SEMUR en Auxois has spent weeks, if not months, preparing for its biggest moment of the year; the arrival of the Tour de France in this mediaeval town in the middle of Burgundy.
Every time we have recently visited the town something has been painted, cleaned, or flags erected, while road works have caused diversions, and souvenirs have been on sale.
So it was only natural that when the Tour is set to almost pass your front door you want to experience the fever that surrounds it.
AN evening of enchanting French music and sounds swept across Manchester’s Platt Fields as the city marked quatorze juillet, or Bastille Day.
The classic dance music of yesteryear from Parisian streets mixed with the swirling skirts of North Africa as all things Francophone were celebrated to mark this special day on the French calendar.
‘La Fete de la Vielle en Morvan’ is an annual festival being held 15 – 19 August in Anost, a typical Morvan village in the Saône et Loire, totally dedicated to the ancient Hurdy Gurdy instrument and traditional French music.
In the 19th century the Hurdy Gurdy was a popular instrument with many players throughout the area and, located in the Morvan, Anost has for the last 30 years held the festival to maintain the important, traditional culture.
IF you are tempted by that cheap flight to France then you may want to do some more web browsing, as low-cost airlines can be more expensive than full service operators.
Officers of Warwickshire Trading Standards compared prices on the web and found low-cost airlines can be as much as 43 per cent more expensive.
THERE was a survey a few years ago that found many young French people wanted a job within the civil service because of the job security it offered.
This, alongside the work hours, generous holiday entitlement and assured pension upon retirement shows why working for l’Etat is so popular.
THE Félibrée celebrations, or in Occitan Felibrejada, in Villefranche du Perigord on Sunday saw around 15,000 people turn up, despite sunshine and showers.
A POPULAR route into France, especially for those who have recently graduated from college or university, is as an English Language Assistant.
The role involves supporting the English teacher, sometimes in an individual school other times in a number of schools, but it provides an opportunity to get a real insight into French schooling.
IF you can get to Villefranche du Périgord, in the south of the Dordogne, this Sunday (July 1) you can experience the music and traditions of the Occitan language.
The village is hosting this year’s félibrée celebrations which recognises the history of the region through music and song, but also sees the streets and shops festooned in flowers.
MANY houses throughout France are built in limestone, and others are coated in it, in the form of a lime rendering, writes Neil Parkinson.
Lime, in French la chaux, also termed quicklime, burnt lime or calcium oxide is an essential product in the successful restoration of old houses and the intelligent construction of new ones, as a substitute to cement.
ONE of the most famous recipes of Burgundy is the one that includes its name, Boeuf Bourguignon.
This version is taken from that used by the chef at The Hotel Dieu, Monsieur Vernet.