OMAHA BEACH, France — The five beaches are silent at dawn but forever haunted. When the sun rises Thursday over the Normandy coastline where thousands of men bled and died 75 years ago, the diminishing number of World War II veterans who know firsthand of the sacrifices that were made to dismantle tyranny will remember D-Day and hope the world never forgets. After Britain's spirited anniversary tribute to the derring-do of the Allied forces that set off from England to defend democracy, the commemoration will be comparatively solemn in France, the country where so many young lives ended in sand and sea on June 6, 1944. Leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada, France — and then-foe and now ally Germany — will once again laud the troops who stormed the fortified Normandy beaches to help turn the tide of the war and give birth to a new Europe, since at peace. A ceremony at daybreak will mark the time when the first troops landed. Remembrances are taking place throughout the day at the military cemeteries where countries buried their fallen citizens. French President Emmanuel Macron and President Donald Trump will look out over Omaha Beach, the scene of the bloodiest fighting, from the cemetery with grave markers for over 9,000 Americans, servicemen who established a blood bond between the United States and its trans-Atlantic allies. "I have all kinds of friends buried," said William Tymchuk, 98, who served with the 4th Canadian Armored Division during some of the deadliest fighting of the brutal campaign after the Normandy landings. "They were young. They got killed. They couldn't come home," Tymchuk, who was back in Normandy, continued. "Sorry," he said, tearing up. "They couldn't even know what life is all about." The biggest-ever air and seaborne invasion took place on D-Day. More than 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches code-named Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats. In that defining moment of military strategy confounded by unpredictable weather and human chaos, soldiers from the United States, Britain, Canada and other Allied nations applied relentless bravery to carve out a beachhead on territory Nazi Germany had occupied for four years. "The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory," Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower predicted in his order of the day. The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, hastened Germany's defeat less than a year later. Still, that single day cost the lives of 4,414 Allied troops, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were injured. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded. From there, Allied troops would advance their fight, take Paris in late summer and march in a race against the Soviets to control as much German territory as possible by the time Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker and Germany surrendered in May 1945. The final battles would divide Europe for decades between the West and the Soviet-controlled East, the face-off line of the Cold War. Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn't among the world leaders who joined Queen Elizabeth II on the south coast of England for Britain's 75th anniversary events honoring the ultimate triumph of D-Day. The guests of honor at Wednesday's international ceremony in Portsmouth were several hundred of them aged 91 to 101 who served in the conflict — and the 93-year-old British monarch, also a member of what has been called the "greatest generation." The queen, who was an army mechanic during World War II, said that when she attended a 60th anniversary commemoration 15 years ago, many thought it might be the last such event. "But the wartime generation — my generation — is resilient," she said, striking an unusually personal note. "The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten," Elizabeth said. "It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country — indeed the whole free world — that I say to you all, thank you." In France, Normandy was awash with ceremonies and reenactments of key moments in the campaign ahead of Thursday's observances. U.S. Army Rangers climbed the jagged limestone cliffs of Normandy's Pointe du Hoc to honor the men who scaled them under fire 75 years earlier. Elsewhere, parachutists jumped from C-47 transporters in WWII colors and other aircraft, aiming for fields of wild flowers on the outskirts of Carentan, one of the early objectives for Allied paratroopers. Among the jumpers was 97-year-old D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97. The American was dropped into Normandy with thousands of other paratroopers in 1944 and recalled it as "the worst jump I ever had." Like many other veterans, Rice said he remains troubled by the war. "We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure," he said. "You can close the issue now." AP journalists John Leicester in Carentan, France; Milos Krivokapic in Pointe du Hoc, France; and Jill Lawless and Gregory Katz in London contributed to this report. Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1171677 A giant figure of European endocrinology has left us emeritus professor at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) His prime interest focused on the pathophysiology of the thyroid gland extended to the wider issues of receptor signal transduction He also had a tremendous understanding of theoretical and systems biology With his ULB team and long-time associate Gilbert Vassart he made major contributions to these fields publishing more than 500 scientific papers Stanbury at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (1958-1959) and a residency in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital St Pierre he obtained in 1965 a Belgian certification in Clinical Biochemistry and a Ph.D degree in Biochemistry from the ULB School of Medicine where he was appointed professor in 1971 he became an established investigator of the Belgian Scientific Research Fund (FNRS) He was visiting professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Jacques was a renowned scientist of many trades teaching and applications of medical research Jacques kept seeing patients in clinical endocrinology throughout his career helping him to make important clinical discoveries: The definition of endemic myxoedematous cretinism and of non-autoimmune hereditary hyperthyroidism as distinct diseases; the identification of somatic gain-of-function mutations of the TSH receptor as a cause of hyperfunctioning thyroid adenoma loss-of-function mutations of this receptor as one cause of congenital hypothyroidism and a mutation altering the recognition specificity of a GPCR in hCG-dependent hyperthyroidism during pregnancy This led to generation of the first transgenic models of thyroid tumorigenesis of diagnostic tools for congenital hypothyroidism due to defects in thyroid-specific genes and of assays for TSH function and for thyroid stimulatory antibodies causing Graves disease Jacques provided the background of these advances The contributions of his team to fundamental research include the identification of cyclic AMP as a mitogenic and tumorigenic agent in some tissues an unexpected property that explains thyroid adenoma and congenital hyperthyroidism; the mechanism of the control of the thyroid gland by iodide; the structure of thyroglobulin; the use of ‘low-stringency’ PCR to clone a number of GPCRs including the TSH receptor; a molecular model of glycoprotein hormone receptors activation and its negative cooperativity; the role of negative feedback suppression in tumorigenesis Jacques was always eager to promote collaboration in medical research in order to both foster scientific progress and muster financial resources One way was to initiate national and international research projects Another was to gather a critical mass of investigators on the Erasmus campus of the ULB hospital in Brussels: he founded the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular (formerly Nuclear) Biology (IRIBHM) in 1968 and was the Institute’s director until 2001 Jacques remained dedicated to his brainchild by maintaining an active presence in his laboratory until the very last year of his life His concern for increasing financial support of young investigators materialized in setting up Pierre Lekeux (University of Liège) and one of us (G.G.R.) the WelBio program (Walloon Excellence in Lifesciences & Biotechnology) in 2009 He founded several start-up companies at a time when this was still considered a departure from standard academic policies Another of his achievements was the organization and presiding of scientific meetings: NATO courses on Cyclic Nucleotides (1974) and on Cell Regulation by Intracellular Signals (1980) the 4th International Conference on Cyclic Nucleotides in Brussels (1980) the 1981 European Thyroid Association (ETA) meeting in Brussels the European Group on Irradiation and Thyroid Diseases (1982 1984) and the 2003 FEBS meeting in Brussels Most prominent was the popular and successful yearly European Symposium on Hormones and Cell Regulation in Mont Sainte Odile (Ottrott Alsace) which Jacques founded in 1976 and presided until his death His aim was to strengthen European scientific relationships and in particular Franco-German reconciliation hence the symbolic choice of the venue on the border between the two former opponents The 46th edition of this symposium