Epernay, stop for Champagne!

You may not know the town of Epernay, but you know for sure what comes from it: Champagne. Epernay is a small town centrally located in the Champagne region. Despite its size, Epernay is recognized as the capital of Champagne as is home of some of the most famous and luxurious Champagne producers such as Moët & Chandon, Mercier and de Castellane. When walking along the Avenue de Champagne and around, you will encounter well maintained noble buildings from the XIX century, homes of wine growers for the majority of them. Don’t resist to the call of tasting some of prestigious Champagne. Cellars are usually open for visit and eventually proposing tasting either with or without appointment.

Here are some of the main houses open for visitors during week-ends and holidays:

• Champagne de Castellane: Visit of production site, cellars, museum. Tasting.
  
• Champagne Moet & Chandon: Visit of cellars and video about Champagne production. Tasting
  
• Champagne Mercier: Visits of cellars and videos about Eugene Mercier
  
• Champagne Delahaie: Visit of production sites
  
• Champagne Comtesse Lafond: Visit of the Chateau and tasting.
  
• Champagne Achille Princier: Visit of cellars and tasting.

Many more Champagne growers are opening their doors, see November 2009 schedule on http://www.ot-epernay.fr/-Champagne-wines-

And for those who want more of it, some lectures and courses are organized at famous Champagne houses to learn about all subtleties of the bubbling wine. Please contact Action Champagne Tourisme for more information on the offers.

Get ready for Christmas time and go choose your Champagne where it is grown, in Epernay!

Exhibition Louis XIV, man and king

Even though the Palace of Versailles is one of the last French Castle built, it is one of the most glorious. The king Louis XIV obviously wanted it this way to demonstrate to the world the political and cultural power he certainly had at this time. This year the Palace of Versailles is paying homage to his king and organizes for the first time a complete and rich exhibition devoted to the “Roi Soleil” and his cultural impact to the french society. Louis XVI loved art and dedicated time to gather the best architects, musicians, painters and sculptors to generate an extremely rich and precious art collections. The Palace of Versailles is obviously his main achievement. Today, more than 300 pieces of his collection gathered from all over the world are arranged in the rooms of the Palace. The exhibition starts on October 20th, 2009 and will be running until February 7th, 2010. More details can be found on this leaflet: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/resources/pdf/en/actualites/depliant_louisxiv_en.pdf

The Palace of Versailles is open every day except Mondays. Tickets are available online. The exhibition, including the entrance to the Palace and the audio guide is 15 €. If you plan to visit the Palace of Versailles with the Paris Museum Pass, be aware that it does not include the exhibition and an extra fee of 11€ will be asked.

The easiest way to access Versailles from Paris is by RER train. Take RER line C5 from Gare Austerlitz, St Michel, Invalides, Musée d’Orsay or Champs de Mars station direction Versailles-Rive Gauche.

Fine Wine Fair - Le Grand Tasting Paris

If you ask in the street what can be associated to France, we will most probably get « Food and Wine » in the top 3. Well, for those who decide to visit Paris in the coming December, don’t miss the fine Wine Fair or “Le Grand Tasting”, a unique experience where the best wine growers offer their nectars for tasting. This event will be holding in the Carrousel du Louvre, on December 4th and 5th from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm. Book your tickets now if you want to have a chance to taste the best wines currently produced in Bordeaux, Provence, Champagne, Alsace, Bourgogne, Val de Loire, Cotes du Rhone and other regions of France.

Entrance fees are 18 € for one day (Friday), 23 € for two days if you buy your tickets in advance or 20 € for one day (Friday), and 25 € for 2 days if you purchase them the day of your visit.

For 10 more Euro, you also have the opportunity to participate to the “Master Classes”, the “Prestige Master Classes”, or the “Ateliers Gourmand” and learn more about one particular wine or the best way to associate food with wine. These seminars are given in French only. Places are limited and it is highly recommended to book your seat in advance.

For booking and other general information about Le Grand Tasting, please visit http://www.grandtasting.com/

Provins, a medieval experience!

If you are coming to Paris and are looking for an easy but exciting day trip near the capital, the medieval town of Provins is for you. Located 90 km south-east Paris, the 900 years-old market town of Provins offers an adventurous voyage back to the medieval time. The town itself has kept a beautiful fortification within which you will enjoy picturesque monuments (the town possesses 58 listed historical monuments). Overseeing the surroundings, the César tower is remarkable and represents one of the best assets of the town. Don’t miss the Tithe Barn or “Grange aux Dimes”, the famous market house, and the museum which will complete your vision of what was the medieval life in Provins. Or follow one of the guide tours provided by the tourism office.

The Provin Pass’Monuments is adequate if you want to take the full experience of the city for little money. It includes the visit of the Cesar tower, the Grange aux Dimes, the underground galleries and the museum. Plus it may give you reduced prices for shows and special events. But be aware you may not be able to visit all these sites in one day. Also, Provins organizes excellent medieval shows that are well recognized nationwide and highly recommended such as “The legend of the knights” or “the eagles of the ramparts”. More details on this brochure: http://www.provins.net/images/pdf/brochure-provins-uk.pdf

The easiest way to access Provins is by train with the “Transilien” from Paris-Est station (1h24 long for 16.50 euro return, check for departure schedule in advance). From Provins station, bus lines C and D will transport visitors to the tourism office, where tours start.

