Join us on a photo journey of France, Europe and beyond on our photoblog. Click on the photo or go to: www.france-and-beyond-photoblog.com
Chambery App
If you have an IPhone or IPod and are planning a visit to Chambery, buy my ITunes App. It will walk you through the city of Chambery to each historic landmark with walking directions, history, a map, and narrative. It's just $2.99. Click on the above photo of the elephant fountain for the link to the app.
Travel Resources
Planning a trip to France ? Stay in a Paris apartment during your trip to the city of lights.
Get my Chambery, France Guide Book free with the purchase of my Cookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.' Get both for only $7.99. Click the photo to get more information or to purchase your books now.
French Tutorial
A basic grammar and vocabulary review of the French language, as well as some informal & slang vocabulary and a special section on vocabulary for English-speaking expatriates living in France. Also included is an appendix on French pronunciation for English speakers as well as IPA transcriptions for most of the vocabulary lists and all of the verb conjugations.
Visit the Store to buy the e-book for $9.95 or paperback book for $24.95.
Join us on a small group tour of the French Alps June 9 - 16, 2012. I designed this tour to include the best of the region. Wander the Medieval town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the French Alps, and take a boat ride on its crystal blue lake. Do you like pampering yourself on your vacations, then why not spend an afternoon at the Aix les Bains thermal baths inside your lakeside hotel? Are you the adventurous type? Then take a horseback ride in the Alps or fly through the trees at the High Ropes Adventure. Are you a foodie? Taste local chocolates, cheeses, wines and hazelnut oils. Are you a history buff? Then satisfy your curiosity at Lyon's Old Town or Vienne's Roman Temple and Forum. Or just enjoy watching the hang gliders and sunset while enjoying an outdoor aperitif on the top of a mountain overlooking Annecy's lake. See you in the French Alps! www.french-alps-tours.com
Alps Cookbook
Get my ECookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.'
51 recipes of the region, collected from friends and local cookbooks. This is the only English language Savoie and French Alps cookbook in print. Only $7.99 and includes a bonus book: The Chambery Guide Book.
Click the photo to buy yours now or go to the Cookbook Page on the Navigation Bar!
French Comfort Food
Visit my French Comfort Food website for articles, recipes, videos, tips and products about French Food and Wine. Click on the photo or go to www.frenchcomfortfood.com
Videos, photos and posts can be used or posted noncommerically (this means you can't sell my films, photos or put them in or on anything you sell!), but everything must be linked back to this blog and must list me as the creator.
We’re having a much earlier interest in our French Alps Tours than in previous years. In fact, we already have five guests confirmed for the June tour and we may stop accepting guests at eight, so I’m giving my readers first chance at signing up for the June trip before my new, upcoming ad campaign hits the magazines. If we have enough interest, we may add on a September tour too, so drop me an email if you are interested. In the meantime, visit our site, see videos about the tour days, read about the stunning itinerary, and hear what others have said about the tour. Take advantage of the de-valued Euro too – the trip costs $350 less than last year!
The Faure Museum is located in Aix les Bains, near Lake Bourget and just 20 minutes from Chambery. It was founded in 1949 and contains the art collection of Doctor Jean Faure (1862–1942), which he later bequeathed to the city. The Faure Museum possesses the second largest collection of Rodin sculptures in France, and a large collection of Impressionist paintings as well. They also have visiting exhibits. I was quite surprised by the quality of the artworks in the museum. If you attend our French Alps Tours, you’ll have time to visit it yourself. Here are a few examples of the artworks.
This summer we ran across a small crafts festival and stopped for an hour. There was a sweet ole’ granny who was using her spinning wheel to turn raw wool into thread. She was demonstrating the process to small children. I stood and watched a few minutes and found the process quite interesting. Things are still done the old-fashioned way quite often in this part of France and it’s nice to see the old traditions being kept alive.
So you’re just a few weeks away from Christmas and you haven’t a clue what you’re going to buy your spouse, parents, best friend or boy/girlfriend. I have a few suggestions, of course. How about a French Alps/Savoie Ecookbook? Better yet, how about a trip to the French Alps and they can just eat the food instead of cook it? And why don’t you join them on the Tour? It’s a unique gift since it’s the only summertime sightseeing Tour of the French Alps in existence. Or if you’d like to do an independent trip to the French Alps, I can help you plan it. If you just want some French food products, check this out. If you’re looking for a man’s gift, I have a variety of gifts to choose from here. Want to learn French? Buy my friend, Jennie’s, French Tutorial book (she’s one of those genius types who speaks several languages and is getting her PH.D in Languages – it’s a great book!). So now you have lots of options to choose from.
Have fun shopping and have a wonderful holiday season to you and yours!
If you are a regular reader you know that my French husband retired in August from his job as a driver of the French TGV trains – those are the fast ones. I went with him on his final train to share the experience and to memorialize the ride on video. I made him a special video which included the surprise party his friends organized for him. Then I made this version for the blog since I thought the experience was so rare, it should be shared.
There are a few things I want to point out. What looks like a steering wheel on the video, isn’t. It’s the brake. On the brake is a rod that must be pushed continually or an alarm will go off in the cockpit to awaken a driver who might have dozed off. If the rod isn’t pushed after the alarm for about 30 seconds to a minute, then the train will automatically stop. This is a precaution in case a driver has a heart attack or other serious health event. There is only one driver per train so these kinds of precautions are essential. You’ll also notice how loud the cockpit is. It’s one of the reasons many drivers retire with hearing problems. They can’t use ear plugs because they have to be able to hear the nuances of the engine and calls on the radios. In fact, if the train breaks down, it’s their responsibility to fix it!
If you are a train buff, you will love this video. If you aren’t, you may still find it interesting to see what goes on in a cockpit of a French TGV bullet train. Enjoy the journey!
Are you starting to think about your summer vacation? Then you have to check out our French Alps Tours. This year it will take place again in June. With enough interest, we may offer it in September too.
Wander the Medieval town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the French Alps, and take a boat ride on its crystal blue lake. Do you like pampering yourself on your vacations, then why not spend an afternoon at the Aix les Bains pool or spa inside your lakeside hotel? Are you the adventurous type? Schedule a paragliding jump with your instructor off an Alps mountain. Are you a foodie? Taste local chocolates, cheeses, wines and hazelnut oils. Are you a history buff? Then satisfy your curiosity at Lyon’s Old Town or Yvoire’s medieval streets. Or just enjoy watching the paragliders and sunset at an outdoor aperitif on the top of a mountain overlooking Annecy’s lake. And don’t worry, you’ll have a few hours some days to explore on your own, shop, or just take a French stroll in the mountains or on the lake promenade. Do it all with a small friendly group who will feel like family by the end of the tour (maximum 15 people, with an average group size of less than 7).
Here’s a video for you animal and horse (or pony) lovers. We ran across these gentle beauties on a motorbike ride one day. I immediately fell in love and had to take video of them. They were all fat and happy and had plenty to eat which made me happy too. I hope you find them as marvelous as I did.
So you’re just a few weeks away from Christmas and you haven’t a clue what you’re going to buy your spouse, parents, best friend or boy/girlfriend. I have a few suggestions, of course. How about a 
