adjusted easily to the bikes and some of us even
all levels, including a large choice of paths Le Bourg-d’Oisans up dared not to set the assistance to ‘high’ – just for
dedicated to e-bikes. The car-free resort of to Alpe d’Huez; a challenge, you know. ➳
Avoriaz has 50 electric Solex bikes which INSET: Sophie’s group
are free to use, as well as children’s on the Via Vercors;
e-mountain bikes to hire (en.portesdusoleil. RIGHT: Sophie enjoys
com/summer.html). her cycling adventure
near Villard-de-Lans;
New circuits PANEL, LEFT: E-biking
● Five trails between Les Menuires and near La Plagne
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville (Les Trois Vallées).
● Marked trails on the Beauregard Plateau
in Manigod and Combloux (Haute-Savoie).

We were going on a proper mountain biking
La Grande Moucherolle,
tour, so in terms of technical guidelines, our guides
the second-highest peak
told us always to have a finger on each brake lever
in the Vercors Massif
and to press it gently and gradually when needed.
The speed and weight of the e-bikes make it
dangerous to squeeze the brakes suddenly, because
they are very sensitive.
At the time of our visit, the finishing touches
were being made to a network of accessible cycling
trails connecting the villages of the area. The Via DID YOU KNOW?
Vercors is particularly adapted to e-bikes and The Via Vercors ha
we got a glimpse of it on a ride from Villard- s five
itineraries, with va
de-Lans through the neighbouring village and rying
degrees of difficult
resort of Corrençon. y
indicated by a sc
Although slightly more technical, the ride was ale
out of five.
thrilling and a lot of fun. The well-marked trails
took us up and down hills, on to huge, open
plateaux with jaw-dropping views of the mountains,
past picturesque mountain villages and pastures, and
through cool forests where we manoeuvred around
rocks and roots on the path.
The e-bikes made it all feel so seamless and easy
and, once again, we could truly make the most of
the scenery. We felt a sense of adventure exploring
the great outdoors of the Vercors on trails that we as
leisure cyclists would never even have considered
without an e-bike.
Francofile
GETTING THERE
Embark on an e-bike adventure in the Alps
or guided bike tours in Tel: (Fr) 4 28 70 02 40 Alpine cooking in

38
By air: Sophie travelled the French Alps (tel: (Fr) www.le-grand- an unpretentious and
from London Stansted to 4 50 87 21 09, veymont.com welcoming atmosphere. seasonal ingredients,
Grenoble airport with cyclomundo.com). Stylish three-star hotel and the chef even has his
Ryanair (single fares from comprising seven fully own fishing pond around
£29, ryanair.com) and took WHERE TO STAY equipped apartment suites the back.
transfers to Alpe d’Huez Chalet le Manoir, that can sleep six to
and then on to VIP Chalets eight people. The lively Le Clariant
Villard-de-Lans with Ski Le Village, Alpe d’Huez ground-floor bar, Le V, Le Bruchet
Lifts (tel: 020 8819 7950, Tel: 020 8875 1957 serves locally brewed L’Altiport 38250 Corrençon-
ski-lifts.com). vip-chalets.com beers and is a favourite Altiport, Henry Giraud en-Vercors
Luxurious ski-in, ski-out haunt for locals. From €129 38750 Huez Tel: (Fr) 6 82 42 45 19
GETTING AROUND chalet on the slopes of the a night for two people. Tel: (Fr) 4 76 80 41 15 leclariant.com
PHOTOGRAPHS: PARISDREUX CC BY-SA 3.0; SOPHIE GARDNER-ROBERTS
Sophie hired e-bikes at Alpe d’Huez resort at restaurant-altiport- Dinner at this chalet in
Skiset – Henri Sports 2,000 metres. It sleeps up WHERE TO EAT alpedhuez.com the wilderness is the
Rond-Point des Pistes to 12 guests in the six Chalet du Lac Besson Gourmet restaurant with reward for a half-hour walk
in Alpe d’Huez (tel: (Fr) bedrooms, which can be Route des Lacs a fantastic terrace offering from Corrençon through
4 76 80 36 61) and with booked separately during 38750 Huez beautiful views over the beautiful mountain scenery.
Vélectrip in Villard-de-Lans the summer on a B&B Tel: (Fr) 4 76 80 65 37 mountains. Dishes (such as The food is rustic, local and
(half-day from €37, basis. Doubles from £1,069 Many people walk to this the fish tartare, pictured) delicious, and the warm
tel: (Fr) 6 09 69 43 06, per week. little chalet set up in the are cooked using local and welcome is hard to beat.
velectrip.com). mountains above Alpe
If you prefer to ride Hôtel Le Grand d’Huez but you can cheat TOURIST INFORMATION: Alpe d’Huez tourist office,
bikes without electrical Veymont and drive up. It overlooks tel: (Fr) 4 76 11 44 44, alpedhuez.com; Villard-de-
assistance, head to 31 Rue Victor Hugo the mirror-like Lac Besson Lans, tel: (Fr) 4 76 95 10 38, villarddelans.com.
Cyclomundo for rentals 38250 Villard-de-Lans and serves traditional Département: Isère (38).

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ake a stroll in...
Yvoire
This medieval village on the shores of Lac Léman
has a fairy-tale quality, and it is just as enchanting
in real life, much to the delight of Vicky Leigh
B
efore my visit, I knew little proved groundless; this pearl is an Fortifications included a castle and
about the medieval village of enchanting little gem. ramparts, and access was controlled
Yvoire, but had nevertheless Situated at the northern tip of the via the Porte de Rovorée and Porte de
formed an image of what Presqu’île de Léman (Leman peninsula), Nernier gateways. The imposing château
it might be like. One of France’s Plus Yvoire separates the petit lac and the has been privately owned since 1655 and
Beaux Villages and an award-winning grand lac. This strategic position was is not open to the public, but it continues
Ville Fleurie, Yvoire is also known as the recognised by Amadeus V, Count of to stand guard over Yvoire and the lake.
Perle du Lac Léman (the Pearl of Lake Savoy, in the 14th century, and Yvoire The castle’s fairy-tale turrets catch my
Geneva), so it had a lot to live up to. went on to play an important military eye immediately as I approach Yvoire on
I did wonder if my expectations might role in the war between Savoy and the the passenger ferry from the Swiss town
have been too high, but any concerns province of Dauphiné to the south. of Nyon, and there is a breathtaking

TAKE A STROLL
The château at Yvoire and the dome of the

Église Saint-Pancrace look over Lac Léman
view of the whole village from my seat my way up a slight incline. I reach Place traffic, and the lack of vehicles only adds
PHOTOGRAPH: F. CEREZ/iSTOCK PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
on the upper deck. Flower-bedecked du Thay, the central square, where the to the village’s old-world charm.
buildings line the harbour where fishing benches under the trees are already Background noise comes from
boats bob in the water and the entire filling with people. I am tempted to join conversations rather than cars, and the
scene looks like a living, breathing them and watch the waves lapping further I stroll along the alleyways, the
postcard, especially with the sun shining the shoreline, but decide instead to start further I seem to be from the modern
brightly in a clear blue sky. exploring the narrow lanes that world. The artisan craft shops, ateliers
When the ferry arrives, everyone lead off in all directions. and boutiques that line the lanes provide
moves in the same direction, so I follow The area within the village walls is plenty of opportunities for souvenir-
the crowd, passing more buildings only accessible on foot, so I wander hunting, while the crêperie and glacerie
adorned with floral displays as I make along without worrying about passing are equally appealing. ➳

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Art galleries line a street in Yvoire;
The Jardin des Cinq Sens lies next to the privately owned
château; Waiting for a boat on the shores of Lac Léman;
Flowers in abundance outside the Restaurant des Pêcheurs
The buildings have a pleasing uniformity, with

their stone-clad facades and wooden balconies
decorated with the by-now familiar floral displays,
and the whole village is as neat as a pin. It is easy to
see why Yvoire won first prize in a national
competition for the best-kept village, and has been
a Plus Beau Village for more than 20 years. It also
has the highest, four-flower rating as a Ville Fleurie,
and won the trophy for landscape and horticulture
when it represented France at European level.
The château comes into view as I turn the corner,
and it is even more impressive up close. The roof
and turrets were restored in the early 1900s, and
I am curious about what the interior is like, but as it
is not open to the public, I continue on to the castle’s
former kitchen garden. Enclosed by medieval walls,
it is home to the Jardin des Cinq Sens, which attracts
600,000 visitors a year (open Apr-Oct, admission €12).
This sensory garden features some 1,300 varieties of
plants, all chosen to appeal to the five senses, and
the maze-inspired design creates themed ‘rooms’ that
encourage visitors to see, smell, touch, taste and
listen as they move through the grounds.
My visit of the garden completed, I stroll back
towards the main square, where people continue to
congregate on the benches in the sunshine. I spot an
empty seat and this time I do join them, just in time
to see the next group of day-trippers making their
way up from the harbour.
YVOIRE AT A GLANCE
Stay the night at… Le Pré de la Cure WHAT TO SEE
(doubles from €105, pre-delacure.com). ● To learn more about Yvoire’s past, visit
The hotel lies in the heart of Yvoire and is the Maison d’Histoire, which opened in
the ideal base for exploring the village. 2006. The educational and interactive
Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna displays include model replicas and an
and whirlpool bath, and a restaurant exhibition of historical documents. The
terrace offering lovely views of the lake. tourist office organises guided tours which
Open to 28 October 2018. include a visit to the museum.
Stop for lunch at… Restaurant des Pêcheurs ● Take a tour around the lake on a solar-
(menus from €22, restaurantdespecheurs. powered boat and enjoy the spectacular
com), the first restaurant on the French side view of Yvoire and the Presqui’île de Léman
of Lac Léman to serve perch fillets with the from afar, while learning more about the
now-famous lemon butter sauce – the town from the guided commentary. Open
recipe was created in 1954 by then-owner Apr-Oct, adults €9.50, children €7-€8.50,
and founder Alice Duchêne. This traditional under-threes free (helionaute.com).
local speciality is still on the menu (€28.50),
alongside many other fresh fish ● Originally built in the 11th century, the
and seafood dishes. Église Saint-Pancrace (pictured right) has

TAKE A STROLL
IN THE AREA
ABOVE: The funicular railway at Thonon-

les-Bains; RIGHT: The Domaine de Rovorée
nature park is a short walk from Yvoire
A designated foot and cycle path

leads from Yvoire to the Domaine de
Rovorée, a 24-hectare nature park on
the lakeshore. Situated a leisurely
20-minute walk from the village, this
protected area is a haven for wildlife
and boasts a centuries-old forest of
chestnut trees. La Châtaignière (tourisme.excenevex.fr), and there is
(tel: (Fr) 4 50 72 26 67) is one of two a ‘fitness trail’ if you are feeling
buildings within the park belonging particularly energetic.
to the departmental council, and is The local wines are not that
used as a cultural centre that hosts well-known beyond Haute-Savoie, so
summer events and exhibitions. see what you have been missing, with
The lake is one of the main a visit to Sciez, a ten-minute drive
PHOTOGRAPHS: PATRICK NOUHAILLER CREATIVE COMMONS; JARDIN DES 5 SENS; MARIEJIROUSEK CREATIVE COMMONS;
attractions of this part of Haute- further south from Excenevex.
an onion-shaped dome that was added to Savoie, and there are varied ways to The Château La Tour de Marignan
the top of the bell tower in 1854. The make the most of it. Drive south-east (tel: (Fr) 4 50 72 70 30) is
SYLDAVIA/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; ARONAZE/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; LÉMANS SANS FRONTIÈRE

steeple was later covered in stainless steel from Yvoire on the D25 and you will an 11th-century domaine that has
and the weathervane in gold leaf, so that come to the village of Excenevex, been producing organic AOC
when the sun glints off the top, the church where you can hire pedalos, motor Marignan wine for 25 years. Tastings
shines like a lighthouse on the lake. boats and paddle boards (open until are held throughout the year in
15 Sept, lululocation.e-monsite.com). Savoy’s oldest vaulted cellar, where
GETTING THERE: The The natural white-sand beach is set the owners share their passion for
nearest airport and against a backdrop of beautiful wine along with some exceptional
railway station Alpine scenery, and is family-friendly, vintages. Visits can be arranged
are in Geneva (36km); too. Free guided walking tours of the through the tourist office (tourisme-
a passenger ferry crossing 74 village and surrounding area depart sciez.com, free for individuals, groups
(line N3) operates between from the tourist office on Wednesday from €6 for ten people and above).
Nyon and Yvoire (seasonal afternoons in July and August For anyone keen to enjoy some
timetables); Yvoire is an 8hr rest and relaxation, the spa town of
drive from the northern ports. Thonon-les-Bains is also within easy
TOURIST INFORMATION: Rhône-Alpes reach. Take advantage of the ‘Easy
tourist board, auvergnerhonealpes-tourisme.com; MORE Thonon’ thermal package, which
Yvoire tourist office, tel: (Fr) 4 50 72 80 21, ONLINE comprises bed and breakfast in
yvoiretourism.com. Discover more of the Auvergne-Rhône- a two-star hotel, a tourist pass and
Alpes region with our insider’s guide
Département: Haute-Savoie (74). www.completefrance.com/regions-of-france spa access from €55pp per day
(easy-thonon.com).

Le
Weekend
SHORT BUT SWEET
CITY BREAKS
BOULOGNE-SUR-MER
Just across the Channel, France’s biggest fishing port has
a rich heritage to explore along the waterfront and in the
fortified haute ville, as Rudolf Abraham discovers
B
oulogne-sur-Mer lies on the a succession of market stalls spread along an earlier cathedral torn down following
Côte d’Opale, some 20 the waterfront, where glisteningly fresh the French Revolution. Beneath it lies
kilometres south of the point skate wings, turbot, brill and sole are one of the largest crypts in France, with
where la Manche pinches to its arranged beside trays of shellfish. a labyrinthine succession of corridors and
narrowest point at Cap Gris-Nez. The biggest surprise for me is the chambers to explore.
An important settlement and port under extent of the well-preserved fortified Amazingly, the basilica was designed
the Romans (who called it Gesoriacum), old town, or haute ville – a rough by a local priest, Benoît-Agathon
it was occupied by the English several quadrilateral, surrounded by some Haffreingue, who had never built
times during and after the Hundred 1.5 kilometres of stout, bastioned walls, anything before, but hoped to re-establish
Years War, and became a popular with a no-nonsense, moated castle
seaside getaway in the 19th century. occupying one corner. Narrow, cobbled
Boulogne is France’s largest fishing streets are lined by cafés and punctuated
MORE
port, with some 35,000 tonnes of fish by a few architectural gems.
ONLINE
being landed here each year – and as The slender dome of the Basilique Find more ideas for weekend
such, the influence of the sea is apparent Notre-Dame rises to 100 metres and breaks in France
everywhere. A morning walk down dominates the city skyline. Built in the http://www.completefrance.com
/travel/short-breaks
Promenade Jean Muselet takes me past 19th century, the basilica replaced