Chocolate Festival Paris, New York, Tokyo, Beijin, Moscow

Dark, white or milk, with orange flavor, chili taste, or hazelnuts; professionals are developing original and tasteful associations for you to discover all kinds of combinations that make chocolate so special. Today is the opportunity for me to introduce to you the world's most famous chocolate festival organized in Paris every year in October. It is an international “rendez-vous” for the “Maître chocolatiers” to meet with the public, a special moment for professionals to share creativity and for the public to taste chocolate in its simple or more sophisticated form. This year again, chocolate was the central composition of an exceptional fashion show, always impressive in its originality.

The best “chocolatiers” were honored with the famous Chocolate Awards. This year, the 5 Star Awards went to:
FABRICE GILLOTTE (Dijon)
VINCENT GUERLAIS (Nantes)
JEAN PAUL HEVIN (Paris)
PIERRE HERME (Paris)
PATISSERIE LAC (Nice)
PASCAL LE GAC (Saint Germain en Laye)
LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT (Paris)
PARIES (Saint Jean de Luz)
FRANCOIS PRALUS (Paris, Roanne)

Don’t hesitate to visit their shops and be amazed by their creativity and talent in transforming chocolate into a succulent colorful little cube. Their creations are unique and very original.

The Chocolate festival is now not only in Paris but also in New York, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow. For more information about the festival and the other awarded “Maître chocolatiers”, please visit http://www.salonduchocolat.fr/.

Best baguette in Paris 2009

There are trophies which may not be glorious for some people, but for others they are the recognition of many years of hard but passionate work. The « Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris » rewards the best Baguette of Capital. On March 20th, 161 bakers brought their best baguettes to the competition hoping to gain one of the most wanted prizes in France. I judged essential to share with you the new TOP 10 of the best bakers of Paris so you can enjoy their breads and patisseries, and share with us your opinion about the 2009’s ranking.

1st: Le Grenier de Felix, Franck TOMBAREL, 64 av Félix Faure
2nd: La Pomme Verte, Benjamin TURQUIER, 134 rue de Turenne
3rd: Stéphane EURY, 98 rue de Meaux, Paris 19ème
4th: Eran MAYER, 100 rue du Théâtre, Paris 15ème
5th: Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses, Djibril BODIAN, 38 rue des Abbesses
6th: Stéphane HENRY, 2bis bd Morland, Paris 4éme
7th: FOURMONT, Thierry RACOILLET, 50 bis rue de Douai
8th: Boulangerie Pichard, Frédéric PICHARD, 88 rue de Cambronne
9th: Jean-Marc TOUCHARD, 111 rue Saint-Dominique
10th: Le Grenier à Pain, Bertrand POUGNET, 52 av d’Italie

Experience a night in an Igloo

If you are looking for original and exciting experiences during your ski vacation, here is one of them. For a romantic night or a unique moment shared with friends, bring a warm sleeping bag and come discover your minimal Inuit home made up of snow and blocks of ice. At 2000-2300 meters high, your room won’t be warmer than 3°C but you will wake up in the middle of an immaculate white landcape and feel very far away from the agitated ski resort down in the valley. Don’t wait and go enjoy the quiet and untouched magnificence of the mountain. A restaurant is usually set nearby the igloo village for dinner and breakfast.




A few Igloo villages are set this winter in different locations in the Alps and the Pyrenees.

• Orcières: At the Williwaw Village (around 10 igloos) where you can enjoy dog sledding as well with Alpi-traineaux: 44Ph.desmurger@orange.fr, phone +33 (0)6 60 68 32.
  
• Valmorel: The Kanata Village is located at the top of the ski lift Bois de la Croix. 20 euro/pers for the night with breakfast. Booking a table at the restaurant is highly recommended. cs.kanata@wanadoo.fr, phone: +33 (0)6 22 32 24 61.
  
• Le Sauze: Until March, 31st, 5 to 7 igloos are waiting for you at the top of the Dôme chairlift in the Kanata village. 90 euro/pers includes dinner and the night in the igloo. Ecole d'aventure, phone : +33 (0)4 92 81 29 97.
  
• Iglu Hotel offers igloo accommodation with bars, restaurants, sauna and Jacuzzi in Switzerland, Germany and Andorra with different packages possible. Standard igloo stay starts at 99 euro/pers for the night including dinner, breakfast, sleeping bags, mattress, sauna and Jacuzzi access. info@iglu-dorf.com, +41 (0)4 16 12 27 28.

Tours, the city in the heart of the Renaissance Chateaux valley

Royal Chateaux, elegant French gardens, vignards and relaxing biking rides along the Loire River are some of the attractions the Loire valley offers to the visitors. The main city of the area is Tours and capital of Touraine region, home of many French royal families since the 10th century. Centrally located, Tours is a few steps from the mains most famous Renaissance Castles that participated to the splendor of this exceptional French Culture landscape that is since 2000 declared World Heritage by UNESCO.

