Between 1350 and 1791 there were 28 Dauphin de France, the title of the heir apparent to the French throne, similar to the title Prince of Wales in England. But why should he be the “dolphin” of France? Strictly, the correct title was Dauphin de Viennois, the dolphin of Vienne, a town in Département Isère. But [more...]
La Marseillaise is the National Anthem of France. “La Marseillaise” was written and composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, captain in the Engineering corps garrisoned in Strasbourg during the night of 24 to 25 April 1792 at the behest of the city’s mayor, Baron de Dietrich. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, “La Marseillaise” was [more...]
France lies to the south of the United Kingdom, separated from it by the English Channel, and is in continental Europe. To the southwest it borders with Spain and Andorra. To the northeast and east it borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco. It has two separate coastlines: the Mediterranean to the south, and [more...]
France is full of attractive cafés where you can sit and watch the world go by. They may be in a small town square, or on a busy avenue in Paris. They may look out on trees, or a crowded shopping area. But before you can really enjoy their relaxed charm, you need to know [more...]
It’s always been a difference between English-speaking countries and France. Bidets have just never caught on on the USA or the UK, except for an occasional “trend” that never really went very far. But in France there’s a bidet in every bathroom, isn’t there? Not any more. In recent years the bidet has been disappearing from [more...]
The Eiffel Tower is an immense tower of exposed latticework supports made of iron built in Paris, France, and it has become a popular tourist attraction and a global symbol of that country. It is one of the most easily identified structures in the world. The tower is named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel and is [more...]
Paris is the capital of France and the country’s largest city. The earliest archaeological evidence of permanent settlement in Paris dates to around 4200 BC. Paris lost its position as seat of the French Kingdom during occupation of the English-allied Burgundians but regained its position when Charles VII of France reclaimed the city in 1437. Since [more...]
Is it the highlight of a trip to Paris, or a tedious, over-rated flop? UK travellers put the Eiffel Tower top of a “most disappointing sights in the world” list in a survey published in 2009. Yet so many people come away delighted with a visit that was exciting, romantic, memorable, fantastic ….. Let’s start with [more...]
In 1744, King Louis XV promised that if he were to recover from a mysterious illness he would replace the ruined church of Sainte-Geneviève with a building worthy of Paris’ patron saint. The foundation was laid in 1758. It was completed at the start of the French Revolution and the new Revolutionary government ordered it to [more...]