Welcome to The Good Life France Magazine Summer 2023.

This issue is absolutely brimming with fabulous features and fantastic photos.

The Good Life France Magazine is totally free to read, subscribe and share. Bringing France to you wherever you are:

The Good Life France Summer 2023

In this issue:

Take a trek around France via the Vallée de la Gastronomie, a designated route which winds its way from delicious Dijon in Burgundy to mouth-watering Marseille in the south and honours the rich, authentic and utterly delectable heritage of French food from field to plate.

Discover some of the most romantic sites and medieval gems of France within easy distance of Paris. Va va voom to Vaucluse – but not by car, as we show you how to visit Provence without four wheels! Head to cheese and cider country and nibble your way around Normandy, and soak up the vivid colours and vibrant culture of French Basque country. Find out how to spend a perfect weekend in historic Tours in the Loire Valley and go off the beaten track to exquisite Saint-Cirq-LaPopie in the Lot, one of the most beautiful villages in France. Plus pop to Le Grand Bornand in the French Alps – the perfect place for an outdoor summer break.

Check out the chateaus including fabulous Fontainebleau and picturesque Pierrefonds. And celebrate 1000 years of the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, one of the wonders of the world.

Ever wondered how French doors look that perfect shade of blue on their doors and shutters? Read on as we explain all. We shine a spotlight on lovely Mayenne and the beautiful Languedoc-Roussillon department in Occitainie. Discover the history of chocolate in France plus some truly scrumptious recipes from Ferrandi Paris and master baker Eric Kayser for you to enjoy a taste of France at home. And there’s heaps more.

And now it’s time to read it, totally for free:

The Good Life France Magazine Summer 2023

I wish you a very happy summer.

Bisous from my little corner of France
Janine
Janine Marsh
Editor

Don’t forget to subscribe here – the magazine is free. And please share this issue with your friends – that’s free too! Coming up in the next issue highlights include a real life sleeping beauty castle – it’s absolutely astounding, plus the brilliant Rouen Armada, picture perfect Provence, Brittany and the Ariège plus delicious recipes and super guides, history, culture and hidden gems – everything you want to know about France and more…

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Welcome to The Good Life France Spring 2023 magazine.

Brimming with fabulous features written by top travel writers and filled with beautiful photos, discover stunning destinations, mouth-watering recipes, guides and more.

The Good Life France Magazine is free to read, subscribe and share. Bringing France to you wherever you are:

The Good Life France Magazine Spring 2023

Stunning destinations…

In this issue we whisk you off to the lovely Loire Valley to discover two historic royal castles – Loches and Chinon as well as Ussé – the real Sleeping Beauty castle and gorgeous Villandry which has fairy tale pretty gardens – garden envy guaranteed. Read the extraordinary story of a postman who built a palace from pebbles with his bare hands in a tiny village in the Drôme, southeastern France. Not only that – he did it at night after he finished work – by candle light!

Follow the history of the Plantagenet English Kings through Anjou and Normandy. Fall in love with exquisite Vaucluse in Provence where nature has a party in the spring. And sigh over chocolate box lid pretty Le Perche in Normandy.

Come with us to the Roman city of Arles, Aigues Mortes – where the sea is pure pink and flamingos roam, and to sunny, festive Sète with its incredible lagoons. Discover delicious Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, and its surroundings. Explore Brittany and Les Charentes – Charente and Charente-Maritime. Fairy tale pretty Alsace is unmissable – we look at the most picturesque villages and the historic wine route. Plus the magic of sun-kissed Provence captured in photos, will have you dreaming.

Scrumptious recipes and giveaways

Foodies will love the mouth-watering recipes – from a moreish frosted pistachio cake that’s perfect for spring, to a rich and robust beef bourguignon, honey glazed ham by Ferrandi of Paris, and easy peasy pears in puff pastry with plenty of wow factor!

Discover what’s new, the best tours,  practical guides and much, much more…

And now – it’s time to read it. Just click on the link and you’ll be whisked off to 128 pages of France, the next best thing to being there:

The Good Life France Magazine Spring 2023

I hope that you will love reading it as much as we’ve loved putting it together for you. And as always it is completely free to read, subscribe and share.

Janine

Janine Marsh
Editor

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Leggett Immobillier, France’s biggest English speaking real estate agents, invite you to join a webinar to discover how to find and buy your dream property in France.

