Travel another way

What happened? Belgium, a Federal country, elected his representatives to start a new goverment in June 2007. However, no parties got a clear majority and the government was a coalition of different parties. It took them 192 days  to finally agree on … nothing! The team leader, Yves Leterme, had not manage to unite the Flemish and the Walloon communities, which were bitterly fighting over linguistic issues in the Brussels suburban towns. 

 A new leader, Guy Verhofstadt, was appointed by King Albert II in December 2007 for three months, to try to find common grounds among the politicians who have entered the new team of this ‘interim or emergency government’.

Is the problem over? Guy Verhofstadt was the Belgian prime minister for the last 8 years and we hope his expereince will help him solve the two main agenda issues. The first task is to deal with the 2008 federal budget. Its second task is to pave the way for the next government which should be formed by the end of March 2008, and help negotiating about the state reform between the different communities and the different parties.

Who is in the Interim government? The  government is composed of the liberals and Christian Democrats at the Flemish side, and the liberals, Christian Democrats and socialist party at the Francophone side.  These five parties together have more than two thirds of the parliamentary seats, and therefore have the qualified majority which is required for  the state reform which the Flemish parties are asking.

And now what? We can only wait for the end of March 2008, for the interim government to unfold a  workable plan to implement the necessary reform which requires a constitutional change. The politicians  will have to cope with Belgium’s vital issues that  have , up to now, created  a  linguistic and social-economic divide.

In February and March,  6 countries in Europe will celebrate a sport that is soooo British: Rugby. Every weekend, families and friends will gather to watch the Six Nation Tournament, Europe’s premier rugby tournament played between France , England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.

For those who have never seen a Rugby game, let’s say it is like football without helmets or pads and without stopping every time the ball hits the ground. It may seem very primitive but it is very elaborated and based on high values. Rugby develops leadership, team spirit, courage, sportmanship and friendship.

This year tournament started Feb. 3, and France has won its 2 first games (against Scotland: 27- 6, against Ireland: 26 – 21). Each team meets all the others once, and if one wins all its games, it will be awarded the Grand Slam title; the team that will rank last will be awarded the wooden spoon !

So far, France and Wales are in the lead while Scotland is in the red, but 9 more games are yet to be played. March 15 will be our Super Bowl Day, when Wales and France will fight their last game at 6pm, GMP time.

Global warming has affected France just like any other part of our planet. Yet, when in the summer of 2003 a heat wave stroke Paris and resulted in thousands of fatalities, the French realized it was time to acknowledge the climate change. Ironically, many homes, hotels and public places started to install air-conditioning systems, which had hardly ever been used in the country before, even though  A/C systems contribute to global warming!

 As for grapes, if the heat was to increase and rains become heavier, French Bordeaux grapes could lose the necessary sugars they need to develop at the right time to turn into perfect wines . Burgundy could be affected through their Pinot Noir grapes which would not grow their specific thin skin that loves cool climates.

French glaciers, just like their Swiss cousins, are melting dramatically. I take my American guests to see the breathtaking Sea of Ice in Chamonix when they travel to France on my tours, and whithin the last 5 years, I have noticed a huge difference. Every year, a few steps are added to the stairs we use to reach the ice cave carved in the glacier. Alpine galciers have lost 20% of their area. If the trend does not stop, 75% of  Alpine glaciers are likely to be gone by 2050, 100% by 2100.

The Alps and its glaciers are Europe reservoir, birthplace of rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhone or the Po. So,what will we drink if wines can only be grown in Sweden and if towns like Evian cannot bottle their miracle water any more?

Let’s hope there will always be some monks brewing beer or mixing plants for Chartreuse Liqueur to quench our thirst! Until then, cheers  or … à votre santé!

The picture has been taken by one of our guests when traveling to France with French Escapade.

Who was Valentine?

Believe it or not, he was a christian priest, in Rome, in 268. He was arrested, cured a blind, was beaten to death and finally beheaded. Wow … of course, I made the story short, but why such a gory story turned into the celebration of love? Nobody really knows what happened but in the 14th century, it seems that people started to send romantic love notes, called Valentines, to their lovers in England and France.

“La Saint Valentin” is also celebrated in France and Belgium on February14, but only lovers offer gifts, flowers  and cards to their sweethearts. It has not been extended to friends and relatives as in the USA. It mainly remains a romantic celebration involving a candle-lit dinner and a present for most people. But if you want to  be more creative, follow the guide!

What’s new in 2008?

In Brussels, you can have a Valentine breakfast delivered at home to surprize your better-half. Dejeuner at Home will bring you their special cocooning breakfast, including the best of Belgian pastries and your Valentine card. They can customize their tray items with anything that pleases you.

If you are in Paris on that day, and let’s say, you want the love message to be more direct, you could take your date to see Pamela Anderson baring it all at the Crazy Horse cabaret. She will make her first stage performance in Europe this month with a striptease. She will be on stage for 2 nights/ 4 performances on February 13 – 14!