CITY BREAK
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The dome of the Basilique Notre-Dame dominates the Boulogne skyline;
Château Comtal houses the main museum; The belfry is now a Unesco World Heritage site;
The Colonne de la Grande Armée commemorates Napoléon Bonaparte’s stay in the town
the entrance inside the adjacent hôtel de without a visit to Nausicaá, an amazing
ville, past successive floors to a narrow aquarium with a commitment to raising
balcony surrounded by a parapet, with awareness about preserving the marine
the city laid out below. environment. Endorsed by Unesco as
Strolling along the ramparts provides a Centre of Excellence, it opened a huge
further fine views of the basilica, and 10,000 cubic metre tank in May.
takes me to the 13th-century Château When it comes to eating out, ask
Comtal. The castle is unusual in not someone in Boulogne to name a typical
having a keep (that having been located local dish, and the answer will probably
in the lower part of the belfry), and since be le Welsh – a take on Welsh rarebit,
1987 has housed the town museum, said to have arrived with the armies of
which includes displays of Roman and Henry VIII. However, forget any
Egyptian artefacts and medieval art. similarities to cheese on toast; le Welsh is
The grand-looking building beside the served in an oven dish and consists of
hôtel de ville is the so-called Imperial a great mass of melting cheese cooked in
Palace. The 18th-century private beer and mustard with a token piece ➳
residence, now completely restored, is
where Napoléon Bonaparte stayed from
1803 to 1805, while assembling his
Grande Armée with the intention of
Boulogne’s status as an episcopal seat. invading England, before he was
Perhaps due to this lack of architectural compelled to turn his forces eastwards
experience, the arches of the nave instead. A memorial on the northern
collapsed in the early 20th century and outskirts of town, the Colonne de la
had to be rebuilt. Some of the concrete Grande Armée, commemorates his
reinforcements can be seen in the crypt. stay at Boulogne.
The best views of the basilica are from Heading out beyond the walls
the top of Boulogne’s equally impressive through one of the old city gates, the
beffroi – one of 56 belfries in Belgium Porte des Dunes, I turn right to a small
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS: RUDOLF ABRAHAM
and northern France listed collectively as green park overhung with pink blossom,
a Unesco World Heritage site. The lowest where a pyramid-shaped memorial pays
part dates from the late 12th century, homage to Boulogne’s most famous son,
and was the keep (donjon) of the town’s the 19th-century Egyptologist Auguste
original castle, before being extended Mariette, who founded the Egyptian
upwards in the following century. Museum in Cairo.
A narrow, spiral staircase leads up from No trip to Boulogne is complete

of bread buried in its calorie-filled depths. You do not have to leave Boulogne to
The deluxe version is the complet, with find a big sandy beach – the town’s plage
strips of ham folded in and a runny fried stretches along the coast just behind the
egg perched on top. The standard Nausicaá centre. But for more of
accompaniment is frites – as if the meal a feeling of open space, go to Wimereux,
were not heavy enough – though a salad or beyond to Plage des Dunes de la
might be a more sensible choice. In any Slack, where kite surfers take to the air
case, it goes wonderfully with a local beer. framed by a protected landscape of
In the morning I head eight kilometres dunes. My favourite, though, is the beach
up the coast to the little seaside town of at Hardelot 15 kilometres south of
Wimereux, location of one of the many the town – a breathtakingly wild
Commonwealth War Graves in northern sprawl of pale sand backed by enormous,
France. It is a profoundly moving place, grassy dunes.
where around 3,000 World War I Back in Boulogne, I enjoy a drink or
casualties lie buried beneath simple two at the appropriately named Beers’n
white slabs. Among the graves is that of Paradise – the coolest watering hole in
Canadian physician and poet Lieut Col town and the perfect place to raise
John McCrae, best known for his poem a parting toast to this wonderful town by
In Flanders Fields. the sea. ABOVE: A narrow street in the haute ville
Francofile Explore the heritage of France’s largest fishing port

62
GETTING THERE FOR AN APÉRO

By rail: The journey from Beers’n Paradise
London to Boulogne-sur- (pictured left)
Mer via Calais Fréthun takes 80 Rue Victor Hugo
from 1hr 50min with return Tel: (Fr) 3 21 99 86 72
fares from £85 (tel:0844 62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer
848 5848, oui.sncf.com). The place to try some of the
By car: The town is a 40min outstanding beers produced €16.55/€9.65 each for four
drive from the ferry and by small local breweries. or more people.
Eurotunnel terminals
at Calais. enormous high-ceilinged Michelin-starred chef WHERE TO VISIT STAYING ON
rooms and stacks of Tony Lestienne serves Château Comtal and Château d’Hardelot
GETTING AROUND character. Doubles from €90 outstanding dishes at Museum 1 Rue de la Source
The fortified old town is including breakfast. Boulogne’s top restaurant, 1 Rue de Bernet 62360 Condette
easily explored on foot, and and service is impeccable. 62200 Boulogne-Sur-Mer Tel: (Fr) 3 21 21 73 65
is a 20-minute walk from La Matelote Menus from €70. Tel: (Fr) 3 21 10 02 20 chateau-hardelot.fr
the waterfront. Bicycles and 70 Boulevard Saint-Beuve musee.ville-boulogne- Less than 15 kilometres
e-bikes can be rented from 62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer Chez Jules sur-mer.fr south of Boulogne stands
Cycléco in Forum Jean Noël, Tel: (Fr) 3 21 30 33 33 8 Place Dalton Admission €5, 16-25s €3, the lavishly furnished
Quai de la Poste (tel: (Fr) la-matelote.com 62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer under-16s free. Château d’Hardelot,
3 91 18 34 48) from €9/€15 Four-star waterfront hotel, Tel: (Fr) 3 21 31 54 12 designed in a mock-Tudor
per day. with plush guestrooms and chez-jules.fr Nausicaá style by its British owners in
a Michelin-starred Popular brasserie with Boulevard Sainte Beuve the mid-19th century, and
WHERE TO STAY restaurant. Doubles from tables outside on the 62203 Boulogne-sur-Mer now a cultural centre
Rudolf stayed at: €105, breakfast €16pp. square, and the best place Tel: (Fr) 3 21 30 98 98 celebrating the entente
L’Enclos de l’Évêché to try le Welsh nausicaa.fr cordiale. The new
6 Rue de Pressy WHERE TO EAT (from €12.60). Admission €19, 3-12s €12.50, Elizabethan theatre in the
62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer Rudolf ate at: grounds makes use of
Tel: (Fr) 3 91 90 05 90 La Matelote TOURIST INFORMATION: Boulogne tourist office, a variety of woods including
enclosdeleveche.com 70 Boulevard Saint-Beuve tel: (Fr) 3 21 10 88 10, visitboulogne.com; bamboo, and received the
Wonderful B&B in the heart 62200 Boulogne-sur-Mer Nord-Pas de Calais tourist board, tel: (Fr) 3 20 14 57 57, inaugural World Architecture
of the old town, with Tel: (Fr) 3 21 30 17 97 northernfrance-tourism.com. News ‘Wood in Architecture’
a charming courtyard, la-matelote.com Département: Pas-de-Calais (62). Award in 2017.

FRENCH NAVY
BATTLE FOR
THE WAVES
Set sail on a voyage
through France’s rich
maritime heritage with
Sandra Haurant
W
ith its two long coastlines
stretching along the
Atlantic to the west and
the Mediterranean to the
south, France is a country very much
turned towards the sea, and its naval
history stretches back to the Middle Ages.
England’s Edward III staked his claim
to the French throne in 1337, and the
following year the two countries sent their
ships to sea in the opening naval battle of ABOVE: Solférino, a broadside ironclad warship of the French Navy, was launched in 1861
the Hundred Years War, the first in
which artillery was used. The Battle of a large fleet to be divided between the Back in France, the Revolution was
Arnemuiden, which was fought off Mediterranean and the Atlantic. raging and many high-ranking naval
the coast of Flanders, set the stage for Richelieu’s naval title was passed on officers were executed due to their noble
centuries of battles at sea. to his precocious 17-year-old nephew, lineage, leaving the navy’s power sorely
Two years later, the English set sail Jean-Armand de Maillé-Brézé, who was depleted. The navy changed its name
once more, with a fleet that included ships made an admiral at 24. He led fleets from the Marine Royale to the Marine
PHOTOGRAPHS: CLASSIC IMAGE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; OFFICE DE TOURISME ET DES CONGRÈS MARSEILLE;
packed with knights and longbowmen. against the Spanish, and came to the aid Nationale, although it is still referred to as
The French, along with the Genoese and of the Portuguese, but was killed in battle ‘La Royale’ today. The fleet played a large
Spanish, attempted to fend them off with in 1646, aged just 27. Several naval role in the Napoleonic Wars, notably
defensive tactics, but the plan failed and vessels have been named after him, suffering defeat alongside the Spanish at
the French lost almost all their ships. including a 1950s battleship which is now the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Horatio
NANTES MARINE TRADITION; MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE; JULIEN CHAUVET
By the late 16th century, during the a floating museum in Nantes. Nelson successfully rebuffed Napoléon’s
reign of Henri IV, the country was attempts to conquer Britain, at the cost of
experiencing a period of instability Crucial assistance his own life from a French sniper’s bullet.
and facing threats along its borders. More than a century after Maillé-Brézé’s The Marine Nationale was active in the
As a result, the military preoccupation death, the French sailed into battle on the world wars too, and faced difficult times.
was with those fighting on the land rather other side of the Atlantic, helping the In 1940, the British destroyed a fleet off
than on the sea. Funds were re-directed Americans in their fight for independence the Algerian coast, with the loss of 1,300
to troops on the ground, at the expense from the British. France’s help was lives, to prevent the ships coming under
of the navy. important; according to the US State control of the occupying Nazis. Two years
Sea power was to be revived by Office of the Historian, the French Navy later, the French scuttled their own fleet in
a familiar name, Cardinal Richelieu, who “transported reinforcements, fought off the port of Toulon for the same reason.
is credited with rebuilding the French a British fleet, and protected Washington’s Today, the French Marine Nationale
Navy. Richelieu was appointed Grand forces in Virginia. French assistance was has replenished its fleet and boosted its
Maître de la Navigation in 1626, crucial in securing the British surrender at ranks; it now has 39,000 personnel, 72
and channelled funds into creating Yorktown in 1781.” ships, ten submarines and 200 aircraft.

HISTORY TRAIL
PLACES TO VISIT 2 Maillé Brézé

floating museum,
1 Vieux-Port, Nantes 3 Musée de la 4 Les Tours de
Marseille The battleship Maillé Brézé Marine, Toulon La Rochelle
The old port is the beating went into service in 1957, and The Mediterranean port of The Atlantic port is dominated
heart of this vibrant city and is was converted into an anti- Toulon is the principal base of by three medieval towers: Tour
a heady mix of ancient and submarine vessel a decade later. the French Navy (ahead of Saint-Nicolas and Tour de la
modern. It has provided a safe For the past 30 years, it has been Brest in Brittany) and is home Chaîne guard the entrance to
harbour since antiquity, and is a museum moored on the banks to two-thirds of the French the harbour, while Tour de la
guarded by Fort Saint-Nicolas of the Loire. You can explore the naval fleet. The museum is Lanterne stands about 250
and Fort Saint-Jean. The port engine room, boiler, turbines and a physical embodiment of that metres to the west. One or
underwent major renovations operation room, and get a closer history; created at the end of more have acted as prisons for
during Marseille’s year as look at the torpedoes, missiles the First Empire of Napoléon, Huguenots and English sailors,
European Capital of Culture in and sonar equipment. Find out it houses an impressive a watch tower, a lighthouse and
2013, and is now home to how the 277 crew lived and collection of large model ships even a gunpowder store. After
a shining contemporary worked by visiting the bridge, and other artefacts. visiting the towers, soak up the
Ombrière, or sun shade, kitchens, bakery and infirmary. Place Monsenergue maritime atmosphere of this
designed by Norman Foster. Quai de la Fosse Quai Norfolk beautiful port.
Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille 44000 Nantes 83000 Toulon Vieux-Port, 17000 La Rochelle
Tel: (Fr) 4 91 54 23 65 Tel: (Fr) 9 79 18 33 51 Tel: (Fr) 4 22 42 02 01 Tel: (Fr) 5 46 41 33 14
marseilletourisme.com maillebreze.com musee-marine.fr/Toulon holidays-la-rochelle.co.uk

Sixties survivor
The singer FRANÇOISE HARDY, who had her
first hit as a teenager in the yé-yé era, has
just released her 24th studio album. She
tells Eddi Fiegel about her life and career

MUSIC
T
he French have a way of doing Hardy stood apart from her contemporaries both
their own thing; not least when musically and visually. The songs of her fellow yé-yé
it comes to music. Just a few artists had a jaunty joie de vivre and singalong
years before the barricaded exuberance, most notably the Serge Gainsbourg-
streets of Paris made world headlines in penned hits for France Gall such as the Eurovision-
May 1968, a new generation of French pop winning Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son, and Laisse
stars had emerged, performing songs Tomber les Filles, and Gainsbourg’s own duets with
bursting with the optimism and dynamism Brigitte Bardot including Docteur Jekyll et Monsieur
of the decade. Hyde. By contrast, even Hardy’s more upbeat
Françoise Hardy, France Gall, Sylvie numbers had a plaintive quality that matched her
Vartan, Jacques Dutronc and Michel more poised image.
Polnareff became household names with
an infectious musical mélange that was part Soulful eyes
LEFT: The singer- 1960s beat-guitar twang, part Gallic take on the early In Tous les Garçons et les Filles, she sang of a young
songwriter Françoise rock’n’roll lite of British teen rockers such as Cliff girl who walks alone while watching young couples
Hardy today; Richard and Helen Shapiro. Their sound was pass by, hand-in-hand, gazing into each other’s eyes.
TOP: With producer nicknamed ‘yé-yé’, probably in a nod to The Beatles, Many of her ensuing lyrics were equally sad, not least
Ezio Leoni at whom the acts adored and whose American-inspired her heartbreaking 1973 classic Message Personnel, in
a recording session ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ refrain in their 1964 smash She which she tells a lover about her fear of expressing her
in 1963; ABOVE: On Loves You was, amazingly, still considered slightly true feelings. The fact that she wrote her own lyrics
PHOTOGRAPHS: BENOÎT PEVERELLI; ITALIAN ELVIS CC BY-SA 4.0;
the set of the 1966 shocking at that point. seemed to cement her role as the patron saint of the
film Grand Prix, in Françoise Hardy was, arguably, in a league of her dispossessed and heartbroken.
which she played the own. In 1962, when she was just 18, her self-penned Hardy’s image also set her apart. While Sheila,
girlfriend of a fictional hit Tous les Garçons et les Filles sold two million Sylvie Vartan and France Gall sported neatly coiffed
racing driver copies, and when other hits followed such as Mon bobs, flipped curls and pleats, and were often
ROBERT HUHARDEAUX CC BY-SA 2.0
Ami la Rose, her face became a regular fixture on the photographed jumping or running, Hardy’s record
covers of Paris Match and other popular magazines. sleeves showed her looking composed and pensive.
But she was more than a teen phenomenon: her With her insouciant fringe, glacier cheekbones and
fans included The Beatles, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, soulful eyes, guitar strapped to her back, she looked
and Mick Jagger, who declared her his ‘ideal woman’. as if she had wandered out of beatnik-filled
while Bob Dylan dedicated a poem to her on the Greenwich Village, albeit with a hearty soupçon
sleeve of his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. of Parisian chic. ➳

Five decades on, Hardy, now 74, has released
a new album, Personne d’Autre, her first for nearly six
years. The beautifully melancholic air is very much in
keeping with her earlier hits. She also remains
strikingly elegant, her hair short, lustrous and white.
The singer was only forced to take time out due to
a long struggle with lymphoma, which she survived
thanks to a new type of chemotherapy. “I almost
died,” she tells me. She had no plans to make a new
album, but happened to hear the 2005 song Sleep by
Finnish alternative rock band Poets of the Fall, and
was so taken with it that she contacted producer Erick
Benzi, with whom she had worked previously.
“I loved this song so much that I wanted to adapt it in
French and record it myself,” she says. Benzi not only
agreed, but sent her the melodies he had written for
several new songs, with a view to her writing lyrics,
and an album was soon in the making.
Hardy’s lyrics reflect her traumatic recent experiences
and create a strong sense of impending mortality.
The music itself has an air of plaintive sadness very
much in keeping with her earlier records. I ask her if
that was intentional. “The musicians I work with
know that I am fond of slow and medium tunes,”
she replies. “They know I am romantic and
sentimental, above all.”
Unhappy childhood
The album’s recurring themes of love for someone
now far away, reminiscences of past love and indeed
the title itself Personne d’Autre (Nobody Else) can
also be read as a love song to her husband – the singer
and actor Jacques Dutronc, although Hardy denies
that they refer to a particular person.
Dutronc was ‘yé-yé’s irreverent pin-up playboy and I found out that with only three chords,
one of France’s biggest stars in the 1960s and early
1970s, scoring huge hits with Et Moi et Moi et Moi,
I could compose tunes myself. At the
Les Cactus and Il est Cinq Heures, Paris s’Éveille. beginning they were terrible, of course!
When they got together in the late 1960s, the pair
were the ‘Mick and Marianne’ of French pop.
Although long separated – Hardy lives alone in She was brought up by a domineering and highly
Paris, while Dutronc is in Corsica and has had critical grandmother, but salvation came in the form
another partner for the past 20 years – they remain of a guitar bought by her father. “[My mother]
legally married and keep in touch. They also spend wanted my father to do something for me when I got
time together with their son Thomas, who was born the baccalauréat and I hesitated between a small
PHOTOGRAPHS: JOOST EVERS/ANEFO/CC BY-SA 3.0; ELEN NIVRAE CC BY 2.0
in 1973. transistor radio and a guitar. I don’t know why I

