Hello from me again, I’m just back from Devon on the South West Coast of England – a lovely place called Forder’s Green, near Totnes. Been years since I’ve taken a ferry crossing !

I went from Roscoff to Plymouth which takes 6 hours –

Although it’s a long drive from here it’s well worth it – why rush anywhere I say!

And French motorway’s are much less congested than English ones.. –

I can highly recommend Brittany ferries with Great service and lovely boats, almost like top quality hotels- the one I sailed on was the “Pont-Aven’, and it’s even got a swimming pool so don’t forget your cozzi..

http://www.brittanyferries.com  

Makes a change than going through that awful tunnel all the time…

A couple of tips on what’s going on, and where to go this week-end and over the next couple of weeks, right into May…

Well worth a visit

A nice walk too if its raining! And I quote

“To  fully grasp the meaning of “Fontenay” and the power of its beauty, you must approach it step by step, painstakingly, trudging through the brambles and bogs in an October rain”!!!

Pedestrain paths invite visitors to enjoy an endless variety of strolls though the beech and ash forest, in a half-hours walk. A must of course, for it’s lovely peace and magical atmosphere is the actual Abbey, classified as a part of the World Heritage, it’s one of the oldest Cisterian monastries in France, situated at about 6km from Montbard.

Open daily throughout the year, the dormitory and cloisters are quite amazing.

For more information check out their website http://www.abbayedefontenay.com

And of course Montbard too is well worth a visit – .

Useful information

This is especially for Julie who lives in ‘Le Roche en Brenil’ ! You don’t have to go all the way to Montbard to pick up your train tickets if your’e going back to the UK via MONTBARD-LILLE-LONDON. You can do this at the station in Saulieu at their small, but very user-freindly SNCF Travel Agency there!

Night out/Music

• Tonight at the Café Parisien in Saulieu,  (as part of the Cafés Margot Scheme) a dinner concert with the ‘René Sopa trio’ For more information, check out their website
• http://cafeparisien.overblog.com
• Classical Music in “L’Isle sur Serein” with the participation of the students from Avallon’s music school on Saturday night
• Jazz music on the 25^th April at eight-thirty at theCorbigny Abbey
• A mixture of Irish/Brittany music from the group ‘YELTIS’ on the 19^th of April at the Café-theatre in Toutry (which is near Semur)
• “Stage clown for Adults” at Semur’s theatre on the 26/27^th of April.
• Also in Saulieu next weekend, Saturday night at eight-thirty ‘a Traditional Rock’ concert by a brilliant group called “Les Traines-Bûches” and that’s at the indoor market. Not to be missed – so Alexia says from the Tourist Information Centre.
• The Battle of Waterloo – (which is, and I quote ‘anything but the story of the Napaleon Battle”) by the theatre company called “Le Rocher des Doms’ The’ll be performing in Saulieu on 22^nd of April, in Luzy on the 23^rd, and in Chateau-Chinon on the 24^th; 
• Why not try out a typically French ‘Thé-Dansant’? (you don’t usually drink tea by the way! Great fun – so if you’d like to try that out, go along to Avallon to the indoor market - at 3 O’oclock on Sunday the 20^th of April.

Days out , Exhibitions and Fairs

 

• everything you need to know about Gardening. Huge exhibition on Saturday 19^th and Sunday 20^th At the “Eduen Centre” In Autun.

• from the 25^th to 28^th April, the real estate and home furnishings exhibition, also at the Eduen Centre.
• This week-end “the Auxois” goes to Dijon with a special event called ‘L’Auxois à Dijon’ which goes on at the ‘Lac Kir’. Rides, stands, and demonstrations, the Billebaude canal boat, a Hot-air balloon with the Auxois couleurs. And a Concert in the evening at eight-thirty with “Projet Vertigo and Liberty Valence”
• Wine tasting in Precy sous Thil on the 26/27^th April
• Annual Spring Fair in Dun-les-Places on Saturday 26^th April, with lots of stands and a jumble sales.
• More jumble sales and attic clearances:
• on the 19^th of April in Lormes,
• the 20^th in Chassignelles,
• and  on the 27^th in Crépand,

Art Exhibitions – a couple of ideas…

• African art until the 19^th of April at the Corbigny Abbey
• Oil painting exhibition in Flavigny by “Anne Partin Meunie”r until the 4^th of May.

