As we talked about in another thread, here's a place to list the things we'd like to see for France on the website. Remember folks - people will need to step to write these pieces; you'll know, I'm a French Virgin

Here's currently what we have in Trip Planning:

Recommended Books and Maps

• Guidebooks: Recommended guidebooks.
  
• Maps of France: Recommended maps to use for planning a trip to France, with links for purchasing maps.
  
• Memoirs: Recommended memoirs and novels.
  
• Bill Thayer's Recommended Books: Recommended books about France.
  
• A Book Tour of Paris for Teens: Recommended reading about Paris for teenagers.

Travel Consultant and Tour Guides

• Travel Consultants: Using a Travel Consultant, lists of travel agents / consultants
  
• Tour Guides: Lists of tour guides

Where to Stay and When to Go

• Where to Stay, Paris: Descriptions of the arrondissements of Paris and where to stay, by Thomas DiPiero
  
• Where to Stay, France: Suggestions on where to go in France
  
• Where to Stay, Provence: Suggestions on where to go in Provence

Maps to help you plan

• France Maps: Maps of the regions - Chamonix, Loire Valley, Provence, Riviera, Paris, tourist destinations
  
• Maps of France: Recommended maps to use for planning a trip to France, with links for purchasing maps.

Moving to France

• Overview of Purchasing Real Estate in France: Buying a home in France and an explanation of the Compromis de vente

Resources

• Resources: Links to websites with travel information for France
  

Here's what we have in Travel Notes:

Food/Cooking

• Epiphany - Gallette des Rois: Making and eating this special cake served in January for the Epiphany holiday, Kevin Widrow, January 2006 NEW!!
  
• Visiting Food Shrines in France (and one in Italy): Cheese, cooking and oyster museums in France, pasta museum in Italy, Martha S. Taccarino (to_italy), November 2005 NEW!!

Postcards from France
Postcards from France: Short vignettes about events in France.

• A hike in the Luberon,
  
• lunch at Oustau de Baumanière,
  
• American Thanksgiving in Provence,
  
• the Apt market,
  
• why I want to be a dog in Arles,
  
• King Albert's Hut.

Miscellaneous

• Canal Boats: Taking a canal boat vacation in France.

Travel Notes by Region
Paris

• Where To Pick a Flower in Paris: Public Restrooms, where to find them, locations near main tourist sights, September 2005 NEW!!
  
• Travelers Tips for Paris: Favorite views, museums, tipping, ATMs, transportation, etc., March 2005
  
• Paris and its Gay Village: All about the Marais, the center of Gay Paree, March 2005
  
• Hemingway's Steps Through Paris: Walking through Paris, seeing Hemingway's favorite places, July 2004
  
• Paris Museum Pass: All about the pass and other information for Paris.
  
• Paris, Tea & Wine: Wine bars and tea shops in Paris, June 2004

Provence

• Provence and Cote d'Azur (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
  
• Travel Notes for Provence: We have several pages of notes for Provence. The Wood Family Best of Provence - Activities for Kids, Food for Kids, Hiking in the Luberon - plus Markets of Provence, Cistercian Abbeys, One Man's View - Things to Not See in Provence, Things to do in and around Nice.
  
• Hiking in the Luberon: Basics for hiking, how to plan your trip, details for four hikes, Wood Family, November 2005 NEW!!

Languedoc-Roussillon

Foods of Narbonne, in the south of France: Narbonne is in Languedoc region.
Southwest France

• Aquitaine, Poitou (Poitou-Charentes), Limousin, Auvergne, Pyrenees (Midi-Pyrénées)
  
• The Dordogne Region: The Dordogne is in the southwest of France, June 2004
  
• Walnuts in the Périgord: All about walnuts in the Perigord (the Dordogne), June 2004
  
• Walnut Wines and Liquors: Things to do with all those walnuts, June 2004

French Alps

• Chamonix, in the French Alps: Chamonix is a mountain town near the borders with Switerland and Italy, in the Alps, June 2004

Northern France

• Crémant – The Bubbly of Alsace: The Alsace-Lorraine region is in the northeast corner of France, bordering on Germany. This article discusses the wine of that region. June 2004
  
• Lace of the Queens – Queen of the Laces: Lace making in the town of Alençon in the Normandy region, June 2004

Here's what we have in Instructions:

Transportation

• Trains in France: How to use the TGV, types of tickets, purchasing online through the SNCF website.
  
• Driving in France: Coming soon!

Restaurants, Cafés

• Restaurants: How to order in restaurants, sample menus, what to expect.
  
• Cafés: How to order in cafés, sample menus, what to expect.

