Some Odd and Unusual Facts about France

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Charley Wood

I admit to a fascination with odd and unusual facts and stories. As an avid traveler – and as a leader for our European Experiences tours – I’m especially tuned in to the odd bits of information we encounter as we show our groups around different parts of Europe. To me, this kind of information adds a spice and zest to travel.

I’ve collected an assortment of these fun facts from around Europe that I’ll share in future blog posts. Kathy and I arrived in Provence this past week for our Luberon Experience tours, so I’ll focus this post on some stories from France.

  • At the train station in Apt in the Luberon region of Provence, you can purchase tickets for rail travel to and from any destination in France – except for Apt. The line was closed to regular service in 1989, but the Apt station remains open… even thought the tracks have been removed and a bike trail installed in their place.

    • At the Apt station you can buy a ticket, but there isn't a train!

  • In France it is possible to marry a deceased person but only with the authorization of the President of the Republic.
  • In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a very famous wine village in Provence, a municipal law of 1954 prohibits flying saucers from landing in the town.
  • More tourists visit France each year than any other country in the world. In 2010 over 67 million visitors came to France, more than the country’s entire population.
  • Les Gorges du Verdon (the Grand Canyon of the Verdon) in Provence is one of Europe’s deepest canyons, over 2500 feet deep. The gorge was not really known to the outside world until 1906.
  • The world’s first true department store was founded in Paris in 1838 – Le Bon Marche.

  • The Societie Bic is the world’s first manufacturer of ball-point pens. By 2005 it had made and sold over one hundred billion pens – that’s 100,000,000,000!!!
  • The Eiffel tower was built as a temporary structure in 1887-1889 as the entrance arch for the 1889 World’s Fair. It had a permit to stand for twenty years after which it was to be dismantled. This “temporary” structure has now stood for 123 years. It’s estimated that 6.8 million people now visit the Eiffel Tower every year, with over 250,000,000 visitors since its opening.
  • The Millau Viaduct, completed in 2005 in the south of France, is the tallest bridge in the world.
  • The Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) is the world’s fastest train. It reached a record 356 miles per hour on a test run between Paris and Strasbourg in April 2007. Its normal cruising speed is 180 mph.
  • In a 75 year period in the 19th and 20th centuries, Alsace changed hands between France and Germany four times, depending upon the outcome of the most recent war.
  • Lascaux, the cave famous for its primitive animal art, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Dordogne region of Southwest France. The thousands of visitors clamoring to see the cave each year resulted in serious damage to the art and prompted authorities to close the cave to the public for good in 1963. Lascaux II opened in 1983 and was an identical replica of Lascaux I. Now after some three decades, the replica suffers from the same problems as the original.
  • The Pont Julien, crossing the Calavon River near Bonnieux in Provence, was built by the Romans in 3 BC. It was used for daily traffic until 2005 when a new bridge was built!

    • This 2000-year-old Roman bridge carried regular traffic until 2005!


Charley Wood and his wife Kathy lead European Experiences, week-long “slow tours” in some of the most beautiful areas of Europe, including The Luberon Experience in Provence, France. In 2012 they’re hosting groups in the Luberon, the Chianti region of Tuscany, and the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Charley recently published his first book, A Chateau in Provence.

Kathy and Charley have been traveling in Europe for 20 years and love sharing their special places in Europe with other travelers. Read more about Kathy and Charley here.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Posted in Charley Wood, Dordogne, France, Provence | 1 Comment

The Story behind a Souvenir

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Anne Woodyard

Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours

A couple of years ago, while in Paris for Thanksgiving, we were strolling along the cobbled lanes ofIsle Saint Louis, and stopped to enjoy the window display of an intriguing antiquaire on rue La Regrattier. An elegant Art Deco pair of crystal candlesticks kept calling Kirk’s name, and, carefully cushioned in bubble wrap, they came back to Virginia with us, where they now are one of the first things you see when you enter our home.
Kirk wanted to know the provenance of these beauties, and Monsieur Kieken, the owner, told us they were from the renowned (although we had never heard of it) Saint Louis crystal factory in northeastern France.
When we saw that very factory, and the associated museum, listed on the Lorraine-Alsace trip itinerary on which we were invited by the French Tourist Office, we were excited that we would be able to see the place from where our candlesticks came.
The Cristallerie Royal Saint Louis was founded in 1787 by order of Louis XV, beginning as a glass factory. Since the discovery of crystal fifteen years later, the factory has been devoted to the design and production of crystal items.
A fabulous crystal chandelier hangs above the bare earth, surrounded by a winding showcase of centuries of dazzling craftsmanship.
Before we look through the museum, we must first see from where these gorgeous pieces come…. the glowing furnaces, kept at a temperature of at least 1200 degrees fahrenheit, heat the room as high as the catwalk upon which we stand… glad we’re not here in the summer! Molten crystal streams from one furnace – we watch from a safe distance!
After our factory tour, we’re free to tour the museum, and shop at the boutique. I tell the museum guide about our candlesticks, describing their stacked square base, and he immediately knows the era and the designer, Jean Sala, and says that some of his work of the same style is in the museum, as well as in the Paris Museum of Decorative Arts on rue de Rivoli. So now I’m on a hunt, and breezing past the ornate styles of centuries past, I head for the Art Deco period, and there it is, a candlestick with the same base, designed by Monsieur Sala.
What a thrill to see from where our lovely souvenir came! Those very furnaces and workrooms contributed to the beauty in our home – and those candlesticks mean more than ever!
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The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.

