Duck Season
A delicious memoir about the eight months food writer David McAninch spent in Gascony--a deeply rural region of France virtually untouched by mass tourism--meeting extraordinary characters and eating the best meals of his life.Though he'd been a card-carrying Francophile all of his life, David McAninch knew little about Gascony, an ancient region in Southwest France mostly overlooked by Americans. Then an assignment sent him to research a story on duck. After enjoying a string of rich meals--Armagnac-flamb矇ed duck tenderloins; skewered duck hearts with chanterelles; a duck-confit shepherd's pie strewn with shavings of foie gras--he soon realized what he'd been missing.McAninch decided he needed a more permanent fix. He'd fallen in love--not only with the food but with the people, and with the sheer unspoiled beauty of the place. So, along with his wife and young daughter, he moved to an old millhouse in the small village of Plaisance du Gers, where they would spend the next eight months living as Gascons. Duck Season is the delightful, mouthwatering chronicle of McAninch's time in this tradition-bound corner of France. There he herds sheep in the Pyrenees, harvests grapes, attends a pig slaughter, hunts for pigeons, distills Armagnac, and, of course, makes and eats all manner of delicious duck specialties--learning to rewire his own thinking about cooking, eating, drinking, and the art of living a full and happy life.With wit and warmth, McAninch brings us deep into this enchanting world, where eating what makes you happy isn't a sin but a commandment and where, to the eternal surprise of outsiders, locals' life expectancy is higher than in any other region of France. Featuring a dozen choice recipes and beautiful line drawings, Duck Season is an irresistible treat for Francophiles and gourmands alike.
Wallpaper* City Guide Paris
Wallpaper* City Guides present a tightly edited, discreetly packaged list of the best a location has to offer the design conscious traveller. Here is a precise, informative, insider's checklist of all you need to know about the world's most intoxicating cities.Whether you are staying for 48 hours or five days, visiting for business or a vacation, we've done the hard work for you, from finding the best restaurants, bars and hotels (including which rooms to request) to the most extraordinary stores and sites, and the most enticing architecture and design. Wallpaper* City Guides enable you to come away from your trip, however brief, with a real taste of the city's landscape and the satisfaction you've seen all that you should.In short, these guides act as a passport to the best the world has to offer.
Aa Paris & the North Touring Map
Paris's clearest mapping from the experts at the Automobile Association (UK), in a handy foldable map. Fully updated, the maps combine clear design and an easy-to-read scale with more road detail to ensure that you never lose your way. Each map includes information on toll points, service areas, road numbers, motorways, dual carriageways, and wide and narrow local roads. National Parks, ski resorts, visitor attractions, and towns of interest are also highlighted.
French at a Glance
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Travelers to foreign countries constantly praise these pocket-size phrasebooks for their portability, durability, travel tips, and their many easy-to-find phrases that apply to all kinds of travel situations You'll find approximately 2,500 words and expressions in both English and French, plus pronunciation guidance. Each book includes: Useful bilingual phrases for checking into hotels, shopping, dining, and moreMaps, advice on tipping, local customs, and moreTravel information, words, and phrases apply for both tourists and business travelersA bilingual dictionary at the back of the bookNew editions of all Barron's At a Glance phrasebooks have been brought up to date with words and phrases pertaining to recent social customs, new idiomatic expressions, recent advances in technology, and more. Also includes free bonus online content with audio.
All the Buildings in Paris
A new title from the author/illustrator of the hugely popular All the Buildings in New York, this is a charmingly illustrated journey to Paris, told one building at a time. All the Buildings in Paris is a love letter to Paris, told through James Gulliver Hancock's unique and charming drawings of the city's diverse architectural styles and streetscapes. This unusual combination of the artistic and the technical presents the Parisian cityscape as a colorful, one-of-a-kind journey through the streets of this historical city. The book showcases beloved iconic buildings and structures, such as Notre Dame, the Louvre, and of course the Eiffel Tower. The latest modern landmarks are featured, such as the Centre Pompidou and the Grande Arche, along with celebrated cultural institutions, such as the Musee d'Orsay and the Palais Garnier Opera House. The book also includes the everyday buildings that may not be famous but whose stylishness or eccentricity make up an important part of Paris and its architectural landscape. Parisians and tourists alike will savor this volume that uniquely celebrates the energy, spirit, and history of one of the greatest cities in the world.
