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TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY

October 2017 | Issue 229

A tale of two cities See Marseille and Le Havre in a new light

SAINTLY STEPS

FOODINK DR ANDg out in Limoges ●

b Eatin ked lam o o c w ● Slo Cahors f o s e n ● Wi affron s r u o v ● Sa

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MODERN MONTPELLIER WHERE TO STAY TAKE A SHORT BUT SWEET CITY FOR THE BEST BIRD AND BREAK IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

Less than 3 hours from Barcelona in Spain by car or by train

BIENVENUE Marseille Cathedral seen from the MuCEM museum

Food for thought

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229 October 2017 | Issue

| HISTORY | TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE CULTURE

See Marseille and Le Havre

in a new light

SAINTLY STEPS

Follow the path of Joan of Arc

FOODINK DR ANDg out in Limoges ●

lamb Eatin -cooked rs ● Slow s of Cahoon ● Wine ur saffr ● Savo

FLOWER POWER the names

R WHERE TO STAY MODERN MONTPELLIE FOR THE BEST BIRD AND TAKE A SHORT BUT SWEET CITY WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS BREAK IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH

See page 62

Birders and wildlife enthusiasts will enjoy our guide to the best places to stay for a sneak peek, and we see why Georges Simenon’s Maigret became such a popular character. Our language section helps you to choose the right learning tools, as well as providing helpful hints and tips, and some entertaining games to help build that confidence.

The magazine is still bursting with food and drink, and includes recommendations on where to eat out in Limoges, a guide to French saffron, a marvellous slow-cooked lamb recipe and our usual wine feature and recommendations.

For those who simply love gorgeous images of this hugely photogenic country, our beautiful FRANCE Calendar 2018 is now available to buy.

Turn to page 50 for details. À bientôt!

Simply type in your word in one language and find out the equivalent word in the other.

Looking up those tricky words is now a quick, simple and intuitive process with this handy, portable gadget. The perfect partner for your next holiday in France.

(Battery included). ifplc.com

Lara Dunn Editor

ABOVE: The Église Saint-Joseph in Le Havre

Meet behind some famous blooms Britain and North America’s France best-selling magazine about

£3.99

PHOTOGRAPHS: LARA DUNN; RUDOLF ABRAHAM

ne of the main reasons for our abiding love of France is its astonishingly and reliably good food and drink. When asked in a recent reader survey for your favourite sections of the magazine, you almost all replied that the Bon Appétit section was one you really enjoyed. I’m with you there; I enjoy helping our writers put it together every issue!

That said, many of you also expressed a delight at being able to immerse yourselves in French culture, in all its many guises, and this issue offers a real treat to those with a hankering for the cerebral over the gastronomic. We have modern architecture in Le Havre and Marseille; historical botanical adventurers; the joys of flotsam and jetsam and the art that can be created from them; and a walk following Joan of Arc’s footsteps from Vosges to the Loire.

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 3

CONTENTS October 2017

08 FRANCE AT A GLANCE Let our stunning images take you on a virtual journey around l’Hexagone.

WIN A TRIP FOR FOUR TO LE HAVRE WORTH £500 PAGE 35

MORE GREAT PRIZES TO WIN ON PAGES 14, 20, 99

●BON APPÉTIT 74 SAFFRON

How the golden harvest has been revived in France, and where to enjoy it best.

17 LES NOUVELLES

44 BOTANY

78 EAT OUT IN LIMOGES

All the news and inspiration you need to inform your next trip to France.

Discover some of the most beautiful blooms and who they were named after.

The porcelain city has more than empty dishes to offer in this culinary guide.

28 ROAD TRIP

52 TAKE A STROLL

80 FOOD & WINE

Take a tranquil drive through the Dordogne countryside in Périgord Blanc.

A wander around the Plus Beau Village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne.

A farewell to critic Christian Millau, plus a recipe and restaurant review.

30 CONCRETE CITIES

56 JOAN OF ARC

81 WINES OF THE MONTH

Le Havre and Marseille are fascinating cities for lovers of modern architecture.

Walking along the Sentier Jeanne d’Arc from Domrémy-la-Pucelle.

Master of Wine Sally Easton gives us her pick of the best bottles to buy.

36 BEACHCOMBING

64 MONTPELLIER BREAK

82 MAKE THE PERFECT...

France’s coasts are a treasure trove of found objects and artists’ inspiration.

Try a short but lively break in this thoroughly modern southern city.

There is no rushing this life-affirming seven-hour lamb recipe, so just enjoy!

42 HISTORY TRAIL

68 WHERE TO STAY

84 CAHORS WINES

Exploring the most innovative minds and greatest inventors, with their inventions.

Make the most of a chance to see birds and wildlife, in our accommodation guide.

Reviving an established vineyard can be challenging but a touch of luxury helps.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY ON P62 AND GET A FREE GIFT! ORDER YOUR CALENDAR ON P50!

4 FRANCE MAGAZINE

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PHOTOGRAPHS: RUDOLF ABRAHAM; WOLFGANG STAUDT CC BY-SA 2.0; DONATIENNE GUILLAUDEAU; HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; RÉGINE GODFREY; GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO; EVERETT COLLECTION INC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

● TRAVEL

64 30 36

44 52

30

68

● LA CULTURE

42

82

● EVERY MONTH 14 BOÎTE AUX LETTRES

86 NEWS

Have your say and share travel tips to win a great prize.

Tribute to the actress Jeanne Moreau, and title controversy for Brigitte Macron.

25 HOLIDAY PLANNER

88 MAIGRET

Organise your next trip with our guide to travel routes.

PAGE 30 PAGE 26 PAGE 36

Our Icons series continues with the exploits of Simenon’s famous detective.

94 LANGUAGE

90 CÉDRIC KLAPISCH

We find the best resources for brushing up your language skills.

The director shares his passion for Burgundy and attention to detail.

96 LANGUAGE HELP

92 FILM REVIEW

Be prepared for any tricky situation when you go shopping next time.

Pierre de Villiers gives his verdict on the new Klapisch release Back to Burgundy.

98 LANGUAGE GAMES

93 BOOK REVIEWS

Improve your French with our selection of fun puzzles and games.

Indulge your love of France a little further with our pick of the best new reads.

93 FIVE MINUTES WITH...

Canadian author Janice MacLeod talks about her new book, and a love of Paris.

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PAGE 8

PAGE 44

PAGE 24 PAGE 42

PAGE 56

PAGE 70 PAGE 78 PAGE 17

PAGE 28 PAGE 84

PAGE 74

PAGE 20 PAGE 64

PAGE 52

● VIGNETTE

PAGE 30

106 STEPHEN CLARKE

Speciality teas and organic wines bring out the inverted snob in our columnist.

ON THE COVER

FRANCE MAGAZINE 5

MEET OUR WRITERS… We ask them to share with us their coming plans for visiting France CUMBERLAND HOUSE, ORIEL ROAD, CHELTENHAM GL50 1BB

Régine Godfrey Having enjoyed living in Cuers, Hyères-les-Palmiers and Rochefort, Régine first arrived in England to finish her Masters on the artist Thomas Gainsborough. After a spell in teaching in conjunction with writing poetry for L’Institut Académique de Paris, she embraced photojournalism and has been a FRANCE Magazine contributor for 18 years. On page 44, Régine honours two unsung heroes of botany.

“Although born in Bourges, I am three-quarters Breton and would love to revisit my roots in Finistère and Morbihan. The river trip from Bénodet to Quimper is superb, not to mention the Cathédrale Saint-Corentin, or my favourite wildlife spot, the Réserve Naturelle des Marais de Séné. Birds aplenty, remarkable gardens, brightly coloured hortensias and crêpes de sarrasin (buckwheat pancakes) –what could be better?”

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Editor Lara Dunn Deputy Editor Simon Reynolds Staff writer Peter Stewart Designer Kayleigh Edwards We couldn’t have made this issue without: Rudolf Abraham, Stephen Clarke, Pierre de Villiers, Sally Easton, Heidi Fuller-Love, Robin Gauldie, Régine Godfrey, Sandra Haurant, Rosa Jackson, Howard Johnson, Gaye Lamouroux, Vicky Leigh, Neil Puttnam, Dominic Rippon, Adam Ruck, Mark Sampson, Mark Stratton, Tim Wesson Contributing Editor Judy Armstrong ARCHANT FRANCE PORTFOLIO

Mark Stratton Based in Dartmoor National Park, Mark writes for the national travel press and broadcasts on BBC Radio. He has travelled to more than 130 countries and has featured Francophile stories from surprisingly exotic locations. He has traced the latter life of poet Arthur Rimbaud to Ethiopia and visited the final resting place of Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. On page 56, Mark follows the Sentier Jeanne d’Arc. “My passion for cycling ensures that every year I am around to enjoy the Tour de France. I have long had this arguably masochistic dream to follow on the two-wheels of the pro cyclists and attempt some classic Le Tour rides. So I am planning my next French foray to take in five of the race’s most legendary mountain climbs in the Alps.”

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Heidi Fuller-Love Married to a Frenchman, travel writer Heidi produces British Airways’ award-winning City Guide series. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from The LA Times and Rough Guides, to Food and Travel Magazine, and The Telegraph. Her radio work includes regular contributions to the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent.

On page 88, Heidi explores just what has made Georges Simenon’s Maigret such an icon.

“I am a firm foodie (I used to cook for my own table d’hôte), so I’m looking forward to touring Normandy’s gourmet trails. I plan to follow the Cider Trail east of Caen, then head out on a Camembert tour from Roiville, where Marie Harel, the cheese’s reputed inventor, was born.”

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TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY

TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE | CULTURE | HISTORY

October 2017 | Issue 229

ROAD TRIP Head for the hills in the Hautes-Pyrénées

A tale of two cities

WINtoEstay

See Marseille and Le Havre in a new light

Where by train e ● Champagn festival a wine ● Find Enjoy muscat ●

●

September 2017 | Issue 228

TAKE A GOLF SAFARI

along the Atlantic coast

Green and pleasant Beautiful Jura uncovered

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Turn to page 62 to see our latest exciting subscription offer

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MODERN MONTPELLIER WHERE TO STAY TAKE A SHORT BUT SWEET CITY FOR THE BEST BIRD AND BREAK IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

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LIVING FRANCE Published every four weeks. Available in newsagents for £3.99 or on subscription.

Your essential guide to making the move to France.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREAS VON EINSIEDEL

FANTASTIC BEACHCOMBING SPOTS

NEWS

TREASURES OF THE SEA

Th W ree IN of bo win ttl ! e es

W IN !

Le A Hav trip re fo wo r fo rt ur h to £5 00

COVER IMAGE: THE OLD HARBOUR IN MARSEILLE, THE CATHEDRAL, SAINTJEAN FORT AND MuCEM MUSEUM BY LAURENT GIRAUDOU/HEMIS.FR

8 FRANCE MAGAZINE

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ROYAL FAVOURITE The château at Amboise overlooking the River Loire was seized by the crown in the 15th century and became a popular royal residence www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPH: FOTOLIA

FRANCE MAGAZINE 9

LYON HIDEAWAY

The Île Barbe lies in the River Saône in Lyon and provides a tranquil haven from the bustle of the city PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY

IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

10 FRANCE MAGAZINE

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SHADES OF PARIS Montmartre offers panoramic views of the capital including the flamboyant Palais Garnier opera house and the golden dome of Les Invalides PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY

IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

GO WITH THE FLOW IN ALBI The River Tarn flows past the gardens of the Palais de la Barbie, part of the episcopal citadel in Albi, a Unesco World Heritage site PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY

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IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

FRANCE MAGAZINE 11

CASTLE ON THE HILL

The Plus Beau Village of Najac in Aveyron stretches along a rocky ridge and is dominated by its medieval castle PHOTOGRAPH: DREAMSTIME

COLOURFUL COLLIOURE 12 FRANCE MAGAZINE

The terracotta-tiled roofs and pink facades of Collioure, near the Spanish border, have attracted many artists including Henri Matisse PHOTOGRAPH: FOTOLIA

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R E CO AD M ER PE TI PH TI OT O O N The winner of this month’s competition is Paul Bass, from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, with his picture of a sunrise over the Unesco World Heritage cathedral of Sainte-Cécile in the episcopal city of Albi in the Tarn département.

Send us your holiday picture capturing the essence of France – either to our online reader gallery or by email – and we’ll publish the best image in next month’s FRANCE Magazine. The winner will receive a one-year subscription to FRANCE Magazine (RRP £47.88). To enter the November competition, send your high-resolution image to editorial@francemag.com or upload it to FRANCE Magazine’s Flickr page, www.flickr.com/groups/france_magazine by 18 September. See the Flickr page for terms and conditions.

!

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OUT AND

ABOUT IN WANDER THROUG CAHO H THE CAPITAL OF RS ICONS UNCOVERE LOT THE HISTOR D Y OF THE CITROËN 2CV

TRAVEL | FOOD & WINE

|

CULTURE | HISTORY

ROAD TRIP

Head for the hills in the Hautes-Pyr énées

WINE

● ●

stay ● Where to train Champagne by Find a wine festival ● Enjoy muscat

September 2017 | Issue 228

TAKE A GOLF

SAFAR

I along the Atlan tic coast

Green and pleasant

Beautiful Jura uncovered URBAN ESCA COOK A CLAS EXPLORE THE ART PES DECO SIC SPLENDOURS OF PERPIGNAN APERFECT PROVENÇAL PANISSES: CÔTE D’AZUR FAVOUR ITE 3.99

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BOÎTE AUX LETTRES The writer of this month’s star letter wins a signed copy of Perry Taylor’s award-winning book Petites Gasconneries, which features the artist’s amusing drawings of life in his adopted rural French home. To see more of Perry’s work visit perrytaylor.fr

Share your thoughts, tips and memories with us!

Send your letter to: Boîte aux Lettres, FRANCE Magazine, Cumberland House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 1BB, or email: editorial@francemag.com.

Please supply your name and address.

You can find FRANCE Magazine’s updated index for issues 100-200 on our website via this link: www. completefrance.com/FMIndex

14 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Raising a glass

As a long-term subscriber to FRANCE Magazine and a devotee of ‘real ale’, I really enjoyed the feature ‘Going with the Grain’ (July 2017, issue 226), which is the first one I can remember that has explored the French brewing industry.

My introduction to Bière de Garde came in a rather unusual way. In 1990, my family rented a gîte for two weeks in the village of Herzeele, close to the border with Belgium. Unbeknown to us, the cottage was owned by the mayor, who called in after a couple of days to see if we needed anything.

My wife casually pointed out that she could not find a dustpan and brush so, after ascertaining that this indispensable piece of equipment was definitely lacking, he took the three of us to the general store where he bought one.

Perhaps he felt guilty about leaving two of us empty-handed, because the next thing I knew was that our young son had a carton of ice cream and I was presented with two bottles of

ABOVE: Beers from the Brasserie Saint-Sylvestre

‘Bière des 3 Monts’ from the local Brasserie de Saint-Sylvestre.

What a revelation this magnificent beer turned out to be. From that day on, and in spite of my pleasure in seeing micro-breweries expanding throughout France, it remains my favourite of all the Bières de Garde. On our annual trip, we always tuck away a dozen bottles in the car boot.

Never would I have thought that a minor difficulty in brushing up some pieces of broken glass on the floor of a gîte could lead to so much enjoyment.

Derek Latham Smethwick, West Midlands

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PHOTOGRAPHS: PETERM9911 CS BY-SA 3.0; ERIC HOULDER; HELEN SWYER; GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

STAR LETTER

HAVE YOUR SAY

It’s a dog’s life

Cheese to please The item on Pont-l’Évêque cheese (September 2017, issue 228) brought back memories of the times we have passed through or stayed in the charming eponymous town (pictured above).

On our first visit, a little restaurant, Le Vaucelles, was recommended to us, and we have eaten there several times since, each time starting the meal with its speciality, deep-fried Normandy cheeses, including of course Pont-l’Évêque. Heavenly, delicious, but hardly low in cholesterol!

Just one of the many welcome hazards of driving through France.

Eric Houlder Carleton, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire

Having just returned from a holiday in Normandy, during which we crossed into Brittany several times, I was happy to see Dinan featured in ‘France at a Glance’ (September 2017, issue 228).

Although fairly frequent visitors to north-west France (including the year that our son spent at university in Rennes), I could not recall visiting this beautiful town previously, and it was only because our son decided where to go on our final day that we made it this time. What a delight it was.

One aspect that pleased us was the number of dogs that we met leading their owners through the streets. One of the main reasons for our choosing Normandy this year was that it gave our dogs (our ten-month-old miniature dachshund and our son’s eight-month-old English bulldog) the chance to explore the area’s vast sandy beaches; finding a town that was so obviously full of dog lovers was the icing on our cake. We shall return.

Trevor Watkins Bromley, Kent

The road to Rennes

Thirsty work The wonderful view of Château-Chalon in ‘France at a Glance’ (August 2017, issue 227) brought a wry smile. We visited the village a few years ago, as part of an interesting walk, on a very hot day.

We walked up through the vineyards in temperatures of around 40°C (see photograph above). We had brought lots of water but it was all gone by the end of the climb and we looked forward to a cold soft drink in the village.

While we could have had any amount of the special vin jaune, one café was just closing at the end of the lunch period and the other was shut that day. The disappointment! We had several more miles to travel and it was hard going.

However, Château-Chalon is a beautiful village, in an impressive setting.

Helen Swyer Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex

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Recently retired and keen to visit France in October, when it is quieter and cheaper, my wife and I will holiday in Céret, in the PyrénéesOrientales département.

We are planning a relaxing journey home, but our problem was where to stay. A leaf through FRANCE Magazine (August 2017, issue 227) provided the answers.

Thanks to your articles, we intend to head west and take in the Grosse Cloche in Bordeaux (‘France at a Glance’, pictured above). Then, after a couple of nights in La Rochelle, we shall head for the international festival at the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire (‘Gardens without Frontiers’), before moving on to Rennes, capital of Brittany (Quick guide’).

Thanks to FRANCE Magazine, we are set for a wonderful holiday with a large dash of French history and culture thrown in. Allez vacances!

David Brown Kendal, Cumbria

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, ‘FRANCE Magazine’

ABOVE: Rochefort-en-Terre in Brittany On Facebook we asked you “Why do you love France?” @ChristineFrancis I love everything about France, the people, the history, culture, food, Paris, the villages, everywhere. I’ve seen many parts, it’s hard to have a favourite place. France holds very special memories, times spent with my darling husband, who is no longer with me. @JoanStafford I can’t put why I love France into words...I’ve been asked many times... it’s a feeling, difficult to explain. Although I live in the UK, my heart belongs to France, always. @RobynCampbell-Wood Love everything, especially in villages in rural France. Love going to markets to buy food to cook at home. Fabulous wine and so inexpensive.

Amazing history & architecture. @KarenBates-Senior The wonderful bread, you can’t get a decent baguette in the UK. @JoeBMann They left out a very important one. The people.

Head over to our Facebook page to tell us why YOU love France.

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 15

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Enjoy a fantastic break to the original winter sun destination – the glorious Côte d’Azur!

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Picturesque provençal villages, amazing coastal drives, food and wine to die for & reliable sunny weather …what are you waiting for!

At Mimozas Resort Cannes, enjoy all the comforts of home from your amazing lakeside setting. A 10 minute walk to the beach, Mimozas Resort boasts 280 spacious apartments carefully designed around a shimmering natural lake just brimming with fish & turtles waiting to meet you!

Adjacent to the Côte d’Azur’s famous golf course ‘Old Course’, the resort offers a year round swimming pool, spa, restaurants, bars and more.

You’ll be perfectly placed to explore the amazing coastline, from Monte Carlo to St-Tropez, or discover the magnificent medieval villages of the surrounding Provençal countryside. Closer to home, explore the riverside walk to the beautiful port of La Napoule and choose from over 70 neighbouring restaurants.

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LES NOUVELLES

Inspiring your next trip to France

Lights, camera, action!

ABOVE: Henri-Georges Clouzot’s La Verité (1960), starring Brigitte Bardot, and Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (1963) (BELOW) are being screened at this month’s Festival Lumière in Lyon (INSET)

L

PHOTOGRAPHS: FESTIVAL LUMIÈRE

yon is known as the gastronomic capital of France, but it has a rich cinematic heritage, too. Since 2009, the country’s third-largest city has also staged the Festival Lumière, one of the major gatherings dedicated to classic films.

Named in honour of cinema pioneers Louis and Auguste Lumière, who lived

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and worked in Lyon, the festival features a rich and varied line-up. Highlights this year include retrospectives on directors Jean-Luc Godard and Henri-Georges Clouzot, encounters with film-makers, actors and composers, film-concerts, and a memorabilia fair.

The numbers are impressive: 150,000 visitors are expected to attend nearly 400 meetings and 177 screenings from 14-22 October. Main venues include the Institut Lumière, location of the festival village, and the Lyon Auditorium and Convention Centre. Events are also held in the wider Métropole de Lyon, which takes in 59 communes.

Festivities culminate in the awarding of the Prix Lumière, which recognises the achievements of a leading figure in the

film industry. In 2016, the award went to the French actress Catherine Deneuve, and this year’s recipient will be the Chinese film director Wong Kar-wai. festival-lumiere.org ➳ ● See History Trail on page 42 for more on the Lumière brothers.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 17

BOOK NOW...

CÉVENNES WALK

What to do in...

October

PHOTOGRAPHS: KEVEN LAW CC BY-SA 2.0; MYRABELLA CC BY-SA 3.0; CC BY-SA 3.0; PALAUENC05 CC BY-SA 3.0

CHOCOLATE HIT Watch the world’s best chocolatiers and pâtissiers in action as one of the world’s largest events dedicated to chocolate returns to the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris from 28 October to 1 November. The Salon du Chocolat allows visitors to sample the latest flavours, attend cookery demonstrations and watch a show that combines the skills of chocolate makers and the talents of fashion designers, with often remarkable results. There is also a competition devoted to the art of chocolate. salonduchocolat.fr

BANYULS PARTY The port of Banyuls-surMer, near the Spanish border, gives its name to the sweet dessert wines – mainly red – produced in the surrounding hills. and it has

18 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Previous highlights have included church naves decorated with shining skulls, and ghoulish lanterns floating in mid-air at the National Archives. en.parisinfo.com

a special way of celebrating the harvest. At the 22nd Fête des Vendanges from 4-8 October, traditional fishing boats will unload the grapes on to the beach, where locals and visitors will crush them to help make the wine. Other attractions include a market selling local produce, a seafood barbecue and a vendanges ball.

Tel: (Fr) 4 68 88 31 58 banyuls-sur-mer.com

PARIS BY NIGHT Enjoy Paris in a different light at the annual Nuit Blanche – the free dusk-todawn arts festival beginning at 7pm on 7 October.

Cutting-edge art and light installations are set up across the city, and many museums stage special events and art exhibitions well into the night. Public transport stays open to help you get around.

Explore the mountains, flora and fauna of the Causses and Cévennes Unesco World Heritage site during this seven-day walking tour from Kudu Travel. Daily treks on ancient drovers’ trails introduce you to pastoral traditions; you will also discover wild flowers and spectacular rock formations in the Gorges du Tarn and Gorges de la Jonte. Prices start from £2,590pp based on two sharing, and include seven nights’ full board in a four-star château hotel, all walks and sightseeing fees, and transfers from Montpellier Airport.

Tel: 01225 436 115 kudutravel.com

CHANTILLY ART The Domaine de Chantilly north-east of Paris is holding a major art exhibition examining the origins of a 17th-century French masterpiece and its influence on modern artists.

Le Massacre des Innocents, Nicolas Poussin’s interpretation of the New Testament story, is being displayed alongside works from modern and contemporary artists including Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and Annette Messager. The exhibition, in the Salle du Jeu de Paume, continues until 7 January.

Tel: (Fr) 3 44 27 31 80 domainedechantilly.com

NORMANDY TOUR Discover the rich history of Normandy on this short break from Riviera Travel. The five-day ‘Rouen, Honfleur and the Highlights of Normandy’ trip includes visits to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition (pictured above), the port of Honfleur, Arromanches and the D-Day beaches. The tour also features a guided walk of the historic city of Rouen. Prices start from £429pp and include standard class return travel on Eurostar, transfer to and from the hotel, four nights’ B&B accommodation and some entrance fees.

Tel: 01283 888 958 rivieratravel.co.uk

www.completefrance.com

LES NOUVELLES

Cream of the crop The autumn harvest of land and sea is a time of celebration across France. Here are four festivals for all the family to enjoy

Marvel at Dordogne’s abundance of birds and flowers in the spring on this eight-day tour with nature holiday specialist Naturalist.

A wildlife expert will take you to oak forests, limestone meadows, river cliffs and wetlands, where there is the chance to see birds such as the melodious warbler and stone curlew, and spot rare orchids.

A visit to the Grottes de Rouffignac and their 15,000-year-old cave paintings is also included. The tour FÊTE DE LA CREVETTE departs on 12 May 2018 and costs Honfleur, Calvados from £1,695pp including flights to 30 September-1 October and from Bergerac, Anyone with an appetite for the humble accommodation, all main shrimp should head to the meals, transfers and picturesque Normandy port of guided activities.

Honfleur for this annual The casino game Tel: 01305 267 994 celebration. A market is set up roulette was devised naturalist.co.uk on the quayside, where in France in the 18th fishermen sell the local century. The name speciality along with oysters derives from a French and anything else from their word for small wheel. catch. The celebrations have a strong maritime theme, with other attractions including sea shanty performances, stalls selling arts and crafts inspired by the sea, and a pirate village for younger visitors.

CHURCHILL TRAIL Tel: (Fr) 2 31 89 23 30 Learn about Winston Churchill’s role ot-honfleur.fr in World War II and his love of champagne from expert speakers on this holiday from Historical Trips.

The seven-day ‘Churchill & Champagne: The Fight for France’ starts at his home in Chartwell, Kent, and continues to Paris, where you will visit the Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération and dine at Maxim’s restaurant. In the Champagne area, highlights include tastings at Pol Roger – Churchill’s favourite bubbly – and Taittinger. The tour departs on 18 May 2018 and costs FOIRE DE LA CHÂTAIGNE from £2,495pp including all meals, Mourjou, Cantal, 21-22 October accommodation in three- and The tiny village of Mourjou in central France four-star hotels and return is surrounded by chestnut groves and has Eurostar travel. been celebrating this winter favourite since Tel: 01722 713 820 1990. The main attraction is a market where historicaltrips.com 80 growers from across France sell their produce. Visitors can also enjoy cookery

DID YOU KNOW?

www.completefrance.com

demonstrations, guided walks and street entertainment, while children have games to keep them amused.

Tel: (Fr) 4 71 49 69 34 foirechataignemourjou.fr

FOIRE AUX POMMES Azay-le-Rideau, Indre-et-Loire 28-29 October The Loire Valley town famed for its beautiful Renaissance château set on an island is also the location of an annual apple fair.

The event is one of the highlights of the year for the local area, with stalls selling all kinds of apple imaginable including beignets (doughnuts). There are also cider-making demonstrations, musical performances and a banquet where diners can tuck into apple-based dishes.

Tel: (Fr) 2 47 45 44 40 www.visitazaylerideau.co.uk

FÊTE DU PIMENT D’ESPELETTE Espelette, Pyrénées-Atlantiques 28-29 October This traditional Basque village has been producing spicy dried red peppers for centuries, and since 1968 has held a festival to honour its number one export. A large market sells different varieties of the pepper as well as other regional specialities, and the village’s own pepper brotherhood, the Confrérie du Piment, leads a procession.

Basque traditions are much in evidence, with music and dancing, and games of pelota on the fronton (court).

Tel: (Fr) 5 59 93 95 02 espelette.fr

FRANCE MAGAZINE 19

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO; JEBULON CC BY SA 3.0; CC BY-SA 3.0

DORDOGNE RICHES

Get in the driving seat Enjoy the French landscape in all its glory with our pick of scenic motoring routes This 350-kilometre drive begins in the resort of Golfe-Juan on the Côte d’Azur, where Napoléon disembarked on 1 March 1815 on his return from exile on Elba, and ends in the foothills of the Alps near Grenoble. The route replicates the one taken by Bonaparte on the way to his final defeat at Waterloo and is flanked by statues of the French Imperial

Eagle. The drive follows the foothills of the Alps, with perfume capital Grasse, thermal spa resort Digne-lesBains and Gap among towns passed along the way.

Côte d’Or Despite being only 60 kilometres long, this drive from Santenay to Dijon is full of interest, especially for lovers of fine burgundy wines. Along the way, you will pass through famous villages such as Puligny-Montrachet, NuitsSaint-Georges and VosneRomanée, as well as Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy.

