Video Diary of an American in France

Pont du Gard Near Avignon

If you have already visited the charismatic glamour of the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum in mainstream France, southeast France is waiting for you with its humble enchantment. Southeast France is heaven for green tourism. The vast stretches of the lofty, icy French Alps are the dream destination of mountain-sports enthusiasts from all parts of the planet. Most of the picturesque cities of this region hold rich histories of their own.

Once the center of the Christian world, the city of Avignon is home to a 14th century Papal palace. Le Pont d’ Avignon, the 12^th century bridge is the inspiration for many French folk-songs. If you have an eye for art and culture, visit Avignon in the summer, the season to host the annual summer festival, the platform to exhibit western theatrical expertise. You can also polish your French language from Aix-en-Provence, the center for literary excellence. The town is adorned with beautiful fountains, avenues, squares and buildings with architectural elegance. From literary elegance to intellectual expertise, Grenoble welcomes thousands of students all through the year inquisitive about its technological progress in computer and micro-chip manufacturing. Grenoble also hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Annecy is known as the Venice of the French Alps, with its canals winding through the medieval town. Surrounded by Alpine mountains and sitting next to a crystal blue lake, this town is candy for the eyes. The proud residents of Annecy throw festivals, host a Venetian Carnival, fireworks, and musical concerts to rival cities three times its size. This is a must-see town.

Bormes de Mimosa on the Cote d'Azur

The best gastronomic city of France, Lyon has an impressive 2000 year old history. With the acknowledgment as UNESCO World Heritage site, this city also hosts a rich architectural museum, a world-class university and number of shopping centers and food parks taking the best care of gourmets. It’s annual December Festival of the Lights  is not to be missed.  When you have fueled yourself enough for the spine-tinkling adventures, come to Chamonix. The picturesque town is the hub for mountaineering and adventure sports enthusiasts. The adrenalin-rushing mountain biking, hiking and paragliding will be complimented with the best food and wine in the local bars and eateries.  

Montpellier, in Languedoc-Roussillon, is chiefly a students’ favorite since it’s the home for France’s biggest university, but you can also bask in its brightest sun in this lovely city. Don’t forget to visit Nice, the center of genoese architecture with its Musée Matisse and the Musée Chagall museums, before you head for the further East on the Cote d’Azur or head down to the island of Corsica. The sun, palm trees and marble architecture will let you relax in Spanish style. From history to architecture, from nature to modern technology, from basking in the golden sun to piercing through the sparkling ice – Southeast France has something for everyone. Come and enjoy the euphoria!

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The French Alps have much more to offer than you expect. If you are a nature-lover, a sports-enthusiast, adventure-addict or a history-freak, the French Alps have something for you. No matter which corner of the globe you are coming from, a tour to its lovely landscape flanked by Provence-Alpes-Maritimes, Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes will be a memorable experience. To most, the French Alps are a paradise for popular outdoor sports, but along with plenty to do for the skiing and mountaineering enthusiasts, Mont Blanc offers breathtaking natural vistas. You will also be mesmerized with the panoramic alpine lakes including Lac Leman, Lac d’Annecy, Lac De Bourget, Lac de Paladru and Lac d’Aiguebelette.

You can enter through either of the two international airports at Lyon or Geneva to the Rhone-Alpes, the crossroads of Europe. Offspring of the Rhone River and the Alps mountain range, the Rhone-Alpes are bejeweled with eight national parks; the gracious Mont Blanc and its Gorges de l’Ardèche; stretches of lavender fields, olive orchards, vineyards and the valleys which inspire painters’ excellence. Along with a variety of beguiling landscapes, the French Alps will beckon you to indulge in thrilling mountain-sports such as hiking, mountain biking, and paragliding, along with canoeing and horseback riding. After all, it’s the proud three-time host of the Winter Olympics with the second largest ski region in Europe.                                          