The Streets of Paris
From the author of Hidden Gardens of Paris, The Streets of Paris is Susan Cahill's wonderfully unique guide to present-day Paris following in the footsteps of famous Parisians through the last 800 years. For hundreds of years, the City of Light has set the stage for larger-than-life characters--from medieval lovers H矇lo簿se and Abelard to the defiant King Henri IV to the brilliant scientist Madame Curie, beloved chanteuse Edith Piaf, and the writer Colette. In this beautifully illustrated book, Susan Cahill recounts the lives of twenty-two famous Parisians and then takes you through the seductive streets of Paris to the quartiers where they lived and worked: their homes, the scenes of their greatest triumphs and tragedies, their favorite cafes, bars, and restaurants, and the off-the-beaten-track places where they found inspiration and love. From Sainte-Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite to the cemetery Pere Lachaise to Montmartre and the Marais, Cahill not only brings to life the bold characters of a tumultuous history and the arts of painting, music, sculpture, film, and literature, she takes you on a relaxed walking tour in the footsteps of these celebrated Parisians. Each chapter opens with a beautiful four-color illustration by photographer Marion Ranoux, and every tour begins with a Metro stop and ends with a list of "Nearbys"--points of interest along the way, including cafes, gardens, squares, museums, bookstores, churches, and, of course, patisseries.
The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon
The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon is the ultimate travel guide to this rich and rewarding region of France. Discover the highlights of both Languedoc and Roussillon with stunning photography, colour-coded maps, candid reviews and indispensable practical information. You'll find detailed advice on what to see and do - from visiting breathtaking hilltop villages and Cathar castles to lazing on dune-backed beaches and boating along the majestic Canal du Midi. There's comprehensive coverage of all the urban centres like Toulouse, Perpignan, Montpellier and N簾mes, and of course the medieval citadel of Carcassonne. Throughout the guide there are up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, shops, markets, caf矇s and restaurants, for budgets high and low, and insights into the region's traditions, culture and heritage. We'll lead the way to the best places to tuck into cassoulet, shuck oysters or taste renowned wines such as Picpoul de Pinet and C繫tes du Roussillon. Make the most of your trip with The Rough Guide to Languedoc & Roussillon.
Saint-germain-des-pres
The award-winning chronicler of life in Paris reveals the secrets of his home quarter, Saint-Germain-des-PresA unique blend of history, memoir, and sightseeing essentials, Saint-Germain-des-Pres is a captivating "narrative guidebook" to one of Paris's iconic quarters by John Baxter, bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World.Occupying less than a square mile along Paris's Left Bank, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, originally an independent village centered around the medieval abbey that lends the quarter its name, has for centuries been home to rebels of all stripes. Within its boundaries, the French Revolution was plotted, the guillotine invented, and in 1968 students revolted and clashed with police. Philosopher Descartes is buried here (sans skull), while Sartre, Camus, and de Beauvoir birthed existentialism around the tables of the legendary Cafe de Flore. Saint-Germain sheltered and inspired such artistic rebels as Picasso, Rimbaud, Hemingway, and scores of jazz musicians. Today, the neighborhood, with its cobblestone streets, iconic cafes, and unique shopping destinations, is one of Paris's premier tourist attractions. And yet it retains its rebel soul--if you know where to look.In this first book in his "Great Parisian Neighborhoods" series, Baxter, an expat who has called Saint-Germain home for more than two decades, guides readers on an off-the-beaten-path journey through the quarter's history, landmarks, and delights.