With hillsides of vineyards to take in when you are not sampling the region’s finest

Paris Streets Scarf

by One Hundred Stars, £25 Based on a vintage Paris street map, this screen-printed, generously sized scarf made from a silky modal and viscose mix is a stylish and useful addition to any wardrobe for an instant dose of Parisienne chic. It is soft and suitable for year-round wear, and makes a great travel accessory.

Kimonos and dressing gowns are also available. bijouled.co.uk

vintages, you have the recipe for a perfect road trip.

Col de Turini With some of the tightest hairpin bends in Europe, this 20-kilometre route is not for the faint-hearted. The 1,607-metre-high mountain pass, just over an hour from Nice, has featured often in the Tour de France and Monte Carlo Rally. It can be treacherous in bad weather

and at night, but on a clear, sunny day, those who tackle the drive from the col to the village of La Bollène-Vésubie on the M70 will be rewarded with breathtaking views over the Alps and the Riviera.

Les aventures de Sergette

LARA LOVES

20 FRANCE MAGAZINE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A statue of the French Imperial Eagle on the Route Napoléon; The Col de Turini; Vineyards in the Côte-d’Or

Our intrepid gastropod Sergette is out and about in France. Her adventures this month see her visit the Route des Vins d’Alsace in the Haut-Rhin département.

WIN!

Our resident snail is en vacances – do you know where she is?

If you know the village that Sergette is visiting (it won a national award this year), send the answer, plus your name and address, to editorial@francemag.com or write us a postcard (address on page 6) and you could win a case of three French wines (worth a total of £37.97) courtesy of Naked Wines (nakedwines.com). Deadline for entries is 4 October 2017.

The winner of the August competition is Roger Hawkins, from Bristol, who correctly identified the city of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: F. R. LATREILLE CC BY-SA 3.0; MEGAN MALLEN CC BY-SA 2.0

Route Napoléon

www.completefrance.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 21

VILLAS IN HARDELOT

This September visit the famous landmarks in Boulogne-Sur-Mer and the surrounding area

CRYPT IN BOULOGNE-SUR-MER

VILLAS IN WIMEREUX

HARDELOT CASTLE IN CONDETTE

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER CASTLE

Full programme available on our website or facebook

www.visitboulogne.com For further information contact the tourist ofďŹ ce T: +0033 (0)3 21 10 88 10 E: accueil.boulogne@tourisme-boulonnais.fr

LES NOUVELLES

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER ‘LITTLE POMPEII’ NEAR VIENNE An entire Roman neighbourhood featuring well-preserved remains of luxury homes and public buildings has been unearthed on the outskirts of Vienne, south of Lyon.

Dubbed ‘little Pompeii’ by the French archaeologists who made the discovery, the remains are within a 7,000 square metre area earmarked for a housing complex.

“We’re incredibly lucky”, said Benjamin Clément, who is leading the excavation. “This is the most significant excavation of a Roman site in France in 40 or 50 years.”

The ruins, which include homes dating from the 1st century AD, shops and a warehouse, are believed to have been inhabited for around 300 years before being abandoned following a series of fires.

Read all about it...

ABOVE: An archaeologist works on the excavation in Vienne Among the many structures to have survived are a house complete with tiled floors depicting a procession of maenads (female followers of the god of wine), and half-man, half-goat creatures, known as satyrs.

Archaeologists have also uncovered a striking mosaic of Thalia – the muse of comedy and pastoral poetry – being

abducted by Pan, god of satyrs. It is among a series of mosaics taken away for restoration, with a view to putting them on display at Vienne’s Gallo-Roman museum by 2019.

Vienne, which lies on the River Rhône, was an important town in Roman times and has several surviving monuments including the Temple of Augustus and Livia.

Discover 20 less familiar places within a short train ride of the French capital in An Hour from Paris by Annabel Simms (Pallas Athene, £14.99). The guide features everything from half-hidden châteaux to artists’ country homes, and comes with a guide to the local train network.

DID YOU KNOW?

d Louis Kings Henri III an oléon XVI as well as Nap l Bonaparte are al suffered reported to have – from ailurophobia a fear of cats.

SUR LE WEB Our guide to websites that can help you broaden your knowledge of France

Contributor PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES

INSIDER TIP ON FRANCE

If you want to keep your French wine nice and cool during a meal back home, go into the back of any good wine shop in France.

You will find plastic wine coolers which don’t exist in the UK and are a godsend.

John Malathronas, London

www.completefrance.com

Boating enthusiasts looking to book a holiday on one of France’s rivers or canals will find plenty to inspire them by clicking on to french-waterways.com, an authority on boat travel.

The website contains detailed guides on all the areas in France where you can enjoy a boating break, from the waterways of Champagne and Alsace to the Unesco World Heritage listed Canal du Midi in the southwest. Each regional guide contains a list indicating which boats are available in that particular region.

A self-drive section features information on hiring a boat for families and couples as

well as a FAQs page. Click on the ‘Find your perfect boat’ tab and you will see models arranged according to size and holiday type.

If you prefer to sit back and let a crew do all the hard work, french-waterways.com gives details of cruises in a luxury ship or hotel barge. A ‘More FW’ section contains detailed maps of French waterways and recommended books for exploring them.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 23

Quick guide to...

Lying in the heart of the Champagne winegrowing region, Reims contains one of France’s most impressive cathedrals, tree-lined boulevards and several fine-dining restaurants.

The city also makes an excellent base for exploring the Route de Champagne.

What can I see and do?

Begin your visit in the vieille ville, which is dominated by the 13th-century Gothic cathedral (main picture), a towering, lavishly decorated building. It was here and in previous churches on the site, that 34 French sovereigns were crowned between 816 and 1825.

A short distance away lies the Palais du Tau where the princes stayed before their coronations and held banquets afterwards.

The building is now a museum displaying liturgical objects and tapestries from the cathedral.

For an insight into the city’s role in World War II, visit the Musée de la Reddition, which is housed in the former

headquarters of US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the allied forces.

Original battle maps, photographs and military uniforms are on display.

A visit to Reims isn’t complete without going to the Taittinger champagne house, 1.5km south-east of the city centre. You will learn about how the fizz is produced and tour the cellars (pictured above), some of which date from the 4th century.

Where are the best places to eat?

For hearty French classics, try l’Alambic (menus from €14, restaurant-lalambic.fr).

Set in a vaulted cellar, the restaurant serves dishes such as pigeon in mustard sauce, and cod fillet with choucroute.

Another great place for classic cuisine is Anna – S, La Table Amoureuse (menus from €29, annaslatableamoureuse.com).

Highlights include Arctic char with a Champagne jus and

fillet of veal in a rich morel sauce.

For sheer indulgence, with a price tag to match, it is hard to beat the threeMichelin-starred L’Assiette Champenoise (menus from €95, assiettechampenoise. com). Chef Arnaud Lallement’s dishes include such delights as milk-fed lamb with preserved vegetables, and John Dory served with a spicy beetroot jus.

Where can I stay?

Book into the four-star Best Western Premier Hôtel de la Paix (doubles from €127.50, bestwestern-lapaixreims.com), less than a ten-minute walk from the cathedral and the railway station. The 164 rooms are modern and have satellite TV, air-conditioning and a mini-bar.

Get me there!

Trains from Gare de l’Est in Paris take around 45min (tel: 0844 848 5848, voyages-sncf.com).

For more information, visit reims-tourism.com

EUROTUNNEL WELCOME Eurotunnel has unveiled a new lounge for Flexiplus clients at its Coquelles terminal, just outside Calais, as part of celebrations to mark the millionth customer using the premium service since its launch in 2006.

The William Turner lounge covers 500 square metres and has comfortable seating with free Wi-Fi, catering facilities and a children’s play area. Folkestone will soon have a similar lounge, named Claude Monet, which is due to open in the first quarter of 2018. eurotunnel.com

LIMOGES IN DEMAND Limoges International airport has announced that air traffic in July was up 19.3 per cent compared with the same time last year. Flights from the UK played a big part, thanks to a new service from London Gatwick with British Airways and more frequent departures from Birmingham and Southampton with Flybe. Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has also seen increased demand for its services to Limoges from Manchester and London Stansted. aeroportlimoges.com

NEW FLIGHT FOR SKIERS EasyJet has announced a new seasonal service from Southampton airport to Geneva. The winter-only flights, which will offer skiers increased access to the French Alps, will start on 14 December and operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. easyjet.com

24 FRANCE MAGAZINE

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO; VICTOR GRIGAS CC BY-SA 4.0; FRANCK JUERY; BABSY CC BY SA 3.0

Reims

TRAVEL NEWS

LES NOUVELLES Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth (Apr - Sept) & Poole Stena Line from Rosslare Condor Ferries from Portsmouth (May - Sept) Irish Ferries from Rosslare & Dublin

Lyddair Eurostar Eurotunnel from Folkestone DFDS Seaways from Dover P&O Ferries from Dover

Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth Flybe

Aer Lingus Air France British Airways easyJet Flybe Jet2 Ryanair CityJet bmi regional (Apr - Sept) Eurostar

Dunkerque Eurostar

Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth & Plymouth (Mar - Nov) Condor Ferries from Poole (Apr - Nov), Weymouth & Guernsey

Calais Lille DFDS Seaways from Newhaven Le

Ryanair

Ryanair Aurigny Air Service from Guernsey

Touquet

Disneyland Eurostar

HAUTS-DE-FRANCE

Dieppe Le Havre

b er Ch

Roscoff Brest

Ryanair

Deauville

Marne-la-Vallée

Caen

rg ou

Brittany Ferries from Plymouth & Cork Irish Ferries from Rosslare (May - Sept) Flybe

DFDS Seaways from Dover

NORMANDIE

British Airways Ryanair easyJet Swiss Air Int.

Strasbourg

ÎLE-DEFRANCE

St-Malo Dinard

GRAND EST

Paris

Aer Lingus British Airways easyJet Flybe Jet2 Monarch (Dec - Mar) Swiss Air Int. Blue Islands from Jersey & Guernsey

BRETAGNE

British Airways (May - Aug)

Quimper

Rennes

PAYS DE LA LOIRE

Aer Lingus Flybe

Basel-Mulhouse CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE

Angers Tours

British Airways easyJet Ryanair CityJet Flybe bmi regional (Jul - Sept)

BOURGOGNEFRANCHE-COMTÉ

Nantes

Jet2 Flybe Titan Airways

British Airways (May - Sept) Flybe Ryanair easyJet (May - Sept)

Ryanair

Poitiers

La Rochelle AUVERGNERHÔNE-ALPES

NOUVELLE AQUITAINE

Aurigny from Guernsey (Dec - Feb)

Grenoble

Brive

Aer Lingus Flybe British Airways

Bordeaux Bergerac British Airways (May - Sept) Flybe Ryanair Jet2 (May - Sept)

Ryanair British Airways (May - Sept) Ryanair Flybe easyJet (Jun - Sept)

Bourg-Saint-Maurice Aime-la-Plagne Moûtiers

Chambéry

Limoges

Ryanair (Mar - Nov) Aer Lingus British Airways easyJet Ryanair Flybe

Eurostar (Dec - Apr)

Geneva Lyon

British Airways Ryanair Flybe

easyJet Jet2 (Dec - Apr)

PROVENCE-ALPESCÔTE D’AZUR

Nîmes Montpellier

OCCITANIE

easyJet Monarch (Dec - Mar) Ryanair

Toulon

Titan Airways

Ryanair

Lourdes Ryanair Aer Lingus British Airways easyJet Jet2 (May - Sept) Flybe

Carcassonne

Perpignan

Ryanair

Aer Lingus British Airways easyJet Ryanair Eurostar

Béziers

Aer Lingus Flybe Ryanair

British Airways Aer Lingus easyJet Ryanair

Ryanair

Bastia Calvi CORSE

Flybe CityJet (Jun - Sept) easyJet (Mar - Oct)

CityJet (Jun - Aug)

Nice

Marseille

Toulouse

British Airways Norwegian Monarch Eurostar

Flybe (May - Sept) Eurostar

Avignon

Biarritz

Air France (winter only) British Airways (winter only)

Ajaccio

Aer Lingus British Airways easyJet Flybe Jet2 (Apr - Oct) Monarch

easyJet (Apr - Oct) Flybe (May - Sept)

Figari British Airways (Charter only with Corsican Places)

ROUTE PLANNER Plan your journey to France with our handy map and directory FERRIES FERRIES Brittany Brittany Ferries Ferries Tel: 159 7000 7000 Tel: 0330 0330 159 www.brittany brittanyferries.co.uk ferries.co.uk Condor Ferries Condor Ferries Tel: 0345 609 Tel: 0845 609 1024 1024 condorferries.co.uk www.condorferries.co.uk

P&O P&O Ferries Ferries Tel: Tel: 0871 0800664 130 2121 0030 www.poferries.com poferries.com Stena Line Line Stena Tel: (ROI) (ROI) 11 907 204 5555 7777 Tel: www.stenaline.ie stenaline.ie

Voyages-sncf.com Voyages-sncf.com Tel: Tel: 0844 0844 848 848 5848 5848 www.voyages-sncf.com voyages-sncf.com

DFDS DFDS Seaways Seaways Tel: 0871 574 7235 dfdsseaways.co.uk www.dfdsseaways.co.uk

RAIL RAIL Eurostar Eurostar Tel: 0343 03448218 1186186 444 Tel: www.eurostar.com eurostar.com

AIRLINES AIRLINES Aer Lingus Lingus Aer Tel: 0871 Tel: 0333 718 0042020 5000 www.aerlingus.com aerlingus.com Air France France Air Tel: 0207 0871 663 Tel: 6603777 0337 www.airfrance.co.uk airfrance.co.uk

Irish Ferries Tel: (ROI) 818 300 400 www.irishferries.com irishferries.com

Eurotunnel Eurotunnel Tel: 0844 0844 335 335 3535 3535 Tel: www.eurotunnel.com eurotunnel.com

Aurigny Air Air Services Services Aurigny Tel: 01481 01481 822 822 886 886 Tel: www.aurigny.com aurigny.com

www.completefrance.com

Blue Blue Islands Islands Tel: 0845 620 Tel: 01234 589 2122 200 www.blue blueislands.com islands.com bmi regional bmi0330 regional Tel: 333 7998 Tel: 0330 333 7998 bmiregional.com www.bmi British Airways regional.com Tel: 0844 493 0787 British Airways britishairways.com Tel: 0844 493 0787 CityJet www.british Tel: 0203 481 1259 airways.com cityjet.com5 CityJet easyJet 0871 405 Tel: 0330 365 2020 5000 www.cityjet.com easyjet.com

easyJet Flybe Tel: 3652000 5000 Tel: 0330 0371 700 www.easyjet.com flybe.com Flybe Jet2 Tel: Tel: 0371 0333700 3002000 0404 www.flybe.com jet2.com Jet2 Lyddair Tel: 01797 0800 408 1350 322 207 www.jet2.com lyddair.com Lyddair Monarch 3224756 207 Tel: 01797 0333 777 www.lyddair.com monarch.co.uk Monarch Norwegian 0871 940 Tel: 0330 8285040 0854 www.monarch.co.uk norwegian.com

Norwegian Ryanair Tel: 0843 378 0888 Tel: 0871 246 0000 www.norwegian.com ryanair.com Ryanair Tel: 0871 Swiss Int.246 Air0000 www.ryanair.com Tel: 0345 601 0956 Swiss Int. Air swiss.com Tel: 0845 601 0956 www.swiss.com Titan Airways Titan Airways Tel: 01279 680 616 Tel: 01279 680 616 titan-airways.co.uk www.titanairways.co.uk

FRANCE MAGAZINE 25

PA R I S PA G

E

PA R I S PA E H

TH E

GE

3

OF THE BEST WALKING TOURS Explore Paris on foot with local experts for a true flavour of the capital

T

GHOSTS AND LEGENDS Prepare to be spooked on this after-dark tour which scratches beneath the City of Light’s romantic surface to uncover a more sinister past. Passing through dark, winding alleys, the ‘Paris, Ghosts, Legends and Mysteries tour’ takes you to both familiar and lesser-known sights associated with Napoléon Bonaparte, Marie Antoinette and Henri IV, among many historical figures. At each location,

LOUVRE TREASURES If the thought of navigating the huge museum on your own is enough to bring on a headache, then this tour from Paris Muse could be the answer.

The ‘Introduction to the Treasures of the Louvre’ is aimed at the first-time visitor and explores important aspects of the museum’s Ancient Near East, Greek and Roman, and Italian Renaissance collections. Guided by an art historian, you will see

26 FRANCE MAGAZINE

the guide will fill you with gory tales of burnings, massacres, plagues, beheadings and disappearances, giving you a new perspective on the city’s past. The tour, which takes up to 20 people, begins at the statue of Henri IV on the Pont-Neuf on the Île de la Cité.

The tour lasts two hours and costs from €23pp. It operates on Fridays and Saturdays and begins at 9pm. citywonders.com

celebrated treasures including the remains of the Assyrian Khorsabad Palace, the Venus de Milo and Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, focusing on each exhibit’s importance in relation to the history of art.

The tour last 2.5 hours and can be booked for up to six people. The cost is €125 for individuals or €110pp for groups of two or more. Entrance to the Louvre is included. parismuse.com

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: SHEPARD4711 CC BY-SA 2.0; PARISSHARING CC BY 2.0; ALEX PROIMOS CC BY 2.0

CHOCOLATE TASTING Indulge in some of Paris’s best chocolate and discover all there is to know about many people’s guilty pleasure with the help of The Original Paris Walks. The ‘Chocolate Tasting tour’ begins outside the Louvre-Rivoli métro station on the Right Bank and includes visits to several well-known chocolatiers (the names are a surprise!).

You will learn about the chocolatemaking process, the history of Paris’s relationship with the confectionery over 150 years and how to be a discerning chocolate lover.

The walk lasts about three hours and is available on selected days each month.

It costs €35, including tastings. paris-walks.com

Discover the charms of Périgord Blanc, the least familiar of four areas that make up this historical region centred on Dordogne

DAY ONE SAINT-ASTIER TO THE FORÊT DE LA DOUBLE 35 KILOMETRES Your journey begins in the small town of Saint-Astier, just south-west of Périgueux, capital of the Dordogne département. This part of Périgord Blanc is dotted with quarries where lime and tinstone were mined to produce the local speciality, pewter, but once you get on to the D3 to Neuvic, the scenery improves dramatically.

Soon you are driving through glorious countryside dotted with pale stone houses, where herds of creamy coloured Charolais cows scuff up their hooves, raising clouds of the lime-white soil which gave this region its appellation.

Dominated by an elegant Renaissance château, Neuvic shimmers in the distance like a mirage as you leave the D3 and join the D39.

Claim a shaded pitch, or rent a mobile home at Camping Le Plein Air Neuvicois (mobile home from €70 a night, campingneuvicdordogne.com), a charming little campsite overlooking the River Isle, then visit the castle.

Built in 1520 for the childless chatelaine Annet de Fayolle, this Renaissance citadel – in a strange twist of fate – now belongs to the Périgord Orphans Institute. Spend half an hour wandering through the castle’s magnificent, mullion-windowed halls packed with antique furniture, and then stroll through the vast botanical park to admire the garden sculptures that were made by the children.

ABOVE: The town of Périgueux on the River Isle; INSET: The château at Neuvic

28 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Saint-Astier Grand Étang Périgueux de la Jemaye Neuvic Forêt de Mussidan la Double

You will find plenty of children across the square from the church at Lominé’s, a boulangerie and pâtisserie that has been making marshmallow since 1852.

The shop’s owner, Alain, will tell you that similar sweets – produced by boiling pieces of the marshmallow root pulp with sugar until it thickens – have been around for thousands of years, but the modern version - made with egg-white and gum Arabic – was invented in France.

After chewing your squashy strips of marshmallow, follow the river to the market town of Mussidan. If you still have an appetite, head for the Auberge du Musée (menus from €13, aubergedumusee.com), a cosy little restaurant with a shady garden, and order their speciality Salade Périgourdine, made with gésiers de canard confits (ducks’ gizzards).

To see traditional arts and crafts, browse the shops selling knives and other ironware made in neighbouring Nontron.

Mussidan is on the Saint Jacques de Compostelle route to north-west Spain, so expect to see pilgrims weighed down with rucksacks, their canes tapping on the cobbled pavements.

Keep following the River Isle (mainly on the D6089) and you will reach the Moulin de Duellas, a 19th-century watermill that houses an art gallery and a waterfront café. It is also a departure point for trips in a gabare, the flatbottomed boats that once carried cognac to the Atlantic coast.

Floating downstream, you can spot otter-like ragondins (coypu), that are used to make a strongly flavoured pâté, and rare, web-footed cistude terrapins that come to the river to breed.

From nearby Saint-Martial-d’Artenset, the winding D708 road leads deep into the Forêt de la Double. This vast area of

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PHOTOGRAPHS: GAYE LAMOUROUX; GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

RoadTRIP

NOUVELLE AQUITAINE

EASY ITINERARY

ABOVE: The Forêt de la Double makes a picturesque stop on the Périgord Blanc trip; BELOW: Try the marshmallows at Boulangerie Lominé in Neuvic

oak and pine forest studded with lakes was created by medieval monks when they drained the marshes. Stay at the Camping du Lac (caravan pitches from €16, campingdulac-dordogne.com), a campsite with fabulous views over the beaches of the Grand Étang du Jemaye.

Alternatively, check into Le Bistrotel (rooms from €56, tel: (Fr) 6 79 87 47 11), a comfortable five-room hotel overlooking the lake. Rent mountain bikes at the campsite and set out along a warren of sandy tracks to the Cistercian abbey of Notre-Dame de Bonne Espérance in the next-door village of Échourgnac.

There are seven services a day and, if you are lucky, you will arrive in time for the Gregorian mass, chanted by the resident Trappistine nuns. The abbey shop sells rose petal jam and La Trappe, a rich and fruity cow’s cheese that the nuns have been making since 1868.

DAY TWO FORÊT DE LA DOUBLE TO PÉRIGUEUX 49 KILOMETERS From La Jemaye, take the D41 back to Saint-Astier and then follow the scenic D6089, which winds its lazy way along the River Isle to Périgueux.

A great way to get around this pretty

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town is to take the little train which leaves from Boulevard Montaigne.

Rattle through cobbled streets to the Renaissance quarter, and then get off near the Vesunna Temple, constructed in 2 AD, which stands next to an awardwinning Gallo-Roman museum.

This spectacular glasshouse, built over the remains of two ancient villas unearthed in 1959, was designed by leading architect Jean Nouvel. Created around the remains of the ancient town of Vesunna, the museum is packed with fascinating exhibits. Afterwards, join a gustatio (tasting session) to sample honey-sweet hydromel, salty garum sauce and other drinks and dishes that the Romans enjoyed while living in Périgueux 2,000 years ago.

End your Perigordian journey with dinner at La Table d’Eugénie (menu from

€12, tel: (Fr) 5 53 82 45 23), a gourmet restaurant half an hour’s drive from Périgueux, in the charming hamlet of Sourzac. Order the menu du terroir and tuck into home-made poêlée de boudin de canard (fried duck sausage), followed by moëlleux de porc en croûte de Trappe d’Échourgnac (creamy pork slices cooked in Trappe cheese) and raise a toast to Périgord Blanc.

Gaye Lamouroux GETTING THERE: Brittany Ferries operates services from Portsmouth to Caen or Le Havre, both around a 6hr drive from Périgueux (tel: 0330 159 7000, britannyferries.co.uk); The nearest airports are Bergerac (55min), Brive-la-Gaillarde (1hr 10min) and Bordeaux (1hr 25min); Trains from London to Périgueux via Paris and Bordeaux take 7hr 10min.

TOURIST INFORMATION: tourismeperigueux.fr; dordogne-perigordtourisme.fr Enjoy this article? Tell us where you would like your road trip to be and we’ll plan it in a future edition. Email editorial@francemag.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 29

M

ention the word concrete in connection with architecture and it might cause a sneer or, at the very least, a polite dismissal. Yet, since the destruction of World War II, France has championed modernity in all its forms.

That modernity has included a passionate embrace of both raw concrete (béton brut) and tamed, resulting in constructions of austere beauty and enduring functionality.

Thanks to the likes of Auguste Perret, Le Corbusier and generations of other innovators, France has arguably led the charge in concrete architecture.

At opposite ends of the country, Le Havre and Marseille offer a satisfying glimpse of some of the brightest jewels in that concrete crown.

LE HAVRE

The hôtel de ville’s giant columns cleverly double as rainwater drains centre was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2005.

A good place to start your exploration of Le Havre’s concrete heart is the hôtel de ville (town hall), designed by Perret and built between 1952 and 1958. The imposing building stands on the north side of a vast square, with giant columns in the classical style along its main facade (which cleverly double as rainwater drains), and a 72-metre-high tower offering the public unsurpassed panoramic views from its broad 17th-floor balcony.

MAIN PICTURE: The centre of Le Havre as designed

by Auguste Perret (BELOW); (BELOW LEFT) The inside of the spire at the Église Saint-Joseph

PHOTOGRAPHS: RUDOLF ABRAHAM; NADINE.BILIS CC BY-SA 4.0

During the war, the centre of Le Havre – France’s second-largest port after Marseille – was almost entirely destroyed

by Allied bombing raids, in advance of the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944.

The task of rebuilding was given to Auguste Perret (1874–1954) – one of the great pioneers of modern architecture, particularly in the use of reinforced concrete as a building material. However, he remains less well-known outside his native France than some other early modernist giants such as Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

(A young Le Corbusier worked as a draughtsman in Perret’s office from 1908-1910, and later said of him: “In France, there is someone who is really developing modern architecture.”)

The reconstruction of Le Havre came at the end of Perret’s illustrious career, and he already perfected his use of reinforced concrete to create a new classical order in works such as the Mobilier National in Paris and the Église Notre-Dame du Raincy on the outskirts of the capital.

All the defining characteristics of Perret’s mature building style are apparent in Le Havre’s reinforced concrete architecture: the exposed, uniform, grid-like structural framework, the use of prefabricated concrete blocks, carefully selected and contrasting concrete finishes (bush-hammered, mechanically sanded, gravel-brushed and more), the use of concrete latticework and glass.

The concrete architecture of the city

30 FRANCE MAGAZINE

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ARCHITECTURE

A TALE OF

TWO CITIES Brutal or beautiful? Concrete buildings divide opinion, but Le Havre and Marseille have embraced the material, with dramatic results, as Rudolf Abraham and Lara Dunn reveal

Looking around you from the balcony, Perret’s vision is laid out quite clearly – groups or ilôts (‘islands’) of apartment buildings, three or four storeys high, punctuated by higher tower blocks, and arranged around sheltered courtyards. The area encompassed within Perret’s rebuilding programme forms a monumental inverted triangle between the town hall in the north, the Port Océan in the west, and the southern seafront.

The first four ilôts of the reconstruction, built between 1946 and 1950, are immediately east of Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, and they established the

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formula applied throughout the project: a constructive grid measuring 6.24 metres, chosen by Perret as the optimal distance between two supporting pillars to allow standardisation across many forms.

The apartments were incredibly modern for the time, and one remains open to the public – the Perret Show Flat.

As you enter the building, look at the (deliberately) exposed structural grid on the right, derived, like everything else, from that measurement of 6.24 metres.

The rooms have plenty of natural light and contain functional but elegant mass-produced furniture from a pre-IKEA age.

While most of the concrete architecture in the city centre clearly bears the hand of Perret and his studio, one of its most prominent architectural landmarks does not. Le Volcan – a huge concrete cone on the main square, housing the Maison de la Culture – was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, its raw materials a direct allusion to Perret’s reconstruction, its sinuous curves a stark counterpoint to the regular grid-like facades which surround it.

But if there is one building which impresses more than any other, it has to be Perret’s Église Saint-Joseph, its walls and 107-metre-high octagonal spire ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 31

pierced by 12,768 panes of coloured glass. Work began in 1951 and was completed by members of Perret’s studio in 1957, three years after his death.

It is an incredibly striking building, with echoes of Manhattan high-rise – it must have made quite an impression on passengers sailing towards the port at the end of a transatlantic crossing in the late 1950s (it still does, from pretty much any angle). “But wait until you get inside.

The real surprise is inside,” says local city guide Mary Riehl with a knowing smile as we approach the main doors. Then we step into the interior – and my jaw drops.

Had I read up on the building in more detail, I would have known that the spire with its myriad panes of glass is actually hollow – that as you enter and look up, the interior space shoots up through the transitional zone into the light-flooded interior of the spire, all the way up to the top. It is a mesmerising sight – and an astonishing technical feat, using pressurised tie rods and pre-stressed concrete to hold together some 4.2 million cubic metres of concrete, which appears to be supported by just four massive fluted concrete columns in the interior, and the four walls of the square floor plan.

The panes of coloured glass were created by Marguerite Huré, a pioneer in abstraction in religious stained glass.

