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.
Sanibel Island is a lovely island in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the mainland of the city of Fort Myers, Florida. It’s pristine and will remain that way due to very strict building and conservation regulations. The Ding Darling Bird Refuge is on Sanibel too and brings in the lovely tropical and beach birds from all over the region. We took a walk on the main beach, visited the Lighthouse and the Pier, and took video and photos of the birds, including an Osprey Nest with a baby.
My next post will be our last from Florida, as we head back to the French Alps in the dead of winter. What a difference that will be!
One of my final videos of Florida before returning to France is of the Sand Sculpting Competition at Fort Myers Beach. The Beach had its first World Championship Sand Sculpting Competition this year. It was chosen because it is one of the few beaches in the world that has the ‘correct’ sand to do the sculptures. It was astonishing to see the skill and patience required to create these gorgeous sculptures. It took them several days to complete them. See some of the best, including the winners of the competition.
Every month throughout the year, Fort Myers has a Music Fest in the downtown area. Granted, it’s not like the Fete de la Musique in the towns of France, but it was fun just the same. Fort Myers today is nothing like the Fort Myers I grew up in 50 years ago. It’s almost unrecognizable (thank goodness – it was pretty much farmers and crackers 50 years ago. Salt of the earth folk, but no one I had much in common with). Today it’s very international and even metropolitan in its feel. A sure sign of civilization is when Trader Joe’s opened its first Florida store in Naples, a sister city to Fort Myers. Yippee!
A few days ago you saw the video about the Motorbike Night in Fort Myers. Well, they also have a Classic Car Night occasionally as well. What beauties those cars were! Truly, they are more artworks than cars. Take a look.
I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year. We’re in our last month in Florida so I’m dedicating part of January to sharing some of our experiences and events during our time there. We head back to France in early February.
As you probably know, my husband and I are motorbikers and appreciate the beauty and engineering of a fine motorbike. So we headed to the once a month Motorbike Festival that is held in downtown Fort Myers every month and really enjoyed the experience. Granted, the bikes were a bit ‘over the top’ and a little too ‘image-oriented’ for us, but we still enjoyed the fine styling and creativity represented. Of course, most of the bikes were Harley Davidson (a brand seen more as image rather than good engineering in France). Take a look for yourself.
January posts will focus on the interesting events we did in Florida. Come February, we will be back in France and my posts will focus on our travels and lives there again. Even if you are a Francophile, you may still find some of the festivals in Florida interesting and a nice break from three years of pure French indulgences.
For instance, one of the main things that Fort Myers is known for is that it was the winter home of Thomas Edison, the inventor, and his good friend, Henry Ford, the car manufacturer. Edison owned the property from 1886-1931. Firestone also joined them quite a bit during the winters. Edison invented many of his inventions in his Fort Myers laboratory. He was a big influence in bringing many people to the area. The river is lined with beautiful, historic homes from the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. Of course, many have been torn down and replaced with modern monstrosities. The Edison and Ford homes were preserved and you can visit them. During the holiday season, they open them in the evenings, all dressed up in their holiday garbs. We decided to visit them and pay the $15 for a self-guided tour. We were glad we did since the gardens and homes were so lovely garnished with Christmas lights.
