课程介绍：


Introduction



France is a European country. What is Europe and how are its boundaries defined? The question remains controversial, even today. The European Union is composed of 27 countries (as of 2009). Some countries in Europe however are not members of the EU (Iceland, Norway, Croatia…). In any case, the economic, cultural, legal and even social integration of the European countries has continually grown strong since 1957 (Treaty of Rome).

In this course we are going to discuss France which is a member state of the EU and one of the six founding EU member states in 1957). This country has preserved its own unique culture and for that reason is the most visited country in the world. This last characteristic may be surprising since this country spans just over 550,000 square kilometres and its population only accounts for 63,392,140 inhabitants (January 1, 2007).

This course proposes a study of the diversity of the French regions which attracts so many people to France from all around the world. After studying the main characteristics of the administrative map of France, we will focus on regional landscapes, architecture, gastronomy, and famous cultural landmarks. A dialogue between economic, social and cultural actors in each region has become increasingly necessary for a better quality of life. The course is also designed to understand and analyze natural and urban landscapes, and to make students aware of French civilization from those landscape discoveries.

I invite you to accompany me in my travel to some of the most interesting regions of France. We will start from the Île-de-France region (of which Paris is the centre), one of the greatest economic and cultural region in the EU.

We will then proceed to Normandy (Normandie in French), a beautiful area indeed, famous for its beautiful landscapes and skies, as well as its cheese.

The Mont Saint-Michel will follow, a sacred destination built on the top of a rocky island: this place is the second most visited site in France after Paris!

We will be soon in Brittany (Bretagne in French) which is well known for its long sand beaches, its tiny fishing harbours and small creeks, its seafood, its granite stone churches and calvaries.

Then we will continue southward, following the Loire River (about 1,000 km long) from its source to its estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometres from Nantes. And so we will explore through various famous regions worth visiting: Northeast of the region Rhône-Alpes (Loire department: I will take you to the medieval village where I was born), Burgundy (Bourgogne in French), Centre region (the famous Val-de-Loire with wines and castles), and finally the Loire-Atlantique region. So by the Loire river we will go through France from South to North and then (from Orléans) from East to West.

Heading southward we will reach the Mediterranean coast after winding through Lyon and the Rhône river valley, Provence, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. Little by little, you will discover the light of the Mediterranean Sea, the delicious “cuisine provençale” (Provençale cuisine) and many painters (Cézanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso).

Bon voyage! 一路平安 !



Questions
- What does the word « France » represent to you?
- Have you already travelled to France? To Europe?
- Can you speak French? Which European language(s) do you speak?
- Have you already bought a French product?


Part 1. Portrait of France

A. France is bordered by the English Channel (North), the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay (West), Spain (Southwest), the Mediterranean Sea (South), Switzerland and Italy (Southeast)), and Germany, Luxemburg, and Belgium (Northeast).
The geographic barriers include the Pyrenees, sharing the border with Spain; the Jura Mountains and the Alps, along the border with Switzerland and Italy; and the Rhine River, which is part of the German border
France’s capital and largest city is Paris. For a physical map of France see www.map-of-france.co.uk/physical-map-france.htm

B. France is administratively divided into 22 regions, many of which correspond to the nation’s historical provinces. These regions are: Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandy, Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comté, Haute-Normandie, Île-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrénées, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie (Picardy)), Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, and Rhône-Alpes.
France’s 22 administrative regions each have a directly elected regional council, primarily responsible for stimulating economic and social activity. The regions are further divided into 96 departments (not including the four overseas departments), which are governed by a locally elected general council.
Further subdivisions are the communes which are responsible for the municipal services and are represented by town councils and by the mayor.
France also has a number of overseas territories which, legally, are part of the French Republic. Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, and French Guiana are all overseas departments and also overseas regions. French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Mayotte Island, and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon are overseas collectivities. New Caledonia has a particular status (there will be an independence referendum in upcoming years). French Southern and Antartic Territories are overseas territories. For a political of France see www.map-of-france.co.uk/political-map-of-france.htm

C. About 75 % of the population resides in urban areas. The national statistics agency (INSEE) reported in January 2007 that in 2006 France had the highest birth rate in Europe. The average number of births was slightly more than two.
The blending of the people over the centuries as well as immigration in the 20th century has given France great ethnic diversity. A large influx of predominantly North African immigrants has had a great effect on the cities, especially Paris and Marseille.

French is the national language. There are also a number of regional dialects which are largely declining in usage. Alsatian, a German dialect, for example, is spoken in Alsace. A small number speak Flemish, a Dutch dialect, in French Flanders. In Celtic Brittany, Breton is still spoken as is Basque in the Bayonne region, Provençal in Provence, Catalan at the eastern end of the Pyrenees, and Corsican on the island of Corsica.

A variety of religions are practiced in France, as freedom of religion is a constitutional right. According to a January 2007 poll (French CSA Institute), 51 % of people polled identified as being Catholic; 31 % of them polled declared being agnostic or atheist, 4 % identified as Muslims; 3 % as protestant; 1 % as Jewish; 10% as being from other religions or being without opinion. Separation of the Church and State was made final by law in 1903.

D. The country is governed under the 1958 constitution (as amended), which established the Fifth French Republic and reflected the view and politics of Charles de Gaulle. It provides for a strong president directly elected for a five-year term. A prime minister and cabinet, appointed by the president, are responsible for the National Assembly, but they are subordinate to the president. The bicameral legislature consists of the National Assembly and the Senate.

E. Economy. France is one of the world’s major economic powers. Agriculture plays a larger role than in the economies of most other industrial countries. A large proportion of the value of total agricultural output derives from livestock (cattle, hogs, poultry, and sheep). The country leading crops are wheat, sugar beets, corn, barley, and potatoes, with the most intensive cultivation north of the Loire River. Fruit growing, particularly of grapes, is important in the south. France is among the foremost producers of wine in the world (in Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhone and Loire valleys, and the Bordeaux region).

France leading industries produce nuclear plants, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metals, aircraft, electronics equipment, textiles and foods (cheeses…). Advanced technology industries are also important. Tourism is a very profitable industry. Paris has been made famous by its luxury goods and fashion industry. Nuclear energy furnishes 75 % of all electricity produced in France.

France has an extensive railway system, the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français). The first of a number of high-speed rail lines (TGV’s) was completed in 1983, linking Paris and Lyons. Subsequent lines have connected Paris to several other French cities as well as Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and, via the Channel Tunnel, Great Britain.

Leading exports are machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, and beverages. Leading imports are machinery and electronic equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, and chemicals. Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and the United States are the main trading partners.


Part 2. Let us start in Normandy

Formerly a French province, Normandy (Fr.: Normandie), with its old capital at Rouen, is now divided into two regions bordering on the English Channel: Upper Normandy (Fr.: Haute-Normandie) and Lower Normandy (Fr.: Basse-Normandy).


Upper Normandy (Haute-Normandie).
Haute-Normandie is composed of the departments of Eure and Seine-Maritime. Its regional capital is Rouen. Haute-Normandie is mostly lowland belonging to the Paris basin and is drained by the Seine River. Haute-Normandie’s climate is wet. It is densely populated.
In the department of Seine-Maritime the population is heavily concentrated in Le Havre, Rouen and small urban centres along the Seine River.
The gastronomy of Normandy in general tends to favor fish and seafood dishes, since it is fresh and abundant. However, they have wonderful lamb, chicken and duck dishes that are also quite notable.
Normandy is famous for its butter. The great cheeses of the region include Camembert, Neufchâtel, Livarot and Pont L’Evêque.
Dieppe is an important fishing port. Le Havre, Rouen, and other areas along the Seine River are highly industrialized. Petroleum refineries outside Le Havre and between Le Havre and Rouen have established Seine-Maritime as a major petrochemical centre. Renault automobiles are manufactured in this department.
Eure’s population is still largely rural population. Animal husbandry dominates agriculture, and the region is a leading producer of milk and beef.


Lower Normandy (Basse-Normandy).
1. The region includes three departments: Calvados, Manche and Orne. Its regional capital is Caen. The region’s economy is heavily agricultural, with livestock and dairy farming, textiles and fruit production among its major industries. The region is the leader in France in the sectors of butter, fromages frais (fresh cheeses), soft cheeses, cider apples, cider, leeks, turnips, and flax. The region also breeds more horses than any other in France. With vast prairie land, the western portion of Lower Normandy is utilized mainly for farming. Tourism is also a major industry. The region has direct links to England (via the port of Cherbourg and Caen-Ouistreham).
Lower Normandy has also been the home of many well-known French authors, including Guy de Maupassant and Marcel Proust. Some famous French painters were born in this region: Eugène Boudin (in Honfleur) and Fernand Léger (in Argentan) for example.

2. Let us have a more detailed look on the Côte Fleurie (the Flowery Coast) and the Pays d’Auge (see Normandy’s maps).

a) The Côte Fleurie, west from the mouth of the Seine, became the seaside of Paris in the 19th century.
In the past many explorers left to pursue adventures from the beautiful port of Honfleur. For instance the famous Samuel de Champlain, who, at the beginning of the 17th century, led voyages that contributed to the founding of Quebec in North America. The fantastic quayside houses of Honfleur’s Vieux Bassin date from the 18th century. The Quai Sainte-Catherine has the most spectacular display of houses. At the end of the Quai Sainte-Catherine, the Lieutenance served as the home of the governors of Honfleur. On one side stands a bust of Champlain, a plaque below recalling the various voyages he organized to Canada.
Behind the Quai Sainte-Catherine lies a delightful timberframe neighbourhood. A belfry stands guard over Sainte-Catherine, probably the finest timberframed church in France. It was built in the second half of the 15th century when, after the troubles of the Hundred Years’ War (between the English and the French), stone was reserved for the rebuilding of the port’s fortifications. Inside, the hull of a roof was constructed by local shipbuilders. At the end of the 15th century, the church had to be enlarged, hence the double nave. Light pours in through the diamond-shaped window panes. The Musée Boudin (Boudin Museum) is the fine arts museum, named after the painter Eugène Boudin, son of a sailor, who was born in Honfleur in 1824.
Trouville is a seaside resort. The first beach huts appeared in the 1840’s, and when Napoléon III started bringing his court here in the 1850s its popularity was assured. The view along Trouville’s boardwalk, or “les planches”, with flags fluttering in the wind, must be one of the most recognizable images of 19th century painting. Trouville now has a relaxing, old-style sea-front, with bars, ice-cream stands and some grand old villas. The long quay where fishing boats moor is another form of activity (fish market).
Away from the beach, Trouville has narrow streets winding up suddenly steep hillsides. The small Musée Montebello houses some charming works by Boudin and other Trouville painters.
Deauville is another product of the Second Empire (Napoléon III). In 1860 Napoléon III’s half-brother, the Duke of Morny, decided to develop the empty dunes and marshes as a much more exclusive resort. By the early 1900s anyone who was anyone could be found each summer along Deauville’s neatly clipped seafront. Since the town was completely artificial, its proprietors imposed specific styles, the most common one known locally as Anglo-Norman, using artificial half-timbering to construct giant mansions that look like traditional Norman manor houses.
Deauville also has two horse-tracks. La Touque for flat racing and the more casual Clairefontaine mainly used for steeplechases and trotting. In August the polo tournament at La Touques and the Grand prix de Deauville (the traditional end of the racing season) are major special events.

b) The Pays d’Auge is a beautiful part of Basse-Normandie. In the northern Pays d’Auge, where half-timbered houses are predominant, horse-breeding, cider and cheese-making are major pastimes. This corner of France is also characterized by the white fencing that marks off the many stud farms found here.
The village of Beaumont-en-Auge has a pensive statue of the great astronomer Laplace (born here in 1749), and the restaurant “Café des Arts” at Place de Verdun, is a great spot for a bite to eat. Pont-L’Evêque is a city famous for very fine and strong-smelling cheeses. The Cambremer Route du Cidre (cider trail) offers a circuit round the heart of the Auge cider “appellation” area where we can visit cider-making farms. Beuvron-en-Auge has timberframe patterns and brick façades. Livarot, Vimoutiers, St Pierre-sur-Dives and charming little Camembert fight it out for cheese-lovers’ attention in this corner of the Auge. Camembert cheese has two museums devoted to it: one in Vimoutiers, another in Camembert itself. St Pierre-sur-Dives has an exceptional market hall, a great barn protected by stone walls and steep slopes of tiles (Monday market).

