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| May 29, 2008 | ||
| May 30, 2008 | ||
| June 1, 2008 |
An opportunity to visit France’s rich heritage of Gardens is offered for the weekend of 29 May - 1 June 2008 with the “Rendezvous des Jardins” (meetings with gardens).
Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture, more than 2000 private and public parks and gardens across France will be open to the public.
On the Culture Ministry’s website (only in French) there is a clickable map to select the region you are visiting - and details of the gardens open and what they are offering - open visits, guided tours, music, photographic exhibitions, lectures etc. Many are open until dusk on the Saturday.
The fun thing is that there is such a range available - for example in Picardie you can visit the Vegetable Garden (potager) of the Princes at Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie), and also an artist’s private garden near Beauvais (60 Oise, Picardie) where painter Andre van Beck uses the plants as subjects of his paintings and where he will be showing some of his floral pictures alongside the garden which inspired them! (see le Jardin Du Peintre Andre Van Beek
- see our customised map of the Oise département.
Meanwhile in the Charente, you can visit the medieval Pilgrim Hospital Garden (Hopital des Pelerins) at Pons (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) - a stop on one of routes to St Jean de Compostelle (Halte sur les chemins de St Jean). Whilst at St Andre de Lidon (17 Charentes-Maritimes, Poitou-Charentes) the Cognac and Pineau des Charentes producer J M Deau will be opening their Botanic Garden to the public - plus the opportunity to taste or buy some Cognac!
| June 12, 2008 | ||
| June 13, 2008 | ||
| June 14, 2008 |
The Chateau of Chantilly (60 Oise, Picardie) hosts an International Firework Festival in the grounds 12-14 June 2008.
With at least 11 displays of pyrotechnic spectacles designed by some of the top firework display designers in the world - there are strict rules as in any serious competition - some elements against prescribed music, some silent, some freestyle - all against the backdrop of the historic Chateau, its lakes and formal gardens.
Doors open at 8.00pm and a full evening of entertainment is promised - it should be illuminating!
For more info see www.nuitsdefeu.com/ - there is a video showing the preparations and some idea of what to expect.
| June 6, 2008 | ||
| June 7, 2008 | ||
| June 8, 2008 |
We tend to think of the Rose as a quintessentially English flower, but the French have their moments. Avignon (84 Vaucluse, Provence) celebrates the rose with its Altera Rosa Festival in May, whilst in the north the Royal Abbey of Chaalis near Senlis (60 Oise, Picardie) throws its own Rose festival in June
Chaalis Abbey was a French Cistercian abbey founded in 1136 by Louis VI of Franc. There had previously been a Benedictine monastery in the same place.
The Journees de la Rose festival runs from 6-8 June in the delightful (and usually peaceful) gardens of the abbey - you’ll be greeted by a vast display of roses, be able to talk to rose experts, see an exhibition of photos and attend workshops on perfume and flower arranging.
| April 13, 2008 |
The annual one day Paris-Roubaix cycle race takes place on Sunday 13 April 2008, and is one of the major professional races in France. Also known as the “Hell of the North” it is a gruelling race, not least because of the cobbled roads which are included - nearly 60km of the 260km course which starts in Compiegne (60 Oise, Picardie) and finishes in Roubaix north of Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais).
As these are racing bikes rather than all-terrain or mountain bikes, so comfortable sadles, thick rugged tyres and dual wheel suspension makes this a real bone- and frame-shaking ride under pressure.
For more info see the official site at www.letour.fr and an enthusiasts’ site at www.lesamisdeparisroubaix.com/
| April 8, 2008 | to | April 12, 2008 |
With the arrival of Spring comes a celebration of Birds and Wildlife in Picardie ( Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature) from 12 - 20 April 2008. Forget the stereotyped connotations of Picardy, the Somme and northern France, this is an area of lakes, sanddunes, cliffs and gentle river valleys which is a haven for birds and wildlife - fantastic walking country, glorious seascapes and plenty of paths for hiking and rambling, and an extensive network of cycle paths. Whilst it may lack the best of the weather and has few exciting towns, the countryside is well worth a visit - especially as it is so close to the Channel ports of Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe and Le Havre.
The festival itself will offer guided walks, exhibitions, films and workshops, but the landscape and wildlife are the main attractions.
For more info on the Festival see www.festival-oiseau-nature.com/
For more info on the region generally see www.picardietourisme.fr
For somewhere a little different to stay in Picardie you could try the Belle Dune self-catering Holiday Village.
Belle Dune is one of Pierre & Vacances’ most popular self catering holiday villages in France. Built in the 20th Century style of the Picardy region, the village nestles in a preserved natural area of sand dunes, is surrounded by a large lake and flanked by one of France’s finest golf courses. On-site activities are numerous, the beach is accessible by train plus a mini-market and an English pub.
For more info and special offers see P&V
Book your cross-channel ferry online -
| Ferry to France by AFerry.to |
Compiegne (61 Oise, Picardie) - just off the A1 autoroute north of Paris - Hotel Restaurant Au Relais Napoleon - see map Read more on this…
| April 9, 2006 |
9 April 2006 is the date for this year’s classic one-day Paris-Roubaix cycle race. Although it is a slight misnomer as it actually starts in Compiegne (60 Oise, Picardie), some 50 miles north of Paris - it does finish in Roubaix (59 Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais) which is part of the Lille conurbation, close to the Belgian border.
Somehow you can forgive the 50 mile cheat in starting in Compiegne, as the race is 260km or so in length and includes several notorious “secteurs paves”, cobblestone sections north of St Quentin (02 Aisne, Picardie), The problem is that this is essentially a fast road race, so the bikes they use are lightweight racing bikes, not the tough mountain bikes you would usually choose for such unforgivingly bumpy surfaces.
Compiegne is perhaps best known as the location of the Wagon-Lits carriage where both Germany and France humiliated each other at the end of the First World War and 20 odd years later when Hitler accepted the French capitulation. A replica of the famous railway carriage can be seen in a museum (Musee de l’Armistice) in the middle of a clearing in the impressive Foret de Compiegne near Rethondes, about 6km east of the town. For fans of art deco there are two important landmarks to visit near the route - In Lille there is a famous (and expensive but exquisite) Fish restaurant (L’Huitrière), and in nearby Roubaix there is an art deco swimming pool which has been converted into a Museum of Arts and Industry
For cheap cross-channel ferry crossings see Cheap4Ferries.com
Keywords: France, Cycle,Compiegne,Paris,Roubaix,Lille,St Quentin,Nord, Picardie