Hardy has described Dutronc as the ‘man of her chose the guitar – I knew nothing about music, but
life’ and when it comes to her lyrics, the truism that my choice was decisive for the rest of my life because
‘happiness writes white on the page’ clearly strikes I found out that with only three chords, I could
a chord. As she tells me: “The great French poet compose tunes myself. At the beginning they were
Alfred de Musset wrote that the most desperate songs terrible, of course!’
are the most beautiful ones, and I think it, too. These days, Hardy concentrates on looking after
In classical music, the most beautiful musical themes her health and answering emails from friends. Her
are often those of the adagios.” autobiography, The Despair of Monkeys and Other
Music was always an escape for Hardy. Her Trifles, has just been published in the UK, and she has
post-war childhood was not a happy one, because her also written books on her recent passion – astrology.
parents were unmarried in an era when this was Does she have an average day? “Yes,” she says. “I am
considered shameful; her father was mainly absent a kind of hermit. I get up very early, go to bed very
and her mother “had no money”, as Hardy tells me. early and watch good movies, TV series or political

MUSIC
LEFT: Françoise programmes in the evenings. I live alone and have no yeah yeah. We came also from the same modest
Hardy pictured in secretary, so I always feel I never have enough time.” background. Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Sheila,
1969, at the height When it comes to reading, romantic literature has Jacques Dutronc, Michel Polnareff and I started to
of her success always been her favourite: “Edith Wharton, Henry become famous at about the same time. It contributes
James, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Anthony to a special kind of bond between us, we are a kind
Trollope, Rosamond Lehmann, Daphné du Maurier, of family... Johnny’s death [in December last year]
etc. But, of course, I read other things. Right now, made me very unhappy and still does.”
I am reading a very interesting book Assad, about Hardy never thought that the records would
what is happening in Syria. I also read books about remain so popular decades after they were made.
astrophysics and quantum physics.” “After my first one-year contract, I signed my second
Meanwhile, the records which Hardy and her for five years. My first song had been a huge hit,
fellow yé-yé artists made in the 1960s are once again but I was secretly convinced that in five years nobody
in vogue and she is delighted that they have gained would know me any more. I have always lived with
new generations of fans. Despite the differences in the thought that everything could stop from one day
style between Hardy and her contemporaries, she to another.”
always felt a kinship with them.
“At that time we were all crazy about the same REVIEW
British and American songs, and influenced by them...
PERSONNE D’AUTRE
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Michel Polnareff has toured on
and off since the 1960s and
released albums into the 1990s. His
1967 hit La Poupée qui Fait Non was
covered three decades later by
English indie dance band Saint
Etienne. Despite recent illness, he
is apparently planning a major tour.
Jacqueline Taïeb scored her

biggest French yé-yé hit in 1967
Jacques Dutronc devoted more of with 7 Heures du Matin. In the
his time to acting from the mid- 1980s, the Tunisian-born singer
1970s, appearing in films by Claude wrote Ready to Follow You, which
Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and became a hit for American singer New recordings by 1960s stars have a tendency to
Claude Lelouch. From 2014-2017, Dana Dawson. In 2015, she disappoint. Personne d’Autre, however, still feels very
he toured with Johnny Hallyday released the light funk message for much like a Françoise Hardy album, and the beauty of her
and Eddy Mitchell under the world peace, Peace, Love & Action. voice and music puts the recent wave of French-speaking
collective name of Les Vieilles models-turned-singers in the shade.
Canailles (‘The Old Gits’). Sylvie Vartan (pictured) had hits At 74, Hardy obviously produces a different sound
throughout the 1970s and 1980s, from her teenage yé-yé days, but she is singing about
Sheila has performed in various and carried on touring into the a lifetime’s experiences, and her voice remains warm,
incarnations including Sheila & early 2000s, performing jazz intimate and extraordinarily youthful.
Ringo with her singer husband, ballads at sell-out world tours. There is an ethereal quality throughout, especially
and the disco act Sheila and B. These days she tends to appear on the opening two tracks, À Cache-cache, and Dors Mon
Devotion. At the age of 73, she is mostly in news stories related to Ange – Hardy’s reworking of Poets of the Fall’s Sleep. And
now preparing a new album with her grown-up children. producer and co-writer Erick Benzi’s gentle, spare and
producer and musician Nile tasteful production allows her voice to take centre stage.
Rodgers, with whom she first The themes of reminiscence, loss and mortality could
worked in 1979. make for sombre listening, but the music is anything but.
Un Seul Geste includes a catchy refrain that harks back
France Gall continued to record to her 1960s heyday, while Trois Petits Tours has a jaunty,
and tour until she announced her country twang. As she sings on the closing track La Large:
retirement in 1997. She died in “Everything will be all right, everything will be far away
January 2018. when I sail away.”
● Personne d’Autre is out now on the Parlophone label.

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Where to stay for...
A village break
The River Cuisance flows through Arbois in Jura
Choose your perfect rural retreat in some of France’s most

picturesque locations, with our accommodation guide
CLOSERIE LES
CAPUCINES, Arbois, Jura
This converted 17th-century convent lies
in the centre of Arbois in the Jura wine
region, and has views of the Pont des
Capucins and the 16th-century Tour
Gloriette. The two suites and three
bedrooms are individually decorated in
a contemporary style, while the hotel
incorporates the building’s rich history
– think thick stone walls and a curved
stone staircase – with modern touches
including a glass-roofed patio, a swimming
pool in the garden, and a sauna.
Doubles from €125.
Tel: (Fr) 3 84 66 17 38
LE JARDIN DU MAS, in traditional Provençal style, with views closerielescapucines.com ➳
Biot, Alpes-Maritimes of the village and swimming pool. There
PHOTOGRAPHS: GZEN92 CC BY-SA 4.0
The medieval village of Biot lies on a hill is a beautiful garden featuring a Japanese
about four kilometres from the waterfall and a sunny terrace where you
Mediterranean, between Antibes and can sit and enjoy the restaurant’s fusion of
Nice, and is known for its pottery and traditional and modern Provençal food.
glass. Le Jardin du Mas occupies a former Doubles from €120 including breakfast.
monastery and has three guest rooms, Tel: (Fr) 4 97 04 88 32
which are spacious, bright and decorated lejardindumas.com

L’AQUARELLE,
Evry-le-Châtel, Champagne
Set in an 18th-century house at the foot
of the village’s medieval ramparts, this
chambre d’hôte has a large garden to
make the most of the views over the
Armance Valley. The three bedrooms
reflect the building’s original character,
with wood-panelled floors and wooden
beams much in evidence. The B&B is
conveniently placed for exploring the
Pays d’Othe-Armance, which has many
walking, cycling and horse-riding trails.
You can also book a table d’hôte evening
meal (€27 including drinks) to sample
local gourmet specialities.
Doubles from €70 including breakfast.
Tel: (Fr) 3 25 42 03 71
laquarelle-ervy.com
LE PRINCE NOIR, CHÂTEAU D’EAU, an oculus opening out on to the skies, and
Les Baux-de-Provence, Lagraulet-du-Gers, Gers a rooftop terrace looking over the village
Bouches-du-Rhône If you want to spend a night under the and Armagnac vineyards. There is also
Le Prince Noir B&B occupies a tastefully stars but still keep a solid roof over your a bathroom and kitchen. The outside of
restored house in the heart of this head, try a renovated water tower for two the tower is covered with a contemporary
fortified Plus Beau Village, which stands in this village on the Chemins de Saint- fresco by Gers artist Jean-Paul Chambas.
high on a rocky outcrop. The three Jacques pilgrimage route. The stand-out From €140 per night.
individually decorated rooms are actually features are a double bedroom with gers-gites-france.com
built into the cliff face, while the rooftop
terrace offers views of the Val d’Enfer
and the Alpilles massif. Les Baux can
PHOTOGRAPHS: L’AQUARELLE EN CHAMPAGNE; COLLECTION TOURISME GERS/MAIRIE DE LAGRAULET;
get busy during the day, but staying at
Le Prince Noir means you have the
village to yourself after the day trippers
have gone.
Doubles from €108 including breakfast.
Tel: (Fr) 4 90 54 39 57
leprincenoir.com
LE BATEAU ATELIER, your own small terrace and can cook

Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret a simple meal on the gas stove (though
COEUR DE LOIRE; EMMANUEL BERTHIER
River views do not get much better than there is a restaurant 50 metres along the
those from the cabin window of this riverbank). It is perfect for a romantic
traditional toue cabanée. Moored on the night with a difference in a beautiful
River Loire just 500 metres from the setting.
château at Meung-sur-Loire, the boat has €66.50 a night for two including
basic but comfortable facilities, including breakfast.
a double bed, dry toilet and sink. You have Tel: (Fr) 6 67 88 01 52

WHERE TO STAY
L’GUILHAUME
D’ORANGE, Saint-Guilhem-
le-Désert, Hérault
Take a walk on the wild side in the Plus
Beau Village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert,
which lies on the edge of the unspoilt
Gorges de l’Hérault. The Guilhaume
d’Orange hotel is right next to the gorge,
and has ten bedrooms, which look out
on the village, the river or the garden.
The restaurant serves seasonal local
produce. The village is on the Chemins LÔ D’ICI, Nasbinals, Lozère
de Saint-Jacques pilgrimage route and Get away from it all in France’s least
has its own Unesco World Heritage site populated département with a stay at this
– the 8th-century Abbaye de Gellone. gîte de caractère in a village near the
Doubles from €75, breakfast €12. Aubrac plateau. The converted barn has
Tel: (Fr) 4 67 57 24 53 four rooms, each with access to a fully
guilhaumedorange.com equipped kitchen, living area and
courtyard garden with a terrace. The
owner also offers yoga, meditation and
massage sessions, and runs a tea room
where you can sample local drinks and
specialities. Nasbinals is a charming
mountain village and the plateau is
perfect for enthusiastic hikers.
Doubles from €48.50 including breakfast.
Tel: (Fr) 6 80 28 51 12
lodici-aubrac.com
LA GRÉE DES LANDES, organic bedding and natural paint is

ÉCO-HÔTEL SPA 100 per cent natural and eco-friendly. The
YVES ROCHER, 29 rooms have a wood-based decor and
La Gacilly, Morbihan come with private terraces looking over
The village of La Gacilly in Brittany is the Aff Valley. The ‘bio’ theme continues
where Yves Rocher founded his cosmetics in the Jardins Sauvages restaurant and
business in 1958 and it remains the area’s plant-based spa treatments.
biggest employer. At the eco-spa hotel, Doubles from €135.
which opened in 2009, everything from Tel (Fr) 2 99 08 50 50 LE CABANON, Bages, Aude
the green roofs and solar panels to the lagreedeslandes.com Opened last year, this one-bedroomed gîte
overlooks the étangs (lakes) in the fishing
village of Bages and also has views of the
Tour Barberousse in Gruissan. Tastefully
decorated and with everything you need
for a self-catering trip, it is ideal for
a couple with a child. There is free parking
and a barbecue opposite, and you can
rent a canoe for a trip on the lakes, or
play tennis in the municipal courts nearby.
From €350 a week.
Tel: (Fr) 4 68 11 40 70
gites-de-france-aude.com/location-gite-a-
bages-G2392.html ➳
MORE
ONLINE
See more of our accommodation picks across France
www.completefrance.com/travel/where-to-stay

L’ANCIENNE POSTE,
Avajan, Hautes-Pyrénées
The secluded village of Avajan in the
Louron Valley is perfectly located for
an activity holiday in the Pyrénées as it
has both the mountains and a lake on its
doorstep. In the heart of the village,
L’Ancienne Poste offers catered stays and
tailor-made activity holidays for groups of
up to 14 in both summer and winter. The
former postal lodge has been beautifully
renovated and has six en-suite bedrooms,
a large lounge/dining room, a private
NEXT garden and balcony with views of
MONTH
the mountains.
WHERE TO
S TAY I N T H E From €899pp for seven nights half-board
M O U N TA I N S (including four-course evening meal).
IN SUMMER
Tel: (Fr) 6 09 49 73 80
ancienneposteavajan.com
LE PETIT VOLCAN, as well as art galleries and artisan shops
Montpeyroux, Puy-de-Dôme to stroll around, while Clermont-Ferrand
This cosy chambre d’hôte (it has just two is 15 minutes away. The cone-shaped
bedrooms) is the ideal base to soak up volcanoes, happily now dormant, offer
the charms of Montpeyroux in all the hiking you can wish for, and are
Auvergne’s volcanic countryside. Guests within a half-hour’s drive.
have the use of a lounge, a terrace and Double from €70 including breakfast.
a large garden with views of the Allier Tel: (Fr) 4 73 89 11 41
Valley. The village has two restaurants, lepetitvolcan.fr
HÔTEL L’HERMITAGE,
Thônes, Haute-Savoie
Just 20 kilometres from Annecy and LE PETIT SKIEUR,
close to the Aravis massif, Thônes is Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, Isère
a traditional Alpine village with colourful Stay in a private little chalet in a peaceful
houses and a Saturday market selling spot just north of Grenoble and soak up
local produce. The village has a large gorgeous views of the mountains from
number of permanent residents, so is the south-facing terrace. The chalet sleeps
busy all year, and offers easy access to two and is an annexe of the Hôtel des
the mountains, with shuttle buses to Skieurs, so you can dine in its excellent
Le Grand-Bornand and La Clusaz. restaurant. Decor is in a traditional
Hôtel l’Hermitage has 23 chalet-style Alpine style with lots of wood, a stove
en-suite rooms sleeping up to four people and comfortable furniture. Summer
PHOTOGRAPHS: HÔTEL L’HERMITAGE
as well as 12 apartments that sleep up to visitors have an outdoor public pool

six, and have fully equipped kitchens. nearby, and ski slopes and snowshoeing
The restaurant serves regional specialities, trails are in easy reach for winter arrivals.
and there is a garden and terrace. From €155 including breakfast.
Doubles from €75, apartments from €78. Tel: (Fr) 4 76 88 82 76
Tel: (Fr) 4 50 02 00 31 base.apidae-tourisme.com/consulter/
hoteldelhermitage.com objet-touristique/638866?15

Welcome to La Falaise “1923”
This most beautiful River yacht has just completed a four

year total restoration in an art deco style. From spring 2018;
catering for just four guests in two twin en/suite cabins; she
will be cruising the rivers and canals of southern France .
We are offering a unique gourmet cruising holiday unlike any
other, with Michelin style cuisine, your English captain ,also a
renowned master chef and his crew will offer you the very best
in gastronomie, comfort, and hospitality.
For a more detailed Itinerary Kindly e-mail

[email protected]
Book your trip to
BRIVE DORDOGNE VALLEY

in South West France with
DORDOGNE VALLEY: Gastronomy at its best!

