After a successful inaugural event last year the France Poker Series (FPS) once again turns to the Casino Grand Cercle Aix-les-Bains for one of the most beautiful poker festivals around with the €330 FPS Cup getting things underway with three starting flights from September 27 The biggest buy-in event on the schedule is the €2,200 FPS High Roller on October 1 with four starting flights running from October 2 Satellites and daily tournaments are also available, so be sure to check out the full schedule on the PokerStars Live website Alban Juen took down the inaugural FPS Aix-les-Bains for €90,070 after defeating a field of 475 entries and held two-third of the chips in play three-handed before finishing things off by defeating Michael Smith heads-up PokerStars players can use Power Path to win their way to the France Poker Series with a Silver Pass redeemable for a FPS Seats and Expenses package Players will receive entry into the €1,100 FPS Main Evnet and €330 FPS Cup at the festival with the remaining value of the $2,500 credited as expenses live event liasiion support and exclusive FPS Aix-les-Bains activities Check out what else you can win with the PokerStars Power Path this month + Get the Texas Hold'em Poker Cheat Sheet - FREE PokerNews.com is the world’s leading poker website visitors will find a daily dose of articles with the latest poker news Disclaimer: any promotions presented on this page were correct and available at the time of writing We encourage all users to check the promotion displayed matches the most current promotion available by clicking through to the operator welcome page Please read the terms and conditions carefully before you accept any promotional welcome offer modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder They're coming back to Toronto in October 2025 BY Alex HudsonPublished Apr 29 The chilled-out Frenchmen of Air have been touring their 1998 classic Moon Safari and they're keeping the trek going into the fall with another North American leg Following spring dates in South America and summer festivals in Europe Air will come to North America in the fall plus one date in Canada: Toronto's Massey Hall on October 9 almost exactly a year since they last played the venue A ticket presale will begin on Thursday (May 1) at Air's website at 10 a.m Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday (May 2) at 10 a.m Be the first to get our biggest stories delivered to your inbox. I am an expat British resident in Aix-les-Bain and recently found a notification card from La Poste in my mailbox informing me that a letter was awaiting collection at Intermarché I was both surprised and perplexed and called at the main La Poste to ask why. A customer service adviser told me it was because of the area of the town in which I live. She also stated it would not be possible to have the letter transferred to the main post office and that I would have to go to Intermarché to pick it up No prior notification had been given of this new arrangement. If they can come and put a collect notification card in my mailbox they should also have made the effort to drop in a note of explanation too Read more: Letters: French lettres recommendées are by no means infallible Why should I have to waste time and expense going to Intermarché to collect something of which I know no details and which I may not want anyway I am an 81-year-old pensioner with no car and Aix has a high proportion of elderly residents in the same position who must feel this new stipulation will cause much inconvenience It was only a few years ago that La Poste moved to spanking new offices in the centre of town and yet now they are driving the public away elsewhere for some of their business La Poste is abdicating its responsibility to be the guardian of people's mail up to the point of delivery by outsourcing to a business which has no direct affiliation to it and I cannot help thinking: has La Poste been won over by Intermarché in a clever marketing ploy to tempt more customers into the hypermarché Editor’s note: We asked for an explanation from La Poste management in Aix-les-Bains contact points are being developed to respond to urban developments and changing lifestyles as a complement to the post office network. "National agreements have been signed with major retailers (Carrefour La Poste Relais’ outlets are located where customers live. "They offer extended opening hours and provide the essential services of La Poste a new point of contact has been set up in the town of Aix-les-Bains at Intermarché Have you had problems getting hold of your mail or parcels? Share your experience at letters@connexionfrance.com Connexion readers share frustrating visa challenges to access their French properties Columnist Cynthia Spillman advises a reader whose French dream has turned sour Connexion readers say boycotting US-made goods is the best way to respond CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TDN FOR FREE! Remember Ben with a gift to Thoroughbred aftercare Subscribe for FREE to the Daily PDF or the News Alerts Home » Archive » Top News Europe » Freshman Sire Golden Horde Off The Mark At Aix-Les-Bains Haras de Montfort et Preaux resident Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire} became Europe's latest first-crop sire to get off the mark when his Louis Baudron-trained daughter Moorea (Fr) shed maiden status over six furlongs in in Thursday's Prix des Amarantes at Aix-Les-Bains the 16-5 chance made relentless headway out wide in the straight to prevail by a neck from Boujee Filly (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {Ire}) Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts. Copy Article Link Editor / News Stories:editor@thetdn.com Advertising:advertising@thetdn.com Customer Service:customerservice@thetdn.com Click Here to sign up for a free subscription '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/beautiful-and-terrifying-trip-offers-insight-into-plight-of-french-jews\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=Vph3gPGhI0tqr2bDl_adDqVQqqQ8M.27iSYjceSR7bo-1746486804-1.0.1.1-qT9pWfudzQkVUICpR_6gn635muT9FRYNQBZ2zpBbdTg" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); where his duties included distributing Christmas presents to the royal grandchildren handsome donkey" but with "a rather strong objection to work The queen used a pony chair – and later the donkey – because she walked with difficulty Jacquot pulled her donkey chair whenever she travelled abroad "He had quite an interesting life for a Savoyard donkey," said Claire Delorme-Pégaz who has co-written a book with Briton Josephine Fletcher revealing previously unknown details of the former monarch's visits to Aix-les-Bains Jacquot is key to revealing how keen the sovereign's remarkable attachment was to the French spa town in the summer months the mules pulled the carriages of the bourgeois visitors who came to take the waters Delorme-Pégaz says it is time to "rehabilitate" Jacquot who was previously thought to have been bought in Nice A former English teacher turned local historian had heard her grandparents talk about the English in the town and the queen's visits The English are credited with developing the Alpine resorts in the late 19th century and the presence of Queen Victoria was a major boost The book – Victoria en Savoie: trois séjours d'une reine a Aix les Bains – describes the monarch's three-week visits to the thermal resort in 1885 It says the impact of the queen's visit was such that by the start of the 20th century Aix-les-Bains was known as "the English spa town." a Blue Badge guide in Glasgow who moved to Aix embarked on a two-year research project that led to them being permitted to consult the former monarch's diaries in Windsor Castle but had to copy out everything by hand." Queen Victoria's first land purchase on the continent was in Aix-les-Bains She bought a plot overlooking the Lac du Bourget but kept it for nine years," said Delorme-Pégaz She added that Queen Victoria was the first woman to be allowed to enter the Grande Chartreuse monastery particularly as she wasn't a Catholic." travelled to Aix-les-Bains under the pseudonym of the Countess of Balmoral in order to avoid official duties was two years after the death of her Scottish servant John Brown The book reveals that the queen's youngest daughter who suffered from rheumatism and was instrumental in bringing her mother to Aix-les-Bains The Frenchwoman returned to England with the queen Delorme-Pégaz is president of the Grapevine association a charity with 70 active members that promotes Franco-British friendship and which published the book privately with a financial contribution from municipal authorities The book, which contains contemporary illustrations, has two pages of summary in English at the end of each chapter. The British ambassador to France has written a preface and promised to send the book to the royal library the Hotel de l'Europe and its annex where Victoria stayed have been turned into apartments The annex still bears the royal coat of arms Queen Victoria's contribution to the spa town is officially recognised A bust of the former monarch stands in a central square is marked with events: this year there are plans for Scottish dancing schoolchildren will sing and a pipe band will play the town was awarded the French government accolade of "city of art and history" "We hope that it will contribute to the promotion of the British heritage in Aix," said Delorme- Pégaz "You still can't buy a Queen Victoria postcard here." located within an impressive landscape and nestled between mountains and a lake the project intends to enhance the local area while also forming a building that is contextually relevant with respect to the history of the site – as it is home to roman bath ruins – one of the main concepts is to create a center of well-being housing various functions to facilitate relaxation and social interaction. bird’s eye view towards the lake of bourget callebaut‘s proposal aims to bring the thermal