Renowned for its lavish castles, the relics of royal days gone by, the glorious valley of the Loire is rich in both history and architecture. Like the river Loire, this huge area runs through the heart of French life. Its sophisticated cities, luscious landscape and magnificent wine and food add up to a bourgeois paradise. (more…)
Valentine's Day is almost here, a day that each year terrifies men. Every year, you promise yourself that next year; you are going to do something different. If you still do not have any creative ideas for a special surprise, do not panic, but you had better start giving it some serious thought. (more…)
The Loire Valley known as "the Garden of France" is a fertile place where a rich farmland is spread on both sides of the enchanting Loire river. The region became the favourite residence of French Kings from the middle ages to the Renaissance. Little by little, strongholds had become magnificent castles of the Renaissance, which had (more…)
Accordingly to research on dating behaviour, the time between the December holidays and Valentine's Day is National Break-up Season when people are more than twice as likely to think about breaking up than at any other time of the year. (more…)
Are you tired of the same old Valentine's Day box of chocolates and dozen long-stemmed red roses and dinners out that make you feel like a gold-fish in a gold-fish bowl. This is the year to do something different, something unique that tells the person you love that you care, and that you took the time to think of something (more…)
France, the size of Texas, is the largest country in Western Europe. Its cultural and geographical diversity is a tourism magnet that calls to be explored time and time again. The Loire Valley offers such a variety of outstanding sites where reputed golf courses are set alongside some 40 surreal historical castles and historical (more…)
Loire Valley castles are full of amazing stories. At Chateau Chenonceau you can hear 'The future king was 12 and he took a mistress aged 32.' The image of the castles of this area may be all towers, topiary, tapestries and faded furniture but for 200 years, these great palaces were host to world-class debauchery and countless (more…)
France's Loire Valley has the grandest selection of 15th and sixteenth century castles. With fifty to sixty "must see" castles scattered on both sides of a 100-mile sweep of the Loire River, the first-time visitor can feel overwhelmed. Details of 5 of the best-known castles are below. (more…)
The story of Diane de Poitiers should serve as a motivation to all of us who feel not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be. Diane was born in 1499, the daughter of Jean de Poitiers and thus a member of a very ancient line. A beauty from a very young age, at 13 she married into another distinguished line when she became the spouse (more…)
Tourists visiting France who bring along their clubs will not be disappointed or have to face the challenges of arranging tee times as they typically do when visiting Scotland and Ireland. In France there are 280,000 registered golfers for 340 courses. This means lots of available tee times and no crowds on a course. (more…)