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.
In terms of land area, covering 247,367 square miles, France is the largest country in the European Union. L’Hexagone has over 2000 miles of coastline, with access to the Atlantic ocean, the Mediterranean sea, and the English Channel. In 2013, almost 85 million tourists visited France, […]
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Between now and February 15 next year, art lovers in Paris can visit la Musée Maillol to experience the museum’s newest exhibition, Les Borgias et Leur Temps (The Borgias and Their Times). Regardless of whether their notoriety was deserved, or merely propaganda put about by their […]
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Following on from our blog last week about the D-Day Landings, we thought you might interested in these snippets about the actual liberation of Paris itself. The fight for Paris’ freedom from Nazi occupation took place between August 19th and 25th 1944. What began with the […]
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Before the rest of the world had the Internet, France had Minitel. The service was launched in 1978, and allowed users to pay their bills, shop, buy train tickets, and check stock prices online. Users also had online mailboxes, and could chat to each other. Sound […]
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At the top of a hill in the center of Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower, is the Musée du Vin. Housed in the cellars of the 15th century Abbaye de Passy, which was built by les Frères de l’Ordre des Minimes, the museum is […]
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While much has been made of the fact that the palace of Versailles had few toilets when it was built, the reality was that they simply were not needed. Guests would bring their own commodes, and chamber pots would be used too. That’s not to say […]
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If you’re in Paris, and have a hankering for a good ol’ American burger and fries, then head over to rue des Écoles, on the 5th arrondissement, to Little Cantine, where you will find a warm welcome, a great meal, and a cool beer waiting for […]
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For those of us who were born post-1945, it’s hard to imagine what all those heroic tales of WWII must have really been like. Books, movies, and documentaries go some way to explaining the reality of war but there’s nevertheless a tendency to think of such […]
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During WWII, the Great Mosque of Paris was used as a refuge for Algerian and European Jews, hiding from Nazi persecution. As well as shelter, Islamic cleric, and founder of the Great Mosque, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, provided Jews with fake muslim birth certificates to keep them […]
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In time for the 10th anniversary of its Hotel Indigo brand, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has just opened its first boutique hotel in France, in the heart of Paris’ 9th arrondissement. The new 4-star, 57-room hotel, with 12 suites and duplex apartments, some of which overlook […]
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