If you love to turn the clock backward, then visit Lyon to witness the Gaul-Roman confluence, known as the regional Villes D’Art.  Apart from this UNESCO World Heritage Site, Annecy, the Venice of the French Alps, and the Roman Temple at Vienne will satisfy you with both their historical richness and natural beauties. Cities like Grenoble, Chamonix, Saint Etienne, Lyon, Chambéry and Albertville will welcome you with world class French cuisines. When you are in France, how can you resist the seductive wines? The Alpine taste of Lyon sausage and rosette, fondue, gratin dauphinois, raclette, and quenellas will spoil your senses paired with the wines of Brouilly, Chenas, Cote-de-Brouilly, Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Regnie and Saint-Amour. Don’t forget to enjoy the special cheeses like Tomme de Savoie, Vacherin, Bleu de Bresse and Reblochon. The top hotels and Aix les Bains, a famous spa town, will caress your senses with luxurious comfort. Pack your bags to witness the most unique experience of your life in the French Alps.

www.french-alps-tours.com

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Gourdon is a Medieval hill town in the Alpes-Maritimes region of France, which borders the Provence/Cote d’Azur regions near the sea. It sits 3,000 feet above the valley and served as a defensive fortress in Medieval times. Roman roads show that the area was used 2,000 years ago for similar purposes and the original fortress was built in the 800′s. Today it is a touristy town with shops and restaurants but we were still glad we visited it for the views, the history and the beauty of the town.

Here’s a video giving an overview of this lovely fortress village.

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If you’re in Grasse then you have to visit one of the Perfumeries - the main one being Fragonard. There’s also an International Perfume Museum but we ran out of time and didn’t make it there. We did however go to the Fragonard which had a small museum, and a tour of the factory, plus a nice, reasonably priced gift shop.  Fragonard is located in the center of the Old Town which is small enough to navigate on foot. There are a few mild hills though since the city hangs on the mountain cliffs.

Here’s a quick view of our Fragonard Tour with some history and insight into the process of making perfume.

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Grasse is primarily known for its perfumeries or (perfume factories) and summer flower festivals, however the city itself is beautiful, charming and quaint (while still being big enough to offer plenty to do).  The Old Town is particularly lovely and the city meanders up the hills and overlooks the Sea. I was pleasantly surprised. It is not subjected to the millions of tourists that many of the Cote d’Azur and Provence towns on the sea receive.  We visited the perfume factories and museums and walked along the streets just enjoying the town’s beauty and good food. Here’s an overview video of the city.

Bernard’s friends gave us a trip to Grasse for our wedding gift that included two gift certificates to make our own cologne and perfume.  The normal cost for the event is 40 euros each plus 12 euros for the bottle (if you want to buy a nice bottle versus the ugly brown ones with no spray top).  After experiencing the event, I think 40 euros is a good price for 2 or 3 hours of entertainment plus some nice perfume that you created yourself. It was quite interesting and educational as well.  Here’s a video of the experience. The video is mostly photos since filming was prohibited.

Our technician was great. He has an American girlfriend (who is a Senator’s daughter) and he wants to move to Los Angeles to start his own Fragrance Studio. Brilliant idea! I’ve never seen anything like this in the U.S. and this would be a big hit in L.A.

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My Frenchman and I spent three days in Grasse on the Cote d’Azur/Provence region in March.  The trip was a lovely wedding gift from his friends which we finally got around to taking.  Grasse is the perfume capital of the world so we took advantage of that fact and spent an afternoon at a perfume laboratory and made our own perfume and cologne.  We also spent a day visiting the perfume ‘factories’ and walked around the city of Grasse, which is quite lovely. We spent a day driving into the hills to see some of the walled towns which sat on the tops of mountains. The towns were filled with cobblestone streets, medieval buildings and had fantastic views of the valleys.

This video is of a marvelous art gallery we ran across in the center of Grasse’s old town. I was so impressed I had to take video of the art. I hope you find it as fun as I did.