Fuel Surcharges - about to hit the tourist industry in more ways than one!

One of the great advantages of living in the Dordogne is that we are only a short drive away to the nearest airport from where you can catch daily flights to a huge selection of destinations in the Netherlands or United Kingdom. We may not like the way airlines such as Flybe and Ryanair operate, with their dubious no cancellation/no refund policies (and slapping on a massive 'cancellation fee' which precludes them from paying back the taxes - as is dictated by law), but they do make it easy for thousands of people to fly in and out of the Dordogne. People still talk about the 'low cost' airlines and seem not to have notices that there is not much 'low' about the costs these days -- but we still appreciate the fact that we can hop across the channel at a reasonable rate.
However, in the past month many of the major airlines have been increasing their fuel taxes, which will of course make a significant difference in the total price you pay for an airline ticket. All airlines are expected to announce increases soon and further fuel surcharge increases are also anticipated again later in the year, including some airlines who have already implemented fuel surcharges increases. No doubt the 'low cost' airlines will find some way in which to rub the honey around our mouths -- or sugar the pill -- and yet, I suspect that they just do not care anymore, and the fuel taxes and surcharge was just the excuse they needed to drastically increase their prices. One thing is for certain -- with the Euro being as strong as it is against the Pound and the Dollar, the already slow and dwindling tourist numbers in the Dordogne Perigord are bound to be affected radically, and the local tourist industry is going to have a tough time ahead -- for this is not something that is ever going to be reversed -- and it will be very interesting to see what the governments will do aboutg the situation.........


Related links:
Flybe flights to the Dordogne
Who flies where in France
Alternative travel: By train



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Protected nature : Eco Tourism in the Aquitaine : A hundred reasons why this is the best place in Europe to come spend your Summer Holiday in 2008!

On a wonderful site, Aquitaine - The South at its best which is about this region, there is an excellent article on Eco-Tourism in France. France has always been at the forefront of eco-tourism and managing the fine balance between being one of the most visited and popular tourist destinations of Europe, and preserving the exquisite nature and unique sites that make it so. Aquitaine, France’s third-biggest region, has a multitude of protected natural zones and offers a great variety of sites dedicated to green tourism.

Starting with… the ocean blue! The Atlantic runs for 250 km along the western side of Aquitaine, with endless beaches of fine sand.

Surfers, cyclists, enthusiasts of thalassotherapy and ornithology can all enjoy the sea air in all seasons. The MIACA (an inter-ministerial commission for the development of the Atlantic coastline) has protected this area since 1967.

Heading east from the ocean, you cross the immense pine forest running from the Medoc down to the Landes and the Basque Country, covering a triangle of land 150 km wide and 200 km long.

It is in this area that lies the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park, and in it, the Maison de la Nature of the Bay of Arcachon (including Le Teich Ornithological Park), the three sites of the Ecomuseum in Marquèze, Moustey and Luxey, and a large number of nature reserves.

Educational workshops, rides along the cycling tracks or sailing on the natural lakes are all good ways of discovering this area’s many riches.

Another big “green” area is the Dordogne forestland. In the north of this département, Green Périgord is home to the Aquitaine section of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park.
Here you will find a multitude of tree species, including oak, the preferred home of the famous Périgord truffles. Prehistoric Man probably enjoyed this delicacy 400,000 years ago…

Much further south, don your snowshoes and climb the peaks of the Pyrenees. This is the realm of hiking, fishing and winter sports. Certain plant and animal species often find their last refuge in the Pyrenees National Park.

Mountains are of course the place where water starts to flow… Torrents - ideal for fishing and white-water sports – which then become rivers and canals. A whole network of inland waterways provide an invitation for barge trips.

In both the Pyrenees and the Périgord area, natural caves display the underground riches of Aquitaine.

Lastly, we should not forget the presence all over Aquitaine of parks and gardens, both contemporary and traditional.

So many sites to discover; so many ways of visiting the beautiful region of Aquitaine.



Looking for accommodation in the Aquitaine? Look no further:

An idyllic stay in a French chateau on the banks of the Dordogne River

A beautiful apartment in an historic stone building centrally located in Bordeaux

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A Christmas with a difference

I am on my way to spend Christmas in the African bush with my family -- who are all coming from all over the world --
The cicadas will be providing the Christmas carols and the African night skies will provide our Christmas lights -- and for a few weeks the cold misty mornings over the Dordogne will wait for my return..........

Sunset over France as I speed across the skies to Africa.....




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Eurostar re-launched at St Pancras, London! A Big day for Anglo-Franco tourism!

