Collioure and the artist

Collioure has attracted artists since the beginning of the 20th century when it was “discovered” by a group known as the Fauve artists. They were attracted not only by the subject matter but by the quality of the light. Henri Matisse and Andre Derain established their base in Collioure and were soon followed by the […]

Top 10 reasons for visiting Lyon

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, fly daily from my home city of Southampton to Lyon in France. Lyon is a city I have come to love and the fact that it is now connected by air without having to go through London and Paris means I will probably visit more often. Eurostar now have a […]

Kit review: Arpenaz 26 cool bag

Keeping the picnic cool I like nothing better than picnic on a hot summers day in France; along a river bank, beside a lake or the sea or enjoying a mountain vista. Generally speaking the south of France is hotter than the UK and it is more of a challenge to keep the picnic cool. […]

The Rivers of France – Quiz

France is blessed with a plethora of rivers that, over the millennia, have shaped its landscape. They have carved out gorges, laid down flood plains and provided wetlands and marshes for  a variety of wildlife. Rivers were used as trade routes even during times of pre history and as such towns and cities grew up […]

France by Train

"TGV Duplex in profile". Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikipedia.

On 1st May this year Eurostar launched a direct no-train-change service to Lyon, Avignon and Marseille from London. France will become even more accessible by high speed trains with out the changes at Lille or Paris. Even without the new service France was already very accessible by train using both the TGV and more regional […]

French Cities Quiz

How well do you know French cities? Which city sits on the banks of the Garonne? Where are Airbus Industries located? In which city would you find the Moulin Rouge? If you know the answers to any of these then try the French cities quiz below. How did you do? Which question did you find […]