Learning French

[
• Language Lessons: Learn some French for your trip. This section gives you some basic French language lessons: how to count, how to order in cafés and restaurants, how to make reservations, plus a pronunciation guide.

All About Phones

• European Cell Phones: Options for using a cell phone in Europe.

Computers, Electronics

• Our Europe Trip Planning section has information that is common to countries across Europe.
  
• Internet Access: To access the Internet in Europe, use Internet Cafes or take your computer with you.
  
• Bringing your Electronics to Europe: For most electronics (camera chargers, computers, etc.) all you need is are plug and phone adapters.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

Kim
My SlowTrav Stuff | What I Really Think | GrapeHops |
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I have to go get the kids ready to school but I'll be back at 8:00 (edt) to finish updating current content.

Off the top of my head, I'd like to see

• something on street markets in Paris (expand - can include any area of France really but for selfish reasons, I'm interested in Paris at the moment ).
  
• Getting to Paris from either airport
  
• We have something describing each arr, I'd like to see a piece describing each area of France. There's more than Provence, right?
  
• A list of Movies set in France
  

Shoot, need to take Sammi to chorus practice; I'll be back.

Have you all done any top 10 threads in the France forum?

Quirky and artistic France - the things you see in the streets, from the mass rollerblade through the streets of Paris to interesting store fronts and public art.

Multicultural France - there are entire guidebooks (in French) on international, "exotic" or multicultural France (especially but not only Paris). Remember, multicultural does not mean just North or West African or Vietnamese, but also Anglophones and continental Europeans, Latin Americans and people from just about everywhere in the world. These cultures are transformed in the French context - Vietnamese or Chinese food doesn't taste the same in Paris, in New York or in Sao Paolo.

The history of travel and holidays in France - from le Grand tour (includes Italy as well) to the first congés payés when ordinary French people could take to the roads - this has led to the development of extraordinary "structures" for family tourism such as les villages vacances familles. The history of travel also includes servicemen and women who "visited" France during the World Wars and returned under more pleasant circumstances later on...

Slow travel in French cities and towns (other than Paris) from Lyon to smaller cities, there are many hidden gems and often better prices for quality food and different forms of accomodation.

On the Learning French front (I REFUSE to give lessons here!) existing online lessons, links for French-language media and opportunities to study the language in France, while delving into a town or region (as many of us Italianistas have done in Perugia or Sienna).

Cycling in France (for all levels) and where and how to hire/rent a bicycle.

Special needs: provisions for disabled travellers, food allergies, religious or ethical food requirements (kosher, vegetarian etc.)

Here is an interesting little site from an African-American woman living in Paris: Café de la soul about "Black Paris" - largely centred on the fascinating history of African-Americans in Paris, but also touching on other African and African diaspora people's contribution to the culture of the city.

There are two things I found on the message board and have been using extensively as I've been planning our November trip (sorry, I don't know how to do links):

The Interactive Guide to Paris Transportation found here: http://www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/cv_en/carteparis.php. With this map there could also be information on what types of tickets are available and how to buy.

The other which is fun, entertaining and informative: http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en. This could possibly be included in the where to stay in Paris section as a resource to "look" around the neighborhood.

It would also be helpful to have an area with links to market days by town for the various areas.

For my part, I promise to do the following:

Reviews of our two Paris hotels (staying in one on our arrival night and the other on our night before departure) - Hotel Louis II, 2 rue Saint-Sulpice in the 6th and Hotel d'Albe, 1 rue de la Harpe in the 5th.

Any restaurants we eat at in Paris.

A report (probably in the Postcard format) of our tour plans in Paris. Going to call it something like Dark Side of the City of Light. We're planning on visiting the Notre Dame crypt as well as the catacombs!

For the Dordogne where we'll be part of a small (8 people) tour group:
Restaurant reviews
Review of La Combe en Perigord where we are staying
Trip Report on experience of participating in La Vie en Perigord Guest Chef Program which will include visiting weekly markets, local artisans, tourist attractions, eating in local restaurants and our cooking classes.

I wish I could add more based on some of our previous travels to France, but until my trip to Italy last year, I never really kept good travel logs. I'd always start out planning on doing it and then never follow through. However, I promise to be more diligent in the future!!

Suzanne

Ough!!! France, Paris is huge.All beautiful.
If those living outside can pick the issues they want to see: i will be more than happy to direct you to local places.
I spend every weekend traveling and now I have the May 25 holiday with a bridge on the 26 for a four day weekend!!!!!! love it::::
Happy traveling in France!

Pedmar, how about easy daytrips in the Île-de-France - in particular those accessible by local trains. Île-de-France is a surprisingly green department in parts - there are lots of little towns like Pontoise that are easily accessible via a short train ride.

