For lovers of France
France, together with wine lovers from all over the world will soon be celebrating a very special occasion – Beaujolais Nouveau Day which is celebrated on the third Thursday of November every year. (more…)
Posted in French Recipes to Love.
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– November 11, 2011
There’s a tendency to think of the Nord-Pas de Calais as an area of France that we rush through when heading further south – which is a pity. Every time I explore the region, I’m impressed by the clear impression that I have most definitely entered France with all that means in terms of ambience, way of life – and most especially way of eating. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers.
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– November 8, 2011
‘DID YOU know,’ I said to Josephine, ‘that there’s a small area of London that has an Occitan name?’
‘No,’ she said.
‘I mean,’ I prattled on, ‘there’s this language, Occitan, that no one in the south of France speaks as their mother tongue any more, except maybe a few very elderly people, so to all intents and purposes it’s dead, like Cornish. And yet an Occitan word has given its name to an area of London. Don’t you think that’s extraordinary?’
‘Not really,’ she said. ‘What is it? Convince me.’
‘Castelnau,’ I said. ‘On the south side of Hammersmith Bridge. It’s part of Barnes, really. In Occitan it means ‘high castle’. Castel means castle, obviously, and nau, sometimes naut or naud, means high.’
‘Are you sure? Doesn’t it mean ‘new castle’?’
‘Nope. High castle. Quite sure.’
Posted in Campbell's Diary.
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– November 1, 2011
Set between Grenoble and the Italian border, this sunny corner of the Alps has a wealth of friendly villages, some spectacularly high peaks and fantastic winter sports. Yet the Hautes-Alpes are delightfully unspoilt and offer less crowded ski holidays than better known ski areas of France. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers.
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– October 21, 2011
Mr and Mrs B from Scotland were the lucky winners of our competition run earlier this year with French, the monthly magazine. Their prize was a week’s stay in one of the luxury gites at the romantic 18th century Chateau de Percey, which is set in beautiful countryside in the famous wine region of Chablis, Burgundy. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers, News.
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– October 13, 2011
Sunday 11th December 2011 sees the opening of the Eastern Branch of the Rhin-Rhône TGV high-speed train, placing the Franche-Comté region even closer to London. Journey times from Paris are now just 2h05 to Besançon and 2h15 to Belfort-Montbéliard, substantially cutting their duration, and both towns have brand new eco-friendly TGV railway stations. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers, News.
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– October 10, 2011
This month we explore the origins of Halloween and I have a couple of good Halloween recipies for you. (more…)
Posted in French Recipes to Love.
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– October 7, 2011
CRÊPES! CRÊPES! Crêpes! – and don’t forget that little hat on the first E: crêpes just wouldn’t be the same without it. They wouldn’t have the same flavour at all. Pas du tout.
(The little hat – its Sunday name is ‘circumflex’ – shows that once upon a time the E or any other vowel was followed by an S. Circumflexes are quite common in French, but somehow the missing S has survived in English: if ever you’re flummoxed by words like honnête or mât or hôte, you’ve only got to remember this little wrinkle and you shoot to the head of the queue, leaving Google translators standing, scratching their heads in puzzlement: honnête means honest, mât means mast, hôte means host, and so on. Eây peây.) (more…)
Posted in Campbell's Diary.
– October 1, 2011
Destination France is a sumptuous magazine with a passion for France. It’s packed with news, events, holiday ideas and in-depth guides with beautiful photographs. The Autumn issue features the Christmas and New Year pages at French Connections, where owners can see a useful guide and promote their properties and holidaymakers will soon be able to find and book their perfect French getaway for the festive season. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers, News.
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– September 27, 2011
I have frequently said to my wife that the only way I will ever master the art of speaking French properly is to have an intimate affair with a French girlfriend.
This is a method that she is not keen on and for which I lack the time, energy and enthusiasm, although I have had a few interesting propositions along the way. (more…)
Posted in French Bread.
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– September 21, 2011
September’s Living France magazine features How To Let Out Your French Property, while French Property News has a major article on bringing in extra income for gites and holiday lets. Both are written by our own Glynis Shaw, based on her years of experience and lively ideas, with two French Connections holiday home owners as case studies. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers, News.
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– September 20, 2011
Everyone knows about the romance and beauty of Paris, its endless opportunities for culture, shopping and gourmet cuisine. Less well known are the delights of the region surrounding the city – the Ile de France – an area of chateaux, forests and rivers, of relaxing scenery and outdoor adventure. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers.
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– September 13, 2011
September is one of my favourite times of year to visit France as the weather is still warm and there is plenty to see and do. The crowds are smaller at this time of year as most children are back in school both here in France, the United Kingdom and the USA. As a result, it is an ideal time to have a quieter holiday and you can save yourself some money too as fares and accommodation is also cheaper. (more…)
Posted in French Recipes to Love.
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– September 9, 2011
I REMEMBER a long, hot August afternoon about 30 years ago, somewhere in the Lot or Dordogne départements, on holiday with the family. Thirst drove us to a café, and at that time we didn’t know the difference in France between a café and a bar (there’s none) and that very often a café/bar is referred to as une terrasse, if it has an outside sitting area. (more…)
Posted in Campbell's Diary.
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– September 1, 2011
Our Glynis Shaw gives expert advice on buying and letting a holiday home as part of a feature called ‘Happy Holidays!’ published in the August issue of the top-selling magazine. (more…)
Posted in France Lovers, News.
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– August 24, 2011
Yes I know… we all know…. We have to get a French Driving Licence if we are intending to stay in France, and we are supposed to do it within six months.
Posted in French Bread.
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– August 15, 2011
During August, if you are the owner of a holiday rental property in France you can book a new rental property advertisement on the market-leading French Connections website for the discounted price of £99 – a saving of £50 on the standard 12 month package.
Posted in France Lovers.
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– August 10, 2011
In the south-west corner of France, along the border with Spain, lies a land of peaceful mountains and lakes, dramatic glaciers and foaming rivers. With its fascinating scenery, nature and traditions, the Hautes-Pyrénées is a great year-round destination.
Posted in France Lovers.
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– August 8, 2011
August has arrived and I’m still waiting for summer! One day it’s warm and sunny, the next it’s chilly and pouring with rain! Yes, that’s what it’s like with the good old British weather.
We’ve had a few lovely days here in Wales when I think it’s time to put all my winter woollies away and get out the sun cream. Then I wake up to another miserable day with lots of rain and have to go and delve in the cupboards looking for warmer clothes again. (more…)
Posted in French Recipes to Love.
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– August 8, 2011
I CAN’T ever remember living anywhere in the UK where the wind had a name. When we lived in Scotland, for instance, the winter north-east wind used sometimes to come roaring in across the sea from Norway laden with snow and longing for the fireside, but it was never called anything. Nothing polite, anyway. Nothing that passed as a name. (more…)
Posted in Campbell's Diary.
– August 1, 2011