will take place on September 6-9 organized by David Carling and Maria Sibilia with Bernard Payrastre now at the helm of the scientific committee An annual Jacques Dumont lecture was established from 2018 and the Jacques Dumont prize will be awarded to a talented young scientist attending the meeting Figure 1 The early days of Jacques' receptor theory Figure 2 Picture of Jacques from Gilbert Vassart Jacques’ enthusiasm and creativity fueled a critical opinion about fashionable mainstream ideas not assessed by rigorous scientific validation an independence that he did not hesitate to display in his academic environment or to express vocally in discussions following presentations at scientific meetings His awards and honors include the Pfizer Prize (1975) the Henning (1989) and Lissitzky (2007) Prizes He was a founding member (1966) and President (1996-1998) of the European Thyroid Association and President of the Belgian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2002-2004) He was a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine since 1992 Jacques is survived by his wife and co-worker Jacqueline Van Sande Written informed consent was obtained from the individual's next of kin for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article All authors listed have made a substantial The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher Citation: Rousseau GG and De Meyts P (2023) In memoriam: Jacques E Received: 22 February 2023; Accepted: 07 March 2023;Published: 16 March 2023 Copyright © 2023 Rousseau and De Meyts. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Pierre De Meyts, cGllcnJlLmRlbWV5dHNAZ21haWwuY29t; Guy G. Rousseau, Z3V5LnJvdXNzZWF1QHVjbG91dmFpbi5iZQ== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish And a favourite from the Village is Restaurant of the Year Quebec’s province-wide culinary awards, Les Lauriers are over for the year, and Colombe St-Pierre, chef-owner of Chez-St-Pierre, in the small town of Bic (near Rimouski) took out the top prize of Chef of the Year. (For the full list of winners, see here.) St Pierre — who has been dubbed “queen of the regions” for championing Québécois produce and putting her hometown on the map as a culinary destination — quite literally tumbled onto the stage performing a somersault as she went to collect her award since this was the inaugural Lauriers ceremony St-Pierre takes the title of the first recipient of the award The prize was voted on in part by a 2,000 member brigade of culinary professionals consisting of Le Devoir critic Jean-Philippe Tastet former Eater Montreal editor Ian Harrison (now at Ricardo magazine) and CBC/Radio-Canada food columnist and host Allison Van Rassel “I’ve been fighting everyday for 15 years just to show how Quebec is wonderful how we’ve got exceptional products,” St-Pierre told Eater after her win “I made the choice to do it close to the product St-Pierre hasn’t failed in the slightest — she’s a veritable success story but she says that operating a restaurant is still a tough business given everything from taxes to credit card and food costs The night’s other big winner was Montreal restaurant Le Mousso, open since 2015 under Antonin Mousseau-Rivard and known for elaborate tasting menus repurposing Québécois produce in artful new ways The chef-owner brought his entire restaurant staff onstage to collect the award And while Mousseau-Rivard was a finalist for Chef of the Year he seemed relieved to have earned the restaurant prize and not the more individual accolade for chefs “It’s the best prize you can ever win,” he told Eater (And no — Mousseau-Rivard didn’t have advance notice about the win; he brought his staff to the ceremony numerous other Montreal restaurants and culinary figures fared well in the prizes (perhaps little surprise given the city’s dominant spot in the province’s food scene) Patrice Demers of Patrice Pâtissier won Pastry Chef of the Year; Alexander Van Huynh of Montréal Plaza won Server of the Year and Vin Papillon chef de cuisine Stéphanie Cardinal claimed the “Revelation” award for young talent Disclosure: former Eater Montreal editor Ian Harrison and occasional Eater contributor Allison Van Rassel were members of the five-person jury that voted on Les Lauriers’ winners The jurors’ identities were not revealed publicly (including to Eater) until the award ceremony The district of Le Bic is about a 20-minute drive from the downtown core of Rimouski the entry point for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec Renowned as one of the most beautiful villages in the province outdoorsy types who paddle sea kayaks in summer and cross-country ski or snowshoe around the Parc national du Bic in winter And it’s a responsibility she’s taken on proudly Chez St-Pierre is a regional restaurant with big city sophistication St-Pierre’s story is worthy of a Hollywood small-town-girl-makes-it-big picture The daughter of nearby Île Bicquette’s lighthouse keeper lived on the island as a young girl until her father’s job was eliminated in 1992 “All of my summers were spent on that island,” she says Her cooking influences are many, but don’t expect this self-taught chef to name any big culinary stars as mentors He started gardening just to show us how we eat When I brought eggs to school to colour them for Easter “People teased me over it because it showed I came from the country.” Pan-fried foie gras on French toast with plum and groundcherry chutney St-Pierre remembers her childhood as a happy one filled with the many characters within her family “My paternal grandmother opened the first French gastronomic restaurant in Rimouski,” she says “Both my grandmothers were strong-willed women at a time that didn’t allow them to be.” and plenty of wild mushrooms like ceps and chanterelles She champions the local organic pork and beef but snow crab is her favourite (“I fight to get it!” she says) as well as the little mackerels from the Gaspésie “You must eat quickly because the flesh is so fragile.” but don’t expect this self-taught chef to name any big culinary stars as mentors having a laugh with her sous-chef while plating the food self-confident woman with a great sense of humour qualities all too rare on the professional cooking scene “I received so much in my life that I felt like cooking was my way of giving back that love to as many people as I could at one time,” says St-Pierre financial need initially drew St-Pierre to the restaurant life she was attending CEGEP in Montreal when she took a dishwashing job at a little bistro called La Marivaude she was given tasks like cleaning vegetables or plating desserts St-Pierre had changed her major three times from science to communications to languages St-Pierre met a young man by the name of Patrick Piuze who opened Le Pinot Noir St-Pierre says she felt like an imposter—until a restaurant reviewer sang her praises More people had confidence in me than I had in myself but it pushed me to read about the history of cooking “It’s not me who decides what to put on the menu it’s the products that do the dictating,” she says St-Pierre also began to travel the world in a “quest for truth in cooking,” which lasted some eight years I wanted to understand how it worked in each place.” “There’s an expression in French: ‘La poule naît au village on la mange en ville’ (the chicken born in the village gets eaten in the city) I knew what was important to me was to revitalize my region My mandate is to live in this region to develop our food heritage Identity has always been a huge issue in Quebec the famous French gourmet [Jean Anthelme] Brillat-Savarin said and I shall tell you what you are.’ That’s the message I try to transmit in my cooking with this magnificent setting all around me.” whose menus feature seasonal ingredients procured by her own personal forager Dining at St-Pierre’s restaurant in this village overlooking the Lower St and islands is a unique experience boosted by sea smells and the cries of seabirds In these environs one is transported far from the busy restaurants of Quebec’s big cities “I work with what my forager brings me,” she says Menu items have included a soufflé of snow crab with crab salad, onion chips and Riopelle cheese mousse, as well as a scallop gravlax “mi-cuit” with wild pepper, clams, and a brandade enhanced with Alfred le Fermier cheese. For dessert—after cheese—how about the wild blueberry tart with basil sprouts, white chocolate and puffed rice tuile St-Pierre’s passion for local ingredients makes her menu hyperseasonal No doubt there are challenges to cooking in such an off-the-beaten-track destination St-Pierre closes her restaurant from January to April and lunch service stopped several years ago St-Pierre has also curtailed her media activities to focus on the restaurant As for her take on the endless questions regarding female chefs Professions like this one are more natural for a man the challenge is to stay in the profession St-Pierre was the only Canadian chef invited to participate in the Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle, in which the world’s top chefs cook in each other’s kitchens, and she has also attended the Parabere Forum an independent international platform featuring women’s views and voices on major food issues because products like that will disappear from our table That’s where we are in Quebec—you do what you can with what you have.” When asked how she would like Québécois cuisine—her