Bradt Eccentric France: Mad, Magical and Marvellous France (Bradt Travel Guides) - Softcover

Letcher, Piers

9781841620688: Bradt Eccentric France: Mad, Magical and Marvellous France (Bradt Travel Guides)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841620688 ISBN 13: 9781841620688

Publisher: Bradt Pubns, 2003

Want to visit the Garlic and Livestock Festival in Provence? See a homemade full-scale reproduction of the Sistine Chapel in Normandy? Follow the Truffle Trail in P�rigord? Or just find out about the fascinating, madcap, and sometimes tragic lives of the hundreds of real eccentrics who have made their mark in France?
Eccentric France brings travelers all this and much, much more--on and off the beaten track. Between the covers of Eccentric France readers will discover entire museums dedicated to eccentricities such as Camembert cheese and corkscrews, and fairs celebrating the virtues of edible snails and absinthe. The Montgolfier brothers, Nostradamus, and Marie Antoinette all rub shoulders here, along with some American exports such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, and Henry James. Bizarre buildings, outrageous artists, ridiculous royalty, impossible inventions, and peculiar people populate France; this guide tells travelers what to visit, when to go, and who they can meet. It's also a great book for the armchair visitors or for those planning their next trip to La Belle France.

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From the Back Cover:

So you think eccentric France means frogs' legs and pigs' trotters? Think again.
Piers Letcher takes you to places where you can feast on forgotten vegetables, saddle up for national donkey day, or gorge yourself at the world tripe championships. He also reveals the truth behind France's most colorful characters, including Coco Chanel, Joan of Arc, Mata Hari and the Marquis de Sade.
This latest addition to the Bradt eccentric series makes fascinating reading for those looking to discover the hidden side of France, as well as for armchair travelers who delight in the extraordinary.
Feeling adventures? Try your hand at pig-squealing, or brave the Rhone Valley's Crocodile Farm; Romantic? Visit the Lovers' Wall in Montmartre, or Provence's hidden Paradise; Festive? Indulge yourself at the Palais du chocolat, or take a Champagne cure; Or just plain curious? Check out the country's most unusual towns, gardens, hotels and restaurants.

About the Author:

Piers Letcher lives in Ferney Voltaire, France, and has spent several years as a senior speech writer for the United Nations in Geneva. As an independent writer and photographer he has published 13 books, including the Bradt guide to the former Yugoslavia, more than 1,000 newspaper and magazine articles, and hundreds of photographs.

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