As anticipated, it took a couple of days to sort out our living spaces. The books were in the food compartment, the bedding on the kitchen table, and the gangplank was in the aft cabin bedroom. Luckily the weather was good, so we could open up the entire boat and move things from area to […]
Provence, in the south of France, is a fabulous place to visit to enjoy the weather, the culture and, of course, the wine!
In the summer of 2006, I experienced the Loire Valley as I never had before, on a bike. Though there are various types and levels of biking excursions one can take throughout the Châteaux de la Loire region, I found the 1.5 hour ride from Blois to Chambord to be delightful and just challenging enough to […]
Print out this Handy French Phrase Guide for your Next Trip to France Useful Phrases [with pronunciation] Hello -– Bonjour [bohn-joor] Good morning — Bonjour Good afternoon — Bonjour Good evening –- Bonsoir [bohn-swa] Good night — Bonne nuit [bun nwee] How are you? –- Comment ça va? [koh moh sa vah?] I’m fine. […]
The Burgundy region of France is one of our clear favorites. Burgundy, or as the French call it “Bourgogne” (pronounced Boor GONE yeh), offers unforgettable rolling-hill vistas of vineyards for as far as the eye can see, and it is at the crossroads between the north and south of France. Some of the most gorgeous towns, such as […]
Chamonix Valley, in the French Alps near the borders of Switzerland and Italy, is world-famed for its year-round sports. In winter there are ski runs for all levels of experience, from beginners’ slopes to 20-kilometer-long Vallée Blanche, which is unmarked, unpatrolled, and not to be taken by any but experts. Visitors can snowboard, paraglide, snowshoe, ice […]
When I was working as an English teacher at a lycée (high school) in Gassin, France, I frequently took day or weekend trips to nearby Marseilles. What kept me coming back to this coastal city of industry was the laid-back “salt of the earth” quality of its over 1,605,000 inhabitants (Marseilles is the third largest […]
France is home to some of Europe’s loveliest cathedrals. One of the best educational moves I ever made was to take a European art history course (that focused mostly on sacred architecture) before my first stint in France on a study abroad program. Seeing as that was over 10 years ago, I don’t remember nearly as much […]
Les hauteurs de Granville Granville was nicknamed the “Monaco of the North” in the 19th century thanks to its resemblance to the principality.[1] This coastal commune is located in the Manche region of the French province of Normandy. Administratively, Granville includes the Isles of Chausey, which is a group of small islands and islets that […]
The Scoop on Auto Europe’s Peugeot “Buy Back” Program A friend who is planning a trip to France recently called to ask if I knew anything about Peugeot’s “Buy Back” program. I didn’t, but was intrigued, so I did a bit of research so I could help him with his travel arrangements. He called me […]