Theme Week Champagne – Chaumont
18 March 2014 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General Reading Time: 5 minutes Chaumont is the capital (or préfecture) of the Haute-Marne department. As of 2013, it has a population of 23,000. The city stands on the Marne River and is situated on the railway linking Paris and Basel, which runs over a 52 m tall and 600 m long viaduct built in 1856. read more…The seaside resort of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
30 January 2014 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General Reading Time: 5 minutes Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It has a population of 4,500. Le Touquet has a reputation as the most elegant holiday resort of northern France, the playground of rich Parisians, with many luxury hotels. read more…La Réunion in the Indian Ocean
28 January 2014 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time: 7 minutes Réunion (previously Île Bourbon and Île Bonaparte) is a French island with a population of 84,000 inhabitants. The island is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. Réunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues form the Mascarene Islands. The collective title is derived from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in the early sixteenth century. Bourbon vanilla got its name from the long-term main supplier of vanilla, Île Bourbon/Réunion. read more…The Special Military School of Saint-Cyr
25 January 2014 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time: 4 minutes The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the “Special Military School of Saint-Cyr”) is the foremost French military academy. It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr. Its motto is “Ils s’instruisent pour vaincre”: literally “They study to vanquish” or “Training for victory”. French cadet officers are named “saint-cyriens”, or “cyrards”. The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan department, Brittany. read more…The Paris Beaches
21 December 2013 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time: 6 minutes Paris-Plages is a plan run by the office of the mayor of Paris that creates temporary artificial beaches each summer along the river Seine in the centre of Paris, and, since 2007, along the Bassin de la Villette in the northeast of Paris. Every July and August, roadways on the banks of the Seine are blocked off and host various activities, including sandy beaches and palm trees. French city-dwellers traditionally escape to the seaside or the countryside during the summer, especially in August. Paris is avoided, as the weather is unpleasantly hot and humid, and the centre is full of tourists. Nevertheless, each summer many residents are obliged to remain in the city, however reluctantly. The Paris-Plages scheme was instigated in 2002 as a haven for relieving the misery of those cooped up in the sweltering city. read more…Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild in Pauillac
7 December 2013 | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union | Rubric: General, Bon appétit Reading Time: 9 minutesChâteau Lafite-Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild are legendary wine estates located in the village of Pauillac in the Médoc, 50 km (30 mi) north-west of the city of Bordeaux. Their red wines of the same names are regarded as one of the world’s greatest clarets. Château Lafite-Rothschild was the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234. In the 17th century, the property of Château Lafite was purchased by the Ségur family, including the 16th century manor house that still stands. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard. The estate is owned by members of the Rothschild family since the 19th century. The name Lafite comes from the Gascon term “la hite” meaning “small hill”. read more…