bath site into the 21st century by incorporating aspects of sustainability and technological and social advances into the new intervention the ‘foam of waves’ building integrates bioclimatism and renewable energies to achieve an environmentally neutral carbon footprint urban agriculture is also included in the scheme with the waveform green terraces and public plazas providing space to grow fruit and vegetables reconnecting people living in the city with more natural surroundings the program of the complex is split over two volumes with each one housing various functions which aim to revitalize the city by attracting local visitors a rooftop restaurant with an aquaponic urban farm and a viewing centre for the site’s roman ruins as well as a number of residential sky villas and co-working areas in addition to catering for different functions the public spaces at the foot of the structure also create a place for people to meet and gather the 185 ‘sky villa’ apartments cover a total area of 13 500 m² with 25% of which intended for social housing. each residence opens out to a green terrace the wave-like shape of these external patios give the proposal its name – foam of waves – as the façades recall the waves generated by the nearby lake of bourget the ‘green’ aspect of the architecture also continues as you ascend with the top floors housing a panoramic rooftop restaurant and urban educational farm on the south building the new ‘georges 1’ plaza is envisioned between the two volumes to bring the city together in one large the plaza also functions to frame the remains of the ancient roman baths with a large glazed dome built over the old baths putting them at the heart of the proposal and allowing them to be easily viewed by visitors bodies of water are also employed in this space forming a direct connection with the history of the city the scheme proposed by vincent callebaut aims to create a new hub for aix-les-bains creating jobs for local residents and numerous facilities for well-being while still relating to the history of the site view inside the panoramic restaurant on the rooftop project name: ‘ecume des ondes’ (foam of waves) architect: vincent callebaut designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here. AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style Mention Savoy, and the first thing to spring to mind, unless it’s a smart hotel in London, is likely to be the Alps – Mont Blanc in particular. Where there are mountains If you run a fingertip from top right to bottom left on a map the four main lakes are Geneva (or Léman) it would soon arrive in the city of Grenoble Mathieu Richer MamousseTogether, the lakes make an excellent set of coordinates for the would-be explorer, especially in spring and summer – not least because they direct the gaze not so much up and down as outwards and across: a landscape axis rather than portrait Lake BourgetMathieu Richer MamousseSavoy has an uncommonly complicated history: coveted and contested haggled over and passed around; first a county eventually a kingdom and nowadays a mere region Following its annexation by France in 1860 or administrative districts: Savoie and Haute-Savoie Referring to them both at once as Savoy is a slight simplification Mathieu Richer MamousseGardens at Château BrachetMathieu Richer MamousseI started my journey around the four lakes in Evian-les-Bains on the southern shore of Lake Geneva a Savoyarde with the face of a silent-movie star and the volubility of Eddie Murphy What struck me about Evian was the extent to which the place lives up to its own billing – as a prosperous spa town of the belle époque that subsequently became an even more prosperous spa town The old town around the cathedral remains dense and atmospheric arcades and townhouses divided by canals and the River Thiou An impression of cleanliness, order and rude good health prevailed. The grassy squares were as beautifully mown, the hedges as beautifully clipped and the flowerbeds as beautifully tended as their equivalents in any of the towns on the opposite – that is to say, the Swiss – side of the lake I stood in the shade of a pair of weeping sequoias and gazed into water so still and clear I couldn’t tell if there was anything there at all If I had encountered such curiosities anywhere else I might have wondered whether the water had been spiked It takes on a different character depending on the point of view flourished in the late 16th century as a centre of the Catholic Counter-Reformation It gained further eminence when Bishop – ultimately Saint – Francis de Sales Le Jardin des Cinq Sens in YvoireMathieu Richer MamousseThe hotel’s terraceMathieu Richer MamousseLake Annecy has many moods It takes on a different character depending on the point of view – and for me there is none better than that from the village of Talloires who spent several weeks in Talloires in 1896 paid it a backhanded – and by his standards generous – compliment when he griped that it was all a bit too lovely for his taste Yet he captured its loveliness to perfection in his ravishing It shows the view from the bay of Talloires across the lake towards the Château de Ruphy on the far shore What I admire about the painting is the way it registers not only the physical beauty of the place but also its faintly unsettling quality – a consequence the contours of the waterline and the resulting combination of dazzling light and deep shadows Sunset on Lake Annecy in TalloiresMathieu Richer MamousseOnwards, on the same southwesterly trajectory from Annecy, to Aix-les-Bains on Lake Bourget. Aix is Evian on its uppers – Evian minus the Evian, as it were. Shabbily genteel, it has fallen drastically since its heyday, when Queen Victoria, Empress Sisi and Dom Pedro II of Brazil mingled with the high rollers The once-famous hotels have been converted into apartment buildings; the casino its acres of stained glass and mosaics out- shone by row upon row of gaudily flashing one-armed bandits Its proximity to Italy might account for its easygoing the cool kids with ironic beards and tight leather trousers sipping interesting drinks beneath fine Italianate arches so my expectations had naturally been raised sky-high in the days before we arrived the town is convenient to both Bourget and Aiguebelette I was embarrassed to admit that I’d never been there before and couldn’t really explain why not since it’s so close to other places in the Alps I’ve visited many times Chambéry was one of the great crossroads of Western Europe unavoidable if you wished to travel any distance in this part of the continent – a fact we’re apt to forget in an age when enormous mountains pose no obstacle to free movement or are indeed the very points to which we wish to move freely Lake swimming at YvoireMathieu Richer MamousseIn the end, it was love at first sight. Chambéry had about it a youthful energy and buzz that I didn’t find elsewhere. Its proximity to Italy might account for its easygoing Residential building in the former Hôtel Splendide, Aix-les-BainsMathieu Richer MamousseDecorative ceiling at the Casino Grand Cercle Aix-les-BainsMathieu Richer MamousseAlthough superseded as the Savoyard capital by Turin in 1562 Chambéry remained for centuries a crucial strategic the historical heart of the city was so dreadfully run-down that there was serious talk of razing it and starting again Wandering those enchanted and now beautifully preserved streets I found it difficult to imagine such desperation Mathieu Richer MamousseIn a wooded valley on the edge of Chambéry is Les Charmettes the house where the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived with his mentor and lover It’s an unpretentious twostorey stone building dignified by a pagodalike roof and tendrils of winter jasmine that curl luxuriantly around the window shutters The grounds include a compact but idyllic formal garden with marvellous views of the Alps – no wonder they adored it Rousseau never lost sight of Madame de Warens’ importance to him He wrote of the years they spent at Les Charmettes as the happiest of his life Céline and I were the only visitors in the house but we were accompanied by a guide who managed to sum up the messy combination of sex religion and only partially compatible personalities that defined the RousseauWarens relationship with sympathy and tact when she observed: “He was a terrible drama queen – but had a tragic childhood Lake Annecy in Talloires at dawnMathieu Richer MamousseThe house’s sparsely furnished rooms echo the passions of its former inhabitants Knowing a little about the couple no doubt helps but I couldn’t help thinking that even those who’d never heard of Rousseau or Madame de Warens might nevertheless become aware of and moved by those currents of deep feeling silent majesty it was as representative of the splendour of the region as Mont Blanc itself is the smallest of the four Savoyard lakes fringed with reeds and practically walled in along its eastern shore by a sheer ridge Aiguebelette has none of the scale and opulence of Lake Geneva the raffish glamour of Bourget or the castleadjacent grandeur of Annecy its shores dotted with weatherworn boathouse the image that lingers most vividly in my mind’s eye glimpsed from the car park of a modest hotel where Céline and I had lunch on my last afternoon in Savoy forested hillside were mirrored in the emerald-bright surface of the water: one unimprovably beautiful image of nature superimposed upon another View of Lake Annecy from Abbaye de Talloires hotelMathieu Richer MamousseThe best hotels in SavoyHôtel RoyalFew grand hotels lord it over a town quite like the Hôtel Royal located on 47 wooded acres directly above Evian-les-Bains You can imagine it sliding down the hillside into Lake Geneva with a great whoosh and splash – cue wild cheers and the popping of champagne corks – before steaming off into the sunset A more modest alternative is Villa Cécile in the nearby village of Yvoire a place of exceptional quaintness with one of the loveliest gardens not only