France Events

The town of Albi (81 Tarn et Garonne, Midi Pyrenees) holds its annual Carnival celebration from 20 – 28 February 2010.

Albi is perhapes best known for its pink brick Cathedral, the Toulouse Lautrec museum and the birthplace of the Albigensian Crusades which led to the Cathar heresy and battles.

However for a week in February the town goes into Carnival mode with Carnival Queens, Parades, floats, music etc to jollify the streets of the town.

I have stayed at the Mercure Bastides Hotel in Albi is centrally situated by the River Tarn with great views of the Cathedral.

Whilst in the area you can visit the vineyards of Gaillac AC. I can recommend the Domaine de Labarthe at Castanet which produces some very good Gaillac reds, dry and sweet whites. Sparkling and Gaillac Perlé ( a lightly petillant dry white).

For more info on the Albi Carnival see www.carnaval-albi.com

For more info on Albi see www.albi-tourisme.fr

Think ahead to warm (or even hot) Spring days in Provence – add the magnificent Pope’s Palace (Palais de Papes) in Avignon and a stunning exhibition of roses – sounds vert enticing! 13 May -16 May 2010 are the dates for the 2010 edition of this annual celebration of the beautiful Rose.

For 4 days the Cloister of St Benedict in the Palais de Papes is bedecked with hundreds of varieties of roses,  including some new strains – making the whole place a riot of colour and perfume. There  is a competition for the best rose and the opportunity to buy or just enjoy.

However implausible it may seem even southern Provence has had snow this winter – so its not just the northern climes which have suffered – see www.avignon-tourisme.com for pictures of Avignon in the snow!!

Avignon is always worth visiting any time of year – a great combination of lively modern city, medieval walled town and Palace, the famous truncated Pont d”Avignon Bridge across the Rhone (real name Pont St Benazit) – surrounded by superb Provencal countryside (St Remy de Provence with its market and Van Gogh connections is only a short distance away- plus plenty of great wines and local produce to enjoy.

For more info on Altera Rosa see www.alterarosa.com

For more info on Avignon see www.avignon-tourisme.com

Find best hotel rates in Avignon

Nice (06 Alpes-Maritimes, Provence) celebrates its Carnaval from 12-28 February 2010 which has grown into one of  the largest carnivals in the world and is the main winter event on the Riviera with its carnaval parades, flower parades and parade of lights!

The carnival processions, comprising 20 floats telling the story of the “Blue Planet” work their way up to a crescendo of gigantic decorations on the Place Masséna. These giant, colourful parades take place day and night, with entertainment provided by over 1,000 musicians and dancers from across the world.

In a unique setting, on the Promenade des Anglais, the elegant “flower battles” are part of the carnival not to be missed. On floats decorated with the most stunning floral compositions, extravagantly dressed characters throw out mimosas, gerberas, and lilies into the public …

Carnival provides locals and visitors with a chance to enjoy themselves before the privations of Lent and certainly brightens up the long dull winter days – although the Riviera is seldom dreary even in mid-winter.

For more info see www.nicecarnaval.com

Dunkerque (62 Pas de Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) manages to brighten up the miserable nothern French winter with its annual Carnival from 23 January to 6 March 2010

The most famous, the nosiest, the most mental, but also the oldest, is the Dunkerque Carnival. For weeks on end, groups called fisherbands take the measure of each other, confront each other with sarabands and songs, disperse and liven up the town, and finally come together in one huge choir to celebrate their sailors, honour Jean Bart, and claim, with body and voice, their herrings thrown from the top of the belfry.
If you’ve never done Carnival here, you’ve never seen a real carnival !

For more info see www.northernfrance-tourism.com
Of course Dunkerque is directly connected from Dover with Norfolkline Ferries – but beware that the port (near Loon-Plage) is some 18km from the town centre

Winter is the time for truffles in the Perigord and surrounding areas. Georges Vigouroux is one of the main Cahors wine producers in South West France (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) with several major chateaux under its umbrella including Chateau de Mercuès and Chateau de Haute-Serre with some classy rich winesn made from the  Malbec grape.

So bringing these two classic regional delights together should make for a great combination:

….. our first exclusive 2010 event in Château de Haute-Serre: “Truffle & Malbec Tuesdays” from January 12th to March 2nd in the restaurant La Table de Haute-Serre, with a special menu made of truffles. A perfect pairing between food and our wines has been set up by our 1 Michelin Star chef Philippe Combet. You can extend your stay in the land of the ‘black diamond’ with a visit to Lalbenque where the traditional truffle market starts every Tuesday in winter at 2 p.m. in the main street.

For more info see www.hauteserre.fr

Cahors Tshirt from jumboTs.co.uk

At Poligny (39 Jura, Franche Comté) on  6 & 7 February 2010 the Percée du Vin Jaune festival takes place (and every year on the first weekend in February).

The festival celebrates the piercing or tapping of the barrels of the Jura’s famous “Yellow Wine” (vin jaune) which has spent 6 years and 3 months maturing, to enable the vintage from 6 years ago to be bottled, sold and enjoyed for many, many years to come.

British locals John & Carolyn Scallan run a B&B (Chambres d’Hote) at Sens-sur-Seille  and have put together a special weeked offer for the Festival which includes a special Jura Discovery dinner and transport to and from the Festival. With their local knowledge of wine, food, markets and things to see this would be a great way of getting the very best out of the Festival and learning more about the local wines and region – all at a bargain price:-

Come and spend the weekend discovering the wines and foods of the Jura region, meet the producers and enjoy the festival, on a specially arranged weekend break, which includes two nights bed and breakfast accommodation in our comfortable B&B, a special Jura Discovery dinner on Fridaynight, and transport to and from the Percée festival on Saturday.
PROGRAMME

Friday evening, arrive and check into your room here in Sens sur Seille. Rooms will be available from 4pm onwards. Freshen up and then at 7pm join us for a special Jura Discovery dinner, with an introduction to different Jura wines from different producers, carefully matched with each course.
Saturday morning, after a copious breakfast, feel free to discover the local market in St Germain du Bois. 11.30am leave for the Percée festival – transport is provided.
6pm return transportation
The evening is free for you to try one of the excellent local restaurants. There are 2 here in the village, and several more in the nearby towns.
Sunday, depart after yet another copious breakfast.
PRICE PER PERSON €82
Price includes 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation (based on two people sharing a double room) special dinner on Friday night (wines included) and transport to and from the wine festival.
Not included: Transport to Sens sur Seille, entry to the wine festival (€11), other meals.
Additional nights may be booked at a discount to the normal room rate. Please ask for more information.

For more info and an enquiry form CLICK HERE