A river flowing through History! Plus Beaux villages de France
Flights from
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Flights twice a week from 28th
March to 27th October 2018
from on Wednesday and
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BON APPÉTIT
The best of French gastronomy
66 HONEY
Discover more about blossom,
bees and liquid gold.
70 EATING OUT IN…

Tarn villages – enjoy cosy
restaurants in the south-west.
72 COOKERY SCHOOLS
Combine a holiday with brushing
up your culinary skills.
73 RESTAURANT REVIEW AND

WINES OF THE MONTH
74 FLAVOURS OF FRANCE
Cook Daniel Galmiche’s morteau
sausage and borlotti bean salad.
76 WINE
Taste flavours of the south with
wines from the mourvèdre grape.
CHEESE OF THE MONTH

Bleu de Bonneval
Until my local lotois cheese
C
ome the summer, centres around a cooperative of
I hanker for the scenery merchant suggested it, I had never around 40 small farmhouse
of Savoie, where I have tried a Bleu de Bonneval. A small enterprises, which, along with the
spent many a happy, cylindrical cheese with a medium length of affinage, accounts for
idle moment in the company of soft blue-grey crust, it resembles the variations on a theme.
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALEKSANDR SHYRIPA/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
friends at their restored wine- one of the many variations on the Mine was a young cheese with It was so redolent of wild meadow
grower’s cottage, which Claude’s Savoyard tomme. fewer blue veins than others. flowers that my wife dubbed it an
grandmother used as a hideout Bonneval-sur-Arc lies at Matured for just over the ‘outdoor’ cheese, as opposed to
from the Nazis. an altitude of 1,800 metres in the minimum month in an Alpine one of those ‘indoor’ varieties
There, near Lac du Bourget, Haute-Maurienne Valley, an area cave, it was soft and remarkably with a slightly acrid aftertaste
we have savoured some splendid associated with the renowned creamy with a lingering hint of suggestive of the cowshed.
Savoy cheeses. So perhaps Beaufort cheese. Made from the blue. An older cheese will be Recently back from the
a Reblochon this time? But that is unpasteurised milk of Tarine and firmer and stronger, but this Pyrénées, we washed it down with
associated more with winter, and Abondance cows, Bleu de youngster was the nearest a medium-sweet white Jurançon.
I fancied something redolent of Bonneval is not governed by equivalent to an Italian dolcelatte The combination was divine.
sunny, verdant Alpine valleys. an appellation, but production that I have yet tasted in France. A real surprise from out of a floral
left field, this cheese is gorgeous.
STRENGTH Mark Sampson

F
rance’s 70,000 beekeepers have been
cheered by the news that the EU has at last
Liquid
gold
agreed to an almost complete ban on
neonicotinoids, the pesticides that apiculturists
blame for a drastic decline in honeybee numbers.
“Studies show clearly that neonicotinoids represent
a real risk to wild bees and honeybees,” says Eric
Andrieu, a French deputy in the European Parliament
and prominent campaigner against the pesticides.
France’s bees have been beset by threats in recent
years. Giant Asian hornets, which arrived in plants
PHOTOGRAPHS: TOXAWWW/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; NEVIO3/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; 13BEES
imported from China in 2004, can wipe out an entire

hive – tens of thousands of bees – in a matter of
hours. So can disease-carrying varroa mites, which
The hillsides, fields and forests of France look horribly like tiny versions of the parasitic
monsters from the Alien films. According to the
contribute their flavours to myriad Société Centrale d’Apiculture, which since 1856 has
varieties of honey. Robin Gauldie run a school for apiculteurs in the Jardin du
Luxembourg in Paris, 30 per cent of France’s bee
discovers busy bees at work from hollow colonies have perished in the past 15 years. French
log hives in Cévennes to urban parks hives produce around 10,000 tonnes of honey a year,

BON APPÉTIT
LEFT: Beehives stand near Provençal fields of lavender, from budget brands, had been cut with glucose
one of the most attractive plants for bees (INSET); syrup, a common ruse in China.
BELOW: Bees making a new queen at a hive at Amanda Most of this adulterated produce ends up on
and Kevin Baughen’s chambre d’hôte and beekeeping supermarket shelves, which is all the more reason to
business in Charente buy direct from a local source. You are likely to find
at least one apiculteur selling jars of lovely golden
compared with more than 30,000 tonnes in 1995. goo at any Saturday market, where you can often try
Around half of it is sold direct to the consumer. before you buy.
Nine out of ten beekeepers are small-scale In stores, look out for French honey’s seven
producers, with fewer than 30 hives. Meanwhile, regional labels of origin: IGP Miel d’Alsace and Miel
two-thirds of France’s honey is produced by fewer de Sapin d’Alsace Label Rouge; Miel de Sapin des
than 3,000 full-time apiculteurs, and even these Vosges AOC-AOP; Île de Beauté AOC-AOP from
work on a relatively small scale, selling around half Corsica; and three quality labels from Provence: Miel
directly to consumers. de Lavande et Lavandin Label Rouge, Miel de
Their product is no longer sufficient to satisfy Provence IGP, and Miel Toutes Fleurs Label Rouge.
French appetites. France consumes around 40,000 It is a good reason, too, to seek out organic (bio)
tonnes of honey annually, much of it imported from honeys, which account for only 5 per cent of French
Spain, Germany and Belgium. Consumers still look honey production, but have a high profile everywhere.
askance at Chinese honey, which was banned by the
EU from 2002-2004 after it was found to contain Notes of wild fruits
unacceptable traces of antibiotics. Like wine, artisan honey is deeply influenced by its
But even France’s strict food quality and terroir. There are more than 50 miels de cru
provenance rules do not force suppliers to specify the (single-blossom honeys) from every corner of France,
exact source of their product, beyond labelling it ‘EU’ each imbued with a bewildering array of blooms,
or ‘non-EU’. Mass-produced honey from China ranging from native flora including clover, chestnut,
reportedly sneaks into France through the back door lavender and hawthorn to exotics such as eucalyptus
after re-processing in Spain. The Centre d’Études and acacia. As well, there are ‘polyfloral’ honeys such
Techniques Apicoles de Moselle (CETAM), as miel de garrigue from Languedoc and Provence,
an independent laboratory which tests thousands of with its overtones of rosemary, thyme and other
samples every year, found that one in ten, mainly aromatics; miel de montagne from the higher
mountain ranges, with notes of wild fruits such as
blueberry, raspberry and bramble, hawthorn and
MORE cherry, thyme, rock-rose, fir and pine; and miel de
forêt, redolent of lime, linden, maple and ash blossoms.
ONLINE
Acacia honey’s light, clean taste makes it
Learn more about traditional French food and drink
www.completefrance.com/language-culture/food-and-drink a crowd-pleaser, but stronger-flavoured miels de cru
– like some single-malt whiskies – are an acquired ➳

Beekeeping is not just a rural pursuit; there are
300 apiaries within the Paris city limits, and the
Société Centrale d’Apiculture has hives in the Jardin
du Luxembourg as well as Parc Georges-Brassens
and Parc Georges-Valbon. There are even hives on
the roofs of the Opéra Bastille and the Musée d’Orsay.
Urbapi, a beekeepers’ association, places hives,
complete with bees, on office roofs, terraces and
private gardens in and around Lyon. Ironically,
members point out, the urban environment is less
affected by harmful pollutants than the pesticide-
riddled countryside.
Honey’s therapeutic value has been praised since
the earliest times. All honey contains some hydrogen
peroxide, an antiseptic, and large claims are made for
manuka (tea tree) honey as a treatment for burns,
taste. I love the dark, smoky honey from the chestnut ABOVE: Tree-trunk sores, and skin conditions such as acne, eczema and
woods of the Montagne Noire in the Massif Central, hives known as psoriasis. Bee venom is sometimes credited with
but I am less keen on single-flower miel de lavande, ruches-troncs are easing arthritis, while for those who want ‘bee-stung
which to me tastes slightly soapy. a common feature lips’ without the agony there are a range of creams
Amanda and Kevin Baughen keep up to ten hives in Cévennes; and balms made with the toxin. Propolis, a sticky
and offer ‘bee experience’ breaks at their chambre PANEL BELOW: Kevin mixture of resin, beeswax and bee spit (sounds
d’hôte in Charente. “Because we aren’t surrounded Baughen of 13Bees lovely) is credited with near-miraculous skin care
by farm fields full of oil-seed rape or sunflowers, our in Confolens has applications and healing properties.
honey changes from year to year,” says Kevin. plenty of honey Royal jelly, the secretion that bees feed to
“We get mixed-flower honey, with different nectars immature queens, is widely touted as a wonder food.
which change the flavour, colour and texture. Along with propolis, pollen and raw honey, it is
In 2016, our honey was the colour of an English an ingredient of Beez’nergy, claimed by its makers
summer ale and very liquid. In 2017, the weather Ballot-Flurin as France’s first ‘organic eco-booster’
was very different and our friendly farmer mowed for marathon and trail runners, cyclists and other
our hay meadow one month earlier than usual. There athletes seeking an energy surge.
were fewer meadow flowers and our bees had to Honey may not be quite the miracle cure it is
forage in the chestnut trees, so the honey was darker, sometimes claimed to be, but France’s pots of
with a hint of treacle.” liquid gold are well worth seeking out – and
bringing home.
Napoleonic symbol
Dip into honey

Bees have been kept in France since pre-Roman times
and have long been associated with royalty. Cosmetics and remedies
Charlemagne stipulated that all his domains should Ballot-Flurin sells its honey-based
have a beekeeper whose job included recording Festivals cosmetic and therapeutics at
revenue from honey, beeswax and hydromel (mead). ● The Fêtes du Miel are a dozen stores in France and online
Napoléon Bonaparte, looking for a symbol for his organised by the Société (ballot-flurin.com), and offers bee
new empire, chose the bee. Some sources say he was Centrale d’Apiculture in the yoga sessions in the Pyrénées.
inspired by the hundreds of golden bees found in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris
tomb of the Merovingian monarch Childeric I every September (la-sca.net). Beekeeping breaks
(440-481) when it was rediscovered in Tournai in ● The annual Fête de l’Abeille Amanda and Kevin Baughen,
modern-day Belgium in 1653, although some Noire et ses Gastronomies, 13 Bees Beekeeping Holidays and
PHOTOGRAPHS: PET CUL/iSTOCK/GETTYIMAGES PLUS; 13BEES
pedants insist the golden insects are in fact cicadas. which honours the black bee Chambre d’hôte, 16500 Confolens,
Some forest beekeepers still use a technique that heritage breed, is being held in three-day breaks from €460pp
dates from Merovingian times and probably even Pont-de-Montvert in Lozère on including full board and tuition (tel:
earlier. The traditional tree-trunk hive or ruche-tronc, 13-14 October (ruchetronc.fr). (Fr) 5 45 71 22 90, 13bees.co.uk).
is made by hollowing out a dead tree to lure a swarm ● The Fête du Miel de Mouans-
of bees seeking a home. In Cévennes, where they are Sartoux celebrates Provençal
most commonly made from chestnut logs, such hives honey and honey-makers on the
are known as bruscs. Chestnut sap is rich in tannins, last Sunday of each April
which repel bee parasites and fungi. After the (miels-de-provence.com/
tree dies, the beekeepers preserve the outer trunk les-fetes-du-miel-mouans-
while the tannin-free heartwood rots away to create sartoux.php).
a natural hive.

XXXXX
Porte de Candèze leads into the
Plus Beau Village of Monestiés
Eating out in...

Tarn villages
Head for the countryside and enjoy the simple but satisfying
food in this part of south-west France, with Howard Johnson
1 l’Auberge
Occitane,
Monestiés
The Plus Beau Village of Monestiés dates
from the 10th century, and when you
wander round this village of around
1,200 inhabitants you really do sense
history seeping from every pore
of its ancient buildings.
L’Auberge Occitane sits
on the edge of the village
and has a large terrace
where you can enjoy
PHOTOGRAPHS: HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; HOWARD JOHNSON
lunch while watching the and gizzards, all of which Service was quick and efficient, and
world go by. The owner, were of excellent quality. eating outside under a pleasant sun, with
Jean-Baptiste Leblond, used My entrecôte steak was shade from a beautiful wisteria, only
to work at a restaurant in Albi, thick and juicy, with added to our enjoyment.
but decided to go it alone two years an unfussy garlic butter sauce. Open Mon-Sun 10am-midnight, until
ago – and it is not hard to see why he There is no need to get fancy when the end-Sept, lunchtime only in low season.
chose Monestiés. ingredients are great. Lunchtime set menu €13.90, mains
The restaurant is typical of the area: it We did not get offered a wine menu, from €12.40.
is comfortable, not flash, and the food is so went with the regular red table wine, Boulevard Lices de l’Est, 81640 Monestiés
traditional and copious. My wife’s salade which was perfectly adequate for lunch, Tel: (Fr) 5 63 80 73 41
de Monestiés featured smoked duck as were the desserts of pannacotta with tourisme-monesties.fr/
breast, foie gras, stuffed duck’s neck red fruits and home-made apple crumble. L-Auberge-Occitane.html

Eating in
BON APPÉTIT
2 Lou Cantoun,
Cestayrols Sample the best produce from the Tarn
You will find Lou Cantoun, run by chef countryside for your picnic or supper
Bernard Gisquet and his small team,
in the delightful village of Cestayrols, DELICATESSEN
20 kilometres from the bustle of Conserverie Léonard
Albi, capital of Tarn. As soon 81140 Castelnau-de-Montmiral
as you stroll along the Tel: (Fr) 5 63 33 17 78
narrow streets and admire castelleonard.com
the white stone houses, and ginger sauce with parsnip Situated in a pretty medieval village near
you will feel any cares purée (pictured inset). Albi, Conserverie Léonard produces many
floating away. The wine recommendations Tarn specialities including foie gras,
The restaurant is equally to accompany each course confit de canard, cou de canard farci and
charming in winter and were all local Gaillacs; none terrines, which it sells in its shop. There
summer, thanks to an indoor dining of them disappointed. are even limited editions for connoisseurs
area with open fire and an agreeable Bernard was happy to chat before we such as a €50 ‘cassoulet astronomique’.
outdoor terrace. The setting is fabulous, made our way home. For our part, we
but Gisquet’s cooking is the main were more than happy to have found this HONEY
attraction, and has made Lou Cantoun off-the-beaten-track delight. Miellerie de Puycelsi
a destination in its own right. (If you are Open lunchtimes and evenings including Moulin d’Olivery, Candille
wondering why so many restaurant public holidays, spring, summer and 81140 Puycelsi
names in the area start with ‘Lou’, it is autumn. Shut Tues-Wed. Winter opening Tel: (Fr) 5 63 33 18 19
the Occitan dialect word for ‘the’.) hours can vary. Try different honeys – with goat’s cheese,
The set menu was beautifully Three-course set menu €20.50 as the locals do – at this ‘house of honey’,
presented and reasonably priced, the lunchtimes, €29.50 evenings. near another of Tarn’s fortified Plus Beaux
highlight being a main course of duck 4 Route d’Albi, 81150 Cestayrols Villages. The business has been going for
breast in a cherry sauce lying on a bed Tel: (Fr) 5 63 53 28 39 30 years and has an astonishing 1,200 hives,
of couscous and accompanied by an apple restaurant.loucantoun.fr which produce some marvellous varieties.
You can visit the shop and buy direct
from the producers.
3 Lou Païdol, BEER

Salles Oxit, Brasserie des Coteaux
985 Route de Verlhac
The fortified hilltop town of Cordes-sur- 81630 Montgaillard
Ciel is one of the few places in Tarn to Tel: (Fr) 5 63 40 81 01, oxit.fr
have parking meters, which shows how If you fancy a change from wine, try Oxit,
much of a tourist magnet it has become. Tarn’s very own artisan beer. The Brasserie
If you want something quieter, head just des Coteaux brews several varieties –
ten kilometres down the road to Salles, including wheat and brown beers – using
a little gem on the banks of the River Cérou. traditional methods and with barley grown on
It is a sleepy village, with fewer than 200 the views of diners as lunch came to an end. its farm. Visit the farm shop, see how the
inhabitants, but features a new restaurant The verdict was very much a ‘thumbs up’. beers are made and enjoy a tasting.
that has been causing quite a stir. Laurent, meanwhile, is an attentive
Lou Païdol opened only last autumn in host, always ready with a smile and some MARKET
a beautifully refurbished stone building advice if needed. The wine list is local and Place de la Bouteillerie
with an ample terrace, where Sylvie and reasonably priced, so if you are looking 81170 Cordes-sur-Ciel
Laurent Logeard cleverly cater for a varied for a pleasant dining experience without cordessurciel.fr/en/discover/markets
clientele that includes locals, workmen, any fuss, this is the place for you. Head to the lower town in Cordes-sur-Ciel
tourists and expats. The secret? Food that Open Tues-Sun lunchtimes, on a Saturday morning and wander
is traditional, well-presented and tasty, Thurs-Sat evenings. among the stalls of local food and drink
delivered with a smile in a setting that is Three-course set menu €13 weekday producers, who include growers of
a cut above your regular bistros, lunchtimes, €19 evenings, weekends and the famous pink garlic, grown in Lautrec
but which remains resolutely relaxed. public holidays. to the south. The town also holds markets
Pork chops with mustard were on 7 Rue du Pont, 81640 Salle on Promenade de l’Autan on Wednesday
the menu du jour when my wife and I Tel: (Fr) 5 63 36 33 13 mornings and on some evenings during
visited, and chef Sylvie was keen to hear facebook.com/81640loupaidol July and August.