Exercises to understand and analyze Normandy’s landscapes.

Buildings and stones in Normandy
Painters of Normandy


Part 3. To the West: the Mont Saint-Michel.


Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, the Bay of the Mont Saint-Michel forms a natural border between Brittany and Normandy. Standing atop the granite hill at a height of 80 meters in the abbey which is a perfect blend of Romanesque and flamboyant Gothic arts, you will enjoy a gorgeous panorama over the bay, changing according to the weather and tides, steadily washing over and then uncovering the shore.

B. Mont Saint-Michel is a glorious element of Christian symbolism: its triangular shape that can be seen from afar evokes the Holy Trinity; the narrow spit joining mainland to island represents the straight and narrow path to God; and the church steeple pointing to the skies is a sharp reminder for visitors to direct their gaze towards heaven. The needle is topped by a gilded statue of St Michael, who weighs souls at the last judgment.

C. In 966 the mount became the site of the first Benedictine foundation (monastery) in Lower Normandy. Later it was decided to replace the buildings with a more substantial Romanesque abbey, which went up from the start of the 11th century to the mid-12thcentury. Donations of land from nobles and of money from visiting pilgrims brought the abbey considerable wealth. It became a celebrated institution of learning and was renowned for its illuminated manuscripts. In the 11th century an entire network of pilgrimage routes to the holy place developed.
However it was under the abbot Robert de Thorigni (1154-1186) that the abbey enjoyed its greatest period when the number of monks reached its peak of 60. With a sizable abbey library to match the prolific production of manuscripts, Mont Saint-Michel became known as the “City of Books”.
In the 13th century, the French King Philippe-Auguste donated an enormous sum to build a magnificent new monastic wing on the north side of the island: the Merveille (Marvel).
The ramparts around the bottom of the mount date mainly from the 15th century, built to defend the rock from the English in the Hundred Years’ War. The English allowed pilgrims to reach the abbey through the time of warring, however, and in the course of fighting in 1421, the church chancel collapsed. Once the war ended, many pilgrims came to thank St Michael for delivering them from the English, giving generously to help in the reconstruction of the chancel.
French kings also came to Mont Saint-Michel on pilgrimage, but the nature of abbey life was radically altered in the early 16th century when the crown took control of the appointment of abbots throughout France. Some of these abbots scarcely visited the mount and were only interested in its revenue. Inevitably the monastic life and scholarship suffered dramatically.
During the French Revolution the monks were replaced by prisoners.
At this time, the 19th-century restorers moved in force. The neo-gothic spire, built in 1897, was the work of a pupil of the architect Viollet-le-Duc. The statue of St Michael that tops the spire was erected during the same period. Recently Benedictine monks have been allowed back into the abbey.

D. The buildings of the abbey were made of granite quarried locally and on the Îles Chausey (Chausey Islands), out in the bay. The work of heaving up great stones on such steep rock was an incredible achievement.
A daunting number of steps lead up to the level of the abbey church. A classical façade was added to one of the earliest Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Even the luminous late-Gothic chancel has little decorative detail. Most of the remaining edifice rests on four supporting lower chapels or crypts.
The Merveille (Marvel) was daringly built on the north side of the mount. It essentially consists of two rooms on each of its three floors. On the upper level the cloister garden sits open to the skies, while its galleries are held up on delicate double columns.
The refectory next to the cloister is beautifully lit, but there are no direct views out. Many of the rooms on this magnificent site were deliberately deprived of views, with diagonal windows built to let the light in indirectly.
On the middle level, in the vast Salle des Hôtes was where nobles and prestigious pilgrims were received and lodged. The room next door, the Salle des Chevaliers, is thought to have served both as the abbey’s chapterhouse and as its scriptorium, where manuscripts were produced.

E.The Bay of Mont Saint-Michel. The tides in the area change quickly, often described “as swiftly as a galloping horse”. The tides can vary greatly, at roughly 15 meters between high and low water marks. The amount can still pose dangers even for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast. If you enjoy hiking (which I do), I advise you to solicit a registered guide who will accompany you on a walk across the bay from the Bec d’Andaine (on the neighbouring coast) to the mount in complete safety. This will be a memorable souvenir!
Polderisation and occasional flooding created salt marsh meadows that were later discovered to be ideally suited to grazing sheep. The well-flavoured meat that results from the sheep’s diet in the “pré salé” (salt meadow) makes “agneau de pré salé” (salt meadow lamb), a local specialty that can be found on the menus of local restaurants.
Sedimentation. Since its origin around 10,000 years ago at the end of the ice-age, the Bay has been inexorably silting up in an irreversible natural process. The problem lies in the mount’s positioning in a bay having some of the strongest tides which drag in roughly one million cubic yards of sand from the sea each year. The problem was aggravated in the 1960s by a dam built to prevent the tides from invading the Couesnon river, the largest of the rivers that feed into the bay. The Couesnon river no longer balances the effect of the tides by flushing some of the sand and silt back out to sea.
As the years pass, the landscape is slowly changing as the mud flats progress. Little by little, the progressive retreat of the sea leaves fertile land behind. Since the 11th century, man has colonized and farmed these new agricultural lands, building dykes to protect them from the sea. One dyke dates from the beginning of the 20th century and enabled the polderisation of the area around the Mont Saint-Michel.
Government planners want to replace the dam of the Couesnon river with one that can open at high tide, letting tidal waters enter the river and collect in a reservoir to be built on adjacent farmland. At low tide, the dam will open again, allowing the collected waters to flush the bay of silt.
To enable the waters to spread evenly across the bay, the planners want to replace the causeway with a narrow bridge for pedestrians and shuttle buses that will ferry visitors to the mount.

F. Do you like eating mussels? “Moules marinières” (mussels cooked in their own juice with onions)? The farming of mussels on “bouchots” is found in the Bay. “Bouchot” is a line of 110 wooden stakes planted in the sand over a length of 100 metres on which mussels are farmed. Today there are some 271 km of “bouchots” producing an annual harvest of between 10,000 and 12,000 tons and employing around 300 people.

Exercises to understand and analyze Mont Saint-Michel’s landscapes.

Views of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel
To approach the Mount from the coast


Part 4. It is time now to explore Brittany.


Territory. The region of Brittany (capital: Rennes) is made up of 80 % of the former duchy of Brittany. The remaining 20 % of Brittany is the Loire-Atlantique department which lies inside the Pays de la Loire region, with its capital Nantes, which was the historical capital of the duchy of Brittany. Brittany was split between two modern day regions, in part to avoid the rivalry between Rennes and Nantes.
The region is divided into four departments: Finistère (W), Côtes-d’Armor (N), Ille-et-Vilaine (NE), and Morbihan(SW).


Overview of Brittany coastline.

1. Let us start at St-Malo. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the bishop Jean de Chatillon saw to it that St-Malo was defended by solid ramparts and ordered the building of a grand cathedral. St-Malo’s fleet became active in both trade and war, and the French king Philippe-Auguste used it to assist him in chasing the English out of Normandy. But the city cultivated its independent streak throughout the centuries: “Ni français, ni Breton : Malouin suis” (I’am neither French nor Breton, but Malouin) went a popular motto. The Malouin merchants prospered, in part from backing corsairs sent out to pillage English ships. Sometimes rich corsairs had beautiful houses built around St-Malo, called “Malouinières” (some can still be seen today).
Countless French explorers set out from St-Malo, most famously Jacques Cartier who claimed Canada for France in the 1530s. St-Malo was glorious and notorious. Merchants made fortunes, including from the slave trade.. The Malouin corsairs profited greatly from British and Dutch merchants. By the 19th century, the corsairs and slave traders no longer dominated the profitable advantages of the area: cod fishing took centre stage, and a radical change in Anglo-French relations brought a very different breed of invaders – tourists.
During the Second World War, old St-Malo was almost entirely reduced to rubble. But thanks to the reconstruction efforts that conserved the city’s original style and beauty, it has since re-emerged as one of the great cities of France. Irresistible sandy beaches stretch below the magnificent old walls.

2. The Côte d’Emeraude (the Emerald Coast).
By the turn of the 20th century, Dinard became one of the liveliest and most chic resorts in France. Today, however, the most exhilarating parts of Dinard are its coastal paths. Head east from the Plage de l’Ecluse round the Pointe du Moulinet for a stunning view of St-Malo. Heading west from the Plage de l’Ecluse, the coastal path past the Pointe de la Malouinet to St-Enogat is one of the most unforgettable walks in northern Brittany.
The coast all around St-Briac is cluttered with elegant villas. Many late 19th century artists paid homage to the place, among them Renoir, Signac, and Emile Bernard. The village itself looks out on to the Frémur estuary and its rockscape.
Fort La Latte, the most sensational of Brittany’s coastal castles, went up in the course of the 14th century, but significant parts date from the 17th century. The colours of the rocks are almost as beautiful as the views as you approach Cap Fréhel and its pink sandstone quarries.
The views across the immense Bay of St-Brieuc almost match those across the Bay of St-Michel. But here cliffs line the shore where every fishing port with beach resort has its own marina.
The Celts once guarded this coastline from the splendid vantage point of Cap d’Erquy above the port of Erquy. The local pink rocks have long been quarried – the stone of Erquy went into the building of the Arc de Triomphe. Some people in Erquy will tell you that this might be the site of Astérix and Obélix’s village (?).