The Big Day has arrived! 14 November 2007, and the new terminal for the Eurostar train service at St Pancras in London has opened -- bringing with it a range of improvements and special services, one of which is a good 20 minute reduction on the London-Paris route!

For more details, read the blog entry of 10 November 2007 and by all means, click on the link above for the Eurostar website -- it is impressive -- and sure the whet your appetite! You can also subscribe to their newsletter by simply filling in your email address at the bottom -- and it is well worth your while as I see there are already very exciting special offers available in fares!

What a pity they did not think about combining the first Paris-London-Paris trip with the midnight appearance of the 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau -- a few hours and it could have been the event of the decade!.........But -- nothing stops you from booking your ticket straight-away and coming down to the Dordogne anyway to come marvel at the exquisite autumn colours in this region, enjoy an excellent meal of foie gras, confit de canard and pommes sarladaise, and of course, a bottle of 2007 Beaujolais Nouveau!

See you there!


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Picnics in the Dordogne

The regret with which too many tourists leave this wonderful and diverse part of La Belle France, is that they had not planned on enough time in the region. Not only are there a myriad of sites to visit -- each in its own right a must-see --, castles to admire, restaurants to enjoy, bastides to wander around in, caves to explore, there is the best cycling to be had (according to recent seasoned cyclists from Canada and visitors to Chateau Lalinde: "streets (forgive the pun) ahead of anything that the overcrowded Tuscany has to offer!"), the best hiking and trailing to be done, golfing, canoeing, hot air ballooning........ the list goes on, but then there are also those hidden little treasures -- the ones one rarely plan for, but which, if you are lucky, just happens...........

Yes! One of the great joys for me of living in such a beautiful countryside as this, are the picnics! Any day, any time, any occasion is a good one on which to have a picnic -- there are so many little spots and perfect little places to throw down the blanket, open the champagne, unpack the basket and enjoy communing with nature.
And when better than on a late autumn day? Who better with than a couple of good friends from Nantes? And where better than at the foot of the imposing Beynac castle with the majestic Dordogne River flowing past below and a range of forests and other chateaux to admire?


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Hallowe'en in France

Last year I wrote about the chrysanthenums that are so frowned upon by the local French when ignorant expats put them in their homes -- instead of on the graves in the cemeteries where they belong! This year another type of splash of colour has been catching my attention wherever I go -- the wonderful arrangements of pumpkins and gourds and autumn flowers! A veritable feast for the eye!

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Some of the faces seen at Chateau Lalinde during the summer of 2007

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La Roque St-Christophe - suffers severe fire damage

In the heart of the Vézère valley, between Les Eyzies-- which is regarded as the 'world capital' of Prehistory-- and Montignac -- where Lascaux II is found, is the magnificent troglodyte city of La Roque St-Christophe, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the 'musts' on my list for visitors to Chateau Lalinde to see.


How ironic that this site, which has been a troglodyte city for the last 55 000 years -- right up to the 16th century, should now, in 2007, be closed to visitors. On 31 August a huge fire broke out -- apparently due to an electrical fault -- which burnt down the entire reception area -- a beautifully designed glass and timber structure which melded in so perfectly with the natural rock and ancient historical structures already in place.


What a disappointment to arrive there yesterday with visitors and find that we could not climb up to the city and wander around in pre-history for a couple of fascinating and enjoyable hours. But the friendly official on site -- specifically there to apologise to visitor for the inconvenience and recommend other sites in the area to viist instead, informed us that the site will be open again in 2008 -- ready for the next summer season of tourists to the Dordogne area.

Information: La Roque St-Christophe is a pre-historic troglodyte site dating from the Mousterian era, which has been lived in by successive generations of man. Its situation is very dramatic with good views, rising vertically 80m from the Vezère valley. The whole site is half a mile long and rises in five galleries dug out from the rock. The fascinating remains of some of the buildings can be seen – like the Church, as well as some medieval weaponry, while other parts of the site have been excellently reconstructed.
Our recommendations: For children this is possibly the most interesting above ground pre-historic site – particularly for those who are not keen on either underground visits or families who prefer an unguided visit (leaflet provided with an English translation). It is possible to take a light-weight buggy around the site although care is needed in places.
Location: Just off the D706 at Le Moustier, 10km NE of Les Eyzies.
Free parking, small café and picnic tables at the site with lots of shade, a little pond -- and duck happy to receive a few crumbs.
General info: Opening times – daily in peak season 10.00 -7.00.
Tel: 05 53 50 70 45 other times.

