France For Lovers

Cote d'Azur, Eze, France, French Riviera, Homes, Real Estate | December 10, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

EZE - FRENCH ISLAND IN THE SKY

Just east of Nice, on the Cote d’Azur, or French Riviera, perched on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, is the picturesque village of Eze. The views from the village are stunning.

This entire stretch of coastline is magical, and Eze, famous for its view of the sea and the Riviera, draws large numbers of tourists and honeymooners. Can you imagine yourself spending a night or two in this medieval village, or living in your own villa or apartment in this area?

Winding your way through the narrow streets, archways and stone houses, you find an exotic botanical garden with various plants and cactus, that gives you a good view of the sea and coastline. Friedrich Nietzsche, the great German philosopher, spent time in Eze composing the last part of his work “Thus Spake Zarathustra.” Walt Disney also loved Eze.

There are many small shops and boutiques in the village, and excellent hotels and restaurants.

Eze typifies the beauty of the Cote d’Azur area.

On our website at The Matchmakers, you can view some video clips of Eze and the French Riviera, and also search through over 350,000 listed properties throughout all of France.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France, Tours of France, Wine | November 16, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

YOUR DREAM HONEYMOON IN FRANCE

Paris - and France in general - is at the tops of almost everyone’s list of romantic spots in the world. Paris is the city of lovers, and France is filled with romantic destinations that take the breath away - chateaux, ancient villages, food, wine. For newlyweds, this is the ideal way to start off a lifetime.

What if you could combine Paris with the trip of a lifetime - just for the two of you - through the river valleys, the beautiful villages, the wine country, accompanied by an acclaimed film producer who knows and loves the country well. Just the two of you, on a private voyage through the heart of the best of France.

Jim Hilgendorf is the producer of the Tribute Series, a series of highly-acclaimed travel films that are in homes, libraries, and schools throughout the United States, several of which have appeared on PBS and international television. He has already produced one film on France, “Bordeaux & The Dordogne: A Tribute“, on Bordeaux and the beautiful Dordogne River Valley in southwest France.

He and his wife Elizabeth are accompanying the tours - for just one couple only -and Jim will be creating a video record of the voyage as a memory keepsake of the tour.

You can check out these videos and Jim on his website at http://www.tributeseries.com; and information about these private luxury honeymoon tours is available at http://www.tributeseries.com/Frenchtours.html.

Avignon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France, Tours of France, Wine | September 22, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE

This winelover’s paradise is just a short distance north of Avignon in the Vaucluse department in Provence, in southern France.

In 1308, Pope Clement V moved the papacy to Avignon, where it stayed for 70 years. The popes began promoting wine growing in the area just north of Avignon, in the present location of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, near the Rhone River.

Today, the wines grown here are world famous.

When Elizabeth and I visited Chateauneuf-du-Pape, we had lunch on the hilltop terrace restaurant near the old castle ruins. The lunch was wonderful, as was the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine.

When we were just finishing, we wanted someone to take a picture. There was a group of about thirty men and women eating and drinking at nearby tables, and we introduced ourselves and began talking.

It turns out they were all employees of a Paris insurance agency on a three-day holiday in the area. They were very friendly. They agreed readily to take out photo. Not only that, but they wanted to create a setting for the photo, so they brought over a magnum of magnificent Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine, set it on our table and refilled our empty glasses to the brim. By the time we left, we had traded emails, and we were a bit tipsy.

The area around Chateauneuf-du-Pape is very lovely, dotted with some very beautiful small villages, which we will talk about at another time.

A lovely setting for your honeymoon or anniversary tour.

France, France For Lovers, Grasse, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France, Perfume, Tours of France | August 31, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

GRASSE - PERFUME CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Grasse, in Provence, on the French Riviera, just a short drive west of Nice, is a charming and ancient town - a place of love and passion, revolving around the centuries-old craft of perfume making. Four of the main perfumeries in France - Fragonard, Galimard, Mane, and Molinard - are located here. There are tours, where you can learn about the history of perfume making.

The process of perfume making, of extracting the perfume oils from flowers, is a very complex and labor intensive one, and the processes are closely guarded secrets.

Every major perfume house employs the services of a “Nose” - an artist capable of distinguishing a vast number of different scents and combining them to create distinguished perfumes.

Grasse is also a very interesting city in itself. The old center of town is a maze of ancient, narrow streets winding through huge 17th and 18th century buildings.

If you are thinking of celebrating your honeymoon or anniversary in France, consider taking the trip of your lifetime with us, beginning in Paris, and continuing on to some of the most beautiful regions of France.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France, Tours of France | August 27, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

MUSEE D’ORSAY - MUSEUM FOR LOVERS

The Musee d’Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine river, in Paris, is best known for its fabulous collection of Impressionist masterpieces by such painters as Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, and Van Gogh.

The museum was originally a railway station, constructed for the 1900 World Exposition; but then fell into disuse, until being reconstructed in the 1980’s as the present art museum. For those who love Impressionism, this is your museum.

Paris is known as the City of Love - the most romantic city in the world - and as you stroll through the city’s parks, you will encounter lovers from all over the world come to celebrate their time together in this great city.