3. The Goëlo Coast.

The Goëlo Coast forms the western side of the Bay of St-Brieuc from the city of St-Brieuc to Paimpol and the Île of Briat.
The Breton-speaking frontier lies around Plouha, which immediately feels more archetypally Breton. Some of the tallest cliffs of the region plunge down to the sea. Roads shaded by towering trees run steeply down narrow valleys to tiny harbours: at Gwin Zégal the little boats are simply tied up to posts (oak wood) planted in the waters.
Paimpol is known across France for its tough maritime past, its name synonymous with the demeaning life of the Breton fishermen exploited by the shipowners during centuries of long-distance cod fishing. Cod fishing reached its zenith in the 19th century, during which the sailors shifted their attention from Newfoundland to the seas off Iceland. This too came to an end in 1935. Hotel “Le repaire de Kerroc’h”, 29 quai Morand stands out as one of the few proud old building still standing on the quays at the very stylish address in the port.
The rocks of the archipelago of Bréhat with their many gradations of pinks and oranges are of a rare beauty. Bréhat, the main island, is formed of two large pieces of rock joined together by a diminutive bridge. You find a great diversity of flowers and plants on this island and a “verrerie d’art” (glassware manufacture) inside the fort (“Verreries de Bréhat”).
Pestivien and Bulat-Pestivien, westward from Guingamp towards Callac, have an exceptional legacy. The Chapelle St-Blaise and its calvary at Pestivien are covered with grey lichen, and the elongated calvary figures looking down on the dead Christ are nicely executed, conveying a rare sense of emotion for a Breton calvary.

4. The Côte de Granit Rose (Pink Granite Coast) and Coastal Trégor.

The capital of the Trégor is Tréguier, a delightful town dedicated to the great Breton defender of the poor, 13th-century St Yves. West of Tréguier, the Côte de Granit Rose, with its display of pink boulders, is one of the most famous stretches of shore in Brittany.

Tréguier stands back from the rocks of the Côte de Granit Rose, down the Jaudy estuary. The soaring steeple of its cathedral makes it clear who was boss here centuries past: Tréguier was one of the original seats of Christian power in Brittany. Tréguier is still renowned for its Gothic cathedral and cloister. The interior of the cathedral is described as a laboratory of medieval architecture.
The Côte de Granit Rose covers roughly 20 km of gorgeously granite coast from the Pointe du Château west to Trégastel-plage. Not only are the rocks characterized by their pink tone, they have also been shaped by the elements, which whip them into unique shapes: the Die, the Bottle, Napoleon’s Hat… Perros-Guirec is a beautiful, sprawling Breton resort with a modern marina. Grand villas and hotels climb its slopes, with a spectacular cornice road at the top. Boats leave for trips to the ornithological reserve of the Sept Îles, where rare seabirds call, including puffins and gannets in spring and early summer. The coastal path from Perros-Guirec to Ploumanach becomes increasingly cluttered with some of the strangest rocks in Brittany.
The walk around Ploumanach’s Municipal Park takes you past pink granite formations, which turn a fiery colour in the setting sun. Behind Ploumanach’s lighthouse, you come to the Maison du Littoral, where you can learn how the pinkness derived from a vein of magma which remains open and active for an exceptionally long time.
After Trégastel, the pinkness fades from the rocks. We enter the Finistère, the most Breton of Brittany’s departments, which covers the whole western tip of the province. The outstanding monument along the Coastal Trégor is the Neolithic Cairn of Barnenez. It is possibly the largest Neolithic monument built in Europe, a vast, step-layered, dry-stone structure constructed with infinite care. What we see is actually two cairns stuck one against the other. On one side of the edifice, one notices eleven separate tomb entrances. Archaeologists date the earlier cairn to around 4500 BC. The later one has been estimated to date from around 4000 BC.

5. The North Coast of Finistère.
The charming ferry port of Roscoff has had a pirating past, when shipowners, corsairs and smugglers were engaged in a century-long struggle with the English. Sailing vessels were so important that they were carved on the outside of Notre-Dame de Kroatz Batz (a church) whose steeple looks like it has been built out of stone bells. Around the church, the grand granite houses reflect Roscoff’s 16th and 17th century prosperity.
Pink onion selling (“oignon rose” in French) to Britain began early in the 19th century. Roscoff has strong links with southern Britain, in recent times because of the Johnny onion sellers who set from here to sell their produce door-to-door. The Musée des Johnnies (Johnnies Museum) is situated at the entrance to the town centre and tells the story of the Breton salesmen who went to sell onions to Britain. 3,000 tons of Roscoff pink onions are sold every year. From the old port you can take the short boat to the unspoilt Île de Batz.
Along the coast between Roscoff and Plouescat, vegetables grow almost to the edge of the sea – particularly artichokes.
Continuing west, views open up on to the towering spectacle of the Île Vierge (Virgin Island) lighthouse, the tallest in Europe (over 80 meters).
The lethal rocks of Ouessant (Ushant) Island are notorious for shipwrecks. The men being away fishing, the women were left to tend to their tiny walled allotments. These have been abandoned, but the other traditional mainstay, sheep, survives. The tiny blackish brown breed, however, specific to the island is now very rare.
Brest’s main attraction, Océanopolis, east of town, is a centre for the study of the world’s oceans, and one of the best aquariums in France.

6. Inland Finistère.
From the late 15th century, elaborate outdoor calvary platforms covered with sculpture in granite telling the story of Christ’s life and in particular the Passion, became the rage in western Brittany. Occasionally, a local story or saint might creep in as well. They were merely one element in the distinctive “enclos paroissiaux” (parish church enclosure) which flourished in these parts in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Two naïve riders greet you at the arch into Guimiliau’s charming “enclos paroissial” (parish church enclosure). The figures’ expressions show more vitality than the statues on any other Breton calvary. In the Last Supper, several apostles peer round from behind Christ’s shoulder to see what’s going on. One woman on the calvary is shown naked, her big breasts indicating the nature of her “crime”: she is a representation of Kat Golled, Lost Catherine, a local woman whose lover turned out to be none other than the devil himself.
St-Thegonnec boasts the most grandiose of all “enclos paroissiaux” from the second half of the 16th and early 17th centuries. St-Thegonnec is also well-known for its calvary dating from 1610, one of the last to be made, which include a statue of the saint Thégonnec who sailed across the sea to Ireland to become bishop later in life.
Heading up the beautiful Aulne valley from the Rade de Brest, Pleyben also is proud of its Breton “enclos paroissial”. The calvary, its most famous feature, resembles a massive triumphal arch. Pleyben’s other claim to fame is its Breton butter cookies, the “galettes de Pleyben”, sold here and throughout Brittany.
The sculptures of a calvary platform are connected to an environment that is more rural than urban. There is no important city in Brittany which has a calvary. For prelates and bourgeois people it was an art of commoners living in villages. In villages, important calvaries are sometimes located at big market centres, however they still maintain their important rural trait.
Those calvary statues are naturally designed to be situated in open air, in contact with the sky, as a testimony of the art and piety of a tough population under a stormy weather.
Granite stone was used. This kind of stone is difficult to manipulate and turn into art masterpieces (unlike the softer stones of Champagne and Burgundy provinces). Granite resists bad weather, but also the artist’s virtuosity, hence an overall heaviness and solid appearance. On the other hand nothing is lighter than the lace of a calvary silhouette over the clouds.
Calvary statues are treated with various features: fantasy, pathos, grandeur, ridicule and naivety. It is a Christian art for peasants and workers. A calvary platform shows the daily life of the village’s community and it was traditionally the whole community that would erect those monuments, with the pride of building a calvary more beautiful and more complete than those of other neighbouring villages.
A Breton calvary testifies to the merits and constraints of a people, sanctified by the example of the saints: virginity, fatherhood, motherhood, pilgrimage, public writer’s job, tribunal judge’s job, the Episcopal function, monarchy (the Wise Men), sins (Magdalena): the entire social, professional and moral structure of 16th and 17th century rural Brittany.
Those calvaries have been erected in the middle of tombs: the sensitivity to death was a favourite theme for a country where so many women lost their husbands or sons in the sea.

7. The Bay of Douarnenez.
Extremely long, spectacular stretches of beach run down the eastern side of this bay to the fishing port of Douarnenez. A whole stretch of river bank at Port Rhu, just outside of Douarnenez’s port, has been turned into an excellent boat museum, the Musée du Bateau (Boat Museum) where you can admire boats that were actually used in the past.

Locronan is a small town built at the foot of a hill. Since the 15th century, hemp has been blossoming in Locronan’s surroundings. This led to a hemp industry in the town at the time, making the town quite prosperous. Locronan is a typical example of a Breton town that has remained frozen in its ancient form by more recent economic decline. From 1469 through the 17th century, it was a successful centre for woven linen, supplying sails to the French, English and Spanish navies. It was first rivalled by Vitré and Rennes, before its industry disappear. As a result, the rich medieval houses of the town centre have never been superseded or surrounded by modern development. The town itself is genuinely remarkable centred on the focal Eglise St-Ronan (St-Ronan church).
The village’s name means “the hermitage of Saint Ronan”. Saint Ronan is greatly venerated in Brittany. He was a Celtic missionary of the 6th century. His relics are kept in the parish church.
“Troménie” is a pilgrimage festival (a “pardon” in French), involving a huge procession, which features the banners of participating parishes. Held every six years in July, the “Grande Troménie” (great Troménie) is a pilgrimage of about 12 km, traversing the wider sacred area around Locronan. In the intervening five years, the “Petite Troménie” (small Troménie) is held in July and is focused on the town and church of Locronan.
“Pardons” are ancient religious festivals held annually throughout Brittany to honour the local patron saints. Sometimes it only involves the small village church; for others, it involves the whole parish and many churches. There is usually a procession with the priests at the head and all the pilgrims following, singing, and carrying the colourful banners of their churches. In Locronan, the procession goes to 12 different sites throughout the forest and ends at Locronan Mountain (actually a hill).
If you like hiking, I strongly advise you to walk on the Locronan Mountain Trail and to end your hike by going down to the town’s church. Merveilleux ! 非常好看 ! Wonderful !

8. The Pays Bigouden.
The Pays Bigouden occupies the southwest corner of the Finistère, one of the most untamed parts of the Breton peninsula. Pont-l’Abbé is its capital, where a uniquely tall coiffe was worn by women, a powerful image that has become a symbol for the whole of Brittany.
Audierne, by the enormous exposed Bay of Audierne, still feels like a busy fishing port. Safely anchored up the Goyen estuary, the town’s west bank is lined with shipping merchant’s houses.
L’Île Tudy is a thin spit of land connected to the mainland by a sandy causeway, and a picturesque old village, its houses huddled together. From here a great stretch of beach heads east to irresistible Ste-Marine (a crescent of Breton houses around the port).
Bénodet, Ste-Marine’s bigger brother, lies on the opposite side of the Odet River, its central beach well protected within the Odet estuary. Tourist cruise boats can take you up the twisting wooded meanders of the Odet to Quimper. A wonderful trip.
Quimper: the joyous twin spires of Quimper cathedral soar above the centre of this delightful historic city on the banks of the Odet River. Quimper is linked to Paris by high-speed TGV trains.
I will show you photos of one of the most beautiful small castles in Brittany: the castle of Guilguiffin at Lanludec, about 20 km west of Quimper. Erected in the 18th century, it is also famous for the flowers in its park. I will take you there for a wedding party… Vive la mariée! Long life to the bride!