They become increasingly lighter higher up the tower and draw your gaze upwards, incredibly, the panes are all hand-blown.

Perret had planned a large religious building for three decades, submitting plans for the Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc Basilica in Paris and the Buenos Aires Cathedral, among other projects, none of which were realised. The Église Saint-Joseph was dedicated to the victims of the

ABOVE: A concrete lattice on the MuCEM building in Marseille; TOP: The Unité d’Habitation in the city; BELOW LEFT: Auguste Perret’s apartments in Le Havre; FAR RIGHT: The architect Le Corbusier

bombing raids; around 2,000 French people were killed after the Allies rejected a request from the German garrison that civilians should be evacuated before the bombardment began.

Now the church stands as a spiritual beacon and the city’s most iconic landmark. Like the rest of Perret’s reconstruction of Le Havre’s centre, it is an embodiment of how, in the hands of a genius, concrete can be used to create breathtaking architecture, just as much as brick or stone.

32 FRANCE MAGAZINE

MARSEILLE Like Le Havre, Marseille suffered sorely during World War II, particularly during its liberation in 1943. Eye-witness accounts report of widespread deliberate destruction of the old harbour area and historic buildings by the occupying forces.

Strolling along the Vieux-Port today it is hard to pick out the remnants of old buildings from the concrete constructions of a much later vintage, such is the blend between the pale stone of yesteryear and

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PHOTOGRAPHS: RUDOLF ABRAHAM; OTC MARSEILLE; LARA DUNN; GEOFFREY TAUNTON/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Amazing feat

ARCHITECTURE the light, yet surprisingly warm hues of the concrete.

Rather than the old harbour area, though, it is further around the coast that one finds one of the finest examples of domestic concrete architecture not just in France, but in the world – the Unité d’Habitation or Cité Radieuse (also known informally as La Maison du Fada or ‘Nutter’s House’ in the Provençal dialect) in the south of the city.

Designed by Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect who loved France so much he adopted it as his home, the Cité Radieuse is still taught in schools as being groundbreaking and controversial.

Although the building was conceived as affordable housing for the masses, the project ran so over budget that in the end, when it opened in 1952, a relatively small number were actually available to those intended residents, with the majority acquired by wealthier denizens.

Looking out of the window of one of the faithfully preserved apartments, bountiful light streaming in at both ends,

it is hard to imagine that these are still available to buy at all, let alone for €340,000. The ambience of this ‘machine for living in’ remains true to Le Corbusier’s original intentions of light, airiness, serene proportions, ergonomic living and a positive quality of life, even today. The roof plays host to yoga and exercise classes, there are art exhibitions and the hotel still accommodates visitors, while a communal garden provides vegetables and fruit for the residents.

Back in the old city, we have two inextricably intertwined projects to thank for the revitalisation of Marseille and a boom in its modern architecture.

In 2013 Marseille emerged from its chrysalis of being perceived as a slightly grotty and dodgy city to stretch its colourful butterfly wings as the European Capital of Culture, with £6 billion of investment. By its side was the Euroméditerranée urban renewal and economic development project, the largest in southern Europe, whose aim was to ‘make Marseille an attractive and

THREE OTHER FRENCH TRIUMPHS IN CONCRETE Basilica of Saint Pius X, Lourdes,

by Pierre Vago, 1958 A massive subterranean church, often literally overlooked by visitors to the Sanctuary, this incredible endeavour can accommodate up to 25,000 worshippers.

The gently sloping concrete walls of the 12,000-square-metre space are decorated with gemmail stained-glass images on religious themes. The space is serene and contemplative.

homes within three buildings has featured in several films, including Brazil and the fourth Hunger Games instalment.

The resulting effect of the design is in many ways more like a national monument than a place for people to live.

Ski resort of Flaine,

by Marcel Breuer, 1969 In 1959, geo-physicist Eric Boissonnas and architect Gérard Chervaz hatched their plan for a purpose-built, cohesively and harmoniously designed ski resort, nestled in a perfect natural bowl in the French Alps. The result is eminently family-friendly and perfect for those who like ski-in, ski-out resorts.

Les Espaces d’Abraxas, Noisy-leGrand, by Ricardo Bofill, 1983 This post-modernist development of 600

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ABOVE: The Espaces d’Abraxas

influential city between Europe and the Mediterranean’. Suddenly some of the world’s most sought-after and innovative architects were working there.

The results are clear. Leaving the new and old of the Vieux-Port hotels and restaurants behind, Louis XIV’s Fort Saint-Jean guards the entry to the harbour, but also acts as a gateway to the future. The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MuCEM) appears to be a fragile lattice of lace, stretched by a delicate bridge from beside the fort, casting a net out above the cuboid building.

Designed by French-Algerian architect Rudy Ricciotti, MuCEM is a superb example of just how far the cult of concrete has progressed since Perret’s endeavours in Le Havre. Ricciotti’s ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 33

Hanging gardens Past the ferry terminal, sits a wealth of fascinating modern creations. The SILO, a grain silo dating from 1927, opened as a concert hall and cultural space in 2011 and sits across from the impressive Les Docks office and retail development, with its arty, quote-covered exterior and hidden hanging gardens. Nearby is the FRAC contemporary arts centre, also designed in 2013, by Kengo Kuma and Associates, with its chequered, opaque glass facade that shatters reflected light.

Looming over this re-invented area is the towering CMA CGM headquarters, built in 2011 before the surrounding streets changed so dramatically. Architect Zaha Hadid’s 147-metre-high construction utilises structural glazing rather than concrete, yet sits harmoniously in its aggressive modernity alongside the work done for the Euroméditerranée between here and Fort Saint-Jean.

France’s oldest harbour, dating from 600 BC, now houses some of the most cutting-edge architecture in France. But every construction bows to the silhouette of the building considered to protect Marseille, the Basilique de Notre-Damede-la-Garde, which has perched on its hilltop since 1864. In Marseille, the old is never far from the new.

While for many, concrete conjures up images of multi-storey car parks and 1960s shopping centres, architects in France have shown what can be achieved with this versatile and durable material.

From places of worship, to palaces of commerce and machines for living in, the future for French construction is far from set in stone.

34 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Francofile

ABOVE: An apartment view in the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille

Discover the architecture of Le Havre and Marseille

LE HAVRE GETTING THERE By ferry: Brittany Ferries operates overnight sailings from Portsmouth to Le Havre, seven days a week. Fares from €30 one way, with outside-facing twin berth cabins an additional €49 (tel: 0330 159 7000, brittanyferries.co.uk). See page 25 for more travel information.

WHERE TO STAY Rudolf stayed at:

Hôtel Oscar 106 Rue Voltaire 76600 Le Havre Tel: (Fr) 2 35 42 39 77 hotel-oscar.fr If you are visiting Le Havre to see its Unesco-listed concrete heart, the unpretentious and welcoming Oscar is the obvious choice. It is housed in a 1950s Atelier Perret concrete apartment building, on the main square facing Le Volcan, with period decor to match (the shower tiles and coat hangers are the same as those in the Perret show apartment). Doubles from €55.

TOURIST INFORMATION: Le Havre tourist office,

tel: (Fr) 2 32 74 04 04, lehavretourisme.com; Normandy tourist board, http://en.normandietourisme.fr

MARSEILLE GETTING THERE By rail: Direct trains from London to Marseille operate several times a week all year and take around 6hr 30min (tel: 0844 848 5848, voyages-sncf.com).

By air: Marseille-Provence airport is a 20min drive from the city centre and served by various UK carriers.

WHERE TO STAY Lara stayed at:

Hôtel La Résidence du Vieux-Port 18 Quai du Port 13002 Marseille Tel: (Fr) 4 91 91 91 22 hotel-residence-marseille.com The design-led rooms of this intimate and friendly hotel offer extraordinary views on to the Vieux-Port. The hotel is just a short stroll to MuCEM and the Panier district, as well as many of the newer architectural gems of the Joliette area. From €160 for a deluxe room.

Hôtel Intercontinental Marseille Hôtel-Dieu 1 Place Daviel 13002 Marseille Tel: (Fr) 4 13 42 42 42 marseille.inter continental.com Arguably one of the most gorgeous hotels in Marseille, with stunning views across the Vieux-Port, this golden Cassis stone marvel was once the Hôtel-Dieu, caring for the poor and dispossessed, and was converted into a luxury hotel which opened in 2013.

The roof terrace bar and restaurant make a superb spot for a sundowner. Rooms from £159.

TOURIST INFORMATION: Marseille tourist office, tel: (Fr) 4 91 13 99 73, www. marseille-tourisme.com; Bouches-du-Rhône tourism, tel: (Fr) 4 91 13 84 13, myprovence.fr; sitelecorbusier.com; mucem.org.

A City Pass is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours (€26, €33, €41) and gives free admission to museums, tours, the boat trip to Château d’If, the tourist train and public transport, as well as discount offers.

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PHOTOGRAPH: LARA DUNN

use of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), reinforced with glass fibres, has enabled the astonishing interplay of light and shade with unexpected fractured views of the sky and Mediterranean.

It has also resulted in one of the most popular spots for an unusual photo of the Cathédrale-Sainte-Marie-Majeure, which looms in the background.

A wander towards the cathedral takes in the impressive cantilevered conference and exhibition building of the Villa Méditerranée by Boeri Studio. Passing along the trendy Joliette waterfront area, the industrial nature of the port gantries contrasts with the stylish restaurants, boutiques and galleries along the road.

WIN

COMPETITION

A RETURN CROSSING

worth

£500!

Portsmouth takes you there 500 years of Le Havre This month Portsmouth International Port is the gateway to a big birthday bash as Le Havre looks back 500 years to when the city first came into being

W

ith regular Brittany Ferries crossings to Le Havre from Portsmouth, there’s no excuse not to make time for more than a passing visit to this historic city.

To help celebrate Le Havre’s 500th birthday, France Magazine has teamed up with Portsmouth International Port and Brittany Ferries to give you the chance to go to the city for free. We are giving away a return crossing with a car and up to 4 people worth £500.

The prize can be taken at any point in the next 12 months, although the celebrations come to a climax on 8 October. That’s the day in 1517 that King Francis 1 formed the port city on the Normandy coastline. Five centuries later the city’s leaders are promising a “major rendezvous” based around a new digital and interactive artistic masterpiece.

Visitors arriving before the big party can enjoy a number of special events in September and early October. They include an exhibition that sees Claude Monet’s “Impression, Sunrise” return to its birthplace, and the chance to visit a floating Zen Temple in the middle of the docks. Across the summer thousands of visitors have placed wishes for the futures in this relaxing piece of art.

Brittany Ferries has daily sailings to Le Havre from Portsmouth International Port, as well as other nearby ports in Normandy. The ships Baie de Seine and Etretat are often on this route. Frequent travellers need little reminder of the benefits of ferry travel to France from the Waterfront City. Situated right on the motorway network, there’s easy access to Portsmouth International Port from London and beyond.

This summer Portsmouth International Port launched its #portsmouthtakesyouthere campaign - highlighting a wide range of memorable experiences passengers can enjoy on both sides of the channel.

With so much to offer travellers, Britain’s Best Connected Port is the perfect choice for a hassle free holiday or short break.

Competition questions: 1. What date did King Francis 1st. form the port city of Le Havre?

2. What is the summer campaign for Portsmouth International Port?

3. Which Brittany Ferries ships sail on the Portsmouth/Le Havre route?

Submit your answer online: www.completefrance.com/portsmouthport Closing date: 31 October 2017

Readers who can’t make it to Le Havre in time for this major milestone can still enjoy a wonderful visit. The city is so much more than a jumping off point for holidays in France, with the renowned Museum of Modern Art (Le MuMa), and more than its fair share of gastronomic delights to enjoy.

Foodies will delight in a visit to Le Havre’s fish market, which has been given a makeover as a living legacy of the 500 year anniversary celebrations.

Prize details: Family of 4 and car and 4-berth cabin each way

And the usual conditions: ● ● ●

Crossings cannot be taken in peak season – July and August and all school holiday periods Subject to availability Insurance is not included Not transferable No monetary value Valid for travel to 31 December 2018 ●

●

●

Find out more at

www.portsmouth-port.co.uk www.brittany-ferries.co.uk

reasures on the shore The flotsam and jetsam washed up on France’s long coastline provide rich pickings and artistic inspiration, says enthusiast Robin Gauldie

36 FRANCE MAGAZINE

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BEACHCOMBING

I

grew up on the shore of a vast tidal estuary that at high tide looks like a silvery inland sea and at its lowest ebb is a miles-wide expanse of mudflats patrolled by flocks of waders.

The beach nearest my home was a post-industrial stretch of shingle. The tide brought in all manner of detritus from the city dump downriver: timbers from the shipyards, joists and floorboards from demolished tenements, even cattle skulls from the abattoir.

This was a very urban beach. But not far away there were vast sweeps of sand where the flotsam and jetsam were completely different. The flotsam included gnarled tree limbs, cuttlebones, crab shells, and sometimes the corpses of guillemots and razorbills. Among the jetsam, we found a Dundee cake, intact in its battered tin after months or years at sea. They knew how to build tins in those days. A worryingly bomb-shaped object turned out to be a drop tank from an RAF aircraft. And what was the sad history of the soggy, child-sized teddy bear that the sea delivered one day?

The sea changes human objects, wearing broken bottles down into translucent white, green and amethyst seaglass jewels, pounding metal into sheets of rusted filigree, encrusting bottles and pieces of ceramics with barnacles and riddling old timbers with wormholes.

Veryac’h beach near Camaret-sur-Mer in western Finistère

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All beaches are evocative, but the stretch of the Normandy coast between Ouistreham and the Cotentin Peninsula has a special resonance. These are the beaches where the liberation of France began on 6 June 1944. Even on a sunny summer day I still find them slightly spooky; it is hard not to conjure up old black-and-white newsreel images.

The sands are scattered with reminders that these lovely strands were once a lethal battleground.

At Arromanches – codenamed Gold Beach on D-Day – I discover the massive slabs of concrete, draped in green weed.

These are the remains of prefabricated Mulberry harbours, built to support the Allied invasion forces after the landings.

It seems unbelievable that they could ever have floated.

The harbours must be the biggest pieces of jetsam to have washed up anywhere on French shores. But these ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 37

PHOTOGRAPH: DONATIENNE GUILLAUDEAU

D-Day reminders

38 FRANCE MAGAZINE

ABOVE: One of the driftwood art constructions at Saint-Cyprien-Plage on the Mediterranean coast; BELOW: Remains of Mulberry harbours on a D-Day landing beach in Normandy

geese – hence the medieval belief that they grew up to be birds.

Heading towards France’s far west, it should not come as a surprise to discover that the rugged shores of Finistère are home to the country’s most active community of beachcomber artists. The deeply indented Brittany coastline could have been designed to amass all manner of floating objects, from the weathered

remains of lobster pots and fish-traps to tangles of net, line and hawser, polystyrene floats, seabird skulls, driftwood and driftglass.

“Far from being dead garbage, le pinsé can be the bearer of life and a creative catalyst,” says Jean-Jacques Petton. He is president of the Association Brut de Pinsé, a group of ‘outsider artists’ based in the tiny village of Plouarzel, near the

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PHOTOGRAPH:S: ROBIN GAULDIE; L. RECOUVROT/CRT NORMANDIE

north-facing beaches are littered with smaller treasures. La Manche is the busiest shipping lane on the planet, and dotted along this coast are some of France’s busiest ports. Inevitably, a certain amount of material – cargo that has come adrift from freighters, fishing equipment lost by trawlers out of Dieppe and Boulogne, messages in bottles – goes overboard.

Scraps of urban detritus are washed down the River Seine from as far away as Paris (or England, for that matter).

Then there are the sea’s own treasures – shells of all shapes and sizes, from the long, slim razor clams – aptly called couteaux in French – to the spiky, alien carapaces of spider crabs. On the west side of the Cotentin Peninsula, between Cap de la Hague and Granville, a sweep of coastline is a happy hunting ground for shell collectors, with some surprises in store. It is not unusual to find fish crates, buoys and other odds and ends of plastic that have drifted across the Atlantic, carrying a motley crew of exotic invertebrates such as tiny Columbus crabs from the Sargasso Sea, jewel box clams from Florida shores, and goose barnacles from mid-ocean. These odd, long-necked creatures do indeed look a bit like tiny

BEACHCOMBING Pointe de Corsen, the westernmost tip of mainland France. Petton describes it as “the memory of the sea and what people do”, and he and his colleagues specialise in turning such finds into works of art.

“My approach is to use as much as possible materials which have already been around, that I have scrounged and especially le pinsé,” he says. There’s no one-word translation for pinsé, so ‘flotsam and jetsam’ will have to do, and beachcombers find a seemingly endless supply of natural and man-made objects on Brittany’s shores.

Much of the Breton coastline is a frill of coves and rocky bays. Further south, from the mouth of the Gironde estuary all the way down to the resort of Biarritz, the shoreline is one long sweep of sand.

A determined beachcomber could walk barefoot all the way, with just one detour inland around the oyster-infested Arcachon lagoon.

This seemingly wild and endless shoreline is interrupted in places by impeccably manicured stretches of sand at chic resorts such as Mimizan, where beachcombers are discouraged. Rumour has it that this is because one of the perks for drivers of the beach-cleaning wagons

is keeping what they sift out of the sand – loose change, jewellery and the like.

Over the course of the season it can add up to a nice little bonus, say the gossips.

Away from the carefully tended resort beaches, these Atlantic-swept strands are not as pristine as they appear at first glance. Look closer, and the high-tide line is marred not just by tangles of nets and line lost by fishermen, but by cigarette ends, plastic and aluminium food and drink packaging.

Ships are no longer so cavalier about throwing their rubbish overboard (thanks to environmental legislation), and glass and metal containers are recycled rather than dumped, but French beaches, like those all over the world, are still littered.

Each summer’s holiday crowds leave their share of abandoned flip-flops, soft drink cans, and empty sunscreen and mineral water bottles.

The Atlantic-swept strands are not as pristine as they first appear The sea has its own way of grinding glass bottles back into sand and turning old-style tin cans back into rust, but it takes more than ten years to grind a cigarette end back to powder, and the ocean cannot digest plastic. Neither can its wildlife. Not for nothing are the tiny grains of plastic that form brightly coloured drifts along the Atlantic tideline called ‘mermaid’s tears’ by ecologists.

Not much larger than sand grains, they are swallowed by fish which are in turn eaten by birds and sea mammals, whose stomachs gradually fill with indigestible plastic. Some of the dead seabirds that wash up here will have starved to death.

France is leading the way in the struggle to stem the tide of plastic that threatens to choke our beaches and oceans. Last year, it banned single-use plastic carrier bags, and from 2020 restaurants and vending machines will no longer be allowed to dispense plastic cups, plates and cutlery. Anyone looking at a plastic-littered shoreline must agree that is a long overdue step, and hope that other nations will follow suit.

Beachcombers who do not want to leave it to the government to clean up

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ABOVE: Association Brut de Pinsé artist Marc Morvan’s Sous-marin Jaune

France’s coasts can combine their hobby with doing their bit for the environment by joining a beach clean-up such as those organised by a growing number of coastal communities and organisations including the Surfrider Foundation (surfrider.eu), which has more than a dozen chapters in France.

The Atlantic and the North Sea deposit their wrack on the coasts of northern and western France, but along the coastal fringe of the Bouches-duRhône in the south much of what washes up comes from far inland, carried by the River Rhône and its tributaries. Drop a message in a bottle from a bridge in Lyon, and it might well be found here.

For beachcombers, this is a unique landscape of sandbars, lapped by the waters of brackish étangs to landward and swept by the Mediterranean to seaward, sometimes only a few hundred metres apart. Prospect your way along one shoreline, then walk back down the other to find a different harvest on each; there is surprisingly little man-made debris on the seaward side, but the landward lagoon throws up colourful anglers’ floats from up-river and an astonishing number of plastic playthings, including enough toy soldiers to form a small army.

I love these Camargue beaches. They are the only really wild stretches on France’s Mediterranean shoreline, and I can walk for miles, pensively accumulating a haul of gnarled river wood, tiny pink palourde shells and the occasional cork float. ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 39

BEACHCOMBER ARTISTS Ulrike Birkenhauer

However, it is near France’s final coastal frontier that I encounter the quirkiest beachcomber community of my travels. Saint-Cyprien-Plage, 20 minutes’ drive east of Perpignan, is a shiny, purpose-built marina resort full of gleaming yachts, pink-stucco apartment complexes and posh hotels. Just a few miles south, beyond a swathe of headhigh reeds and pines, is a seemingly endless stretch of untouched white sand.

Dotted along this secluded strand are dozens of what look like miniature wild-west forts, sturdily constructed from hefty logs and boughs deposited by the helpful Mediterranean. Some are adorned by impromptu decorations made from old fishing nets, bamboo, floats and other wrack, and most are shaded by brightly coloured beach umbrellas. Beneath these bask their builders – devoted members of France’s ‘textile-free’ community, who migrate here each summer to pursue the perfect all-over tan. Naked beachcombing? Now there is a sport.

Robin Gauldie is a travel journalist who lives part of the year in the Montagne Noire, in Languedoc, midway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

He has been making assemblages of objects scavenged from beaches for many years, but is too modest to claim they are works of art.

MORE ONLINE Discover France’s best beaches www.completefrance.com/travel/ family-holidays

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Patrick Abgrall Patrick, another Plouarzel artist, is something of a purist. He prefers to work with the rawest of raw materials, such as rusted engine parts, bits of net and remnants of line lost by Breton fishing boats, and leaves them unpainted, as in the funky, skeletal image of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. He seems to feel that using anything else to make this kind of ‘art brut’ (‘primitive art’) might be a sort of cheating.

“For these elements, my technique is simple,” he says. “I arrange stalks of wood which I assemble using toothpicks.

I use neither glue, nor an oven.”

ABOVE: A panel by Ulrike Birkenhauer; BELOW LEFT: Patrick Abgrall’s Don Quichotte et Sancho Panza; BELOW: One of Rebecca Kudela Grettenberger’s Sea & Gather works

Rebecca Kudela Grettenberger The Biarritz-based artist and graphic designer moved to France from her native California to work in the surf business, and specialises in turning her beach finds into desirable objects.

She is fascinated by beaches, and you can see some of her art on her Instagram account, instagram.com/ seaandgather.

“The treasures I find include things like seaglass in different shapes and colours than I would find in California, old pieces of patterned china and terracotta, plastic toys and fish lures.

“My craziest finds in Biarritz have been plastic doll body parts, like little plastic arms and legs that have been detached from a doll body. One special find was a miniature porcelain head, about a half-inch tall, that is probably from an antique doll.

“I also find a lot of seaglass, much older than any glass I would find in the US. I love it when the history of this part of the world comes through in my beach finds.”

PHOTOGRAPHS: E. TESSIER/CRT NORMANDIE;

ABOVE: The Nez de Jobourg at the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy

“I come regularly to Brittany from my home in Tübingen, near Stuttgart, to collect my materials there,” says Ulrike, a member of the Association Brut de Pinsé, who has been working with flotsam and jetsam since meeting Jean-Jacques Petton and other artists at Plouarzel 15 years ago.

“I am self-taught, so I collect my windfalls intuitively. Bits of coloured glass, ends of rope, pieces of rusted metal, driftwood, construction foam; all these broken, maritime things form part of my artistic universe. The power of the sea shapes lost, worn and rejected objects in new and surprising ways.”

Her work ranges from colourful, scarecrow-like figures to larger-than-life sculptures such as her massive, rustedmetal turtle, and I specially like her wall of primary coloured faces, created from plastic jerry cans, and reminiscent of tribal masks.

“Pinsé is a nice word of the Breton people (not French) and means flotsam, all the stuff you can find on beaches beside the seas and rivers.”

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 41

GREAT INVENTORS

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which Jeanne VillepreuxPower invented a way to witness the mysteries of the deep on dry land. VillepreuxPower was born in Juillac, Corrèze, in 1794, the daughter of a shoemaker, and went to Paris where she became a dressmaker of some renown.

After marrying an English merchant, she moved to Sicily, where she became fascinated by the natural environment, particularly marine life.

Needing an effective way to continue her work, she invented the first recognisable glass aquarium.

Villepreux-Power effectively brought the underwater world on to dry land, and more than a century later her compatriots, naval officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and engineer Émile Gagnan, developed a way of allowing humans to spend more time in the deep blue sea, with the invention of the aqualung.

Thanks to his many marine documentaries, Cousteau was equally well known as a film-maker, an occupation that arguably exists largely thanks to the work of Auguste and Louis Lumière from Lyon. They designed the cinématographe, a camera, printer and projector that was used to present the first cinema screening, in Paris in 1895.

Like so many of the inventions of their countrymen, their ingenious idea changed the world forever.

From flight to films, French minds have been at the forefront of innovation, says Sandra Haurant

scholar, and a gifted musician, and when he was just ten, Braille went to study at the Royal Institute for the Blind in Paris, where he would later teach.

As a schoolboy, Braille became interested in a system developed by Captain Charles Barbier de la Serre to enable the military to communicate in the dark without the use of light. He was inspired to develop his own system of writing for the blind, based on a series of raised dots in a six-point grid. Braille presented his system in 1832, but the institute did not adopt it until two years after his death in 1852. Other systems were being developed, and it took Great Britain and the USA until 1932 to adopt Braille as the uniform method of reproducing printed material.

While Braille was working to convince his peers in 1832, there were developments at large in a different branch of science. This was the year in

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PHOTOGRAPHS: EVERETT COLLECTION INC ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; FRANCE MONTGOLFIÈRES BALLOON COMPANY; PHILIPPE HURLIN; MUSÉE BRAILLE – MAISON NATALE; INSTITUT LUMIÈRE/JEAN-LUC MEGE PHOTOGRAPHIES

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rance has always loved to innovate, create and invent in every field, from arts and culture to the sciences. So it is perhaps not surprising that so many vital objects, machines and solutions which we take for granted were first dreamed up in the minds of an ingenious, daring, or indeed maverick French man or woman.

Take those early pioneers of flight, the Montgolfier brothers Joseph-Michel (1740-1810) and Jacques-Étienne (1745-1799). They helped to run the family paper factory business near Annonay in Ardèche, where they noticed that heated air beneath a lightweight paper or fabric bag allowed the bag to float. A series of hot-air balloon experiments culminated in the first manned untethered flight on 21 November 1783, when Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes flew for around 20 minutes over Paris and made the dream of human flight a reality.

The Montgolfiers were preoccupied with conquering the air, but for Louis Braille, making the written word accessible to the blind was the primary aim. Braille was born in Coupvray, Île-de-France, on 4 January 1809 and was blinded at the age of three while playing with tools in his father’s workshop. The boy grew into a bright

CHANGING THE WORLD

The cinema pioneers Louis and Auguste Lumière in later life

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HISTORY TRAIL

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THINGS TO DO 1 France Montgolfières Balloon Company Take off from locations across France to experience the Montgolfier brothers’ incredible invention firsthand. France Montgolfières Balloon Company is one of several firms to offer hot-air balloon flights: rise above the rugged landscape of Provence, float over the vineyards of Burgundy or gaze down upon the grandeur of the châteaux of the Loire such as Chenonceau (pictured above) and see the stunning French countryside from a new perspective.

4 bis Rue du Saussis 21140 Semur-en-Auxois Tel: 0203 287 1775; (Fr) 3 80 97 38 61 france-balloons.com

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2 Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris Designed by its founder, Henri Grégoire, in 1794 to celebrate “new and useful inventions,” the museum – housed in a deserted priory – has built up a fascinating collection demonstrating technological innovation in all its glory. More than 2,400 inventions are divided into seven categories: scientific instruments, materials, energy, mechanics, construction, communication and transport.

292 Rue Saint-Martin 75141 Paris Tel: (Fr) 1 53 01 82 75 arts-et-metiers.net

Coupvray, the birthplace of Louis Braille. His modest family home, where he lived as a child and convalesced as an adult suffering from tuberculosis, is now a museum dedicated to his life and work. Visitors can follow a guided tour and try reading and writing in Braille. Visit the village church, too, where Braille was initially buried before being moved to the Panthéon in Paris, final resting place of France’s greatest figures.

13 Rue Louis Braille 77700 Coupvray Tel: (Fr) 1 60 04 82 80 coupvray.fr

3 Musée Louis Braille, Seine-et-Marne

4 Musée Lumière, Lyon

Not far from the buzz of Disneyland Paris and the bustle of the French capital lies the quiet village of

This museum, part of the Institut Lumière, takes cinema-lovers back to the place where film as we know it

was born. The cinématographe was designed here, and the displays pay homage to Louis and Auguste Lumière’s pioneering contribution to the septième art. Find out, too, about the brothers’ other innovations, including the panoramic picture and early use of 3D. The institute is based at the brothers’ family home and is a work of art in its own right – an art-nouveau château with crafted ceilings and a grandiose staircase.