 

• Still got the chance to see the unusual exhibition called ‘BOTTE-CUL’ until the beginning of May, all about milking stools. And that’s at the Castle in Ste Colombe en Auxois. Details from their website bricognedith@wanadoo.fr

Clubs and Activities

“Bulle de Rose” if you need to get rid of your stress. They organise great relaxing nature walks, relaxation therapy and gym - all around the Morvan and the  Vezelay area.

The ‘relaxing gym’ goes on weekly in the cure (89) and Anneot and they have a special workshop in Precy sous Thil on Saturday the 26^th of April. More details from their site http://www.bullederose.com or call 03 86 32 48 07

 

“Trekking day from Auxerre to Vézelay”

Takes place in Auxerre

April 20th 8am - 5pm

Organised by the « Grande Randonnée Pédestre Auxerre-Vézelay »

tel: 03 86 62 07 19 for more details(Club Alpin Français de Joigny)

Useful French  Sentence/French way of life

I found this in the Magazine they give you on the boat called ‘Voyage’ which is written by Valerie Worth and quite rightly points out the difference between ‘yes and nos’

Oui

To show that you agree with something strongly, try “mais oui” as in “Vous aimez le vin blanc?”

“Mais oui!”

If you want to use “yes” to contradict someone, you need to use “si” or even “mais si”

“Tu n’aimes pas le fromage”? (don’t you like cheese ?)

‘Mais si ! »

Non

If you offer someone something to eat or drink,

they can say ‘non’ if they don’t want it,

but quite often a French person will simply say ‘merci’

In this situation ‘merci’ really does mean ‘non’ !

 

You can write to me, with any suggestions, hints, critiques, or anything you’d like me to talk about at

info@eolenet.fr

N’oubliez pas, si vous avez des suggestions, ou vous organisez les fêtes ou sorties que vous pensez pourrez intéresser nos amis « anglophones » – vous pouvez m’écrire sur le mail d’ EOLE

An Article is published on our website with relative websites, addresses and telephone numbers

http://www.eolenet.fr  under the heading ‘English’

This week’s Guest

Is David Cogan who’s come all the way over the hills via ‘Arnay le Duc’ from his home town in Beaune, to talk to us about his great web site called http://www.burgundyeye.com

David graduated just in time for Ireland’s last great emigration wave and went off to work in neon-lit offices all over the globe.

The vineyards of Burgundy drew him away from corporate glamour to wine, and women and song. A Burgundian for most of this century, David shares a stone-floored period residence with Laurence, their two sons ans a furry hunter of wild boar.

 

This on-line resource, created and edited by long-time Burgundy residents with extensive wine trade experience , is the complete guide to all things Burgundian. 7000 directory entries open for review by fellow visitors and residents. The articles posed on Burgundy Eye provide valuable and entertaining information on where to stay, where to eat, to drink and the best things to see and do. The accommodation section includes reports on all the hotels, bed and breakfast lodgings, camp sites, holidays homes (gites) and hotel barges. Find details of every restaurant in Burgundy. Burgundy Eye also provides useful wine reviews and information on the top attractions and activities.

 

http://www.visionbourgogne.com Un guide très complet consacré entièrement à la Bourgogne, des avis et des commentaires sur les hebergements, les restaurants, les vins, les visites et les loisirs; Créé par des résidents de Bourgogne passionnées de leur region.

 

Be back: In a fortnight, and that’s the 2^nd of May, which is of course a holiday week-end so lots to tell you about then!