Information about Whats On Where You're Going on Holiday

If you have decided where you are going to holiday in France and would like to find out what events are on this summer then this is a good website to use :
http://france.angloinfo.com/

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A Campsite Review

Well so far today no further news of strikes ! I think every method of travel almost was covered with the news yesterday so lets hope this disruption wont head into the summer to affect us all. However I can sympathise with the strikers - a return to Victorian Britain with a few people taking all the money that the rest of us had made and then not paying the workers properly !

Anyway to get us back in the holiday mood, here is an interesting article from The Telegraph in 2007. It is pretty good at summing up the problems with some of the bigger campsites in the high season months of July and August - some of the big sites may be exactly what you are looking for but read the reviews in the brochures carefully to see if you can find out if the site you are planning to go to is really what you are looking for. He also discusses the advantages of booking a tent rather than a mobile home. I would agree that all the washing up and shower facilities in the sites we have reviewed were all spotlessly clean and its a great way to meet other campers, over the washing up !
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/dordogne/737344/French-camping-without-tears.html

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More Strikes !

Strikes by French Air Traffic Controllers for the next few days may affect your flights from France. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8529978.stm
A National Strike in France may affect those holidaying in Paris who want to travel by train. About half the trains were running on Paris commuter lines on Tuesday morning 23rd March, while nearly two-thirds of national high-speed TGV services were operating, according to French news agency AFP.
National rail operator SNCF said services would be disrupted until early on Wednesday. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8582485.stm

And British Airways have plans to strike again on March 27-30. For more information : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8583907.stm However the ferry companies are hoping to gain some business from these strikes by bringing two new ferries onto the Portsmouth to France route ! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8583270.stm

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Hire Car Charges Discussed on You and Yours

There was an interesting discussion about Hiring Cars abroad on Radio 4's You and yours today. People have been hit with hidden charges but there are now some new EU regulations. To hear more please listen again at :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/02/2010_11_fri.shtml

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BA Strike to go ahead

BA strike: Cabin crew to walk out as talks collapse
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8576727.stm

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Things to do on Family Holidays in France

An interesting article about some things to do while holidaying with your family in various parts of France :

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/family-france-from-the-ardennes-to-disneyland-1883172.html

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Another possible Strike Affecting Air France !

Well so far my blog has listed a lot of strikes affecting tourists heading to France ! It wasnt intended to be such a depressing blog and hopefully I will find some good holiday news soon !
Air France Cabin Crew are threatening to strike if no agreement is reached with management, who wish to cut costs with efficiency savings, before 28th March. The strike looks like it would be around 1st April - more to follow !

http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2010/03/17/les-hotesses-et-stewards-d-air-france-agitent-la-menace-d-une-greve-dure_1320385_3234.html

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BA Strike to Go Ahead

BA is to go ahead with their strike on 20th, 21st and 22nd of March so check your travel plans if you plan to fly with BA to France or if you are flying BA on connecting flights. Flights from Scotland look like they are to be badly affected.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ba-plans-to-keep-60-of-passengers-flying-1921592.html

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Holidays Hit as the Pound Falls Sharply

The value of the pound has fallen against the Euro so if you are planning to holiday in France this year then this will make buying things more expensive if the pound stays at this level. It is now sitting at £1 equalling 1.10 euros.
The UK’s currency has fallen by some 24 per cent against a basket of world currencies since 2007.

However if you are like us and planning to go on a self catering camping holiday and already cant afford to eat out then lets hope we are not affected too much by prices in the supermarkets.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/162401

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Snow Problems in South France Around Nimes

Extreme snowfall fell on the Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, southern Rhone Valley and the Midi-Pyrenees in the night from Sunday 7th to Monday 8th March, causing power outages and traffic disruptions. There were 30 inches of snow in the old Roman City of Nîmes which has never been seen since 1974! In total, eight departments were still on Orange Alert on Monday evening 8th March : Aude, Ariege, Haute-Garonne , Pyrenees-Orientales and Corsica as well as Andorra.

Also nearly 3,000 homes, mainly in the outskirts of Nimes, were without power earlier and 250 people were stranded on roads. Train services in the Gard and Herault have been affected and the TGV from Languedoc-Roussillon delayed. Flights were also affected. Perpignan airport has been closed and Nimes Garon diverted Sunday landings to the nearby airport of Montpellier but had no flights scheduled on Monday morning. Flights to Montpellier and Toulouse-Blagnac functioned normally but recorded some delays.

http://france.meteofrance.com/vigilance/Accueil

Orange Alert Snow Fall Warnings for Areas around the Rhone Valley

Orange Alert for Snowfall which may affect driving conditions in areas around the Rhone Valley.
http://france.meteofrance.com/vigilance/Accueil

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Snow Causing Problems on Roads in Eastern France

More than seventy road accidents, one fatal, occurred on Saturday 6th March on the roads of eastern France after snowfall. In the area of Belfort, there were five accidents on Saturday morning, mostly in the north of the department, on the border between Alsace and Franche-Comte, where the snow had made movement difficult on the A36. Accidents have been reported in Lorraine, Moselle, the Vosges and in Alsace, but injuries from these were minor. After the disruption of the snow on Saturday, temperatures will drop below freezing overnight into Sunday, causing frozen pavements, so caution is recommended.

