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.
A second and final video of this year’s Annecy Venetian Carnival which was held March 18-20th. The handmade costumes are magnificent – this is a festival to put on your list.
Every year during Carnival time, Annecy has a Venetian costume and mask Festival. In previous years the weather was so terrible I chose not to go. This year too was wet and gloomy but not so rainy so Bernard and I attended for a few hours. Here is part one of two parts of videos I took at the festival. The costumes and masks were magnificent and they’re handmade. The Carnival is like wandering into another world.
Chambery also has a Carnival Festival every February but it is primarily oriented for the children’s entertainment. In fact, the children spend part of the school year designing and decorating some of the floats in the parade. They also ‘perform’ in the parade. You’ll see quite a few chimney sweeper costumes in the video. The reason for this is that the chimney sweeper is the symbol (professionally-speaking) for Savoie/Savoy, so it is the costume of choice. While this carnival couldn’t compete with the Nice Carnival, it was still a fun event to attend and was representative of community effort.
At the same time as the Nice Carnival, Menton holds a Lemon Festival which includes a Parade along the seaside promenade. The nice people at the Tourist office (http://www.feteducitron.com/menton-french-riviera-lemon-festival-uk.html) gave me a Press Pass to film the parade from a high stage so I had a good view. Here are the highlights of the Parade. Put it on your ‘Things to Do’ List!
Menton is 30 minutes by train from Nice. It borders both Italy and Monaco. The population is about 20,000 so I call it a mini-Nice since it has many similar characteristics. One similarity is its Carnival Parade which is part of the annual February Lemon Festival in Menton. It’s a lovely city worth visiting. Here’s an overview video of the city.
The night before the Carnival began in Nice, the city was buzzing. Performers filled the streets, everyone was out walking, and the energy was palatable. I took some video during my walk.
Visit the city of Nice with me in this overview video. I loved Nice and will be back many times in the future. I especially enjoyed the Italian influence and architecture and the wonderful mild weather. Carnival week was a blast. If you are planning a trip to Nice, save some money, and head there in February for Carnival!