Related Article: The Birthplace of Man

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Food writing that leaves a bitter after taste...

In an article he titles "When food tribes go abroad", Jay Rayner of the Observer Food Monthly, gives a somewhat bitter and twisted view of any- and everyone who ventures across the channel to come and enjoy the different lifestyle of life in La Belle France.

He starts off well --- "Holiday eating is like holiday sex: nowhere near as exotic as you think it's going to be but just as risky. You can pick up a dose of something very nasty doing both. My parents, siblings and I still talk fondly of the violent food poisoning we acquired in some dodgy cantina on Ibiza. We were all taken out by it, one by one, within hours. Oh, how we laughed."

He continues to make an astute remark: "These things happen, of course - but they carry such significance on holiday because our expectations are so damn high. We insist that everything be wondrously lovely and this makes us behave very oddly indeed where food is concerned. The meal at the end of a day is an expression of who we are, of how we like to imagine our true selves to be."

But then his not-so-sub-conscious envy of all who have the good fortune to come to this part of the world to sample the gastronomic delights -- and disasters -- of a foreign and different culture, bubbles to the top and forms an unsightly and distasteful scum which completely covers any other possible tasty bits that may still have been underneath -- and as much as I tried to skim it off, hoping to reveal something that would reveal a tongue-in-cheek soupcon of dry humour, even if somewhat twisted, there was none. Just a bitter brew -- with a strong flavour of sour grapes.

"After some rigorous research, I have been able to sort the modern British gastro-traveller into five distinct, and equally irritating, categories. And they start with ...

1. The Dordogne Bore

Dordogne Bores have been holidaying in crumbling gites around Bergerac for the last two decades. They insist on calling it Périgord, and throw around words like 'paysanne' and 'terroir' to bolster their foodie credentials. They also claim to have a handful of their own 'secret' little places where they go to eat; restaurants so far off the beaten track that their location is known only by 23,000 other people from Dorking, Guildford and Cheltenham.

What the DB will never recognise is that every single restaurant in the region serves exactly the same bloody food: duck confit, foie gras, more duck confit, herb omelettes, duck confit and more duck bloody confit. What's more, 85 per cent of the restaurants will serve mediocre versions of these dishes, though the DB will either not notice or not acknowledge this. Usually this is because they are plastered on cheap wine, arguing that you don't have to spend big money 'down here' to get good wine. This, too, is nonsense. No matter; they will praise the 'civilised' French attitude to drinking, while failing to recognise that France has one of the highest rates of alcohol-induced liver disease in Europe.
Most likely to be found in: the Dordogne, natch; the Lot and Garonne; Tuscany.

2. The Authenticity Addicts

The AA is convinced that only by eating exactly what the locals eat can they really connect with the culture they are visiting. This means they end up consuming some of the nastiest food items ever devised, though they will always claim to really, really like them: stews made from goat intestines; braised cow's udder; pressed pig's ear in vinegar. What the AA fails to recognise is that renowned local dishes like these are almost always the product of poverty, and therefore generally more a matter of necessity than tastiness.
Most likely to be found in: India; China; Thailand; and the more wretched, typhus-sodden corners of the former Soviet Union.

3. The Anything-with-a-View Crew

Everybody knows that the worst restaurants in any fishing town are the ones right on the water, where the smell of food is undercut by the foul stench of the stagnant sea-bilge lip-lapping at the harbourside. The owners of these prime pitches know that the punters will come solely for the location, so they don't have to worry about the quality of the food, plus they can also charge the suckers roughly double what those places a street back are charging.

The AWAVC will happily leave the beach at five in the afternoon to drive two hours into the mountains to this 'fabulous little bistro with the most fantastic view of the sunset', forgetting that, after the first half hour, the sun will have indeed set and that they will then be eating their mediocre dinner in total darkness.
Most likely to be found in: the Greek islands; Provence; Sardinia.

4. The Gastro Tourist

The GT regards a holiday as an eating opportunity, and time spent on the beach between lunch and dinner as an irritating distraction. The GT needs only one holiday read - the Michelin Guide, and will tick off restaurants as they go. But few of the meals they pay astronomical sums for will meet with their approval, as the GT has shockingly high standards and cannot be conned by gastronomic smoke and mirrors.
Most likely to be found in: Burgundy; around Lyon; northern Spain near San Sebastian; Catalonia.