cuisine—to be viewed in the increasingly international restaurant landscape “What is the best way to present ourselves Québécois cuisine must be in our image and what we are is bon vivant the polar opposite of Michelin-style cooking That is the beauty of this part of the world the meals that mark us the most are the meals that are the most authentic.” Food and restaurant photos provided by Chez St-Pierre Never miss a story. Sign up for NUVO’s weekly newsletter here Martin Picard’s “Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack” You are using an outdated browser. Upgrade your browser today or install Google Chrome Frame to better experience this site Welcome to the Nashville Predators All-Time 25 in 25. In this series, we at The Hockey Writers will unveil our top 25 players in franchise history in honor of the organization’s 25th anniversary. Starting Sept. 18, we will unveil a new player every day until the Predators’ home opener at Bridgestone Arena on Oct Join us as we celebrate 25 years of hockey in Nashville Jean-Pierre (J.P.) Dumont signed with the Predators following five good seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. General manager David Poile liked what he saw in Dumont, and Dumont reciprocated his interest by joining the team. The Predators inked him to a two-year, $4.5 million contract in August 2006, officially adding him to a forward core with the likes of Paul Kariya Dumont lived up to the hype immediately. He scored on his first shot on his first shift in his first game with the Predators. He opened the scoring in the Predators’ first game of the 2006-07 season, scoring 39 seconds into their match against one of his former teams, the Chicago Blackhawks His first few seconds with the club served as a precursor to the success he would have with the organization Signing on with the team in the summer of 2006, Dumont had his best seasons as a member of the Predators Despite only being with the club for five seasons he set career highs in nearly every statistical category Dumont’s first season with the organization he had 21 goals and 45 assists for 66 points in 82 games He immediately proved he was worth the acquisition cost in free agency and followed up his first season with an even better second one He set career highs in goals and points during the 2007-08 season His team ended up potting a couple more goals and took Game 1 of the series His exceptional play helped deliver the Predators their first playoff road win in franchise history In the Predators record book and is 11th in assists (174) and points (267) Dumont’s connection to Nashville didn’t end after his playing days. He currently serves as the head coach of the Nashville Jr he is helping develop the future of hockey in Nashville continuing his long-standing legacy of giving back to the community Dumont is also the Director of Hockey Operations for the Nashville Jr The Montreal native considers Nashville his home and he is doing everything in his power to continue the growth of hockey in the sports-crazed city Related: Predators’ Top 25 Players of All-Time: Scott Walker Nashville is Dumont’s home While he wasn’t with the franchise for a long time he was a consistent forward who greatly helped the top six The Predators’ on-ice fortunes turned while he was with the organization He made the playoffs in four of his five seasons with the team helping establish the precedent that making the postseason is the bare minimum The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide our articles are read millions of times every month 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 Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks more than 30 plants grown in a closed environment by Dakoté 100% natural and specialized in microgreens As the demand for healthier food continues to increase microgreens are growing in popularity thanks to their numerous nutritional benefits: rich in vitamins and amino acids low in calories.  “Eating 100g of cabbage microgreens is equivalent to consuming 1.4 kg of a mature plant,” explains Michel Darguy A multitude of advantagesThis type of cultivation offers many advantages including complete control over the environment and the absence of inputs the plant doesn't need any fertilizer or other organo-minerals indoor cultivation means that we do not depend on the weather or other problems inherent to outdoor growing,” explains Michel Darguy The future of agriculture“The plants grow on vertical racks This allows us to control the climate and the environment thus reducing water and electricity consumption I think this is the future of agriculture because it allows us to reduce our carbon footprint which is of the utmost importance in this day and age Our microgreens absolutely follow this concept.” About DakotéLaunched in September 2020 by three partners the start-up Dakoté is based in Saint-Pierre du Mont the Dakoté microgreens can now also be found in supermarkets For more information:Dakotédakote.com FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 VerticalFarmDaily.com Chef, restaurateur, and radio personality Danny St Pierre can’t be getting much rest these days. After debuting Danny Pan Pizza just a couple of weeks ago in Saint-Henri, he’s now back with the opening of Le Pontiac an unfussy brunch-and-more spot on Mont-Royal Ave The venture is a collaboration with Pierre Thibault, Fred Martel, and Nicolas Rochette of Taverne Saint-Sacrement as well as Maxime Rousseau of Pub West Shefford “They are the OGs of the Plateau bar scene,” St Pierre says of his partners From a takeout window overlooking a space that will eventually be outfitted with a cozy terrasse, Le Pontiac has begun serving a brunch menu of breakfast sandwiches filled with veggie pâté, smoked salmon, eggs Benedict, and more. The offering is padded with jammy muffins, fruit smoothies, and coffee supplied by Sherbrooke roaster Faro dubbed “Like an Onion Soup,” is smeared with a white wine cheese fondue sauce They are all available in full or by the half at Le Pontiac What differentiates St Pierre’s pizza from others in the city is the crisp caramelized cheese that ensconces its crust St Pierre says it’s achieved by placing grated cheese on the perimeter of the dough before baking in a cake pan “It’s like the best corner of a lasagna,” he says The same salads (celeriac with pesto and pumpkin seeds and more) available at St Pierre’s Saint-Henri restaurant can be found at Le Pontiac’s Mont-Royal metro-adjacent location “[Danny Pan Pizza] is a brand that we plan to keep growing but we don’t want to go too far too fast,” St Pierre says “It’s already a lot of work waking up in the morning and running it out of three places.” Once coronavirus restrictions relax and patrons can dine in St Pierre says his takeout brunch and pizza menus will be joined by yet another this one prioritizing market-driven fare and meant-to-be-eaten-sitting-down dishes there will one day be eggs on a plate,” he says As for all that’s currently on St Pierre’s plate “It’s pretty intense because all these projects are blooming at around the same time Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A previous version of this article provided an incorrect age France — Helen Patton is here for the 70th anniversary of D-Day but the granddaughter of the famous World War II general doesn't want a somber ceremony will host two concerts to bookend Friday's official ceremony with world leaders as a way to attract young people to remember the battle something different than the same old-same old with military drums," said the granddaughter of Gen As she put it: "Let's do war and peace" – emphasis on the latter The concerts are among hundreds of events large and small in the French province of Normandy to commemorate the invasion and the ensuing Battle of Normandy which lasted several weeks and cost thousands of lives Every small village has something on the calendar often involving processions of schoolchildren and wreath-laying ceremonies at liberation monuments that dot the region will hold more than a dozen major events through June 14 ranging from an open-air photo exhibit to a Flash Mob du D-Day gathering a small group called Amitié Franco-Americaine (French American Friendship) honors a different U.S soldier every year by creating a shrine at the place he was killed one of the country`s major television networks is broadcast live from a different Allied landing site each day said before going on the air as a guest on a France 3 newscast at Omaha Beach "There are families of veterans and French families that have maintained lasting contacts over the last 70 years." Thousands of visitors from around the world are expected in the region over this weekend Houses and buildings are decorated with more American flags than one might see stateside on July 4 though the stars-and-stripes often share space with French Friday's main ceremony will include President Obama German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin Patton plans a repeat of Thursday's concert one of the two spots where American troops made amphibious landings June 6 The second concert will be in the small village of Néhou where Patton's grandfather was stationed while waiting to lead his 3rd Army deeper into France and eventually into west-central Europe to spearhead the Allied effort in the Battle of the Bulge The area encompassing what's now called Camp Patton in Néhou was until recently owned by Benedictine nuns they offered Helen Patton the chance to take it over served as a Wehrmacht officers headquarters during the German occupation on the German side of the French-German border she invited youths from rival ethnic groups to Germany to participate in an artistic workshop That led to the creation of a German-based foundation called the Patton Stiftung Sustainable Trust Later she founded the independent U.S.