XXXXX
PARIS CAFÉ
Peonies
Situated on the trendy Rue du
Faubourg Saint-Denis, Peonies –
a coffee shop which doubles as
a florist – certainly ticks the box
for originality.
The idea came from owner
Clémentine Lévy, who always
wanted to combine her love of
ABOVE: Classes at the Gourmet Manor in Normandy and (BELOW) Gascony Cookery School creating floral bouquets and
CULINARY GETAWAYS
making delicious coffee.
The owner is so passionate about
flowers that they even feature on
the café menu; for €19, customers
What better way to hone your cooking skills than on a gastronomic stay in France? can choose a drink of their choice
and leave with a handmade bouquet
Gourmet Manor, religieuses on a cookery 17th-century farmhouse of wild flowers.
Seine-Maritime course in a 19th-century include delicious locally Clémentine sources
Close to the culinary heart farmhouse. The stay sourced food and relaxing the blooms from the
of Normandy, and 25 includes baking lessons on the terraces, famous Rungis
minutes from the ferry from owner Marlène, weather permitting! wholesale market
port of Le Havre, the convivial dinners and Courses from £740 (four on the outskirts of
Gourmet Manor offers a chance to explore days) and £1,230 (six days). Paris, and counts
a classic French manor- the nearby town gasconcook.co.uk dahlias, mimosas
house stay, complete with of Casteljaloux. and peonies – after
terrace, rose garden and Four days from €720pp Les Prés d’Eugénie which the café is
sculpted grounds. Take including accommodation Gourmet Hotel named – as
part in cookery classes in and lessons. & Spa, Eugénie- her favourites.
the kitchens with chef golearnto.com les-Bains Customers do
Régine and learn about the Famed as the spiritual not have to order a bouquet with
region’s produce home of three- their drinks. Clémentine offers
while creating iconic Michelin-star chef speciality coffees from the city’s
dishes. An optional Michel Guérard, the renowned Coutume café that can
guided visit to the hotel offers be enjoyed on their own or with
market is a great way sumptuous stays a sweet treat: highlights include
to see local produce with healthy gourmet gluten-free lemon, carrot, and
through the eyes of food and a decadent pistachio and orange cakes. Lunch
a professional chef, spa. The on-site options include rolls (€8.50) with
and then enjoy cooking cookery school – fillings that change several times
with the results! the Michel Guérard during the week, and superfood
Prices start from €238 Institute – teaches salads (from €7.50). Everything is
for two people for guests haute-cuisine vegetarian and home-made.
one night’s bed and Gascony Cookery techniques in a glorious With a decor that is airy and
School
PHOTOGRAPHS: LUDO MARTIN; PETIT COCO; LARA DUNN
breakfast, and three-course setting. Programmes last inviting – think lightly coloured
dinner. Optional cooking Based in the village of from three hours to five walls, emerald tiles, designer lamps
classes €75, fish and food Gramont, Gascony days and include the Best and terrace-style tables, the café
markets visits €30. Cookery School offers of Michel Guérard; Michel is the place to go for anyone
lemanoirdesgourmets.com ‘all-inclusive’ courses for Guérard’s Three Cuisines; eager for a top-quality coffee in
a variety of levels, from The Great Classics an unusual setting.
Golearn to, beginners in French cuisine of France Cuisine; and Peter Stewart
Lot-et-Garonne to more advanced sessions Detox Cuisine. 81 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis
Learn the skills needed to focusing on meat and Classes start from €270, 75010 Paris
make French pâtisserie charcuterie or fish and rooms from €170. peonies-paris.com
classics such as éclairs and crustaceans. Stays in the michelguerard.com

BON APPÉTIT
XXXXX
R ESTAU RA N T R EV I EW
PETIT COCO BISTRO

CHELTENHAM, GLOS
T
ucked away in a basement location just five minutes
from the main shopping streets of Cheltenham,
Petit Coco is easy to miss, but well worth discovering.
The cosy restaurant only seats around 20, so it is
worth booking ahead, but the atmosphere is intimate rather
than crowded, with a pleasant buzz of conversation reminiscent
of popular bistros across the Channel.
Dark red walls decorated with
photographs of the greats of cinema
and music add to the reassuringly
French ambience, as does the dark
wood furniture and the gentle
musical accompaniment. was well worth trying on a future visit. Classics such as
Petit Coco also features musical magret de canard and navarin of lamb looked enticing
evenings at various times of the and good value.
year, including Edith Piaf and The two courses were perfect for a lunch, but the
Swing from Paris nights. consensus was that we had missed out on dessert favourites
A lunchtime visit for the prix fixe such as crème brûlée and chocolate fondant. A coffee to
menu was a great choice, with stop the need for an afternoon nap had to suffice on this
something for everyone, both carnivore and occasion. Each of us plans to visit again and make an evening
vegetarian. I started with a goat’s cheese and onion tartlet, of it, possibly dipping into the appealing list of French wines.
while others enjoyed the smoked salmon. Next time I will Definitely worth looking out for from street level, Petit Coco
definitely be looking to try the comté soufflé, which looked is a small, nostalgic slice of France in Gloucestershire.
amazing. Service was swift but not rushed, and the staff were Lara Dunn
pleasant and affable. Open Mon-Sat noon-2.pm, 6pm-9.30pm (10pm Fri and Sat).
My coq au vin main course was generous and flavoursome, Two-course prix fixe lunch menu £12.95, à la carte mains
very tender and tasting authentically French. Other options from £13.95.
included a beautifully presented fish of the day, while the plates 2 Bath Street, Cheltenham GL50 1YE
passing by to other diners indicated that the à la carte menu Tel: 01242 257 343, petitcoco.co.uk
WINES OF THE MONTH BY SALLY EASTON, MASTER OF WINE

SNAP IT UP WEEKEND TREAT TIME TO CELEBRATE
Marsanne-Viognier, Les Pierres Bordes Domaine Bernard Métrat, La Roilette Domaine Jean and François Raquillet,
2017, Pays d’Oc, Languedoc Vieilles Vignes 2016, Fleurie, Beaujolais La Brigadière 2016, Mercurey Blanc,
This good-value wine is an uncomplicated Beaujolais, the home of gamay, continues its Burgundy
delight of easy, juicy, peachy fruits in a fresh, revitalised upward trajectory. This violet and Mercurey, in the Côte Chalonnaise, is better
light body, with the faintest hint of a gentle, iris-perfumed wine from one of the ten known for its reds, but about 15 per cent of
sweet spice. It is a blend of floral, pear-y famed Crus, has a sweet depth of raspberry the vineyard area is planted with chardonnay,
marsanne with aromatic peachy-gingery and black cherry fruits in concentration on and this is a fine example from a domaine
viognier. Both varieties are at home in the the mid-palate, helped by 20 per cent of the that has applied for Premier Cru status.
Rhône Valley, and in this wine harvested cuvée being matured in old oak. It is backed Aromas of acacia and baguette precede
from vineyards a little to the west, up by a chalky-fine framing a palate of baked lemons and
in Languedoc. At 12.5 per cent, tannin texture, which adds peaches, with hints of honey and
it is refreshingly modest in to the enticing plushness oats. The silky-smooth texture
alcohol, too. and freshness. has a clean line through the core
Drink with: Alfresco Drink with: Rack of lamb, or to add freshness.
seafood salads. grilled lamb cutlets. Drink with: Fish with creamy sauce.
Wine Society, £6.25 Berry Bros. & Rudd, £15.95 Noel Young Wines, £24.50
Tel 01438 741 177 Tel: 0800 280 2440 Tel: 01223 566 744
thewinesociety.com bbr.com nywines.co.uk

France
BON APPÉTIT
Flavours of
Morteau sausage and
warm borlotti bean salad
Michelin-starred chef Daniel Galmiche puts a twist on
a smoky speciality from his Franche-Comté homeland
Serves 4
T
he town of Morteau • 3 tbsp French dressing Discard the garlic clove and parsley
gave its name to this • Sea salt and freshly ground sprig, then cut the carrot into
famous sausage and it black pepper small dice and add to the beans.
comes from the same Return the cooking liquor to
1
part of France as I do, which Preheat the oven to the heat, bring to the boil, then
is Franche-Comté to the east of 110°C/225°F/gas 1/2. Put the cook for about five minutes,
the country next to the Jura oil and the whole unpeeled uncovered, until reduced by half.
mountains. Local cooks only use garlic in a small roasting tray in Whisk in one-third of the
pork from the region because the the oven for 30 minutes to infuse. French dressing.
animals are fattened traditionally. Remove and leave the garlic to
4
In addition, to be permitted to one side. Add the tomatoes to the Add the oven-dried
use the label saucisse de morteau, tray, cut-side up, then sprinkle tomatoes to the beans
the sausage must be smoked for with the icing sugar and season along with the remaining
at least 48 hours over sawdust with salt and pepper. Scatter the chopped garlic, chopped parsley
from conifer and juniper trees. thyme over the top and roast for and another one-third of the
In this recipe, the borlotti beans 21/2 hours until the tomatoes are dressing and mix gently. Discard
bring a nuttiness, which is dried and wrinkly. the skin from the sausage and cut
complemented by the sweet the sausage into thick slices. Spoon
2
flavour of the oven-dried tomato. After the tomatoes have the sausage on top of the beans
Throw in some garlic and herbs been cooking for an hour, and drizzle with the remaining
and a drizzle of French dressing put the soaked borlotti dressing to serve.
and this dish is sure to impress! beans in a saucepan and cover
with plenty of cold water. Bring to
• 3tbsp olive oil the boil over a high heat, then
• 6 garlic cloves: 3 unpeeled, skim off any foam that rises to
lightly crushed, plus 1 whole the surface. Add the carrot,
and 2 chopped shallot, parsley sprig and the
• 250g/9oz cherry tomatoes, cut peeled whole garlic clove. Turn
in half crossways and squeezed the heat down to low, partially
• 1tsp icing sugar cover and simmer gently for
• 1 thyme sprig, leaves only 30 minutes. Add the sausages
• 150g/ 51/2oz/ 3/4 cup dried to the pan and simmer for
borlotti beans, soaked overnight, a further 30 minutes until the
drained and rinsed beans are tender and the
• 1 large carrot, peeled sausages cooked through.
• 1 shallot
3
• 1 flat-leaf parsley sprig, plus Lift the sausages out of
1 tbsp chopped leaves the beans into a bowl and Recipe taken from Revolutionary
• 2 morteau sausages or other cover with cling film. French Cooking by Daniel Galmiche,
smoked sausage, about Strain the beans, reserving © Duncan Baird Publishers, 2014.
300g/101/2oz each, pricked the cooking liquor in a separate Commissioned photography
with a knife pan. Tip the beans into a bowl. Yuki Sugiura.

The enigmatic red
Mourvèdre is gaining ground in southern French vineyards, but
it is a grape variety that remains a mystery to many drinkers
I
recently took part in a comparative wine It remained an important variety in eastern Spain,
tasting in the Saint-Chinian appellation in but its resurgent popularity as an international
Languedoc. The idea was to taste different red variety came from the New World in the 1990s.
grape varieties grown on both clay-limestone The so-called ‘Rhône Rangers’ of California loved
and schist soils, to compare and contrast the the variety’s ability to resist high temperatures,
influence of Saint-Chinian’s two principal terroirs. giving wines with refined flavours, reminiscent of the
The constant factors in the tests were the grape French classics that had inspired them. Grenache-
varieties. But when the samples of mourvèdre were Dominic Rippon syrah-mourvèdre (GSM) blends also became
poured, the lady next to me – an experienced taster has many years’ fashionable in Australia where, as in California,
– adopted a hushed tone and enquired: “What is experience in the winemakers found gnarly old mourvèdre vines,
mourvèdre supposed to taste like?” I mumbled wine trade, both many of which had been planted before the
something about savoury spice, but I had to admit in the UK and outbreak of phylloxera.
PHOTOGRAPHS: FOTOEMBER/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; DOMINIC RIPPON; VISUALL2/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

that I was not completely sure. Even when the France, and
question was raised more generally among the now runs the Powerful and spicy
group, few were ready with definitive answers. wine merchant While mourvèdre plantings have declined in Spain
Mourvèdre vines would once have been business Strictly – its vines displaced by more recognisable varieties
a common sight all along France’s Mediterranean Wine. including syrah and cabernet sauvignon – French
coast, the variety having migrated from its heartland plantings had increased to nearly 8,000 hectares by
in Spain by the 16th century. But fortune punished the turn of the millennium. Mourvèdre is perhaps
mourvèdre in the late 19th century, when the most at home in the Bandol appellation, which
phylloxera vineyard epidemic swept through France, occupies a large stretch of coastal vineyards between
killing most of the country’s vines. When the cure Marseille and Toulon. Here the variety enjoys the
for phylloxera was discovered – the grafting of ample sunshine that it needs to ripen fully, in
European vines on to American rootstocks – vineyards that extend quite literally on to the
mourvèdre responded poorly to the method. region’s most popular beaches.
Destitute vignerons could ill afford to wait for Bandol reds are powerful, spicy beasts, the finest
suitable rootstock clones to emerge, so more easily of which can age for many years in bottle; these
grafted varieties such as grenache and carignan were wines must by law contain at least 50 per cent
replanted instead. mourvèdre. Inevitably, the appellation has succumbed
By 1968, there were fewer than 900 hectares of to the local and international thirst for rosé wine,
mourvèdre vines in France, mostly around which accounts for around 65 per cent of all Bandol.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the southern Rhône, where Much of mourvèdre’s French renaissance has
it is one of 13 permitted varieties, and in the sunny taken place in Languedoc-Roussillon, where the
Bandol appellation on the Provence coast. variety also enjoys long, warm summers. The coastal

BON APPÉTIT
6 OF FRANCE’S BEST WINES

MADE FROM MOURVÈDRE
Bandol Rouge, Cuvée Cabassaou Côtes Catalanes ‘El Sarrat’
Domaine Tempier Domaine Matassa
domainetempier.com matassawine.fr
Made with 95 per cent mourvèdre, Grown on the schist soils of the
blended with a little syrah and Roussillon’s increasingly fashionable
cinsault, this is one of the world’s Agly valley near Perpignan, this
finest expressions of the grape. wine is made from hand-harvested
A single south-facing parcel mourvèdre grapes, according to
of clay-limestone vineyard is biodynamic principles. The wine
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: The vineyards of Bandol on the coast sheltered from the cold Mistral is characterised by a dazzling
of Provence; Château d’Anglès in the La Clape appellation of wind, giving a deliciously ripe wine lightness of touch, with soft berry
Languedoc; Small boulders known as galets roulés provide that develops violet, leather and fruit flavours and an unusually low
night-time heat for vines in Châteauneuf-du Pape dark fruit aromas with age. alcohol level for a southern red.
vineyards of La Clape, which were granted their La Clape ‘Grand Vin’ Côtes du Rhône ‘Calade’
own appellation d’origine in 2015, make full-bodied Château d’Anglès Mas de Libian
reds, mostly from mourvèdre, grenache and syrah chateaudangles.com masdelibian.com
grapes. With vines that cling to the craggy peaks of An oak-aged blend of grenache, syrah Situated on the right bank of the
the Massif de la Clape, spilling down towards the and 20 per cent mourvèdre, with the River Rhône south of Montélimar,
windy beaches of Gruissan and Narbonne-Plage, the potential to age for up to 20 years this estate has similar ‘galets roulés’
vineyards seem like a slice of Provence that has been in bottle. Grapes are grown on the soils to Châteauneuf-du-Pape on
uprooted and dropped into the generally flatter lower reaches of the Massif de la the opposite bank. These small
Languedoc coast. Clape, with cool breezes that allow boulders continue to reflect the
slow ripening, contributing to the sun’s generous heat long after
Complex aromas elegant flavours. There is a mix of dusk. ‘Calade’ is a blend of 90
On the lowest slopes of the Massif de la Clape, Eric red and black fruit aromas, with hints per cent mourvèdre with 10 per
Fabre, his wife Christine and son Viannay make of liquorice, and the wine develops cent grenache, showing violet and
delicious red and white wines at Château d’Anglès. leathery tobacco notes with age. blueberry aromas, rich, spicy flavours
A former technical director at Château Lafite- and a characteristic tannic bite.
Rothschild in Haut-Médoc, Fabre was inspired to Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
move to the Mediterranean because of mourvèdre. Château de Beaucastel Saint-Chinian ‘Les Crès’
He compares the grape’s ‘macho’ structure to the beaucastel.com Borie la Vitarèle
cabernet sauvignon grown in Bordeaux’s Pauillac. Although mourvèdre is one of 13 borielavitarele.fr
In this sense, mourvèdre suits the warm-blooded permitted grape varieties in the Mourvèdre and syrah grapes are
Mediterranean temperament as well as it does the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, grown in vineyards strewn with
climate. In other Languedoc appellations, such as the most winemakers use the grape as weathered limestone boulders,
fashionable Faugères, Mourvèdre has also been seasoning for a greater proportion of known as ‘crès’ in Occitan, similar to
gaining ground – as if their vignerons take a special grenache. The exception is Château the ‘galets roulés’ rounded stones
pride in being able to ripen the finicky variety de Beaucastel, which generally found in the Rhône’s Châteauneuf-du-
sufficiently well to make great wines. includes around 30 per cent in its wine. Pape domaines. This wine is powerful
Back at the tasting in Saint-Chinian, four Bramble and garrigue herb aromas and generous, with spicy black fruit
mourvèdres were poured: two from clay-limestone develop into tanned leather spice. flavours and ripe, velvety tannins.
soils and two grown on schist. These were young vat
samples from the 2017 vintage, destined for blending
with other varieties, and not yet showing the
complex leathery aromas that mourvèdre develops
with time. But even at this stage, Château Belot’s
clay-limestone sample showed plenty of the wild
blueberry and plum aromas associated with the
variety, while Château du Prieuré des Mourgues’s
wine from schist displayed the variety’s affinity for
this terroir, with floral hints emerging on a still-
reticent nose, and an elegant freshness to complement
its boisterous tannins and brooding flavours.