Together with Lumon Pay – ‘The French property Currency Specialists’, they’ve joined with experts from the French property and lifestyle industries to create a webinar where all your questions can be answered. If you’re dreaming of moving to France, or of buying that longed for second home, running your dream B&B or simply enjoying the good life, then join us for this informative webinar.

The hour-long webinar is aimed at English speakers everywhere and timed to suit audiences in the US and UK:

Wednesday 15 February

12.00 EST
19h00 CET
18h00 GMT

A panel of experts – including finance, property, rental, currency, insurance, relocation and administration will be present to answer all your questions and help you progress your France dreams.

Click here to book your place (free of course): register.frenchestateagents.com

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If you are dreaming of planning to buy a property in France or move to France, then don’t miss the French property and lifestyles show in the south of England which is taking place over the weekend of 7 and 8 October 2023. It is an absolute must for anyone wanting to get expert advice needed to help you make your dream come true.

And we’ve got 300 tickets to give away for free – so don’t miss out (details at the bottom of the post or click here to book your free tickets).

French property and lifestyle show October 2023

The Good Life France is proud to partner with some of the most trusted names in French property and lifestyle services – Currencies Direct, Prestige Property Services, LBS French administration specialists and many more.

Experts from all areas of the French property and lifestyle sectors will be on hand at the show to help you make your dreams a reality. It’s the perfect place to meet the specialists in one place – at the Novotel Hotel, Southampton, October 7 and 8, 2023.

Meet the experts

Longing for a bit of southern French sunshine, a more laid-back way of life, a holiday home, a new life or somewhere fabulous to retire to? Then come and explore the possibilities of moving to France and get expert help and advice. Property agents are on hand to inspire with a huge range of properties available from chateaux (aren’t we all just dreaming of escaping to the chateau?!), gorgeous village houses, properties with land, gites and b&bs, and bargain doer-uppers for keen diy-ers.

French property is surprisingly affordable. We’ve seen plenty of properties that cost less than a year’s rent for a 3-bed house in Southampton!

And there are the ever-popular seminars, on buying in France, visa requirements and more – everything you need to know about moving to France, living in France, second homes in France etc.

Moving to France after Brexit

Post-Brexit, it’s absolutely possible to move to France, albeit with a few more administrative requirements. You’ll find all the experts you need at the French Property and Lifestyle show. They can help you negotiate the buying process, paperwork, and visas. Yes, you do need a visa now to stay in France for longer than 3 months at a time, but expert help is on hand to guide you through the administrative processes.

And for those looking to work in France, experts will be available to talk about employment opportunities. With fibre optic roll out right across France – working from home on the internet has never been easier!

Plus French healthcare is regularly cited as amongst the best in the world. There are experts on hand to explain how it all works

The best French property show in the UK

If you’re dreaming of buying a property or moving to France you can’t afford to miss this show. You’ll find everything you need to start planning for your dream move to France, or for an escape from it all holiday home.

And if you’re longing for a holiday in France or want to rent while you search or wait to move into your dream home – that’s taken care of too, with holiday rentals throughout France being showcased at the event.

Walking to the boulangerie for your early morning croissant or freshly baked baguette. Shopping at the market for local seasonal produce. Sitting at a terraced café watching the world go by… This really is a way of life in France – and it could soon be your life too.

FREE Tickets for the French property and lifestyle show

Get your free tickets exclusively from The Good Life France: click here, choose date and when you get to the ticket section- choose the option The Good Life France to get your free tickets: prestigefrenchpropertylifestyleshow/tickets.

Find out more at www.prestigepropertynetwork.com

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Bonjour and bienvenue to The Good Life France Magazine Winter 2022:

The Good Life France Magazine Winter 2022

Totally free to read, subscribe and share, the magazine is a real treat –  brimming with fabulous features, dazzling destinations, fantastic photos, scrumptious recipes and great give-aways.

Fabulous destinations and Scrumptious recipes

Dive right in to discover some of France’s most magical winter wonderland destinations from the French Alps to the French Riviera and fairy-tale Alsace. If you’re a lover of bûche de Noël, the famous French Christmas yule log cake, you’ll love reading about the annual biggest bûche de Noël in the world event in enchanting Antibes in Provence, and of course we’re sharing a recipe! And on the subject of cakes – discover the French connection when it comes to the great British Christmas pudding – yes really!

Paris lovers will adore our winter in Paris photo essay – when it snows, the city of light really does sparkle. And follow in Napoleon’s footsteps in Paris to find his legacy is clearly still there.

