Profile for Michael
Profile for Michael
I am the joint MD of French Connections. My professional background started in Electronics and progressed into Computer engineering and later into web design as technology evolved. French Connections was born out of a love of France and all things French and inspired by the many visits my wife and I made to France with our young family in the ‘80’s. Whilst I continue to Manage the Company, it is with the support of a loyal team who have worked with us for many years, all of whom share our great love of France and who enjoy working with like-minded people such as our property owners and holiday makers. Having also run a French Gite business ourselves in the past, our experience allows us to empathise with property owners as well as understanding what holiday makers are looking for in the French holiday market. Connecting property owners and holiday makers together over the past 13 years has been endlessly rewarding and we hope to go on inspiring and providing our service for many years to come.
Thanks to Dominic Whiten for the lovely photo, if you need a professional photographer I thoroughly recommend his services www.dominicwhiten.co.uk
Blog entries submitted by Michael
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A visit to Dinan in Brittany - Photo Friday 18 June 2010
On a recent trip to France I stopped off in the medieval town of Dinan having heard that it was a place well worth a visit.
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Apremont-sur-Allier in the Loire Valley - Photo Friday 20/8/2010
Apremont-sur-Allier and it's Park Floral are beautiful and well worth a visit.
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Bellac in the Limousin - Photo Friday 9 July 2010
The town of Bellac is a small market town in the north west of the Haute Vienne department of Limousin.
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Cluny Abbey in Burgundy - Photo Friday 7 May 2010
The market town of Cluny in Burgundy has the remains of a once great abbey. However, even in its broken-down state the abbey is still immensely impressive and well worth a tour
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Cooling off at the bar - Photo Friday 6 August 2010
It was the first really hot summer day in Caunes-Minervois and the whole village seemed to be at the bar enjoying a chilled wine or a cold beer.
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Douarnenez in Brittany, a fishing port and living maritime museum
Port-Rhu in Douarnenez has been turned into a living maritime museum. where you can see a collection of more than 200 old ships.
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Eguisheim in Alsace wine region - Photo Friday 10 September 2010
Eguisheim is at at the centre of the Alsace wine making area and is a very picturesque medieval town.
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Eze in Provence - Photo Friday - 11 Dec 2009
Welcome to Photo Friday. From here on in, I hope to share some of my favourite French photos with you each Friday and give you a taste of places you too may enjoy.
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French Markets - Photo Friday - 19 February 2010
Darling I've bought you a big bunch of..... chillies.
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La Couvertoirade - an old Knights Templar village - Photo Friday 5 November 2010
La Couvertoirade is an attractive old village situated about 20km north of Lodève, in the Aveyron in SW France.
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La Forteresse Royale in Najac - Photo Friday - 8 January 2010
The climb to reach La Forteresse Royale built in 1253 in Najac in the Aveyron, is well worth it for the magnificent views.
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La Roque-Gageac in the Dordogne - Photo Friday 3 December 2010
La Roque-Gageac is one of the most scenic sites in The Dordogne. It is set in a stunning position on the banks of the river Dordogne near Sarlat.
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Lalbenque Truffle Market
The area around Lalbenque in the Lot Valley is famous for its black Truffles.
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Let it Snow! - Photo Friday 24 December 2010
A Christmassy picture of snow in the French Alps.
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Lourdes - the largest pilgrimage site in the world. Photo Friday 28 May 2010
Lourdes in SW France has 5 million visitors per year from the sick, the devout & the just plain curious.
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Marseille - Photo Friday 2 July 2010
Marseille's location on the Mediterranean Sea has meant it has always been an important port. The old port is a particularly attractive place to visit.
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Medieval beams and Renaissance chateau in Josselin. Photo Friday 14 May 2010.
I’d heard that the Medieval town of Josselin in Morbihan, Brittany, was worth seeing but that's a definite understatement!
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Menerbes, the village made famous by Peter Mayle - Photo Friday 3 December 2010
Menerbes is probably one of the most famous villages in France after Peter Mayle wrote about his time spent there.
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Montsoreau and the inhabited Troglodyte cave houses - Photo Friday 17 Sept 2010
In and around the village of Montsoreau are some of the strangest houses in France
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Picturesque Saint-Suliac, on the banks of the river Rance in Brittany - Photo Friday 1st October 2010
The lovely village of Saint-Suliac, is one of the few truly maritime villages on the estuary between Saint-Malo and Dinan in Brittany.
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Riquewihr the gem of the Alsace - Photo Friday 15 Oct 2010
Riquewihr is a wonderful and romantic little medieval town, 55 miles from Strasbourg, hidden between the Vosges mountains and some of the most famous vineyards in Alsace.
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Rocamadour, France's second most visited place - Photo Friday 19 November 2010
The exquisite natural setting and beautiful buildings have made Rocamadour France's second-most visited site after Mount St. Michael in Normandy.