This post focuses on the city itself and its cultural value. Indeed, tours was a major site of medieval and renaissance history and has kept in very good shape traces of its glorious past that you can discover visiting the old town.

Take the narrow streets and enjoy the enchanting 15th and 16th centuriy private houses that accompany you to the splendid Plumereau square where terraces of cafés and restaurants pop up on sunny days. On the side of the square Plumereau, there is a passageway to another charming square: Place Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier. The street Briconnet is particularly interesting in term of old architecture. Five minutes’ walk north from the square Plumereau, there are two interesting monuments: The Basilica Saint-Martin and the Tower Charlemagne.

Don’t miss the remarkable Cathedral Saint-Gatien. The cathedral sits on the east side of the city center. The edification of the cathedral sarted in 1170 and finishes with the eriction of the towers in 1547. It is an exemple of roman, gothic and renaissance architecture. The building is famous for its fantastic glass windows.


A walk around the building is very nice with the square Grégoire-de-Tours and the garden of the museum of art.





Most of the restaurants of the city are located around the square Plumereau and on the street Colbert.

My suggestions are:
Charles Barrier (one Star on the Michelin Red Guide, 101, av. Tranchée),
L’Atelier Gourmand (37, rue Etienne Marcel),
La Deuvalière (18, rue de la Monnaie),
le Rococo restaurant (14, Rue de la Grosse Tour),
Les linottes gourmandes (22, rue Georges Courteline),
L’escabeau (crepes only, 23, Rue de la Monnaie),
Le Timbre Poste (crepes only, 12, Rue Châteauneuf).

The city is very pleasant to walk but the bus system is also very well developed. The city tourism office in collaboration with private tour companies organizes very interesting day or half-day tours to visit the surrounding Chateaux, gardens, and vinyards (Prices are per person for minibus transportation, lunch and entrance fees for monuments not included).

• Vinyards visit and wine tasting: half-day tours for 35 and 45 euros per person.
  
• Visits of castles: Half-day tours start from 18 euro per person, full day tours start from 43 euro per person.


• In addition, air balloon rides over the castles start from 200 euro per person.

Aix en Provence

When we think about Provence, we see Lavender fields, picturesque villages, and healthy meals taken with a glass of wine in a sunny and colorful garden….but do not forget the Provencal cities.




My favorite by far is Aix-en-Provence, Founded in 122 B.C. by the Romans. The city has seen Paul Cezanne becoming one of the most influent impressionist painters of the 19th century. More elegant than Avignon, Aix-en-Provence is ideal if you love discovering Provencal architecture by walking in shaded ancient streets mostly pedestrians.
Starting from « rue cardinal » and passing by « Place Forbin », you meet typical Provencal buildings and fountains. The old city, from « rue fabrot », is extremely pleasant with charming streets and shops, squares and terraces, all calling you for a fresh drink in one of the most romantic and historical sights of France. Do not miss the « Place Richelme » with its big plane trees and the ancient grain storage center (la Halle aux grains). Guided visits of the old city organized every Saturdays (and Tuesday from April till October) in English.


Another exciting moment is simply the weekly street markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The antiques and flea markets are located at the Place Verdun. You will find the flower market at the “Place de l'Hôtel de Ville ». Place Richelme sees the Provencal market and finally the food market is Place de la Madeleine.
Aix is also well known for art and culture events. In July, the city holds an International festival with opera performances in the courtyard of the archiepiscopal palace, the Cathedral of St Sauveur or other castles and abbeys.




My favorite accomodation: Hotel Pigonnet, Hotel Le Mas d’Entremont, B&B Pavillon de la Torse , B&B Le Clos des Freres Gris


A restaurant to try: La Tomate Verte

• Tips and advice: Promotional offer from November to March 2 hotel nights for the price of 1 in selected hotels.

Rodin Museum - Paris

My first post dedicated to Parisian museums will deal with one of the most famous French sculptor: August Rodin.
Two years after the death of this innovating artist, the Rodin Museum opened gathering his bronze and marble sculptures. Centrally located in Paris, the 18th century’s private hotel Biron and its splendid garden was chosen by the sculptor himself to receive his work and private collection. Many of his sculptures including “The Thinker” are nicely displayed in the garden, proposing a romantic “promenade” to a cultural enchantment.
The visit of this museum is a treat you don’t want to miss while visiting Paris.

Nearby “Les Invalides”, the museum is located 79 rue de Varenne.

Easy access from the metro: stop at Varenne on line 13.
Bus: 69, 82, 87, 92.

Entrance fee: 6 euro (4 euro for student), family tickets available, entrance to the garden only 1 euro.

Winter hours (October to March): 9:30 am – 4:45 pm.
Summer hours (April to September): 9:30 am – 5:45 pm.

The Paris MuseumPass grant full access to this museum.