Cognac et Pineau | France

This postacrd is from France and it has a Cognac and Pineau theme. Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the town of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime.

Cognac production falls under French Appellation d'origine contrôlée designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. Among the specified grapes Ugni blanc, known locally as Saint-Emilion, is most widely used. The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. Cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and wine barrel age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer "on the wood" than the minimum legal requirement.

A little French mystery... | France

This postcard was sent from France via Postcrossing [FR-589799]. It shows the painting 'Place du Theatre Francais' by Camille Pissarro. Camille Pissarro (10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Pissarro studied from great forerunners, including Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. He later studied and worked alongside Georges Seurat and Paul Signac when he took on the Neo-Impressionist style at the age of 54. [wikipedia]

It was postmarked on 30 October 2015. These amazing stamps were issued in 1960s [!!!]. They are from the Cote of Arms series. They show the coat of arms of Mont de Marsan, of Nevers - the administrative capital of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France, of Oran and of Fox. I do not know if they are authentic or reproductions and how they were accepted by the French Post, but I like them a lot!!

Midnight in Paris

This picturesque view of Pont Neuf in Paris was sent by Alexandra via postcrossing [FR-173795]. It reminds me of a wonderful movie I saw recently, called "Midnight in Paris". So, instead of writing some words of this amazing city, I give you the soundtrack of the movie. Listen to it and travel to Paris!

Pont du Gard

This postcard was sent by Nancy from France via postcrossing [FR-141027]. It shows Le pont du Gard, an aquaduc built by the Romans 2000 years ago! As she writes, she loves going there to enjoy the sun!

The Pont du Gard is a notable ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gard River in southern France. It is part of a 50 km (31 mi) long aqueduct that runs between Uzès and Nîmes in the South of France. It is located in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département. The aqueduct was constructed by the Romans in the 1st century AD and was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1985. It is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and is the best preserved after the Aqueduct of Segovia.

Avenue de l'Opéra | France

This is another old card dated back to 27 September 1951. It shows Avenue de l' Opera in Paris, France.

The Avenue de l'Opéra is a Haussmanian avenue situated in the centre of Paris. It runs from the Louvre to the Palais Garnier, which was Paris's main opera until it was replaced by the Opéra Bastillein 1989. Unlike most Parisian avenues, there are no trees. This is the result of a compromise between Haussmann and Charles Garnier, the architect of the Opera House, who desired the best view possible of the main facade of the Opera at the end of the avenue. He did not want the view to be obstructed by the leaves and branches.

Images of Gers

Another private swap, this time with Anthony who was on vacations in France. He was visting his family in Gascogne Region in the South-West of France. As he writes me, Gascogne is famous for its gastronomy like foie-gras or armagnac wine. It is also, as he informs me, the birthplace of Mosquateer D'Artagnan.

Gascony was historically inhabited by Basque-related people who appear to have spoken a language similar to Basque. The name Gascony comes from the same root as the word Basque. From medieval times until the nineteenth century, the Gascon language was spoken, which is a regional variant of the Occitan Language. It is also home to the hero of the play Cyrano de Bergerac (though this character has little in common with the real Cyrano de Bergerac, who was a Parisian) and to Henry III of Navarre who later became king of France as Henry IV.
Gascony is also famed for its douceur de vivre ("sweetness of life"): its food, its medieval towns and villages locally called bastides nested amidst green rolling hills, its sunny weather, the beauty of its landscape, with the occasional distant views of the Pyrenees mountain range, all contribute to the popularity of Gascony as a tourist destination. Due to rural exodus, Gascony is one of the least populated areas of western Europe, and so it has recently become a haven for stressed urbanites of northern Europe (chiefly France, England, and the Benelux nations) who, in search of quiet and peace of mind, are increasingly buying second homes in Gascony. [wikipedia]

Paris 1955 | France

Yet another pretty postcard from France, this time Paris. It pictures Place de la Concorde and you can see the Eiffel Tower. It was posted on 9/8/1955 and even though it is written in English the handwrite makes it hard to read [again if anyone can help... :) ].

Happy 1921 | France

 

This post card is a French "Happy New Year" card. It was posted on 1st January 1921 and has a stab of the Post Office of Lyon. Unfortunately I don't know French, so I don't know what it says [if someone could translate I would be sooo grateful]. I think it's kinda funny that the address is upside down from the text =]

Disneyland, Paris

I received this one a few days ago. Some friends were in Paris for their honeymoon [ :) ] and they sent it to me!

Dinan, France

Dinan is a beautiful small medieval city in Northern France with cobbled rambling streets all carefully restored and preserved. Most of the houses are half-timbered dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, as you can see on the card. This is the square of Les Marciers, filled with small cafes and restaurants.

Saint Malo | France

I visited Saint Malo on April 2010.

Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in north-western France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department.

Once you are there, I can advise you to do two things:

1. Just before sunset, take a long walk on the city walls. That way you will see the city from above and you will have a magnificent view of the sun setting into the sea!

2. You just HAVE TO try the seafood! Any seafood recipe we tried was amazing!!

Le Mont Saint Michel | France

Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany stand the 'Wonder of the West', a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St Michael, and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A truly breathtaking place!If you ever go to Normandy, you should definitely visit it!