9. To Concarneau and Pont-Aven.
Between Concarneau and Pont-Aven a slightly wilder stretch of coast leads down to the Pointe de Trévignon, then follows a delightful string of narrow little avens. Sandy creeks replace the great stretches of beach. A wonderful coastal hiking trail (GR 34) connects the village of Port Manec’h (at the entrance of the aven leading to Pont-Aven) to the town of Pont-Aven.
In the late 19th century, the Pont-Aven School, an innovative circle of artists, which included painters Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Emile Bernard (1868-1941), painted shockingly bold blocks of bright colour, separated by thick black cloisonné lines. Horizons were flattened and forms greatly simplified and people turned into statues. The style of their images harked back to more primitive forms and to a different conception of visual arts still familiar in Asia and Africa.

10. Major megalithic sites: Carnac and Locmariaquer.
Carnac is surely the densest Neolithic site in the world, with a concentration of dolmens, tumuli and, most famously, its four great alignments of standing stones. The mystical alignments for which there is still no plausible explanation, were probably put up c. 3000 BC. The four curving alignments stretch across some 4 kilometers. The individual stones are diverse in shape and size and tend to be much rougher than typical menhirs. The alignments may have been places of worship, concentrating on the important changes in the seasons, but because their complete structures are unknown, it is hard to prove any astronomical use. The alignments might also have been connected with funeral rites and the concept of an afterworld, especially given the density of major tombs scattered in the vicinity.
Standing at the western entrance to the Golfe du Morbihan (Morbihan Gulf), Locmariaquer’s peninsula is another major megalithic site. Three vast Neolithic monuments, the Grand Menhir Brisé, the Tumulus Er-Grah and the Table des Marchands were excavated in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.
South of Vannes, heading east to the Atlantic coast, you may be surprised to come across a medieval castle plonked by itself on a beach. The Château de Suscinio (Suscinio Castle) was built for hunting. Massive walls and towers survive from the 14th century. The view over the ocean is superb.

11. Guérande.
We end this tour of the Brittany coast by staying some time in Guérande which overlooks the vast salt marshes on which its wealth was built in times past. The most impressive entrance into town, the Porte St-Michel, was built in the second half of the 15th century.
It is worth exploring the dour landscape of the “marais salants” (salt marshes) below Guérande, with mounds of gourmet salt piled high in summer.

Exercises to understand and analyze Breton landscapes.

Buildings and stones in Brittany
Salt marshes and gourmet salt of Guérande
Breton calvaries


Part 5. Along the Loire River

If you prefer getting a closer look, we can explore the Loire River by canoe.
Originating in the Cévennes Mountains in the department of Ardèche, the Loire flows northward, more or less, through Roanne and Nevers to Orléans and thereafter westward through Tours to the Atlantic at Nantes, where it forms an estuary. Unlike most other rivers in Western Europe, there are very few dams or locks creating obstacles to its natural flow. The Villerest dam, built a few kilometres south of Roanne, has played a key-role in preventing recent flooding. As a result, the Loire is a very popular river for boating excursions, flowing through a pastoral countryside, past limestone cliffs and historical castles.
The Loire is the longest river in France. With a length of 1,013 kilometres, it drains an area which represents more than a fifth of France’s land area. The Loire gives its name to six departments: Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône et Loire.
The central part of the Loire Valley was added to the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO on December 2, 2002. The banks are characterised by vineyards and châteaux in the Loire Valley.


A medieval village near Roanne: Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel.
The beautiful medieval village of Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel (Loire department), altitude: 376 m, is situated at 12 km west of Roanne (a small city by the Loire River, famous for its restaurant Troisgros, a sanctuary of the best French gastronomy). It has preserved numerous medieval architectural treasures, as illustrated by its ramparts, its round towers, its manor houses and its picturesque timber-framed houses. To be visited: the charming Romanesque church which is home to old murals. Also not to be missed are the beautiful façades of the Pelletier townhouse and the Maison du Cadran Solaire (the Sundial House).

This village is also surrounded by vineyards producing the Côte Roannaise wines (gamay type of vine growing entirely on granitic soils). This light red wine can accompany any meat dish. Côte Roannaise occupies a narrow strip of land (215 ha) lying between 200 m and 350 m above sea level and running along the departmental road number 8 (D 8). There are 14 villages in all the appellation. I would recommend two wine growers: Sérol in Renaison (2 km from Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel) and Thierry Bonneton, at Saint-André d’Apchon (4 km from Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel).
On these hillsides of the Côte Roannaise and above on the mountain, there are plenty of hiking trails with beautiful views over the villages.
Another village of the Côte Roannaise worth visiting is Ambierle (altitude: 460 m). The priory of Ambierle, which was originally a Benedictine abbey, was rebuilt in the 15th century. St-Martin church has a Burgundy style polychrome glazed tile roof, magnificent carved wooden stalls, and a Passion retable given to the church in 1476. The church is also proud of its 15th century stained-glass windows (see www.patrimoine-de-france.org/oeuvres/richesses, verrières de l’église d’Ambierle).


Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire wines
Sancerre wine belongs to the Centre Loire vineyards: Loire Valley wine situated to the East of the cities Tours and Blois. It is made of sauvignon blanc (white) grapes, and has grapefruit and mineral flavours. It goes well with goat cheese of the region. Pouilly-sur-Loire hugs the right bank of the Loire, whilst Sancerre is on the opposite bank. Both regions make extensive use of the sauvignon grape for their white wines, which are often described as having a “gunflint” aroma (“Pierre à silex” in French). The stronger Sancerre wine generally takes slightly longer to mature than Pouilly-Fumé, averaging 2-3 years instead of 1-2 years.


Germigny-des-Pres Oratory.
Now a village parish church, the Oratory of Germigny-des-Pres near Orléans was built in 806 by Bishop Theodulf, one of Charlemagne’s closest advisers. It is one of the oldest and most unique churches in France.
Theodulf became one of Charlemagne’s most trusted counsellors and a major figure in the Carolingian royal court. In 798, Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orléans as well as abbot of Fleury Abbey (in St-Benoît-sur-Loire). Theodulf set up a country residence in Germigny-des-Prés, which is close to both.
Theodulf carried out his many duties from his base in Germigny-des-Prés from 806 to 816, developing educational programs, expanding the library at Fleury, training clergy, and administering justice.
The chapel’s style is unique among Carolingian architecture mainly because it is not inspired as much by old Roman buildings as by contemporary Visigothic, Moorish, Byzantine and even Armenian work.
The interior is decorated with a magnificent apse mosaic on the East end. The mosaic is made of glass cubes and coloured stone, primarily in gold, black and blue. The style shows similarities with mosaics in Greece, Jordan and the 5th-century Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.
The subject of the mosaic is unique, centering on the Ark of the Covenant. At the top and center is a small area of starry sky, from which the hand of God descends. Two large angels flank the scene. Their flowing robes flapping in the wind, they enclose the starry sky with their joined wings and look down at the Ark. Two smaller angels stand lightly atop the Ark, also looking and reaching down to it. The Ark of the Covenant is shown as a gold box with side rails for carrying.
(See photos at www.sacred-destinations.com/france/germigny-des-pres)


Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire Abbey.
Originally known as Fleury Abbey. Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire Abbey is an important Romanesque church on the Loire River close to Orléans. It has been a major place of pilgrimage since 673 A.D., when the relics of St. Benedict were brought here from their original resting place in Italy. In addition to its elegant 11th-12th century architecture, it is known for a collection of interesting Romanesque (and some Gothic) sculpture. Construction of the church that stands today began around 1071. The nave vault is one of the few Gothic elements, added in the early 13th century.
The Abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire is located in a pleasant village of about 2 000 people close to a bend of the Loire River, 40 km east of Orléans.

Approaching from the West, visitors first come upon the large Gauzlin Tower. The columns of the Tower are decorated with interesting Romanesque capitals. Their subjects include: biblical scenes such as the Annunciation and Flight into Egypt; scenes from Revelation including the Seven Seals and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the glorification of St. Martin of Tours; symbolic scenes of temptation and sin; and foliage with occasional human figures.


Touraine wines and food to pair with them.

French cuisine is characterized by the marriage of food and wine. Usually French people don’t drink wine without accompanying it with a meal (except for professional tasting). The Touraine area is a particular place for this combination. From East to West, let us sample the main Touraine wines.

Touraine Mesland vineyards are known for the delicacy of their red and “rosé” wines which are made from the Gamay grape. An excellent red wine, Cabernet, and a white Pineau are also produced here.

Overlooked by the towers of its beautiful castle, the vineyards of Touraine Amboise stretch along both banks of the Loire. These wines keep well. White wines: Pineau blanc grape of the Loire Valley: Gamay black grape with white juice, Cabernet or Côt grapes for red or “rosé” wines.

Vouvray, a white wine, is derived from the Pineau blanc or Chenin grape of the Loire Valley. There are three kinds of Vouvray: still, white wine; “pétillant”, which is slightly effervescent; and the sparkling wine that has been treated according to the “Champagne” method. These wines may be extra dry, dry, medium dry, or sweet. I recommend a visit to Mr. François Pinon to taste his Vouvray wines. His address: 55 Vallée de Cousse at Vernon-sur-Brenne, near Vouvray.

The vineyards which belong to the Touraine appellation are found on the hills which border the Loire, Cher and Indre rivers. The types of grape cultivated in this region are Cabernet franc, Gamay black, Côt or Malbec for red and “rosé” wines; Pineau blanc and Sauvignon for white wines. Thanks to their lightness and freshness Touraine wines are always pleasant to drink. You can taste and buy Touraine wines from “Domaine de la Perdrielle” (Mr. Gandon), 24 Vallon de Vauriflé at Nazelles-Négron.

The Cabernet franc grape produces Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil red wines, with a very particular raspberry aroma. Both of these wines may be aged and kept for years. One excellent Bourgueil wine maker is “Maison Audebert et Fils’ (Audebert Estate and Son), 20 avenue Jean Causeret in Bourgueil.

Just like the Bourgueil wines, Chinon’s red wines are made from the Cabernet franc grape. However their aroma reminds one more of wild strawberries than raspberries.