The Only Street in Paris
Elaine Sciolino, the former Paris Bureau Chief of the New York Times, invites us on a tour of her favorite Parisian street, offering an homage to street life and the pleasures of Parisian living. "I can never be sad on the rue des Martyrs," Sciolino explains, as she celebrates the neighborhood's rich history and vibrant lives. While many cities suffer from the leveling effects of globalization, the rue des Martyrs maintains its distinct allure. On this street, the patron saint of France was beheaded and the Jesuits took their first vows. It was here that Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted circus acrobats, Emile Zola situated a lesbian dinner club in his novel Nana, and Fran癟ois Truffaut filmed scenes from The 400 Blows. Sciolino reveals the charms and idiosyncrasies of this street and its longtime residents--the Tunisian greengrocer, the husband-and-wife cheesemongers, the showman who's been running a transvestite cabaret for more than half a century, the owner of a 100-year-old bookstore, the woman who repairs eighteenth-century mercury barometers--bringing Paris alive in all of its unique majesty. The Only Street in Paris will make readers hungry for Paris, for cheese and wine, and for the kind of street life that is all too quickly disappearing.
The Official Guide to the Most Beautiful Villages of France
A Passion for Paris
"A top-notch walking tour of Paris. . . . The author's encyclopedic knowledge of the city and its artists grants him a mystical gift of access: doors left ajar and carriage gates left open foster his search for the city's magical story. Anyone who loves Paris will adore this joyful book. Readers visiting the city are advised to take it with them to discover countless new experiences." --Kirkus Reviews (starred) A unique combination of memoir, history, and travelogue, this is author David Downie's irreverent quest to uncover why Paris is the world's most romantic city--and has been for over 150 years. Abounding in secluded, atmospheric parks, artists' studios, cafes, restaurants and streets little changed since the 1800s, Paris exudes romance. The art and architecture, the cityscape, riverbanks, and the unparalleled quality of daily life are part of the equation. But the city's allure derives equally from hidden sources: querulous inhabitants, a bizarre culture of heroic negativity, and a rich historical past supplying enigmas, pleasures and challenges. Rarely do visitors suspect the glamor and chic and the carefree atmosphere of the City of Light grew from and still feed off the dark fountainheads of riot, rebellion, mayhem and melancholy--and the subversive literature, art and music of the Romantic Age. Weaving together his own with the lives and loves of Victor Hugo, Georges Sand, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, Nadar and other great Romantics Downie delights in the city's secular romantic pilgrimage sites asking, Why Paris, not Venice or Rome--the tap root of "romance"--or Berlin, Vienna and London--where the earliest Romantics built castles-in-the-air and sang odes to nightingales? Read A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light and find out.
National Geographic Traveler Paris
All the fabled sights of the City of Lights are here, from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, with detailed information on how best to visit (purchase a museum pass, for instance, for the best price into museums). Readers will also discover a plethora of lesser known sights (secret Parisian parks and the ultra chic Avenue Montaigne among them), as well as popular excursions, including the marvelous palace of Versailles and the medieval village of Provins. . The guide also includes mapped walking tours (strolls around the Old Marais, Grands Boulevards, and Montparnasse); detailed features on history, culture, and contemporary life; and 3-D illustrations. An in-depth chapter describes Paris's history and culture, and a detailed back section features practical information, including how to get around, an extensive listing of handpicked hotels and restaurants, and select activities and entertainment options. Aimed at active travelers who want authentic, enriching, cultural experiences and expert advice from a trustworthy source, National Geographic Travelers provide ways for people to experience a place rather than just visit, and give the true feel of each destination not easily found online.
Shadows in the Vineyard
Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison--a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder--unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine. Shadows in the Vineyard takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.
Swallows & Robins
A hilarious tale of restoring and running two holiday cottages in a remote hamlet of SW France. As the world's worst housekeeper, running holiday homes wasn't, with hindsight, a sensible idea. But two collapsing buildings on Susie Kelly's land would cost more to demolish than to restore. Thus she became a seasonal landlady. Before the guests came the builders. No's 1, 2, 3 all started promisingly, but by builder No. 4, and with her first guests just hours away, her patience was stretched to its limit. Her summer and winter visitors couldn't, as they say, be made up, though, to spare their blushes some of them have been air-brushed. They brought with them laughter, tears, romance, friendship and occasional madness. And they all left behind jars of jam and pots of pepper. From them Susie learned that you don't need to travel to find adventure. If you run holiday homes it comes to your doorstep. Unfortunately for Susie this included Ivy. The cleaning lady from hell.
