Pézenas in the Hérault department

4 September 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Christian Ferrer/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Christian Ferrer/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pézenas is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. “Pézenas” is derived from the older name Piscenae, probably from the Latin word piscenis, meaning fishpond. According to legend, there was a lake full of fish behind the château. Inhabitants of Pézenas are Piscenois.   read more…

Portrait: Jean-Baptiste Colbert, founder of mercantilism

2 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  8 minutes

Jean-Baptiste Colbert by Robert Nateuil

Jean-Baptiste Colbert by Robert Nateuil

Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing and bringing the economy back from the brink of bankruptcy. Historians note that, despite Colbert’s efforts, France actually became increasingly impoverished because of the King’s excessive spending on wars. Colbert worked to create a favourable balance of trade and increase France’s colonial holdings. Colbert’s father and grandfather operated as merchants in his birthplace of Reims. Colbert was recommended to King Louis XIV by Mazarin. While Cardinal Mazarin was in exile, Louis’ trust in Colbert grew. In 1652 Colbert was asked to manage the affairs of the Cardinal while he was away. This new responsibility would detach Colbert from his other responsibility as commissaire des guerres. Although Colbert was not a supporter of Mazarin in principle, he would defend the cardinal’s interests with unflagging devotion.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy – Honfleur

26 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Yves Remedios/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Yves Remedios/cc-by-2.0

Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. Its inhabitants are called Honfleurais.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy – The seaside resort Étretat

25 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

© M. Pfeiffer/cc-by-3.0

© M. Pfeiffer/cc-by-3.0

Étretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region. It is a tourist and farming town situated about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Le Havre. It’s located on the coast of the Pays de Caux area. Étretat is best known for its cliffs, including three natural arches and the pointed “needle”. These cliffs and the associated resort beach attracted artists including Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet, and were featured prominently in the 1909 Arsène Lupin novel The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc. Two of the three famous arches are seen from the town, the Porte d’Aval, and the Porte d’Amont. The Manneporte is the third and the biggest one, and cannot be seen from the town.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy – Lisieux

24 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse © Renegade

Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse © Renegade

Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region. It is the capital of the Pays d’Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and Normandy’s typical hedged farmland, where there is a mix of livestock farming (mostly milk cows) and cider apple cultivation (from which Cider and Calvados are made, not forgetting Pommeau). Lisieux is situated on the confluence of the river Touques and many of its tributaries: the rivers Orbiquet, Cirieux and Graindain.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy – Bayeux

23 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Anton Bielousov/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Anton Bielousov/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bayeux is a commune in the Calvados department. Bayeux is a sub-prefecture of Calvados. It is the seat of the arrondissement of Bayeux and of the canton of Bayeux. The River Aure flows through Bayeux, offering panoramic views from a number of locations. The Jardin botanique de Bayeux is a botanical garden dating from 1864.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy – Saint-Clair-sur-Epte

22 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© P.poschadel/cc-by-sa-3.0

© P.poschadel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saint-Clair-sur-Epte is a commune in the Val-d’Oise department in the Île-de-France region, about 75 km north-west of Paris. Henry I of England seized the castle of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in 1118.   read more…

Theme Week Normandy

21 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Bon appétit, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  8 minutes

Deauville © Viault/cc-by-sa-3.0

Deauville © Viault/cc-by-sa-3.0

Normandy is a geographical region of France corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two regions: Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. The population of Normandy is around 3.45 million. The continental population of 3.26 million accounts for 5.5% of the population of France. The Channel Islands (referred to as Îles Anglo-Normandes in French) are historically part of Normandy. The principal cities are Rouen, the capital of Upper Normandy and formerly of the whole province; Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy; Le Havre; and Cherbourg. The historical Duchy of Normandy was a formerly independent duchy occupying the lower Seine area, the Pays de Caux and the region to the west through the Pays d’Auge as far as the Cotentin Peninsula. The region is bordered along the northern coasts by the English Channel. There are granite cliffs in the west and limestone cliffs in the east. There are also long stretches of beach in the centre of the region.   read more…

The National School of Administration in Strasbourg

9 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  8 minutes

ENA Strasbourg © Rémi LEBLOND/cc-by-sa-3.0

ENA Strasbourg © Rémi LEBLOND/cc-by-sa-3.0

The École nationale d’administration, one of the French graduate schools (Grandes écoles), was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials. The ENA is one of the symbols of the Republican meritocracy, along with École normale supérieure and Ecole polytechnique (“X”), offering its alumni access to high positions within the state. It has now been almost completely relocated to Strasbourg to emphasise its European character. The ENA produces around 100 graduates every year, known as énarques. ENA is seen as the method of choice to reach the administrative Grand Corps of the State.   read more…

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