Or simply explore a neighbourhood you like, through fresh eyes...

Lagatta, I was just thinking the same thing.

I'd love to know easy day trips from Paris via public transportation.

In addition to everything that's already listed here, here are a few topics I'd love to see covered:

• the options for seeing the D-Day beaches as a side trip from Paris (this is a frequent question on the message board)
  
  
• the chateaus of the Loire
  
  
• the ins and outs of using the Metro and buses in Paris
  
  
• the gardens of the French Riviera
  
  
• articles about all the major wine regions in France
  
  
• vacation rental reviews, hotel reviews and restaurant reviews for every corner of France

quote:

articles about all the major wine regions in France

I thought David wrote something on French wines....A Tour of France's Principal Wine Regions

Great! I didn't see it on the list above though--is that list not complete?

You know where I found it, in the Restaurant section. I compiled the above list from Notes, Plannings and Instructions. I'll double check, Rentals, Hotels and Restaurants to see if there's anything else I missed.

Kim, several of us had collaborated on a restaurant list for the Luberon. (I'd like to update this, but probably will wait a couple of months.)

This is a little bit hard to find. There is a link at the bottom of the "restaurants" page for France, though not one at the bottom of the "restaurant review" page.
http://www.slowtrav.com/france/restaurant_list/luberon.htm

Kathy

I'd better get started. We've been Slow Traveling in France for years, but like many people, I didn't journal thoroughly enough to recreate experiences as great trip reports. (Although I've always keep a short diary with names of hotels, places, routes, etc. and that has sure been handy)

Plus I think that any recommendation for hotels and restaurants or rentals should be within the last few years. Would five years be too ancient? I could get started on some reviews within the last couple of years, and I'll add more after our 6 weeks this early fall.

One thing I could add, that doesn't change much over the years, is some great driving routes. Not routes for hurrying, but routes for savoring scenery and villages along small roads. I could recreate a few of those.

Linda

Well I pretty embarrassed. I have been typing on my Paris trip report, but come July it will be a year. I will also be spending 16 days in the Loire Chateaux region this June and July and will keep as many good notes as I can, wine permitting.


Ginger

quote:

One thing I could add, that doesn't change much over the years, is some great driving routes. Not routes for hurrying, but routes for savoring scenery and villages along small roads. I could recreate a few of those.

That sounds like a GREAT topic, Linda! I would love to see that!

And I agree that reviews reflecting conditions more than a couple years ago probably aren't good.

Chris, where should I place the driving routes, if I get them written up?
They wouldn't be trip reports, but they might be travel notes?

Linda

You submit Travel Notes to Pauline, using the form on this page: http://www.slowtrav.com/travelnotes/index.asp

I love the suggestions so far!

I definitely agree that we need something about the different regions of France. This could be a "Slow Travel original" or perhaps a page that gives some brief information and then links to other internet resources.

Thinking about topics that seem to come up frequently on the France board, here are a couple of other ideas:

- Cote d'Azur: where to stay, how to get around, when to go

- Museums in Paris: general information, strategies for visiting, lesser-known museum recommendations

- August in Paris: is this a good time to visit, what to expect

- France in all Seasons: where to go when, what to expect at different times of the year

- WWII and France

- Festivals and special events

I think anything we can develop for regions outside of Paris and Provence would be great, and several great ideas have already been suggested/volunteered. This could include trip reports, travel notes, and reviews!

I've still got several "Provence" projects on my list of things to do, and I'll continue to plug along on these as time allows.

I want to do a "postcard" about our visit to Oradour-sur-Glane (near Limoges), a village that was totally massacred by the Nazis near the end of World War II.

We will be in Normandy for a week in July, then traveling down to Provence for several weeks. I promise to write any reviews that are possible... and hope others will do the same!!

Kathy

I may be shamed into reviewing a few of the dozens of Honfleur, Normandy, restaurants. In the meantime, there are mini-restaurant reviews in my trip report:

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=611&index=0

Also, antique-hunting in France comes to mind, since that's what I do in the unfilled spaces of my two and half lives. That may not get written until I retire from life No. 1. Next year!

Dave

I recently started a thread on villages of Central and Auvergne regions, and spent hours pouring over maps and Googling villages. I'd love to see a "Favorite Villages of France" section: divided initially by Region, and then by each Department within a region. Each village could have brief descriptive comments from those who've been there, including if it's part of the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" group; and, if possible, one characteristic photo from either a trip report, or, from a Googled search for images of the village. [These can usually be dragged & dropped onto one's desktop as jpg, and then uploaded if the format for this page would allow it.] Notes might also include a unique or favorite restaurant in the village.