LA CULTURE
News, reviews and language
POST-BREXIT BRITONS MAY NEWS IN

HAVE TO APPLY TO VISIT EU BRIEF
A
mbassadors for authorisation and pay ● A French-born entrepreneur now
from the EU a €7 fee. Their details will living in the United States is suing
member states be checked against EU the French government in a US
have approved and Interpol databases court, claiming the Ministry of
a visa-waiver scheme for and if there are no issues, Foreign Affairs illegally seized the
non-EU citizens entering authorisation will be website domain France.com, which
the 26 countries in the granted automatically. he registered in 1994. For 24 years,
Schengen Zone. This will include The waiver lasts for three years and Jean-Noël Frydman ran the site for
Britons once the UK leaves the EU, allows individuals to visit any Schengen English-speaking Francophiles. In
unless an exemption is agreed during Zone country for no more than 90 days 2015, the French government
Brexit negotiations. in any 180-day period. The scheme initiated a lawsuit to get control
The scheme, called ETIAS, is applies to all visa-exempt countries that over France.com and the Paris
modelled on the US system and is are not in the EU or the EEA/EFTA Court of Appeals ruled in its favour.
aimed at improving security at EU economic and free trade areas. On 12 March this year, the
borders. Anyone wishing to enter the The scheme will be introduced by ownership of the domain was
Schengen Zone (which has no internal 2021, subject to European Parliament transferred to the French
borders) will have to apply online and European Council approval. government and the URL now
redirects to France.fr, a portal for
tourism in France belonging to
BOOKSELLERS SEEK UNESCO STATUS Atout France.
The traditional booksellers who ply ● A national campaign has been

their trade along four kilometres of the launched to boost the hotel and
River Seine in Paris (pictured) are restaurant industry in rural parts
campaigning for Unesco status. More of France. La Fédération
than 200 bouquinistes sell rare and Internationale des Logis hopes
second-hand books from their to bring new ‘auberge’ type
distinctive dark green kiosks, but they establishments offering multiple
are facing increased competition from services to communes of fewer
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALZAY/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; PARIS TOURIST OFFICE/MARC BERTRAND; WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
sellers of cheap souvenirs. Cultural Heritage list. The city council than 2,000 inhabitants. As well as
The banks of the Seine in Paris are voted unanimously to back them and being hotels, these ‘Auberges de
already a Unesco World Heritage site, has notified the Ministry of Culture, Pays®, by Logis’ will house other
but now the booksellers want to be which has the sole authority to submit commercial ventures such as post
added to the separate Intangible an application. offices, florists, food stores and
bakeries. The aim is to bring villages
back to life and stimulate the local
Museum told half its works are fakes economy, as well as to encourage
more tourists.
A museum near had bought over a period
Perpignan dedicated to of 20 years. ● Furniture from the iconic Ritz
local artist Étienne A committee of experts Paris hotel has raised €7.3 million at
Terrus has discovered examined the works and auction, a world record for such
that more than half of concluded that 82 of the a sale. A total of 10,000 pieces were
the paintings are fakes. 142 paintings in the sold during the five-day auction at
Art historian Eric collection were fake. Artcurial in Paris. A Louis XV-style
Forcada was overseeing ABOVE: One of the genuine Terrus Reports suggest that some desk and chair from the Coco
the collection while the paintings in the museum works featured buildings Chanel Suite sold for €182,000,
museum in Elne was that were constructed after nearly 300 times its estimate, and
being renovated, when he expressed Terrus died in 1922. the sign from the Hemingway Bar
doubts about the authenticity of the Police are investigating an art forgery fetched €88,400.
paintings, which the town council ring specialising in Catalan painters.

W
hether it is Brigitte
Bardot with her skirts
whirling in the wind as
she pedals a blue bike in ICONS
the film Et Dieu... Créa la Femme,
Jacques Tati’s bike-riding M. Hulot or
the words of Alain Chamfort’s song:
‘Une bicyclette au bord du chemin, c’est
l’amour en France’, the humble bicycle
7KHELF\FOH
has been a symbol of the sexy French After a bumpy start, riding
lifestyle for decades. So, it may come as
a surprise that the iconic two-wheeler
on two wheels has become
was invented in Germany in 1817. a fashionable part of
The Draisine, named after its inventor, French culture, says
Baron von Drais, had a wooden frame
and wheels, and was propelled by foot
Heidi Fuller-love
power, but it was so hard on shoe leather
that it did not really catch on.
France can, however, lay claim to
developing the first popular design, in the Cycle racing began at this time, but
1860s. Carriage maker Pierre Lallement the breakthrough came in 1902, in the
added pedals to create a velocipede (fast unlikely setting of a Parisian restaurant
foot), and Michaux, an enterprising called Zimmer. Over lunch, journalist
family of Parisian coach builders, began Géo Lefèvre proposed the idea of a race
mass production of bikes made in wood around France to his editor at L’Auto
and iron. They were nicknamed magazine, Henri Desgrange,
‘boneshakers’ because the wheels rattled who famously replied: “If I understand
on bumpy roads. When Napoléon III’s you, petit Géo, you’re proposing
young son, the Prince Impérial Louis- a Tour de France?”
Napoléon Bonaparte, began riding a bike The first edition of this spectacular
around town, the French fashion for race, described as one of the greatest
two-wheelers was launched. athletic tests in the world, ran from 1-19
Production almost ceased in the 1870s July 1903 over a distance of 2,428
following the Franco-Prussian War, but kilometres and was won by Maurice
was revived a decade later when Paul de Garin, an Italian-born chimney sweep
Vivie, publisher of Le Cycliste magazine, turned bicycle shop owner. Garin put his packed with cyclists, hampers full of
began producing a different kind of victory down to drinking copious baguettes and bottles of rouge as they
bicycle. De Vivie’s Gauloise had smaller amounts of strong red wine along with headed to the beach.
wheels and was operated by a system of coffee and champagne, and eating As cars became affordable for all
chains that provided more than one gear. oysters, rice and tapioca. classes, bikes went out of favour in the
By now, solid rubber tyres were in use, 1960s. It was not until the effects of
but John Boyd Dunlop’s development of Cheating on tour traffic pollution hit the headlines in the PHOTOGRAPHS: DELPHINE POGGIANTI/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; HILMAR BUSCHOW/PIXABY;
the first pneumatic tyre in 1887, followed In the 1904 event, Garin was banned for late 1990s that France decided to rethink
four years later by Édouard Michelin’s cheating, which was rife in the early its transport policies and get back to
invention of the removable tyre, heralded races. According to historian Peter basics – on two wheels.
a new era. Cossins, riders would jump on to trains In 2001, Paris’s socialist mayor
between cities, or get a tow from motor Bertrand Delanoë launched the idea of
bikes and cars. creating cycle routes around the city.
TETE DE LA COURSE CC BY-SA 2.0; HARRY POT C BY-SA 3.0 NL
The success of the Tour de France led In 2015, current mayor Anne Hidalgo
to a surge in the popularity of cycling. vowed to reduced motorised traffic in
In 1920, there were 4.3 million bicycles large areas by doubling the number of
in France and in 1926 the figure had dedicated lanes, and introducing electric
risen to 7.1 million. By the time the first bikes to make Paris ‘the most bike-
congés payés (paid holidays) were friendly capital in the world’.
introduced in 1936, bicycles were Anyone familiar with the scenes of
a common means of transport. Audrey Tautou cycling through the
For the first time, workers had Parisian streets as Coco Chanel, in the
a whole week to do as they pleased. film about the fashion legend, knows
During the summer, roads from that France remains the capital of
Normandy to the South of France were two-wheeled chic.

ICONS
DID YOU KNOW?

Artist Fernand
Léger featured
cyclists in seve
ral works includ
Le cycliste in 19 ing
48 and Les qu
cyclistes in 1949 atre
. Pablo Picasso’
1942 bull’s head s
sculpture, now
the Musée Natio in
nal Picasso in
Paris, was mad
e from a bike
saddle and ha
ndlebars.
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Cyclists enjoy a car-free Sunday
CYCLING STOPS
in Paris; Riders in the Tour de France get encouragement as
they climb Alpe-d’Huez in the French Alps; An early wood
and iron velocipede from the Michaux factory; PANEL, RIGHT: Visit a museum with 200 exhibits into the life and times
Three-time Tour de France winner Louison Bobet ● Musée du Vélo ranging from the of the cyclist who won
‘La Belle Échappée’ wooden draisine to the Tour de France in
in the Sarthe the latest racing bikes 1953, 1954 and 1955.
département near (enviesdevelo.com). The museum is in his
Alençon lets you home town of Saint-
relive the history of Méen-le-Grand in
cycling from 1890 to Brittany (bobet-
the present day tousavelo.fr).
through archive
videos, TV screens On your bike
and a display ● Discover the
of 80 bikes landmarks of Paris
(lemuseeduvelo.fr). on a relaxing cycle
● Musée du Vélo ride with Fat Tire
Michel-Grézaud in Tours. The guided
Tournus, Saône-et- tour lasts 3-3.5hr
Loire, displays the (with a café break)
personal collection of ● Musée Louison and costs from €34
butcher and bike- Bobet provides (paris.fattirebike
lover Michel Grézaud, a fascinating insight tours.com).

Seeing
double
Former model MARINE VACTH tells
Pierre de Villiers about her burgeoning
acting career and starring in
a provocative new thriller

CULTURE
F
or Marine Vacth, it all started on a rainy
day in Paris. The actress recalls how, as
a teenager, she was out with her mother
when a downpour forced them to seek
shelter in an H&M store. There, a model talent
scout took one look at the statuesque Parisian and
handed her a business card. Soon, Vacth was draped
in brands such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent,
and sashaying down catwalks.
“Modelling offered me the opportunity to travel
and discover a world which was foreign to me,”
the 27-year-old says. “I got to meet people who
were passionate about what they did, and the job
allowed me to become financially independent.
It also made me more comfortable with my body
and being observed.”
It is a lesson that would stand Vacth in good
stead when she decided to swap modelling for
acting. Her first major role, in François Ozon’s 2013
film Young & Beautiful, required the actress to bare
more than just her soul when playing Isabelle,
a teenager who lives a secret life as a call girl. The
performance earned Vacth a César nomination for
Most Promising Actress, so it came as little surprise
when she jumped at the chance to work with Ozon
again, on the equally provocative L’Amant Double.
“After Young & Beautiful, François made other
films and so did I,” says Vacth. “I also had a child, matured, had a baby, and had become a woman. ABOVE: Marine Vacth
and the idea of making another film together, In this film, Marine has done the work of an with Jérémie Renier
nourished by these experiences, was very exciting. accomplished actress and truly created a character.” in a scene from
I really enjoyed making Young & Beautiful and Vacth’s work ethic and discipline goes back to L’Amant Double;
making L’Amant Double was even better. We know her teenage years when she fell in love with judo and FACING PAGE: The
each other better, the complicity is stronger and the gained a brown belt, the second highest grade. “I did actress with director
trust is greater.” judo until I was 17 years old,” she reveals. “I loved François Ozon at the
the intensive workouts and the energy the sport gave New York premiere
Vacth’s career is still in its me, the body awareness in the space it develops, and of L’Amant Double
the perseverance and endurance it requires.” (Double Lover)
infancy, but she has already These days, what pushes Vacth’s levels of
built up a reputation for not endurance to its limit is the fact that she has to
juggle doing emotionally draining roles with being
being afraid to take risks a mother to a young child (son Henri was born in
2014). Key to finding a right balance, she says, is
In L’Amant Double, Vacth plays Chloé, having the right partner – photographer Paul
a troubled 25-year-old who turns to therapist Paul Schmidt – and not letting your work bleed into your
(played Jérémie Renier) for help. After they fall in private life. “I never bring my characters home,”
love she discovers he has a twin Louis (also Renier), Vacth says. “And I’m lucky to be with a man who
with whom Chloé starts a relationship that worsens takes care of our son wonderfully and who makes
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARION CURTIS/STARPIX/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
her fractured mind. “Chloé is a woman with multiple himself available whenever I have to leave.”
contradictions,” Vacth points out. “Her story and While Vacth’s career is still in its infancy, she has
duality pleased me, as did her fragility and vulnerability, already built up a reputation for not being afraid to
which make her touching in her quest for the truth. take risks. It is an approach that might well see one
I like it that the role is dense, lends itself to various of France’s brightest prospects move overseas to seek
readings and offers me many new things to play.” out new challenges.
As Vacth went about fleshing out a very complex “Working abroad would please me a lot,” Vacth ● L’Amant
character, Ozon was looking on from behind the says, when I ask her if she would ever relocate to Double is in
camera like a proud father. “When I dreamt up the America or to the UK, perhaps to do stage work. cinemas from
project four years ago, it didn’t occur to me to cast “Acting in a language that is not mine attracts me. 1 June. See
Marine, as she was too young for the role,” he says. As for theatre work, I don’t know. Maybe one day Pierre’s review
“By the time I returned to L’Amant Double she had the desire to try will be revealed to me.” on page 84.

CINEMA RELEASE
F
rançois Ozon is quite the movie magpie. The director merrily
borrows ideas from the likes of David Cronenberg, Alfred
L’Amant
Hitchcock, Roman Polanski and Brian de Palma for L’Amant
Double, a psychological thriller that, while never living up to the
best work of the film-makers it copies, is still a startling piece of work.
Double
Loosely based on American writer Joyce Carol Oates’s short story
Lives of the Twins, the film centres around 25-year-old former model
Chloé (Vacth), who seeks help from psychoanalyst Paul (Renier) after
doctors cannot figure out why she has nagging stomach cramps.
The pair soon fall in love and move in together, but any chance of
Starring: Marine Vacth, Jérémie Renier happiness goes out the window when Chloé spots a man who looks just
Directed by: François Ozon like Paul talking to another woman at a time when he claims to be on the
Certificate: 18 other side of town. Digging a bit deeper, she discovers her boyfriend
Running time: 110 minutes has an identical twin called Louis, also a therapist but with radically
Release date: 1 June different methods such as constantly insulting Chloé and trying
PHOTOGRAPHS: UNIFRANCE; MOLLY DeCOUDREAUX

✮✮✮
to seduce her. When she gives in and sleeps with him, her life starts to
spiral seriously out of control.
Derivative and increasingly daft, but also stylish, and crammed with
sex appeal and fine acting (Vacth deserves special mention for a brave
performance), L’Amant Double delivers a full-on assault on the senses
including an audacious shot early on involving a trip to the doctor that will
have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief. Sadly, all the shocks are not
matched by any real insight into the human psyche, making Ozon’s latest
film an enjoyable but flawed oddity.
Pierre de Villiers
OTHER NEW RELEASES Best of the Annecy International

CINEMA Animated Film Festival (Ciné Lumière,
Ismael’s Ghosts (from 1 June) – A film-maker’s life is London, 10 and 16 June) – The French
thrown into disarray by the return of his wife 21 years animation industry is put in the spotlight
after he thought she had died, in this cryptic in a 65-minute programme showing the
film-within-a-film written and directed by Arnaud 17 best entries in the Annecy festival
Desplechin. Mathieu Amalric and Marion Cotillard from 2010-2015. Showing as part of
play the husband and wife, with Charlotte the Ciné Lumière’s Ciné Kids season for
Gainsbourg as Ismael’s new girlfriend. four-year-olds and over.