-based Patton Foundation The two organizations co-organized the D-Day concerts president and CEO of the Patton Foundation views the concerts as a new way to preserve fading memories "We want to get the story out about the sacrifice made during World War II to young people," he said "Music attracts younger people." Gordon said that for many youngsters "70 years ago can seem like 500 years ago." Metrics details The goal of our study was to evaluate at the systems-level the effect of sex hormones on thymic epithelial cells (TECs) we sequenced the transcriptome of cortical and medullary TECs (cTECs and mTECs) from three groups of 6 month-old mice: males females and males castrated at four weeks of age we analyzed variations in the size of TEC subsets in those three groups between 1 and 12 months of age We report that sex hormones have pervasive effects on the transcriptome of TECs These effects were exquisitely TEC-subset specific Sexual dimorphism was particularly conspicuous in cTECs Male cTECs displayed low proliferation rates that correlated with low expression of Foxn1 and its main targets male cTECs expressed relatively low levels of genes instrumental in thymocyte expansion (e.g. Dll4) and positive selection (Psmb11 and Ctsl) cTECs were more abundant in males than females Accumulation of cTECs in males correlated with differential expression of genes regulating cell survival in cTECs and cell differentiation in mTECs The sexual dimorphism of TECs highlighted here may be mechanistically linked to the well-recognized sex differences in susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases the impact of sex hormones on TECs cannot be inferred from data obtained in other cell types The main goal of our study was therefore to evaluate at the systems-level we sequenced the transcriptome of cTECs and mTECs from three groups of 6 month-old mice: males We report that sex hormones have pervasive effects on TEC biology adult males accumulate more cTECs than females but male cTECs display low proliferation rates and show evidence of functional impairment mTECs from males and females showed decreased expression of promiscuously expressed genes Cx males were not studied in the early weeks following surgery; they were analyzed before surgery (1 month-old) and at 3–12 months of age Male mice show an accumulation of cTECs with age that is not due to enhanced cell proliferation (a) Thymic cell populations in mice aged from 1 to 12 months. The gating strategy is depicted in Supplementary Figure S1c (b) Percentage of TEC populations in 6 month-old mice mean percentage of Ki-67+ cells at 4–5 months of age and half-life (in weeks) of H2B-GFP+ TECs calculated using one phase decay nonlinear regression (c) Percentages of Ki-67+ TECs in 4 to 5 month-old mice (d) H2B-GFP dilution in adult mice during a chase period of 16 weeks (e) Correlation (Pearson) between different features of TEC populations in 6 month-old mice The facts that cTEC proliferation was positively correlated with mTEC proliferation and thymocyte numbers suggests that cell proliferation in these three cell compartments may be co-regulated Transcriptomic signatures of cTECs and mTECs in 6 month-old male (a) Venn diagram representation of DEGs in cTECs and mTECs from the three experimental groups (b) Overlap between DEGs in cTECs and mTECs (c) Percentages of DEGs for selected thresholds of mRNA expression fold-change (FC) IPA analysis of DEGs in cTECs and mTECs IPA analysis of DEGs predicts decreased cell death and cell differentiation in males Activation Z-scores are depicted with bars whereas p values are shown with black dots The color of bars shows in which group a given process is activated (e.g. All functions represented on the graph were significantly enriched (p < 0.05) Relative expression of genes contributing to the inhibition of cell death and cell differentiation in male TECs (a) Relative expression of genes that affect cell death in cTECs (b) Relative expression of genes that affect cell differentiation in mTECs Relative gene expression is depicted as a Z-score whereas blue corresponds to lower expression IPA analysis provides a molecular framework that can explain why cell death and cell differentiation are inhibited in male TECs relative to female and Cx male TECs Several TEC genes involved in thymopoiesis are downregulated in male TECs (a) IPA analysis of DEGs predicts differential activation of biological functions related to homing chemotaxis and production of T lymphocytes All functions represented on the graph are significantly enriched (p < 0.05) (b) Heatmaps of relative cTEC expression of IPA-discovered genes that may affect thymopoiesis Genes that have well-characterized functions in the thymus are highlighted in bold The gene expression is depicted as a Z-score Cx males show higher expression of TRAs (a) Ten most activated upstream regulators predicted by IPA analysis of mTECs DEGs in female vs male (left) in Cx male vs female (center) and in Cx male vs male (right all predicted activators shown are significant p < 0.05) The color of bars shows in which group a given upstream regulator is activated (e.g. (b) Fold-difference in expression of all genes Aire-dependent TRAs and Aire-independent TRAs in mTECs The gene expression ratio (log2 RPKM) of Cx male over female is depicted in red of Cx male over male in turquoise and of female over male in orange (c) Relative expression of Aire in mTECs (RPKM) This means that the sex differences are exquisitely context dependent We therefore speculate that a high cTEC renewal potential allows females to withstand pregnancy-associated thymic involution and regain adequate thymic function rapidly in the postpartum period The sexual dimorphism of TECs highlighted here may be mechanistically linked to the well-recognized sex differences in susceptibility to infections and tissue-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases4 While these complex issues may be tackled from different perspectives our next objective will be to investigate whether the sexual dimorphism of cTECs impacts on the diversity of the T-cell repertoire The pulse period lasted for six weeks and was initiated at 4–6 weeks of age All procedures were in accordance with the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines and approved by the Comité de Déontologie et Expérimentation Animale de l’Université de Montréal Four week-old male mice were anesthetized and a small incision in the scrotal region was made to expose the testes Testes were tied off with suture thread and removed Thymic stromal cells were stained with biotinylated Ulex Europaeus Lectin 1 (UEA1; Vector Laboratories) and PE-Cy7 or PE-TexasRed conjugated streptavidin (BD Biosciences) and the following antibodies: i) AlexaFluor-700 anti-CD45 from BD Biosciences ii) AlexaFluor-647 anti-Ly51 and APC-Cy7 anti-EpCAM from BioLegend Staining with 7-AAD and PE conjugated anti-Ki-67 (BD Biosciences) was used to assess cell viability and the proportion of cycling cells TECs were selected as CD45−EpCAM+ and mTECs and cTECs were defined as UEA-1+Ly51− and UEA-1−Ly51+ Intranuclear staining of Ki-67 was performed using the Foxp3/Transcription Factor Staining Buffer Set (Affymetrix eBiosciences) each group contained 4–8 mice per time point Live cTECs and mTECs were sorted on a three laser FACSAria or analyzed on a three laser LSR II using FACSDiva (BD Biosciences) and FlowJo VX.0.7(FlowJo Enterprise) softwares statistical significance was tested using Student unpaired two-tailed t test and differences with a p value < 0.05 were considered significant Significant differences in the percentages of Ki-67+ cells were assessed using a one-way ANOVA and a Newman-Keuls post-hoc test The half-life of GFP+ cells were calculated using a one-phase decay nonlinear regression analysis and significance was assessed using an extra sum-of-squares F test Correlations were calculated using Pearson’s correlation test All statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism software V5.01 Sex hormones have pervasive effects on thymic epithelial cells The X-files in immunity: sex-based differences predispose immune responses Sex differences in the gut microbiome drive hormone-dependent regulation of autoimmunity Microbiome manipulation modifies sex-specific risk for autoimmunity Systems analysis of sex differences reveals an immunosuppressive role for testosterone in the response to influenza vaccination Female resistance to pneumonia identifies lung macrophage nitric oxide Synthase-3 as a therapeutic target Gender bias in autoimmunity is influenced by microbiota consequences and reversal of immune system aging Androgen receptors in thymic epithelium modulate thymus size and thymocyte development Tracing thymic output in older individuals Evidence that androgens modulate human thymic T cell output Activation of thymic regeneration in mice and humans following androgen blockade Persistent degenerative changes in thymic organ function revealed by an inducible model of organ regrowth