July 2014—I don’t find much use for the term “off the beaten track” with regards to France. What track could possibly remain unbeaten in Paris or even in France, the world’s number 1 destination?
Some tracks are naturally more trampled than others since the vast majority of visitors aim for what’s most famous and monumental. That leaves more elbow room for the return traveler venturing elsewhere. Even then, an American traveler might take a road that appears less traveled only to find that it leads to a village full of Brits. No matter—what counts is discovery to oneself rather than finding a place where no other English-speakers have ventured before.
Instead of “off-the-beaten-track” I prefer the terms “less likely” and “unlikely” to describe routes, destinations, sights and businesses that are less frequented by my fellow American travelers and residents.
This summer’s articles and images on France Revisited will largely be dedicated to such places. By unlikely I don’t mean that such places are inaccessible (some are in fact in Paris), nor that they’re obscure, but simply that American travelers and residents are unlikely to have them on their travel radar.
These places are less likely or unlikely for a variety of reasons: they aren’t generally on our usual travel routes, they haven’t received much attention from the English-language press, they’re overshadowed by a famous neighbor, etc.
I leave it to you to decide if you want to place these on your radar for your travels and explorations and culinary adventures. At the very least, by keeping an eye on the articles and images posted on France Revisited in the coming months you’ll have heard about them, which in itself makes them a bit more likely.
We begin with one very unlikely and, truth be told, undesirable place, a French prison, in Donna Elveth’s scarf-wearing Maximum Security Fashion.
That’s followed up with the Barefoot Photographer’s encounter with a lighthouse in Paris.
We dig deep into the origin of painting with a glimpse of a prehistoric cave.
We then return to Paris to ponder: Despite all the love we have for Paris, does Paris love us? An unlikely question to launch our examination of unlikely places.
Speaking of less likely touring, after organizing a bonding and moving, if likely, father-and-son tour of Normandy last week, I accepted the less likely challenge this week of trying to explain the Hundred Years War to American travelers while visiting lesser visited castles in the Loire Valley. That led me mention the Battle of Castillon (Gascony, Aquitaine) of July 17, 1453, famous to the French and infamous to the English, which marked the end of the “endless” series of conflicts during which those kingdoms and their partner provinces fought for control of France or its western territories. But no need to listen to me when you, the unlikely traveler, can go see the battle yourself, recounted and reenacted in a sound-and-light show at the battle site near Castillon-la-Bataille, 30 miles east of Bordeaux. The show, running through August 14, is a pleasure even for the English, who have clearly gotten over the loss of Aquitaine over 550 years ago since so many of them take pleasure in spending their vacations or retiring here.
Happy travels always, however likely or unlikely they may be.
Gary