The adjoining cinema is housed in a striking modern building (pictured above) on the site of the Lumières’ orginal factory and shows a range of films as well as hosting festivals.

25 Rue du Premier-Film 69352 Lyon Tel: (Fr) 4 78 78 18 95 institut-lumiere.org

FRANCE MAGAZINE 43

Pioneers of the

plant world Two French botanists made ground-breaking discoveries on voyages made less than a century apart, but both remain little-known. RĂŠgine Godfrey explores their achievements

Magenta bougainvillea, like the variety that Philibert Commerson discovered in Brazil

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HISTORY

T

wo unsung heroes of botany, Doctor Commerson (17271773) and Father Plumier (1646-1704) uncovered many of the plant types that we commonly see in our gardens today.

During his voyages, Commerson discovered the flamboyant bougainvillea vine and gathered no fewer than 3,000 species new to European sciences.

Before him, Franciscan monk Charles Plumier, a skilled draughtsman, dedicated his life to exploring the world and documenting 4,300 plants. His finds include the begonia, the fuchsia and the magnolia. Their adventures provide a fascinating glimpse into the early days of botany.

PHOTOGRAPHS: RÉGINE GODFREY

Philibert Commerson Nothing beats the view of Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Christ the Redeemer’ welcoming you with open arms. Perched at the top of Mount Corcovado, where marmoset monkeys forage, the 30-metre-tall statue created in 1931 by French sculptor Paul Landowski embraces a jaw-dropping panorama of Guanabara Bay. Just over 250 years ago, Doctor Philibert Commerson, who had arrived in Brazil to join the first French circumnavigation of the globe, was just as enthused about the city: “This country is the loveliest in the world; in the very middle of winter bananas, pineapples continually succeed one another…

In spite of a formal prohibition to go outside the town I ventured out 20 times in a canoe… and visited the different shores and islands of the bay.”

Commerson (or Commerçon), who had been appointed by Louis XV as naturalist on the voyage, collected specimens of the local flora while waiting for Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, commander of the expedition. The latter was still busy handing over the Frenchheld Îles Malouines – now the Falkland Islands – to the Spanish in Montevideo, which was the main port for the colony.

While in Rio, Commerson, always accompanied by his faithful aide Jean Baret, came across a dazzling, magentacoloured climbing shrub, which he named Bougainvillea spectabilis after his leader.

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ABOVE: Bougainvillea in Bormes-les-Mimosas on the Côte d’Azur; BELOW: A magnolia in full bloom

He observed that the flowers were almost encaged by conspicuous papery bracts, in effect modified leaves. The true flowers, tiny, tubular and white, had nothing to do with the overall colourful appearance of the vine.

The bougainvillea was introduced into Europe in the early 19th century and soon Kew Gardens in London provided specimens to Australia and other faraway

countries. Commerson would be truly amazed by its success across the globe: the bracts can now be seen in purple, red, pink, orange, yellow or white, totalling 18 species.

Bougainville finally reached Rio and gave the go-ahead for his frigate La Boudeuse and the storeship L’Étoile to resume their expedition. The circumnavigation aimed to restore some

prestige to the French nation following the Seven Years’ War, when France conceded much of its colonial territory in the New World to the British.

As it turned out, Commerson’s adventures were to prove as colourful as his bougainvillea discovery.

As they sailed through the Strait of Magellan near the tip of South America, the doctor saw something that caused him much excitement. Leaping in front of his eyes was a school of unusual porpoise-like dolphins patterned black and white. Today, Commerson’s dolphin is a threatened species, with numbers down to an estimated 3,400.

Both ships arrived at what we now know as Tahiti at the beginning of 1768.

It was the Garden of Eden: the people did not lack for anything and were so friendly and smiling. Bougainville enthusiastically drew up an act of possession for France, unaware that Samuel Wallis had already claimed it for the British crown. In the meantime, Commerson and his assistant were having a field day collecting a rich harvest of plants that would combat scurvy.

Alas for the botanist, the Tahitians were so observant that they unmasked the identity of his valet ‘by smell’.

Surrounding Baret, they shouted “female, female”! ‘Jean’ was actually Jeanne, Commerson’s lady friend, and before that his housekeeper and son’s governess ➳

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Fuchsias were one of Charles Plumier’s discoveries; Hydrangeas in southern Brittany; A magnolia flower; The plumeria, also known as frangipani

Dutiful as always, Jeanne Baret saw to it that 32 crates filled with his numerous manuscripts and collections of dried plants were dispatched to Le Jardin du Roi in Paris, now Le Jardin des Plantes.

Charles Plumier In the 18th century, all scientists spoke of Plumier with admiration, and yet 300 years on, very few people have heard about him.

Born in Marseille in 1646, Plumier became a Franciscan monk at a young age and studied under Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, an authority on botanical matters. In 1690, Michel Bégon, Intendant of the Galleys in Marseille and then the French Navy administrator in the port of Rochefort, recommended

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PHOTOGRAPHS: RÉGINE GODFREY

after his wife’s death. Jeanne had enlisted in the guise of a man, as French law prohibited women on expeditions and had unwittingly become – in Bougainville’s words – ‘the only one of her sex’ to attempt the perilous journey round the world.

A compromise was reached; Philibert and Jeanne were to continue the voyage until the vessels reached l’Isle de France (Mauritius) and then disembark.

They reported to the administrator Pierre Poivre, a keen horticulturist who distinguished himself by creating the Pamplemousses botanical garden near the capital, Port-Louis. He lodged them in his quarters, treated Commerson as a long-lost friend, encouraged him to study the island’s flora, and suggested that he explore the nearby l’Île Bourbon (La Réunion) and its volcano, Le Piton de la Fournaise.

There, Commerson coined the term ‘hortensia’, best known through the species Hydrangea macrophylla with its two types: the ‘mop-headed’ hortensia has a round form chiefly composed of sterile florets, while the ‘lace-cap’ shows a flattened head with a mixture of fertile and sterile florets. Although no one can be certain about the origin of its designation, some believe that the plant was attributed to the Prince of Nassau-Siegen’s family. Others prefer the link with Nicole-Reine Lepaute (also known as Hortense), an astronomer of repute.

Another port of call for Commerson was the island of Madagascar, where the unusual array of plants, trees, birds and lemurs proved an enthralling new experience for the visionary scientist.

“It would merit not a casual observer but entire academies…

Madagascar, I may announce to naturalists, is their promised land!

Nature seems to have retreated as into a private sanctuary, to work on different models from any she has used elsewhere.”

But all the hard work and travelling had taken its toll; Commerson’s health deteriorated rapidly and he died on Mauritius in 1773, aged 45. Unaware of his death, the Académie des Sciences in Paris elected him a fellow eight days later. Recognition had been a long time coming.

HISTORY

Father Plumier to Louis XIV for a first voyage to the French Antilles. He was to work hand in hand with physician and chemist Doctor Joseph-Donat Surian.

Any discovery would be a bonus, but hopes were high of finding cinchona bark, which contained quinine, a vital component in fighting malaria.

The precious tree remained elusive, but the 18-month exploration went well, and their herbaria were overflowing with masses of new plants. It was time to return to France.

However, the winds picked up as soon as they left the idyllic beaches behind, and they were shipwrecked. Everything was engulfed by the sea, but all their efforts had not been in vain. With admirable foresight, Father Plumier had already sent his superb drawings and the botanical harvest on another ship bound for home.

Sadly, after returning from their adventures, the two men fell out. Father Plumier decided to go solo and publish

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his Description of American Plants. The book went down so well that he was appointed Botanist of the King and funds were supplied for another two voyages.

These explorations took him to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Domingue and Brazil, where he stumbled upon new genera including vanilla and quinoa. The French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) was situated in the western part of Hispaniola, with the rest of the island being owned by Spain. It was there that he identified a pretty flower which he named ‘fuchsia’ in honour of the 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs.

His innovation was to name his discoveries after people he admired: Begonia for Michel Bégon; magnolia for Pierre Magnol, in charge of Montpellier Botanical Gardens; and lobelia for physician Matthias de l’Obel.

He also proved that the cochineal seeds used to obtain the scarlet dye for the textile trade came from an insect, so did not belong to the plant kingdom, as previously thought.

Back in France again, Father Plumier produced a second book, entitled Nova Plantarum Americanarum Genera.

He had hoped to take a break and rest for a while, but Guy Crescent-Fagon, head of Le Jardin du Roi, entrusted him

with another mission: prospecting for the cinchona tree in Peru.

This fourth voyage never took place, Plumier succumbed to pleurisy and died in the Spanish port of Cadiz in 1704, aged 58.

The legacy An asteroid, 13 ships in the French Navy and nine geographical locations bear the name ‘Bougainville’. When asked what trace he would leave in history, LouisAntoine de Bougainville replied: “My hope for fame lies with a flower.”

The legacy left by Doctor Commerson and Father Plumier is overwhelming.

With little regard for their health, they painstakingly gathered plants throughout their lives, establishing herbaria and describing insects, fish and animals from distant lands.

It was not so much seeking out the exotic in unchartered territories that spurred them on, but rather a passionate love of nature. ➳

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 47

Despite being a leading scientist in the Age of Enlightenment, Commerson did not receive the recognition he deserved; unlike Plumier, he never found the time to publish his findings. Some naturalists plundered his extensive collections unscrupulously, but others did him justice. The Linnean Society of London possesses 1,500 of Commerson’s specimens, and the other 3,000 are divided between the National History Museum in Paris and the Geneva herbarium.

Thankfully, Johann Reinhold Forster, who made a similar voyage with Captain James Cook in the 1770s, recognised his genius. He dedicated the tree and shrub genus Commersonia to him; the fibrous

ABOVE: Bougainvillea in French Antilles

bark was used by aborigines to make nets for catching kangaroos and fish.

Likewise, Joseph Pitton de Tournefort and the father of taxonomy Carl Linnaeus honoured Father Plumier by

dedicating the plant genus Plumeria to him. It was a spectacular choice; also called frangipani, the plant has nectarless flowers, which are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths for their pollination.

Jeanne Baret was not forgotten, either.

Commerson named a plant after her and left her much in his will, and the French authorities granted her a substantial pension for services rendered to science.

“Happy the one who like Ulysses has made a great voyage,” wrote the poet Joachim du Bellay.

The selfless devotion of both men has been rewarded tenfold; worldwide today their discoveries fill gardens with the joy of flower power.

GARDENS AND PLANT COLLECTIONS TO VISIT Jardin des Plantes 57 Rue Cuvier 75005 Paris Tel: (Fr) 1 40 79 56 01 jardindesplantes.net Founded in 1635 as a medicinal herb garden for Louis XIII, it was expanded by the Comte de Buffon in the 18th century and developed into a centre of scientific study by prominent figures such as the De Jussieu brothers and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Covering 28 hectares, the garden-museum complex comprises greenhouses, outdoor plots, a labyrinth, a small zoo, a botanical library and natural history exhibits.

ABOVE: The Jardin des Plantes in Paris; BELOW: The Domaine de Trévarez in Brittany

Jardin Shamrock

Conservatoire du Bégonia

Arboretum de Chèvreloup

Rue de la Cayenne 76119 Varengeville-sur-Mer Tel: (Fr) 2 35 85 14 64 hortensias-hydrangea.com Situated near Dieppe in Normandy, the French national collection of hydrangeas is the largest of its kind in the world, with 1,500 different varieties. Enjoy sublime garden views from June to September.

1 Rue Charles Plumier 17300 Rochefort-sur-Mer Tel: (Fr) 5 46 82 40 30 en-charente-maritime.com The Charente-Maritime port houses the national collection of begonias, comprising 500 species from four continents, as well as 1,500 hybrids.

30 Route de Versailles 78150 Rocquencourt Tel: (Fr) 1 39 55 53 80 chevreloup.mnhn.fr Lying just south of Paris, the arboretum offers an excellent collection of fuchsias, with 69 species out of the 105 described.

Route de Laz 29520 Saint-Goazec Tel: (Fr) 2 98 26 82 79 cdp29.fr This belle-époque château in Brittany is famous for its gardens, which include a superb display of hydrangeas.

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Boulevard Stalingrad 44000 Nantes Tel: (Fr) 2 40 41 65 09 jardins.nantes.fr The current garden was established in 1806 in the port city where the magnolia was first introduced to France. The big attraction is the Hectot magnolia tree, which is reputed to be up to 200 years old.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: RÉGINE GODFREY; DREAMSTIME

Domaine de Trévarez

Jardin des Plantes

Bruniquel From a comic opera festival to its giddily perched two châteaux, this pretty village in Tarn-et-Garonne is full of surprises, as Howard Johnson discovers

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TAKE A STROLL

D

espite having lived in the area for almost 13 years, for some reason I had never got round to visiting the village of Bruniquel. So when the call came from FRANCE Magazine to go for a stroll around this hidden gem, I immediately jumped in the car.

Why on earth has it taken me so long to discover this place? Nestling on the eastern border of the Tarn-et-Garonne département just before it tips over into Tarn, Bruniquel is pretty as a picture. Built high on a promontory that provides magnificent views of the River Aveyron, the village somehow makes you feel its history the minute you place your feet on the ground. Though it was first mentioned in the 11th century as Brunichildum, there is evidence of human activity dating from at least 35,000 years ago to the Paleolithic era.

I feel about 35,000 years old myself as I start the steep climb up the pretty Rue de l’Hôpital heading for the top of the village. Bruniquel is not for the faint-hearted, but the castles that perch on the cliff face are well worth the effort to reach. It might seem a little greedy for a village of fewer than 600 regular inhabitants to have not one, but two châteaux.

It was the result of a family squabble between the ruling vicomte and his son: the ‘old’ castle dates from the 13th century, and its baby brother – the ‘new’ castle – was built in the 15th.

The village of Bruniquel in Tarn-etGaronne looks over the River Aveyron

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The castles – which were joined up in the 18th century – house some of the first man-made artefacts to be found in the area, but I have already been distracted by all the activity on the flat patch of concrete at the entrance. Temporary seating for what looks like two or three hundred people has been installed away to my right, while to my left a bunch of roadies are hard at work putting up an impressive-looking stage.

A quick chat with one of them and I am up to speed with the Festival des Châteaux de Bruniquel, a three-week celebration of the 19th-century composer Jacques Offenbach. Launched in 1997, the festival spans late July and early August, and has as its centrepiece an ‘Opéra bouffe’ (punning the French term for comic operas and the slang for ‘opera with grub’). An Offenbach comic opera is performed (this year it was Orpheus in the Underworld), and after each show the stage and floor of the open-air theatre are transformed into a makeshift dining hall where spectators and performers eat and drink together.

It would be remiss to head back down to the village and its warren of passages, alleyways and ginnels without visiting the gardens on the other ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 53

PHOTOGRAPH: HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Open-air theatre

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Enjoying a stroll in Bruniquel: A pretty, tree-lined street; The château on its rocky promontory; An entrance to the castle

side of the castle. My wife and I enjoy a leisurely five-minute stroll and pause to admire the view from on high. It is not hard to see why Bruniquel has been voted one of France’s Plus Beaux Villages. Director Robert Enrico was equally impressed, as he filmed scenes here for the 1975 wartime drama Le Vieux Fusil (The Old Rifle), starring Romy Schneider and winner of four César awards.

Taking the picturesque route back down, we pass through Place des Oules and on to the Rue du Château, before making our way to the Promenade du Ravelin. We stop in the church to marvel at some of the religious art inside, escaping a powerful sun for a few minutes’ respite at the same time.

Apparently, 33,000 people visit Bruniquel and its castles every year, and that number is rising all the time. The place is certainly busy today and the tourist office at the entrance to the village is doing a brisk trade in brochures and maps. My natural tendency to strike off and follow my own path makes me think I might enjoy Bruniquel even more out of season. But it would be churlish of me to mark down such a beautiful place simply because other people are enjoying it too.

There is always time to sit down for a quick glass of something cool and refreshing, so we head to Le Jardin de la Taverne for a leisurely drink and to watch the world go by. It certainly seems that time passes slowly in Bruniquel, but when you are in such a pretty little spot, that can only be a good thing.

BRUNIQUEL AT A GLANCE Stay the night at… Chez Cornelia (cornelia-bruniquel.com), a chambre d’hôte in the village with four double rooms and a family suite. Everything is tastefully decorated and you get a flat-screen TV and DVD player in each room. Dine at Café Cornelia and enjoy a set meal with wine for €25.

Stop for lunch at… Les Bastides (restaurant-les-bastides.fr), on Route de Gaillac. There is nothing flashy about the restaurant, but the traditional cuisine they serve is well prepared and highly enjoyable. You get a lovely view from the terrace up the hill to Bruniquel village.

Menus from €14.50.

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Have a coffee at… Café Elia (tel: (Fr) 5 63 24 19 87), a charming little tea room that is open from Wednesday to Sunday in high season. The food is made with local produce, and there is a lovely courtyard garden where you can feel all your cares ebbing away while sipping a coffee.

WHERE TO VISIT ● Maison Poussou (maison-poussou.fr.ht) was bought in 1978 and then renovated by Bruniquel resident Jacky Poussou. It is now a beautifully restored house that regularly exhibits paintings and other works of art.

This year she focuses on the Russian-born sculptor and painter Ossip Zadkine, who married the artist Valentine Prax in Bruniquel in 1920. ● If you are looking for a family activity with a difference, then why not hire a donkey to accompany you on a walk

ABOVE: A quiet corner on Rue du Château

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TAKE A STROLL

IN THE AREA

in the countryside around Bruniquel? These animals love children and won’t mind if you put your tired little ones on their backs.

A half-day’s donkey hire from L’Abri-Niquel (tel: (Fr) 5 63 24 15 26) costs €25 (€38 for a full day). ● Stretch your legs by walking the 3.5-kilometre Circuit Notre-Dame around Bruniquel and experience the surrounding countryside in all its glory. Download a map and directions (in French only) at france-voyage.com/balades/circuit-notredame-2788.htm.

GETTING THERE: The nearest international airport is ToulouseBlagnac, a 60-minute drive; The train journey from London to Caussade via Paris and Montauban takes 8hr (plus a 20-minute taxi ride to Bruniquel); The village is an 8hr 30min drive from the northern ports.

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Bruniquel is a magnificent village in itself, but there are many other exciting things to see and do in the surrounding area.

The River Aveyron offers a fantastic opportunity to go kayaking and canoeing so you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery from the water. Hire everything you need from Club Multi-Evasion Gorges de l’Aveyron at Négrepelisse, just west of Bruniquel (tel: (Fr) 6 10 03 74 85).

It would be remiss not to visit a vineyard in this prime winegrowing region. Domaine de Rastelat (tel: (Fr) 5 63 30 98 97) is run by husband and wife Didier and Sylvie Debayles at Revel near Vaissac, 12 kilometres from Bruniquel. They use long-established traditional methods to produce their tasty red and rosé wines in the Coteaux du Quercy appellation.

If you fancy somewhere even quieter than Bruniquel, yet equally enjoyable to stroll around, head for Montricoux, six kilometres to the north-west. Stop for lunch at the high-end Hostellerie Les Gorges de l’Aveyron (menus from €15, chateauxhotels.co.uk), which has a wonderful view over the River Aveyron.

Half an hour’s drive away from Bruniquel is bustling Montauban, the capital of Tarn-et-Garonne. Built primarily of red brick, and sitting at the confluence of the Tarn and Tescou rivers, it features a huge

bridge that is more than 200 metres long and dates from the 14th century.

During World War II, Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa was hidden in a secret location in Montauban to protect it from the Nazi occupiers.

Finally, just 23 kilometres from Bruniquel lies Saint-Antonin-NobleVal, a buzzing little town that is a particular favourite with English expatriates and tourists. Could this be because the place was occupied by their countrymen during the Hundred Years’ War? Whatever the reasons, you can’t fail to enjoy a walk around this lovely place.

MORE ONLINE Get to know more about France’s most beautiful villages www.completefrance.com/travel/ holiday-ideas

FRANCE MAGAZINE 55

PHOTOGRAPHS: BERNARD TAURAN; HOWARD JOHNSON; MAIRIE DE BRUNIQUEL; DREAMSTIME; GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO; FOTOLIA

ABOVE: Montauban, capital of Tarn-et-Garonne; BELOW: The village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val

Echoes of the Middle Ages surround Mark Stratton as he walks the trail that led a simple village girl to become France’s national heroine

A

s last autumn’s leaf-fall crunched underfoot, Joan of Arc’s presence was palpable amid the oak forest through which she had once ridden. It was February 1429. The 17-year-old was obeying voices from God telling her to travel from Lorraine to Chinon in the Loire Valley to convince France’s disempowered king to take back his rightful crown from the English usurpers whom she would soon defeat in battle.

But her journey was fraught with danger. Perhaps the barking stags I now

56 FRANCE MAGAZINE

heard in this forest near Fronville sounded to her like the hunting dogs of English men-at-arms or the treacherous Burgundians? Maybe, we shared similar exultation upon leaving the forest’s dark recesses to see the same marvellous church at Blécourt that exists today?

Even in the wildest realms of fantasy, Joan of Arc’s story has always sounded far-fetched. Yet when I dipped into detailed transcripts from her 1430-31 trial for heresy and the hearing that posthumously quashed that earlier condemnation in 1456, her unflinching

resolve under inquisition leapt from the pages. So to better understand her meteoric young life, I decided to follow part of the route she rode toward Chinon.

Heavenly voices would not guide my crusade but instead the Sentier Jeanne d’Arc. This little-known footpath (the GR703) runs for 236 kilometres from Toul in Meurthe-et-Moselle to Bagneuxla-Fosse in Aube. It purportedly traces Joan’s progress from her birthplace in Domrémy-la-Pucelle (‘pucelle’, meaning maiden, was added in her honour) in the south-west of the historical Lorraine region.

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JOAN OF ARC

On the march with

I would hike for six days through magnificent wild forests, flower meadows and ripening hillsides of wheat, crossing the Haute-Marne countryside. Joan’s journey to Chinon took 11 days and if her advantage was travelling on horseback, mine was staying in comfortable chambres d’hôtes and enjoying local gastronomy, as opposed to spending nights in austere abbeys.

Arriving in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, I had a surprise even before strapping on my boots. I met Roger Melcion, guide at the village’s hilltop basilica, and asked if Joan had any descendants. “Yes,” he replied.

“I’m a direct descendent of her brother.

There are many of us here and we mark this with a carved sceptre on our doors.”

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I uttered an apology for the killing of his ancestor by my kinsmen.

Work on the basilica began in 1881 at a location called Bois-Chenu, where Joan had experienced voices from God. Those voices manifested themselves as the Archangel Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret, all of whom are displayed resplendently in a dramatic gold-laced statue outside. The two-storey basilica was consecrated in 1926 following Joan’s beatification six years earlier. The interior displays 1920s portraits depicting her last years, from defeating the English at Orléans and witnessing the king’s coronation at Reims in 1429 to her martyrdom in 1431.

Joan was born in 1412. “The French

MAIN PICTURE: The statue of Joan of Arc in Vaucouleurs; ABOVE: The church at Blécourt

kingdom had no influence in Domrémyla-Pucelle,” explained Roger. “She grew up amid much warfare, with the English and Burgundians hostile to the royal house.” It was amid this anarchy, says the historian Helen Castor, that a demoralised French monarchy was receptive to divine intervention.

Joan’s Maison Natale is a tall house with a sloping roof and four thick-walled rooms, suggesting that she was born into a humble yet comfortable lifestyle. “They had land and her father was an intermediate to the mayor,” Roger explained.

The house stands next to the Église Saint-Rémy, where, Joan testified at her trial: “When I was 13, I heard a voice from God and this voice came at noon, in my father’s garden towards the church.”

Local testimonies at the ‘rehabilitation trial’ in the 1450s described her as a pious girl who admonished the churchwarden if he was tardy in ringing for compline. Saint-Rémy contains an octagonal font where Joan was baptised, and Roger showed me a decorated marble box allegedly containing ashes from the stake in Rouen where she was burnt. “Very few people know this,” he whispered.

Before starting my walk, I drove the 20 kilometres in the other direction to Vaucouleurs, which in Joan’s days was one of only four cites north of the River Loire in royalist control. Barely 17, she travelled several times in 1428-29 to appeal to Vaucouleurs’ garrison commander, Robert de Baudricourt, for permission to visit Chinon. Little remains of the 11th-century fortress, except for ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 57

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK STRATTON

JOAN OF ARC

the Port de France archway and a 12th-century crypt where she knelt daily in prayer. It is worth asking at the tourist office for the key to the fortress’s modern church to view a sublime triptych of art-nouveau stained glass chronicling Joan’s life.

“There are lots of stories about her,” laughed Nathalie Merlet, of the tourist office. “One says Joan’s horse nibbled the lime tree outside the church – but it was winter and there were no leaves.”

Less contentious is that after Baudricourt’s eventual acquiescence, the persistent teenager left Vaucouleurs in February 1429, gifted with a horse and a sword, and a message for Charles. The road was dangerous, so she and her escort of six soldiers often travelled at night.

By contrast, I left my chambre d’hôte next morning from Domrémy-la-Pucelle in blazing sunshine for my planned 140-kilometre trek. The GR703 doesn’t always follow the maid’s exact hoofprints. She definitely departed

ABOVE: The village of Gondrecourt-le-Château beside the River Ornain; LEFT: The Sentier Jeanne d’Arc

from Vaucouleurs, to the north, and I suspected the day’s route was devised to include a shrine to her mother, Isabelle Romée, at Vouthon, which I encountered after one hour’s walking. The statue, which features Isabelle and her daughter, was put up equidistantly between Vouthons Bas and Haut because the squabbling settlements each claimed to be Isabelle’s birthplace.

Thereafter, the primal Forêt Domaine de Vau enveloped me en route to Gondrecourt-le-Château. The woodland paths were alive with harebells and lady orchids, so rare in Britain; multicoloured swallowtail butterflies rivalled the stained-glass vivacity of Vaucouleurs’ church, while two feuding pine martens scarcely noticed me. It set the tone for a week celebrating nature. On other days, I would send startled hares racing across fields and see numerous foxes and deer.

My 30-kilometre trek on the first day saw me following languid small rivers as

58 FRANCE MAGAZINE

I crossed from Vosges into the HauteMarne département and traipsed into Cirfontaines-en-Ornois.

Recuperation came at La Ferme de François, a farmhouse B&B near Saudron, where the sumptuous house platter of charcuterie reflected the eclectic livestock of rare pigs, highland cattle and buffalo.

Joan would not have recognised the Mondrian-like qualities of the second day’s easy 11 kilometres to Poissons, as modern agricultural fields formed horizontal bands of golden wheat, creating a sandwich with the blue sky and a distant filling of green forest.

Knight’s evidence The future Maid of Orléans rode dressed as a man, with short hair, claiming her attire was God’s will. At her trial, the English-backed inquisitors alluded to the inappropriateness of travelling to Chinon unchaperoned with male companions including the Knight, Bertrand de Poulegny. But he would testify that she remained chaste. “I was afire with her words because I considered her to have been sent from God. I never saw any evil in her. She was a saint.”

Mounting evidence assured me that

I was hot on Joan’s heels. A fountain in Poissons recalls where her party watered their horses; then 400 metres further up a steep wooded incline, they were allegedly attacked at an ancient spring by marauding Burgundians.

By my third morning, I had hiked into pretty Saint-Urbain-Maconcourt, nestled alongside the Canal Entre-Champagne-etBourgogne. An icon of Joan in armour outside the church denoted that she spent the night here on 23 February 1429.

An archway nearby marks the entrance to a now-ruined priory overlain by a château. It is private property, but the owner, Monsieur Jeudy, fortuitously popped out and explained how Charles the Bald founded the defunct Benedictine priory in the 9th century.

“Want to see where Joan slept?” he asked. I needed no second invitation. Just inside his courtyard is a row of outhouses with a small upstairs window. “Up there,” he said with certainty.

After crossing the River Marne into Fronville, I followed the exact woodland trail that local history recalls Joan passing through 588 years ago on her way to Blécourt. From the swaying wheat fields, I saw the village’s 13th-century Gothic

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JOAN OF ARC

ABOVE: On the trail near Fronville; LEFT: A statue of Joan in her home village of Domrémy-la-Pucelle; BELOW: Long-distance walker Laura with her two travelling companions

church, shaped like a Latin cross. I filled my water-bottle from the fountain outside and entered. The churchwarden assured me Joan stopped to worship here. He gestured to a Romanesque-aged icon of Notre Dame. “She knelt there,” he said.

I metaphorically knelt before the altar of Monique Martin’s home-made pâté that evening, dining in the garden of her two-roomed guesthouse Le Grand Pré, near Bouzancourt. Her 70-year-old husband, Jean-Paul, had just returned from visiting their granddaughter in Shanghai. “So many millions of people there,” he sighed. “We have only 82.”