Molecular control over thymic involution: From cytokines and microRNA to aging and adipose tissue Combination therapy with a second-generation androgen receptor antagonist and a metastasis vaccine improves survival in a spontaneous prostate cancer model Targeting thymic epithelia AR enhances T-cell reconstitution and bone marrow transplant grafting efficacy Adult thymic epithelium contains nonsenescent label-retaining cells Regenerative capacity of adult cortical thymic epithelial cells Sex steroid blockade enhances thymopoiesis by modulating Notch signaling An overview of the intrathymic intricacies of T cell development Tissue-specific expression and regulation of sexually dimorphic genes in mice Estrogen and androgen receptors: regulators of fuel homeostasis and emerging targets for diabetes and obesity The Mouse Genome Database (MGD): facilitating mouse as a model for human biology and disease turnover and stimulatory capacity of thymic epithelial cells Defining the epithelial stem cell niche in skin Serial progression of cortical and medullary thymic epithelial microenvironments Multilineage potential and self-renewal define an epithelial progenitor cell population in the adult thymus Differential expression analysis for sequence count data Thymopoiesis requires Pax9 function in thymic epithelial cells Sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase expression in embryonic and adult murine tissues Flt-1 in colorectal cancer cells is required for the tumor invasive effect of placental growth factor through a p38-MMP9 pathway Involvement of maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) in mammary carcinogenesis through interaction with Bcl-G a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family The interaction of HspA1A with TLR2 and TLR4 in the response of neutrophils induced by ovarian cancer cells in vitro 2-methoxyestradiol induces mammary gland differentiation through amphiregulin-epithelial growth factor receptor-mediated signaling: molecular distinctions from the mammary gland of pregnant mice In vitro study of the effects of ELF electric fields on gene expression in human epidermal cells The microRNA-17-92 cluster: still a miRacle Mechanistic contribution of ubiquitous 15-lipoxygenase-1 expression loss in cancer cells to terminal cell differentiation evasion Thymopoiesis in mice depends on a Foxn1-positive thymic epithelial cell lineage Regeneration of the aged thymus by a single transcription factor Foxn1 regulates lineage progression in cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells but is dispensable for medullary sublineage divergence context-dependent and hierarchical functions of epithelial components in thymic microenvironments Developmentally regulated availability of RANKL and CD40 ligand reveals distinct mechanisms of fetal and adult cross-talk in the thymus medulla Thymic epithelial cells: working class heroes for T cell development and repertoire selection Positive and negative selection of the T cell repertoire: what thymocytes see (and don’t see) Thymoproteasome shapes immunocompetent repertoire of CD8+ T cells Cathepsin L regulates CD4+ T cell selection independently of its effect on invariant chain: a role in the generation of positively selecting peptide ligands RANK signals from CD4(+)3(−) inducer cells regulate development of Aire-expressing epithelial cells in the thymic medulla Antigen presentation in the thymus for positive selection and central tolerance induction Transcriptome sequencing of neonatal thymic epithelial cells Population and single cell genomics reveal the Aire-dependency relief from Polycomb silencing and distribution of self-antigen expression in thymic epithelia Overlapping gene coexpression patterns in human medullary thymic epithelial cells generate self-antigen diversity Differential features of AIRE-induced and AIRE-independent promiscuous gene expression in thymic epithelial cells Foxn1 is required to maintain the postnatal thymic microenvironment in a dosage-sensitive manner Progesterone receptors in the thymus are required for thymic involution during pregnancy and for normal fertility Neonatal tolerance revisited: a perinatal window for Aire control of autoimmunity Impaired thymic expression of tissue-restricted antigens licenses the de novo generation of autoreactive CD4+ T cells during murine acute GVHD Isolation of thymic epithelial cells and analysis by flow cytometry Download references We are grateful to Danièle Gagné and Gaël Dulude (flow cytometry and cell sorting) Marianne Arteau (RNA sequencing experiments) to Isabelle Caron for the surgical procedures and to the staff of IRIC animal care facility for their assistance Special thanks to Sébastien Lemieux for advice on statistical analyses This work was supported by grant MOP 42384 from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) MDL is supported by a CIHR studentship and CP holds a Canada Research Chair in Immunobiology The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer is supported in part by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer designed the study and wrote the first draft of the manuscript All authors discussed results and reviewed the manuscript The authors declare no competing financial interests Download citation Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Be one of the first to try our new activity feed Short Approaches and Bullet Ice in the Wilds of Quebec or seeing the occasional blue whale breach while swinging your tools it can be hard to believe that North America—in this case especially with just a five-minute approach only the sound of the occasional car heading to the town of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts interrupts the crackling ice floating by en route to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence More than 150 ice climbs from one to four pitches line the 125-mile stretch of Highway 132 between Sainte-Anne-Des-Monts and Gaspé Thirty-four miles past Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is the village of Mont-Saint-Pierre the epicenter of the region’s ice climbing The village’s namesake mountain (elevation: 1,348 feet) rises out of the river and provides the backdrop for the east side of the mile-wide bay sedimentary cliffs rising from the west side of the bay are home to some of the region’s earliest and hardest ice routes Most of the ice routes in Gaspésie are north facing the strong winds and coastal environment whip the ice into gravity-defying tentacle formations Despite the quality and convenience of climbs like Meduse (WI4; 200 feet) and Corneille (WI5+; 250 feet) a climb with a “whopping” 45-minute approach “It’s not a big population center—for years I was the only local climber,” says Association of Canadian Mountain Guides apprentice alpine guide Sebastian Taborszky During the 15 years that Taborszky lived in the region he might only see another car parked for the ice a few times a year he would leave notes on the visiting climbers’ windshields offering to house and feed them The remoteness becomes more evident on the drive east from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Mont-Saint-Pierre Lawrence River dominates the north side of the road while sedimentary folds form sea cliffs along the south side numerous signs warn of a unique concoction of hazards: rogue waves and avalanches and waves crash over the asphalt when storms bear down from the east or northeast a particularly vicious avalanche cycle cut off access and power to Mont-Saint-Pierre for several days the ice climbs’ proximity to the car means that “après-climb” is a real thing in Gaspésie the center for amenities in the region and a town with a population of 7,000 government workers and distilleries have sprouted and prospered,” says the veteran Quebec climber and first ascentionist Bernard Mailhot “The locals are rightfully proud of their territory The area’s remoteness has never kept climbers away It all began in 1980 when Louis Dionne and Pierre-Édouard Gagnon climbed the most prominent piece of ice towering above Mont-Saint-Pierre: Corneille wind-sculpted WI5+ that stretches to 265 feet and was one of Quebec’s hardest ice climbs at the time Gian-Carlo Grassi and Philippe Pibarot climbed L’Épée de Jade (WI6; 330 feet) The early 1990s also saw the development of routes like Méduse (WI4; 200 feet) Named after the Gorgon from Greek mythology the climb sports gravity-defying cauliflowers and tentacles sculpted by the coastal weather the route requires overhanging moves to surmount its sometimes-unstable tentacles the Quebec ice-climbing guidebook author Stephane Lapierre had one of its tentacles collapse after an errant ice-tool swing which wasn’t part of the collapsed feature caught him five feet from the ground—he’d taken an 80-footer which was left hanging on the lip of a ridiculously large overhang,” Lapierre recalls one of the delicate formations broke off Méduse as my climbing partner John Rothwell and I flicked the rope to keep it from snaking through the tentacles for my girlfriend landing her in the Sainte-Anne-Des-Monts hospital with compartment syndrome after taking the impact squarely on her leg and the photographer Jean-Pierre Danvoye presented a slideshow in Montreal with photos of area classics like La Cigarette Bleue and Le Cannelloni du Curé set to ambient Doors and Pink Floyd songs Between the slideshow and a new climbing guidebook by Lapierre Mailhot and