French Crossroads : Travel and discovery in France

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Exploring Béarn: Pyrénées walks, cheese, and Maison D’Orride hospitality

by Chris O'Brien January 13, 2020

by Chris O'Brien January 13, 2020

Béarn is a one of those French names that has leapt into our view now and then without me ever having a…
Featured Occitanie Tarn
Gaillac Lantern Festival creates a radiant holiday light show

by Chris O'Brien December 27, 2019

by Chris O'Brien December 27, 2019

Searching out the best and most garish Christmas light displays had been part of my holiday routine since I was a kid.…
France
9 igloos in France for spending a cozy mountain night

by Chris O'Brien December 23, 2019

by Chris O'Brien December 23, 2019

If you’re heading to the mountains this season but looking for something a bit more exciting than a hotel or bed &…
Photo Of The Day
Le château d’eau bed and breakfast in Gascony

by Chris O'Brien December 4, 2019

by Chris O'Brien December 4, 2019

During a daylong bike ride, we passed through the village of Lagraulet-du-Gers and spotted this unusual water tower covered with an elaborate…
Paris Photo Of The Day
Saint Paul Saint Louis du Marais

by Chris O'Brien December 4, 2019

by Chris O'Brien December 4, 2019

Saint Paul Saint Louis du Marais in Paris is a church so nice, they named it twice. Originally Saint Paul’s church, dating…
Featured France
Postcards from Honfleur: The old port town is a Normandy treasure

by Chris O'Brien November 27, 2019

by Chris O'Brien November 27, 2019

A desire to visit a long-time friend living in the village of Sainte-Pierre-du-Val inspired our first real trip to the Normandy region.…
Cuisine Featured France Gers Haute-Garonne Hautes-Pyrénées Occitanie Toulouse
France’s craft beer boom: 6 stellar breweries to know

by Chris O'Brien November 19, 2019

by Chris O'Brien November 19, 2019

France’s craft beer boom has been building slowly for several years, but the impact of this hops revolution really struck me one…
Featured France
Postcards from Lille: The perfect daytrip to northeast France

by Chris O'Brien November 12, 2019

by Chris O'Brien November 12, 2019

What I knew about Lille before last month was pretty much zero. Tucked into a far corner of France, close to the…

1 day ago by frenchcrossroads Our visit to Béarn was short but enough to leave us wanting to see more. A summer visit for longer hikes and longer days definitely seems in order.
1 day ago by frenchcrossroads To take advantage of the temperate afternoon, we drove a short distance outside of Gourette toward the Col d’Aubisque.⁠ ⁠ This mountain is known as one of the tougher routes during the years when the Tour de France passes through this way.⁠ ⁠ We weren’t feeling quite so sporty. A gentle walk up the main road which had been closed for the season was invigorating enough for us. To the west and north, we were surrounded by peaks just dusted with snow. The mountains may be lower here by they still paint a dazzling panorama.
1 day ago by frenchcrossroads We arrived in Gourette just before noon and headed to the tourist office. We had come not to ski, but rather because I had booked us an hour in a jacuzzi on the mountainside. The hot tub is part of a small enterprise called L’Aventure Nordique, which also does guided snowshoe hikes and an igloo where you can spend a night. The website promised temperature of 38 degrees which tempted us to take the chance.⁠ ⁠ We picked up tickets for the gondola that took us a short way up the mountain. In this western part of the Pyrérées, the…
1 day ago by frenchcrossroads Our itinerary for the first full day in Béarn took us to Gourette, one of Béarn’s ski stations. The hour drive wound through several small towns before beginning to ascend. A small stream accompanied us on one side as we rose higher. We discovered that we were on the “Route du Fromage”.⁠ ⁠ We passed countless stands and trailers parking along the roadside selling local cheeses. The most prominent valley in Béarn is Ossau, while Pays Basque has the forested area of Iraty. Together they form the Ossau-Iraty cheese region which claims to have the most cheese-producing farms in France.…
1 day ago by frenchcrossroads Here's a bit of history we learned, thanks to our host:⁠ ⁠ Béarn was once its own independent principality for a couple of hundred years during the Middle Ages that had developed its own patois, mixing French and other regional languages. In the Pyrenees-Atlantiques department, it forms the eastern half. The western half, Pays Basques, was the kingdom of Navarre which at certain points also included parts of Spain. If you ever saw “La Reine Margot,” a beloved French classic that is in reality quite dreadful, the Henry brought to marry Margot is King Henry of Navarre, who was actually…
2 days ago by frenchcrossroads Béarn is a one of those French names that has leapt into our view now and then without me ever having a clear idea of where it is or what it signifies. Sometimes it appears to be linked to Gascony and the Pyrénées but other times it’s described as its own distinct region. While the real D’Artagnon is the most famous Gascon of all, his fictionalized namesake in “The Three Musketeers” was from Béarn. It’s hard to nail down.⁠ ⁠ Even doing a little research on the website for the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the department where Béarn is located, left me confused.…
5 days ago by frenchcrossroads Que Toulouse est belle.
2 weeks ago by frenchcrossroads Walking up from Gourette in Béarn, we were able to follow the road that had been closed for the season. We didn't quite make it to Col d'Aubisque, but still had great views.
2 weeks ago by frenchcrossroads The water in this hot tub was too cold for most of us. But the boy was loving it. And I can't argue with the views.

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