in Savoy but in all of France: Le Jardin des Cinq Sens Lake Annecy seen from Auberge du Père BiseMathieu Richer MamousseAbbaye de Talloires and Auberge du Père BiseTiny Talloires has not one but two world-famous hotels: former monastery Abbaye de Talloires and beloved of Brigitte Bardot and Jean-Paul Sartre (presumably not simultaneously) Abbaye de Talloires: doubles from about £125 Auberge du Père Bise: doubles from about £250 was the home of one of Aix’s most influential belle époque figures It’s been impeccably converted into a small hotel of immense charm with what must be the best croquet lawn in the region Contemporary minimalist boutique chic has arrived in the old town of Chambéry in the moody monochromatic form of Petit Hôtel Confidentiel candyfloss at Lake AnnecyMathieu Richer MamousseWhere to eat in SavoyLa VerniazOn a warm afternoon in Evian-les-Bains there is no more agreeable setting for lunch than the leafy courtyard of La Verniaz Address: 1404 Avenue du Léman – Neuvecelle 74500 Evian-les-BainsWebsite: verniaz.com Bedroom at Château BrachetMathieu Richer MamousseAbbaye / AubergeAbbaye de Talloires and Auberge du Père Bise are not only brilliant places to stay in Talloires but also have brilliant restaurants not so much for its two Michelin stars as for its unbuttoned elegance its position on the water and the lightness of touch coming from proprietors Jean and Magali Sulpice who previously ran the game-changing Restaurant Jean Sulpice at 7,545 feet in Val Thorens Mathieu Richer MamousseFolieThe most impressively experimental cooking I encountered on my trip was at Folie in Chambéry Chef Shasitharan Manogeran applies his Malaysian sensibility – along with a great deal of papaya ginger and lemongrass – to Savoyard classics Address: Restaurant Folie, 23 rue Bonivard, 73000 Chambéry, SavoieWebsite: restaurant-folie.com La Villa Ginette became an instant favourite thanks to the knockout view from its car park Address: HR64+2Q, 73610 Aiguebelette-le-LacWebsite: villa-ginette.fr including Lake Annecy (Credit: Getty Images)Italy's northern lakes like Como Garda and Maggiore may shine on social media equally picturesque but with an understated elegance offer a refreshing – and less crowded – alternative When my sister suggested Lake Como for a 40th birthday trip together the photos on social media of shimmering waters glamorous villas and lakeside espressos are seductive but the volume of these images also belies an unfortunate reality: Italy's northern lakes are inundated with tourists where could we go in Europe to experience the same charm minus the cafe queues and lakefront crowds But what brings this region even closer to my sister's Italian lake fantasy is that Annecy isn't the only body of water around the Alps have birthed four sparkling lakes – Leman Aiguebelette – each with enchanting towns and trails dotting the perimeter I knew I was on to something but would need to speak to locals to know for sure "I love swimming in these lakes. I think swimming in that mountain water is absolutely spectacular," said Richard Hoskisson on the phone, sending me into a reverie of floating under a bright summer sun, deeply inhaling that clean mountain air. Hoskisson is a travel expert living in the south of France who frequently visits his sister on Lake Leman Annecy's neighbour to the north (known to the Swiss as Lake Geneva) "The water is just this blue that I haven't seen in Como or Garda It's just wonderful to swim in." Speaking to Hoskisson and others convinced me to expand our trip beyond Annecy to include Leman and Bourget The easiest point of entry to the region is Switzerland's Geneva International Airport and crossing the checkpoints at the border is fuss-free "When you are crossing the borders between Switzerland and France there are [usually] no checks," Hoskisson explained "You basically just drive along the road and all of a sudden you're in another country." which opened in 1902 as a spa and now serves as an exhibition and cultural centre with a major historical archive Michelin-starred restaurant housed in a charming 17th Century mill amid pine-forested peaks chef Frédéric Molina and his wife Irene Gordejuela serve up some seriously authentic regional flavours derived from a deep commitment to hyper-local sourcing – think pasta with fresh goat cheese fish sourced straight from Leman and a wild strawberry dessert longing look over Leman as my sister and I mapped our route ahead a lookalike of Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel "We call this region 'the Riviera of the Alps' because the definition of a riviera is a mountain that falls into water as is the case on the Italian Riviera," said Lorène Belotti • A French culinary icon's guide to Paris' restaurants • A new chance to hike Europe's ancient salt route • California's spectacular alternative to Yosemite Belotti recommends something called "packrafting" to explore Bourget "It's an inflatable kayak that fits into a backpack so you can mix hiking on the wild coast of the lake and kayaking on the water after enjoying a picnic in a cove… a dream!" These lakes share similarities with Lake Como or Lake Maggiore but [they have] a more sporty and active dimension – Carole Cailloux"What I love the most (about this region) is you can be as active as you want," added Mohd even paragliding – or simply relax and stroll the small towns." It's a sentiment also shared by Cailloux "These lakes share similarities with Lake Como or Lake Maggiore but [they have] a more sporty and active dimension," she said it's this combination of natural beauty and opportunities for adventure that makes Cailloux fall in love with the region every day Perhaps it's their proximity to the major fashion metropolis of Milan but there is something inherently showy about the Italian lakes as if they were destined for the Instagram spotlight Annecy and Bourget through the eyes of locals conveyed the same understated elegance that the French are so famous for They're the lower-maintenance complement to Italy's flashy opulence my sister and I are packing our bags for eastern France where else in this world have we overlooked in favour of the overly documented destinations in our feeds If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. 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Invented to satiate pregnancy cravings, Dubai chocolate is a rare combination of creativity, flavours and social media success that has broken all industry records. PLASA Media Limited is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 4111709 - VAT Number GB 762 5913 14PLASA Media Ltd Following a eventful start of the France Poker Series (FPS) Main Event (hosted by PokerStars) yesterday a fresh wave of players will return to the Casino Grand Cercle in Aix-les-Bains for Day 1b just 31 players managed to find a bag into Day 2 Kevin Hasler of Switzerland bagged up the biggest stack after running his initial 30,000 up to 240,000 He was one of only three players who ended with more than 200k with the others being Damien Noraz (236,000) and Kevin Naegelen (207,000) Other notables who made it through to Day 2 include former League of Legends streamer Julien Dupre (178,000) and PokerStars ambassador Benjamin Bruneteaux (163,000) who primarily serves as a French commentator for various poker events managed to bag up a top-ten stack and will be surely be looking to make the final table and have someone commentate on him instead of the other way around players in Day 1b will begin with 30,000 in chips with blind levels starting at 100/100 with a 100 big-blind ante A total of 14 levels will be played and short breaks will take place after every three levels A 70-minute dinner break will take place at 7 p.m Any player who participated in Day 1a will be allowed a single (re)entry into Day 1b Players who did not participate in Day 1a will be allowed two entries into Day 1b (one initial entry and one reentry) Should a player exhaust their reentries today they will be allowed one additional reentry into Day 1c and Day 1d so plenty of opportunities to make a deep run remain Be sure to follow PokerNews for ongoing coverage of the FPS Aix-les-Bains Main Event as plenty of poker action is still yet to come here inside the Casino Grand Cercle All is suggestive of a battery of recent treatments given a slightly enigmatic look in her eyes of which the creature lolling on the cover of Bazaar magazine's Spa Guide 2007 represents some kind of princess It seems a luxury holiday is no longer complete without a spa component Yet I wanted to seek out a different kind of spa: a practical spa the kind of place spas were before they became temples to narcissism I found two in the country you might least expect given the power there of the cult of beauty: France the ancient Savoie thermal resorts of Brides-les-Bains and Aix-les-Bains but in France they do at least prescribe spas reimburse its citizens for three weeks of therapeutic spa treatment annually Different maladies are treated at different spas around the country according to the specific qualities of their thermal waters Go to the doctor with the evident symptoms of obesity and you may leave with a prescription for a course of treatment with the diuretic liquid that gushes from the ground at Brides-les-Bains Nonetheless spa treatments are losing favour with French doctors as they switch to the more common western approach of ladling out pills The spa centres have fought back with the concept of bien-être These general “wellbeing” programmes retain a no-nonsense clinical quality to scourge the pampering treatments on the rise in the rest of the spa world that the brochures for the Brides-les-Bains spa were heavy with beaming nor that they emphasised the efficacy of the waters in treating that questionable affliction but I had acquired a belt of post-Christmas fat and I was happy to sign up for my own battery of treatments in the hope of some non-specific benefits Modelage sous affusion - a “remodelling massage” with anti-cellulite circulatory and