Off the beaten track treasure and giveaways

Head to the sweet village of Flavigny in Burgundy where the film Chocolat was filmed and to Rouen, packed with medieval history alongside a buzzing contemporary vibe, it’s an ideal city break. Discover the treasures of the Ardèche region and of the Côtes du Rhône – home to some of the steepest vineyards in France. Go gaga for gorgeous Gascony and feel festive at the colourful Christmas market of Metz, Lorraine.

Enjoy a taste of Toulouse with some of the city’s traditional favourite foods, and discover the best feel good films about France. And don’t forget to enter our great give-away contests – you’ve got to be in it to win it!

And there’s a whole lot more – far too much to mention here.

Don’t forget to subscribe here – the magazine is free. And please share this issue with your friends – that’s free too!

And now – it’s time to read it. Just click on the link and you’ll be whisked off to 120 pages of France, the next best thing to being there:

The Good Life France Magazine Winter 2022 – totally FREE.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue, shared with you with love and best wishes,

Janine

Janine Marsh
Editor

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Welcome the release of Beaujolais Nouveau in style in France! French river cruise operator, CroisiEurope, is giving guests the opportunity to greet the annual release of the famous Beaujolais Nouveau on a five-day river cruise that has been specially designed for wine lovers.

The wine-themed cruise follows the Saône River from Lyon through Burgundy includes visits to the prestigious city of Beaune, one of the key wine centres in France. Famous for the 15^th century former hospital, now the Hotel-Dieu Museum with its impressive colourful tiled roof. The cruise also takes in the impressive partial ruins of the Cluny Abbey and the Beaujolais Route. And it includes the Parc du Hameau Duboeuf, a theme park dedicated to vineyards and vine. Yes you did read that right! A wine-themed, theme park! It’s unique in Europe.

However, the highlight of the cruise is a visit to medieval Beaujeau medieval capital of Beaujolais. There, guests can discover the 12 appellations of Beaujolais. There’s also a chance to enjoy a lovely soiree in the town centre with cabaret entertainment and food, a torch-lit stroll and a fireworks display to welcome Beaujolais Nouveau Day.

The cruise, which is a round trip from Lyon onboard the MS Rhone Princess, departs on 13^th November 2022 and stops at Chalon-Sur-Saône, Mâcon and Belleville. The cruise includes all meals and drinks, excursions, port fees and repatriation insurance.

The cruise takes place each year – a must for wine lovers and Beaujolais fans.

For more information and reservations see: https://www.croisieurope.co.uk/cruise/exceptional

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The Good Life France Magazine Summer 2022 is out. It’s totally free to read and utterly fabulous:

The Good Life France Magazine Summer 2022

Discover the intoxicating island of Corsica, a well-kept secret island of beauty where 80% of visitors are from France. Head south to arty Arles, once a Roman colony, adored by artists and now a cultural hotspot, and the wetlands of the Camargue where wild white horses and pink flamingoes roam. We explore gorgeous Antibes on the Mediterranean coast, nothing like its more well known neighbours Nice and Cannes where we also go to find out more about this bucket list beauty. In the north, discover the historic department of Aisne in Picardy – the ancient cradle of France, and Agincourt, a land of glorious countryside and a super museum dedicated to its famous battle.

We meet the artisan gin makers of Cognac, expats who make the most incredible liqueurs, find out about France’s green wines and follow the famous prune route – yes prunes, forget the horror of school dinners featuring cold custard and watery dried plums, French prunes are cool!

Find out about Burgundy and Franche-Comté’s UNESCO treasures. What it’s really like to live in a grand chateau. And discover the work of one of the world’s most brilliant floral artists.

Guides, language lessons and wine tips from our new wine expert. Scrumptious recipes, the best tours and what’s new in France and more…

Click here to read our totally free, utterly brilliant magazine written by some of the best travel writers there are. It’s also free to share:

The Good Life France Magazine – Summer 2022

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It’s not every day that one gets to be privy to observing a sculptor at work, but until June 5, 202, renowned Beijing-born artist Wang Keping will be putting his touches on four monumental sculptures in an enchanting forested area just off the gardens of the magnificent Musée Rodin. For much of his life in Mao’s China where art was strictly controlled. Keping had no idea that sculptures even existed as an art form, only paintings. His discovery of Rodin’s sculptures with their sensual forms, in particular of the female body, was life-changing. As the first artist ever to be welcomed by the museum to use its grounds as his personal open-air atelier, Keping, who works exclusively in wood, could not be in a better setting.

