FRANCE on Your Own Newsletter

Autumn 2012 VOL. 16 NO. 4

	The Independent Traveler's Newsletter

Autumn 2012
VOL. 16 NO. 4

The Independent Traveler's Newsletter

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FINAL CALL TO ENTER OUR READERS' CHOICE PHOTO CONTEST

IN THIS ISSUE:

Send Us Your Photos of France
~ enter our contest!

Paris Enigmas

Ici et Là

A Travel Insurance Review
by Damian Tysdal

Ancient Paris Shop Signs
~ From Puns and History to Sexism
by Arthur Gillette

The Bookshelf
~ The Roman Provence Guide
A book by Edwin Mullins

Parisian Art Déco Architecture
~ A Selective Sampler
by Arthur Gillette

Featuring: The Allier
~ Land of 500 Châteaus

Vichy, Esplanade Napoleon III. Copyrighted by G. Ohanian/Cold Spring Press. All rights reserved.
Vichy, Esplanade Napoleon III - Allier

Notes from Narbonne
~ Something in the Air of Narbonne:
L'esprit d'elan and grit
by Marlane O'Neill

"Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.."
- Mason Cooley

FRANCE On Your Own is sponsoring its second photo contest for amateur photographers who submit their own photos of France. Please send us one or two of your best photos of France for consideration. The submission deadline is December 31, 2012, and all photos must be the sole property of the sender.

Contents page of France Magazine Fall 2012

We will select a half dozen photos to include in our Winter 2013 newsletter, and we'll ask readers to vote for their favorite. The top three choices will be in the Spring issue of FRANCE On Your Own. The photo receiving the most votes from our subscribers will be our winner who will receive a one-year subscription to France Magazine, courtesy of the French-American Cultural Foundation in Washington, DC.

Photos should be emailed to us in .jpg format and must be fully described in an accompanying email as to date taken, exact location and include the complete name of the subject of the photo (building, monument, village, beach, national park, etc.). The name, email and country of residence of the photographer must also be included. Send to publisher@franceonyourown.com with Photo Contest Two in the subject line.

Looking for authentic French Champagne to ring in the New Year? Ployez-Jacquemart Extra Brut Rosé and Ployez-Jacquemart Brut Champagne Extra Quality both received accolades in a recent issue of Wine Spectator. We know the producer, have visited her vineyards and took a tour of the cellars. Perhaps you will be able to find a bottle at your local wine shop. If not, visit here or elsewhere on the web for a list of retailers. And, if you're in the Champagne region of France, Madame Ployez has a lovely bed and breakfast!

Look inside. . . with a click . . .

> as we stroll with Arthur Gillette to discover the buildings and history of Art Déco Paris.

> to see what's new on The Bookshelf. Read our review of Edwin Mullins' fascinating and informative newly-published book, The Roman Provence Guide.

> for some important and informative tips about travel insurance from an expert in the field in our article Travel Insurance Review.

> as we explore Paris to uncover what's behind all those unique Ancient Paris Shop Signs.

> for this issue's Feature on the Allier département of the Auvergne region: a most happy surprise!

> to see what's new and what is happening in Marlane O'Neill's little city in the south in this edition of Notes from Narbonne.

Our next issue will continue our series that began with our Summer edition: Fall in Love - with These French Villages Part II .

And, don't forget to enter our Photo Contest!

PARIS ENIGMAS . . . A Quiz on Your Knowledge of Historic Paris . . . and France
by Arthur Gillette

Question from the last issue: What is the origin of the name 'Montmartre'?

Answer: For a long time it was generally accepted that Montmartre derived from Mons Martyrum - 'Martyr's Mount' - for it was there that, in the second half of the third century, the first bishop of Paris. Denis, was beheaded along with two of his acolytes, Eluthère and Rustique. According to a tenacious legend, Denis picked up his head and walked all the way, preaching along as he went, to the town still called Saint Denis, where he was buried - a site you can still visit: the marvelous, superbly gothic medieval Cathedral of Saint Denis. Aha! As sometimes happened, the name of Montmartre may in fact have been 'borrowed' (recuperated is more like it) by the early Christians from rather earlier Roman nomenclature: Mons Mercurii. It is now pretty generally recognized that atop Montmartre there was a pagan temple to the god Mercury.

Our new question: Many sources, including a very reputable guide book to Paris, show the floor plan of city's Notre Dame Cathedral as perfectly rectangular. In fact, the Cathedral is slightly twisted, as you can see here: http://ndparis.free.fr/notredamedeparis/menus/paris_notredame_plan.html
Why?

Contact Arthur Gillette to take advantage of his amazing knowledge of Paris
by enjoying one or more of his Paris Through the Ages Strolls.
Visit our Marketplace page for a complete list of strolls and information about Arthur.
Email: pouchkine38@gmail.com

[See the answer to this edition's question revealed in our Winter 2013 issue.]

SPONSORING THIS ISSUE

Château de Saint-Maclou-La-Campagne
in Normandy is waiting to welcome you to the perfect bed & breakfast
experience. Four elegant guest rooms to choose from, or rent the entire château.
Golf courses, polo, beaches, horseback riding, cycling,
the races at Deauville and historic Honfleur are all just minutes away.

Click on above photo for more details.

next page

		FINAL CALL TO ENTER OUR READERS' CHOICE PHOTO CONTEST
IN THIS ISSUE: Send Us Your Photos of France ~ enter our contest! Paris Enigmas Ici et Là A Travel Insurance Review by Damian Tysdal Ancient Paris Shop Signs ~ From Puns and History to Sexism by Arthur Gillette The Bookshelf ~ The Roman Provence Guide A book by Edwin Mullins Parisian Art Déco Architecture ~ A Selective Sampler by Arthur Gillette Featuring: The Allier ~ Land of 500 Châteaus Vichy, Esplanade Napoleon III - Allier Notes from Narbonne ~ Something in the Air of Narbonne: L'esprit d'elan and grit by Marlane O'Neill		"Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.." - Mason Cooley FRANCE On Your Own is sponsoring its second photo contest for amateur photographers who submit their own photos of France. Please send us one or two of your best photos of France for consideration. The submission deadline is December 31, 2012, and all photos must be the sole property of the sender. We will select a half dozen photos to include in our Winter 2013 newsletter, and we'll ask readers to vote for their favorite. The top three choices will be in the Spring issue of FRANCE On Your Own. The photo receiving the most votes from our subscribers will be our winner who will receive a one-year subscription to France Magazine, courtesy of the French-American Cultural Foundation in Washington, DC. Photos should be emailed to us in .jpg format and must be fully described in an accompanying email as to date taken, exact location and include the complete name of the subject of the photo (building, monument, village, beach, national park, etc.). The name, email and country of residence of the photographer must also be included. Send to publisher@franceonyourown.com with Photo Contest Two in the subject line. Looking for authentic French Champagne to ring in the New Year? Ployez-Jacquemart Extra Brut Rosé and Ployez-Jacquemart Brut Champagne Extra Quality both received accolades in a recent issue of Wine Spectator. We know the producer, have visited her vineyards and took a tour of the cellars. Perhaps you will be able to find a bottle at your local wine shop. If not, visit here or elsewhere on the web for a list of retailers. And, if you're in the Champagne region of France, Madame Ployez has a lovely bed and breakfast!