Five minutes with...
CULTURE
GEORGEANNE BRENNAN BOOKS

Windows on Provence
The American divorced, I kept the Georgeanne Brennan,
cookbook author house in Provence and Yellow Pear press, £29.95
talks about adopting have continued to go American cookbook author and
the French lifestyle there yearly. online retailer Georgeanne
and sharing her love Along with Brennan explores beautiful and
of Provence through Windows in Provence, bountiful Provence in her glossy
her website and I have written more new release. Having owned
latest book Windows on than 30 cookbooks, many of a house in the region since 1970,
Provence (see review right). them about French cooking Brennan takes readers on
As a child I became fascinated and Provence. I love the an immersive insider’s tour of
with France and Europe from French way of living with the south-east France through a series of short essays illustrated by
fairy tales; then as a teenager, rhythm of the seasons, their evocative photographs. Each of the 12 chapters comprises
by the novels of Hemingway love of their patrimony and a general introduction on an aspect of the region (scents, wines,
and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In our respect for food and places. cafés etc), followed by a pen-portrait of an appropriate town or
teens, my friends and I went I started La Vie Rustic village including Marseille, Arles and Roussillon. From the lavender
to French restaurants, (lavierustic.com) four years fields and gleaming Côte d’Azur to the markets and castles,
pretending we were in France, ago to bring a product line to Provence is beautifully captured, and there are a handful of
and to museums whenever people who wanted to sample recipes for you to re-create that atmosphere at home. ✮✮✮✮
Impressionist art was showing. the French style. I have artisan
I had the opportunity to do salts, a potager gardening set,
a junior year of college abroad fresh sweet bay laurel leaves France: A History from Gaul to de Gaulle
and I chose Aix-en-Provence. from my small farm, even John Julius Norwich, John Murray, £25
But on my first trip to France, vintage French escargot pots! The punning title sets the tone for what the
I remember being awestruck The cookbook of the same 88-year-old historian (aka the 2nd Viscount
by Paris! The sights, of course name has more than 100 Norwich) says will be his final book, in which
– Notre-Dame, the Eiffel recipes plus stories and history he distils a lifelong love for and fascination
Tower, the Louvre – but bits that reflect the lifestyle. with his favourite country. The author certainly has the
especially the cafés, the food Georgeanne Brennan credentials to write about France with authority: he spent
shops, the bakeries, the was talking to Sophie schoolboy holidays based at the British Embassy in Paris,
pastries, and the life in the Gardner-Roberts where his father Duff Cooper was the UK’s first post-
streets and quartiers. liberation ambassador, and where, aged 17, he had a brief
My husband and I
e
exchange with General de Gaulle at a buffet lunch. Lord
bought a property in
W e ar Norwich has a keen eye for larger-than-life characters
listening to...
Provence in 1970. We and entertaining anecdotes in this breezy history, which is
moved there to raise based on the premise that ‘the average English-speaking
goats for cheese, and person has remarkably little knowledge of French history’.
to raise and sell La Pluie, by Orelsan That may not apply to the average FRANCE Magazine
pigs, which we featuring Stromae reader, but they will still find plenty to enjoy.✮✮✮✮
did for two This urban track’s lyrics
years before recall the singer’s tough Her Mother’s Secret
returning to background, how he has Rosanna Ley, Quercus, £7.99
California. risen above it, and his Having set novels in various
When my first appreciation of his present Mediterranean locations, Rosanna Ley
husband and I life and where he lives. switches her attention to France and
the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer, a short
ferry trip from the coast of southern
Vagabond (Sans Toit Ni Loi) (from Brittany. The heroine, Colette, has
27 June) – This 1985 drama is being returned home from Cornwall, where she has lived for 15
re-released to mark the 90th birthday of years, after being told that her estranged mother Thea is
pioneering writer-director Agnès Varda, dying of leukaemia. She takes over Thea’s flower shop,
who is still busy making films. Told in makes friends and settles into island life, but old secrets
flashback, it follows a young drifter and the reasons for the family rift start to emerge. Told
(Sandrine Bonnaire) on her travels alone through the eyes of the five main characters, and with
through the south of France, and the flashbacks to the 1960s, the story, with its picturesque
incidents that led to her death. setting, makes an engaging summer read. ✮✮✮

LANGUAGE
Read this...
CLASSIC NOVEL
TWO-FOR-ONE OFFER Les Trois Mousquetaires
by Alexandre Dumas
Short stories in French with a simultaneous translation are Set in the 1620s, Dumas’s
a great way to grasp the language, says Peter Stewart swashbuckling novel
centres on the adventures
R
eading a parallel text in French Parents looking to of a young man named
and English is becoming an introduce small d’Artagnan, who leaves
increasingly popular way to study. children to a new home in Gascony to become
They are relatively concise and language should try a member of the King’s
highlight the similarities and differences Collins Very First Musketeers
between the two languages, while French Dictionary in Paris.
also providing insights into French life (Collins, £6.99). Unable to
and culture. Suitable for five-year- join the elite
A good example olds and over, the corps
is Penguin Parallel book explains 500 straight
Text: French Short French words through colourful illustrations away, he
Stories Volume I and simple sentences. befriends
(Penguin, £9.99), French grammar is three
which features eight tricky for many formidable
contrasting tales people, but a book musketeers
from 20th-century that caught my eye at – Athos, Porthos and Aramis
authors including the bookshop was – and together they get
Raymond Queneau French Grammar in involved in different affairs
and Pierre Gascar. The stories are arranged Context (Routledge of the state and court. First
in order of difficulty and come with a literal £29.99). The authors published in serial form in
rather than a freer, literary English take an innovative 1844, Dumas’s work is
translation, as well as notes on the text. approach to the topic, primarily an adventure
Another parallel text drawing on literary texts from leading writers novel, but he also highlights
resource is Learn French such as Albert Camus and Jacques Prévert to numerous injustices
with Stories: 7 Short illustrate key grammar points. The book associated with the
Stories for Beginner contains written and spoken exercises, and Ancien Régime.
and Intermediate you can access additional material on its
GRAMMAR
Students (CreateSpace accompanying website.
Independent Publishing For something more
light-hearted, track
CORNER
Platform, £9.90).
Themes include down a copy of the
travelling, cooking and film Supercondriaque.
cinema, and cover Comedian Dany Boon ‘ALLER’
dialogue and wrote, directed and The verb ‘aller’ means ‘to go’
description, while a French-English glossary starred in this film and is used in French almost in
means you do not have to keep referring to about a hypochondriac the same way as in English,
a dictionary. The accompanying free photographer searching for example, ‘Je vais au
175-minute MP3 recording contains for a date who can supermarché’ (‘I’m going
natural-speed and slowed-down versions put up with his to the supermarket’).
of the stories. eccentric behaviour. ‘Aller’ is commonly used to
suggest that something is about
to happen. Examples include
THIS MONTH’S BEST PICK ‘Nous allons partir dans quinze
minutes’ (‘We are leaving in 15
BEGINNERS minutes’) and ‘Vas-tu m’aider?’
French Crash Course, CreateSpace Independent Publishing (‘Are you going to help me?’).
Platform, £12.90 The word also appears in
Described as a seven-day guide to learning the basics in French, this book idiomatic expressions, such as
features structured daily language lessons with easy-to-follow grammar ‘Ça te va?’ (‘Are you OK with
and vocabulary points. Exercises include film, music and activity of the day, that?’) and ‘Comment ça va?’
and there is also an MP3 audio file to help improve your pronunciation. (How’s it going?’).

LANGUAGE
SUNSHINE IN A BOTTLE
No beach holiday in France would be complete without
the shake and sip of Orangina, says Regine Godfrey
I I
maginez-vous sur une plage de l’Hexagone. Il y a tant magine that you are on a French beach. There are so
de lieux magnifiques parmi lesquels choisir: la plus many beautiful locations to choose from: the closest to
proche de Paris est Le Touquet; sur la côte atlantique Paris is Le Touquet; on the Atlantic coast, Saint-Palais-sur-
Saint-Palais-sur-Mer est super pour les familles; si vous Mer is great fun for families; if you dream of fine sand
rêvez de sable fin et d’eaux cristallines, la réputation de la Corse and transparent waters, the reputation of Corsica is unsurpassed.
est sans égal. But there is a blot on the landscape; the glorious sunshine
Mais il y a une tache dans le paysage: le magnifique soleil has made you thirsty! What could be better than Orangina, the
vous a donné soif! Quoi de mieux qu’Orangina, l’emblématique iconic soft drink synonymous with sun-kissed holidays?
boisson gazeuse synonyme de vacances ensoleillées? The history of Orangina began at the Marseille trade fair in
L’histoire d’Orangina commence à la foire 1935 when Frenchman Léon Beton,
exposition de Marseille en 1935 lorsque le Français who lived in Algeria, met Doctor Trigo
Léon Beton, qui vit en Algérie, rencontre le Mirallès, a Spanish pharmacist.
Docteur Trigo Mirallès, un pharmacien espagnol. The latter had invented ‘Naranjina’,
Ce dernier a inventé ‘Naranjina’, un concentré de a concentrate of orange juice to which
jus d’orange auquel on a ajouté une huile an essential oil had been added.
essentielle. Impressionné par le produit Beton lui Impressed by the product, Beton bought
achète la formule, la modifie un peu et adopte the formula from him, tweaked it a little
le nom Orangina. and renamed it Orangina.
L’entreprise connaît son véritable essor quand The business got its real impetus
le fils de Léon, Jean-Claude, reprend la Société en when Léon’s son Jean-Claude took over
1947. Il insiste à ce que la bouteille de verre soit the company in 1947. He insisted that
repensée. Sa nouvelle forme ronde tient facilement the glass bottle be redesigned. Its new
dans le creux de la main et sa texture granuleuse round shape held easily in the hollow of
simule l’orange. C’est un succès immédiat sur le the hand and its grainy texture simulated
marché nord-africain. Seuls les propriétaires de café rouspètent: an orange. It was an instant success on
essayez de ranger 100 petites bouteilles rondes dans un frigo! the North African market. The only ones to grumble were the
Quatre ans plus tard, Jean-Claude Beton lance Orangina en café owners: try to store 100 small round bottles in a fridge!
France. Les affiches publicitaires de 1953 scellent son ascension Four years later, Jean-Claude Beton launched Orangina in
spectaculaire. Le graphiste Bernard Villemot voulait dessiner des France. The 1953 advertising posters sealed its meteoric rise.
oranges, mais la loi française stipule que la boisson doit contenir Graphic artist Bernard Villemot wanted to draw oranges, but
au moins 25 pour cent de jus pour inclure le fruit entier sur French law stipulated that the beverage had to contain at least
le dessin. Pas de souci. À la place, il représente sur fond bleu 25 per cent juice to include the whole fruit in the design.
PHOTOGRAPHS: CINEBERG/iSTOCK/GETTYIMAGES PLUS; BAIBAZ/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
un parasol fait d’écorce d’orange: une idée de génie. No worries. Instead, he featured a parasol made of an orange
En 1957, Orangina célèbre la vente de 50 millions de peel against a blue background: a stroke of genius.
bouteilles. Au lendemain de la guerre d’Algérie l’entreprise In 1957, Orangina celebrated the sale of 50 million bottles.
s’installe à Marseille et se lance dans une série de publicités In the aftermath of the Algerian war the firm moved to
comiques à la télévision, inspirées par le film Modern Times de Marseille and embarked on a series of comical TV adverts
Charlie Chaplin. Le ‘secouement de la bouteille’ propulse inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s movie Modern Times. The
Orangina au rang international. ‘shaking of the bottle’ propelled Orangina to international level.
Jean-Claude Beton nous a quittés en 2013. Il disait: Jean-Claude Beton left us in 2013. He used to say:
“Orangina est naturel, légèrement pétillant et sans colorant. “Orangina is natural, slightly sparkling and without colouring.
C’est le champagne des sodas!’ It is the champagne of sodas!”
The word ‘crémerie’ usually means a dairy.

W osrtdreoent: However, if you tell a shopkeeper ‘je vais
the changer de crémerie!’ it means that you will

be taking your custom elsewhere.

CAMPING QUESTIONS
If you are holidaying under canvas or in a campervan, Peter Stewart
has the phrases to help in booking an overnight stay
1. Bill and Mary are on holiday in the Loire Valley. They arrive at a campsite with their bikes
and a tent, and ask if there is room for them to stay.
RECEPTIONIST: Hello.
May I help you?
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Bonjour.
Puis-je vous aider?
BILL: Hello. We have just

arrived in the area and
would like to spend two
nights here. Do you have
any pitches available?
BILL: Bonjour. On vient
d’arriver dans la région et
on voudrait passer deux
nuits ici. Avez-vous des
emplacements disponibles?
RECEPTIONIST: I will
just check for you.
One moment, please.
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Je vérifie
pour vous. Un instant,
s’il vous plaît.
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, we do RECEPTIONIST: It will be RECEPTIONIST: Yes, there BILL: That’s great.
have some room. Do you €38 for the two nights. is a small one just next Thank you so much for
have your own tent? RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Ce sera door that sells everything your help.
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: 38€ pour les deux nuits. you need. BILL: C’est génial. Merci
PHOTOGRAPHS: BLYJAK/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; RYHOR BRUYEU/iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Oui, nous avons de la RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, il y beaucoup pour votre aide.
place. Avez-vous votre BILL: OK. And do you have en a une juste à côté qui
propre tente? shower facilities on site? vend tout ce qui vous faut. RECEPTIONIST: You’re
BILL: D’accord. Et avez-vous welcome. So that’s €38 for
BILL: Yes. des douches sur place? BILL: Perfect, thank you. the pitch.
BILL: Oui. And what about a café? RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Je vous
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, there We’re both starving! en prie. Alors, ça fait 38€
RECEPTIONIST: And do you are modern showers in the BILL: Parfait, merci. Et est-ce pour l’emplacement.
have a car? building just behind us. qu’il y a un café? On a une
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, faim de loup! BILL: Here you go.
Et avez-vous une voiture? dans le bâtiment juste BILL: Tenez.
derrière nous il y a des RECEPTIONIST: Yes, there
MARY: No, we cycled here. douches modernes. is a small snack bar just RECEPTIONIST: Thank you.
Could you tell us how much opposite which is open Please do let me know
the pitch will cost? BILL: And is there a shop until 11pm. if you have any
MARY: Non, on est venu onsite that sells camping gas? RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, other questions.
à vélo. Pourriez-vous nous BILL: Et est-ce qu’il y a une il y a un petit snack bar RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Merci.
dire combien coûtera supérette sur place qui vend juste en face qui est ouvert N’hésitez pas si vous avez
l’emplacement? du camping-gaz? jusqu’à 23h. d’autres questions.

