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13 Bouches-du-Rhone

We have held the Prize Draw for Vicki Archer’s sumptuous book My French Life - a copy is on its way to P Ferguson in North Wales.

If you did not win you can always order a copy of the book “Vicki Archer shares an insider’s view of life in France, as she buys and lovingly renovates a 17th century property in St Remy de Provence in the South of France.”

The weekend of 14-16 December 2007 there is the “Petit Marché du Gros Souper“, (Christmas market) in St Remy-de-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) where you can find the traditional ingredients for the your festive celebrations.
active

At this time of the year, all of the shops are magnificently decorated, full of gifts and buzzing with activity.
Saint Remy de Provence is the home of a number of excellent santon makers, and first-rate producers of candied fruit, chocolates, biscuits, bread, cakes, honey, nougat and many other objects of delight, some of which are part of the symbolic Christmas thirteen desserts.

With strong links to Vicent Van Gogh and just 15 miles south of Avignon, St Remy is a lively and attractive Provencal town - close to the olive and grape vineyards of Les Baux de Provence and the Alpilles.
Recommended vineyard - Mas Sainte Berthe at Les Baux

Eurostar connections direct from London St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet. Ashford to Avignon:

For more info on the Christmas Market in St Remy-de-Provence CLICK HERE

The town of Cassis (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) celebrates the harvest of the AOC Olive Oil (Huile d’Olive) from Les Baux de Provence at l’Oustau Calendal on 15 and 16 December 2007.
Two days dedicated to tasting this oil which comes from a recognised and special “terroir” which produces some excellent olive oils - workshops allow you to learn about the different aromas - including the “green fruit” tones of artichokes. hay, thyme… or the “mature” aromas of mushrooms, truffles,conserved tomatoes…..

Les Baux de Provence , south of Avignon in the Alpilles mountains is just one of 7 recognised AOC regions in France for olive oil:-
Huile d’olive de Nyons
Huile d’olive de la Vallée des Baux-de-Provence
Huile d’olive d’Aix-en-Provence
Huile d’olive de Haute-Provence
Huile d’olive de Nice

This applies strict rules on planting, varieties and yield within specified geographic areas designed to produce a superior product.
Huile d’olive de Corse - Oliu di Corsica
Huile d’olive de Nîmes

Contact the Cassis Tourist Office on 00 33 892 25 98 92 or at www.ot-cassis.com

Down on the Mediterranean coast, Christmas looks to be a bit incongruous to a northerner, but at Cassis (13 Bouches-du-Rhone) they have a Christmas Market (Marché de Noel) from 13-16 December 2007. More than 30 craftsmen and merchants (rigorously selected) offer the “Big Soup with 13 desserts, regional produce, mulled wine, champages, santons (carved Christmas figurines) and numerous ideas for gifts.
Music and wine complete a festive family atmosphere.
Throughout December there are displays of Christmas cribs and a Christmas Exhibition!

See www.ot-cassis.com

Our Free Prize Draw this year is for a copy of Vicki Archer’s My French Life which is a wonderfully evocative celebration of France, especially Provence and Paris. Superbly illustrated it will delight anyone with a passion for France and things French.

To enter (closing date 14 December 2007) go to www.frenchduck.co.uk

It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.

The latest we’ve come across is the Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon).

Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.

. You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.

The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)

This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!

With the 2007 Rugby World Cup kicking off in early September, it is worth knowing when and where the matches are to be held - if only so that you can avoid the additional heavy traffic for several hours around the match time. Particularly susceptible to congestion will be the Paris Peripherique and the A1 autoroute entry to the city - the Parc des Princes and Stade de France are both close to the autoroute and peripherique, and if match time is anywhere near the evening rush hour the traffic will be even more chaotic.
For more details on the Rugby World Cup CLICK HERE
For map click (more…)

Quarter-Final in Marseille

Quarter-Final in Marseille

France v Georgia in Marseille

Argentina v Namibia in Marseille

Italy v Romania in Marseille

New Zealand v Italy in Marseille

St Remy-de-Provence (13, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) holds it Fête du Vin et de l’Artisanat - featuring the local wines of Les Baux de Provence and Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and local crafts - market stalls with olivesm foie gras, cheese, oysters and honey - music each night in the town.
See www.saintremy-de-provence.com

The pretty Provencal seaside town of Cassis (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) - east of Marseille celebrates the local wine (Cassis AC) - not the blackcurrant liqueur which traditionally comes from Dijon in Burgundy.
See www.vinscassis.com/

see map

Tallard (05 Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) to Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) - a relatively easy day(!?) coming down from the Alpes to the coast - through the heart of the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AC region. The route will pass through Rians (83 Var, Provence) the home of Chateau Vignelaure one of the most respected winemakers in the region.

For more info on the Tour de France 2007 see www.letour.fr or UK Eurosport where there are some good interactive maps of the route.

For some Canadian friends we put together some ideas from our experience to demonstrate how best to do a few days wine touring in the southern Rhône Valley. This is such a rich area to visit - scenically, historically and from a wine (and food) perspective.

We chose to base the tour in St Remy de Provence (13, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence) a few miles south of Avignon for easy access to Les Baux de Provence, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Cairanne, Lirac, Tavel and Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Others will choose different start points and other vineyards - importantly we think wine tours need to be paced, as an over-indulgence can dull the senses and diminish the enjoyment. And there are so many other things to do in the region, as well as just relax in the delightful climate and atmosphere of Provence.

For more info see www.frenchduck.co.uk

The number of budget airline routes to France from the UK is continuing to grow, as is the number of French destinations - no longer restricted to the major cities. This really does open up some of the less well-known parts of France.
The list below shows the extent of the coverage - and this excludes flights to Paris which are available from most local airports. Some flights are seasonal, so please check with the airline for timetables and availability.