Crepes, tourtisseaux, groundhogs
Today is Crepe Day in France as well as in other countries with crepe traditions, such as Belgium and Switzerland. Americans think of it as Groundhog Day. Crepes and groundhogs both mark the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The day’s Catholic name is la Chandeleur in France, in recognition of the candles (chandelles) that are/were brought to the church in remembrance of the day when baby Jesus was first brought to the Temple.
Advice and Itineraries for Visiting the D-Day Landing Zone of Normandy
Reaping the personal rewards of visiting the D-Day Landing Zone and surrounding area of Normandy, whether on a guided D-Day tour or on your...
Daytrip from Paris: A Compiègne-Pierrefonds Biking Excursion
Within an hour’s train ride from Paris, many cycling routes allow for a daytrip of biking and touring. This one involves a visit to the town of Compiegne and biking through the forest between the Palace of Compiegne and the Castle of Pierrefonds, with the possibility of a detour to the Glade of the Armistice.
7,900 French Jews Reportedly Immigrated to Israel in 2015
The Paris office of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the organization mandated by the State of Israel to facilitate and encourage immigration from around the world, announced today that 7,900 French Jews immigrated to Israel in 2015. That represent a 10% increase over the record 2014 figure.
The Heroes of Heritage Sites in Western Hérault (video)
Meet the deeply rooted men and women who volunteer countless hours to preserving civil, religious and industrial heritage sites in an uncommon destination in southwest France: western Herault.
A Little Loop in the Loire Valley: A 2-day Cycling Route from Blois
There are those big biking trips that you spend months preparing. Then there are those short trips that begin with “Hey, it’s going to be nice out this weekend—let’s go biking… in the Loire Valley!” This little Loire loop—three days, two nights, including two days of biking—is of the latter kind. Beginning and ending in Blois...
Drome Provencale: Eat Like a Sixth Grader, Drink Like a Wine Enthusiast, Part 1...
Part 1: In which the author has lunch at a middle school cafeteria in the Provencal town of Nyons, realizes that he can’t remember anything from sixth grade and goes to talk to the principal.
The Potato Chronicles: Memories of Brittany
After several months in Finistère, Brittany, Francesca Cannan discovers the importance of potatoes to Breton chefs in a small café on a blustery winter day, the wind roaring in off the Atlantic.
Radiating from Paris: Our Glorious Ladies of Gothic Architecture (Part I: Paris, Laon, Chartres)
April 16, 2019. In the wake of the fire that destroyed the roof and steeple of Notre-Dame to Paris, we republish this article paying homage to five glorious ladies of Gothic architecture, written in 2012 as Paris prepared the jubilee celebration honoring the 850th anniversary of the start of construction of the "new" cathedral of Paris.