“Forty-two, mon cher,” corrected Monique.

Next morning, amid the champagne vineyards of the curvaceous Barrois countryside, I met my first fellow hiker in four days. Free-spirited Frenchwoman Laura seemed imbued with Joan’s zeal, pursuing a four-month quest along the European E3 long-distance trail to the Czech Republic with her pet dog and a goat. “We’re quite slow because the goat (which was now munching its way through a farmer’s barley) doesn’t like the heat or cold,” she sighed. She was taking the goat to a friend, and upon bidding her bon courage, I departed, imagining a hircine shortage in the Czech Republic.

A little further, on a 400-metre-high wooded knoll, is a towering ‘Cross of Lorraine’, the twin-barred heraldic symbol adopted by Free France during World War II and associated with Charles de Gaulle.

Colombey-les-Deux-Églises was the former President’s home from 1934 until his death here in 1970, but I arrived to find the community in shock.

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At the cemetery, the cement was still fresh from repairs to his tomb, which had been vandalised two days before. “It’s a catastrophe,” said the ticket lady at his La Boisserie home. “Who could do such a thing?”

Fortunately, his charming château, set in 2.5 hectares of wooded gardens, remained unmolested and I enjoyed exploring the memorabilia: from a cigar box from Fidel Castro to a mosaic coq presented by the King of Afghanistan.

Crashing boar Beyond Maranville next morning, sunken forest greenways heralded the onceimmense 20,000-hectare estate of Clairvaux Abbey, founded by Saint Bernard in 1114. I wondered if Joan felt safe within this ecclesiastical realm or would she have skipped the same heartbeats I did when two barrelling wild boar crashed through the forest, trailed by squealing piglets?

Somewhere in this forest, I crossed into the Aube département, to be stunned into Cistercian silence at the immensity of the abbey lying ahead. None the wiser, I thought its massive walls resembled a prison and on one of them, opposite my hotel, I found a plaque commemorating Joan’s second night spent at Clairvaux.

“It’s assumed she stayed here, but like everything surrounding Joan, nobody is totally certain,” said Isabelle Sorlié. “All over France, towns claim she passed through.” Isabelle’s tour around a monastery that prospered from the 12th to the late-18th centuries revealed magnificent architecture. A medieval hall, now restored, was set aside for the lay brothers, who helped the monks make Clairvaux the richest monastery in France through wine production and ironworking.

The hall’s columns rise like stone palm trees rippling the ceiling into geometric folds to create a mesmerising symmetry.

Yet Clairvaux possesses a surprising duality, still functioning as a prison – and a maximum-security one at that. After French revolutionaries dissolved the abbey in 1789, Napoléon reassigned it to penal servitude. Naturally, the modern prison is out-of-bounds but I experience the wretched, cramped solitary confinement of 19th-century ‘hen-coop’ cells. “It’s ironic,” Isabelle mused. “The monks desired a regime of silence and isolation – exactly what the prisoners had forced upon them.”

I hiked one further morning for 18 kilometres through woodland to Cunfin, where I left the trail. My week was almost over, but Joan rode for eight further days towards Chinon to lift the English siege of Orléans and crown a monarch at Reims. ➳

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 59

Desiring closure on this chapter of Joan’s life, I drove to the Gothic cathedral in Reims. Outside, a bronze statue depicts Joan on horseback waving her righteous sword toward a dazzling facade crowded with angels, saints and kings.

Two-thirds of the way along the 138-metre-long transept is a carpeted stage where she stood alongside the king as he was crowned Charles VII on 17 July 1429, anointed by the sacred oil of Clovis. A beautiful statue by 19th-century sculptor Prosper d’Épinay fixes her face in tranquil ivory; her bronze armour inlaid with silver, her yellow tunic fashioned from Sienna marble.

Francofile

Her fall began immediately thereafter; impatient to expel the English from French soil, she repeatedly attacked besieged cities, only to be captured at Compiègne in early 1430 and sold to the English by mercenary Burgundians. Her inquisition lasted a year before she was condemned, then burnt in Rouen on 30 May 1431, aged just 19. Yet the heroine saint’s legend endures.

“In the firmament of history, Joan of Arc is a massive star,” writes Helen Castor.

To this new convert, she is an inspiring motivation for a richly beautiful hike in the lands that she saw through determined eyes.

Follow in the path of France’s national heroine

GETTING THERE By rail: Mark travelled from London to Paris with Voyages-sncf. Return tickets from £58. The TGV from Paris Est to Neufchâteau via Nancy costs from £40 one-way. From here it is a 15-minute taxi or bus ride to Domrémy-la-Pucelle.

The TGV from Reims to Paris costs from £13.50 one-way (tel: 0844 848 5848, voyages-sncf.com).

See page 25 for other travel information.

Download route directions for the GR703 trail at cirkwi.com

WHERE TO STAY

serving excellent quiche Lorraine.

WHERE TO VISIT

La Ferme de François Le Val Louzet 52230 Saudron Tel: (Fr) 3 25 04 69 28 lafermedefrancois.com B&B, doubles from €62.

Saint-Amand 1 Impasse de l’Auditoire

60 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Maison Natale & Centre Visages de Jeanne

WHAT TO READ

2 Rue de la Basilique 88630 Domrémy-la-Pucelle Tel: (Fr) 3 29 06 95 86

Joan of Arc by Helen Castor (Faber & Faber, £9.99) is a brilliant historical study.

Mémorial Charles de Gaulle

DIARY DATES

ABOVE: The Cistercian abbey of Clairvaux

52230 Poissons Tel: (Fr) 3 25 06 85 92 le-st-amand.com B&B, doubles from €55.

Le Grand Pré 4 Rue de l’Arboyon 52110 Daillancourt Tel: (Fr) 3 25 02 80 15 B&B, doubles from €45.

Sur Les Pas de Jehanne 25 Rue Principale 88630 Domrémy-la-Pucelle Tel: (Fr) 3 29 06 94 29 les-pas-de-jehanne.fr B&B, doubles from €60.

ABOVE: Joan’s statue outside Reims Cathedral

Hôtel Azur 9 Rue des Écrevées 51100 Reims Tel: (Fr) 3 26 47 43 39 hotel-azur-reims.com Town centre B&B, doubles from €79.

La Boisserie

FOR AN APÉRO Café du Palais

26 Route Nationale 19 52330 Colombey-lesDeux-Églises Tel: (Fr) 3 25 02 03 89 lagrangedurelais.fr Logis de France, doubles from €75, breakfast €7.90.

12/14 Place Myron Herrick 51100 Reims Tel: (Fr) 3 26 47 52 54 cafedupalais.fr Sip the delicious house champagne while taking in the glamorous 1930s art-nouveau interior of this Reims institution.

Hôtel de l’Abbaye

WHERE TO EAT

19 Route de Dijon Clairvaux 10310 Clairvaux Tel: (Fr) 3 25 27 80 12 Doubles from €40, breakfast €7.50.

La Ducasse

La Grange du Relais

52330 Colombey-lesDeux-Églises Tel: (Fr) 3 25 30 90 80 memorial-charles degaulle.fr

1 Place Jeanne d’Arc 88630 Coussey Tel: (Fr) 3 55 21 40 03 Convivial country eatery

1 Rue du Général de Gaulle 52330 Colombey-lesDeux-Églises Tel: (Fr) 3 25 01 52 52 charles-de-gaulle.org

Abbaye de Clairvaux Hostellerie des Dames 10310 Clairvaux Tel: (Fr) 3 25 27 52 55 abbayedeclairvaux.com

L’Enquête Jeanne d’Arc – Spectacle Monumental This 1hr 45min open-air production at the basilica in Domrémy-la-Pucelle involves 250 actors, as well as lighting effects and music. Held this year from 23 June to 8 July. Dates for 2018 tbc (tourisme-ouestvosges.fr).

Fêtes Johanniques In Reims in June, parades, concerts and the creation of a medieval village all pay homage to Joan. Dates for 2018 tbc (reims-fetes.com/ fetes_johaniques.php).

TOURIST INFORMATION: Lorraine, tourismlorraine.com; Champagne-Ardenne, tourismechampagne-ardenne.com; Haute-Marne, www.tourismehautemarne.com; Aube, aube-champagne.com; Domrémy-la-Pucelle, domremy.fr; Vaucouleurs, tourisme-vaucouleurs.fr; Reims, reims-tourisme.com

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Le

Weekend SHORT BUT SWEET CITY BREAKS

ABOVE: The trompe-l’oeil mural on the side of a building opposite the Carré Sainte-Anne exhibition centre

MONTPELLIER This sun-filled city has plenty to dazzle the eye in the historic centre and strikingly modern outskirts, as Peter Stewart discovers

I

am standing in front of an Arc de Triomphe – but it is 750 kilometres from the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The building I am gazing at is a modern equivalent made predominantly from gleaming glass, and home to the Conseil Régional in Montpellier.

It is an example of the striking architecture in one of France’s fastestgrowing cities. I am here for a weekend exploring what residents will tell you is ‘une ville qui bouge’ (a dynamic city).

64 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Lying close to the Mediterranean, Montpellier enjoys an average 300 days of sunshine a year, but was once overshadowed by its glitzy Provençal cousins such as Nice, Saint-Tropez and Aix-en-Provence. However, that all changed in 1977 with the election as mayor of Georges Frêche, who came up with a grand vision for Montpellier. His plans included transforming the city from a provincial capital to a leading player on the international stage, with the creation

of spacious and affordable business premises on the outskirts and a new, architecturally striking quarter that would make other cities stop and take notice.

Frêche, who served as mayor for 27 years, was a controversial character, but certainly lived up to his promises, as I can see in the Antigone district, where my tour begins. Built on former army barracks in the eastern outskirts between the historic centre and the River Lez, this 36-hectare district has a collection of

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PHOTOGRAPHS: WOLFGANG STAUDT CC BY-SA 2.0; CC BY SA 3.0; OT-MONTPELLIER; CHRISTOPHE.FINOT CC BY-SA 2.5

CITY BREAK grand neo-classical structures. My local guide Xavier tells me that Frêche commissioned a Catalan designer, Ricardo Bofill, to come up with the master plans. “Bofill was a great admirer of Greco-Roman architecture and wanted his work in Montpellier to be a nod to them,” Xavier says.

We walk on a little until we reach Place du Nombre d’Or, where I take in these towering feats of neoclassical architecture, perfectly arranged around the huge, open square. Xavier tells me that the square and the neighbouring Place de la Théssalie are the best examples of how everything is proportionally and thematically related. “Are these grand structures reserved for high society?” I ask.

“No, not at all,” he replies. “Frêche stipulated that the district had to be accessible to everyone, and many of the buildings are residential, with banks, cafés and small supermarkets on the ground floor.”

Further on, we pass by the foundations of L’Arbre Blanc, an eagerly awaited addition to the district.

Resembling a tree, the 17-storey building is the work of Japanese architects and will feature housing, a restaurant, art gallery, offices and a bar complete with panoramic view.

It is more than 30 years since the Antigone district was created and this innovative quarter has led to other zones springing up on the outskirts, most notably Port Marianne. Passing from one to the other, it feels as if I have fastforwarded into the future: buildings come in an assortment of shapes and sizes,

ABOVE: Inside the gleaming hôtel de ville in the Port Marianne district; LEFT: The 17th-century triumphal arch at the end of Rue Foch; BELOW: The opera house in Place de la Comédie

from giant razors to diamonds and greenhouses, and some have sound effects that play constantly. A gigantic blue glass structure glimmers in the midday sunlight; it is the hôtel de ville, designed by Jean Nouvel and François Fontès, and the fanciest town hall that I have ever seen.

After an eye-opening tour of modern

Montpellier, we move on to the historic centre, which is known as l’Écusson, due to its ovoid shape reminiscent of an old French shield. The jewel in the city’s crown is Place de la Comédie, one of France’s most graceful central squares.

A walk across it reveals an abundance of elegant hôtels particuliers, sun-dappled café terraces and the imposing late-19th-century opera house, after which the square is named.

Narrow streets lead off in every direction. We bear right and ten minutes later arrive at La Panacée, an exhibition space designed for emerging artists, and a testimony to the city’s burgeoning arts scene. The centre hosts an eclectic range of off-the-wall exhibitions and lectures, and is a popular meeting place for the younger crowd.

A few streets away, opposite an impressive trompe-l’oeil mural, stands the Carré Sainte-Anne. This Gothic church, which was deconsecrated in the 1980s, holds three exhibitions per year and commissions international artists to ➳

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FRANCE MAGAZINE 65

produce works for this space. The city’s artistic credentials are set to be bolstered even further with the opening of a contemporary art museum in 2019.

The centre is part of MoCo, Montpellier Contemporain, a project spearheaded by the current mayor, Philippe Saurel, who has approved the biggest city arts budget in France after Paris.

We head straight on to Rue Foch, Montpellier’s answer to the ChampsÉlysées, with another Arc de Triomphe at the end. Also known as Porte de Peyrou, it looks more like the Paris icon, although predating it by more than a century.

My guide produces a key and says “Shall we go up?” More than 100 steps later, we are enjoying panoramic views over old and new Montpellier.

“Not many people know you can come up here. But it is open, you just have to book with the tourist office,” Xavier says.

The visit concludes with a tour of the Musée Fabre. Extensively refurbished in 2007, the city’s leading arts museum houses an outstanding collection of

GETTING THERE By air: MontpellierMéditerranée airport is 10km south-east of the city centre. British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair operate regular services from the UK. By rail: The journey from London to Montpellier via Paris takes from 7hr 10min (tel: 0844 848 5848; voyages-sncf.com).

GETTING AROUND Montpellier can be explored easily on foot or by using the fast and reliable tram system (tam-voyages.com).

In the city centre, trams run every five to ten minutes from 5am to 12.30am.

European art. We wander through rooms dedicated to the Old Masters, with paintings by Flemish artist Rubens hanging next to a dreamy Venus and Adonis by French painter Nicholas Poussin. Next, we stroll through a Romantic section where paintings by Delacroix and Courbet catch my eye.

The tour concludes with works by Rodez-born Pierre Soulages, which are

Make the most of your short break to Montpellier

Useful stops include Gare Saint-Roch, Place de la Comédie, Place de l’Europe (for the Antigone district) and Port Marianne.

WHERE TO STAY Peter stayed at:

Hôtel Oceania Le Métropole 3 Rue du Clos René 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 12 32 32 oceaniahotels.com/h/ hotel-oceania-le-metropolemontpellier/presentation Located in the heart of Montpellier, this refurbished four-star hotel offers spacious rooms as well as a restaurant serving local dishes. Doubles from €120.

TOURIST INFORMATION: Montpellier tourist office, tel: (Fr) 4 67 60 60 60, montpellier-france.com

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a sea of abstract, all-black canvases.

These works surprise me, and the word ‘abstract’ sticks in my mind. It takes me back to some of the architecture I saw in the modern quarter and leaves me pondering just how progressive this city has become. If Georges Frêche, who died in 2010, could see Montpellier now, he would be thoroughly impressed.

I know I am.

WHERE TO EAT Peter ate at:

La Closerie 3 Rue du Clos René 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 12 32 32 oceaniahotels.com/h/ hotel-oceania-le-metropolemontpellier/presentation An elegant restaurant inside the four-star Hôtel Oceania Le Métropole, serving regional and classic French dishes at reasonable prices.

Menus from €20.

Café de la Panacée 14 Rue de l’École de Pharmacie 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 34 88 79 79 Nestled inside the contemporary arts centre, the café offers a seasonally changing menu with dishes

made from local produce.

Meals can be taken in the main café or in the courtyard. Menus from €18.

FOR AN APÉRO Le Comptoir de l’Arc 2 Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 60 30 79 This elegant wine bar and tapas restaurant on tranquil Place Canourgue stocks a range of Languedoc wines as well as champagne and other spirits.

WHERE TO VISIT Musée Fabre 39 Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 14 83 00 museefabre. montpellier3m.fr

Aquarium Mare Nostrum Centre commercial Odysseum Allée Ulysse 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 13 05 50 planetoceanworld.fr

Carré Sainte-Anne 2 Rue Philippy 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 60 82 11 montpellier.fr

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Rue Saint-Pierre 34000 Montpellier Tel: (Fr) 4 67 66 04 12 cathedrale-montpellier.fr

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PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

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ABOVE: The ‘Arc de Triomphe’ Conseil Régional building in the Antigone district

EXCLUSIVE WINE TOURS in small groups of 2 to 8 people

Every day from Monday to Saturday Day and half day visits: • Pic Saint-Loup • Wine and Oysters • Terrasse du Larzac • Wine and Olive • And don’t miss our wine tasting workshop!

Customized tours on request

Discover the best wines of the Languedoc

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info@montpellierwinetours.com 0033 (0)6-95-16-25-61 www.MontpellierWineTours.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 67

Where to stay for...

Wildlife spotting From the Channel coast to the Camargue wetlands, we have the best places for getting back to nature LES RIZIÈRES Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Bouches-du-Rhône The expansive wetlands of the Camargue are a year-round haven for wildlife, in particular white horses and pink flamingos, both of which can be easily accessed from this tranquil hotel. Set among marshes, Les Rizières features four bright, ground-floor rooms with en-suite bathrooms, flat screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. There is an outdoor pool where you can take a dip after your wildlife adventures.

The hotel is three kilometres north of the seaside town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and a few minutes’ walk from a stable offering tours on the white horses.

Doubles from €80, breakfast €11pp.

Tel: (Fr) 4 90 97 91 91 lesrizieres-camargue.com

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WHERE TO STAY HÔTEL DE L’OUSTAOU DE PORQUEROLLES Porquerolles, Var The azure waters around the island of Porquerolles are part of the Pelagos Sanctuary, a maritime zone stretching from southern France to Italy that helps to protect marine mammals. Dolphins, sperm whales and even fin whales have all been spotted along the coast near the island. This brightly coloured hotel has five air-conditioned rooms, all with flat-screen TVs, and a restaurant serving Provençal cuisine. The hotel is 50 metres from the port, where dolphin-watching boat trips leave regularly during the summer.

Doubles from €100 including breakfast.

Tel: (Fr) 4 94 58 30 13 www.oustaou.com

CABANE DU TRAPPEUR Ayzac-Ost, Hautes-Pyrénées

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO; HÔTEL DE L’OUSTAU DE PORQUEROLLES; XAVIER NICOSTRATE

LA BOCAGÈRE Lac du Der, Marne

Get up close to wolves and other wild animals at this wood cabin set within the Pyrénées Animal Park. Guests have the opportunity to meet Macho and Sakia, the alpha males in the park’s wolf pack, as well as learn about the stories and legends surrounding these animals. The cabin can accommodate up to four people and comes with a double bed and

bunk bed as well as a modern en-suite bathroom. There is a small dining area with table and chairs where you take breakfast and dinner (you will find both meals in the cabin on your arrival), and observation points looking on to the wolves’ enclosure.

Prices from €350 based on two sharing, including breakfast, dinner and park entry.

Tel: (Fr) 5 62 97 91 07 parc-animalier-pyrenees.com

This charming, timber-framed hotel in the village of Sainte-Marie-du-LacNuisement lies on the shores of Lac du Der, one of Europe’s largest artificial lakes. The lake is a popular stopping-off point for migrating cranes, which are among 200 species of bird you might see here. The waters are also home to 45 species of dragonfly and 20 species of frogs. The hotel has 13 en-suite bedrooms, which look out on to a flower-filled garden, and a small restaurant serving dinner (booking compulsory).

Doubles from €57, breakfast €7.50pp.

Tel: (Fr) 3 26 72 37 40 auberge.labocagere.free.fr

HÔTEL OPAL’INN Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais This three-star hotel overlooking the beach is a few minutes’ walk from the Nausicaa National Sea Centre, one of northern France’s most popular attractions. You will be able to see a huge range of sea creatures – including 140 sharks – and then go on to explore

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the wildlife on the Côte d’Opale. The Opal’Inn’s 42 rooms are decorated in pastel colours and have flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi; nearly half have sea views. Breakfast is served in the dining area for an additional charge. The centre of Boulogne is a 15-minute stroll.

Doubles from €91.

Tel: (Fr) 3 21 32 15 15 hotel-opalinn.com ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 69

LA MERTÉNIE Mijoux, Jura This renovated B&B surrounded by forested mountains and grassland is the perfect base for exploring wild Jura – and you might be lucky enough to spot a lynx. The 19th-century house comprises a family suite with room for five people, and two double bedrooms, all of which are en-suite. A continental breakfast of home-made jams and crêpes is served in the ground-floor room overlooking the mountains. The village of Mijoux is five kilometres away, where you will find a restaurant and a grocery shop.

Doubles from €80 including breakfast.

Tel: (Fr) 6 28 33 90 05 martenie.cmonsite.fr

TERRE DE BRENNE Azay-le-Ferron, Indre For anyone looking to enjoy a good walk and see different types of butterflies and insects, this rustic hotel within the Brenne regional park makes a convenient base.

Set in a former coaching inn on the edge of Azay-le-Ferron, the hotel has nine traditionally decorated en-suite bedrooms, two of which have been specially adapted for those with reduced mobility. There is a restaurant serving local dishes, as well as a bar and tea room. The Haute Touche zoological park nature reserve, which houses 75 species of mammals and 31 types of bird, is six kilometres away.

Doubles from €70, breakfast €7.50pp.

Tel: (Fr) 2 54 39 24 43 parc-naturel-brenne.fr

LE BOAT Jarnac, Charente

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Sail along the idyllic River Charente at your own pace admiring otters, herons and other watery wildlife on this self-drive cruising holiday. The journey begins in Jarnac and passes towns such as Cognac, home to the famous brandy, and Saintes, with its medieval and Gallo-

Roman heritage, before you reach the port of Rochefort on the Atlantic coast.

Seven-night cruises start from £1,450 for a Calypso boat sleeping up to eight people. The price includes boat rental, on-board equipment, a pre-departure demonstration and locks fee.

Tel: 0239 280 9411 leboat.co.uk

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WHERE TO STAY BULLES GÉORENNES Champfromier, Ain

CAMPING LE CANADA Champagny-le-Haut, Savoie For a stay that combines stunning mountain scenery and wildlife, look no further than this campsite in the Alpine valley of Champagny-le-Haut, gateway to the Vanoise national park. This area has an abundance of wildlife including ibex, chamois, marmots, golden eagles and Eurasian eagle-owls. The campsite is open from mid-June to mid-September and has 110 flat, grassy pitches for tents, caravans and campervans, all of which come with views of the peaks of the Vanoise. Services include two toilet blocks with free hot showers, and a launderette. A bar-restaurant serves local and Italian specialities.

Basic pitch (without electricity) from €2.10 a day.

Tel: (Fr) 4 79 55 03 41 camping-champagny-en-vanoise.fr

PHOTOGRAPHS: LARA DUNN; GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

BRITTANY FERRIES Bay of Biscay Anyone looking to snap photos of amazing sea creatures from the comfort of a ship will enjoy the Brittany Ferries crossings from Plymouth and Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao in northern Spain. On the 24-hour-long journey, the ship passes through the Bay of Biscay, where you have a good chance of spotting dolphins, porpoises and sperm whales. Once you arrive in Spain, you have the bonus of being within driving distance of the French seaside resorts of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz.

Prices from £220 return for a car and a family of four (two adults, two children).

Tel: 0330 159 7000 brittany-ferries.co.uk

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Ornithologists keen to observe wildlife at night from an unusual setting have the chance to stay in a huge plastic bubble in woodland on the edge of the Haut-Jura regional park. There are two bubbles – one fully transparent and the other semi-transparent – each with a double bed and all the comforts of a hotel room

LA LOZERETTE Cocurès, Lozère Explore the mountains, flora and fauna of the Cévennes Unesco World Heritage site at this hotel, which sits just above the national park. Visitors can discover a range of wildlife, from golden eagles and beavers to wild boar, and even wolves. The hotel has 20 rooms,

including bed linen, duvet, bedside lamp and heating. Dry toilets and a private bathroom are in huts a few steps away. The accommodation lies on a 50-square-metre terrace with views over the Jura mountains.

Open end of April-Sept. Prices from €230 including breakfast.

Tel: (Fr) 7 81 17 23 15 bullestransparentesrhonealpes.com

decorated with wood furnishings, and including free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and balconies. Guests can sample regional cuisine in the wood-panelled restaurant and play boules in the pretty garden.

Doubles from €65, breakfast €9pp.

NEXT Tel: (Fr) 4 66 45 06 04 MONTH lalozerette.com WHERE TO

S TAY T O LEARN SOMETHING NEW

FRANCE MAGAZINE 71

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BON APPÉTIT The best of French gastronomy

P74 SAFFRON Meet French producers of this exotic and expensive spice.

P78 EATING OUT IN… Limoges – enjoy the dining delights of the porcelain city.

P80 GAULT&MILLAU A homage to the culinary icon Christian Millau.

P81 RESTAURANT REVIEW and WINES OF THE MONTH P82 MAKE THE PERFECT… Gigot de sept heures – comforting slowly cooked lamb.

P84 WINE Explore the malbec varieties being reinvented in Cahors.

Sign of autumn: a harvest of pumpkins

CHEESE OF THE MONTH Ossau-Iraty

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

I

t was during a walking holiday one beautiful Pyrenean spring in the Haut-Béarn that I grew to love this delectable sheep’s cheese. We visited a small producer in the foothills of the mountains and took home kilos as presents and souvenirs. The cheese is as synonymous with this dramatic region as are the fronton walls used for the Basque version of pelota, and the flocks of sheep that trek to the higher summer pastures each spring.

Along with the more universally acclaimed Roquefort, Ossau-Iraty is the

STRENGTH www.completefrance.com

only other sheep’s cheese to bear the official French AOC and European AOP appellations. This venerable cheese is still made in the traditional way with uncooked, unpasteurised ewe’s milk from only three local breeds.

That it did not receive its AOC hallmark until 1980 suggests how comparatively recently the region admitted the modern world.

Inevitably, a cheese made traditionally on a smaller scale looks, smells and tastes comme il faut. It will have

a buff, earthy-looking rind with flesh the colour of ivory and a nutty, milky aroma that is redolent (my wife suggests) of Heidi. Well... shall we say the verdant valleys of the Béarn and the Pays Basque?

A cheese that is matured for three months or more should taste creamy, briny and a little fruity. The exceptional flavour scores a healthy five on the Robustometer and lingers long on the palate.

It is a cheese that goes beautifully with cherries and red berries, and although

purists will probably choose an accompanying white wine, I would plump for a heady Cahors from Lot, my adoptive département. Although I need no excuse to re-visit the Pyrénées, the thought of bringing back a few more chunks of this heavenly cheese is very tempting.

Mark Sampson

FRANCE MAGAZINE 73

Harvest of gold

Saffron production is once again growing in France, and the country’s best chefs are taking note, says Dominic Rippon its value is derived from the intensive labour required in its preparation: as many as 200,000 flowers must be hand-harvested in October, and their tiny crimson, filament-like pistils collected and carefully dried, to make a single kilogram of saffron.

Saffron comes from a breed of crocus known as Crocus sativus, which is native to south-west Asia, but was probably first cultivated in Ancient Greece. In Greek mythology, the god Zeus is said to have laid his lovers on a bed of saffron, to stimulate their desires and increase his own virility! Homer and Pliny the Elder were also fans of the spice, which has been praised since antiquity for its medicinal properties.

Saffron was first planted in France in the Middle Ages, arriving either from North Africa via Spain, or through Italy from the eastern Mediterranean. Bulbs were planted in the Gâtinais region around the city of Orléans, and in the ancient province of Quercy, in south-west France, which became the dual cradles of French saffron production. Saffron needs water to produce flowers, but it likes to be planted in free-draining soils, like loam, sandstone or clay-limestone. Above all, it needs plenty of direct sunlight.

For more than 500 years, France was renowned for the quality of its saffron.

The small town of Boynes, in the Gâtinais, was regarded as the global capital of saffron production from the 16th to the 18th centuries, towards the end of which France produced up to 30 tonnes of saffron per year. So much

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PHOTOGRAPHS: PATRICK FORGET/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

S

affron is perhaps the most alluring of all the exotic spices that find their way into French haute cuisine. Even in tiny quantities, it imparts an evocative golden hue to dishes; accompanied by flavours that are so subtle, they can be a challenge to put into words. Some talk of a delicate sweetness, while others find an attractively bitter tang; or honey and fresh flowers, with undertones of freshly picked girolle mushrooms.

Nicknamed l’or rouge – or red gold – a single gram of top French saffron is worth between €30 and €40; so it is, quite literally, worth more than its weight in the precious metal. Unlike that other jewel of the French kitchen, the truffle, saffron is not difficult to grow. Rather,

BON APPÉTIT

ABOVE: Saffron farming in the Eure-et-Loir département; BELOW LEFT: Honey bees foraging on crocus plants

of the country’s harvest was exported that, in 1698, Louis XIV issued the first of many royal edicts to protect and ensure the quality of l’or rouge français.