relaxing properties - was the first item on the prescription-like document handed to me on checking into the spa After pulling the privacy curtain behind her my white-uniformed masseuse directed me to lie face down on a concave slab of marble covered with drainage holes Suspended above me was a branching horizontal pole from which tepid thermal water began to dribble and was moved over various parts of my body as the masseuse rubbed me down with oil: touch and the warm subterranean fluid are meant to have a powerful combinatory action was another weapon in the anti-obesity armoury cream bowl shot through with jet-holes and with a beeping console at its prow - hovered in appearance between the plaything of a rich pervert and something your grandmother might use My last treatment for the day was more familiar: a soft Swedish massage with an unexpected but entirely appropriate slant in the form of a blind masseuse Brides-les-Bains is not all about maladies and self-improvement Not only can you ski in the surrounding terrain of the Trois Vallées – the largest skiable area in the world – and sink afterwards into the thermal waters Both Brides and Aix-les-Bains have introduced something called a “diète légère” The proper way to enjoy these spas is with Savoyard cuisine It consists largely of cheese – fat wheels of raclette and reblochon for example – transformed into various delicious fondues You wash it down with the easy local wines and then have it pummelled out of you later There is something about being sprayed with a firehose by a well-groomed Frenchwoman in uniform that gets the mind racing the douche au jet (essentially what they used to do to Chilean leftists but supposedly good for you) it occurred to me that the spa world was undergoing a new belle époque Brides-les-Bains was one stop for itinerant aristocrats in the 19th century but to experience the relics of that period in all their drained glory you really have to go to Aix-les-Bains and its sulphurous thermal waters have drawn crowds The English leisure class flocked here in their thousands in the 19th century to “take the waters” Palatial art nouveau hotels sprang up to cater for this rich and feckless foreign clientele But the aquatic rich moved on after the second world war to bathe and gamble in Cannes and Monte Carlo and in their place came the elderly French descended upon Aix-les-Bains seeking treatment for their rheumatism and arthritis conditions for which the town’s malodorous waters are particularly suited Aix is seeking to exploit its liquid asset anew in the nebulous form of bien-être My spa advisers in the town were particularly keen for me to try “le spa-jet”: a pod within which you are mechanically sprayed from every direction to the accompaniment of an inbuilt son-et-lumière show and one that the woman who was simultaneously massaging my face - who had a hacking cough and neglected to secure a part of the machinery that crashed within an inch of my nose - did not help me acquire Aix is modestly famous for another machine the patented Berthollaix: a kind of cauldron into which you stick any ailing body parts to be pleasantly steamed But it is the magnificent new government spa building that should cause the most pride It is the most modern in France and is worth seeing as a wonder of the welfare state alone it strikes just the right note of austere healthiness It has a big pool of thermal water for you to gambol in and there’s a complex for treatments such as a thermo-vegetal-mineral mud application and the “Aix special” a vigorous manipulation under a downpour of the local balm followed by another going-over with a firehose with a shaven head and dressed in a tight-fitting white cap and full-length smock I have barely probed in this account into the efficacy of the thermal treatments apart from the hazy relaxation they engender that my ribbon of festive fat had melted away I had done nothing so obvious as exercise on my petit tour but had been endlessly stroked Brides-les-bains.com has full details of spa and ski-and-spa packages Brides-les-Bains is accessible from Geneva, Lyon/St-Exupéry and Grenoble airports. BA, EasyJet, Ryanair, Bmi and Flybe among the carriers. If taking the Eurostar, transfer in Paris to the TGV to Môtiers. There are shuttle buses to the town from St-Exupéry, Grenoble and Môtiers. For the road routes see brides-les-bains.com The village has accommodation from two to four stars. The two-star Athena hotel (see website for directions; +33 4 79 55 31 01; info@hotel-athena-brides.com) has doubles from €43 (£29). The three-star Grand Hôtel des Thermes (Parc Thermal; +33 4 79 55 38 38; info@gdhotel-brides.com) has doubles from €115 (£78) Aix-les-Bains.com has more details on the thermal resorts in the town. For more details (in French) on the modern state spa, Chevalley, see thermaix.com. The spa-jet treatment is available at the Villa Marlioz (Avenue de Marlioz Aix-les-Bains is accessible from Chambery/Aix-les-Bains The town has a wide range of accommodation from one to four stars. The three-star Hôtel Le Manoir (37 rue Georges 1er; +33 4 79 61 44 00; hotel-le-manoir@wanadoo.fr) has rooms from €86 (£58) but people in France really love to play poker people from all around the world love to visit France to play poker The record-breaking France Poker Series (FPS) fields we saw in 2023 and again this week (Feb 14-19) at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile have confirmed that If you’re one of them – or you think you would be if you ever got the chance – here’s some good news The FPS schedule for 2024 was announced today, boasting big guarantees the FPS is the ideal tour for players — particularly those in the UK — looking for a short poker getaway Each stop on the FPS has a €1,100 buy-in Main Event and a €2,200 buy-in High Roller but if those amounts are too big for your bankroll Online satellites for all France Poker Series 2023 festivals will run on the PokerStars.COM, .FR and .ES clients in the lead-up to the event, with both seat-only packages (valued at €1,100) and seat + expenses packages (valued at €1,500) up for grabs Click here for more details on the France Poker Series 2024. 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Use our online tools and play responsibly Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off with views of a vast lake and towering mountains the thudding sounds of a distant band in the background feels a long way from the mud and wellies of Glastonbury or the vast semi-urban sprawl of Reading which takes place every summer on the shores of Lac du Bourget on the edge of Aix-les-Bains in the foothills of the French Alps It may not be the most famous event on France's young music festival scene but its stunning natural setting does give it a certain je ne sais quoi Most British visitors to this corner of the French Alps when they flock to the resorts of Courchevel Méribel and Morzine for skiing and snowboarding –though in summer the craggy landscapes are a paradise for outdoorsy types Musilac first arrived in the pretty town of Aix-les-Bains – all pastel-coloured villas with a lineup of largely unknown bands and around 15,000 punters genre-crossing list of artists made it a draw for music fans all over the area supporting the local musicians who continue to play every year They include cute B&Bs and luxury hotels but if you want a party atmosphere the campsites are the places to hit The swelling numbers – up to 75,000 in 2012 – must cause a few headaches for the pompiers in charge of safety particularly given that the site is on the edge of the lake enhanced by the festival's manageable dimensions and the agreeable French attitude to drinking This year's lineup includes the headline-grabbing LA rock band Haim Seasick Steve and Bristol-based Franco-British group François & the Atlas Mountains But Musilac also prides itself on giving a platform to artists from the area: new bands especially are featured at the pre-festival gig the night before, on an open-air stage in the centre of Aix-les-Bains But whoever is on the bill, the organisers know that it doesn't really matter This is one festival where the real draw is the setting • This year's festival (musilac.com) runs from 11-13 July; one-day pass €49.90 three-day pass €119.90 or €134.90 including camping Fly to Geneva or take the train via Paris to Aix-les-Bains (this domestic leg takes about three hours) A stalwart of the French festival scene, with four stages on a peninsula jutting out into the Lac du Malsaucy, near the Swiss and German borders. Relaxed and friendly, despite the large crowd.• 4-6 July, eurockeennes.fr gives visitors a taste of the area's fiercely independent Breton culture France's dedicated metal and hard rock festival, for die-hard rockers only.• 20-22 June, hellfest.fr Ideal for the reluctant camper, this festie at Domaine National de St-Cloud is close to Paris, so you can book a day pass. Watching chic Parisians let their hair down is almost as much fun as listening to the bands.