Blog Masonry
Goût de France – Defending French Cuisine
Taking August Escoffier’s 1912 foodie event, Les Dîners d’Épicure, one step further, this evening sees Goût de France hosting a lavish global dinner party, catered by more than a thousand French chefs, with dinner being served simultaneously across five continents. Why? To show the world why our […]
The 45th Parallel North
According to some, the 45th parallel north, the theoretical latitudinal point which is halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, is France’s dividing line between the Occitan-speaking people of the south and the Oïl people in the north. For those interested in France’s culinary traditions, […]
Those Slender French!
Which EU country has the lowest incidence of male obesity? Yes, it’s France… of course! French women have the second lowest obesity rate in the European Union, beaten only by Denmark. In addition, our healthy lifestyle contributes to our longevity; French women have the highest life […]
Le Chocolat Chaud – The Drink Of Kings
Spring may have sprung but the chilly days and nights are far from banished, so what better way of keeping the cool weather at bay, than a deliciously velvety mug of thick hot chocolate? In the early seventeenth century, we French, being the sophisticated types that […]
The Jewels of France
You’ve no doubt heard of the Côte d’Azur but did you know that many of the resorts you’ll find along France’s lengthy coastline are named after precious and semi-precious stones? On the north-west coast, bordering the North Sea and the English Channel, you’ll find mother-of-pearl, opal, […]
Driving in France: Priorité à Droite
France, with its beautiful rolling hills, majestic mountains, golden coastline, and picturesque vineyards is a wonderful country in which to have a driving vacation. For visitors who are used to driving on the right, driving in France should not present any problems; however, you should be […]
Paris On A Shoestring
Not every visitor to the City of Light can afford to stay in a swanky hotel, so it’s really good to know that there is no shortage of affordable accommodation for the budget-conscious traveler. Hostels have come a long way since the bad old days of […]
Bygone France
In his book, The Discovery of France, author, Graham Robb, states that until the 19th century, France comprised hundreds of small, autonomous republics. Most were in fact, simply isolated hamlets, which while technically part of France, did not pay any taxes to the government. Few people […]
The Gardens of the Boves in Arras
Sixty feet below the streets of Arras, the capital of the Artois province, lie ‘les Boves’ – the medieval limestone quarries which were first excavated during the 10th century to provide building materials for the city. Since then, they have been used as cellars, silos, and […]
Loved By Lyon’s Literati: Brasserie Georges
Back in 1836, Georges Hoffherr, a brewer from Strasbourg, Alsace, opened Brasserie Georges in Lyon, and it soon became a favorite haunt of Lyon’s literati for almost two centuries, and now the oldest brasserie in the city. Situated on the stagecoach route between Paris and Marseille, la Georges […]