Five Nights in Paris
The preeminent expat writer on Paris and author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World takes you on an unforgettable nocturnal stroll through five iconic Parisian neighborhoods and his own memories.John Baxter enchanted readers with his literary tour of Paris in The Most Beautiful Walk in the World. Now, this expat who has lived in the City of Light for more than twenty years introduces you to the city's streets after dark, revealing hidden treasures and unexpected delights.As he takes you through five of the city's greatest neighborhoods--Montmartre, Montparnasse, the Marais, and more--Baxter shares pithy anecdotes about his life in France, as well as fascinating knowledge he has gleaned from leading literary tours of the city by dark. With Baxter as your guide, you will discover the City of Light as never before, walking in the ghostly footsteps of Marcel Proust, the quintessential night owl for whom memory was more vivid than reality; Hungarian photographer Gyula Hal獺sz, known as Brassai, who prowled the midnight streets, camera in hand, with his friend Henry Miller; Louis Aragon and Philippe Soupault, who shared the Surrealists' taste for the city's shadowed, secret world; and Josephine Baker and other African-American performers who dazzled adventurous Parisians at late-night jazz clubs.A feast for the mind and the senses, Five Nights in Paris takes you through the haunts of Paris's most storied artists and writers to the scenes of its most infamous crimes in a lively off-the-beaten-path tour not found in any guidebook.
French Revolutions
Not only is it the world's largest and most watched sporting event, but also the most fearsome physical challenge ever conceived by man, demanding every last ounce of will and strength, every last drop of blood, sweat, and tears. If ever there was an athletic exploit specifically not for the faint of heart and feeble of limb, this is it. So you might ask, what is Tim Moore doing cycling it? An extremely good question. Ignoring the pleading dictates of reason and common sense, Moore determined to tackle the Tour de France, all 2,256 miles of it, in the weeks before the professionals entered the stage. This decision was one he would regret for nearly its entire length. But readers--those who now know Moore's name deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Bryson and Calvin Trillin--will feel otherwise. They are in for a side-splitting treat. French Revolutions gives us a hilariously unforgettable account of Moore's attempt to conquer the Tour de France. "Conquer" may not be quite the right word. He cheats when he can, pops the occasional hayfever pill for an ephedrine rush (a fine old Tour tradition), sips cheap wine from his water bottle, and occasionally weeps on the phone to his wife. But along the way he gives readers an account of the race's colorful history and greatest heroes: Eddy Merckx, Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong, and even Firmin Lambot, aka the "Lucky Belgian," who won the race at the age of 36. Fans of the Tour de France will learn why the yellow jersey is yellow, and how cyclists learned to save precious seconds (a race that lasts for three weeks is all about split seconds) by relieving themselves en route. And if that isn't enough, his account of a rural France tarting itself up for its moment in the spotlight leaves popular quaint descriptions of small towns in Provence in the proverbial dust. If you either love or hate the French, or both, you'll want to travel along with Time Moore. French Revolutions is Tim Moore's funniest book to date. It is also one of the funniest sports books ever written.
France
Beginning in Paris and delving into the farthest reaches of the provinces, the completely revised and updated National Geographic Traveler: France guides you to the country's best sights, and lesser known ones as well. Veteran travel writer Rosemary Bailey provides the ins and outs of old-time favorites, including the Loire Valley and Normandy's battlefields, but also makes sure you won't miss picturesque Saint-Cirq-Lapopie tucked away in the Dordogne Valley or tiny Mirepoix in the Pyrenees. Among the guide's many special features are mapped walking and driving tours--including a walk in Paris's Latin Quarter and a drive along the enchanting Indre River--and special two-page entries on topics such as caf矇 life, monasteries, and Breton customs. National Geographic and local experts provide insider tips on favorite or little known sites and events and dozens of sidebars highlight experiences that show you how to truly get the most from your trip, including how to find Lyon's legendary bouchons (authentic bistros) and surfing off the coast of Biarritz. The guide includes essential background information and the author's pick of hotels and restaurants. Aimed at active travelers who want authentic, enriching, cultural experiences and expert advice from a trustworthy source, National Geographic Travelers provide ways for people to experience a place rather than just visit, and give the true feel of each destination not easily found online.