Happy Valentine to all of you … Bonne Saint Valentin !

Picture from bigfoto.com

I had never seen that before!

Yesterday night, as I was walking to the bakery in my town in the French Alps, I was flabbergasted (one of my favorite English words). It was dark and the temperature was only 5 degrees Celsius, but people were sitting outside my favorite café, sipping their drink! But of course … they were out … to be able to smoke ! Ah…The French and their cigarettes! Even though they were probably smoking an Amercian brand and not the typical French Gauloises or Gitanes, they looked so French … and so cold ! It was very weird, like a summer scene in a cheap movie: not enough light, wrong clothes and  fake actors.

As of January 1st, 2008 , France has extended its smoking ban in public places to bars and restaurants, a year after the law was implemented in most public places ( airports, hospital, schools…) . And yes, it works. There was no long strike, no street protest … it was merely implemented. Can you believe it? I am French so I know what I am talking about: we never accept anything without at least one strike!

Well, it only took one extra year to have it accepted by the restaurants’ and bars’ owners but now … my dear non-smoking American friends, you can come to France and be able to enjoy your croissant and your baguette in one your favorite cafés without smoke coming your way! No more cigar smell to bear while you enjoy a delicious  Blanquette de veau with a superb Château-Neuf-Du-Pape …

Well … are you ready ? So come and breathe genuine French air: only available at your favorite dealer (French Escapade) from January 1st until … you never know!

He did it!!!  Just like he had said it would happen, it was a very discreet ceremony. It happened Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Elysees Palace (the presidential residence in Paris) at 11 am. Only close friends and relatives attended.

President Sarkozy’s recent results in opinion polls showed that the French were getting tired to see him and his personal life described from A to Z in all the magazines and newspapers. His ratings were falling so fast,that he seemed to have learnt a lesson. His wedding was barely mentionned in the news so far.

Now, he has a very busy social-economic week ahead and he will have to postpone his honeymoon … but maybe the honeymoon is already over!

Note that the picture is not his wedding but from a parade in EuroDisney. I thought it was appropriate since it is in Euro Disney that Sarkozy “paraded” with Carla Bruni as his date. (picture from bigfoto.com).

In France, we eat “Crepes” for Candlemas, “Chandeleur”, a word that comes from the word “Chandelle” , or candle. It was custom for the people coming back from church, to bring  candles to assure a good harvest for the year to come and to keep bad luck and bad spirits away. It is therefore a tradition that mingles Christian and Pagan believes.

The French make “Crepes” on that day, “La chandeleur”, but also during the whole month of February. Its form and colour symbolize the Sun which returns after the cold winter. It keeps the mould away from the crop and protects the home from evil. The first crepe you make, must be tossed with a coin in the hand holding the pan to bring prosperity throughout the year.

 The Recipe

• 3 large eggs 
  1 and 1/4 cup milk
  1 cup flour 

• 1 spoonfull vanilla

• 1 tablespoon dark rhum
  oil

Combine all of the ingredients: the flour with eggs, and slowly add the milk. End with the vanilla and the rhum. The batter must be smooth and quite liquid.

Heat a non-stick pan.  Using the flat part of a potato cut in half and stuck to a fork, oil the pan after dipping the potatoe in oil . Pour some batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly, so as to make the thinnest pancake. Cook for 45 seconds (until the edges turn dark) and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds and remove to the cutting board.

The crepes can be flavoured with: sugar, melted chocolate, banana slices, jam, honey and of course, whipped cream !

For savoury crepes, you can use cheese, spinach or mushrooms in a white cream.

The crepe on the picture was made Valerie Sans, the French chef on the tours I organize in France. To learn more about Valerie’s cuisne, check my travel site at www.frenchescapade.com/french-food.html

Bon appetit!!!!

I can’t believe my first post is about President Sarkozy but watching the French news inspired me.

France elected a new President, Nocolas Sarkozy, in May 2007, from the conservative party UMP. The new leader has ever since symbolized changes. Even though he is issued from the conservative government of President Chirac, where he was the home secretary until last year, he has decided to promote modernity in a political world that is not too inclined to break away from the right and left clivage.

Yet difficulties did not only arise from his political ways.  Indeed the surprise did not come from his ideas about ruling France but about his way to manage his personal life.

He was the first to closely associate his family to the presidential campaign. He seemed to have no problem having his second wife Cecilia and his children from different marriages or his stepchildren on the frontpages of the worst French newspapers. However his divorce in September 2007 shocked the French people who realized everything had been a facade.

When he got involved just a few weeks later with a famous French/ Italian singer and ex-topmodel, Carla Bruni, a lot of his fans were disappointed to see him move so quickly. His wedding is now the new topic that keeps the tabloid press busy, especially because President Sarkozy declared a few weeks ago that when the journalists will know about the date of the wedding, it will be already done …