LANGUAGE
2. Mike and Sue are on a campervan holiday in Dordogne. They pull into a campsite
one morning to see if there are any spaces.
RECEPTIONIST: Hello. May MIKE: OK. Do you have RECEPTIONIST: Is there RECEPTIONIST: So if you
I help you? a waste disposal facility for anything else I can help would like to reserve the
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Bonjour. chemical toilets? you with? night, it will be €89.
Puis-je vous aider? MIKE: D’accord. Avez-vous RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Avez- RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Alors,
une installation d’élimination vous d’autres questions? si vous souhaitez réserver,
MIKE: Hello. We have just des déchets pour les ce sera 89€.
arrived in our campervan and WC chimiques? SUE: Ah yes. Do you have
are looking for somewhere to a swimming pool on-site? It is MIKE: Can we pay by card?
stop for the night. Would you RECEPTIONIST: Yes, we have hot today and it would be MIKE: Est-ce qu’on peut
have anything available? a special building at the far great to be able to cool down payer par carte?
MIKE: Bonjour. On vient end of the campsite where you a little.
d’arriver en camping-car et on can dispose of any dirty water. SUE: Ah oui. Avez-vous RECEPTIONIST: Yes,
cherche un endroit où passer RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, une piscine sur place? Il fait of course.
la nuit. Avez-vous de la place? nous avons un petit bâtiment chaud aujourd’hui et ce serait RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui,
séparé au fond du camping super de pouvoir se rafraîchir bien sûr.
RECEPTIONIST: It’s a busy où vous pouvez vous un peu.
time... Let me check for you. débarrasser de l’eau sale. (Two minutes later).
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: C’est une RECEPTIONIST: Yes, we (Deux minutes plus tard).
période chargée… Je vérifie SUE: Excellent. And what have an unheated swimming
pour vous. about cycle trails? We would pool on the other side of the RECEPTIONIST: Thank you,
like to go on a bike ride. park. You just need to follow that’s all gone through. I hope
(Five minutes later). SUE: Excellent. Et est-ce the arrows. you have an excellent stay.
(Cinq minutes plus tard). qu’il y a des pistes cyclables? RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, nous RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Merci, le
On aimerait faire une balade avons une piscine non chauffée paiement a été accepté. Je vous
RECEPTIONIST: You are à vélo. de l’autre côté du parc. Il faut souhaite un très bon séjour.
in luck! There is one juste suivre les flèches.
spot available. RECEPTIONIST: Yes, there MIKE AND SUE: Thank you
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Vous are lots of cycle paths around SUE: Thank you so much. very much.
avez de la chance! Il y a une here. The nearest village with SUE: Merci beaucoup. MIKE ET SUE: Merci beaucoup.
place disponible. shops and restaurants etc is
Saint-Marcel, which is two
SUE: Oh that’s wonderful. kilometres away.
How much would that be? RÉCEPTIONNISTE: Oui, il y
SUE: Oh c’est formidable. a pas mal de pistes cyclables
Et ce serait combien? dans le coin. Le village le plus
proche avec des magasins et
RECEPTIONIST: It’s €89 for des restaurants etc s’appelle
the night, with electricity Saint-Marcel et c’est à deux
included in the price. kilomètres d’ici.
RÉCEPTIONNISTE: C’est
89€ pour la nuit, et SUE: Perfect.
l’électricité est incluse. SUE: Parfait.
VOCABULAIRE
Emplacement – Pitch. Je voudrais réserver un emplacement Je suis désolé(e), on est complet
Camping-car – Campervan. pour mon camping-car pour trois ce soir – I am sorry but we are full
Caravane – Caravan. nuits, s’il vous plaît – I would like to this evening.
Tente – Tent. reserve a pitch for my campervan for Est-ce qu’il y a un supermarché
Tapis de sol – Ground sheet. three nights, please. près d’ici? – Is there a supermarket
Gonfleur – Air pump. Est-ce que je pourrais installer ma nearby?
Réchaud – Camping stove. tente ici pour une nuit, s’il vous plaît? Où sont les douches? – Where are
Sac de couchage – Sleeping bag. – Can I pitch my tent here for one night? the showers?

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
Match these different side dishes with
their English equivalents.
Salade verte Mashed potatoes with

garlic confit
Pommes de terre
sautées Baked artichokes
Haricots verts Fried potatoes
IDIOMS Gratin de légumes Braised cabbage
Guess the meaning of the idiom
‘Avoir les chevilles qui enflent’. Purée de pommes de terre Grilled asparagus
A) To get too big for one’s boots à l’ail confit
B) To run out of steam
C) To be on the back foot
Green salad
Artichauts en cocotte
Cooked vegetables with a
Chou braisé browned crust
LES DEUX FONT LA PAIRE
Associez chacun des mots ci-dessous à son image Asperges grillées Green beans
A B
WHAT’S AT THE MARKET?
Match these French saucisson sec varieties with
their English equivalents.
Noix Pork
Figue Red pepper
C D
Poivron rouge Herbs
PHOTOGRAPHS: D. O’NEIL CC BY-SA 3.0; MARKUS HAGEN LOCHER CC BY-SA 3.0; CC BY-SA 3.0;
Sanglier Fig
Pur porc Rabbit with
Armagnac
Arrosoir; Brouette; Déplantoir; Fourche
Ail
Walnut
ILLUSTRATIONS: TIM WESSON; DREAMSTIME
QUI SUIS-JE? Fines herbes

Lisez les indices ci-dessous et devinez qui je suis
Wild boar
Je suis née le 1 juillet 1985 à Paris.
Je suis une actrice française.
Lapin à
En 2013, j’ai remporté la Palme d’or au Festival de Cannes
l’Armagnac Garlic
pour La Vie d’Adèle.
Je suis…

LANGUAGE
How
to say... COMPETITION WIN!
Glace
Ice cream
Les Mots Fléchés
(Glas) The winner of this month’s books, writing or striving to
competition will receive the memorise everything. The
Fun French
Michel Thomas Perfect pack, which retails at £100,
French CD-audio course, contains ten hours of audio
published by Hodder & learning on CD, more than
ANAGRAMS Stoughton. It will help

intermediates take their
three hours of extra
vocabulary help,
Find the French French to the next level and a visual learning review and
words for gain confidence without interactive exercises.
beach items
1 Mecèr Seaolir
2 Vtedeesrite Gelpa
3 Sngto
4 Tntaars
5 Crèielga
6 Stetnuleed Leolsi
Answers
dress is the woman who is wearing it.’
‘Over the years, I have learned that what is important in a
est important dans une robe, c’est la femme qui la porte.’
Find the quote: ‘Au fil des années, j’ai appris que ce qui
Glacière – cool box; Lunettes de soleil – sunglasses;
– beach towel; Tongs – flip-flops; Transat – deckchair;
Anagrams: Crème solaire – sun cream; Serviette de plage
– herbs; Lapin à l’Armagnac – rabbit with Armagnac;
pepper; Sanglier – wild boar; Pur porc – pork; Fines herbes
market? Noix – walnut; Figue – fig; Poivron rouge – red
Asperges grillées – grilled asparagus; What’s at the
garlic confit; Artichauts en cocotte – baked artichokes;
pommes de terre à l’ail confit – mashed potatoes with
– cooked vegetables with a browned crust; Purée de
potatoes; Haricots verts – green beans; Gratin de légumes
verte – green salad; Pommes de terre sautées – fried
Qui suis-je? Léa Seydoux; What’s on the menu? Salade
C) Arrosoir – watering can; D) Brouette – wheelbarrow;
la paire: A) Déplantoir – trowel; B) Fourche – garden fork;
Idiom: A) – To get too big for one’s boots; Les deux font
S A P L R
C E S S E R A G E S
D E S T I N E T E
P U N I O I G N O N
C I G A R E E U
E T O N N I E Z R N
E R E T O R N E
B U E T E I N T E S To enter: Complete the Mots Fléchés grid and note all the letters in the grey squares. Rearrange these
R O S E F E L E S letters to spell a French town or city and send this answer, together with your name, telephone
number and address, to [email protected] or write to FRANCE Magazine, Les Mots Fléchés,
May Mots Fléchés winner Cumberland House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, GL50 1BB. Entries close 4 July 2018.
The winner of the May Mots Fléchés is
Last month’s Les Mots Fléchés answers will be posted on our website www.francemag.com/quiz and
Mrs. Jennifer Gillies, from Edinburgh.
The mystery town was Grasse in the appear in the August issue, on sale on 4 July 2018. The answers to this month’s competition will be on the
Alpes-Maritimes département. website from 11 July 2018 and in the September issue, on sale on 1 August 2018.
FIND THE QUOTE Slice up the baguette where the spaces should be to reveal a saying by
fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent
Aufildesannéesjaiapprisquecequiestimportant
dansunerobecestlafemmequilaporte

On completefrance.com
Digital editor Emma Rawle shares some of her
favourite articles from our website this month
TRAVEL Quiz: how much do you know
about the Tour de France?
Are you an avid Tour de France watcher and reckon
you know everything there is to know about the
race? Take our quiz to find out if you are a true fan.
TRAVEL
ARE THESE THE BEST BEACHES

IN FRANCE?
Do you agree with the favourites chosen by TripAdvisor users?
TRAVEL LANGUAGE & CULTURE

7 of the best
brocantes in
France
Is there a better way
to spend a morning
than browsing French
WARREN GOLDSWAIN /THINKSTOCKPHOTOS; JASCKAL/FOTOLIA; OKO SWAN OMURPHY/GETTY IMAGES
brocantes? I shall be
slowly working my
way around these
popular flea markets
Delicious French recipes
across France. to try this summer
PHOTOGRAPHS: PKAZMIERCZAK/THINKSTOCKPHOTOS; ASO/A BROADWAY;
Next time I have friends round for dinner this

summer, I am going to be serving up
LANGUAGE a traditional French menu of sole meunière
& CULTURE and tarte aux fraises – what about you?
French language

Keep up with the latest articles
lessons: how to
online by signing up to receive our
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I found this guide really FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER
helpful in understanding
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beautifully furnished & fully equipped.
www.Per fect-for-Two.com
VILLA NYASA, CLAVIERS
■ CAPACITY: 8-10
Flanked by 3.5 acres of oaks, pine trees and olive
groves Villa Nyasa is an oasis of calm providing
uninterrupted southerly views across a Provençal
mountain valley. 55 minutes from Nice airport,
5 ensuite bedrooms, luxurious linens & toiletries
await. Beautifully constructed stone terraced gardens
with lavender, lemon & fig trees, flourishing wild
herbs. 3 outside dining areas, BBQ area & an infinity LIMEUIL CADOUIN
pool with breathtaking views. Fabulous restaurants & Recently renovated village A splendid 2 bedroom house
vineyards, makes this the perfect holiday home. house of character - 2 en-suite (both en-suite) on a quiet side
bedrooms - open-plan living street - large garden - beautiful
room, leading directly into the village with bakery, restaurants,
rear garden. and market.
From €2,000 per week

Contact: Damian Cullen,
Tel: 0044 7815751021
Visit: villa-nyasa.com
2 65 O/S 4 19 7 2 2
81
SOUTH WEST
MAZAMET, MIDIPYRÉNÉES
BED & BREAKFAST: 5 DOUBLE ROOMS
La Villa de Mazamet is a luxury B&B, in the heart of SW
France, with five beautifully appointed, air-conditioned
bedrooms, pool, Le Petit Spa & table d’hôtes restaurant.
Situated in the market town of Mazamet, La Villa
provides a fantastic base from which to explore this
historic corner of France. On the doorstep to two
UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Vineyards, Mountains &
Medieval Villages. From 120 € per night, per room,
inc. breakfast.
10% DISCOUNT FOR FRANCE MAGAZINE READERS

when booking 3 nights + (enter code FranceMag
when booking via our website)
€ 120 p/night
Peter Friend
Tel: +33 563 979 033
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.villademazamet.com

PETITES ANNONCES
LANGUAGE PROPERTY FOR SALE
Allez-Français – leading www.allez-francais.com

property specialists for South 05 55 28 46 40 / 05 53 56 09 35
West France since 2002 A small business, but big
on initiative & ideas
N10474E Near Ruffec, Charente R10467E Saint Estèphe, Dordogne

Exceptional Maison de Maître offering 3 bedroom Outstanding C19th property / gîte business close to
suites, spacious reception rooms, large barn and easily major tourist attractions - 12 bedrooms in total, set
maintained gardens. Oil C/H. in 6,600m². Swimming pools. Great track record.
Price 330,750 € HAI Exclusive agency Price 495,000 € HAI Exclusive agency
Agence Immobilière Herman De Graaf

Contact: Cate Carnduff
Le Bourg-Saint-Jean de Côle - 24800 Thiviers - France.
Tel: 00 33 (0)553 62 38 03 Fax: 00 33 (0)553 55 08 03
e-mail: [email protected]
Ref. 4489 Ref. 3723

Region Payzac. Restored farmhouse, set in a hamlet Region St Jean de Cole. Beautifully set by a hamlet
on 2743m2 of land with good views. Living room on 2950m2 this bungalow(1983) to update.
with corner kitchen, shower room (WC, bath & Entrance, living room with fireplace, fitted kitchen, 2
basin) & 1 bedroom. Upstairs: WC & 2 attic bathrooms & 3 bedrooms; 1 room (31m2) to finish.
LEGAL SERVICES
bedrooms. Attached shed & cellar. Cellar. Carport.
Price: €100,000 agency fees included. Price: €159.000 agency fees included.
w w w. i m m o b i l i e r- d o r d o g n e . c o m
Resident in the UK, for the past 25 years, Liliane has been providing
expert legal advice and personal assistance in relation to:

COLUMN
Vignette
Journey of
discovery
Bringing home a rescue dog allowed
Carol Drinkwater to take a leisurely
road trip across southern France
I
live in France and write about its people, food
and history. This involves being at my desk
for many hours of the day, with short outings
to verify facts or to get the feel of a location.
However, every now and then an opportunity
arises to make a journey to another part of my
adopted land. My good fortune recently was
twofold. A rescue dog, a pure-bred Tibetan Mastiff,
was on offer. If no home were found, he was to be Carcassonne was our next stop. I confess I am
put down. One look at his photo and we said we not enamoured of this medieval city. We, as tourists,
would have him. He was in a rescue shelter over on are at least one hundred years too late. If you can
the west side of France, eight hours by car from our close your eyes to the trinket stores and the dozens
home. We decided to make an outing of it. of rather average restaurants squashed up against
The sun was shining as we set off from our olive one another, then you can imagine how it must once
farm nestled in the heights, overlooking the Bay of have been, with its magnificent golden-stoned
Cannes. Our trajectory was to take us by Aix-en- fortress, now a Unesco World Heritage site. I found
Provence, skirting the hems of the Camargue towns Carol Drinkwater its setting in the Aude plain awe-inspiring.
of Arles and Nîmes, as well as Montpellier, is the best-selling From here on, the countryside of sweeping
Carcassonne and Toulouse before making a final author of The Olive vineyards was magical. Although I know Toulouse,
turn north to Bergerac; journey’s end. Once past Farm series. Her France’s fourth-largest city, on the banks of the
Montpellier we became adventurous, turning off the latest work is The River Garonne, and some of the surrounding
main roads to do a little discovering. Lost Girl, a novel towns and villages, I was mostly in new territory.
Narbonne was once a coastal town, an important set in post-war We were making for the small village of Laugnac
seaport for the Romans. However, centuries of Provence and outside Agen to spend the night. We chose only
silting of the River Aude have left it 15 kilometres modern-day Paris. meandering country roads, where the landscape
inland. Still, it is well worth a visit and if you have Contact Carol at was undulating and planted with groves of plum
time to linger, so too are the fishing villages at its caroldrinkwater.com and spreading nut trees.
Mediterranean edge. The town’s As we approached our overnight stop, we spotted
focal point is the Canal de la Robine, several stunning châteaux with spiky black towers
which is linked to the hidden behind centuries-old cedar trees. Our hosts
more famous Canal du were a French couple who have converted a Roman
Midi. Pause at one of the chapel and several stone outbuildings into fabulous
cafés and enjoy gîtes. They invited us for an aperitif after our long
a refreshing vin de hours on the road and we bonded instantly,
citron, white discovering a mutual love of art and history.
ILLUSTRATIONS: MELISSA WOOD
wine with lemon. The following day, as we made our way home
with our handsome rescue dog, I felt content. I had
reminded myself of the richness and variety of
France; full of history, architectural beauty and
diversity. Never believe those who say the French
are not friendly. The welcomes were abundant.

NEXT ISSUE in Britain’s best-selling magazine all about
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FRANÇOISE HARDY BUZZ-INESS AS USUAL

THE QUEEN OF YÉ-YÉ SINGS AGAIN THE SWEET STORY OF HONEY

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