New Year 2010 Newsletter

The beaches of western France



A popular area with holidaymakers, the Vendée has clean sandy beaches backed by aromatic pine forests and superb seafood. Holiday villas in the Vendee.

Properties of Interest:

Villa Roquette, Languedoc


Holiday apartment with air conditioning and central heating. Situated between Pezenas and Beziers in the heart of the large Languedoc village of Montblanc. The village is only a few minutes from the Mediterranean and near the mountains and lakes of the of the Languedoc National park.

Le Couvent, Lot


A romantic old convent school house, restored and with large private garden. Situated close to the beautiful Lot and Célé valleys, between Labastide Murat and Vers in the Lot. 3 bedrooms sleeps 6.

Mobile homes in the Poitou Charentes

A choice of mobile homes on the 4-star Haven Europe, Les Charmettes site near La Palmyre beach and Royan. In the Charente-Maritime.

New Properties this Month:

La Moinerie, Brittany


La Moinerie is a converted fisherman's cottage overlooking the River Rance. The cottage is situated 5 minutes from Plouer-sur-Rance and 15km south of St Malo in Brittany, north west France. 4 bedrooms sleeps up to 8.

Mortier, Loire Valley


Set in the quiet wooded countruyside of the Loire Valley near Auverse, 20 minutes from Saumur and 45 minutes from Tours airport.
A stress-free location - a quiet child-free zone - ideal for short breaks / weekends. Studio sleeps 2 - 4.

Le Monjat Gites, Dordogne



Le Monjat Gites - very comfortable, well equipped gites with pool. Situated in a peaceful rural location in north of the Perigord Noir in the heart of the Dordogne.

New Year Traditions in France

“La galette des Rois” is a cake celebrating Epiphany and is traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after this date. In modern France, the cakes can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. The cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane and is usually eaten warmed from the oven.

Traditionally the cake has a figurine, “la fève”, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, which is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Originally, “la fève” was literally a broad bean (fève), but they were replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain or - more recently - plastic. These figurines have become popular collectibles and can often be bought separately. A paper crown is included with the cake to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of cake. To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of each slice.