-
7 sweet spots in Bordeaux & Saint Émilion
A few months ago, I visited Bordeaux, the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger Nouvelle-Aquitaine region (which also includes Limoges and La Rochelle). Whilst there, I discovered there’s much more than wine to France’s sixth-largest city. In fact, Bordeaux, home to 362 ‘monuments historiques’, is a classified ‘City of Art and History’ and has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as ‘an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble’. What is more, it is also a great destination for foodies, including those (like myself) who have a sweet tooth. Today, I will focus on the sweet spots of Bordeaux, as well…
-
Bordeaux neighbourhoods: saints, churches, wine
Bonjour! Today is Bastille Day, also known as la Fête nationale française, or le 14 juillet. The French National Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789. I would like to take the opportunity to share some tips about Bordeaux, France’s sixth-largest city, which I visited (for the first, but certainly not the last, time) a couple of weeks ago. A port city on the Garonne River in southwestern France, Bordeaux is also known as Port of the Moon (Port de la Lune). It is the capital and the largest city of both the wine-growing Gironde department and the much larger…
-
6 French and Italian crime series to watch
Bonjour! Or, should I say Buongiorno? A couple of months ago, I published two posts about Greek covers of French and Italian songs respectively. Then, earlier this month, I published two posts about some of my favourite French and Italian films. Today, I discuss some of the French and Italian crime series I’ve recently watched. 3 French crime series to watch The Mantis (La Mante) ‘The Mantis’ is a French crime series available on Netflix. There are a total of six 50-to-60-minute-long episodes, where a convicted serial killer, known as the Mantis, helps the Police track down the perpetrator of copy-cat murders. The Other Mother (Maman a tort) Based on…
-
25 French films worth watching
Oscars are due in just over two weeks, on 26 April. This year, there will be a total of 23 Academy Awards. Of those, the one I’m most excited about is the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (previously known as Best Foreign Language Film). So far, the most awarded foreign country is Italy (with 14 Oscars won), while France is the second most awarded one (12 Oscars), as well as the foreign country with the most nominations (37). Today, I’d like to take the opportunity to discuss some of my favourite French films. Portrait de la jeune fille en feu ‘Portrait de la jeune fille en feu’ (‘Portrait…
-
Voilà: 9 Greek covers of French songs
Earlier this week, it was announced that the 65th Eurovision Song Contest would not take place ‘as normal’ this year. The organisers are currently considering 3 alternative scenarios. Either way, the event will definitely take place on 18, 20 and 22 May. A total of 41 countries will participate in the contest, five of which have already chosen the song that will represent them this year. Among these countries is France. Last week, Barbara Pravi was (rightly) chosen out of 12 participants and will now go on to represent France with her beautiful song ‘Voilà’. Since then, I have been listening to French artists, as well as to Greek covers…
-
Megève: Ski, après-ski & jazz
It’s only been a few years since I took up skiing, now one of my favorite hobbies. So far, I have been on five ski holidays: in Méribel (France), Courchevel (next to Méribel), Zell am See (Austria), Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), and Megève. In fact, I have just returned from Megève, and I would like to share my tips for this beautiful French resort, which is also home to an international jazz festival. But before I do so, I would like to point out that this was the first ski holiday entirely organized by my friend and myself (rather than a tour operator). This turned out to be a great decision,…
-
Top 7 tips for an unforgettable weekend in Nantes
I recently visited my friend Marie, who lives in Nantes, a vibrant city in west France (not exactly on the coast, but not too far either). Although Marie has been living there for over ten years now, this was my first ever time in Nantes. It definitely won’t be the last though. I flew there from London on a Friday evening, and came back exactly 48 hours later, on Sunday evening. Based on this brief trip, I’m now sharing my top 7 tips for an unforgettable weekend in Nantes, the 6th most populous city in France (in case you’re wondering the largest one is Paris, followed by Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse,…
-
A musical journey to France
Bonjour! I am currently in Nantes, the sixth-largest city in France. I am here to attend a classical music festival known as La Folle Journée. Held annually since 1995, this year it is dedicated to Beethoven and celebrates the 250th anniversary of his birth. It takes place over five days between the 29th of January and the 2nd of February 2020, and the program features around 250 classical music concerts. I would now like to take the opportunity to take you on a musical journey to France, a country with a rich musical tradition, and the birthplace of some of my favorite composers: Hector Berlioz (born in the Isère department in southeastern France; 11…
-
A cinematic journey to France
Inspired by the BFI London Film Festival I attended in October (it took place from the 2nd to the 13th of October 2019), I embarked on a cinematic journey around Europe. My first stop was the Nordic countries (‘A cinematic journey to the Nordic Countries’). I then continued my journey to East (Estonia, Russia, Poland), Central (Germany, Austria, Belgium) and South Europe (Spain, Italy, Greece). I now continue my cinematic journey to France, a country with a rich cinematic tradition. As both a cinephile and Francophile, I have always been interested in the French cinema, and naturally the French Film Festival UK (due to take place nationwide from 1st November…
-
7 reasons to fall in love with Martinique
As I’d never been to the Caribbean before, I immediately said yes when my friend Marie suggested we go to Martinique. This was not meant to be a relaxing holiday; instead, we would spend a week practicing sports of our choice. I opted for a combination of mostly water sports and activities, such as kayaking, catamaran, sailing, hiking, horse riding and windsurfing, whereas Marie chose to practice the latter for our entire week there. Located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea, Martinique is a single island directly north of Saint Lucia, and south of Dominica. Having a similar size to the Greek island…