Perhaps Renoir captured the beauty and romance of Paris best with paintings like the one below, titled In The Garden.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Lascaux, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France | August 18, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

LASCAUX - GREAT PREHISTORIC ART

The Lascaux caves, near the village of Montignac, in the Dordogne region in southwest France, contain some of the most famous Paleolithic art in the world.

The caves were discovered in September, 1940, by four teenagers. After World War II, the caves were opened to the public, but were finally closed in 1963 in order to preserve the art. Represented in the caves are almost 2000 figures, most of them animals such as bison, bulls, horses, cattle, bison and bears. There are also many geometric figures, and among all these representations, only one abstract figure of a human. There is much speculation over the significance of all of these subterranean figures, but no one knows for sure. There seems to be a strong spiritual significance of some kind to all of the art. The paintings were done about 17,000 years ago.

After the caves were closed to the public, a project was begun, employing the work of twenty artists and sculptors, and taking eleven years, to exactly recreate the caves and paintings. The result, opening in 1983, was Lascaux II. This is what visitors now see when they go to Lascaux.

Elizabeth and I took the tour a few years ago. I found the experience astonishing. The guide takes you into recreated caves, leading the way into the dark with only a flashlight. The paintings are extraordinary. Every curve of the caves are utilized by the artists to capture the bodies and movements of the animals.

I was talking to an excellent artist in the United States upon my return - an artist who had visited Lascaux II also. He said to me: “These artists were no rookies. They were masters.” I agree.

A visit to Lascaux and to the beautiful Dordogne region is part of our special honeymoon and anniversary tours of France.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France | August 8, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

Brantome, France - Venice of the Perigord

Brantome, a lovely town in the Dordogne, or Perigord, region of southwestern France, is often called the Venice of the Perigord. The town is beautifully situated on the river Dronne.

The Benedictine Abbey of Brantome was founded in 769 A.D., by Charlemagne, but was destroyed a century later by Vikings, and was later bebuilt in 1480, after the end of the Hundred Years’ War.

Brantome is another of the exquisite places that could be part of your private anniversary or honeymoon tour of France.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France | August 2, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

Wedding in France? The Devil’s in the Details

If you are thinking about planning a wedding in France, and then perhaps a honeymoon in Paris or among the castles and villages of this beautiful land, you should first be aware of the many regulations and requirements involved.

First of all, religious marriage ceremonies are not recognized under French law. The couple first has to go through a civil wedding at a town hall, and then they can have a religious ceremony afterwards if they choose.

For non-citizens of France, there is a daunting array of requirements that have to be met before being married in the country. You will need to show the civil authorities:

1. Your passport or French residency permit.
2. A certificate of celibacy (simply a statement that you are both free to marry).
3. A new birth certificate.
4. A medical exam by a French doctor.
5. Proof of residency for 40 days of one of the parties in the district where you will be married.
6. Translation of English documents into French by an officially recognized French translator.

People who are not French citizens get married all the time in France, so if you are willing to fulfill the necessary requirements, you can do it.

But after learning of all these requirements, you might find it easier and more enjoyable to have your wedding at home, and then plan a honeymoon trip to France afterwards. Or secretly get married at home, and have the unofficial religious ceremony in France.

In any event, whatever you decide, check carefully into the details.

We can specifically help with a lovely once-in-a-lifetime tour of France to celebrate your wedding.

The Tribute Series

Chenonceau: One of loveliest of the Loire Valley Chateaux

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France | July 28, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

Songs of the Dordogne, France: A Love Affair

Sarlat, a jewel of the Dordogne, in southwest France. A must for anyone on a tour of this beautiful region. The town is famous for its Saturday markets; and during the warm months you will usually find a pair of married musicians - Bruno and Sophie - playing in the village square. They called their duo Paris-Londres, and their music is known throughout the region.

Their story is truly a love story. They met on a Paris subway, each homeless, and each carrying their instrument - Sophie a violin, and Bruno a guitar. Sophie was from England; Bruno was French. They began playing music together.

They decided to move to Nice, in the south of France; but on their way there, their old car broke down in Sarlat, and they were so smitten with the beauty of the town, that they decided to stay. They slept in their car that first night; but the next day they played music and made enough money to stay in a hotel. They are now raising a family and love the region, and their music is filled with the special beauty of the region.

A beautiful place to visit on your honeymoon or anniversary tour.

Bruno and Sophie tell their story in full in our video “Bordeaux & The Dordogne: A Tribute.“

Briefly meet Sophie and Bruno in the video below.

If your RSS feed cannot access the video, click here.

France, France For Lovers, Honeymoon Tours, Josephine Baker, Luxury Honeymoon and Anniversary Tours of France | July 19, 2009 By jimhilgendorf1 | No comments yet

Josephine Baker and Chateau des Milandes

Josephine Baker, the great American singer and dancer, was a great lover of France, where she lived most of her life, and where she spent several of her years at Chateau des Milandes, her home in the beautiful Dordogne Valley in southwest France.

The video below tells her story, and the story of Chateau des Milandes.

If the video does not play in your RSS feeder, please click here

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France For Lovers

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