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2010/03/07/apres-l-est-de-la-france-la-neige-menace-la-vallee-du-rhone_1315582_3244.html
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Pyreneen Hautacam Ski Resort Damaged by High Winds

The Ski Resort of Hautacam has had an early end to its season this year as a result of the destruction caused by the 200km/hr winds at the weekend.
Other Pyreneen resorts have also sustained some damage.

http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-20h/dans-les-pyrenees-des-stations-de-ski-detruites-5752056.html

Garonne Communities Concerned about future Flood Risks

Communities around the Tarn river which comes from the Pyrenees down to the Mediterranean are concerned about future possible flood risks. This map identifies possible areas. The Tarn river is notorious for rising very quickly when it is flooding. Toulouse itself has flood barriers or levees but in fact there has even been some concerns about these.
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2010/03/04/789071-Garonne-la-peur-de-la-crue-du-siecle.html

Les Sables D'Olonne Marina Devastated

The marina at Les Sables D'Olonne in the Vendee was devastated by the storm at the weekend. Three pontoons of yachts were damaged with one lot of yachts from Pontoon G entirely thrown onto the land.

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/news/444644/les-sables-d-olonne-marina-devastated

Repercussions after Vendee Flooding

The flooding at the weekend which affected Faute-sur-Mer and L'Aiguille Sur Mer both on the estuary of the Lay is being blamed on an unusually high tide combined with increased rain and wind.

In both villages, with inhabitants of 3 500 people between them, there are 27 dead, mostly elderly residents.

The President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, went there on Monday morning to support the bereaved families. He has asked the government to set up an inspection team to report back exactly what has happened.

Unfortunately, there was a report from 2007 which highlighted this risk of flooding. It was signed by Pascal Company, of the "direction départementale de l'équipement de Vendée" (I'm not quite sure what that is but sounds like a government agency !). He said "The vulnerability of coastal Vendée to coastal flooding is in no doubt,".

The expert considered necessary to establish a plan of prevention of flood risks "in the estuary of Lay, where the combination of two phenomena - the rise of the Lay and marine flooding - could have a major impact on the populated areas to the rear of a network of aging levees. "The failure of levees would cause major damage to property and people," he insisted. That's exactly what happened in the night from Saturday to Sunday this weekend.

However local officials dispute this and say that the dams did not break but were overwhelmed. "Our levees were regularly maintained and in good condition", says Alain Barraud, Deputy Mayor of The Aiguille Sur Mer.

The prefecture had told us with certainty that the sea would rise at least of 1 meter. We must understand that we are the victims of a small tsunami, the sea is coming by the point of Arçay and it is rose much higher than expected. This is why people were not evacuated before the storm.

The new prefect of Vendée, Jean-Jacques Brot said it is now up to parliamentarians and councillors, to undertake work on many dams Vendee and help plan dykes.
The total length of these dikes, the oldest of which date back to Colbert and the more recent period between the wars is around 1000 kilometers in Vendee and Charente-Maritime.
The sea formerly went to Niort but brutally reasserted itself at the weekende. There have been measures to try and avoid building in the coastal areas but also recently the Administrative Court in Poitiers gave the right to the inhabitants of Port-en-Ré to oppose the raising of a dam because it would deprive them of the views of the sea. Perhaps now these residents will think again.

So these are perhaps issues to be aware of if you are camping in coastal areas of the Vendee.
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2010/03/02/la-vulnerabilite-du-littoral-vendeen-etait-etablie_1313180_3244.html#ens_id=1311986

New Three Star Restaurant in new Michelin Guide 2010

The Auberge du Vieux Puits, located in a small village in the Corbières, Fontjoncouse (Aude), and its leader Gilles Goujon, have been honoured with three stars in the latest 2010 Edition (101st Edition) of the Michelin Guide published today. This new award brings the number of three star restaurants in France to twenty-six. There are five hundred and fifty-eight starred establishments in total. The Red Guide 2010 has also decided to allocate ten new two-star (giving a new total of seventy-seven) and forty-seven new one-star (out of four hundred fifty-five).

http://wwwo.lemonde.fr/aujourd-hui/article/2010/03/01/le-michelin-2010-decerne-trois-etoiles-a-l-auberge-du-vieux-puits_1312631_3238.html

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Aiguillon Sur Mer, La Flotte en Re on Ile de Re, Sables d'Olonne in the Vendee affected.

Flooding affected Aiguillon Sur Mer, La Flotte en Re on Ile de Re to name but a few and damage has been sustained at Sables d'Olonne in the Vendee.
http://wwwo.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2010/03/01/on-ne-peut-pas-prevoir-l-imprevisible_1312618_3244.html
http://wwwo.lemonde.fr/planete/portfolio/2010/03/01/vos-photos-de-la-tempete-xynthia_1312747_3244.html

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France Declares Storm "Disaster"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8542361.stm

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