• 22-24 August, rockenseine.com An eclectic mix of theatre, dance, opera and music makes this a family-friendly option - set against the magical backdrop of the medieval turrets of the old town of Carcassonne • 19 June-1 August, festivaldecarcassonne.fr My partner and I recently made our first trip to Paris and stayed Hotel Residence Des Arts for three nights The hotel is located on the left bank one… The 'forgotten' area of France and yet possibly one of the most stunningly beautiful Velo Vercors is a cycling company run by an ex professional British cyclist Roger Dunne and his wife Teresa Harte in the beautiful Vercors region of south… one of the first destinations many will think of is France but the boxer you are looking for has not been found Please click here for go to WBA champions page In a night of mixed emotions at the ANB Arena.. Usage of Content Confidentiality Clause The France Poker Series (FPS) Aix-les-Bains €1,100 Main Event hosted by PokerStars got off to a commendable start after drawing 135 entrants on Day 1a which was just shy of the 143 entrants that showed up on Day 1a last year here inside the Casino Grand Cercle Kevin Hasler emerged as the overall leader of the 31 remaining players after bagging 240,000 in chips and rounding out the top three is Kevin Naegelen who ended with the only other player over 200k with 207,000 Despite busting one bullet and being down to half a starting stack late in the day Dupre managed to mount a comeback and ended with 178,000 — good for the seventh spot overall PokerStars ambassadors Benjamin Bruneteaux and Julien Brecard took their seats at the start of the day in hopes of running up a stack While Brecard ended up busting two bullets before dinner break Bruneteaux fared better and managed to bag up a respectable 163,000 by the day's end Defending champion Alban Juen participated in various side events earlier in the week Juen indicated he would not be participating in the main event due to prior engagements which means a new champion will be crowned Remy Murcia, who made the final table and placed sixth of an FPS earlier this year at PokerStars EPT Monte Carlo is poised to make another deep run after bagging 177,000 Other less fortunate notables who were unable to make Day 2 include Felix Schneiders, Lylian Baunez, Ali Boulacel, Youcef Benzerfa, and Coralie Sferrazza, who busted late in the day in dramatic fashion after shoving preflop and getting called by Murcia, who caught a winning pair on the river local time and will follow an identical structure and schedule as Day 1a Players who entered and busted on Day 1a will be allowed one (re)entry on Day 1b while all new entrants on Day 1b will be permitted to reenter once should they bust on their first bullet Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action leading to the next FPS Aix-les-Bains Main Event champion You are probably familiar with the routine of France's Mediterranean resorts in July and August There are traffic jams on all the approach roads packed together as tightly as the cars in the equally expensive car parks Mile after mile of coast-road restaurants serve grills of seafood fresh from the freezer and vendors tramp up and down the beach hard-selling tourist tat that this is a particularly bad year for sea urchins/jellyfish/seaweed/sewage Pictured: Talloires and its quayside on Lac d'Annecy what the three lakes of the south-eastern départements of Savoie and Haute-Savoie - Annecy Bourget and little Aiguebelette - offer is beach holidays The nautical-activities brochure put out by Bourget's tourist office runs to 36 pages and takes in everything from fishing to kitesurfing the town of Annecy's lakeside park is occupied mostly by local sunbathers others making the most of a lunch break or an afternoon off As the local tourist-board website so succinctly says of the Saint-Jorioz municipal beach: 'You look for the sand you can dry yourselves.' Talk about cutting to the chase Pictured: Wakeboarding on Lac d'Annecy they are distinguished by colour: Lac de Bourget is the grey one Aiguebelette really is a startlingly acidic shade of blue-green thanks to the estimated 93 species of phytoplankton that photosynthesise just below the surface of the water resembles a stretch of Mediterranean coastline more than a lake Pictured: Running on the shore at Le-Bourget-du-Lac it is easily the best regional base for first-time visitors to the area With its canals and winding medieval streets the old-town district is touristy in that very laid-back and there are plenty of locals to leaven the mix Annecy belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia (previously the Duchy of Savoy) until 1860 and its Italianate past is still evident in a certain dolce vita charm; the link is also celebrated annually at the beginning of October with a week-long Italian Film Festival with the Palais de I'Isle in foreground and Saint François church opposite put it on the bus that climbs from the town centre to the highest point of the Semnoz massif occasionally passing a serious cyclist on his or her way up Pictured: the blue waters of Lac d'Annecy and the peaks of Les Dents de Lanfon beyond ailing Cézanne was sent to Talloires for its mountain air in the summer of 1896 He found the resort and the lake too cloyingly picturesque complaining that it lent itself to 'the drawing exercises of young English misses' He managed to fix the problem by painting a mysterious even menacing lake view - now at the Courtauld Gallery in London - which for art critic Brian Sewell 'bears so little resemblance to reality' that he suspects it may have been 'freely remembered and reconstructed in the studio' on location: I can see grumpy old Cézanne with his easel set up by the shore hitting English misses with every jab of the brush Only since the early 19th century has Talloires been a summer haunt of the rich and famous by far the Lac de Bourget's largest town can date its fame as a restorative resort back to Roman times and beyond But it was the Savoy dynasty that began Aix's transformation into one of France's most elegant thermal resorts channelled into scalding showers or carried to hotel rooms and villas by processions of servants Pictured: Boating near Saint-Jorioz on Lac d-Annecy making the fortune of hotelier Jean-Marie Bernascon who had begun his career as a Rhône boatman He wasn't the only self-made man in this boom town: modest pharmacologist Jean Faure made a fortune out of the Bonjean Elixir ('highly recommended for all ailments') and spent much of it on an art collection which can be admired in Aix's Musée Faure Above the charmingly unassuming town of Le-Bourget-du- Lac are two of the region's best restaurants; and the road that climbs on a series of hairpins past neat Savoyard farms walled by woodpiles and on through forests towards the Mont du Chat and take the footpath that leads in an easy 25 minutes to the belvedere of Molard Noir You're right on the western edge of the Alps here laid down between rock walls like a watery landing strip; to the east is a vista of peaks Pictured: View of Lac d'Annecy from a paraglider above Col de la Forclaz It is the smallest and the most private of the lakes - literally private Managed and run by the five villages that lie on its shore it is officially owned jointly by French electricity company EDF and the Chambost de Lépin family whose unadorned 18th-century chateau dominates Lépin-le-Lac Although the A43 Chambéry-Lyon motorway (which burrows under L'Epine) has brought the green lake within easy reach of city day-trippers Of the three Savoie lakes this is the best of all for swimmers especially en famille: the shores are gently sloping and the temperature of the water can reach a very pleasant 28˚C The well-regulated beaches and campsites which dot the shore don't dispel the air of rural seclusion which is helped by a ban on motorcraft of any kind (though you can row or pedalo to your heart's content) As soon as you venture inland from the lakeside villages of Saint-Alban-de-Montbel you're immersed in cool and shady chestnut woods Pretty little Aiguebelette - with its beaches, its reed-beds and its neat, eco-friendly éspaces poubelles (rubbish collection points) - is about as far as you can get from the stress of a high-season Mediterranean beach holiday. Continued Pictured: Picnicking at Lac d'Aiguebelette The swankiest place in town is L'Impérial Palace on Allée de l'Impérial (00 33 4 50 09 3000; www.hotel-imperial-palace.com; doubles from €200) But individual guests are likely to be outnumbered by conference delegates and those trying their luck at the in-house casino; and although the lake view and surrounding gardens are lovely the hotel is a bit cut off from the buzz of the centre If all you're looking for is a clean, comfortable central perch with friendly service and a solid breakfast, the Hôtel du Nord at 24 rue Sommeiller (00 334 50 45 08 78; www.annecy-hotel-du-nord.com; doubles from €59) will do nicely In Talloires, the lake's high-end resort, L'Auberge du Père Bise on Route du Port (0033 4 50 60 72 01; www.perebise.com; doubles from €240) is the celebrity choice although its plush rooms are luxurious without being particularly original Set just back from the harbourside road, L'Abbaye on Chemin des Moines (00 33 4 50 60 77 33; www.abbaye-talloires.com; doubles from €175) is a characterful hotel that was once a Benedictine abbey but has been a hotel long enough to have hosted Cézanne and Mark Twain and guests range from cultured old ladies to young water-skiers who pad through its august corridors dressed in nothing but damp Bermudas Pictured: Room at L'Abbaye hotel in Talloires WHERE TO STAY Dominated by the thermal conurbation of Aix-les-Bains, the eastern shore of Bourget has some nice enough family-oriented lakeside hotels. But it's the south-western corner of the lake that has the cachet, and the stand-out rooms. The pick of the luxury bunch is the Relais & Châteaux property Hôtel Ombremont (00 33 04 79 2500 23; www.hotel-ombremont.com; doubles from €140) with its reassuringly plush and comfortable five-star rooms Although it is a restaurant with rooms rather than a hotel, my two nights at Atmosphères, 618 route des Tournelles (00 33 4 79 25 01 29; www.atmospheres-hotel.com; doubles from €120) were very enjoyable - and I was in the only one of the four spacious and relaxed And while lunch and dinner are the main draws In Aix-les-Bains, few of the cheaper hotels can be recommended, except for Le Manoir at 37 Rue Georges 1er (00 33 04 79 61 44 00; www.hotel-lemanoir.com; doubles from €99) high above town in what was once an outbuilding of the former Splendide and Royal hotels with its pretty gardens and huge Moorish-style indoor pool; and although some of the 73 rooms are on the small side Pictured: On the Canal de Saviere off Lac du Bourget WHERE TO STAY For rural charm and seclusion, one of the prettiest places in the three lakes area must be La Bageatière (00 334 79 65 95 61; www.labageatiere.com; doubles from €78) a B&B in a Savoyard farmhouse just above