France Just For You Chez Vous
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October 2021
Dear Travelers,
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The inspiration for this month's newsletter came from two of my favorite things: fall and food!
Like many people, fall is my favorite time of the year. The leaves changing color in the vineyards, which are full of activity with the harvest; the markets full of new fall vegetables inspiring new recipes; and being able to wear big sweaters that hide the results of eating all the new fall-inspired recipes!
It's also a great time of the year to visit France. The kids are back at school and French and European families are traveling less, which means you can enjoy France without the summer crowds.
A good example: Emilie and her family went to the Puy du Fou park (a great theme park with history-based live action shows) this past weekend. In the summer, it is like Disney World. But as you can see in the photo above, Jeanne and Pauline had the place to themselves (the rain may have helped a little, too).
If you will be spending a little more time indoors with the weather gradually turning crisper, we hope you'll find some inspiration in the regional recipes below if you enjoy cooking.
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We even feature a special guest chef this month. I’ll let you discover who it is, but here's a hint: I can tell you I have eaten many meals made by this person.
So, happy fall, bon appétit, and get out that big sweater!
Warmest regards,
Laura Crotet
Senior Trip Planner,
France Just For You
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A historical re-enactment show at Puy du Fou theme park in the Loire Valley
© Benoit Samson CC-BY SA 4.0
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What's New at France Just For You?
This month as the travel restrictions are relaxing, we're delighted to welcome travelers back to France. We're also excited to be working on new projects, including a new phone app for our travelers who have booked tours with France Just For You!
The app will have your whole France itinerary loaded onto it, contact details for us (Emilie & Laura, your trip planners) and all your B&B hosts, as well as tips on how to prepare for your trip.
We have also been on the road with a film crew, filming a short video about our tours and the unique experiences we offer to our travelers. We look forward to sharing it with you when it's ready!
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Shop for fresh produce & souvenirs in Provence
Farmers markets all over France are bustling all year round as locals continue to prefer fresh produce over the grocery store chains. And this is even more true during the fall harvest season, with its abundance of new winter vegetables.
Provence has markets for every day of the week to keep you fed and enamored as your explore this lovely region in southern France. As well as farmers’ markets, there are markets selling antiques, handicrafts, textiles and more, so they're wonderful for finding authentic souvenirs from France.
You may like to bookmark this blog post so you can easily refer back to it when you're exploring Provence!
If you're visiting other regions of France with us and would like to experience a local farmers' market, we will include our favorite markets in your France itinerary.
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Sample all kinds of French delicacies at a farmer's market
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Turn your market produce into delicious Basque dishes
You may associate the Basque Country with Spain. In fact, the northern part of the Basque Country is across the French border, and we love planning tours of this beautiful coastal and Pyrenean mountain region.
The Basque Country is well-known for its haute cuisine and gastronomic delights. In this post, you can learn more about its traditional specialties, include Bayonne ham, and Ossau-Iraty sheep's cheese. We also link to some simple Basque recipes that you can try at home.
Discover the exquisite cuisine of the fascinating Basque region of France.
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Basque pintxos are easy to make at home
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Places to visit in France during the Fall
Many of you will have had to cancel the vacations you had planned for 2020 due to the pandemic. Like us, you probably can’t wait for life to return to something close to normality so you can enjoy doing the things you love - including starting to make travel plans again.
In this post, we’re going to fast-forward to offer you some inspiration for future fall vacations.
Depending on where you want to go and what you want to do, the fall can be an ideal time to visit France. September is often still warm but not as overwhelmingly hot as the late summer, and the days are still quite long.
A bit later in the fall (late September to early November), the gorgeous rural landscapes are full of greens, reds, oranges and yellows, and offer incredible light for photographers. And, of course, it's the harvest season, so there will be plenty of delicious fresh food and wine to enjoy.
In this post we recommend the places that are particularly beautiful later in the year, a list of top places to visit in France during the fall, organized according to activity or preference.
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From the top: View of the fall colors in Rocamadour (© Paul & Alexis Benjamin);
Fall colors in the Burgundy vineyards (© Olivier Colas)
Paris in the fall
With special thanks to our travelers Paul & Alexis for the top photo
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Normandy chicken recipe by Guest Chef Judy Link
We live in Florida and loved going to visit Laura and her family when they lived in Normandy. The food is amazing with all the cream, butter and cheese! On a fall Sunday when we were visiting, after apple picking, we stopped at a charming auberge and were served a dish very similar to this one.
I love making Normandy Chicken in the fall because the apples are in season and the dish warms you to the soul thanks to the Calvados (apple brandy)! It serves 4 people, and feel free to substitute the Calvados with Pommeau or even Cognac.
Bon Appétit!
- Judy Link (Laura's Mom)
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© Judy and Larry Link (Laura's mom & dad), ready to enjoy some delicious Normandy chicken
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Did you know...
...Food markets are still an important place for French people to buy their weekly groceries? There are more than 10,000 food markets in France. The biggest one is in Rungis, not far from Paris Orly airport. It is not only the biggest in France, but in the world. It is a market for professionals, and many restaurants buy their supplies here. You can reserve a visit, but be ready to get up super early as the trading starts at 3am!
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Next month we'll be giving you a full update on what's new at France Just For You, including our new website (coming soon!), new experiences you can enjoy on our tours of France, and what else we've been up to during yet another extraordinary year.
And of course, we will share some more of our best France travel tips and a delicious cheesy recipe!
Sending you our warmest wishes,
Emilie & Guillaume Thyebaut
Founders of France Just For You
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Receive France travel tips, French recipes, upcoming events and more, direct to your inbox each month in France Just For You - Chez Vous!
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