The industry’s decline began with the Revolution, which decimated much of France’s agriculture. The hard winters of 1880 and 1881 killed off swathes of crocus bulbs, which cannot resist really low temperatures. At the same time, the exodus of valuable labour from country to town left flowers unpicked; and as harvests dwindled, newly developed synthetic food colourings replaced saffron in the bistros of Paris.

The last commercial saffron field in France ceased production in 1930.

Fifty years after saffron’s little purple flowers disappeared from the French

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landscape, a group of farmers in the Gâtinais decided to resurrect the ancient tradition. In 1987, they bought 50,000 saffron bulbs from the Kashmir region of northern India – the plant’s supposed origin – and began to rebuild the industry from scratch. Others have followed, replanting the saffron fields of Quercy, with other centres in Limousin and Normandy.

Escaping the rat race Like many artisanal cottage industries in France, saffron production has attracted city dwellers looking for a second career away from the urban rat race, including many who grow their saffron organically.

Although France is still a tiny producer in global terms, with only around 150

commercial producers, the quality is so well recognised that it is now among the world’s leading saffron exporters.

In the commune of Laburgade, in Quercy, I spoke to Michel Alaux, a retired teacher who took up saffron growing in 1997 to supplement his pension. He is one of 50 producers who make up the Safran du Quercy association – a close-knit group which sells the majority of its members’ harvest to the local saffron cooperative, although each producer takes part of their own harvest directly to market.

In July and August, Michel can be found among other producers at the artisanal markets of CastelnauMontratier and Montcuq; and on the third weekend of October, towards ➳

FRANCE MAGAZINE 75

RECIPE

By Julien Poisot, head chef at Château de Mercuès (chateaudemercues.com).

SERVES

4

Suprême of ‘black’ poultry from Astarac Bigorre, poached in vegetable broth with Quercy saffron and steamed spring vegetables • 4 sliced breasts of ‘black’ poultry from Astarac-Bigorre • 1 litre of vegetable broth

76 FRANCE MAGAZINE

ABOVE: Saffron on display at the annual festival held in Cajarc in the Lot département

but chef Allan Duplouich, from the nearby ‘bistronomique’ restaurant La Table de Haute-Serre – which itself has a small saffron plantation – is more forthright: “I find Quercy saffron more aromatic, with softer flavours than that produced elsewhere in France,” he said.

Allan is one of a growing number of French chefs who have succumbed to the elusive charms of the spice, including Julien Poisot, head chef at Michelinstarred Château de Mercuès. Originally

• 100g butter • Quercy saffron • 4 small yellow carrots • 4 small orange carrots • 4 small yellow beetroots • 4 small Chioggia beetroots • 2 sides of red chard • 2 small leeks • 4 small turnips • 12 new potatoes • 4 spring onions 1. Remove the skins from the poultry suprêmes, season and refrigerate.

2. To make a vegetable broth, use trimmings rather than the vegetable peel, cooking them in water for at least two hours. Save the cooking water and boil it until the taste of the vegetables is well concentrated. Five litres of cooking water are generally required to reduce to one litre of vegetable broth.

3. Add the saffron to the vegetable broth

from Burgundy, Julien had no special affection for saffron before arriving in Quercy, but quickly discovered its affinity with white fish and poultry dishes. “For me, the secret’s in the intensity of the dose,” he explained. “Too little and it goes unnoticed; too much and it can be overpowering; but in the right concentration, saffron really is the most elegant of spices.” ● See page 84 to discover the wines of Château de Mercuès.

and whisk it in the butter. The quantity of saffron varies according to the quality and pungency of the individual saffron, each of which has a distinctive flavour.

4. Peel the small vegetables; if they appear too big, trim them back with a knife, trying to preserve their original shapes. Gently cook the vegetables in butter, then deglaze them with a little vegetable broth and let them simmer in a covered vessel.

5. Once all the preparations are complete and it is time to taste, bring the saffron vegetable broth to the boil, add the suprêmes to the broth, remove from the heat and cover. Let them cook very gently for about ten minutes, to preserve the tenderness of the poultry.

6. To dress the dish, heat all the little vegetables together and arrange them harmoniously in a serving dish. Place the suprêmes on top and ladle on generous helpings of the broth that was used to cook the poultry.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: JÉRÔME MOREL/OFFICE DE TOURISME DE FIGEAC

the end of the harvest, he joins his colleagues and the public for the annual saffron festival in the village of Cajarc.

Initially, Michel admits, he was attracted as much by saffron’s fabled health benefits as he was by its flavours.

Although picking is energetic, meticulous work, Michel told me, saffron crocuses don’t require much care throughout the year. “They might need a little water in September in a dry year,” he adds, “but they mostly just get on with it on their own.”

As saffron production has grown in France, the need for regions to distinguish their own produce has emerged, with a positive impact on quality. The Safran de Quercy association is seeking IGP (indication géographique protégée) status for its saffron. “Saffron has a worse history of fraud than any other agricultural product,” Michel explained, especially when it is sold as powder. “It can be cut with all sorts of other things.”

The producers of Safran de Quercy have imposed strict rules, including the stipulation that only the crimson tips of the crocuses’ stigmas are collected, as their yellow bases (picked by many saffron farmers) can impart astringent flavours.

Michel is hesitant to distinguish the specific virtues of saffron from Quercy,

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Where to eat out in...

Limoges

ABOVE: Bars and restaurants doing a roaring trade in the lively Rue de la Haute Cité in the historic quarter of Limoges

Restaurants in this city in the heart of France offer a rich dining experience where nothing goes to waste, says Adam Ruck

Limoges is a city red in tooth and claw, and Rue de la Boucherie is its spiritual heart, still timbered and picturesque but no longer thick with the gore and reek of butchery. Halfway down, opposite the butchers’ chapel, Les Petits Ventres is a typical tall and narrow building with cosy dining spaces on three levels, an eclectic jumble of art, and tables on the street to tempt the passing trade.

The colourful Stéphanie – Cuq by name, a cook by training – welcomes guests with a smile and a limousin aperitif of chestnut syrup and cider.

When her husband left two years ago, former sous-chef Adrien Hoffele from Colmar stepped up to the plate.

He continues to offer meaty classics including tartare de bœuf and filet de bœuf Rossini as well as regional staples: charcuterie cuts from cul noir (blackbottomed) pigs from Saint-Yrieix, or, for the full experience, l’assiette des

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petits ventres comprising calf’s head, tongue, caul and testicles with a sauce gribiche. Offal is not compulsory, however. “We also sell lots of fish,” Stephanie says. “People’s habits have changed, and you have to adapt.”

Le petit ventre itself – sheep’s trotters wrapped in its stomach – has not been on the menu since the BSE outbreak. But if you are interested, join the tens of thousands of offal devotees who descend on Limoges’ boucherie quarter on the third Friday of October

for an outdoor tasting fair, the Frairie des Petits Ventres.

After lunch, look in on the chapel across the street, with its 15th-century sculpture of Saint-Anne, the Virgin and Child, who is munching on a raw kidney.

Open Tues-Sat noon-2pm, 7.30pm9.30pm. Three-course menus from €27.50 including aperitif, mains from €16.

20 Rue de la Boucherie, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 64 28 58 32 www.les-petits-ventres.fr

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PHOTOGRAPHS: ADAM RUCK: F. MORLAIX

1 Les Petits Ventres

Eating in

BON APPÉTIT

2 La Cuisine du Cloître “I had a restaurant on the other side of town for 17 years before this, so the limougeauds knew me already,” says Guy Queroix, the convivial owner-chef of this new restaurant in the cobbled pedestrian zone near the cathedral.

Trust in the chef is important for a restaurant that operates on the principle that he knows better than you do, what you want to eat and drink. You choose how many courses – three, four or five – and how many glasses of wine, and Queroix does the rest. As he says on the so-called menu: ‘Merci de votre confiance et laissez vous guider’ - the idea being “to refocus on seasonality. People are too used to eating tomatoes in January.”

Given notice, allowance is made for allergy and aversion, and choice of wine is not entirely inflexible. Even so, this is not the place for the fussy eater, or one for whom nothing but turbot and chablis will do. Queroix describes his style as ‘more gastro than bistro’ and this is no idle boast. Food came beautifully prepared and presented: artichoke hearts

Choose the best Limousin produce for your supper or picnic.

HALLES CENTRALES

with Serrano ham in a wine reduction, slow-cooked veal on a courgette risotto, and interesting character wines from Puglia in southern Italy.

The former convent’s indoor spaces are decorated in a fittingly spare style with the option of dining on the terrace, looking out over the Irish Pub and other haunts on Rue de la Haute Cité, a lively evening hub.

Menus from €35, €12 for two glasses of wine; lunch menus from €15 including coffee.

Open Tues evening to Sun lunch noon-1.45pm and 8pm-9.45pm.

6 Rue des Allois, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 55102829 la-cuisine-du-cloitre.fr

Place de la Motte, 87000 Limoges The covered market’s 54 stalls cater for every need: boucherie, poissonnerie, triperie, fromagerie, charcuterie, pâtisserie as well as fruit and vegetables. The belle époque edifice is due to close for restoration from January.

WINE Vinoble 3 Place de la Motte, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 55 34 30 94, vinoble.fr Independent caviste Nicolas Marchand offers 200 wines in the €5-€15 in his shop next door to Chez Alphonse on the market square.

TREATS Épicerie des Halles 3 Rue Othon Peconnet, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr): 5 87 19 98 84, epiceriedeshalles.fr This small shop is packed with delicacies including boutargue – a boudin-like sausage of fish eggs known as ‘mediterranean caviar.’

Aux Délices de Mathilde 8 Rue Haute Vienne, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 55 34 19 32 Mathilde is an artisan distiller who makes and sells only local produce including Limousin pastis and chestnut-based drinks and spreads.

3 Chez Alphonse After stocking up with provisions or sharpening the appetite on a tour of the central market, there is nowhere more pleasant (and convenient) to rest the legs and refuel than Chez Alphonse, a reassuringly traditional place with red and white check tablecloths, advertising posters for aperitifs that no one drinks any more, pig-themed ashtrays (‘chez moi tout est bon’) and the busy hum of a successful bistro: if you have not booked, be sure to arrive early for lunch.

The elegant patron Christophe Buteau dislikes the term bistronomie, preferring to speak of cuisine de cantine, terroir and ‘no cheating with the product’, much of which comes through his sister business Tripes & Compagnie. Portions are generous: terrine maison comes in the pot – help yourself – and traditional staples such as stuffed cabbage may be enough for two. The ‘incontournables’ board

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CHARCUTERIE/TRAITEUR Tripes & Compagnie Halles Centrales Tel (Fr) 5 44 21 35 28, tripesetcie.fr Owner Josette offers myriad offal specialities, along with cul noir ham and a trio of andouillette, chestnut boudin and herb sausage. includes offal classics: ris de veau, tête de veau à la façon d’Alphonse, tripes à volonté, pied de cochon. For a lighter lunch, M Buteau might suggest a plate of raw tuna with a perfect vinaigrette, finished off with a clafoutis or a café gourmand.

Open Mon-Sat noon-2pm and 7.30pm-10.30pm (11pm Thurs, Fri and Sat); lunch menu €15.95, mains around €15.

5 Place de la Motte, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 55 34 34 14 www.chezalphonse.fr

BREAD/PÂTISSERIE La Boutique des Pains Halles Centrales Tel: (Fr) 5 55 34 16 11 Picnic baguettes, artisanal loaves and cherry clafoutis are all top quality, among other fruit tarts, flans and quiches.

Madeleines Bébé 3 Rue Vigne de Fer, 87000 Limoges Tel: (Fr) 5 55 03 87 33, madeleine-bebe.com This family business has been producing mini-madeleines and caprices du limousin cakelets since 1870.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 79

CRITIC WHO CHANGED THE WAY WE DINE Christian Millau co-founded the guide that overturned convention and championed nouvelle cuisine

T

80 FRANCE MAGAZINE

This classic French dessert was invented by the father of haute cuisine, Auguste Escoffier, and with its mix of sweet, ripe pears and indulgent chocolate will appeal to the whole family.

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS • 200g/7 oz sugar • Half a vanilla pod, split lengthwise • 6 pears • Half a lemon (optional) • 150ml/5fl oz cream • 200g/7oz/11/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped • 1 litre/34 fl oz/4 cups vanilla ice cream • 100g/31/2oz flaked almonds, toasted • Icing sugar, for dusting

ABOVE: Critic Christian Millau dining at a bistro in Paris

chefs to move away from the complicated recipes and rich sauces synonymous with classic French cuisine.

Instead, they called for a focus on creating lighter, nutritious meals made with fresh, high-quality ingredients, using innovative techniques.

Millau was always modest about their

influence on nouvelle cuisine: “We have suggested this formula, and it has caught on like a superb mayonnaise, but that’s all…

We remain observers.”

As for today’s culinary world, Millau is credited with paving the way for celebrity chefs. He urged chefs to leave the confines of the kitchen and explain their food to the public, thus turning them into stars and creating a surge in demand for cookery books and TV programmes.

1. Combine 1.5 litres/51 fl oz water, the sugar and vanilla pod in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

2. Peel the pears. If they begin to discolour, rub them with the lemon half and place them in a bowl of cold water. Add the peeled pears to the syrup and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for the pears to cool in the liquid.

4. Bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool a little.

6. Drain the pears and place in a bowl with one or two scoops of ice cream.

Spoon a little chocolate sauce over the top, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and dust with icing sugar.

Serve immediately.

This recipe is taken from So French , So Sweet, by Gabriel Gaté, published

by Hardie Grant, priced £12.99.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: MAURICE ROUGEMONT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; MARK ROPER; GARETH GARDNER; VICKY LEIGH

he French food critic Christian Millau, who has died at the age of 88, co-founded the Gault&Millau guide and helped to launch the nouvelle cuisine movement in the 1970s.

Millau is remembered for helping to change food culture on the international stage and championing the work of talented young chefs. Famous names he helped included Joël Robuchon, Michel Guérard and Paul Bocuse.

Paris-born Millau and his journalist colleague Henri Gault (who died in 2000) launched a monthly magazine on food and wine in 1969 before publishing their first national restaurant guide in book form in 1972.

The guide was an instant success, selling more than 100,000 copies in the first months after publication.

It became known for taking an irreverent approach to reviewing, often downgrading prestigious restaurants in favour of the humblest bistros and cafés.

In 1973, the Gault&Millau guide set out a series of culinary commandments, which led to the growth of the nouvelle cuisine movement. Gault and Millau encouraged

PEARS BELLE HÉLÈNE

BON APPÉTIT R ESTAU RA N T R EV I EW

BRASSERIE BLANC CHELTENHAM

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aymond Blanc has been quoted as saying that, “If Le Manoir is a delicate waltz, then the Brasseries are a lively cancan. It’s a place for relaxed enjoyment where we can offer you simple great food.” I’m fortunate enough to have eaten at both, and I have to agree.

Situated on The Promenade in the Montpellier area of Cheltenham, Brasserie Blanc occupies the old ballroom of the Queen’s Hotel, and while the setting is certainly grand enough for a special occasion, the pleasingly affordable prices make it easy enough to justify a week-night treat.

My friend and I did just that on a Thursday evening after work (the restaurant has the bonus of being a stone’s throw from the FRANCE Magazine office) and it was buzzing with others doing the same.

The elegant dining room has an open kitchen at one end and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street at the other, with large mirrors on the walls in between bouncing light around the room. The carefully considered decor makes the space feel open and airy, yet cosy and intimate at the same time.

Our friendly and attentive waiter presented us with the prix fixe and the à la carte menus, and while the former was great value at £11.95 for two courses, my friend and I decided to order from the latter. I opted for the Mediterranean summer salad to start (pictured inset), which certainly looked like sunshine on a plate thanks to the colourful mix of peppers, courgettes, aubergines and bulgar wheat. Meanwhile, my friend

could almost smell the sea air when her starter of potted crab, served with avocado, prawn butter and sourdough toast, arrived.

I continued with the summery theme for my main course, choosing the grilled hake and cardamom-braised fennel, accompanied by apple purée, watercress and fennel salad, while my friend stuck with the tried-and-tested French classic, steak frites, although was beaten by the very generous portion of perfectly cooked beef.

We both gave in to temptation and ordered desserts – a zesty tarte au citron for my friend and a fluffy pistachio soufflé for me, rounding off a delicious meal and a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Vicky Leigh Open from 10am-11pm Mon-Fri, 9am-11pm Sat, 9.30am-10pm Sun. Two-course prix fixe menu £11.95, and a third course for £3.50. Served Mon-Fri until 7pm and Sat until 6.30pm. À la carte mains from £12.50.

The Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1NN Tel: 01242 266 800 brasserieblanc.com/restaurants/cheltenham

WINES OF THE MONTH BY SALLY EASTON, MASTER OF WINE SNAP IT UP

WEEKEND TREAT

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Domaine Sérol, Éclat de Granite 2015, Côte Roannaise This 200-hectare appellation lies in the granitic foothills of the Massif Central, towards the source of the River Loire.

Gamay is grown here, and this one is made using a mix of whole bunches and de-stemmed fruit (very à la mode with pinot noir). The result is a wine with bright, violet and dark rose-petal floral aromas, followed on the palate with sweet, juicy fruits of plum, strawberry and black cherry. The few tannins feel incidental to the lively expression of ripe fruits, which are kept fresh by well-framing acidity.

Drink with: Cold meats and coleslaws.

Wine Society, £9.50 Tel: 01438 741 177 thewinesociety.com

Simonnet-Febvre, Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Saint Bris, Burgundy A quirk of the Burgundy region is this small appellation in the northerly Yonne Valley, 20 kilometres south-west of Chablis, where sauvignon blanc is grown instead of chardonnay. The vignerons prefer a creamier style of sauvignon, which is more a textural preference (rather than the taste of cream). Flavours are of pink grapefruit zestiness with a fresh peach, and peach-stone feel, and a smoothpebbly texture. It is definitely not in the grassy/herbal spectrum, but is riper, without the loss of an acid core.

Drink as: A lengthy, ruminative, discursive aperitif.

Hay Wines, £13.99 Tel: 01531 634 449 haywines.co.uk

Château de Chaintré 2015, Pouilly-Fuissé, Burgundy At the other end of Burgundy from SaintBris, we are in more familiar chardonnay territory. Pouilly-Fuissé is the quintessence of this grape, touched by a little nearMediterranean warmth. This elegant wine comes from a tiny, two-hectare estate, 200 to 300 metres above sea level, which offers some altitudinal cooling to keep acidfreshness. Its aromatically smoky nose gives way to a creamy, steely attack, followed by a peach-cinnamon concentration with a honeyapple note.

Drink with: Chicken or salmon in a creamy sauce.

Bay Tree Wine Company, £22.50 Tel: 0292 048 8183 baytreewine.com

www.completefrance.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 81

. . . t c e f r e p e h t e k a M Gigot de

7 heures

Lamb cooked slowly in a pot until falling apart is a comforting dish as the nights draw in, says Rosa Jackson

S

omething I have learned since moving to France, and especially the south of France, is the value of not being in a hurry. Few dishes embody this better than gigot de sept heures, lamb cooked so slowly that it collapses at the touch of a spoon (hence its second name, gigot à la cuillère).

Served with buttery potato purée, it is the kind of dish that makes me happy that the days are growing shorter and the nights chillier.

If young lamb benefits from being cooked until just pink inside to preserve its delicate flavour and texture, the seven-hour method suits the stronger autumn meat, tempering its more robust character. I had come across this dish in bistros for years, but first learned to cook it while on holiday in Lozère, a region of spectacular rocky landscapes that is famed for the quality of its lamb and beef. Here, the host of our chambre d’hôte, a natural and modest cook, taught me to rub a leg of lamb with fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil before wrapping it in several layers of foil and roasting it at low temperature for several hours. Once out of the oven, the package is bundled in layers of tea towel to retain the heat and juices until serving.

Her method, which works beautifully,

82 FRANCE MAGAZINE

is not one I have come across they would cook it for one elsewhere: most recipes for hour at 170°C/325°F, three seven-hour lamb call for it to hours at 150°C/300°F, and be braised in a tightly sealed three hours at 120°C/250°F. enamelled cast-iron pot. This A definitive version of allows for the addition of this recipe comes from chef vegetables, wine and stock, Alain Ducasse, who has which result in rich cooking a soft spot for bistro juices that you can spoon cooking, even if he runs over the mashed potatoes. a number of MichelinThough lamb is the accepted starred restaurants. The meat for this dish, venison owner of the classic bistros and wild boar also benefit Allard and Aux Lyonnais in Food critic and from this gentle cooking Paris, he recommends cookbook author style, which brings out braising the meat for seven Rosa Jackson lives their sweetness. hours at 130°C/265°F. in Nice, where she Probably dating from Whichever combination runs the cookery Roman times and adopted by of temperatures and timing school Les Petits the Gauls, this recipe you choose, it is hard to go Farcis and writes gradually became associated wrong with this forgiving about food for with the Auvergne region, recipe, which was publications whose harsh winters lent clearly designed for the worldwide. themselves to dishes cooked distracted cook. in the embers of a fire. The seven hours in the title may have referred to the time between lunch and dinner, or an overnight cooking. Though the name MORE has stuck, some chefs say that five hours, ONLINE not seven, is the ideal cooking time for Discover more traditional French recipes lamb. Others cook it for the full seven www.completefrance.com/languagehours, but gradually lower the heat to culture/food-and-drink achieve the perfect texture. In this case,

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BON APPÉTIT

THE PERFECT SEVEN-HOUR LAMB Though leg of lamb is the traditional meat for this dish, the SERVES more affordable shoulder makes a good substitute. This recipe is adapted from one by chef Alain Ducasse.

The ideal cooking pot is made of enamelled cast-iron with a tight-fitting lid, but you can improvise with a roasting tin and layers of aluminium foil.

PHOTOGRAPHS: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

8

• 1 leg of lamb weighing about 2.5 kg/51/2lb, deboned, trimmed of excess fat and tied • 1tbsp olive oil • 2 onions • 2 carrots • 5-6 slices unsmoked bacon • 1 bay leaf

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• 2 sprigs thyme • 1 head garlic • 1tbsp tomato purée • 50ml/1/4 cup dry white wine • 300ml/11/4 cups lamb or veal stock, or water • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in an enamelled cast-iron pot and brown the lamb on all sides. Set it aside.

2. Cut the onions and carrots into small dice.

Add to the pot and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F. Line the bottom of the pot with the bacon slices and place the lamb on top. Add the vegetables, bay leaf, thyme, head of garlic

cut in half horizontally, tomato purée, white wine and stock or water. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Bring to a boil on the stove. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or three layers of tightly wrapped foil, and place in the oven. (If the lid of your pot does not fit tightly, place a sheet of aluminium foil between the pot and the lid.) Lower the temperature to 130°C/265°F and cook for seven hours.

5. Remove the lamb from the pot and strain the cooking juices into a saucepan. Skim the fat off the surface of the juices using a small ladle. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue boiling until reduced by half.

6. Adjust the seasoning. Serve the lamb with buttery mashed potatoes and the cooking juices.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 83

Cahors on the up

S

ome sites seem so well suited to viticulture, it is as if God himself had planted vines there. It was this thought that sprang to mind as I stood on the remote sun-baked plateau that surrounds Château de Haute-Serre, in the far south-east of the Cahors appellation. As far from the banks of the River Lot as it is possible to be in Cahors, at an altitude of 300 metres, these vineyards are also its highest, strewn with limestone boulders, through which the indigenous malbec vines push skyward.

In the Middle Ages, the heyday of the Cahors vineyards, the château was owned by the Abbey of Lagarde Dieu, which farmed 1,000 hectares of vineyards.

Today, 60 hectares of mostly malbec vines are planted on the best sites, around which saffron crocuses grow in winter.

A thousand oak trees have been planted to encourage the growth of the black truffles for which the nearby village of Lalbenque is renowned. The château itself is built from local limestone: elegant in its solidity and beautifully restored; this is the residence of vignerons Bertrand and Christine Vigouroux.

In 2008, the family opened a ‘bistronomique’ restaurant, La Table de Haute-Serre, within the cellar, and this

84 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Bordeaux, as its robust structure year it earned the Michelin helped the blends to withstand Guide’s Bib Gourmand for long sea voyages in barrel. good-value fine dining. It was Cahors flourished until the here that I met Bertrand to late 19th century, when the learn more about the estate. phylloxera vine epidemic wiped “Haute-Serre always makes out the majority of its the silkiest of wines,” vineyards. A few years later, he explained, noting my Dominic Rippon Germain Vigouroux set up appreciation for the deeply has many years’ a wine merchant business in coloured red that filled my experience in the Cahors, selling what remained glass. “It’s the complex clay wine trade, both of the region’s production to limestone soils combined with in the UK and local restaurants. In 1971, the altitude that give the France, and 100 years after the arrival of wines their elegance.” now runs the phylloxera, Vigouroux’s Bertrand talks passionately wine merchant grandson Georges bought and about the history of Cahors business Strictly began to replant the vineyards wines. Planted by the Romans Wine. at Château de Haute-Serre, in ancient Gaul, the vineyards handing the reins to his son expanded rapidly from the Bertrand 20 years later.

12th century, with the marriage of Until the 1990s, Bertrand told me, Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Cahors had a reputation for producing Plantagenet. Trade with England rather rustic wines: 90 per cent were sold boomed, reaching its peak in 1310 when in France and 90 per cent of exports went half of all wine shipped from the port of to Canada – thanks in large part to Bordeaux was Cahors – nicknamed Georges’ efforts in developing this ‘black wine’, after its deep colour. market. Following in his father’s restless Despite the emerging success of the footsteps, Bertrand travelled to Argentina Bordeaux vineyard, and bordelais efforts in the early 2000s, to learn from to impose heavy taxes on wines carried winemakers in the malbec grape’s downstream to the port, Cahors adopted New World heartland. continued to prosper. ‘Black wine’ was He returned full of ideas; convinced that, used to enrich the lighter wines of

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PHOTOGRAPHS: DOMINIC RIPPON

The home of malbec is being transformed as the robust ‘black wines’ are given a more refined edge

BON APPÉTIT

LEFT: Château de Mercuès in the Cahors appellation; ABOVE: The Haute-Serre domaine; RIGHT: Vigneron Bertrand Vigouroux in the Table de Haute-Serre restaurant

in order to have a bright future in a global market, Cahors malbec needed to develop more refined flavours.

After lunch, I took the road north towards the town of Cahors, to discover the jewel in the crown of the Vigouroux holdings: Château de Mercuès. The turreted château perches high above the River Lot, showing off its restored medieval grandeur. This was the residence of the powerful bishops of Cahors until the early 20th century, when the church was separated from the French state, and the château became the latter’s property. Georges Vigouroux bought the property in 1983, transforming it into a luxury hotel and restaurant, and restoring its vineyards.

Each bedroom is decorated in keeping with a different era to which the château has borne witness. My Louis XIV suite

nestled at the base of one of the four turrets, with windows opening high above the river, offering breathtaking views.

I joined estate director Yann Potet in the Michelin-starred restaurant for a six-course dinner based around local Lalbenque black truffles. Each course was accompanied by a different wine from Château de Mercuès – the equals of their sister château in quality, with power in reserve where the latter’s wines are more often defined by their finesse.

We began with the 1988 vintage: a Cahors made in what Yann described as ‘the old style’ from earlier picked grapes that received no softening ‘malolactic’ fermentation. It would have been a difficult wine to drink in its youth, but was delicious after nearly 30 years in bottle. The 2000 provided contrast: a richer, spicy, more voluptuous wine.

The 2010 vintage of the estate’s malbec 6666 blend was a surprisingly fresh foil for roasted sweetbreads with truffle purée, but the pièce de résistance came in the top blend, ‘Icône W.O.W.’ 2011. Meticulously crafted, this wine comes from hyper-dense malbec plantings on the terraces above Cahors, from which only the best bunches are hand-harvested.

The result combines freshness and delicacy with all the brooding muscle and dark fruits of which the finest malbec is capable. Proof, if any were needed, that Cahors is able to produce not simply France’s best malbec, but among the finest red wines in the world. ● Discover the Vigouroux family estates:

g-vigouroux.fr ● Visit Cahors: tourisme-cahors.fr/

6 of the best wines from Châteaux de Mercuès and de Haute-Serre Château de Haute-Serre ‘Albesco’ Chardonnay, IGP Pays du Lot A genuine surprise, this wine shows that the area surrounding Cahors can produce delicious white wines, as well as reds.

A barrel-fermented explosion of minerals and ripe apple fruit, ‘Albesco’ lays down a challenge to whites from southern Burgundy. €16.