For each dish there is a different wine. For cocktails and on special occasion, try a sparkling white wine: Vouvray, Montlouis, Touraine. (should be served cool: 6-8°C), or a still white wine with a drop of black-currant liqueur.
With pork specialities of Touraine, try medium dry white wines. These wines are often used in the preparation of the dishes. If you like to eat “charcuterie” (cured pork meats), for instance “rillettes de Tours” (Tours potted minced pork), I advise you to visit the famous shops Hardouin : in Tours (70 rue Bernard Palissy) or in Vouvray (25 route Nationale and 8 rue de la République).
With red meat, fowl and game, you can drink red wine, light, medium or full-bodied, depending on the kind of meat with which it is served. A light Chinon or a Touraine are excellent when served with fowl or white meat. A haunch of venison will require a rich, full-bodied wine such as a Bourgueil or a good vintage Chinon.
With fish and shell fish, all dry white wines, still or sparkling, are suitable, as well as dry “rosés”. NB: rosé wine, made from the white juice of black grapes, is produced by allowing the juice to ferment a short time while in contact with the dark coloured grape skins.
When it comes to cheese, all types of red wines may be served. With dessert serve white wines, still or sparkling, such as Vouvray, Montlouis and Touraine.


Two of my most favourite Loire castles between Blois et Anjou border

The 17th century Château de Cheverny (Cheverny castle) is the most refined Loire château of all, designed by Jacques Bougier for a governor of Blois. A generous lawn leads to the immaculate front which is white and clean. The building is only one room deep and pleasingly symmetrical. A pediment tops each window like a stylized eyebrow. On the first floor, busts of 12 Roman emperors line the façade. Cheverny is not vast but it is sumptuously furnished and has the finest collection of paintings of any Loire chateaux, with its allegoric paintings by Jean Mosnier, and three portraits by the great court painter Clouet.

Villandry castle is an elegant castle from the Renaissance period. It was completed in 1536. It was built by Jean Le Breton, one of King François I’s Finance Minister, whose coat of arms can be seen on the gable of the left hand dormer window. In 1754, Villandry became the property of the Marquis de Castellane who built the classical style outbuildings that you can see on either side of the front courtyard.
Here the complex geometrical and symbolic forms of the gardens are a wonder and a delight. They reinvent the spirit of renaissance design but were conceived by a Spanish-American couple who bought Villandry in 1906. In the “potager” (orchard) flowers and fruits have to bow to the beauty of beet, the charm of comely cabbages, and the perfection of peppers. On the next level, the “Jardin des simples” (medicinal herb garden) hides behind vine-covered alleys. Several important elements date from the 18th century, including the pools of the water garden which provide irrigation.
You need to climb the hill to read the symbols drawn in the box hedges of the highest, ornamental gardens. Four boxes illustrate fickle love, love letters, tender love and maddened love. Beyond, the box hedges represent musical symbols (lyres, harps, musical notes and candelabra to light the sheet music).


Saumur-Champigny wines
The vineyards of Saumur are spread along the hillsides parallel to the Loire and provide ideal conditions for the Cabernet franc grape. Situated to the Southeast of Saumur, the wine region forms a triangle bordered to the North by the Loire River, to the West by the Thouet River and to the East by the forest of Fontevraud. Always fruity, its wines offer a delicate bouquet of red fruits. Sometimes light and airy, sometimes highly concentrated, the Saumur-Champigny wines range from light wine to powerfully built wines fit to accompany game and highly flavoured dishes. Please note that Saumur-Champigny must not be drunk too cool nor at room temperature: 13°C to 16°C is ideal.

Wine tasting. 1) “La robe” (the colour and appearance of the wine; 红 葡萄酒的色泽). In this region you can expect deep ruby red. The intensity of the traces left on the sides of the glass (“les jambes et les larmes”: the legs and the tears) gives an indication of the richness that you will encounter on the palate. 2) “Le nez” (the nose; 鼻子 ). The first sniff will let you discover the most delicate and evasive aromas. Now gently trace a circle with your glass (in a horizontal plane) causing your wine to swirl delicately. This oxygenates the wine thus releasing the red fruits aromas so characteristic of Saumur-Champigny. Swirl your glass once more , leave it to rest for a moment and you will witness the further development of the aromas. 3) “La bouche” (the mouth ; 嘴). The wine can be savoured in three stages. The first is the “attack” (“l’attaque”). For the second you must allow the wine to open up upon the tongue. At last, the final stage, swallowing a mouthful, you will appreciate the strengths of the flavours.


Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey is 13 km Southeast of Saumur. The abbey was a double monastery, hosting both monks and nuns on the same site. In all, 149 Fontevrist monasteries were created, four of which in England. The leader of the order has always been a woman (abbess) coming from rich and noble French families.
The abbey also gains its importance because both French and English monarchs are buried there. The abbey was first established in 1099 and is one of the largest complexes in Europe. The highlight is the domed abbey church. The abbey contains the tombstone effigies of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart who are buried here.
Don’t miss the Romanesque kitchen (with its astounding fish-scale roof), the carved doorway that passes through to the chapter-house and the central interior cloister.
Just before the French Revolution, Fontevraud was the most powerful abbey in France. During the French Revolution the order was dissolved. The last abbess died in poverty in Paris. It was transformed into a prison in 1804 and remained one until its close in 1963. It is now a French National Monument. The abbey is home to a wide range of cultural activities and exhibitions, and it is a centre for medieval archeology.
I. Nantes.
Cosmopolitan Nantes feels oceanic even with the Atlantic some 50 km away and the shipping trade long since moved seaward. Historic Nantes and its splendid 18th-century town houses were subsidized in large part by the slave trade, although ironically Nantes is best known in history for the famous edict of tolerance - the Edict of Nantes signed here by Henri IV in 1598 at the end of the Wars of Religion (between Catholics and Protestants), and granting freedom of worship to Protestants.
The massive “Château de Nantes” (Nantes Castle) is just about the most westerly of the châteaux of the Loire. The splendid “Musée des Beaux-Arts” (Fine Arts Museum) lies on one side of Cours St-Pierre, in a beautiful building. It offers a crash course in the history of Western art from the 13th century to the present day.
Aim for Place Royale (Royal Square), a sober square with a wonderful array of “cafés” 咖啡店 just south opposite the colonnaded « Bourse » (Stock Exchange) on « Place du Commerce » (Merchants Square). The dry quay was once reserved for the wine trade. Today, it is an area dominated by the student population of Nantes.
The elegant shopping arcade, “Passage Pommeraye”, offers mid-19th century sweeps of stairs that are extravagantly decorated

Eating out? I will recommend two restaurants. First, “La Poissonnerie”, 4 rue Léon Maître (telephone : 02-40-47-79-50) : good seafood restaurant and good choice of Muscadet wines. Second, “La Cigale”, 4 place Graslin (telephone: 02-51-84-94-94): founded in 1895, a classic French brasserie with outstanding and extravagant Modern Style décor (“Art Nouveau” in French), a tourist sight in and of itself.

Nantes is the capital of the “Pays de la Loire” region. It is also the most important city of the historic province of Brittany, and culturally remains strongly identified with it. 570,000 residents live in Greater Nantes. The Nantes - St-Nazaire metropolitan area has 760,000 inhabitants.

Nantes stands out as a reference urban area in the world of information and communication technologies. International leaders such as Accenture Technology Solutions or Steria have chosen Nantes for their development. With 18,000 jobs and 1500 businesses, the ICI sector has a significant influence on the local economy. Nantes’ Metropolis is now one of the urban areas in France with the highest concentration of businesses in the IT sector. Financial services, high technology companies (Airbus, Magellan, Alcatel, France Telecom…) and public services (general Taxation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Criminal Records Register, SNCF passenger information services department) are users of IT services and new technologies.

At the same time, the industrial sector remains important but has been transformed: industrial activities are now more technological in nature, innovative processes playing a significant role. The link between local research and innovation centres and major industrial actors is bearing fruit: Aeronautics around Airbus, ship-building with Acker Yards, Materials /Mechanics – especially composite materials – are the major conductors for local industry. Not forgetting the farm-produce industry.

Around Nantes: Muscadet country. The Loire-Atlantique department makes one extremely well-known wine, Muscadet. A good place to start tasting Muscadet wines is the “Maison des Vins de Nantes” (House of the Nantes’ Wines) at La Haye-Fouassière, overlooking hectare upon hectare of vines.

Exercises to understand and analyze Loire River landscapes

Map of vineyards in Loire River Valley and other vineyards in France
A vineyard in Burgundy: Auxey-Duresses
The medieval village of Saint-Haon-Le-Châtel in the Loire department
Castles of the Loire River Valley


Part 6. The City of Lyons

At the crossroads of Northern and Southern Europe, Lyon benefits from a geo-strategic position. Second French conurbation after that of Paris, with the population of its urban area estimated to be 1,783,400 (2007) and capital of the Rhône-Alpes region, Lyon is now one of the 20 major European metropolitan areas.

A. Lyon was the capital of the Gauls (27 BC) during the Roman Empire, a flourishing centre during the Renaissance and the reign of the Italian bankers, and was adulated for centuries by all the courts of Europe for the excellence of its silks. Even today the city still boasts of its Roman amphitheatres, Renaissance townhouses, “traboule” alleyways, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

B. The white sparkling church, Notre-Dame de Fourvière (Our Lady of Fourvière), is visible on its hillside from various points in Lyon. For great views down on to the city, I recommend you visit this spot. The massive 19th-century basilica was built to the design of the architect Pierre Bossan following the Franco-Prussian War in thanks for sparing the city any damage. The interior, built on huge Hispano-Moorish-looking arches, feels almost oriental. Mosaics cover the floor and the walls.
The basilica occupies the site where the Gallo-Roman forum of Lugdunum stood (Lugdunum was the Latin appellation of Lyon). On the hillside you can still admire the remnants of two Gallo-Roman theatres built side by side. The main theatre was built under Augustus (the first Roman emperor, 63 B.C.-14 A.D.) and was doubled in size under the emperor Hadrian (76-138 A.D.), when it would have been capable of seating some 10,000 spectators. The smaller theatre, or Odeon, was once roofed. The Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine (Gallo-Roman Civilization Museum) explain how Lyon grew so rapidly into such a major political and religious centre.
At the foot of the Fourvière slope, squeezed in between the Saône and the hillside, lies the cramped, lively streets of Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon district). The most venerable building in this quarter is the cathedral, the the Primatiale St-Jean, was mostly built between 1175 and 1275. The tall Gothic nave is soberly grand. You also can admire 13th-century stained-glass windows, and, in the left-hand transept, a remarkable 14th-century astrological clock.

C. The powdery-coloured façades of the mansions built for wealthy residents in the 16th century line up along the tight streets north of the cathedral (“Vieux Lyon”: Old Lyon district). It is known generally as the Renaissance quarter. This was the quarter where the trade corporations and the bankers were based. Wander down Rue des Trois Maries and Rue du Boeuf parallel to the Rue St-Jean. No 16 Rue du Boeuf conceals the most famous of all Vieux Lyon’s towers, the arch-window Tour Rose. The Hôtel de Gadagne is the largest Renaissance pile in Vieux Lyon. It is located No1 Place du Petit College and has recently been renovated. I strongly advise you to spend a few hours there, visiting two museums: the Musée Historique de Lyon (Historic Museum of Lyons) and the Musée International de la Marionnette (International Puppets Museum). On the top there is a tiny garden and a coffee shop.
One particular feature of the area is the secretive covered alleys known as ‘traboules” (a contraction of the Latin “trans ambulare”, to walk through) which lead from one block of houses to the next. Where to find some entrances of “traboules”? Here are a few: 2 Rue St-Georges; from 24 Rue St-Jean to 1 Rue du Boeuf (hotel Laurencin); from 27 Rue St-Jean to 6 Rue des Trois-Maries; 54 Rue Saint-Jean; 14 Rue du Boeuf; 4 Rue Juiverie (Henri IV style house); 8 Rue Juiverie (the Philibert de l’Orme gallery). Have a pleasant stroll!

