My Wednesday’s bloggers’ round-up this week starts with fellow Australian Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles who’s been having a holiday from blogging but after a recent trip to France, she’s fortunately back on the job. So I’m starting with her authentic experience of Christmas in France with a French family. Next Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike lists resources to plan a bike trip in France, including my beloved Loire Valley. Jill from Gigi’s French window, also Australian, compares cellar doors in France and Australia. Nothing could be more different! Enjoy!
Celebrating Christmas in France
by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian who an ongoing passion for France and the French language just back in Australia from two months in France
My love for La France is intrinsically linked with my passion for food. I have been extremely spoilt in staying with Valérie who is a generous and wonderful cook. In France the main meal at Christmas time is usually on Christmas Eve. Valérie’s son Grego offered to prepare this meal. Having lost weight for a film role he had been dreaming about an extra special Christmas Eve dinner. He devised the dishes, bought the ingredients and then he and Valérie worked as a team to create the dishes.
We started with champagne, foie gras on toast, radishes, carrot, foie gras and fig macarons from Pierre Hermé. I was rather sceptical about the foie gras and fig macarons as I have only ever known macarons as a sweet rather than something savoury. They however worked very well. I even bought some for New Year’s Eve. Read more
Great Resources To Help Plan Your Bike Trip to France
by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history
Cyclotourism is getting to be big business in Europe, worth somewhere around 45+ billion Euros per year to the European economy. This is great for you and me because countries like France, (and Germany, Austria and Switzerland) want our business. Their improving their marketing efforts and they are rapidly stepping up efforts to provide better information on major routes. Don’t get too excited, this doesn’t mean that you will have an easy time finding information on all major itineraries. But it does mean that access to better information is improving, more of it’s offered in English, and the result is easier trip planning. To kick off the new year and bike trip planning season, let’s take a look at several major websites to see how they can help you decide where to go and where to bike. Read more
Wineries/les vignobles
by Jill from Gigi’s French Window, French ponderings from an Australian who must have been French in another life
This year I have decided to search out and enjoy all sorts of ‘french experiences’ right here in the land down under…
I made a start last weekend by visiting a local winery…well it was an hours’ drive away, but I didn’t have to take a 2 day trip across the world!
But first some ‘pics’ to compare….
Last May, the ‘travelling bridesmaids’ and I went for a beautiful Sunday stroll along the tiny winding roads of Cassis, southern France. We thought we would try a wine tasting, have lunch..you know how it goes….well the walk was fabulous, the scenery amazing…but none were open to the public! It seems that tourism doesn’t come into play with french vineyards..(these ones anyway) .I think it must be all too serious a business for that! Read more (and don’t forget to read the comments as well)