Posted in European Travel, France, Kirk and Anne Woodyard | Leave a comment

My Villa in Italy, Chapter Two

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Cheryl Alexander

So, once we settle on a price for the property we must hire a “notaio”, a sort of para-legal professional, who handles the creation and filing of contracts between the buyer and seller.  Bruno was a handsome, shy Italian man in his late thirties with an office in the center of Bagnoregio.  He spoke about as much English as I spoke Italian which meant we needed my friend Carlo to interpret for us.  That worked well up until the day I was to meet with the farmer and his wife, to sign documents for the first of the two contracts needed for completing the deal.  Carlo had his own business to conduct that day and was not available so I joined Bruno and the sellers at Bruno’s office.

This couple who looked quite ancient to me, were probably not much more than 65 years old.  But they had not lived an easy life.  In fact, the husband had come from a family noted to be the last “cave dwellers” of this little town because during the second world war they were so poor they had lived in one of the numerous Etruscan caves in the valley.  Had he not married up, so to speak, he would not have had any land for sale to begin with.  Neither the farmer or his wife spoke any English and they were a bit indignant that my Italian was so poor, saying (through Bruno’s struggling English interpretation and many hand gestures) that it was imperative for me to learn their language if I was to be a landowner in Bagnoregio.  I smiled, nodded and promised to do just that, but for the moment I wanted to get through this torturous meeting, sign documents and hand over the enormous stack of lire I had stashed in my bag.

When Bruno brought out the city plans that showed the property and its boundaries we discovered that there was also another detached piece of the sale in a different part of town that went with the package (it took half an hour with much hand and arm waving to convey all this to me), which to this day I’ve not seen.  However, I do know that it has quite a few very old chestnut trees on it and it’s not much bigger than a good sized RV.  Oh well, finding that is on my bucket list as I’m sure it’s just another small adventure.

After about an hour of me listening to the Italians speak Italian and catching maybe 1% of what was being said, my paranoia set in.  What the hell was I doing here, trying to buy property so far from home?  In a language I couldn’t really speak or understand?  And what if I had missed some important details or what if they were all just conspiring to rip me off?  No, no, no, I told myself, that is not the case and I have $6000 in Lire in my bag so just do it, as Nike prompts.  When it came time to hand over the loot, I counted out pile after pile of tiny lire.  Do you know how many lire it takes to make $6000?  And then, the farmer, his wife and I sign documents and he proceeds to pack all the money into his vintage sport jacket, circa 1952.  Yes, the couple had come dressed to the nines in their very best Sunday clothes, clean, perfectly pressed and from another era altogether.  I failed to mention that I felt as though I had stepped into a Felini film, which continued to fun for another year or so.

The next step in the process of signing the “first” as the contract was referred to and after handing over the money, was to walk over to the farmer’s town home and have a celebratory drink, though it was only 11:30 in the morning.  Hey, what the heck, I’m in Italy and I just bought property.  And yes, the farmer’s jacket was bulging with my lire but he didn’t seem the least bit concerned as we walked through the little village to their home for a little mid-day apertivo and toast to ourselves.  Little did I realize that this was only the beginning of a story that is unfinished today, eight years later!  Stay tuned for another chapter in June.

Ciao,

Cheryl


Cheryl has been traveling to Europe, particularly Italy, for more than fourteen years. Her interest in Italy, its history, art and rich culture led her to purchase property near Orvieto, allowing her to spend more time there. Cheryl’s exploration of Italy include the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, as well as the areas around Venice and south towards Sorrento. She continues to travel into Italy’s less traveled regions, and enjoys sharing her discoveries with others. Relaxed, leisurely tours are her specialty with an emphasis on the comfort of her guests.

Cheryl spends the rest of her time near the beach in San Diego, cavorting with her two small grandchildren. She’s an avid reader, health advocate and community volunteer. Her career as a social worker brings an understanding of people’s needs to the tour business.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Posted in Cheryl Alexander, Italy | Leave a comment