Happy New Year - Bonne Année ! - 2011

In France, New Year's Eve is called La Saint-Sylvestre and is usually celebrated with a feast, called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre. The feast tends to include special items like champagne and foie gras.

This year in France, there are to be an increase in numbers of police working over New Year's Eve, to avoid the usual problems with festivities and crowds, but also to deal with the additional threat from terrorism. No particular threat has been made to France but police numbers have been increased anyway to ensure safety. There has also been a ban on the sale of large fireworks and a ban on consumption of alcohol in certain public spaces.

We wish everyone a good New Year and as we continue to suffer cold weather here in the UK, lets look forward to some better weather as we look forward to our summer camping in the sun !

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Paris Guide for iPad App

Here is another new app which has been developed and would make a great Christmas present. Its the Dorling Kindersley Guide to Paris for your iPad !

http://itunes.apple.com/app/ew-paris/id403266639
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Top 40 Tourist Attractions in France !

Here are the top 40 tourist attractions in France along with annual visitor numbers to each. How many have you been to ? I have been to Notre Dame, the Sacré-Cœur and the Orsay museum in Paris, I've seen the Eiffel Tower although didnt go up it and been to Monte Carlo, Saint-Malo, the Pilat dune and Mont-Saint-Michel. So I've only another 32 to go ! What about you ?
1 Fontainebleau Forest and Castle 13 (million visitors)
2 Disneyland Paris 12,6
3 Notre Dame de Paris - Cathedral 12
4 Flea Market - Saint-Ouen 11
5 Château de Versailles Gardens 7
6 Georges-Pompidou center 5,9
7 Eiffel tower 5,72
8 Louvre museum 5,175
9 Sacré-Cœur basilica 5
10 Notre-Dame de Lourdes sanctuary 5
11 Saint-Cloud national domain 4
12 Monte-Carlo rock 4
13 City of the sciences in La Villette 3,5
14 La Rochelle old city harbor 3
15 Château in Versailles 2,9
16 Futuroscope in Poitiers 2,9
17 Island of Oléron 2,5
18 Mont-Saint-Michel site 2,5
19 Baux-de-Provence village 2,5
20 Étretat cliffs 2,5
21 Borély park (botanical gardens) Marseille 2,44
22 Orsay museum (Paris) 2,33
23 Aquaboulevard park (Paris) 2,2
24 Miraculous Medal (Paris) 2,2
25 Riquewihr village 2,1
26 Island of Ré 2
27 Honfleur harbour 2
28 Saint-Malo citadel 2
29 Astérix park (Plailly) 1,9
30 Pyrénées national park 1,8
31 Père-Lachaise cemetery 1,75
32 Notre Dame-de-la-Garde basilica 1,5
33 Strasbourg Cathedral 1,5
34 Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral 1,5
35 Pilat dune 1,4
36 Marineland park (Antibes) 1,2
37 Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière basilica 1,2
38 Reims cathedral 1,2
39 Gard bridge 1,2
40 Gordes village 1,2

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2 Books and a DVD to Curl Up on the Sofa With

Ignore the snow outside, make yourself a mug of cocoa or coffee, grab those chocolates and curl up on the sofa with a good book about France or watch a French movie. These would also all make great Christmas presents for Francophiles and lovers of all things French !

  




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Downloadable Brochures - Guides to French Cities and Regions

If you are researching next year's holiday then you will find lots of useful brochures that can be downloaded at http://uk.franceguide.com/brochures/home.html?NodeID=409

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2 Great Christmas Present Ideas for Francophiles and Lovers of French Holidays !

Here are some great Calendars as Christmas present ideas for people who love France. There's the 365 Days in France Calendar 2011 which is a Picture-A-Day Wall Calendar with full colour photographs from all over France accompanied by some texts. And if you know someone who is interested in learning more about French language and culture then the French Daily Phrases & Culture Desk Calendar 2011 would be perfect with a whole year of different phrases, cultural comments and trivia for each day of the year !

             

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