other climbers from Montreal and Quebec rallied to nab more first ascents they’d occasionally do marathon weekend sessions blazing 2,000 kilometers round-trip from Montreal to Percé for 200 meters of ice—“An inefficient ratio of 1 centimeter climbed per kilometer driven,” Mailhot jokes and Patrice Beaudet climbed six new routes near the village of L’Anse-Pleureuse and Phillippe Pibarot claimed eight first ascents Not only were they able to establish all these FAs but because the classics typically have short approaches and are densely clustered climbers were able to link several in a day One of Mailhot’s favorite memories is climbing L’Épée de Jade and La Cigarette Bleue in a short day in 1996 with Charles Laliberté In today’s world of queues for popular ice climbs most of which are picked out early season in a few short days offering steep ice and short approaches sans mandatory alpine starts to be the first party on the route and the beauty of the sea and mountain scenery will not disappoint those who brave the long drive and notoriously adventurous road to reach Quebec’s treasure trove of frozen seeps With the easing of COVID-related public health restrictions on outdoor sports activities in Quebec the 2021 triathlon season in that province kicks off on July 18 with a sprint event in Laval Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux — a tiny town in eastern Quebec halfway between Rivière-du-Loup and Rimouski — will host the inaugural triathlon festival that it was forced to cancel in 2020 the pandemic helped us quite a lot,” says race organizer Patrick Dumont ”With almost two weeks to go before registration closes on July 21 “After a year of inactivity and no racing people are just so eager to get out and do a triathlon Public health officials are allowing 250 participants per wave which means the Olympic-distance race will begin at 7:30 a.m. Spectators will be allowed along the run and bike courses but they’ll be barred from the start and finish line and the transition area COVID restrictions also mean there will be no kiosks and no after-race party but Dumont is putting the best face on those limitations ”It’s allowing us to focus on the triathlon itself and less on all the activities around the race,” he says Three-time Kona age-group winner Pierre Lavoie — a giant in the Quebec sports world — promised Dumont a year ago he’d come out of retirement to try to best his son and to encourage the sport in eastern Quebec Last year we wrote a story on the Saint-Mathieu event in our March issue There is nothing like the birth of a first grandbaby to make you take stock of your priorities Even for a triathlete who embraces getting older — especially when it means racing at the bottom of a new age group — the arrival of the next generation turns out to be the moment you ask yourself “Can I really have arrived at this stage of my life?” You wonder if you will want to be out putting in the miles on your bicycle mid-summer when you could be marvelling at your grandson’s newly acquired ability to scoot across the floor unaided It turns out my stepdaughter knew I’d be conflicted The baby was still in her womb when she emailed me an article from her local community newspaper to let me know that Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux the farming village in the Lower Saint-Lawrence region of Quebec where she and her partner live will hold an inaugural triathlon in late July the timing and the locale couldn’t be better: an excuse to make the five-hour drive from Montreal to spend time with the baby and still train and race Nestled in the rolling hills below the Appalachians it’s all maple sugar bush and pine forests beaded with lakes and small dairy farms — their big grey barns leaning inland from a century of being beaten by the same steady winds that propel the blades of the modern-day windmills that loom on the horizon wind up from the village and through the forest worth the climb for the spectacular view of the St “It’s really beautiful biking,” said Patrick Dumont a civil engineering technician who founded Rimouski’s first triathlon club just last year spent the summer scouting for a race venue within easy driving distance of his coastal city After a weekend spent biking and swimming in Saint-Mathieu had also approached the municipality and Triathlon Québec about organizing a race — something neither has ever done before ”I’ve been to 10 or so different triathlons in my life so I have a pretty good idea of what it takes — a lot of organization but it’s something I knew we could pull off.” Kind of like the way he pulled off starting a tri club from scratch last year: within months of its inception “A lot of people had been pretty sedentary,” Dumont said “Some didn’t know how to swim — so we started by teaching them how to swim.” By the end of the first season about a dozen members had done their first triathlon — including a whole group of women who braved huge waves to do Ironman 70.3 Maine “I try to transmit the kind of encouragement that I got,” said Dumont By then he’d been a smoker for close to 25 years He’d played hockey and soccer in his youth but still hadn’t kicked the nicotine habit He went to a motivational talk by Pierre Lavoie He wants people to take charge of their lives to adopt healthy life habits,” said Dumont Triathletes across Canada may know of Lavoie from his days as a perpetual competitor at Kona won his age group at the Ironman world championship in 1996 when he broke the world record for 40- to 45-year-old men Hoping to set one last age-group record at Kona he finished second — but he still beat the old record by more than three minutes travelled to Hawaii to witness that last performance That’s because Lavoie is a household name in Quebec a 650-kilometre biking event in his home region a rare form of congenital lactic acidosis that killed two of his four children in early childhood Lavoie had raised $1.2 million for research into the disease and while continuing to raise funds for orphan disease research the focus of his life’s work became the promotion of physical activity in children and teens His Grand Défi  — or Big Challenge — has been wildly successful 80 per cent of school-aged children in Quebec have been involved in his program tallying their physical activity in 15-minute blocks called “energy cubes” that add up toward prizes including an activity-filled weekend in Montreal for their whole school “It’s a social movement now,” admits Lavoie who in 2015 persuaded Quebec family doctors to begin routinely prescribing physical activity in lieu of medication Dumont contacted his hero to ask Lavoie if he’d come out retirement for one race — to compete in the inaugural event in Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux on July 26 It just so happens Lavoie’s 28-year-old son Bruno-Pierre is ready to take on his father in his first triathlon Pierre Lavoie simply can’t resist a dare: he’s bet his son he can beat him by a full three minutes “Bruno-Pierre is a great athlete in his own sports And he’s a stronger cyclist than I am,” says Lavoie ‘You’ll be a minute ahead of me when I start to run Lavoie has never been to Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux but he’s taken by Patrick Dumont’s commitment to bringing triathlon to their region “I like people who are committed,” said Lavoie “I always like to encourage people who are audacious — who dare to try Get the digital edition of Triathlon for your chosen platform: Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon The best of Montréal straight to your inbox We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re 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Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! instagramspotifyAbout us Contact us We know and love Chez St-Pierre, the excellent restaurant with local flavours of the irresistible chef Colombe St-Pierre it’s just off Route 132 along the St With the addition of the wine bar, you can now leave with a nice bottle to complete your experience! Cantine côtière also offers a mint, rhubarb, lemon and gin slushie. Take note that no reservation is necessary at Cantine côtière, but be ready to stand in line as its a popular spot! Needless to say, this address is well worth the detour. Enjoy your discovery! On the menu for over twenty years, Joe Beef’s famous lobster spaghetti is one of the most iconic dishes in Montreal. Here’s the recipe! Pizzaiolo Mirko D’Agata from No.900 pizzerias took 1st place at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas Connaissez-vous Jean-Philippe Tastet ?! Le critique culinaire de renom a 30+ ans d'expertise et est l'inspiration derrière Tastet. Jessica Noël, co-chef and co-owner of Mon Lapin and Rôtisserie La Lune — meet one of the most exciting chefs to discover! Janice Tiefenbach is the head chef at Elena, named the third best new restaurant in Canada by En Route magazine. Snow crab season is here! We’ve put together a list of all good spots where you can find it to enjoy at home or in a restaurant. Did you know we have a weekly digest? We send it to your inbox every Saturday! a relative rarity among the numerous crêperies of Le Mont-Saint-Michel The roast lamb casserole and rack of lamb in particular are standout dishes Telephone number: +33 2 33 60 14 08 Although hidden at the back of a souvenir shop this cozy little crêperie is well worth hearing the siren’s call and ascending the 15th-century