Located at the heart of France’s hexagonal territory, Auvergne is a sparsely populated land of volcanic plateaus and large valleys. Unlike the Alps to the east or the Pyrénées to the southwest, its highest peaks reach only 6,000 feet above sea level and are free of snow in summer. The local authorities? efforts to safeguard the environment have made Auvergne one of the last protected zones in Europe.
Before going to Auvergne, familiarize yourself with its history and its gastronomy.
Jules Dumont d’Urville (May 23, 1790 – May 8, 1842) was a French explorer.
Jules Sébastien César Dumont d’Urville was born in Condé-sur-Noireau, Basse-Normandie, France, was a French Rear Admiral and explorer of the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica.
0 Read MorePARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) – French power workers downed tools on Tuesday and commuters feared chaos from a looming rail strike at the start of a week of protests intended to put pressure on the government over pay, conditions and reforms.
Workers at Electricite de France [EDF.UL] staged protests across the country and planned to lower power output in a 24-hour strike against privatisation of state utilities. Blackouts were not expected in French homes.
0 Read Morehi
im australian and will be travelling to france with two other women in october would any french people like to show us around their beautiful country
kim
Gien, a French tableware manufacturer and purveyor to European royal families, recently opened its first boutique in Japan near the fashionable Aoyamadori street in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in an effort to become more accessible to Japanese consumers.
“I believe, in a country like Japan, where people have a great understanding of French culture, the beauty of Gien will also be appreciated,” said Louis Grandchamp des Raux, the company president, who flew to Tokyo for the opening of the shop.
0 Read MorePARIS, France (Reuters) — France Telecom said on Monday it will cut about 14,500 positions through early retirement or reassignment to other public companies in 2004 as the former monopoly pushes ahead with its massive restructuring.
A France Telecom spokesman said the cuts were in line with forecasts made in late 2002, when the company announced a restructuring plan to repair its balance sheet after a rapid expansion spree nearly crushed it with debt.
0 Read MoreDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Stephane Peterhansel of France won the Dakar Rally on Sunday, capturing a 6,920-mile trek across the bogs, beaches and deserts of two continents and seven nations.
This was his first victory by car after six rally championships on motorcycles. Peterhansel joined Hubert Auriol as the only competitors to win the auto and motorcycle divisions.
0 Read MoreFour days after France appointed Aïssa Dermouche as its only foreign-born and Muslim prefect, his car was destroyed in a car-bombing near his home in Nantes early Sunday.
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No one took responsibility for the explosion, which caused no injuries, officials said.
Shouting “The veil is my choice,” hundreds of people marched in Paris on Saturday as part of global protests against the French government’s plan to ban Muslim headscarves in schools.
Muslims from all over France took part in the Paris rally, which drew at least 3,000 people. Many of the protesters were women wearing a headscarf or “hijab,” and bearded men in robes.
0 Read MoreCAIRO, Egypt (CNN) — An unmanned French Navy “Scorpio” submarine has recovered the flight data recorder from the wreckage of an Egyptian airliner about 1,000 meters under the Red Sea, Egyptian officials said Saturday.
Investigators are hoping the so-called black box will help explain what caused the January 3 crash of the Flash Airlines Boeing 737, which crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh.
0 Read MorePARIS, Jan 16 (AFP) — French Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon will go to Iran this weekend to offer aid to help rebuild the historic citadel of Bam destroyed in last month’s deadly earthquake, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Aillagon’s visit to Bam “will allow him to get an update from the Iranian authorities on their needs and mark out the ways France can get involved in the reconstruction effort,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous.
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