Bonjour, coucou!
Hope you had a good weekend and I wish you a happy week ahead.
Here in my corner of France I’ve been looking after an abandoned duckling called Rocky, I called him that after the film as he’s a fighter who came back from nothing. He’s been living in my house with two ducklings a friend gave me to stop him from being lonely. Rocky likes to sit on my lap and watch TV in the evenings but lately I’ve been getting him and the other ducklings ready for the big wide world, less cuddles, more time outside getting used to the weather and the other birds. Of course all this duck coddling is proof beyond doubt to my French neighbours that the only Brit in the village is quackers but, I always say to them “horses for courses!” which I think might actually make things worse!
This week I’m travelling in the south of France – to Lyon, Sainte Etienne, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux. It’s a whirlwind tour to take photos to illustrate a guide I’m writing about the host cities for UEFA EURO 2016! You can follow me on social media (links below) as I’ll be posting my thoughts and photos as I go now that I’ve got the hang of my whizzy new smartphone which has a great camera but is technically challenging (for me at least!).
Best wishes and Bisous from France
Janine
Top Features on the website this week:
La Fleche: a rather lovely, historic town in the Sarthe Department (region Centre), not far from Le Mans. Go for the architecture, the fabulous market, the zoo where you can stay overnight in an animal enclosure, the wonderful cake shops and walks in the forests that surround it (top photo)…
Lille3000: Last week I went to the most amazing art gallery opening in the world, in northern France. Lille3000 is an art festival unlike any other and it opened with a spectacular carnival through the gorgeous old town…
Etaples: You may not have heard of it but if you’re in northern France, pop it on your bucket list for its Friday market, quirky November herring festival, friendly folk and outstanding restaurants that may not look much from the outside but where you’ll get a very warm welcome and a delicious dish of fish – try the mussels and chips!
Tarte Tatin Quite possibly the best tarte tatin with a twist recipe ever, from top chef Daniel Galmiche.
Agincourt: The 600th anniversary of the legendary battle approaches at the site known as Azincourt in France – everything you need to know about the major commemoration 25 October.
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