Hiking and Walking in France
Only a couple of weeks to go until the Olympics! And to get in the right mood for this biggest sporting event of the year, we have created our own Olympic challenge: the Easy Hiker Pentathlon of (1) visiting what was 100 years ago the biggest tourist attraction in the area around Nice, … ……
In any sequence that is set in time – sequences of any length and type, from songs in a Broadway musical and dishes in a tasting menu to blog posts about a specific destination – two items are of particular importance: the first (to set the tone) and the last (to sum up). So, for…
Not all villages in Provence were built high up on a hill around a castle or an ancient cathedral, although sometimes it may seem that way. This has more to do with the logic of international tourism than the actual settlement patterns of the local folks. Most villages and small towns in southern France, after…
Today and for the next couple of weeks, we are asking you to accompany us into one corner of France that has managed to preserve both its natural beauty and much of its original character: this is the land where the lush Rhone valley of the Drome departement – nominally part of the central region…
Today’s post is all about the best walk to have a perfect day in Nice, so good that it is well worth dedicating an entire day to it. You start in the morning walking into the town centre via the Promenade des Anglais (all the way from the Parc Phoenix tram stop, if you can…
Nice and Paris – the two most visited cities in France – make up an odd couple. In almost every way you look at them, they are the antithesis of each other. Above all, the two are distinguished by the weather, of course: unpredictable and often grim in the capital, sweet and gentle on the…
There are quite a few things to say about the political scene in the south of France, not all of them complimentary. If you want to get a flavour of how things are done around here, a good place to start is the story of Jacques Médecin, the mayor or Nice from 1966 to 1990…
Today, we will present you the second half of a great double-bill for a weekend trip in eastern France. From Metz, the place we visited last week, we are today heading off to the regional capital of Nancy. The two cities are only separated by a 30-minute train ride but offer a total contrast in…
When you pick a provincial city in France as your holiday base or destination, you never know in advance what you will be getting. Some of these cities are prosperous, well-kept, lively and colourful – others drab and full of the stench of misery and neglect. I call this the French Tourism Roulette. Not everything…
The French Riviera has been copied and imitated a lot over the years. Nowadays, nearly every coastal country in the world appears to have a “Riviera” of its own – including Albania, for crying out loud. But there is one ingredient in the recipe for the French Riviera’s lasting appeal which is particularly difficult to…