Château de Mercuès Cahors ‘Grand Vin Seigneur’ Malbec is blended with a little merlot, giving an impressively

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structured wine with fresh red fruits, spice and vanilla flavours.

A classy, oak-aged bottle that can be drunk young; a good value insight into the estate’s prestige range. From €15.50.

Château de Haute-Serre Cahors ‘Géron Dadine’ This is my own coup de coeur.

Made only from malbec and aged for 18 months in oak, it shows dark fruit and beguiling spice aromas. The palate is beautifully sappy, with grainy tannins: a perfect match for entrecôte charolais. €30.

Château de Mercuès Cahors ‘Malbec 6666’ Vines are planted with an unusually high density – 6,666 plants per hectare – increasing the wine’s concentration and complexity of flavour. Aromas are of blackberry, dark chocolate and liquorice; reflected in soft plummy flavours and a svelte mouth feel. From €29.

Château de Mercuès Cahors ‘Icône W.O.W.’ This emblematic cuvée is made without compromise; the

result of rigorous bunch selection within the best parcels of vines.

Oak-aged for two years before bottling, it is supremely fresh and velvety, with the ability to age for decades. From €120.

Château de Haute-Serre Cahors ‘Icône W.O.W.’ No less powerful or ageworthy than the similarly named wine from Château de Mercuès, this blend throws the characteristic Haute-Serre elegance into the mix, offering ripe black fruits and a long, spicy aftertaste.

Price on application.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 85

LA CULTURE

News, reviews and language

FINES SOAR IN CRACKDOWN ON AIRBNB PARIS RENTS

86 FRANCE MAGAZINE

ABOVE: Actress Jeanne Moreau, who has died, aged 89; BELOW: The actress on a poster for Jules et Jim

JEANNE MOREAU: LEADING LIGHT OF THE NEW WAVE

F

rench actress Jeanne Moreau, who has died in Paris, aged 89, will be remembered as one of the leading lights of the New Wave movement, appearing in such classics as Jules et Jim and Les Amants.

Moreau was known for her husky voice and became a feminist icon in the 1960s for her portrayals of liberated women.

In a statement on Twitter, President Emmanuel Macron described Moreau as someone who “embodied cinema” and “always rebelled against the established order”.

Born in Paris in 1928 to a French restaurateur and an English cabaret dancer, Moreau began her acting career on the stage, becoming a leading figure in the Comédie-Française.

In the 1950s, she moved into film, achieving national recognition in two films

by Louis Malle. In 1957, she appeared in Ascenseur pour l’Échafaud (Lift to the Scaffold), as one half of a couple planning the perfect crime. The following year she

caused a sensation in Les Amants, playing a bored housewife who runs off with a handsome younger man. The film’s sexual frankness came to define much of her later work.

The actress became an international star in François Truffaut’s influential romantic drama Jules et Jim. Set before, during and after World War I, the film centres on a love triangle between her impulsive character Catherine, and friends Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre).

Moreau appeared in more than 130 films and turned to directing with Lumière (1976) and L’Adolescente (1979). In 1992, she won a César for her performance in La Vieille qui Marchait dans la Mer. She continued to perform into her 80s, appearing on stage at the Festival d’Avignon in 2011 and starring in Ilmar Raag’s An Estonian in Paris the following year.

Moreau was married twice and is survived by her son, Jérôme, from her first marriage.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT BARON/BEI/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; UNIFRANCE CC BY 2.0; GEORGES BIARD CC BY-SA 3.0

Fines imposed on owners illegally renting out their Paris apartments on Airbnb increased more than tenfold in the first half of 2017, due to more rigorous checks, city authorities have revealed.

An official report shows that 31 owners of 128 Paris apartments were fined a total of €615,000 for renting spaces for more than the limit of 120 days per year and for not declaring their income.

Paris is one of online rental service Airbnb’s top markets, with some 65,000 sites listed.

However, hotels have complained about unfair competition, and residents claim it has led to a drop in affordable housing.

Airbnb has described the fines as “far from being representative of the Airbnb community in Paris, where the average host rents out their lodgings 33 times per year.”

The government wants to investigate Airbnb on the grounds that it does not pay French taxes on property rentals in France. Bookings and payments are processed through the company’s European headquarters, based in Ireland, which means it avoids paying taxes to the French treasury.

“Airbnb has the right to operate in France. But we have the right to demand from Airbnb and all the other digital platforms a fair contribution to the French treasury,” said Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.

CULTURE

NO ‘FIRST LADY’ STATUS FOR BRIGITTE MACRON The wife of French President Emmanuel Macron will not receive an official ‘First Lady’ title or her own budget. The decision came after an online petition opposed to her change in status gathered 275,000 signatures in two weeks.

As FRANCE Magazine went to press, a ‘transparency charter’ was due to be published, clarifying Brigitte Macron’s official position. Presidential aides insisted that she would still have a public role, but not a political one. The charter is expected to reveal the number of staff who will work for her as well as the cost to the taxpayer. The former teacher is expected to focus on education and disability issues.

Morality law The debate surrounding the role of the president’s wife has led to controversy at a time when French parliamentarians face a ‘morality law’ prohibiting them from employing relatives.

In May, a YouGov poll for the French edition of the Huffington Post news website showed that 68 per cent of French people were opposed to Macron’s wife being given an official status.

The president’s staff insisted that the decision to abandon plans to give his wife an official title was not

ABOVE: Brigitte Macron will not become a ‘First Lady’ but will still have a public role

prompted by the petition. Currently, there is no Parliamentary legislation regarding the work of presidents’ spouses.

All public and charity work is financed through the Élysée Palace’s annual budget of €5-€7 million.

NEWS IN BRIEF ● Wine production in France is predicted to drop sharply in 2017 after a cold snap at the end of spring. The Ministry of Agriculture’s statistics agency Agreste estimates that the grape harvest will be around 16 per cent lower than 2016. Vineyards in south-west France – particularly Bordeaux and Charente – were worst affected.

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● Children in thousands of nurseries and primary schools across France are returning to a four-day week this term after the government gave local authorities the option of changing from four-and-a-half days without cutting overall hours. As FRANCE Magazine went to press, about a third of all communes had chosen to change.

● Extreme heatwaves of up to 50°C could hit parts of France by the end of the century, according to researchers.

A study published in the US journal Environmental Research Letters concluded that average temperatures in the south-west and Mediterranean regions could rise by 6°C to 13°C over the next eight decades.

C’est qui?

We cast a spotlight on a figure making the headlines Name: Claude Rich.

Occupation: Film and stage actor.

Tell me more: Claude Rich, who died in July, aged 88, was a familiar face in French cinema and theatre, appearing in more than 50 plays and 80 films, usually in character roles.

He was born in Strasbourg, but attended school in Paris, where he initially thought of becoming a priest.

He would be a devout Catholic for the rest of his life, despite referring to himself in later years as a “pitiable Christian”.

After World War II, he became interested in acting and won a scholarship to the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris. He studied alongside other well-known actors including Jean Rochefort, JeanPaul Belmondo and Annie Girardot, graduating in 1953.

The film that made him a star in France was Les Tontons Flingueurs (Crooks in Clover), a broad comedy crime caper, which was a huge hit with the public, if not the critics. Rich was cast by New Wave director François Truffaut in the 1968 Hitchcock-style The Bride Wore Black, playing one of the victims of a vengeful bride.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he focused on theatre, with roles in Alfred de Musset’s Lorenzaccio, Shakespeare’s Pericles and Jean-Claude Brisville’s comedy Le Souper. He reprised the last role on film in 1992 and won a César for best actor.

A decade later, he starred as druid magician Panoramix in Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra, a role which introduced him to a new generation of film fans.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 87

ICONS

0DLJUHW The pipe-smoking French police inspector created

by Georges Simenon is one of the most popular detectives in literature, as Heidi Fuller-Love explains an amazing capacity for work and could write a book in a fortnight,” his son John said in a recent interview.

Simenon wrote the first Maigret novel in 1931. The Strange Case of Peter the Lett, about an international fraudster and a case of mistaken identity, was written while Simenon was boating in the Dutch town of Delfzijl. Maigret is said to have been inspired by real-life Commissaire Guillaume, who was in charge of many celebrated criminal investigations at the time “I imagined a large, powerfully built gentleman I thought would make a passable inspector. As the day wore on I added other features: a pipe, a bowler hat, a thick overcoat with a velvet collar, and, as it was cold and damp, I put a cast-iron stove in his office,” Simenon explained later.

ON THE TRAIL Maigret’s Paris Photographer Joe Richards has created a detailed, illustrated itinerary for a self-guided tour of the detective’s Paris. It starts from the Gare du Nord - described in Maigret’s Memories as “the coldest, draughtiest and busiest of Paris’s stations” – and finishes at Place des Vosges, where Maigret once lived. trussel.com/maig/steps2.htm

Simenon’s Liège Although he left Liège as a young man, Simenon admitted that he often drew

88 FRANCE MAGAZINE

inspiration from his memories of the French-speaking city’s landscapes, characters and atmosphere. This excellent walking tour allows you to follow in the footsteps of one its most famous native sons and see his statue (pictured above). visitezliege.be/en/ visite/footsteps-simenon

Jules Maigret came into being aged 45, the birthday Simenon’s father had failed to reach. Known as le patron, he was capable of cat-napping just about anywhere, loved his pipe and showed a true French love of food, with favourite dishes including his wife’s home-made pintadeau en croute (guineafowl pie).

Between 1931 and 1972, Simenon penned 75 Maigret novels and 28 short stories. According to a popular joke in Le Canard Enchaîné satirical newspaper: “M Simenon makes his living by killing someone every month and then discovering the murderer.”

Of the 75 Maigret novels, 63 are set in Paris. Whether it is the dead man

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PHOTOGRAPHS: ITV/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; AF ARCHIVE ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; LIÈGE TOURISME

G

iven the friendly rivalry between the two countries, it is perhaps ironic that the detective who has been dubbed ‘the French Sherlock Holmes’ was created by a Belgian. Author Georges Simenon’s own life certainly reads like a novel: he was born in Liège on Friday 13 February 1903, but a superstitious aunt registered his birth date on the 12th. At the age of 15, Simenon took a job on the local newspaper, where his work reporting on crime gave him a lasting attraction for the seamier side of life, which features so often in his work.

When his much-loved father died in 1922 at the age of 44, Simenon moved to Paris. From 1924-1929 the author known for his prolific output wrote 150 pulp novels. “It’s true my father had

ICONS

DID YOU KNOW?

ABOVE: Rowan Atkinson as Maigret in the ITV series; LEFT: The detective’s creator, Georges Simenon

found in the Canal Saint-Martin in The Headless Body; Maigret’s office at 32 Quai des Orfèvres; the smell of ragout in a seedy café or the sound of wine glasses clinking on zinc-topped bars, Simenon’s stories evoke the French lifestyle for countless readers worldwide.

With more than 850 million copies sold, Inspector Maigret remains incredibly popular more than 80 years after his creation. Critics suggest that the books have enduring appeal because Simenon’s characters are profoundly human. “So completely does he put himself into the skin of others when he writes, that he speaks, eats, even walks differently,” Simenon’s first wife Régine Renchon once said.

In Maigret in Society, Simenon writes, “He did not take himself for a superman, did not consider himself infallible…

Patiently, he strove to understand, aware that the most apparent motives are not always the deepest ones.”

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Despite this humble approach to life, Simenon’s fictional detective rapidly gained cult status; he has been portrayed on postage stamps, been the subject of walking tours and had his culinary foibles investigated by famous chefs.

Yet the author never imagined that his creation would be so successful. In an interview at the author’s castle in Lausanne, recorded by writer Frederick Sands, Simenon admitted: “Each time that I start a novel, Maigret or not-Maigret, I am almost sick with fear.”

In a recent newspaper interview, Rowan Aitkinson, who plays the pipe-smoking detective in ITV’s occasional series, said of the detective: “He doesn’t have any oddities about him. He’s quite a plain man with a relatively simple life. He doesn’t have a French accent or a lisp or a limp or a terrible home life or a sordid past. He is a very ordinary guy doing an extraordinary job.”

Simenon was one of the 20th century’s most proli fic writers and he could write 60-80 pa ges in a day.

Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock once rang and was to ld that was busy writing a no Simenon vel. him finish, I’ll hang on “Let ,” the film-maker quipped.

READ MAIGRET With so many Maigret novels, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Here are two suggestions: Maigret au Picratt’s: When a striptease artist is murdered, Inspector Maigret investigates.

Best for: A fascinating rollercoaster ride through the demi-monde of Parisian night clubs in the 1950s.

Mon Ami Maigret: A murder takes Maigret to the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles, accompanied by a Scotland Yard detective who wants to study his technique.

Best for: Learning about Maigret’s motivations – and his methods.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 89

A toast to

Burgundy Director CÉDRIC KLAPISCH let nature set the year-long timetable for filming his winemaking drama, as he tells Pierre de Villiers

90 FRANCE MAGAZINE

www.completefrance.com

CULTURE

A

bout a week before Cédric Klapisch was due to start filming Back to Burgundy – a drama about three siblings trying to run their late father’s wine estate – he found himself faced with a casting conundrum. While the director was convinced he had, in Pio Marmaï, Ana Girardot and François Civil, three skilled actors to play the main roles, he wasn’t sure whether the trio truly shared his passion for le vin. The solution?

A crash-course in wine like no other.

“Three days before shooting began, we went to lunch at 11am, and the actors drank eight kinds of Burgundy to discover the region,” Klapisch recalls.

“At 2pm, they were already completely drunk. But it continued and we went to visit some other vineyards. We talked with different winemakers who, at each point, had them taste different wines.

At the end of the night, all three of them were in a daze!”

The sore heads the next morning were worth it, with all three actors looking and acting the part as vintners in Back to Burgundy. The fact that Klapisch did all

PHOTOGRAPHS: PIERRE VILLARD/SIPA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; EMMANUELLE JACOBSON-ROQUES/CE QUI ME MEUT

‘We went to lunch at 11am and the actors drank eight kinds of Burgundy’ he could to ensure authenticity is an indication of how important the director’s latest film is to him. For a man who fell in love with wine as a teenager, making Back to Burgundy (French title Ce Qui Nous Lie) was like finally uncorking a bottle from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, producer of some of the world’s most expensive wines.

“When I began drinking at around 17-18 years old, my dad let me taste his wines,” Klapisch recalls. “It’s thanks to him that I learnt about wine. He would take my sisters and me to tastings on Burgundy vineyards. It was a kind of ritual, once every two years or so. I was aware that it was my father who passed down this wine culture and this interest in the Burgundy region. I knew that if I wanted to make a film about wine, it was because I wanted to talk about family – what we inherit from our parents, what they pass down to their children.”

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ABOVE: The siblings check the new vintage in Back to Burgundy; BELOW: A scene in the vineyard; LEFT: Cédric Klapisch at the Paris premiere of the film, released in France as Ce Qui Nous Lie

To fully capture what it takes to make wine from grape to bottle, Klapisch went to extraordinary lengths, filming for a full year on the farm of Beaune-born actor Jean-Marc Roulot, who also appears in the film. “The cycle of nature had to be respected,” explains the director.

“We couldn’t cheat. The beautiful colours of autumn, they only exist for 15 days.

We had to shoot during that period, otherwise, it wouldn’t work. And for spring, the fruit trees’ flowers bloom for just one week. The whole film was made upside-down. We didn’t choose the filming dates, it was really nature that decided the shooting schedule.”

Cast members matched their director’s commitment, jumping in with both feet, quite literally. In one of the most memorable scenes Juliette (Girardot) and her brother Jean (Marmaï) climb inside huge containers to stomp grapes. “I had always wondered what it would feel like,” reveals Girardot. “It’s very pleasant. It’s quite hot. I was in a real tank, and there are timings to obey, specific to the tanks. Also, you need to pay attention to alcohol vapour, which can be dangerous. But otherwise it’s real therapy for the feet!”

Girardot’s skills as a farmer did not stop there. Klapisch also expected the actress to learn how to drive a huge tractor. “It’s super-complicated, with 25 different pedals,” Girardot says.

“It’s enormous and you get the impression you’re going to kill everyone in its path, it’s so loud. We learnt so much on set about the creation of

wine that I’ll never open a bottle in the same way again.”

It was not just the cast who received a wine education on set. Even an oenophile like Klapisch left the region a changed man after a year. “They say the place where we shot, between PulignyMontrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Mersault, has the best white wines in the world, and I think they’re right,” he says.

“In Burgundy, we drank exceptional wines that you can’t drink in Paris, either because they are too expensive, or because they’re impossible to find. You couldn’t make this film without getting a greater sense of Burgundy.”

Perhaps the greatest lesson Klapisch learnt was how similar winemaking is to crafting a movie. “The relationship to time is similar in the two disciplines,” he says.

“One has to always be patient. Shooting a film is a bit like a harvest; the editing is like the vinification, it happens in the cellar; and you aspire to ensure the film will age well.” ● See Pierre’s review of Back to

Burgundy on page 92.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 91

Back to Burgundy Starring: Pio Marmaï, Ana Girardot, François Civil Director: Cédric Klapisch Certificate: 15 Running time: 113 minutes Release date: 1 September

✮✮✮

OTHER NEW RELEASES CINEMA Belle de Jour (from 8 September) – Re-release for avant-garde director Luis Buñuel’s 1967 drama, which caused a stir at the time for its sexual frankness.

Catherine Deneuve stars as a young housewife who becomes a high-class call-girl on weekday afternoons while her husband is at work.

92 FRANCE MAGAZINE

L

ike the fine wines that fuel Back to Burgundy, Cédric Klapisch’s latest film is a tasty, intoxicating offering. Sure, this story about three siblings trying to hold on to their late father’s wine estate lacks the subtlety and depth to make it a truly great vintage, but a combination of gorgeous scenery and strong performances means it will appeal to cinephiles and oenophiles alike.

After travelling the world for a decade, Jean (Marmaï) returns to the wine estate in Burgundy where he grew up after finding out his father is ill.

While sister Juliette (an impressive Girardot) welcomes him with open arms, brother Jérémie (Civil) admonishes Jean for not staying in touch more. When the siblings’ father passes away, they are made joint owners of the estate and are faced with a tough choice: sell everything and walk away as millionaires, or battle on and keep making wine.

From the opening scenes, which show how vineyards endure through the seasons, it is clear how much love Klapisch has for Burgundy. Every aspect of winemaking has been woven into the storyline, from snipping and sorting to stomping, swirling and the joy of drinking.

Three people standing in a field discussing which day of the week they should start picking grapes might not seem too exciting, but it works thanks to a trio of fine turns by the main cast members. While the character of Juliette could have been fleshed out a bit more and the flashback scenes become tedious in the last third, Back to Burgundy still leaves one with a lovely wine buzz.

Pierre de Villiers

My Journey Through French Cinema (from 15 September) – In this documentary, veteran director Bertrand Tavernier (pictured) explores the history of film in France. Over three hours, he highlights the films that influenced his own career.

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: EMMANUELLE JACOBSON-ROQUES/CE QUI ME MEUT; UNIFRANCE

CINEMA RELEASE

Five minutes with...

JANICE MACLEOD

The Canadian author and artist talks about the inspiration behind her new book A Paris Year (see review, right) and her favourite place in the City of Light.

I really wanted to see a pretty book all about Paris – the city where I lived for four years.

One day, I just sat down with a cup of coffee and began to put all my memorable moments down on paper.

What I have today is an illustrated travel journal, running from January to December, full of my experiences and interesting facts about Paris.

Strangely enough, I never thought I would be spending so much time in Paris; I quit my job in advertising in California to go travelling in Europe and was meant to do a tour of the continent.

Paris was the first stop, but I didn’t leave as I met Christophe, who is now my husband.

My favourite place in the capital is Rue Mouffetard, [in the fifth arrondissement] where I met my husband.

I love this street as it is just so full of character and you can find everything there, from butchers

and bakers to cheese shops and fishmongers.

I really do love France and would move there tomorrow.

(At the moment we are back in Canada). The country has such a rich history and a distinct way of life.

I particularly love how self-sustaining the French are when it comes to food – they grow almost anything!

Janice MacLeod was speaking to Peter Stewart

e ar e W listening to...

Je joue de la musique

by French singersongwriter Calogero.

The lyrics (on youtube.com) focus on the importance of having music in one’s life.

DVD The Red Turtle (from 25 September) – Oscar-nominated French animated feature about a shipwrecked sailor whose attempts to leave a desert island are thwarted by an enormous sea turtle. A beautiful meditation on human life, told without dialogue.

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CULTURE

BOOKS A Paris Year Janice MacLeod, St Martin’s Griffin, £19.99 Following the success of her memoir Paris Letters, Canadian author and artist Janice MacLeod stays in the City of Light with this illustrated journal. Published in the form of a diary (the typeface has a handwritten design), the book is a detailed and colourful ode to one of the world’s most romantic cities. Humorous anecdotes cover everything from tasting different macarons on the day in March when French people celebrate this sweet treat, to the visa office administrators’ love of the words ‘pas possible’ (‘not possible’). Personal observations are underpinned by facts about famous names in Parisian history and enhanced by evocative photographs and the author’s own beautiful illustrations. ✮✮✮✮

Three Days and a Life Pierre Lemaitre, MacLehose Press, £14.99 The Prix Goncourt-winning writer Pierre Lemaitre has recently gained an international audience for his grisly noir thrillers featuring detective Camille Verhoeven, but his latest work marks a distinct change of pace. Although still involving a crime, the plot cuts back on the gore to focus on the psychological effects of a violent act. The three days of the title occur on the eve of the millennium, in an out-ofthe-way French town, where 12-year-old Antoine lives with his mother. The killing of his neighbours’ dog and the disappearance of their young son are inextricably linked, and Antoine must wrestle with the part he played. Eleven years later, he returns home, when old secrets bubble to the surface. The author, a former literature teacher, has produced a taut character study and a vivid portrayal of an isolated community. ✮✮✮✮

The Vineyard in Alsace Julie Stock, Clued Up Publishing, £8.99 London-based Fran leaves her cheating fiancé and returns home to Alsace, having applied for a job on a wine estate. At the interview, she discovers that the owner, Didier, just happens to be a former lover, who is now married but estranged from his wife. Working together rekindles old feelings, and gives them a second chance of happiness. Self-published author Julie Stock’s ‘will they, won’t they’ narrative is told from both Fran and Didier’s point of view; the result is a light romantic read featuring characters who are easy to warm to, set against harvest time in this picturesque wine-making region. ✮✮✮

FRANCE MAGAZINE 93

LANGUAGE

TAKE THE PLUNGE Plenty of resources are available in a range of media to help you learn French, says Peter Stewart

O

n a recent holiday to France, I was reminded how monolingual the British are as a nation.

In a gift shop in Colmar, I saw how a French teenager chatted to two British customers in near-perfect English while they made no attempt to even utter the words ‘merci’ or ‘au revoir’.

Learning a language has many benefits and with such a wealth of resources, there really is no excuse not to give French a go.

If getting to grips with the basics is your main objective, try Eyewitness Travel Phrase Book French (Dorling Kindersley, £4.99).

This easy-to-use survival guide covers everyday travel situations and comes with a free audio app which allows you to listen to essential words spoken aloud by native speakers.

Learning French pronunciation is key to gaining confidence in the language, which is where the phonetique.free.fr website comes in handy. It offers phonetic exercises that will help you master the sounds and rhythms of French.

If audio-visual learning is a priority, FluentU French (fluentu.com) will prove rewarding. This popular website teaches learners through authentic, real-life videos that cover everything from French TV commercials and music channels to news bulletins and film trailers.

Those who prefer purely visual learning will get plenty out of the Berlitz French Picture Dictionary (Berlitz, £6.99).

The book features more than 2,000 illustrated words and phrases organised in 12 thematic chapters that include the home, work, food and leisure.

Learning the traditional way by taking a course at a French language school is also rewarding, especially when combined with a holiday in France.

Institut Linguistique Adenet (ila-france.com), based in the Mediterranean city of Montpellier, provides week-long programmes that focus on effectively communicating in French in real-life situations. Courses (from €220) include visits to cultural attractions, which give an excellent insight into French life.

THIS MONTH’S BEST PICK

INTERMEDIATE Schaum’s Outline of French Grammar Schaum’s Outlines, £14.99 This all-in-one guide provides learners with more than enough chances to expand their knowledge of French grammar. The sixth edition includes nearly 600 exercises, arranged in a topic-by-topic format, as well as regular explanations of the key parts of French grammar, ensuring that you fully understand the subject at hand. There are also 90 minutes of downloadable audio material, to help you to practise everything that you have learnt.

94 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Read this...

CLASSIC NOVEL LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO

By Alexandre Dumas Published in 1845, Dumas’s tale of treachery and revenge follows the fortunes of Edmond Dantès. He has a good job and a beautiful fiancée, but is then falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in Château d’If off Marseille. Years later, he escapes, acquires a new identity and seeks revenge on the men who betrayed him. The work is set during the Bourbon Restoration following Napoléon’s defeat at Waterloo and, explores the complexities of human nature.

GRAMMAR CORNER HABITER vs VIVRE Both of these verbs can mean ‘to live’, yet they are used in different ways. ‘Habiter’ means to live in or reside in, and is used to express where someone lives. Examples include, ‘J’habite à Paris’ (‘I live in Paris’) and ‘Je n’ai jamais habité en banlieue’ (‘I have never lived in the suburbs’).

The verb can also be used figuratively, for example, ‘Elle est habitée par la jalousie’ (‘She is gripped by jealousy’) and ‘Une profonde tristesse habite son âme’ (‘A profound sadness fills his/her soul’.)

‘Vivre’ means to live, be alive or exist, and expresses how and when someone lives.

Examples include: ‘Elle vit dans le luxe’ (‘She lives in luxury’) and ‘Voltaire a vécu au 18ème siècle’ (‘Voltaire lived in the 18th century’).

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LANGUAGE

AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES Enter the fantastic world of French legends, but don’t expect everyone to live happily ever after, says Régine Godfrey

PHOTOGRAPHS: A SECTION FROM MELUSINE (1844) BY JULIUS HUBER; JAMAIN CC BY SA 3.0

P

renez garde. Les fées sont supposées être de sublimes marraines veillant sur des princesses mais ne vous y fiez pas. Si elles vous attirent à leur bazaar annuel de plein-air, il vous faudra une bonne dose de sang-froid.

Je me souviens d’une des histoires de ma grand-mère sur une jeune fille rentrant à la ferme de ses parents. La nuit vient à peine de tomber. Quand elle arrive à la lande elle voit les fées qui l’appellent: “Achète, achète!” Elles étalent devant ses yeux de magnifiques marchandises, mais voilà notre jeune fille n’a pas un sou vaillant.

Les fées lui proposent un marché: pour chaque objet acheté elle donnera un cheveu comme paiement. La jeune fille perd la raison et sa frénésie d’achats continue jusqu’à l’aube; bagues magiques qui vous rendent invisible, nappes qui se remplissent de nourriture délicieuse en un claquement de doigts… Sa main effleure sa tête et elle pousse un cri perçant. Trop tard. Elle est maintenant chauve.

Les fées disparaissent mystérieusement et toutes ses précieuses acquisitions se changent en mousse et en feuilles.

De tous les contes de mémère, ma fée favorite est l’impressionnante Mélusine, née d’un roi écossais et de la Fée Présine. Suite à un différend familial sa mère lui jette un sort: “Tous les samedis tu deviendras serpent du nombril jusqu’au bas de ton corps. Toutefois si tu trouves un homme qui veuille bien t’épouser et promettre de ne jamais te rencontrer le samedi, ta vie sera heureuse.”

Transportée près de Poitiers, Mélusine rencontre un noble appelé Raymondin, qui accepte l’étrange condition. En échange, elle lui érige un énorme château à Lusignan. Leur marriage produit dix enfants, certains ayant un physique inhabituel, comme une trace de patte de lion sur la joue.

Naturellement, la curiosité est toujours punie. Le samedi fatidique où Raymondin surprend Mélusine baignant, sa queue détruit tout à jamais, puisqu’elle disparaît dans un hurlement terrifiant.

Associée au mythe de Mélusine, la Maison de Lusignan détiendra un pouvoir immense au Moyen Âge, comptant des rois de Jérusalem, Chypre et Arménie.

Si vous vous arrêtez à Lusignan, ne manquez pas de goûter le raymondin, délicieuse confiserie aux amandes et au chocolat Valrhona.

osrtdreoent: W the www.completefrance.com

B

eware. Fairies are supposed to be fantastic godmothers watching over princesses, but don’t be fooled. If they lure you to their annual open-air bazaar, you will need considerable nerve.

I remember one of my grandmother’s stories about a young lady going home to her parents’ farm. Night had barely fallen.

When she arrived on the moor, she saw fairies who called to her: “Buy, buy!”