D. The “Presqu’île” is Lyon’s glamorous peninsula between the Saône River and the Rhône River. The many -fountained Place des Terreaux (Terreaux Square) could be considered the hub of central Lyon where you can admire the 17th century town hall with the equestrian statue of Henri IV. The Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts museum) has a long, subdued classical façade and was originally designed for a Benedictine convent. After the French Revolution it became Lyon’s fine arts museum. It is one of the best regional museums in France.

E. The type of popular restaurant not to be missed in Lyon is called “bouchon”. These restaurants aim at preserving Lyon’s cooking traditions. There you can eat pigs’ trotters (pieds de porc), pigs’ brawn (fromage de tête), sausages or salami-like “saucisson”, silk weavers brains (« la cervelle de canut », made from soft white cheese, chives and shallots), quenelles (made of pike, fat and bread soup), “gâteau de foie” (liver cake), “salade lyonnaise” (Lyons salad), meat pie (“pâté en croûte”), etc.
Addresses? I will give you two of my favourite spots: 1) “Chez Marie-Danielle”, 22 rue des Remparts d’Ainay – 69002-Lyon. Subway station: Ampère (make a reservation before going or go there before 7.30 pm.. Telephone: 04-78-37-65-60). 2) Daniel et Denise, 156 rue de Créqui, 69003-Lyon. Subway station: Foch. Telephone: 04-78-60-66-53. Make a reservation before going). Bon appétit !

F. You also can find in Lyon very fine chocolates. Go and try them at Bernachon chocolate and pastry shop (42 Cours Franklin-Roosevelt, Lyon-69006. Subway station: Foch). Bernachon is a chocolate manufacturer (www.bernachon.com/chocolates.htm ). These chocolates are made with cocoa beans from noblest origin: Puerto Cabello (Venezuela), Guayaquil (Equator), Madagascar, Jamaïca… Chocolates arise out of the clever mixture of these cocoa beans and French products such as Echiré butter (from Poitou-Charentes region) and Isigny cream (Normandy region).
Try “le palet d’or” (golden pebble), made of fresh cream and dark chocolate adorned with a golden leaf; “la truffe” (truffle), made of fresh cream and chocolate in its cocoa powder; “l’aveline” (filbert), a hazelnut (praline) flavor enrobed in a chocolate layer; “l’amande princesse” (almond princess), which is a praline shell of nougatine with filling…
They also sell chocolate bars (“tablettes”: thirty varieties available).

G. During the 15th century the skills of silk production were imported from Italy. Lyon is known for its silk weaving. While this tradition has been unable to keep up with industrialization, the exceptional quality of the silk is still vaunted by Haute-Couture designers, and its unique construction in terms of single fiber weaving is used by even the highest forms of technology today.
On the hill of La Croix Rousse, a short, steep walk north from Place des Terreaux, is the old silk-weavers’quarter. The weavers settled here after the French revolution, moving from St-Georges are by the cathedral (Vieux Lyon). Most silk-weavers, however, have disappeared. Some vestiges of old monasteries remain, such has the Chartreux garden which has great views on to the Saône and Fourvière hill. You must head north up Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse and turn right into rue d’Ivry to visit the “Maison des Canuts” (Silk-Weavers House) where you can see demonstrations of silk-weaving and admire displays of fine silks. In the mid-19th century a staggering 30,000 master weavers worked in this district.

H.Lyon is a major industrial and business centre.
Greater Lyon’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) represents 59 billion € (equivalent to the GDP of the Lisbonne or Antwerp regions in Europe). Its unemployment rate was 7.5, vs 8.0 in France for the 2nd quarter 2007.
Lyon offers a great diversity of activities. Its five competitive industries are (2008): 1) Health and biotechnologies: 67,000 jobs: Mérial, bioMérieux, Sanofi Pasteur, etc.; 2) Chemicals Environment: 22,000 jobs: Rhodia, Suez Environment, Arkema, Total, Ciba, etc.; 3) Transport Systems: 12,000 jobs: Renault Trucks, Irisbus, IFP, etc.; 4) Technical Textiles: 4,000 jobs: Porcher, Hexcel, Boldoduc, etc.; 5) Contents Cluster: Imaginove, etc.
85 headquarters of businesses and administrations with more than 10,000 employees, 850 headquarters of businesses and administrations with more than 100 employees are located in Lyon. Lyon is an innovative city of entrepreneurs: 11,800 business start-ups; 730 start-ups in the high technology sectors.
Lyon also has famous international institutions, such as Interpol, Euronews, Handicap International, International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Centre of Transmitted Disease Control and Warning, European Centre of Virology.
70,800 jobs are found in foreign capitalized companies: USA 24 %, Germany 18 %, Sweden 15 %, UK 10 %, etc.

I. Lyon is also one of the major French cultural centres for artistic creation.
Wall painting is an integral part of the world’s history and Lyon is no exception to the rule. Over the last twenty years, more than 150 walls have been painted by artists who wished to present a public and popular view of art. This new style of wall painting, often in trompe-l’oeil style, has been realized by teams of painters such as “Cité de la Création”, “Mur’Art” or even freelance wall painters. See, for instance, “Ideal Mexican City” at Tony Garnier Urban Museum; “La Bibliothèque de la Cité” (The City Library); the wall of the “Cour des Loges” in the Lyon’s Old District; or the “Boulevard de la B.D.” in the Vaise district.

International Biennial festivals are now part of the Lyon’s cultural landscape. 1) The Contemporary Art Biennial festival showcases the “avant-garde” of the international world. www.biennaledelyon.com 2) The Biennial Dance festival is also famous for its performances by the world’s most renowned dance companies and thousands of amateur dancers.

Exercises to understand and analyze Lyon’s landscapes:

The Fourvière Hillside
“Vieux Lyon”, or Medieval and Renaissance Lyon
Lyon’s peninsula between the Saône and the Rhône”


Part 7. Straight Down the Rhône Valley


Vienne and St-Romain-en-Gal.
Old Vienne and neighbouring St-Romain-en-Gal, on the opposite side of the Rhône, harbour one of the most brilliant Gallo-Roman legacies in France. Below them, the thin strips and patches of northern Rhône Valley vines produce some of southern France’s greatest wines. The vineyards mainly rise up the steep slopes of the west bank of the river between Vienne and Valence.

Old Vienne was a noble town in Gallo-Roman and early Christian times, built on the site of the main settlement of the Celtic Allobroges tribe. It apparently enjoyed a period of immense trading prosperity from the 1st century AD to the 3rd century AD, as did St-Romain-en-Gal just across the river. A good way to appreciate Vienne’s location is to climb to the 19th-century neo-Gothic church of Pipet. From its terrace there is an excellent view of the Rhône River. The Roman theatre was fitted in the Pipet hillside. With almost 50 tiers of seats, the structure was on an impressive scale, one of the largest theatres built in Gaul. It now hosts the Vienne summer jazz festival and other special events.

Looking across the river to St-Romain-en-Gal, you can see the modern “Musée et Sites Archéologiques de St-Romain-en-Gal-Vienne” which presents the fabulous Gallo-Roman finds discovered here. St-Romain-en-Gal developed into a quarter for wealthy merchants, with fine villas and large warehouses. It is known that marble, ceramics, oil, fish paste, and even exotica such as dates and figs were imported to the area.
Over 250 mosaic floors have been uncovered in St-Romain-en-Gal and Vienne. The mosaic of the ocean gods, discovered in 1967, has become the symbol of the museum. There are also some outstanding Gallo-Roman mural paintings, models of Vienne and St-Romain-en-Gal in ancient times, and all the other archaeological finds associated with a Roman town, creating an evocative picture of Gallo-Roman life in France.

Exercises to understand and analyze Gallo-Roman mosaics’ landscapes.
- Scenes of Gallo-Roman daily life from mosaics

B. Northern Rhône Valley wines. The syrah grape makes the powerful, heady red wines. The viognier, marsanne and roussanne varieties make the liquorous whites. North to south, you pass through the west-bank vineyards of Côte Rotie, Condrieu (and tiny Château-Grillet), St-Joseph, Cornas and St-Péray. Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage spread around the vine-covered hill of Tain-l’Hermitage on the east bank. At Ampuis, the Guigal family is one of the most famous names in winemaking, but since their wines are difficult to obtain you are most likely to find them in the local restaurants (including in Lyon).


East of the Rhône Valley from Lyon down through the Drôme.
East of the Rhône valley the hilly landscape is beautiful and unspoiled, rolling down from the Chartreuse and Vercors ranges and from the smaller Diois and Baronnies hills. The Isère and Drôme, two major tributaries of the Rhône, weave their way from east to west through wide fruit-growing valleys to join their master.
If you are a cheese enthusiast I ecourage you to stop at St-Marcellin, where there is a museum devoted to the excellent cheese St-Marcellin.
East of the city of Crest, patches of “Clairette de Die” vineyards begin to appear. ”Clairette de Die” is a perfumed sparkling aperitif wine made from the sweetly-scented muscatel grape and “clairette” grapes combined.
Dieulefit (“God made it”) has made it rich through modelling clay of its own. The outskirts of the two main streets are filled with potters. The traditional style is of simple glazes in blue, green, yellow or caramel – typically Provençal.

The D 538 road is an irresistible route that leads south to the aristocratic French Renaissance Château de Grignan, standing up high on its rock above the village houses which run around its base. The land between Grignan and Nyons is the most prolific truffle-producing territory in France, with truffle oaks sometimes planted in neat rows to encourage the crop’s growth. The village of Richerenche, near Valréas, has grown rich on the most important truffle fair in France, held in mid-winter.
Olives are the main crop associated with Nyons, although cherry and apricot orchards also proliferate. Experts say that the finest olives in France come from this vicinity – recently granted the distinction of their own “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (registered designation of origin). Beyond the stunning single arch of Nyons’ medieval bridge, the old town is a secretive place beyond the single street of Provençal stores and the old arcaded square.
The Baronnies Mountains mark the historic boundary between the Dauphiné region to the north and that of Provence to the south. Cherry and apricot orchards proliferate, grapes produce “Coteaux des Baronnies” wine, and lavender has plenty of space to grow. In summer you may encounter a lone goat herd guarding his or her flock. The area produces excellent goat’s cheese called “picodons”.