5. The Market Kings

Market Kings stay in villas or gites and never eat out because, as they insist, loudly and often, 'really, why would you when the produce in the markets here is so fabulous, I mean look at the tomatoes nothing like the flavourless rubbish you get back home and the peppers are so sweet you could eat them for dessert. Here try some of the bread - it's made by a local man who's 103, blind, incontinent and crippled by arthritis but he's still got the touch ...'
The MK gets up every morning at six to go to the local village to buy their produce (even though exactly the same stuff is available at half the price at Carrefour nearby).
Most likely to be found in: Tuscany; Dordogne; Provence."

The Observer Food Monthly would do well to send Mr Rayner on one of our excellent Relocation Orientation courses at the Chateau Lalinde before allowing him to write another article about something he knows so little about or on which he holds such prejudiced -- or should I say, 'jaundiced' views; and Jay Rayner would do well to forget about the frissons of 'risky sex' in Ibiza and rather come enjoy a heavenly few days in -- yes! the Périgord, also known as the Dordogne, and soon officially to be known as Dordogne Périgord -- where we will initiate him into the true pleasures of life -- which I can guarantee will exclude anything boring, but include a fair few pleasurable hours of fine dining with interesting people and stimulating conversation.

POST SCRIPT: See Jay Rayner's response in comments below.

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The Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, St Emilion and Bordeaux

Travel Video and TV News report:

Music and Markets Offers Sumptuous Bordeaux Fall Getaway

Fall into the ultimate French getaway – luxuriating in Bordeaux’s renowned wine country and imbibing inimitable wine, food, music and guests on this, their most splendid tour, a sumptuous autumn escape to Bordeaux. This week-long getaway includes a rejuvenating grape-treatment spa, delectable haute cuisine, world-class wines (of course!), and best of all, mingling with internationally recognized musicians throughout the day before hearing them perform in an intimate soirée setting.

Throughout the week, guests will indulge in a lavish menu of cultural and gastronomic pleasures. The first night is spent delightfully decompressing amid the vineyards of the Château Smith Haut Lafitte at the Sources de Caudalie Hotel and spa.

The next day, guests can relax and refresh during a morning of pampering at the renowned Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, before departing for St. Emilion, a medieval village set above the Dordogne River valley and surrounded by chateaux and vineyards. Postcard perfection awaits as guests can stroll the cobblestone streets, enjoy an aromatic pause at a patisserie, tuck into a boutique or two, and select a bottle of wine at a town vintner. Then in the evening, epicurean delights await during dinner at a former Cardinal’s palace, now a gracious hotel and restaurant inside the ramparts of the historic village, a Unesco World Heritage site.

For the next four days, as part of the Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, guests will continue to discover the lush beauty and culinary riches of the region, following the route du vin through the oft-toasted vineyards of Bordeaux at harvest time, and can either test their culinary prowess during a hands-on cooking class with Chef Georges, sniff, swish and swirl at a wine-tasting class with a Master of Wine, or just absorb the distinct pleasures of the treasure-filled villages of the region. Other activities include an insider’s visit to a winery that will allow guests to learn about the intricacies of quality wine making, and purchase, if they’d like, wines direct from the viticulteur.

It is the evening entertainment; however, that sets this Bordeaux getaway apart from all others. In the midst of stellar vineyards is the home of the Orpheus and Bacchus Music and Wine Festival, owned and organized by Ian Christians. Here guests will enjoy his bubbly house party with world-class musicians and fellow music lovers, sharing many a bon soir mingling with other guests, savoring hors d’oeuvres and aperitifs before stepping into the salon, La Musique, where artists introduce the works they’ve prepared for the evening. The grand venue, originally designed in the 1700s as a celebration hall for the vendage, boasts wonderful oak beams, stone-arched windows, and a splendid Steinway, owned previously by renowned pianist Alfred Brendel.

The artistry continues, as Chef Georges Gotrand presents his culinary masterpieces at a candlelit dinner table. Georges introduces each evening’s palate-pleasing menu, and the resident Master of Wine provides expert commentary about the wines and the rationale for the pairings. After the main course, guests return to the salon for a shorter, less formal concert before completing the evening with an abundant array of cheeses, as well as dessert and coffee.

This captivating combination of fine food and wine, marvelous music, and plenty of pampering – all in a lush French countryside setting – begins October 5 and is priced at $4450 per person. Each Music and Markets tour is limited to no more than 10 people, allowing each participant to receive personal service and attention that’s often unavailable on other tour packages.

For more information about the Music and Markets in Bordeaux tour, or any other
Music and Markets offering, contact us here.

Related articles:
Bordeaux
Canadian Resort near St Emilion
Bordeaux
Tourism and Porperty in France
Wine tasting weekends in Bordaux


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