Effervescence personified
Jean-Michel, with his wife and business partner Agnès are filled with an effervescence for their Paul-Etienne Saint Germain creation – only eclipsed by their very own elegant Grand Cru champagnes. Walk the length of the world famous Avenue de Champagne in Epernay and you’ll be among some of the greatest known champagne brands – from Mercier at one end to Dom Perignon and Perrier-Jouet at the other. If you’re...
A matched pair in the Loire
Take a pair of older cars – and their owners – head south through France and discover a matched pair of restaurant and chambre d’hôtes that are ‘off the beaten track’ within the Loire valley. We’d stuck a pin in the map, at roughly a three-hour drive headed south from Cherbourg and then asked Google where the best restaurant was for lunch. As the older of the cars is a 1966 Austin Healey 3000, he’s designated to lead the way and...
Ancient & Modern – a hymn for Rouen
The more common use of ‘Ancient & Modern’ is with reference to the Church of England hymnal songs for refreshing worship but it’s perhaps strangely appropriate to the medieval and modern facades…and character of Rouen, France. That’s not to say that one isn’t overwhelmed by religious presence within the city’s confines, called the ‘city of a hundred spires’ by Victor Hugo, what with the imposing Rouen Cathedral that...
Saint-Valery-sleepy-sur-Somme
When William the Conqueror assembled his fleet at St.Valery before sailing to attack England in 1066 and Joan of Arc took one last look from her cell within the fortifications before her fiery end in Rouen, little could they have anticipated what a peaceful destination the town would become for many of the nationalities who had previously fought over this strategic location at the mouth of the Somme estuary. Situated on the Picardy...
The true spirit of France
The little known village of La Bastide d’Armagnac epitomises the genuine essence of France Draw a triangle with Bordeaux, Toulouse and Biarritz at their corners and you’ll find a sleepy gem of a medieval village nestled at its centre. It’s also just off the A65/E7 road, midway from Bordeaux to Pau. Les Landes area of France on the Aquitaine coast to the west of France is less visited than many areas but offers a diverse and...
Beautiful Belle Isle
Next time you’re in France, consider visiting this jewel in the Bay of Biscay Unless you’ve sailed the Brittany coast en route to La Rochelle, you’re perhaps unlikely to have detoured from your mission through France, if driving, by venturing out into the Bay of Biscay to one of the country’s most beautiful islands. The island positively sparkles with colour; whether it’s the brightly painted cottages, the fluttering bunting on...