the lakeside village of Lépin-le-Lac which looks directly onto the well-tended garden A couple of miles south-west of the lake, La Bridoire is a sleepy village with an excellent budget hotel in Au Petit Prince on Place de l'Eglise (00 33 4 76 07 25 60; www.aupetit prince.net; doubles from €75) and full of good ideas for excursions in the area; the three rooms - inspired by the works of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry author of The Little Prince - are simple but chic; and the homemade jam and freshly baked croissants served for breakfast in the back garden make for a great start to the day Pictured: Pedalos on the shore at the village of Aiguebelette-le-lac LAC D'ANNECY There's one place on Lac d'Annecy that anyone with even a passing interest in the preparation and consumption of food should not miss. (Not the famous Maison de Marc Veyrat - following a bad skiing accident, Veyrat hung up his hat.) Now, the culinary imperative is Clos des Sens at 13 rue Jean Mermoz (00 33 4 50 23 07 90; www.closdessens.com) in Annecy-le-Vieux site of the city's original Roman settlement and now a leafy suburb that feels like the Hampstead of Annecy Laurent Petit's cuisine is radical and showy not to mention the realms of what actually tastes good looked like an abstract painting by an artist with a penchant for the colour green; it was one of the best salads I have ever eaten was a dessert: papier de sucre et citron Kalamansi a 'cellophane' bubble (actually made of pure sugar) with a fluffy lemon sorbet inside It's not just the food that's good here centred upon rusted metal fixtures and installations made by a local artisan and it's not prohibitively expensive: allow €80 a head à la carte without wine less if you opt for one of the taster menus such as the €48 The other great Lac d'Annecy meal of my visit was at Le Confidentiel (0033 4 50 44 00 68) a tiny restaurant that only opened in June 2010 at 24 route des Moulins in the village of Menthon St-Bernard and the interiors are pleasant but unexceptional; but the food - creative regional cooking by a chef who spent five years in the kitchens of Clos des Sens - is fantastic A starter and a main will set you back €23; go the whole hog and order three courses and you'll pay the royal sum of €30 The grande dame of the handful of upmarket restaurants in Talloires is L'Auberge du Père Bise (see Where to stay above; prix fixe from €76 per person; à la carte about €125 per person without wine) I never did work out whether it was Cate Blanchett who was dining with friends at a frustrating distance from my alfresco table for one; perhaps I was just influenced by the surroundings This is the sort of place where guests arrive by private motor launch - and the lakeshore setting is ravishing I found the old-school cuisinetrès correcte(by which the French mean dull) and the atmosphere rathersnob Back in Annecy, Contresens at 10 rue de la Poste (00 33 4 50 51 22 10; prix fixe from €19) is a good-value informal café-restaurant just a couple of blocks north of the old town. And if you're exploring the southern reaches of the lake, you could do worse than drop in for lunch or dinner at Chez Ma Cousinein Doussard (00 33 4 50 32 38 83; www.chezmacousine.fr; prix fixe from €29) It's a bright and lively place with waterside tables fusion-tinged Savoyard dishes and a buzzy aperitif scene LAC DU BOURGET Bourget's gastronomic capital is the unassuming little town of Le Bourget-du-Lac in the lake's south-western corner. Just back from the lakeside beach, La Grange à Sel (00 33 4 79 25 02 66; www.lagrangeasel.com; set menus from €38 à la carte about €64 per person without wine) offers a pretty garden and regional gourmet cuisine that is competent but perhaps a little too fussy; on the slope above the lakeside hamlet of Bourdeau Le Bateau Ivre in the Ombremont hotel is a traditional cordon bleu temple with prices to match (about €111 per person without wine) better-value Le Bourget restaurants that impressed me in a semi-rural hillside position north of town with views across the lake to the great massif of Mont Revard which flares up crimson in the setting sun It's a good backdrop for Alain Perillat-Mercerot's inventive cuisine based on local ingredients so obsessively sourced that the menu even tells you who caught the fish: my lavaret cooked at low temperature and accompanied by a celery vinaigrette and Noiray mushrooms the decor of the restful minimalist variety and the prices reasonable for a Michelin-starred restaurant especially if you opt for one of the prix-fixe menus The other Bourget highlight was the Auberge Lamartine on Route du Tunnel du Chat (00 33 4 79 25 01 03; www.lamartine-marin.com) but an amuse-bouche of truffle-infused potato foam with a single steamed asparagus by its side was just perfect; and the rest of my lunch was equally good The €27 lunch menu (Tues/Thurs/Fri only) is excellent value but so is the four-course 'Menu Enchanteur' at €44 For an entirely different view, keep going through the Tunnel du Chat and turn right at Yenne for the village of Jongieux, where the Auberge Les Morainières on Route de Marétel (00 33 4 79 44 09 39; www.les-morainieres.com; prix fixe from €28; à la carte about €78 per person without wine) looks over vineyards to the high Rhône valley Chef Michael Arnoult does a contemporary gourmet version of traditional Savoyard country cooking and lunch on the veranda or inside the tastefully revamped stone wine cellar is a delight LAC D'AIGUEBELETTE Pretty Aiguebelette demands a picnic with a bottle of local Roussette de Savoie wine and a hunk of sapid local Beaufort or Reblochon cheese; but if you need something more than déjeuner sur l'herbe there are some serviceable lakeside restaurants mostly with virtually identical menus listing fera (a trout-like freshwater fish) and lavaret (another trout-like freshwater fish) Perhaps the best is Chez Michelon at La Combe (00 33 4 79 36 05 02; www.chez-michelon.fr; about €38 per person without wine) which stands alone on a small rise on the wilder Don't be deceived by the rustic ambience or the rather gruff Savoyard welcome: a starter such as roasted scallops served with a 'cappuccino' of Jerusalem artichokes shows that the chef has aspirations though luckily he can still grill a fish and make a decent salad the four- course menu du marché is great value Pictured: Auberge Les Morinieres in Jongieux BY CAR Driving from Calais to Annecy takes the best part of a day; the quickest route is via Rheims BY TRAIN Annecy and Aix-les-Bains are on the TGV network. The direct service from Paris Gare de Lyon to Annecy takes three hours 40 minutes; for details and bookings see www.tgv-europe.com/en Published in Condé* Nast Traveller September 2011* The second and third place horses are trained by David Alexandre by Thomas H. Hicks Harnesslink.com is the only harness racing website dedicated to covering news and events in the Standardbred Industry world-wide © 2024 Harnesslink | All Rights Reserved | NV © 2024 Harnesslink | All Rights Reserved | NV From roadside picnics to Michelin-star restaurants, the former editor of France magazine picks her most memorable foodie momentsMy favourite places to visit in France The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Standout moments from nearly 20 years of writing about travelling and eating around France include meals in legendary restaurants and the joy of a shared dinner at a chambre d’hôtes there’s a venue that can’t be underestimated as an opportunity to enjoy France’s culinary delights: the car boot picnic The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Standing under the shade of an open car boot I have discovered some products so delicious they didn’t make it as far as a gîte kitchen or dining table It might have been a chunk of comté so fruity it didn’t get beyond the car park on market day There was the punnet of gariguette strawberries bought from a farm in Brittany’s Plougastel-Daoulas My family and I each took a bite and stared unbelievingly at each other – the sweetness was off the scale “Have they dipped them in sugar water?” asked my husband “I think this is what strawberries are supposed to taste like,” I replied We scoffed the rest in the queue for the ferry at Roscoff Strawberries from Plougastel-Daoulas, near Brest. Photograph: Hemis/AlamyThen there were the jars of Chantilly cream. In the town famous for the crème de la crème (and lace and horse-racing), we did a workshop at the Atelier de la Chantilly learning how to make the perfect batch by hand from Bernard a member of the Brotherhood of Chantilly Cream Whippers safely stored in the car’s plug-in cool box we stopped at an aire (roadside picnic spot) and spooned the cream over bowls of mirabelle plums and raspberries for a decadent picnic as motorhomes and Lycra-clad cyclists whizzed past us on the road Hôtel l’Incomparable in Aix-les-BainsAs we stepped on to the terrace the panoramic view of the lake made my heart soar and soon chef Antoine Cevoz Mamy was treating us to his ingenious twists on dishes made with lake fish such as freshwater lavaret served with a pop of yuzu and slender carrots flavoured with cumin I wasn’t surprised when he gained his first Michelin star a few months later The Michelin Guide with the original purpose of encouraging people to venture further afield in their new motorcars (and wear out the company’s tyres) it has also become a byword for extravagance and high-end dining but there are ways to use the guide on a budget The lesser Bib Gourmand rating system has pointed me towards many an excellent meal and the lunchtime menu du jour offered at one-star establishments can be startlingly good value many multi-star chefs also operate more casual dining establishments that are very affordable a sophisticated brasserie serving modern twists on French classics The fillet of salmon with beurre blanc sauce and chives was sublime was spotting Pierre Troisgros – one of the two brothers who put the restaurant on the map and who died at the age of 92 just a few