.C. Provence.
First settled by the ancient Greeks, Provence was the beloved Provincia of the Romans. The voluptuous Mediterranean light inspired the painters Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, and the “Fauves” (Fauvists: expressionist painters of the beginning of the 20th century in France).
Today, after Paris, Provence and the Côte d’Azur (the French Riviera) are the most visited regions in France. This beautiful region is endowed with a sunny climate, naturally air-conditioned by the mistral wind, replete with dramatic scenery and beaches, fascinating Roman medieval remains, top-ranking art museums, and excellent restaurants and hotels. I am going to take you to some of my favourite sites.

A. Red villages north of Apt. Rustrel, northeast of Apt on the D 22 road, was an ochre-quarrying town until 1890. Roussillon, to the southwest, occupies a spectacular hill-top site. You can walk through the old ochre-quarries. The wall of Roussillon houses are ochre-washed. Ochre is the name of colours spreading from brown red to sandy white. West of Apt, is a string of truly beautiful villages that have become the high-rent district of the Lubéron area, one of the classiest rural areas in France. Bonnieux is overlooking all of the “Petit Lubéron” (small Lubéron). Lacoste is another trendy villaged perched high up. Then you come to Ménerbes, a honey-coloured village and you can finish with Oppède-le-Vieux and Maubec (and its Baroque church).

How to make ochre powder? When the quarrying (phase 1) is finished, the washing (phase 2) begins to separate ochre from sand in the decanting ponds. The “mistral” (a cold wind in Provence coming from the North) and sunlight dry the pure ochre which covers the bottom of the pond. Lastly there is the factory processing (phase 3): the ochre is ground, heated and ventilated. Once reduced to powder, the natural colouring is ready to be used. These ochres often are mixed with a mixture of lime and water, and applied on a freshly made mortar on house walls.
Ochre also can be found in cosmetics and on cheese rind. Ochre can be mixed with water and oil solvents: artists always have included ochre in their creations: painting, sculpture, ceramics. See www.vaucluse-visites-virtuelles.com

Exercise to understand and analyze Roussillon’s ochred landscapes

B. On the Plateau de Vaucluse (Vaucluse Plateau). The « Plateau de Vaucluse » is the high ground that runs between the Lubéron and Mont Ventoux to the North. The castle of the village of Gordes has a superb Renaissance fireplace, not to be missed.

The Abbaye de Sénanque (Sénanque Abbey) lies 4 km north of Gordes, built in the warm golden stone of the Vaucluse and set among lavender fields and oak groves. Three Cistercian abbeys called the “Three Sisters of Provence” were founded in the 12th century: Sénanque Abbey, Thoronet Abbey and Silvacane Abbey. Senanque Abbey is a demonstration of Cistercian architecture and aesthetics – simplicity intentionally taken to the point of severity. Monumental proportions, purity of line, equilibrium of mass, and fine ashlar masonry construction characterize Cistercian buildings.
To reach Sénanque Abbey, drive (or hike) north out of the village of Gordes. The little D 177 road, which the GR 6 hiking trail follows, passes along a high, rocky ridge, where you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful view down into the deep Senancole valley where the abbey sits. Senanque Abbey lies at the bottom of a gully, close to the Sénancole River in a untamed site where the heights are scattered with rocks and a poor vegetation: box trees, holm oaks, garrigue, wild thyme and juniper trees.
Stretching out from the abbey buildings is a valley of lavender fields, which are in full bloom with their pleasant fragrance during the summer, and harvested in July.

The Senanque Abbey has no main entrance door, since the church was only intended for the monks and the lay brothers, not the public. The church is aligned to the North, instead of the East, due to the limited width of the valley in which it sits. The church, which was founded in about 1160, has changed little over the centuries. Most of the monastic buildings have also survived, including a lovely cloister (in the cloister aisle facing the doorway is a sculpted devil, looking into the room), the “chauffoir”, the only heated room where the monks transcribed books, and a refectory. The dormitory could accomodate about 30 monks. The space for each monk is marked by coloured stones on the floor.
The chapter-house is where the monks met every morning to study the Benedictine rule, and is the only place where they were allowed to speak. Issues concerning life in the monastery were also discussed here. Stone benches are integrated into the chapter room for the monks. The abbey has kept its original roofs of “lauzes” (flat limestones), which favors and adapts to the surrounding natural environment.
Today the monks who live at Senanque grow lavender and tend honey bees for their livelihood. www.beyond.fr/themephotos/lavender

Exercise to understand and analyze Sénanque Abbey’s landscape

C. Food and wine. The sunny cuisine of the south, influenced by nearby Italy, in one of the most popular in France: olive oil, fresh vegetables and seafood are basic ingredients. Ravioli and gnocchi were invented in Nice, along with the famous “ratatouille”, salad “niçoise” and “soupe au pistou” (vegetable soup with basil). Another favourite dish is “la brandade de morue” (cod brandade, a dish made with cod, garlic and mashed potatoes): this dish was invented in Nîmes. Marseille’s celebrated “bouillabaisse” is served with a “rouille”, a red pepper and garlic sauce. On the meat side, look for lamb dishes and “daubes” (beef stewed slowly in red wine). There are also “gratin de courgettes” (zucchini gratin) or snacks like “tapenade” (olive paste served on toast).
Do you want to try tomatoes “à la Provençale” and other Provençal recipes? See: www.aftouch-cuisine.com/recipes…/aix-en-provence.htm

The Greeks introduced the syrah grape to Provence, which remains one of the chief varieties of Côtes du Rhône, the region’s main area. This embraces the celebrated vintages of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas among the reds. You also can try Côteaux d’Aix wines (red). Ancient, small vineyards along the coast produce some lovely wines: white Cassis, Bandol, and rare Bellet.

D. Around Aix-en-Provence: Cézanne and the Montagne Ste-Victoire. The famous painter Paul Cézanne spent an idyllic childhood roaming Aix’s countryside with his best friend, Emile Zola (the future writer), and as an adult painted those same landscapes in a way landscapes have never been painted before.
The countryside around Aix is the quintessence of Provence for those who love Cézanne: the ochre soil, the dusty green cypresses, the simple geometry of the old bastides and villages and the pyramidal prow of the bluish limestone of Montagne Ste-Victoire (Ste-Victoire Mountain). This is encircled by the striking “Route Cézanne” (D 17), beginning in the south flank in the wooded park and château of Le Tholonet (3 km from Aix). Here Cézanne often painted the view towards the mountain, which haunts at least 60 of his canvases. On Cézanne see: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/art-deco.france/cezanne.htm
The ascent of the Montagne Ste-Victoire takes about two hours (bring sturdy shoes, a hat and water). To me, the northern ascent to the summit of Ste-Victoire is the most pleasant one: it begins at Les Cabassols or Vauvenargues.

Exercise to understand and analyze Provence’s landscapes
- Painters in Provence : Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Charles Camoin,Pierre Bonnard, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Yves Brayer, Paul-Camille Guigou, Félix Ziem
- The Montagne Ste-Victoire

E. Into the Camargue.
The Camargue is a triangular area lying on the coast between the Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. It is a river delta where the Rhône meets the sea – a marshy island bound by two branches of the Rhône and the Mediterranean Sea. With an area of over 930 km2, the Camargue is Western Europe’s largest river delta, with exceptional biological diversity, and home to unique breeds of horses and bulls, and to more than 400 species of birds including pink flamingos.
Much of the area inland is under salt water lakes. Approximately a third of the Camargue is either lake or marshland. The largest of these salt water lakes is the “Etang de Vaccarès” (Vaccarès Lake). An area of 85,000 hectares of the Camargue was granted National Park status in 1970. Efforts are now being made to maintain the fragile equilibrium between the indigenous ecosystems on the one hand and human activities (tourism, agriculture, industry and hunting) on the other.
The Camargue is home to specialized breed of bull. These bulls roam in semi-liberty. They are smaller than most modern breeds of bull. They are raised for their distinctive meat which has a high reputation among food connoisseurs. It is served in local dishes and in stews. Bulls are also used in a form of bull running, during which young men called “razetteurs” try to pick a cockade fixed between the horns of a running bull. This kind of bull running (“course camarguaise” in French) dates back to the 16th century, possibly earlier.

Camargue horses form a distinct breed, which, like the Camargue bulls, live in semi-liberty. The Camargue horse is one of the oldest breeds in the world, closely related to the prehistoric horses whose remains have been found elsewhere in Southern France. At birth they are of a dark brown or black colour, but turn white around fourth year old. They are actually grey, since their coat is not a uniform, pure white. Camargue horses are used in rounding up Camargue bulls. They are never stabled, and well able to survive the humid summer heat and the biting winter cold and they thrive in Sea water. Riders are called “gardians”. A gardian traditional tools include a trident and a black hat.

Pink flamingos. The Camargue is the only place in France where pink flamingos nest. The flamingo population can reach up to 20,000 couples grouped into flocks. They favour raised nets built out of mud. Flamingoes feed mainly on plankton. It is this plankton that is responsible for the flamingo’s pink plumage.

The Camargue’s round and long varieties of rice account for a quarter of all rice eaten in France. The meat of the Camargue bull is protected by an “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (registered designation of origin). A “gardiane” is a Camargue speciality, a “daube” (a slow-cooked beef stew) made with bull’s meat. Cut into cubes and seared in olive oil, the meat is then added to the other ingredients: vegetables, black olives, garlic and smoked bacon, doused in red wine. The dish is usually served with Camargue rice.

Salt marshes near Salins-de-Giraud in the southeast corner of the Camargue are famous for their salt production, producing up to 15,000 tons a day in the summer. Salt is produced along the final stretch of the Grand Rhône, an industry that dates back to Roman times (first century A.D.). Some is used as table salt. “Fleur de sel de Camargue” (“Camargue flower of salt”) is hand raked and harvested. Only the premium top layer of the salt bed is used for this.

Exercises to understand and analyze the Camargue landscapes

Bull running (“course camarguaise” in French)
Houses in Provence


Part 8. Paris and the Ile-de-France

There are two interesting ways of visiting a great city that has been a wonder for nearly a millennium, which is the case with Paris. The first approach is to immerse oneself into the city and to discover it at random; the other possibility is to be guided by a friend who lives there and who introduces you to his/her favourite spots. Paris being the town where I currently reside we will choose the latter way and I will take you to some places that I appreciate in this city.
It is now the end of September. Trees in gardens, on boulevards and on avenues still have their green leaves, even though some leaves already are turning to a golden-brown colour announcing autumn. The temperature is 24°C and this afternoon the forecast is sunny and warm. I have welcomed you at Charles de Gaulle Airport, one of the two international airports of Paris. I have taken you to your hotel, say in the 9th district, in the north part of the city. It is afternoon now and time to discover a little of the city.