While there is much info on various villages imbedded in trip reports (especially Provence) I think organizing it in this way, and then making it searchable by region/department, would be a terrific trip planning addition.

There could be special requests that people living outside the commonest areas in France contribute.

[This idea raises a question, which is whether the Find function searches beyond the forum threads to the general France pages. If not, it sure would be valuable if it could!]

Karen
...who's longing for such a feature

quote:

..a link from the message board directly to the main site search, and to the Slow Photos search as well..

Yay! I vote for this!!

Karen

We will be traveling to Paris in December, and one of the day trips we are planning to take is to Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. If anyone is planning to go at that time, below is something special they are doing this year (from the website).

"New: The château and gardens will be open everyday from december 23rd 2006 to January 7th 2007 wih Christmas decors and illuminations, except Décember 25th 2006 and January 1st 2007."

Of course, I will take detailed Paris restaurant notes, as well, which hopefully I will be able to decipher after imbibing too much vin rouge.

yes this site http://www.transilien.com/FR/
at the bottom in French says
forfaits loisiers
it has rides out into the ile de fRance the region ofParis.
Vaux le Vicomte is beautiful near Mauncy ;closest town is Melun capital of dpt 77 Seine et Marne. unfortunately you will have to take train to Melun and then bus to the chateau or rent a car.no train gets there exactly.
beautiful; one of my favorites visit again and again, build by Nicolas Fouquet PM to king louis XIV jealous of him have him arrested by D'Artagnan captain of the mosqueteers! and have the entire team from gardener on: build for him Versailles!!!!!

this is the info for the bus from melun to the chateau;its in French but easily understood i think

http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/horaires-chateaubus.php

Thanks for the information pedmar.

I'd like to see a piece describing each area of France. There's more than Provence, right?

I really should write this...Ive been giving cooking classes in my home for the last 4 months to expats (mostly Brits) on the regions of France.

I call it a Taste of France

here is one example:
March 9th - Normandy: week one

Moules à la Crème Normande (Mussels in traditional cream sauce)
Fried Pont l'Eveque Salad with Walnut Oil Dressing
Tasting of Normandy Cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, and Pont L’Eveque
Tarte Tatin (Apple Tart) with Calvados whipped cream
Served with tasting of Calvados

I teach them about the region, what grows there and what their classical dishes are...how does that sound?

Heavenly!

Ginger

quote:

One thing I could add, that doesn't change much over the years, is some great driving routes. Not routes for hurrying, but routes for savoring scenery and villages along small roads. I could recreate a few of those.

I love this idea, and the one about all the different areas in France and also especially, favorite villages.I love finding special villages that are not well known.Hopefully I will be able to add some once we get on our slow travel when we are exploring France.

Of course, it should have links to organize things geographically:
North
North-west
West
South-west
South-central
South-East (Yes, Provence isn't paradise, but it comes damn close...)
Massif Central
Central France
Alps
Alsace-Lorraine
Wine regions
Hidden treasures: off the beaten path
Wine, booze, cheese, meat & fish, sauces, pastry: region by region
Islands: west, south
Transport: trains, planes, buses, driving, ferries, houseboats etc.
Faux Pas: don't do these things!

We have a great list of things we would like to see on the website. A few people have also volunteered to write specific pieces-- this is great!

I'm sure everyone knows this, but just in case... Slow Travel doesn't have paid researchers and writers. If anything is going to be written/developed about France, it needs to be developed by those of us who live or travel frequently in France.

Are there any other volunteers?

Kathy

Riana - I wish I was there to participate! Your contributions would be fabulous.

Kathy-
OK. I am officially a volunteer. I have a backlog of stuff to submit. I can't promise that it will be done this month, but it will get done eventually. I've been forming a list in my head of what I could submit, keeping myself to within the last 3 years of experiences. I hereby commit myself:

Slow Driving Journeys (I kind of like that title - Kim, how about a section maybe?)-
The premise would be a SLOW off-the-beaten-path journey, ideally in conjunction with a rental that may be your destination. Or maybe you're headed from your rental to an airport. Or maybe you want to scout a new area - keeping your eyes peeled for charming villages that you might rent in someday. This is how we found our spot in Bedoin. We were on our way from Valence on the A7 expressway to a Lourmarin rental and were plotting what we thought might be a scenic route. We got lost on our way down Mont Ventoux, missed a turn, and instead of ending up in Sault, we ended up in Bedoin. We made a mental note that it was a wonderful area and an appealing village. Thus we discovered the Drome and northern Provence - We've rented there three times now. These things happen.