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Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei in Normandy - Photo Friday 29 Oct 2010
Located in the River Sarth valley, the village of Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei in Normandy is a magnet for artists because of its picturesque setting
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Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez - Photo Friday 7 January 2011
This old monastery in the Rhone Alps is now a village after it was sold of in parts after the French revolution.
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Semur-en-Auxois, Burgundy - Photo Friday - 15 January 2010
The river Armançon gently meandering under Pinard Bridge in Semur-en-Auxois, Burgundy.
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St Martin's church and the River Ille at Betton in Brittany. Photo Friday 21 May 2010
‘Oh look, there’s a little town called Betton on the map, close to this road and beside a river. Maybe that’s a good place for our picnic lunch.’ It was one of my better map-reading suggestions.
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St. Cirq Lapopie in the Lot - Photo Friday - 18 Dec 2009
Standing majestic and overlooking the Lot River near Cahors, is the perched village St. Cirq Lapopie.
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The Bay of Cassis - Photo Friday - 22 January 2010
The Bay of Cassis in the Bouches-du-Rhone
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The Chapel of St Michael d'Aiguilhe - Photo - Friday 19th March 2010
One of the most remarkable sites in France
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The Chateau d'If - Photo Friday 23 July 2010
The Chateau d'If on an island just off the coast at Marseille was the setting for Dumas' novel the Count of Monte Cristo which has has made it a popular tourist destination.
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The Chateau de Versailles - Photo Friday - 12 March 2010
The Chateau de Chantilly
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The Milleau Viaduct - Photo Friday 13 August 2010
The Millau Viaduct is the highest road bridge in Europe. It spans the river Tarn valley near Millau in southern France.
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The Pont Valentre bridge in Cahors - Photo Friday 26 March 2010
The 14th Century Pont Valentre bridge in Cahors is one of the most photographed sites in France outside of Paris.
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The Pont du Gard - Photo Friday - 5 March 2010
The magnificent Roman built Aqueduct. The Pont du Gard.
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The Pont-de-Normandy, one of the largest cable stay bridges in the world. - Photo Friday 17 December 2010
When the bridge was constructed it was a source of national pride that it was the longest cable stay bridge in the world.
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The Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, Burgundy - Photo Friday 9 April 2010
The first Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in Europe was the Temple of the Thousand Buddhas (Kagyu Ling) at La Boulaye, in Sâone-et-Loire, Burgundy.
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The Verdon Gorge - The Grand Canyon of France - Photo Friday - 26 February 2010
The Grand Canyon of France
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The Village of Conques in the Aveyron - Photo Friday 30 July 2010
The beautiful village of Conques lies on the steep side of the Dordou valley which is just south of the valley of the River Lot. The name "Conques" derives from the lie of the land - like a conca or shell.
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The Village of Estaing in the Aveyron - Photo Friday 8 October 2010
The village of Estaing in the Aveyron is dominated by a 15th century Chateau which is the home of the former president of France Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
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The best Chocolate shops in the world? - Photo Friday 29 January 2010
The best Chocolate shops, are they in France? Artisan chocolatiers are found all over France and they bring genuine artistic flair to their chocolate making, concocting the finest in both traditional and eclectic recipes.
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The breathtaking Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the Pyrenees. Photo Friday 11 June 2010
A Pyreneen mountain summit in the Hautes Pyrenees. A savage, snow covered solitary place, where wolves howl eerily in the blizzards. Or so Louis XIV believed.
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The dramatic hilltop town of Turenne. Photo Friday 3 September 2010
Turenne is a pretty village which dates largely from the 13th - 16th centuries and takes its name from Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne.
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The medieval village of Olargues - Photo Friday 27 August 2010
The pretty medieval village of Olargues is an idylic place to live and is the home village of one of regular bloggers.
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The megalithic stones at Carnac in Brittany. Photo Friday 24th April 2010.
The Carnac stones are an exceptional collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany.
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The old town of Concarneau in Brittany - Photo Friday 25 June 2010
On a recent trip to Brittany I visited the fishing port of Concarneau one of the most important fishing ports in France.
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The village of Puycelci in the Tarn - Photo Friday 19 November 2010
The ancient village of Puycelsi is just a few minutes from the spectacular Averyon Georges.
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Vineyards - Photo Friday - 5 February 2010
Every village should have one….. A vineyard that is.
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Voiles de St Tropez - Photo Friday - 12th February 2010
Last September some of the French Connections team spent a day at the Voiles de St Tropez yachting regatta.
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Yvoire in the Haute Savoie - Photo Friday 22 Oct 2010
The picturesque village of Yvoire is situated on the banks of Lake Geneva.
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£22 day return offer from Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel is running a £22 day return offer for Easter period of 6 - 22 April. Cars, car-based vans or motorcycles and up to 9 people can travel for £22.