Montmartre Hill (“la Butte Montmartre” in French) is the nearest and most interesting attraction close to your hotel. Let us have a stroll up there. We will climb the hill through its southeast side, avoiding the flow of gregarious tourists. Starting from Boulevard de Rochechouart (east of Anvers subway station, line 2), we turn left onto a narrow street, “rue Seveste”. Then we follow “rue Ronsard”. At the end of the street we climb stairs until we reach a small square where on your right, we find a tiny “café”, “L’été en pente douce” (Take it easy in the Summer time). We sit for a while at a colourful table on the terrace and I offer you your first drink in Paris. In front of you, there are still more stairs (rue Maurice Utrillo, named after the famous Montmartre painter), but we will not yet climb straight to the top of the hill (too many tourists for the moment).

We take rue Albert and then turn left to rue Chevalier de Cottin (still more stairs). Turn right to “rue du Mont-Cenis” and left to a small lane: “rue Cortot”, where we discover the tiny and quiet Museum of Montmartre located in a 17th century house. This museum is situated between a small garden and Montmartre’s Vineyard. This museum is run by the residents of Montmartre. You will see prints, pictures and souvenirs that tell the authentic Montmartre story. There are plenty of old photos of the area, some of Toulouse-Lautrec’s recognizable posters and drawings by Poulbot, the drawer of Montmartre children.
Exiting the museum, we walk to the right and right again on “rue des Saules” (Willow Street) you see first Montmartre’s Vineyard (planted by Montmartre residents in 1886 in memory of the vines that once covered the Hill) and then the cabaret “Le Lapin Agile” (The Nimble Rabbit: in 1880 a painter named Gil painted the mural of a nimble rabbit avoiding the pot, a play on words of his name: the “lapin à Gil” – The Rabbit of Gil).

Continue to the left to “rue St-Vincent” and left again to “avenue Junot”. Avenue Junot was laid in 1910 and is now a rare street of peaceful Art Deco houses with gardens. We pass at “Place Marcel Aymé” (Marcel Aymé Square) with the sculpted head of this 20th century French writer emerging from a wall. Let us continue the climb and take the small street “rue Norvins” until we reach “Place du Tertre” that was once the main square of Montmartre village. At the east end of the “Place” is “St-Pierre de Montmartre”, the hill’s oldest church. This Romanesque church was consecrated in 1147 and is worth visiting for its genuine Romanesque character. The “Sacré-Coeur” Basilica on the top of the hill had been built from 1876 to 1912. Many Parisians regard this building with some embarrassment, and not only for its preposterous Romano-Byzantine architecture. The national vow promising its construction was imposed on the city by a vote in the National Assembly in 1873, despite opposition by radicals and the people of Montmartre who claimed it would ruin the character of the “Butte” (as indeed it has, drawing 6 million visitors a year). There is no denying, however, that the view from the square in front of the church is spectacular.
Let us end with “Place des Abesses” (also a subway station with an entrance designed by the famous French Modern Style architect and designer Hector Guimard). The outlandishly decorated structure, with turquoise mosaics is one of Paris architectural landmark, the neo-Gothic “St-Jean l’Evangéliste” church, the first important building in reinforced concrete, built between 1894 and 1904 by Anatole de Baudot, a student of the architect Viollet-le-Duc. Step inside to see Baudot’s innovative play of interlaced arches.

On the following day, we will descend “rue des Martyrs” (9th district) that is an old busy shopping street with two wonderful pastry shops: Dumontel and Seurre,. and then take “rue du Faubourg-Montmartre” where you will buy sweets, chocolates and cookies from all the regions of France at a small old shop “, A la Mère de Famille” (Housewife’s Shop) founded in 1761! Its address is at 33-35 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre. On the same street, we will have a lunch at Chartier Brasserie, a typical Parisian popular restaurant (simple French family dishes) with very affordable prices. You find it at 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre www.restaurant-chartier.com .

From there we will go through “Grands Boulevards” (Boulevard des Italiens and Boulevard des Capucines) to have a look at the Opéra Garnier, which is the supreme monument of the Second Empire of Napoleon III, conceived in 1858 by the young architect, Charles Garnier. Finally opened in 1875, three years after Napoléon’s death, it was the biggest and most sumptuous theatre in the world at that time. Now it is home only to its dance company (the famous “Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris”, Paris Opera Ballet), since the operas are now sung at the new Bastille Opera.

From the Opéra Garnier we will walk through “Avenue de l’Opéra” (Opera avenue) until we reach “Place André Malraux” André Malraux Square) where we find the “Théatre Français” (French Theatre) and its theatre company (“Comédie Française”) founded by the King Louis XIV out of Molière’s old troupe. The real attraction is a sweet surprise behind this building. Pass under the arch between the theatre and the “Palais Royal” (Royal Palace) into the “Jardin du Palais Royal” (Royal Palace Garden) which is well-clipped and neat.

The best parts of the building of the Louvre Museum are the oldest. Start on the eastern end, on “rue de l’Amiral de Coligny”. The majestic colonnade (begun in 1668) marks the beginning of the French classical style; its architect was Claude Perrault. Look at the Pyramid and the small water ponds around it designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. This simple geometric bagatelle, built in 1988, is the main entrance of the museum. The Pyramid and the Hall Napoléon beneath it are open until 9:45 pm, the best time to come and see for yourself. Illuminated from inside the structure is undeniably beautiful, inspiring almost. Behind the glass, the metal struts and cables make an intricate and delicate pattern, a marvel of intelligence and grace.

The Grand Axe.
This is part of Paris that the first time visitor feels obliged to see. From the Louvre to La Défense, the monuments are aligned like pearls on a string.
Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens). The first gardens on this site were built at the same time as the Tuileries palace, in the 1560s. There are “cafés” in the gardens where you can have a pleasant rest. The centre of the park is shaded by avenues of chestnut trees. Further up the “Grande Allée” is the octagonal basin. Louis XIV’s chief gardener, Le Nôtre designed narrow raised terraces at the northern and southern ends. At the Concorde end, the terraces expand into broader plateaux supporting two museums: the National Gallery of Jeu de Paume (contemporary art) and the Orangerie National Museum (complementary of Orsay Museum).

Without the cars the “Place de la Concorde” would be a treat, the most spacious square and the finest architectural ensemble in Paris. The architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel (1698-1782) designed it. He laid out an enormous rectangle, developed it on one side only (the north), with the Seine facing opposite and the two ends entirely open, towards the parklands of the Tuileries and the Champs-Elysées. Later generations perfected the “Place”. The Concorde Bridge over the Seine opened in 1790. The centre island is an octagon with allegorical statues of eight French cities at the corners. There are also two impressive bronze fountains, with rows of perplexed marine deities sitting on benches and cradling fishes. The Egyptian obelisk in the centre appeared in 1836.
Just off the beginning of the Champs-Elysées, the “Grand Palais”, (Great palace) built for the 1900 exhibition, is one of the biggest surprises in Paris. It is a place of temporary art exhibitions. In front of it is the “Petit Palais” (Small Palace) is a lovely small museum that has just been renovated: the main attraction is 19th-century French paintings and sculpture pieces. The upper “Champs-Elysées” has two rows of plane trees (“platanes”) on each side. The great avenue is always packed. The north side of “Avenue des Champs-Elysées” is the more popular, usually in the sun and where most of the shops are to be found. I recommend you take a break at Fouquet’s café where you can enjoy drinking an excellent hot chocolate.

It is time now to move on to modern and contemporary arts. Two museums need to be visited in Paris: the “Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris” (Paris Modern Art Museum) and the “Centre Pompidou”. The “Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris” (Alma-Marceau subway station) can be visited on the way to “Place du Trocadéro” (Trocadéro Square). It offers a wide collection of French and European painters of the 20th century and organizes interesting contemporary art exhibitions.
The Centre Pompidou (Rambuteau subway station) was designed by architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, opened in 1977. The escalator to the top is by far the most popular attraction, which runs along the outside, providing a spectacular view over Paris that changes dramatically as you ascend; for a special treat, come back and do it at twilight, when the monuments of the city are illuminated. The major permanent feature of the Centre is the Musée National d’Art Moderne (National Museum of Modern Art). This superb collection of 20th -century art is presented over two floors of open, white space, punctuated at every turn by plate-glass windows, alternating stunning views over Paris with flat, still bodies of water enhancing stone and iron sculptures. The other floors of the Centre host a major public reading library, halls for temporary exhibitions, two cinemas, two concert spaces, etc.

St-Germain-des-Prés area (subway station: Saint-Germain-des-Prés) is traditionally considered an intellectual and convivial place. Its narrow streets, its art galleries, cafés, bookshops, and the Luxembourg Gardens cluttered with chairs, all invite you to waste the day away in the scholarly spirit of the French philosophers Voltaire and Diderot, if not Camus, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Foucault. The actual St-Germain-des-Prés church was rebuilt in 1193. The “rue des Beaux-Arts” is one of the main axes of the St-Germain art world. Off “rue St-André-des-Arts” is the “Carrefour de Buci” (Buci crossroads), one of the most fashionable crossroads of the Left Bank during the 18th century. The organ found in the quarter’s other big church, St-Sulpice, is one of the most sought after. Do not miss the romantic murals by Delacroix (famous French romantic painter) in the first chapel on the right.
The Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens) is a welcome Left Bank oasis of greenery. Metal chairs are scattered under the trees and around a shady café and bandstand. Near the gate, the park remembers its foundress, Marie de’Medici, the 17th century Queen of France, with the long pool of the “Fontaine de Médicis” (just east of the “Palais du Luxembourg”), a romantic meeting spot under the plane trees, dating from 1624.

I also encourage you to have a cruise on a river boat (“bateau-mouche” in French) on the Seine River from the “Pont de l’Alma” (Pont de l’Alma Bridge), subway station: Alma-Marceau. This will be a beautiful hour spent travelling under the bridges admiring historic Paris from a unique viewpoint.

Eating out in Paris? I will only provide you with a few good and reasonably priced French restaurants. Le Terminus du Châtelet, 5 rue des Lavandières-Sainte-Opportune, Paris1er. Le Quincy, 28 avenue Ledru-Rollin, Paris 12e. La Régalade, 49 avenue Jean-Moulin, Paris 14e. L’Auberge Bressane, 16 avenue de la Motte Piquet, Paris 7e. Le Belisaire, 2 rue Marmontel, Paris 15e. Georges Opéra, 17 rue Daunou, Paris 2e. Bon appétit !

The region of Île-de-France is composed of eight departments centred around its innermost department and capital, Paris (2,154,000 inhabitants). Around the department of Paris, urbanization fills a first concentric ring of three departments commonly known as “petite couronne” (small ring), and extends in a second outer ring of four departments known as the ‘grande couronne” (large ring).
With 11.7 million inhabitants (January 2008) Île-de-France is the most populated region of France (18,3 % of the French population). It has more residents than Austria, Belgium, Greece, Portugal or Sweden. It is the fourth most populous country subdivision in the European Union after England (of the UK), North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria (both of Germany).
Economically, Île-de-France is the sixth richest region in the European Union: in 2006 its total GDP as calculated by Eurostat was € 462 billion.