Every year, young and old tourists alike flock to France, one of the top tourists destinations in the world to view such renowned monuments and landmarks as Notre Dame, the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc De Triomphe.
Paris, its capital, is located in northern central France. Known for its architectural beauty, artistic expression, and culinary delight, this majestic and historic city is also referred to as “the city of light.” Paris is covered with landmarks famous all over the world and they attract most of the visitors. Covering an area of approx 105 sq km and constituting part of the Ile de France region.
Paris is relatively small as capitals go, with distances between many of its major sights and museums invariably walkable. A visit to Paris will never be quite as simple as a quick look at Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower.
Just across the Channel from London, and not far from Paris, you will find the welcoming region of Normandy with its varied coastline and rich countryside.
Normandy gets its name from the 10th-century Norman Vikings that settled the country. In 1066 the famous Norman Duke William defeated the Saxon King Harold in the Battle of Hastings, was crowned King of England and became known as William the Conqueror. For many centuries after the descendants of his Norman army governed England, creating much of the Anglo-Saxon heritage.
In June, 1944 Normandy again came under the world spotlight when Allied Forces landed on the Normandy coast. Numerous museums, exhibitions, sites, and monuments including the Caen Memorial Museum, commemorate operations that took place between June 6 and August of 1944.
Upper Normandy with its highly industrialized and historical capital, Rouen has been linked to many famous names such as Thomas and Pierre Corneille, Gustave Flaubert and Joan of Arc. Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy, is known as the home to William the Conqueror and has some of the best “high-tech” businesses in France.
The pretty harbor of Honfleur, the Bayeux Tapestry which chronicles the exploits of William the Conqueror, Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny and the world-famous Mont Saint-Michel with its breathtaking views from the ramparts are just a few of the sites of Normandy.
Normandy is a rich gastronomic area with its fresh fish and shellfish, duck, cream and of course, the famous cheeses like Camembert, Livarot and Pont-l’Evêque.
The Limousin region, on the western slopes of the Massif Central attracts visitors in search of unspoiled countryside.
The Corrèze, Creuse and Haute Vienne contain hills and gorges, and lush green meadows.
Its moorlands have made the Limousin a region of horse-breeders. The Anglo-Arab horse originated from the famous studs at Pompadour, and this region is today an ideal place for an equestrian holiday.
The many lakes and rivers of the Limousin provide endless possibilities for canoeing, sailing, wind-surfing and other water sports. Fishermen will also appreciate the abundant trout in the regions streams and brooks.
Limousin is also well-known for the famous Limoges enamel and porcelain, and tapestries from Aubusson.
Limousin is known for a marvelous soup called bréjaude, eaten with rye bread, and so thick with cabbage and other vegetables that a spoon will stand up in it. Traditional dishes include a variety of stews such as potée, cabbage stew, cassoulet, beans and sauced dishes, accompanied by chestnuts or rye pancakes. The beef of the region is extremely tender and full of flavor. Deserts include thick home-made cakes: clafoutis with cherries, flaugnarde with apples, galette Corrézienne, and the almond cake of the Creuse.
Lorraine’s history is synonymous with the struggles of Europe’s many peoples to live in peace and harmony.
Verdun is more a place for excursion, yet the simple power of its name is more than matched by the vestiges of war’s destruction preserved in a huge outdoor museum surrounding Fort Douaumont with a massive ossuary containing the bones of 400,000 unknown soldiers. The luxuriant greenery of its gently sloping hills revives the eye and the heart.
After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, artists streamed into Nancy to escape the German occupation, incidentally producing the first flowering of the style known as art nouveau. A byproduct of that bloom was the refinement of crystal ware that continues today in firms such as Baccarat and Daum.
Resident in Nancy’s ducal palace, the Dukes of Lorraine and Burgundy fashioned one of Medieval Europe’s most beautiful cities from what had been a wide spot in the road.
Behind the elaborate wrought-iron gates to the Place Stanislas stands the ornate Hôtel de Ville (city hall), but far more impressive are the Musée des Beaux Arts and the Musée Historique Lorrain displaying the region’s past glories.
Lorraine crystal is produced in Nancy (Daum factory), Vannes le Chatel, Baccarat, Hartzviller, Vallerysthal, Saint- Louis-les-Bitche (oldest crystal works in France), Lemberg (city’s Crystal Hôtel), Meisenthal (Glass and Crystal Museum) and Portieux.
The Rhone-Alps region lies nestled beneath the impressive flanks of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak at 15,771 feet, and protector of the regions borders with Switzerland and Italy.
The region presents an extraordinary natural environment: stunning mountains offering some of the finest and most extensive skiing areas in the world such as the Three Valleys, Val d’Isère and Chamonix, lush valleys filled with orchards and the vineyards of Beaujolais and the Rhone Valley, great riverways and scores of crystalline lakes; the deep gorges and high plateaux of the Ardèche, studded with prehistoric caves, and national parks full of deep forests and flower-filled meadows.
Apart from its spectacular scenery, Rhone-Alps’s two thousand-year history as a cultural crossroads has blessed the region with a rich blend of customs, architecture and sights of interest. The city of Lyon boasts an especially diverse architectural heritage dating from Gallo-Roman remains to stylish modern buildings, with a magnificent Renaissance old city, 27 museums and a multitude of shops specializing in everything from silk to antiques to marionettes.
Not far from Lyon lie the golden-stone villages of the Beaujolais, the Dombes “land of a thousand lakes,” the medieval village of Pérouges and the Roman ruins of Vienne with its yearly jazz festival.
Eastward, toward the Alps, one finds the university cities of Grenoble, full of art and folklore museums and Chambéry.
Here are also the turn-of-the-century towns of Annecy, Aix- les Bains, Evian and Divonne-les-Bains, popular for their spas.
But the Rhone-Alps’ “pièce de résistance” is its famous cuisine. Five of France’s 19 three-star chefs work their magic here, citing the quality of local produce, fish and game as the key to their success.
From Lyon to Bresse and Bugey by way of the Dombes, food is an art and a science. The poultry, cheese, freshwater fish and mushrooms are superb.
The city of Lyon alone has over 30 renowned restaurants. Savoie produces many fine cheeses such as Reblochon and Beaufort. Cured meats and Gratin Dauphinois are other regional specialties. Cooking is Provençal, characterized by garlic and olive oil with delicious sausages.
The region produces delicious pastries and sweetmeats made from almond paste and flavored with aniseed, pistachio and orange — flower water.
Fish is popular along the coast: Fish soup bourride in Sète.