staircase With your savory Breton galette (a buckwheat pancake) you can have a host of fillings like cheese The sweet crêpes come loaded with your choice of fruit Salads are also served within the pleasant little dining room 2018: Artistically stylized advertising of restaurants and shops on the Grand Rue the main street in Mon | © Wieslaw Jarek / Alamy or Brittany lobster than in a chair overlooking the sea Regional specialties, panoramic views of the surrounding area, and sumptuous white decor all combine for a memorable dining experience here at the Hotel Du Guesclin Three set menus are provided to suit a variety of tastes and budgets On these menus you can find chicken with Valée d’Auge sauce and salmon fillet with Saint Malo sauce areas in neighboring Normandy and Brittany respectively a custard pudding cake filled with prunes and raisins that is Brittany’s signature pastry Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy La Mère Poulard La Mère Poulard has been operating since 1888 and over the years has accrued a vast number of autographed portraits from past diners Famous faces like Ernest Hemingway and Yves Saint Laurent now fill the walls a testament to the quality of the establishment La Mère Poulard is also known for its omelettes a technique pioneered by the eponymous Annette Poulard herself La Mere Poulard restaurant | © Hemis / Alamy Telephone number: +33 2 33 89 68 68 Round off your trip with a stay at one of the best hotels near Mont Saint-Michel Josh is a graduate of the University of Leicester’s English and American Studies program and spent the third year of his degree abroad at the University of Oregon It was there that he indulged his long-held interests in archaeology and the American West He hopes to pursue all three and return to the U.S and perhaps forge a career either out of writing or wandering around the woods all day Guides & Tips Scenic Road Trips to Take From Biarritz See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October Guides & Tips Beat the Crowds with these Alternative Summer Destinations Guides & Tips This Is Europe's Ultimate Road Trip See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July Architecture A Brutalist Architecture Tour of Marseille See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn See & Do 10 French Theme Parks You Should Be Visiting Instead of Disney See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd Are you more into a stylish little scull with your skis on tight the most important thing is that it's possible to put on skis just outside Lyon enjoy skiing in the best spots close to home skiing also means the official opening of the raclette season… so hop hop hop and get on the slopes Les 2 Alpes is one of Airbnb’s top 25 destinations to visit worldwide For the assurance of good snow throughout the season and a panorama that’s unique in the world 📅 From November 30 2024 🎟️ 1-day pass from 63€ for an adult rate Villard de Lans is the number 1 ski area in the Vercors It boasts 125 km of slopes in a variety of landscapes (mountains Olympic champion in Salt Lake in 2002… back in the day For the variety of its landscapes and its 57 runs Les Sept Laux is a group of three Alpine winter sports resorts located in the magnificent Belledonne mountain range (Isère) It’s a favorite with Grenoble’s locals and just a 2-hour drive from Lyon The resort is the largest ski area in the Belledonne chain and one of the top 3 most modern lift parks in France For its views over the Grenoble basin and the Grésivaudan valley 📅 Opening Saturday December 21 Its charm lies in the typical architecture of its pretty mountain village with 7 runs (and a red run for the more adventurous!) For its low price and family format 📅 From December 30 Welcome to the ski Mecca of the world! This XXL ski resort is quite simply the largest ski area in the world! With its 600 km of pistes, Les 3 Vallées is the perfect way to discover the vast expanses of Savoie given the price of ski passes… Just 2 hours from Lyon because it’s the world’s largest ski area 2024 – Val Thorens and Orelle: November 23 🎟️ 1-day ski pass from €79 for adults 1h45 from Lyon, Chalmazel is a quiet friendly little resort with 12km of pistes It’s generally open in winter and summer 2024 🎟️ 1-day pass from €24 for an adult rate Chamrousse extends over three levels linked by forest trails and ski slopes in winter the resort offers exceptional panoramic views over Grenoble and its valley The Belledonne Massif resort offers 43 runs on 90 km of trails for downhill skiers and 40 km for Nordic skiers On the border of the magnificent Écrins region , the ski resort of Oz Vaujany welcomes you 2 hours from Lyon to the beautiful Alpe d’Huez ski area Its cable car climbs to an altitude of +3300 m one of the most beautiful ski resorts in France Photo Gallery: The White Lady's Siren Song the municipalities at the foot of Mont Blanc The American's story is the outrage of the year It's even getting more attention than the stories of those who died the 45-year-old Sweeney is a businessman from Keene He used to be one of the best rowers in the US and is now a mountain biker and takes part in airplane races he has also been a passionate mountaineer -- and he recently cooked up a particularly audacious adventure he and his family traveled to the French Alps to climb Mont Blanc with his children The father filmed his family with a GoPro camera as they slogged their way up the mountainside and he later gave the video to US broadcaster ABC to be aired on "Good Morning America." Immediately the images found their way into the Internet and spread around the world considers Sweeney to be "sick," and the American has become subject number one of bar table discussions among mountain guides does healthy enthusiasm cross the line into excessive ambition has become an annual necessity at Mont Blanc rising 4,810 meters (15,781 feet) above sea level on the border between France and Italy because of the permanent blanket of snow covering its pyramid-shaped peak Mont Blanc is one of the most-climbed mountains in the world 400 climbers a day attempt to reach the mountain's summit some 30,000 people attempt to climb Mont Blanc with 17,000 of them using the favored Goûter Route which heads up the peak's northwestern flank Professional climber Russell Brice of New Zealand has summited 90 times and has led expeditions on Mount Everest since the 1990s "Everyone is always shocked by how full Everest is but it is a joke compared to Mont Blanc," he says traffic jams of climbers form on two or three days a year there are some 50 companies offering guided tours up the mountain; in France preparation and acclimatizing to the altitude the trip to the top takes about a week with customers paying an average of €1,500 ($1,940) we have reached our capacity," says Bernard Prud'homme Mont Blanc has become symbolic of modern-day mountaineering the highest peaks are now also frequented by adventure-seekers and outdoor enthusiasts Mountains like Mont Blanc have come to be seen as tourist destinations The routes are prepared with anchors and fixed ropes the Refuge du Goûter opened at an altitude of 3,835 meters a futuristically designed mountain hut build by the Club Alpin Français to provide shelter for those heading to the top It is designed to withstand wind-speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour (185 miles per hour) But that hasn't made it any less dangerous it is one of the deadliest mountains in the world 20 Alpinists have lost their lives on the Mont Blanc massif slipped while ascending through a rocky couloir falling 200 meters (650 feet) to his death apparently after an overhanging snow cornice broke away beneath their feet Jean-Marc Peillex has to issue a press release and stand for interviews He says that every new accident hits him hard Monsieur Peillex is sitting at his glass desk in the Saint-Gervais city hall wearing a blue blazer The mayor gazes at the Mont Blanc massif outside his office window But when he talks about the mountain rising above "Mont Blanc is a heap of garbage," Peillex says But I want to confront people with the reality and to reach those people who abuse the mountain." an article appeared in the local newspaper Le Messager in which nine people from Britain announced their intention to climb Mont Blanc They were members of an occult group who wanted to "release spiritual energy" on the mountain to attract UFOs and aliens prohibiting the crackpots from conducting their pilgrimage he usually doesn't hear about such undertakings until it is too late a sporting goods company staged a concert of French singer Zaz on the mountain for which a standup bass was hauled to the summit A group of 20 Swiss assembled a mobile jacuzzi at the top and climbed in which he then leaves untouched for an hour becoming so passionate that he forgots everything else "People are drawn by the spirit of freedom that can be felt on Mont Blanc," he says "But the problem is that some confuse that freedom with the freedom to do whatever they want." But the "biggest lapse" was committed by Patrick Sweeney advanced into "a new dimension of stupidity." It was on March 18 that Sweeney sat with his children in front of the computer They were doing a bit of Internet research and discovered that the youngest girl to climb Mont Blanc was 11 years old and the youngest boy was just 10 The father established contact with television producers who had previously