100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go
Told in a series of stylish, original essays, New York Times travel bestseller 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is for the serious Francophile and anyone who loves crisp stories well told. Like all great travel writing, this collection goes beyond the guidebook and offers insight not only about where to go but why to go there. Combining advice, memoir, and meditations on the glories of traveling through France, this book is the must-have for anyone-woman or man-voyaging to or just dreaming of France. Award-winning writer Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of travels and life in France to lead you through vineyards, architectural treasures, fabled gardens, and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Deauville, Antibes to the French Alps. These 100 entries capture art, history, food, fresh air, beaches, wine, and style and along the way, she tells the stories of many fascinating women who changed the country's destiny. Ride a white horse in the Camargue, seek iconic paintings of women in Paris, try thalassotherapy in St. Malo, shop for raspberries at Nice's Cour Saleya market-these and 96 other pleasures are rendered with singular style. The stories are sexy, literary, spiritual, profound, and overall, simply gorgeous. 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is an indispensable companion for the smart and curious love of France.
Shadows in the Vineyard
ONE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S FIVE BEST BOOKS ON WINEJournalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison-a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder-unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine. Shadows in the Vineyard takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.
Paris for Visitors
The newly updated Paris for Visitors guide is bursting with interesting cultural features and expert local information with a Parisian's perspective. This is the perfect great-value guide for every new visitor to Paris on a short weekend break looking to get the most out of the capital.
Michelin Green Guide Poitou-Charentes, La Rochelle & Cognac
Michelin Green Guide Aquitaine, Bordeaux & the Basque Country
Provence
Lawrence Durrell, who was called "one of the [twentieth] century's great literary pyrotechnicians" (Kenneth McLeish, London Times), was also one of its most accomplished travel writers. Durrell lived in Provence for thirty years and was its leading literary expatriate long before others discovered that magical wedge of land. In this, his final book, he has left a dazzling testament that distills its essence and conveys its savors as no other work in the English language. Durrell's Provence is saturated with the spirits of civilizations past. In the countryside, the marketplace, and among the people, he listens to -- and conveys for us -- echos of the battles of Roman generals like Caesar and Agrippa, the love of Petrarch for Laura, the debates of the medieval Courts of Love, and the lyrics of the troubadours. He relates the significance of ruins strewn across Provence, which for him is nothing less than the crucible where the European sensibility was forged, and he discusses such topics as bull worship, black magic, alchemy, the Proven癟al language, Buffalo Bill's friendship with the poet Mistral, who was Provence's Nobel laureate, the beauty of Arlesian women, and the game of boules. Provence is a monument to the author and to the region, and is essential reading for any traveler seeking to understand the spirit of the place.
Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down
A fresh, exhilarating take on one of the world's most popular topics--Paris, the City of Light!--by an acclaimed novelist Rosecrans Baldwin A self-described Francophile since the age of nine, Rosecrans Baldwin had always dreamed of living in France. So when an offer presented itself to work at a Parisian ad agency, he couldn't turn it down--even though he had no experience in advertising, and even though he hardly spoke French. But the Paris that Rosecrans and his wife, Rachel, arrived in wasn't the romantic city he remembered, and over the next eighteen months, his dogged American optimism was put to the test: at work (where he wrote booklets on breastfeeding), at home (in the hub of a massive construction project), and at every confusing dinner party in between. A hilarious and refreshingly honest look at one of our most beloved cities, Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down is the story of a young man whose preconceptions are usurped by the oddities of a vigorous, nervy metropolis--which is just what he needs to fall in love with Paris a second time.