The Wood Whisperer

On a recent visit I found Keping to be relaxed and accessible. Watching the artist at work was a delight in itself. He seemed to be sanding down an enormous off-white form that at first glance reminded me of an extracted molar. I was told that the dark cocoa-brown piece nearby used to be the same colour, but had been transformed with a blow torch. As Keping worked away, visitors ambled among masterpieces-in-development in a sun-dappled setting. Sculptures by Rodin appeared to gaze over the artist at work- and surely approvingly. Personally, I loved the entire experience, and plan to return.

Details: Wood sculptor Wang Keping will take over the sculpture garden at Musée Rodin which has been transformed into an open-air workshop. He will work on four monumental sculptures in front of visitors, using whole tree trunks as his source material. Wood, the artist’s favourite material, is at the heart of his work. Wang Keping searches the countryside and sawmills for trunks of different essences. Once debarked, the block suggests the shapes that the sculpture will take. With his chainsaw, and then with increasingly fine tools, the artist makes the wood speak. He sands and re-sands it, until the right shape emerges and reveals the spirit that the material imposes: rounded, soft, sensual female forms, smooth as skin.

One of the sculptures will be exhibited in the museum once completed. The artist will be present for four afternoons each week to work on his sculptures. Find out more at: musee-rodin.fr

Barbara Pasquet James is a U.S. lifestyle editor, speaker, and urban explorer who writes about food fashion and culture, from Paris. She is known for helping launch, write and edit USA Today’s City Guide To Paris and can be contacted via her photo blog FocusOnParis.com

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The last couple of years have been tough in the travel industry and at The Good Life France, we put our quarterly magazine on hold as we also held our breath and hoped things would get better.

Meanwhile we continued to publish great content on our website, where we reach circa 1.5million readers per month, and aimed to help our audience to keep dreaming of the chance to travel and to visit France once more.

On 18 March 2022 we relaunched The Good Life France Magazine. We moved to a new platform to make it easier to collect analytics and we worked with a new designer. What didn’t change was the great content about France, and fabulous photos that our readers have always loved.

We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached more than one million readers for this newly relaunched issue – within 6 weeks. And the number is climbing.

Our platform host, which includes some of the biggest names in the publishing world including the Guardian, Time, BBC magazines etc., has confirmed that no other magazine about France has as wide a reach as The Good Life France Magazine.

We’d like to thank our partners/advertisers who have helped make this possible and stuck with us through the tough times or joined up with us more recently, believing in our vision to provide a high quality, professional magazine to reach a highly targeted, engaged audience – for free: magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com

The magazine is digital and though we considered print, we feel that this is a more sustainable and ecological way to reach readers of this volume.

We’re always keen to chat about opportunities to reach our audience and to know about wonderful places to visit and great stories we know our readers will love…

May, 2022

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Rouen, Normandy’s principal city, has been named ‘UNESCO City of Gastronomy’.

It is the first city in France to be recognised for its creativity in the field of gastronomy. Alongside 48 other cities around the world, in November 2021, Rouen was awarded for its outstanding gastronomy as well as creativity and progress in sustainable urban development.

With its historic old town, museums and glorious cathedral which Claude Monet revered, capturing its beauty on canvas over and over, Rouen has long attracted tourists. But it’s also famous for its culinary heritage, great chefs, Michelin starred restaurants, culinary specialities such as Rouen-style duck. It was in Rouen at La Couronne, the oldest Inn in France that the great American cook Julia Child had her first French dish and fell head over heels for French cuisine. There’s even a shop dedicated entirely to raclette. And of course, Normandy is world famous for its cheeses and cider, Calvados and seafood, dairy and apple tart. The UNESCO award also recognises the city’s efforts to educate the benefits of healthy eating, plus support for gender equality amongst other qualities.

‘Thanks to this distinction, the creativity of the city of Rouen will now be recognised internationally,’ says Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Mayor of Rouen. ‘… Rouen’s new status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy represents an opportunity for the city’s economic, tourist and international attractiveness… and showcases the excellence of Normandy cuisine.’

Visit Rouen’s dedicated Creative City webpage rouen.fr/ville-creative-unesco

Discover all about Normandy’s cuisine: https://normandyfoodie.wordpress.com/

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