worked for National Geographic and the Travel Channel and arranged for them to accompany the family to Mont Blanc with a camera team Sweeney started a blog in which he posted regular updates about the family's preparations to break the record Shannon and PJ began a training program designed by their father They learned how to use ice axes and crampons and spent 10 hours a week hiking or in the climbing gym they and their father climbed Gran Paradiso Patrick Sweeney hired a British guide who had climbed Mt the family arrived in Chamonix and they began their climb on July 4 They elected to follow the well-travelled Goûter Route considered the easiest way up despite the 2,450 vertical meters that must be conquered Tsering Phintso Sherpa is standing in front of a small wooden shack at an altitude of 3,000 meters The Nepali mountain climber is wearing sunglasses and holding a two-way radio in his hand Everyone who wants to summit via the Goûter Route must pass Tsering He is something of a gatekeeper for Mont Blanc providing pointers to inexperienced mountain climbers It was Mayor Peillex's idea to install Tsering on the mountain His workplace is at the snowline where climbers must put on their crampons to prevent them from slipping on the ice and snow further up "Most can deal with them properly," the Sherpa says "but there are some who stumble up the mountain in their crampons as though they were drunk." Not even half of Mont Blanc climbers book a guide and many also skip making reservations in the mountain huts Tsering approaches climbers carrying heavy packs with tents and sleeping bags telling them it is not allowed to camp above 3,200 meters and explains the dangers to them "Some listen to me and others ignore me and run away," Tsering says he is supported by two gendarmes who take down the tents that have been set up despite the ban they come across people in running shoes and shorts It has become popular among a certain segment to run up the mountain in the cross country style a Spanish extreme athlete who set a speed record last year Jornet ran from Chamonix to the peak of the mountain and back "That sends the wrong message," Tsering says you can quickly be doomed up there." He tries to convince particularly clueless climbers to turn back When the Sweeney family passed by his post In the middle of a field of scree in front of the building five Ukrainian students -- a woman and four men all in their 20s -- have pitched their tent They have planted their country's blue and gold flag in the ground and are eating bread and smoked bacon but this year they decided to take on Mont Blanc It marks the first time that four of the five have been in the high mountains They were unable to afford a guide or even a bed in the shelter A rescue helicopter roars in the sky above the group with mountain rescue teams heading out 20 to 30 times a day A dozen plaques made of shale or metal are affixed to a rock next to the Refuge de Tête Rousse -- in memory of those climbers who lost their lives a few hundred meters up in the Couloir du Goûter The couloir is considered to be the most dangerous segment of the climb with 74 people having died there between 1990 and 2011 and a further 180 injured Most of the accidents happen on the traverse which carries the moniker "Corridor of Death." At an altitude of 3,340 meters climbers must pass through a 100 meter long ice chute across a 48 degree slope when the temperature climbs and melting snow begins to release chunks of stone a rock slams into the corridor on average of once every 17 minutes the traverse is known as the "bowling alley." The mountaineers are the pins It is here where Shannon and PJ Sweeney almost met their doom the family left the Refuge de Tête Rousse together with their guide and two camera operators reaching the perilous couloir an hour later A cameraman went first so that he could film the Sweeneys' crossing from the other side He had to stop several times along the way with snow and rocks repeatedly sliding down the slope in front of him Patrick roped himself up with his children and then using a piece of rope between himself and Shannon The line is made of steel and stretches across the entire couloir It can prevent deadly falls for those who lose their balance Everything went well until they got to the middle of the traverse but then they heard a peculiar swooshing noise above them "It sounds like snakes," Shannon said to her father had come loose on the slope above the Sweeneys The avalanche first knocked PJ off his feet The boy cried out before the snow mass swept his sister away as well Patrick jammed his ice axe into the snow as an anchor to prevent them from plummeting down the mountain The children tumbled some 20 meters down the slope before the rope connecting them to their father grew taught "Turn around and climb up to me!" The avalanche had only half covered the two and they were able to quickly free themselves from the snow They then tramped back up to their father with rocks The group turned around and returned to the Refuge de Tête Rousse Patrick Sweeney joined SPIEGEL for a skype interview from an Internet cafe in Boston He had thought long and hard about whether to consent to the chat saying that the vast amount of criticism had come as a shock "There are many mountain climbers on Mont Blanc who are worse prepared than Shannon and PJ were," Sweeney says "Training and ability are more important than age and gender the two of them did exactly what good mountain climbers do in such situations They freed themselves and they learned valuable lessons." Those who say that young boys and girls shouldn't be on Mont Blanc are "living in the wrong century," he says We parents shouldn't eliminate all of those great experiences that are a part of growing up." The film that the Sweeneys made on Mont Blanc has since been finished "We have received interesting offers from a number of television broadcasters," Sweeney says He has had enough of people like Sweeney who play "adventurers and GIs" on Mont Blanc And he has had enough of the deadly accidents The Goûter Route is "privately owned," he says with that part of the mountain belonging to his municipality like a yard belongs to a house "Nobody wants people to die of stupidity in one's own yard," Peillex says He says he has already taken up contact with the French Environment Ministry and is in the process of putting his ideas down on paper in the hopes that Paris will ultimately pass a law Peillex proposes that climbers be required to hire a guide His plan also calls for a kind of admission control on Mont Blanc and for officials in front of the Refuge de Tête Rousse to check if climbers have reservations for shelters further up Those that don't would be forced to turn back there has been no legal foundation for turning climbers away from Mont Blanc -- and it will likely be difficult for Peillex to push such a law through Alpinism lives from the principle that everyone is welcome on the mountain Climbers want autonomy so that they can test their boundaries the commandant of Chamonix mountain rescue doesn't think it is possible to solve the problems on Mont Blanc but they don't want to think any more about the risks and dangers Helicopter operations on Mont Blanc cost €8,600 on average and in France he and his colleagues are sometimes called by climbers who aren't even in life-threatening situations "There are climbers who call us because they are tired or they have blisters," he says a group called saying that we should pick up four people who were sitting in their tents and were afraid of bears." Sometimes he and his companions jokingly wonder what would happen if they just closed down for a week But the trend on Mont Blanc is going in exactly the opposite direction An ascent and descent of Mont Blanc takes three days as a rule But a company not far from Chamonix has recently begun offering quicker trips The "Mont Blanc Express" is a hike to the top and back in less than 24 hours Estachy thinks the offer is "idiotic" and "foolhardy." For those who book such a trip without having sufficient Alpine experience Patrick Sweeney says that his daughter has had enough of the mountains for now and has moved on to triathlons Sweeney recently took him on trips to Colorado and Washington climbing six different summits that were at least 4,000 meters high including Mount Rainier one of the most difficult mountains in the continental US Sweeney now wants to return to Mont Blanc with his son "PJ has until June 2015 to break the age record," he says the gendarmerie stopped an Austrian and his son from continuing their ascent of Mont Blanc thousands of people from around the world attempt to scale Mont Blanc This image shows the ultra-modern Refuge du Goûter on the shoulders of the mountain says he is tired of all the deaths on the mountain and is trying to encourage Paris to pass a law to regulate the traffic on Mt It seems unlikely that he will be successful A mountain rescue helicopter on Mont Blanc in July 2012 following a deadly avalanche when up to 400 people a day head up the mountain rescue teams head out 20 to 30 times a day Not even half of Mont Blanc climbers book a guide and many also forego making reservations in the mountain huts even though camping high on the mountain is prohibited There are many different routes up the mountain who tries to convince ill-prepared climbers to turn around rescue teams head out 20 to 30 times a day.