months later – dining with friends in the corner On the other side of the country, on the Île de Noirmoutier off the Atlantic coast, a meal at La Table d’Elise, Alexandre Couillon’s bistro next door to his three-star restaurant La Marine such as tender asparagus and mussels adorned with stripy beetroot sliced so finely it was transparent showcased the island’s exceptional produce It was a superb introduction to this wonderfully foodie destination: the Atlantic coast island enjoys a microclimate where ozone-infused air and seaweed-fertilised soil and salt pans are a boon for potatoes and other produce Gargantuan custard tarts called flans maraîchins in Noirmoutier Photograph: Trendzromain KersulecA trip to a market on Noirmoutier saw us scooping up boxes of bonnotte potatoes and gargantuan custard tarts called flans maraîchins the evening sun reflecting in the many rectangular pools and slurped oysters just metres from where they were grown – it was my dad’s first platter Sometimes you need a helping hand to discover a city’s food scene, to find the locals’ favourites rather than the tourist traps. In Toulouse, Jessica Hammer’s excellent Taste of Toulouse tour introduced us to the exceptional produce on offer at the Marché Victor Hugo such as top-notch charcuterie and a “Paris-Toulouse” a violet-flavoured riff on the Paris-Brest choux pastry dessert as well as enticing patisseries and a fromagerie nearby featured trips and local tips for your next break as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays In Paris, a cheese tour and tasting with Jennifer Greco from Paris By Mouth spirited us to every region of France through the incredible flavours of her expertly chosen cheeses the oyster-growing racks stretch out towards the horizon for half a mile (at high tide they disappear under the sea) and former oyster farmer Inga Smyczynski revealed the fascinating world of les huîtres: how they’re grown and their history in this area We finished with a platter from the beachside oyster market slurping them back and throwing the shells on to the beach where they help to steady the shifting sands As well as having excellent markets and food shops, the French are experts in celebrating their local specialities, and there are weird and wonderful festivals throughout the year in every corner of the country. In Roscoff, Brittany, a party is thrown in honour of the region’s gently flavoured pink onions each August, La Fête de l’Oignon (24-25 this year) It celebrates the history of the Onion Johnnies the armies of door-to-door onion sellers who toured Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries and gave rise to the Brits’ stereotypical image of the Frenchman: beret The festival is a wonderful glimpse into local traditions fest-noz (a kind of Breton ceilidh) dancing and the delicious speciality galette-saucisse (sausage in a buckwheat pancake with confit onions on top) La Fête de l’Oignon. Photograph: Mauritius Images/AlamyFrench food festivals can be wildly ambitious Take the Fête de l’Omelette Géante in Bessières near Toulouse the Knights of the Global Brotherhood of the Giant Omelette (there are six other such festivals around the world – it’s like a twinning association of giant omelettes) crack 15,000 eggs and make an omelette in a four-metre frying pan to feed 2,000 people The Gapeau valley is perfect for growing figs – locals say the sprawling trees love having their feet in water and their heads in sunshine so the River Gapeau and the Provençal sun do the trick tastings and walks through the fig orchards and the opening night was one hell of a party is served to lines of tables in the fairy-lit village square with candles shining out from the church windows and door The band played and locals danced into the early hours Carolyn Boyd is the author of Amuse Bouche (Profile Books, £18.99), out on 6 June. To pre-order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply This article was amended on 26 March 2024. An earlier version said that Roanne was north-east of Lyon when it is north-west. Vincent Callebaut Architectures has won a competition to redevelop the ancient thermal baths of Aix-les-Bains, France, following three public meetings between the municipal government, the building’s owners and local residents. Dubbed the ‘Foam of Waves’, the winning design brings together solar panels, urban agriculture and public plazas into a carbon-neutral mixed-used development that encourages social interaction at every turn. The buildings’ wavelike white curves give the project its name. Picture: Vincent Callebaut Architectures In addition to a restaurant that opens onto a panoramic terrace and a shopping mall that boasts vertical gardens, the design features numerous co-working spaces, an urban farm capable of producing 20kg of fruits and vegetable per square metre every year, and a public viewing gallery that allows guests to view the site’s ancient Roman remains through a striking glass dome – “framed by bodies of water offering mirrors to the skyline”. According to Vincent Callebaut Architectures, these spaces are positioned in a way that maximises interaction between residents and visitors. “The Metamorphosed National Baths will be a hymn to hospitality where housing becomes a place of conviviality and meeting in the heart of gardens suspended in the sky; where tourism ceases to be synonymous with anonymity; where the traveler meets inhabitants, companies, entrepreneurs and associations of Aix-les-Bains and Savoie,” the firm says on its website. Typifying the project’s commitment to public space, a central glass dome will double as a viewing gallery for the site’s historic Roman remains. Picture: Vincent Callebaut Architectures The verdant wavelike structure also includes 185 apartments – each of which will be surrounded by “edible sky-gardens” that can be cultivated by residents – and a wellness centre that tips its hat to the site’s past life as a playground for the European elite. Solar panels and recycled organic waste will power the development – which will be orientated in a way that dramatically reduces its overall energy requirements – a geothermal heating system will draw from the pre-existing thermal hot spring, and rainwater will be recycled for non-sanitary uses, phyto-purification, and infiltration lagoons. The project is scheduled for completion in 2023. The mixed-use development will include 185 “sky villas”, a quarter of which have been earmarked for social housing. Picture: Vincent Callebaut Architectures realcommercial.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. Vincent Callebaut Architectures has won a competition to redevelop the ancient thermal baths of Aix-les-Bains following three public meetings between the municipal government the building’s owners and local residents the winning design brings together solar panels urban agriculture and public plazas into a carbon-neutral mixed-used development that encourages social interaction at every turn The buildings’ wavelike white curves give the project its name In addition to a restaurant that opens onto a panoramic terrace and a shopping mall that boasts vertical gardens the design features numerous co-working spaces an urban farm capable of producing 20kg of fruits and vegetable per square metre every year and a public viewing gallery that allows guests to view the site’s ancient Roman remains through a striking glass dome – “framed by bodies of water offering mirrors to the skyline” According to Vincent Callebaut Architectures these spaces are positioned in a way that maximises interaction between residents and visitors “The Metamorphosed National Baths will be a hymn to hospitality where housing becomes a place of conviviality and meeting in the heart of gardens suspended in the sky; where tourism ceases to be synonymous with anonymity; where the traveler meets inhabitants entrepreneurs and associations of Aix-les-Bains and Savoie,” the firm says on its website Typifying the project’s commitment to public space a central glass dome will double as a viewing gallery for the site’s historic Roman remains The verdant wavelike structure also includes 185 apartments – each of which will be surrounded by “edible sky-gardens” that can be cultivated by residents – and a wellness centre that tips its hat to the site’s past life as a playground for the European elite Solar panels and recycled organic waste will power the development – which will be orientated in a way that dramatically reduces its overall energy requirements – a geothermal heating system will draw from the pre-existing thermal hot spring and rainwater will be recycled for non-sanitary uses The project is scheduled for completion in 2023 The mixed-use development will include 185 “sky villas” a quarter of which have been earmarked for social housing This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden For the latest on the Alps road closure see our most recent story in the link below UPDATE: Road to French Alps ski resorts 'won't reopen in time for February holidays' Background: Many skiers on their way to Meribel Les Arcs or Val d'Isere spent hours stuck in a monster traffic jam Saturday after three huge rocks fell from a cliff onto the RN90 road near Aigueblanche One person was slightly injured in the accident the day when the vast majority of skiers either arrive or leave their resorts in France motorists spent several hours in a traffic jam of up to 30 kilometres (18 miles) and authorities offered emergency shelter to hundreds of people unable to get to their destinations Some 1,500 people had been accommodated in the cities of Aix-les-Bains and Albertville our driver just dropped us off and refused to take us elsewhere said after spending a chilly night in Albertville's Olympic Hall Authorities warned that traffic was expected to "remain busy" on Sunday but a return to normal traffic conditions is expected to take several days Experts say climate change and warmer temperatures across the Alps are accelerating glacier melt and thawing permafrost the year-round ice that binds together giant slabs of rock This has increased the danger of sudden rockfalls and landslides Please log in to leave a comment It came towards the end of the band's show at the Musilac Music Festival in Aix-Les-Bains Yungblud joined Placebo on stage in France this week on a version of ‘Nancy Boy’ – check out footage from the show below. The band were playing at the Musilac Music Festival in Aix-Les-Bains on Thursday (July 11) when the collaboration took place. “I’ve joined Placebo and I’m not coming home,” Yungblud wrote on X after the show. See footage here: A post shared by OFFICIAL PLACEBO INSTAGRAM. (@placeboworld) ive joined placebo and im not coming home. https://t.co/kygHazQEfl — YUNGBLUD is a lowlife (@yungblud) July 13, 2024 yungblud and placebo together on stage is my roman empire pic.twitter.com/0WVptDRrKD — pandemonium ♱ (@vnssachaos) July 11, 2024 フランスのフェスでPlaceboのステージにYungblud！！！