I could describe these routes-
Geneva (Switzerland) to Nice.
Grenoble to Vaison-la-Romaine (northern Provence) - through the Vercors and Drome.
Around Mont Ventoux and the Rhone wine region of the Dentelles de Montmirail

Rentals-
"Les Sablas", a house just outside of Bedoin (north Provence, at the foot of Mont Ventoux)
(We're renting it the month of September '06 and will write a review afterwards - we've rented it twice before)

Paris apartment - "Le Verrerie", Paris Best Lodge

Hotels-
on Cap d'Antibes, Hotel La Garoupe la Gardiole
in LaPoet Laval (Drome), Les Hospitaliers
in Menton, Hotel St. Michel (really budget, on the sea)
in Bormes les Mimosas, Hotel Bellevue
in Paris, Hotel St. Louis Marais

I welcome any feedback.
Linda

I'll try to think of things, though I've never taken travel notes. Rather, I've written furiously to friends at home and other parts of the globe. I'm better at answering questions about places I've been.

I would like to see a banner on the top of every page (goes for the entire Slow Travel site) that states the following truism,

*************************************

Never, never make CDG international connections of less than three - 3 - count 'em - 3 - hours.

*************************************

I don't know, Tom. Don't you think it might work better to just have it tattooed on everyone's forehead?

Kim here's my favorite site for Paris markets.

http://www.yourgreatdaysinparis.com/po_takeparispersonally.htm

cigale, I have a friend who is going to Paris for the first time in a couple of weeks; I've already sent him the official market site but this one - with specialities and "ratings" is a wonderful complement!

Marché d'Aligre (12e, métro Ledru-Rollin) made the Gourmet special issue on Paris. As in the Montréal special issue, they have been looking at "ethnic" and "popular" places, not just hoity-toity gastronomy.

There is also a very good market near Nation; I'm trying to think of the street; Happy must know it as it is à la limite of the 11e and the 20e...

I was staying at an apartment swap in Paris and found this category VERY useful, for example to buy a wok as I wok a lot...

Or a little top-of-stove espresso pot, etc. Things you might not mind leaving where you are staying.

Housewares-kitchenwares (sea salt or pepper grinders, kitchen gadgets, pots, dishes)
Sometimes, second-hand or semi-antique items for the kitchen or home

Here's one on the Pere LaChaise cemetary she may like.


http://www.pere-lachaise.com/perelachaise.htm

or maybe he'd prefer the passages, a great rainy day stop.

http://www.parisinconnu.com/passages/index.htm

quote:

Originally posted by lagatta:
There is also a very good market near Nation; I'm trying to think of the street; Happy must know it as it is à la limite of the 11e and the 20e...

That may be the Richard Lenoir, which runs Thursdays and Sundays. It's huge and wonderful.

yes indeed it is more than Provence.
The cooking reads good i am drooling Riana.
where in the south are you? I will be by the Bordeaux area in August.

quote:

Originally posted by Riana:
I'd like to see a piece describing each area of France. There's more than Provence, right?

I really should write this...Ive been giving cooking classes in my home for the last 4 months to expats (mostly Brits) on the regions of France.

I call it a Taste of France

here is one example:
March 9th - Normandy: week one

Moules à la Crème Normande (Mussels in traditional cream sauce)
Fried Pont l'Eveque Salad with Walnut Oil Dressing
Tasting of Normandy Cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, and Pont L’Eveque
Tarte Tatin (Apple Tart) with Calvados whipped cream
Served with tasting of Calvados

I teach them about the region, what grows there and what their classical dishes are...how does that sound?

Could be the market on boulevard de Belleville.

Happy, it could be, but I remember Belleville market being a bit further north. Definitely not Richard Lenoir; I know that market fairly well (as well as Marché d'Aligre) and wouldn't have confused it with another further southeast.

I think, looking at this site retrieved by doing a "paris markets" search on this forum, that it is this one:

Cours de Vincennes Market
between boulevard Picpus and rue Arnold Netter.
Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 2.30 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Metro : Nation, Porte de Vincennes

Not this nearby one, which is smaller:
Charonne Market
between rue de Charonne and rue A. Dumas.
Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 2.30 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Metro : Alexandre Dumas

I was staying between the two.

There are so many! Here is the site: Paris market site

Now I have to track back and retrieve the same site in French for my friend. He can read English, but it would be silly to send him the English version of an official Parisian site.

There is a lot of FAQ material already onsite, if we do a search, looking through this forum and other relevant ones on the site.

Cool - thanks for finding that market site!

These are the markets throughout France by department(FIRST posted by RoN Z.

http://www.livingfrance.com/lvfra/content/filoFrance/?id=41