They spread magnificent goods before her eyes, but our young lady did not have a brass farthing.

The fairies offered her a deal: for each object bought she would give one hair as payment. The young lady went mad and her shopping spree continued until dawn; magic rings that make you invisible, tablecloths that fill with delicious food at the click of one’s fingers… Her hand brushed past her head and she shrieked.

Too late. She was now bald. The fairies vanished magically and all her precious acquisitions changed into moss and leaves.

Out of all granny’s tales, my favourite fairy is the formidable Melusine, born to a Scottish king and the Fairy Pressyne. Following a family disagreement, her mother cast a spell on her: “Every Saturday, you will become a snake from the navel to the end of your body. Should you, however, find a man willing to marry you and promise never to meet on Saturdays, your life will be happy.”

Transported to near Poitiers, Melusine met a nobleman named Raymondin, who accepted the strange condition.

In exchange she built a huge castle for him in Lusignan. Their marriage produced ten children, some having unusual physiques such as a lion’s paw mark on the cheek.

Naturally, curiosity killed the cat. On the fateful Saturday when Raymondin surprised Melusine bathing, her tail destroyed everything forever, as she disappeared with a terrifying wail.

Associated with Melusine’s myth, the House of Lusignan held immense power in the Middle Ages, counting among them kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia.

If you stop in Lusignan, do not fail to sample the raymondin, a delicious almond and Valrhona chocolate sweet.

The word ‘chou’ usually means ‘cabbage’.

However, if someone uses the noun in the plural form and says ‘je suis dans les choux’ it means they are not with it.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 95

ARE YOU BEING SERVED? Whether you are returning a faulty item or looking for clothes while in France, Peter Stewart has the phrases for you 1. Lisa is on holiday in Montpellier and has just bought a travel hairdryer, which turns out to be faulty. She returns to the shop where she bought it and tries to find a replacement.

SHOP WORKER: Hello.

How can I help you?

VENDEUSE: Bonjour.

Comment puis-je vous aider?

SHOP WORKER: I understand.

Well, if I order the hairdryer now, it should arrive here in two days.

VENDEUSE: J’ai compris.

Si je commande le sèchecheveux maintenant, il devrait arriver ici en magasin dans deux jours.

LISA: Hello. I bought this

hairdryer two days ago, but it doesn’t work. I think there is something wrong with the plug. Can I exchange it for another one?

LISA: Bonjour. J’ai acheté ce sèche-cheveux il y a deux jours, mais il ne fonctionne pas. Je pense qu’il y a un problème avec la prise.

Puis-je l’échanger? deux options: je peux vous faire un avoir qui sera valuable pour trois mois, ou je peux commander un autre sèche-cheveux.

Et vous pourrez le récupérer ici en magasin.

LISA: Oh no, that is LISA: Ok, thank you.

LISA: D’accord, merci.

SHOP WORKER: It seems

that you bought the very last hairdryer on Monday, so we are now completely out of stock. So, there are two choices: I can offer you a credit note which can be used anytime in the next three months. Or, I can order a hairdryer for you to collect here in store.

VENDEUSE: Il semble que

vous avez acheté le dernier sèche-cheveux lundi, et maintenant nous sommes en rupture de stock. Alors, j’ai

96 FRANCE MAGAZINE

annoying. There isn’t a hairdryer in my hotel room so that’s why I came here and bought one. I suppose I will have to make do with a towel tonight.

LISA: Ah non, ça c’est frustrant. Il n’y a pas de sèche-cheveux dans ma chambre d’hôtel et c’est pourquoi je suis venu ici pour en acheter un.

Je suppose que je devrai faire avec une serviette ce soir.

SHOP WORKER: I am sorry, madam. Would you like me to order a replacement for you? The only thing is that I can’t guarantee that

it will be the same colour.

Is that ok?

VENDEUSE: Je suis désolée,

madame. Voulez-vous que je vous en commande un autre?

La seule chose est que je ne peux pas garantir que ce sera de la même couleur. Est-ce que ça va?

LISA: I’m not bothered about

the colour. I just want a hairdryer that works! So if you order a hairdryer today when will it arrive? I don’t live in Montpellier! I am here on holiday and return to London in four days.

LISA: La couleur ne m’intéresse pas. Je veux juste un sèche-cheveux qui fonctionne! Alors, si vous commandez un sèche-cheveux aujourd’hui, quand est-ce qu’il arrivera? Je n’habite pas à Montpellier! Je suis en vacances et je pars pour Londres dans quatre jours.

guarantee that the hairdryer will arrive within two days.

If not, then I want a refund.

LISA: D’accord, ça marche, pourvu que vous puissiez garantir que le sèche-cheveux arrive dans deux jours. Sinon, je veux être remboursée.

SHOP WORKER: Yes, I assure you it will be here by Friday. I just need your telephone number and email address.

VENDEUSE: Oui, je vous confirme que votre commande sera en magasin d’ici à vendredi. Il me faut juste votre numéro de téléphone et votre adresse email.

LISA: Ok. Here you are.

LISA: D’accord. Tenez.

SHOP WORKER: Thank you.

I will process your order now.

See you on Friday.

VENDEUSE: Merci. Je vais traiter votre commande maintenant. À vendredi.

LISA: Thank you. Fingers

crossed it arrives.

LISA: Merci. Je croise les

doigts!

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCKPHOTO

SHOP WORKER: Yes, of course. I am just going to check if we have any others in stock. One moment please.

VENDEUSE: Oui, bien sûr.

Je vais juste verifier si nous avons d’autres en stock.

Un instant, s’il vous plaît.

LISA: Ok, so long as you can

LANGUAGE 2, Mike is an English teacher based in Paris but is in La Rochelle for the weekend. He goes shopping for shirts but struggles to find something in his size and in a colour that he likes.

SALES ASSISTANT: Hello.

Are you looking for something in particular?

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

Bonjour. Cherchez-vous quelque chose en particulier?

MIKE: Hello. Yes, I was after

a couple of smart shirts for work. But I can only see them in bright green and orange!

MIKE: Bonjour. Oui, je cherchais quelques chemises élégantes pour le travail. Mais je ne vois que des chemises en vert clair et orange!

SALES ASSISTANT: OK, let

me have a look. May I ask your size?

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

D’accord, laissez-moi regarder un peu. Puis-je demander votre taille de chemise?

MIKE: Yes, my shirt size

is 39cm.

MIKE: Oui, ma taille de chemise est 39cm.

SALES ASSISTANT: Thank

de taille moyenne en stock.

Avez-vous remarqué qu’on a un plus grand choix de chemises près de la grande fenêtre?

MIKE: No, I thought all you had was on this rail next to the till. Great, thank you!

MIKE: Ah non, je pensais que tout ce que vous aviez était ici à côté de la caisse. C’est super, merci.

SALES ASSISTANT: Here

are some shirts in black and navy blue. Do these colours suit you better?

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

Voici quelques chemises en noir et bleu marine. Est-ce que ces couleurs vous conviennent mieux?

MIKE: Oh definitely. I wear a lot of navy blue – it’s my favourite colour. Can I try on these two shirts?

MIKE: Tout à fait. Je porte beaucoup de bleu marine – c’est ma couleur fétiche.

Est-ce que je peux essayer ces deux chemises?

you. Well, the computer says that we do have mediumsized shirts in stock. Did you notice that we have a larger display over by the big window?

Certainly. The changing rooms are on your right.

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

Merci. Alors, selon l’ordinateur on a des chemises

Certainement. Les cabines sont à votre droite.

SALES ASSISTANT:

VOCABULAIRE

did you get on? Do they fit?

don’t have any other shirts in a medium. And we don’t have anything in a large either, because we sold a lot of them last weekend.

ASSISTANTE VENTE: Tout

ASSISTANTE VENTE:

va bien avec les chemises?

Ah, je suis désolée.

Malheureusement, on n’a plus de chemises en taille moyenne. Et on n’a rien en taille large, non plus, car on en a vendu beaucoup le week-end dernier.

[FIVE MINUTES LATER] [CINQ MINUTES PLUS TARD] SALES ASSISTANT: How

MIKE: No, both shirts are quite tight. It’s a shame as I really like the colours.

MIKE: Non, en fait les deux chemises sont assez serrées.

C’est dommage parce que j’aime les couleurs.

SALES ASSISTANT: I am

sorry. Unfortunately, we

MIKE: Oh it’s OK. Thank you anyway.

MIKE: Ah, c’est pas grave.

Merci quand-même.

Je regarde tout simplement – I am just looking.

C’est un peu court/long – It is a bit short/long.

Cette chemise me plaît beaucoup – I like this shirt a lot.

Je cherche ce pantalon en taille 37 – I am looking for these trousers in a size 37.

C’est trop large pour moi – It is too big on me.

Je le/la prends – I will take it.

Avez-vous cette robe en noir?

– Do you have this dress in black?

C’est trop serré! – It is too tight.

www.completefrance.com

Je voudrais essayer ce pull – I would like to try on this jumper.

Ces chaussures sont en rupture de stock – These shoes are out of stock.

J’aime celui/celle-ci le plus – I like this one the best.

Taille – Size.

Solde – Sale.

Remboursement – Refund.

FRANCE MAGAZINE 97

IDIOMS

WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Match these types of offal with their English equivalents

Guess the meaning of the idiom ‘arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe’. a) To come at the worst possible moment b) To be the final straw c) To be a disappointment

LES DEUX FONT LA PAIRE

Rognon

Tripe

Langue

Oxtail

Foie

Black pudding

Tripes

Sweetbreads

Ris de veau

Giblets

Queue de boeuf

Liver

Abats

Kidney

Boudin noir

Tongue

Associez chacun des mots ci-dessous à son image

A

B

‫ﱪﱩ‬ WHAT’S AT THE MARKET?

C

D

Bottes en caoutchouc; Pull; Imperméable; Écharpe

QUI SUIS-JE? Lisez les indices ci-dessous et devinez qui je suis Je suis actrice et chanteuse française.

J’ai joué dans plus de 130 films, et en 1998 j’ai reçu un Oscar d’honneur pour l’ensemble de ma carrière.

Je suis morte le 31 juillet 2017 à Paris.

Je suis…

98 FRANCE MAGAZINE

Lentille

Kidney bean

Fève

Butter bean

Pois chiche

Lentil

Haricot rouge

Pigeon pea

Haricot de Lima

Black bean

Pois à vache

Fava bean

Dahl

Cowpea

Haricot noir

Chickpea

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO; CC BY-SA 3.0 ILLUSTRATIONS: TIM WESSON, DREAMSTIME

Match these different pulses with their English equivalents

LANGUAGE

How to say...

COMPETITION Les Mots Fléchés

Mouchoir Mouh-shwar Tissue

The winner of this month’s competition will receive the Michel Thomas Perfect French CD-audio course, published by Hodder & Stoughton. It will help intermediates take their French to the next level and gain confidence without

Fun French ANAGRAMS Find the French words for birds

1 Georu Ogegr 2 Sengéam Ebuel 3 Iep 4 Viger 5 Tetehcuo 6 Sinpno

CHARMEUR MET SUR LA BALANCE

P

Idiom: A) – To come at the worst possible moment; Les deux font la paire: A) Écharpe – scarf; B) Imperméable – waterproof coat; C) Pull – Jumper; D) Bottes en caoutchouc – Wellington boots; Qui suis-je? Jeanne Moreau; What’s on the menu? Rognon – kidney; Langue – tongue; Foie – liver; Ris de veau – sweetbread; Queue de boeuf– oxtail; Abats – giblets; Boudin noir – black pudding; What’s at the market? Lentille– lentil; Fève – fava bean; Pois chiche – chickpea; Haricot de Lima – butter bean; Pois à vache – cowpea; Dahl – pigeon pea; Haricot noir – black bean; Anagrams: Rouge-gorge – robin; Mésange bleue – blue tit; Pie – magpie; Grive – thrush; Chouette – owl; Pinson – chaffinch; Find the quote: ‘Le suprême bonheur de la vie, c’est la conviction qu’on est aimé.’ ‘The supreme happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved.’

7

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/ 0 $ & 4 " $

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7 & 3

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ILS ONT VU LE CRIME VIEUX DO

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3 " / 6 /

SAISON

NUL AUX ÉCHECS

DISPARUE AVALÉ

( &

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% & . & 6 3 &

USINE À BIÈRE PIQUANT

DÉCHIRÉ BLONDE ANGLAISE

FACILES TROIS À ROME

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BOITE DE RANGEMENT

& *

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ORDINATEUR TRÈS HABILE

BAIE AU JAPON RIVIÈRE DES ALPES

3 "

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GERMA NIQUES

TRUMP INTIME BLESSER GRAVEMENT

Answers

. " 3 $ ) " / %

books, writing or striving to memorise everything. The pack, which retails at £100, contains ten hours of audio learning on CD, more than three hours of extra vocabulary help, a visual learning review and interactive exercises.

HABITANTS DE LA CITÉ DES DOGES IDIOT

E

WIN!

ORGANE FILTRANT

ILE DE FRANCE

R E

CONJONC TION

0 *

4 & 1 " 3 & 3

Mots Fléchés winner The winner of the August Mots Fléchés competition is Betty Golding, from Leicester. The mystery town was Moulins in the Allier département.

To enter: Complete the Mots Fléchés grid and note all the letters in the grey squares. Rearrange these letters to spell a French town or city and send this answer, together with your name, telephone number and address, to editorial@francemag.com or write to FRANCE Magazine, Les Mots Fléchés, Cumberland House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, GL50 1BB. Entries close 4 October 2017.

Last month’s Les Mots Fléchés answers will be posted on our website www.francemag.com/quiz and appear in the November issue, on sale on 4 October 2017. The answers to this month’s competition will be on the website from 11 October 2017, and in the December 2017 issue, on sale on 1 November 2017.

FIND THE QUOTE

Slice up the baguette where the spaces should be to reveal a saying by Victor Hugo

Lesuprêmebonheurdelaviecestla convictionquonestaimé www.completefrance.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 99

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

“We just loved the surprise picnic in the vineyard”

“We’ll never forget our day in the lavender fields”

“Today was a world class cycle ride, thank you so much”

Be seen by over If you have a cycling dream... just make a wishlist and let us create your perfect cycling holiday; markets, vineyards, perching villages and an azure blue sea.

Provence has it all and more!

48,500 Francophiles

Contact Fellow Velo the Provence and wider France Specialist and prepare to experience your cycling dreams come true.

To advertise your active breaks and special interest holidays, contact Stuart on:

www.fellowvelo.com

+44 (0)1242 216099 advertising@francemag.com

Tel: 00 44 7811 285021 / 00 44 1788 568371 info@fellowvelo.com ●

100 FRANCE MAGAZINE

www.completefrance.com

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

HOLIDAY PROPERTY TO LET How to get the most from our extensive rental section

Simply choose the region you are interested in and browse through the selection of properties. Our simple key will tell you all you need to know about the rental property of your choice. Though many will be listed with French telephone numbers, most will be answered by English speakers, unless otherwise stated.

66

KEY PARIS NORTH WEST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

NORTH EAST

Five regions of property to let by colour code

Numbers 9 - 16 are distances in km, O/S for On-site and N/P for details Not Provided.

South East South West

Full colour picture Département number Nearest town Département name Sleeping capacity Property description Weekly rental range ( in £ or € ) Contact details

SOUTH EAST

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

SOUTH WEST

North East North West Paris

Nearest supermarket Nearest airport Nearest beach/swimming Nearest tennis Nearest golf Nearest horseriding Nearest restaurant Nearest tourist attraction

2

1

3 5

6

7 4

COLLIOURE, PYRÉNÉESORIENTALES

4

■ CAPACITY: 24 This homely villa is in a quiet corner of a traditional village surrounded by countryside, vineyards and Les Alberes mountains. The mediterranean coast is 15 mins drive, St. Cyprien, Argeles sur mer, Canet plage all popular beach resorts. Collioure is a delight with cobbled lanes, artisan galleries and beach front restaurants. Visit Carcassonne, the wonderful UNESCO world heritage city. Drive along the beautiful rugged coast into Spain, visit vineyards, cathar castles and pretty harbour towns. Enjoy wine tasting, walking and sight seeing. You will feel relaxed as soon as you arrive at Belle Vue, with its simple stylish decor and the peaceful setting! Nearest airport Perpignan 20km.

€ 545-945 p/w Contact Jo Staples Tel: 07801 440605 Email: bellevuemaisonvilla@yahoo.co.uk www.holidaylettings.co.uk/76428

1

20

10

1

20

5

1

1

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

PROPERTY IN THE NORTH WEST 50

NR CARTERET, MANCHE

AMBOISE, LOIRE VALLEY

■ CAPACITY: 9

■ BED & BREAKFAST : 4 DOUBLE ROOMS & LUXURY 2 BED SELF CATERING APARTMENT

Normandy West Coast Near to Carteret, Jersey and Cherbourg/Caen Ferry Terminals.

A traditional Stone House, with 3 Bedrooms, 2 Ensuite, Kitchen/Diner, and Lounge, Fully Furnished.

Modernised, UK TV, Heating throughout.

Country setting near towns and coast. Gardens, Terrace with beautiful views, Barbecue and Spacious Parking.

Ideal for walking, cycling, birdwatching, water sports, horse-riding, sailing and kayaking.

Close to historic D-Day beaches and sites.

Easy drive to Mont St Michel and Bayeux Tapestry.

Long lets available.

£ 320 – £420 p/w

Apartment from 165€ per night.

Contact Details: Tel: (01728) 688309 Email: norman.maison@gmail.com www.normanmaison.co.uk

7

www.completefrance.com

30

7

10

LES FLEURONS is a beautiful 17th century townhouse, perfectly situated in the historic heart of Amboise between the River Loire and the Royal Château and just a short stroll to excellent restaurants, shops and market. Spacious bedrooms with antique furniture, modern en-suite bathrooms and magnificent views of the river or the château. With just 4 bedrooms you can be sure of a warm welcome and friendly personal service throughout your stay, while Amboise offers the perfect base for visiting the Chateaux of the Loire and local vineyards.

12

10

145€ per room per night including breakfast

2

3

Tim & Carolyn Knowlman Tel : +33 676 939 282 E-mail : ctlhk@wanadoo.fr www.lesfleurons-amboise.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 101

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH EAST O6

France & Monaco Rentals

CENTRAL CANNES, ALPESMARITIMES ■ CAPACITY: 6 Beautiful 2 bedroom apartment (75m2) completely renovated in 2017 to the highest standards.

2 bath/shower rooms, air-con/heating, fully fitted kitchen, Nespresso coffee machine, 2 televisions, free wifi, double glazing.

Central yet peaceful location overlooking a courtyard at the rear. Superb location 100m from the Palais des Festivals, beach, railway station, shopping district of the rue d’Antibes and many restaurants. Secured entrance, smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors.

Local market selling fresh produce close-by.

Private parking on request. No smoking, no pets.

Exclusive Vacation Rental Properties Throughout France and Monaco We have a selection of privately owned houses and apartments available for short-term rental all year round in the most stunning areas of France.

• All of our properties are charming and beautifully furnished.

• All properties have internet access.

• All with Cable television with a selection of English Channels • Free international phone calls with some of our properties

Phone: +33 6 80 32 41 34 email: information@france-monaco-rentals.com

€400-1,000 per day Contact Béatrice Carles Tel: 00 33 6 17 97 27 18 Email: b.carles.83@gmail.com

www.france-monaco-rentals.com PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH EAST

D RE L U AT TA FE REN

11

LANGUEDOCROUSSILLON

Highly recommended on James Martin’s “French Adventure”

Centrally located in the heart of the Minervois our beautifully restored 18c coaching inn with flower filled courtyard garden and a swimming pool offers flexible accommodation for all your needs and provides the perfect base for exploring this beautiful and up and coming corner of France.

During July and August the house will be available to rent on a catered or self-catering basis.

Please contact us for more details and early booking discounts available for summer 2018 full house lets

Valerie and Mike Slowther Tel: 0033 (0)4 68 91 69 29 Email: mike@levieuxrelais.net www.levieuxrelais.net

PRICING INFORMATION: ●

B&B €85 for 2, €120-135 for 4

●

Extra bed €20

●

Dinner from €25 per person

●

Weekly self-catered lets from €2,000 per week

102 FRANCE MAGAZINE

■ CAPACITY: 213 0.5

35

O/S

0.5

35

0.5

5

5

B&B €85 for 2; €120-135 for 4 www.completefrance.com

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION PROPERTY IN THE NORTH EAST

PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH WEST

62

24

81

EMBRY 7 VALLEYS

TOURTOIRAC, DORDOGNE / PERIGORD VERT

SOUTH WEST

■ CAPACITY: 26

■ CAPACITY 820

Beautifully restored fermette with river frontage and lovely views. 3 bedrooms, original features, fully equipped kitchen, washing-machine & dishwasher.

Dining area, fireplace and log-burning stove. South facing garden, tiled terrace with brick-built barbecue.

Enclosed gravel courtyard to front. 30mins from sandy beaches, golf courses, amusement parks, tennis courts, canoeing, horse riding, sports & fitness centre with swimming-pool nearby. 1 hour from Boulogne & Calais.

Prices from 450 per week. Long weekends & mid weeks possible.

Autumn in the Dordogne is perfect for walkers, cyclists and foodies. Les Taloches is set in 19 acres of undulating woodland and meadows in the village of Tourtoirac, close to Hautefort with its magnificent Chateau. La Châtaigne, an oak-beamed farmhouse with wood burning stove sleeps 12, and La Grange a converted stone barn with huge open fire sleeps 8. Walking and cycling routes direct from the door. Each house has its own pool, large terrace, BBQ and garden. Great for families and groups sleeping between 8 & 20 people, can be hired individually or together. Both houses are well furnished and fully equipped; prices include linen and towels. The riverside village with its bar/bistro, restaurant, boulangerie and grocery shop is a 5 mins walk away. Easy drive to the Lascaux cave, Sarlat-la-Canéda, Perigueux and Brantome. Weekend / short breaks welcome. From €215 - €475 p/night; please contact us for Christmas and New Year prices. 2 nights minimum stay.

MAZAMET, MIDIPYRÉNÉES BED & BREAKFAST: 5 DOUBLE ROOMS

£ 450+ p/w Contact Maggie Tel: 0033 3 21 81 59 79 Mob: 0033 6 85 42 18 74 www.northfrancegites.com

5

100

20

www.completefrance.com

5

Contact Suzie or Gary Tel: 0033 5 53 42 30 96 | Email: suzie@les-taloches.com www.les-taloches.com www.Facebook.com/LesTaloches

40

20

5

15

1

80

0

5

10

1

1

5

La Villa de Mazamet is a luxury B&B, in the heart of SW France, with five beautifully appointed 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 110 € per night, per room, inc. breakfast.

10% DISCOUNT FOR FRANCE MAGAZINE READERS when booking 3 nights + (enter code FranceMag when booking via our website)

€ 110 p/night Peter Friend Tel: +33 563 979 033 E-Mail: info@villademazamet.com www.villademazamet.com

FRANCE MAGAZINE 103

To advertise, call: 01242 216099 or email: classified@francemag.com

LANGUAGE

PROPERTY FOR SALE

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: agence@immobilier-dordogne.com

A LANGUAGE LUNCH IN THE LUBERON VALLEY ENJOYABLE DAY COURSES IN FRENCH WITH LUNCH BEGINNER TO ADVANCED

SOUTH OF FRANCE AUTOUR DE LA TABLE

French Immersion French Intensive - Individual Training - All levels

Contact Susan Tel: +33 (0) 490 75 59 63, Email: enquiries@languageinprovence.com

www.languageinprovence.com

Ref.4275 Region St Jean de Cole. Restored farmhouse with outbuildings, quietly set on 2150m2 with good views.

Living room with fireplace, fitted kitchen, dining room, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Adj barn (60m2) & workshop; bread oven.

Price: €212,000 agency fees included

Ref.4344 Good value for this well presented house in good condition, quietly set in a hamlet on 2640m2 of land with good views.

Living room with fire ‘insert’, fitted kitchen, 3 bedrooms & a bathroom. Cellar & adj. barn (60m2) with gge. Oil CH. Price: €150,000 agency fees included

www.immobilier-dordogne.com

FOR SALE

“Not just another converted Barn” When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it.

104 FRANCE MAGAZINE

40kms to Albi or Gaillac. Purchase a quality of life, extravagant holiday home or an investment. 4/5 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Huge Living Space.

Sweeping staircase. Pool. Garage and gardens. 930,000 Euros

www.sansfaconforsale.com

www.completefrance.com

FOR

everything

FRANCE there’s

COMPLETE

FRANCE

Explore the best travel destinations in France

LIVIN G

COMM UNITY FORU M

HOLIDAYS & TRAVEL

PROP ERTY

LANG UAGE AND CULT URE

Find news, offers, information and advice on all aspects of taking a holiday across the Channel

www.completefrance.com

COLUMN

French HOW TO BE

Stephen Clarke’s expert tips for life in France

The waiter brought me a glass of cloudy liquid that was the colour of congealed blood

106 FRANCE MAGAZINE

www.completefrance.com

PHOTOGRAPH: NATACHA HENRY; ILLUSTRATION: TIM WESSON

I

realised recently that I am a shameless inverted snob. (Yes, I don’t know how it took me so long). I was at a friend’s house in London and was asked if I wanted a cup of tea. Thanks to years of living in France, I am much more of a coffee drinker – after a few attempts at ordering tea in a Parisian café, you tend to give up. Not only do they charge you a small fortune, you are This snobbery was confirmed almost immediately likely to receive an empty cup, a pot of vaguely when I got back to Paris. I was lunching with warm water, and a little plate hosting a teabag still an American friend who is a huge wine fan. I don’t in its plastic wrapping. think I have ever seen him without a glass of red in Even if the bag is left stewing in the cup for his hand. Except once when he was driving, but even several hours, the tea flavour you eventually then, I am sure he would have been tempted if the experience will be as strong as if you walked into law had permitted it. an old-fashioned English café, poked out your I had chosen the restaurant, a newish place that tongue and tasted the atmosphere. Hence my swift does cheap three-course lunches of freshly cooked, Stephen Clarke’s conversion to coffee. imaginative food. (I keep seeing unexpected-coloured latest book is However, when I return to England, I get back vegetables: mauve carrots, blue potatoes and Merde in Europe, into tea. So I gladly accepted my London friend’s the like.) a comic novel invitation – until, that is, she explained it in more We ordered, and I almost fell off my chair when about Britain’s detail. “I’ve got Assam, Orange Pekoe, Earl Grey, or my friend told the waiter “juste une carafe d’eau, s’il confused and if you want herbal, there is fresh camomile, vous plaît.” Water? This was like seeing a lion, in chaotic relationship or I enjoy brewing up thyme leaves – very good a cage full of baby gazelles, preparing to eat celery. with Brussels. for the digestion.”

He explained that the wine list was devoted to “Haven’t you got any tea?” I asked. “You know, ‘vins naturels’. This is a recent trend in France, with as in, tea?” small, often young and vaguely hippie-ish producers opting to I have long believed that herbal teas are just soup reject pesticides, but without going through the red tape to get without 99 per cent of the ingredients, and that an official ‘biologique’ (organic) label.

“It’s just an excuse to sell bad wine,” my friend opined. individual teas are just expensive ways of allowing tea In English, fortunately, and when the waiter wasn’t listening. companies to pay less to their highly experienced blenders.

To me, that sounded like old-school, non-inverted snobbery.

So a box of supermarket teabags was exhumed from the He refused even to taste one and see if his refined palate didn’t back of a cupboard, and I was given a good old cup of feel that it was being beaten up by a French hippie. mahogany-coloured, dye-your-teeth-brown, 1950s tea. I also So I asked the waiter to recommend a ‘vin naturel’, and he received a lecture about being a shameless, over-nostalgic, brought me a glass of cloudy liquid that was the colour of inverted snob, which I was able to accept without taking congealed blood. “It’s made by a young couple in the Corbières offence because of the comforting effect of a good old, mountains,” the waiter told me. “They make wine from old mahogany-coloured, etc etc. grape varieties – and produce good goat’s cheese, too.”

I tasted it, and had to admit that the first words that sprang to mind were ‘old’ and ‘goat’.

“Très intéressant,” I gasped from a burning throat.

“Leave the bottle.”

Like I said, a shameless inverted snob.

NEXT ISSUE in Britain’s best-selling magazine all about

Family cycling in Brittany

NOVEMBER ISSUE ON SALE 4 OCTOBER

Tour the Canal d’Ille-et-Rance

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PLUS ● The art of bandes dessinées

PHOTOGRAPH: JACQUELINE PIRIOU/BRTC

● Winter resorts for the less able ● Eating out in Alsace ● A guide to vegetarian France NEWS

FRENCH PROPERTY

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On sale 20 September

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