いいな〜。日本にもまた来てくれよモルコ🥲https://t.co/eNgUen9wQ2 pic.twitter.com/rohVi1lI2u — riri (@ririOMY) July 13, 2024 YUNGBLUD e Brian Molko se beijando durante o show do Placebo no Festival Musilac. 💘pic.twitter.com/rrfOwWMO3e — YUNGBLUD Info Brasil (@yungbludinfo) July 13, 2024 The performance came towards the end of Placebo’s set which included hits such as ‘The Bitter End’ ‘Every You Every Me’ and Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ Earlier this month, Placebo spoke out against the people who criticised their recent appearance at St Gallen Festival They have also announced details of a second feature-length documentary, This Search For Meaning The project is an intimate and enlightening portrait of the band which explores both the meaning and subject matter behind their songs while also diving into their evolution as a group and as human beings An exact date has not yet been announced, although the documentary is expected to have a theatrical release in September this year. Sign up here to find out more information about the film as it is shared Yungblud, meanwhile, released his new single ‘Breakdown’ in support of mental health charities last month The musician opened up about his own mental health struggles in the song, and committed donating £1 (up to £25,000) to the charities Mind and Sound Mind Live for every use of the song’s CapCut template The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952 The top three towns in France ranked based on residents’ reviews according to quality of life have been revealed by an online poll We look at the top three and see why they are considered the best places to live by residents The Ville-ideale website draws on 84,610 reviews of over 8,110 towns to determine which towns are the most desirable to live in Residents award their towns marks out of ten in nine categories: Environment The towns that scored the highest overall on average for these nine rankings are: Comments by residents praised Anthony’s high quality of life and its proximity to good transport links including an airport Users commented that it is a beautiful town with all the amenities of a large city Residents say its proximity to Geneva is a major advantage as are its beautiful lakes and mountains and employment opportunities it was criticised for the lack of dynamism outside the peak tourist seasons This town was praised for restricting new buildings to the main roads and keeping the banks of the river Marne in good condition and enjoyed its selection of shops and markets as well as its high-quality education options Yet others criticised its high cost of living The rest of the top 10 towns are Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine) Tenth placed Angers has fared well in several rankings in the past few years, including a new list released by le Journal du Dimanche on January 27 The 500-strong list of the best towns with more than 2,000 residents put the Maine-et-Loire town on the top spot The same ranking put Angers on the top spot in 2022 for towns with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants it put Guéthary (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on top In contrast, another ranking published last week by the website VilledeReve.fr (‘dream town’) - which has a vast database of more than 34,900 towns across France based on a wide range of official statistics on everything from health to leisure facilities to safety - put Villard-de-Lans (Isère) and Guérande (Loire-Atlantique) on the top three spots That ranking particularly rewarded the factors of dynamism The top three in ville-ideale’s rankings for each category are: The five best places to live in France, according to new ranking A regulated tariff exists for electricity but not for gas Find out the current and projected value pension Bob Hope explains his decision to leave a job in the chemicals industry to breathe new life into everyday objects a renowned French professional football coach situated in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes With a deep passion for the beautiful game Renard carved a successful career not only as a football coach but also as a former footballer Renard’s journey in the world of football began on the pitch where he showcased his skills and talent as a player it was as a coach that he truly made his mark Renard emerged as one of the most respected and sought-after football coaches in the industry a renowned figure in the world of football was born on 30th September 1968 in Aix-les-Bains While he had a modest playing career as a defender for French clubs AS Cannes it is his coaching prowess that has brought him international recognition he is currently 54 years old as of the time of this writing Herve Renard Early Life and Playing Career Herve Renard had a passion for football from a young age Renard represented clubs such as AS Cannes and SC Draguignan during his playing career He took his first steps as an assistant coach working alongside renowned coach Claude Le Roy for the Ghana National team This experience provided valuable insights into the intricacies of coaching at the international level Herve Renard Success with the Zambian National Team One of the defining moments in Herve Renard’s coaching career came when he took charge of the Zambian national team Zambia achieved a historic victory in the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) in 2012 This triumph was particularly significant as it was the first major continental title for Zambia Herve Renard Triumph with Cote D’Ivoire Building on his success with the Zambian national team Herve Renard was appointed as the head coach of Cote D’Ivoire 2015 he guided the Ivorian team to another Africa Cup of Nations victory This made Renard the first coach to win the prestigious tournament with two different nations The triumph with Cote D’Ivoire showcased Renard’s tactical acumen and ability to motivate his players to perform at their best on the biggest stage His leadership played a vital role in guiding the team to glory and his achievement further solidified his reputation as one of Africa’s most successful coaches Herve Renard Current Role with Saudi Arabia Herve Renard holds the position of the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team He has been instrumental in shaping the team’s performance and strategy for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar Renard’s coaching acumen was on full display when Saudi Arabia staged a remarkable comeback from a goal down to defeat the solid Argentine team led by the legendary Lionel Messi the Saudi Arabian team has shown great promise and has become a force to be reckoned with in international football His ability to inspire and motivate his players has played a crucial role in the team’s success and their performances in the World Cup have garnered attention and praise from fans and experts alike Renard is in a committed partnership with Vivian Dieye who is the wife of the late coach Bruno Metsu Their relationship has been a source of support and strength for Renard throughout his career Renard is also a proud father of three children He has two daughters named Candide Renard and Audrey Renard His family has been a source of inspiration and motivation for him and their unwavering support has been instrumental in his professional success is a remarkable individual in her own right Born into a family deeply rooted in the world of football Candide has ventured into the world of acting her passion and dedication have led her to pursue a career on the silver screen Candide’s talent and determination shine through in her performances captivating audiences with her range and depth her future in the world of acting looks bright and promising Kevin Renard: Following in His Father’s Footsteps is a young man poised to make his mark in the football world With a father who has achieved great success as a coach Kevin has been exposed to the intricacies of the sport from an early age leading him to dedicate himself to the game Recognition within football circles has come to Kevin because of his skills and he is expected to rise as a star in the coming years plays a significant role in her father’s life offering unwavering encouragement throughout his coaching journey Audrey’s strong bond with her father and her understanding of the game stem from her love even though her pursuits may not be directly linked to football Her support and presence undoubtedly contribute to Herve Renard’s unwavering focus and determination in his coaching endeavors As the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team Herve Renard commands a significant salary He is reported to earn $100,000 per month for his coaching services This substantial remuneration reflects the value placed on his expertise and the impact he has made in the world of football In terms of his overall financial status, Herve Renard has an estimated net worth of $2 million This accumulated wealth is a testament to his successful career as a player and coach Nollywood veteran actor Patrick Doyle 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