Festivals in France - continued

Let’s continue our Festivals’ Tour de France! After Southern France, let’s move north towards Brittany and Normandy.

In Brittany is the festival "La Route du Rock" organized in Saint Malo from August 14th to 16th. Dedicated to rock music, as its name indicates, several concerts will be organized each day at the Fort de Saint Père, the Palais Sony Ericsson and on the beach. More information at www.laroutedurock.com

From July 15th to 19th, the Mont Saint Michel will host the 2nd edition of the Festival "13 siècles en Ciel et Terre". Organized by the association Robert de Torigny, its goal is to introduce visitors to the spiritual aspect of this unique site, through art exposition, conferences, theater shows, concerts and mass. More information is available at http://festival.mtstmichel.free.fr/.

In Caen is the festival “Caen Soirs d’Eté” every Thursday and Friday from July 6th to August 31st . Dedicated to theater and music, it features several shows in the street as well as in the castle or the St Nicolas church among other sites. Also during this festival, a night market will take place every Friday from 5pm to 11pm, from July 13th to 17th.
In Bayeux will take place the “Calvadose de Rock” festival on August 7th and 8th. Dedicated to rock, it features several concerts throughout the city on these two days.

In the Loire Valley, several chateaux organize throughout the summer “son et lumières shows” at nights, as well as night guided tours of the gardens or the chateaux to discover the place in a different way. Sites include the Château de Chenonceau, Château de Chambord and the Chateau d’Azay le Rideau.
In Amboise is organized every year the show "A la cour du Roy François". This show, featuring 500 actors and 1000 costumes portrays what life was in the region when the Kings of France built their castles. The representations take place every Wednesday and Saturday, from June 24th to August 29th.
In Blois, every night from April 4th to September 27th is a light show arranged, presenting the history of the castle, with its dramas and mysteries. Shows are in French, except on Wednesdays when it is in English. Starts at 10:30pm in July, and 10pm from August on.
Check at the tourist office or on the chateaux’s website to get the schedule.

In Tours is the festival “Les Méridiennes” from July 15th to 24th. Dedicated to music, several concerts are organized during this 10-day festival, with different styles offered (classical music, jazz, celtic music etc….). More information is available at www.les-meridiennes.fr.

In Alsace, Obernai organizes the "Estivales d'Obernai", a music festival that takes place every saturday from July 11th to August 15th. Free concerts are organized on the market place (place du Marché). More information on the official city's website at www.obernai.fr/site/Les_Estivales_dObernai_2009-802.html

In Colmar, from August 7th to 14th will take place the "Foire aux vins", which is a double event. During the day, an exposition will teach you everything about Alsacian wines, with tastings possible of course! Street animations, tastings of local gastronomies will also take place. In the evening, concerts of various international bands and singers are organized. More details at www.foire-colmar.com

Our Tour de France ends in Burgundy, another wine region! From August 24th to 30th, Dijon will host the "Fetes de la vigne" festival. Dedicated to wine, it includes tastings, street animations, concerts among other activities. This festival also presents world traditions with local dancing groups from Burgundy and various countries (such as Bulgaria, Turkey, French Polynesia or Peru for instance). The full schedule and more details can be found at www.fetesdelavigne.fr

South from Dijon, the city of Beaune will celebrate classical music from July 3rd to 26th, with the "Festival de Beaune". This year, Haendel will be honored, with 4 operas organized during this festival. Besides operas, concerts will be organized in the Notre Dame basilica. More information available at www.festivalbeaune.com

These are just some of the many festivals taking place in France. To check if there is one in the region you will visit, contact the local tourist offices. And for all of you currently in France, don't forget that tomorrow is Bastille day, which is celebrated throughout the whole country. Many cities and villages will organize fireworks, and it's a day full of animations everywhere. Most fireworks start between 10 and 11pm, but ask at the hotel or the tourist office for the exact schedule, and where is the best spot to watch it. Enjoy!

Laura

Team Astana Rocks TTT

Sent by a colleague in our France office:

Life is sweet.
Today, I had a day of so I was able to see the Tour de France in my own city: Montpellier, close to the French office.
From my flat, I could hear the people and the helicopters used for TV. The atmosphere was dedicated to bicycle.
So, of course, the crowd was fantastic and very enthusiastic. People were from all over the planet.
But guess who get the best welcome? Lance for sure!
The only guys who draw something on the road were Lance fans, they wrote “Allez Lance” (Go Lance) just in front of me. Even if there are quite a lot of stars, everyone was overwhelmed by Lance.
He has a huge charisma, he moves the audience.
I am so happy to finally get to see him even if they are so fast that you just cannot believe it!
The race is on, enjoy it…

More on our Facebook fan page

Tom.

Events in France

What's Happening in France:

The Fête de la Musique on June 21^st set the tone: the summer has started, and it’ll be an eventful one in France! With the Tour de France underway and the recent heat wave that hit the country in the last 10 days (and is still there in southern France), there is a smell of holiday in the air! In July and August, you will find plenty of festivals taking place throughout the country, from the small village festival to the big city one. Whether you like music, theater, dance or art, you’ll find an event for you, for sure! So here is our “Festivals tour de France”!

For those of you traveling to Provence, there is of course the Festival of Avignon. It starts on July 7th until July 29th, and features theatre plays, concerts and ballets among other. Also, several "side-events" take place at the same time too. There is a market, called the "marché du festival", taking place from 11am to 1am everyday, from July 3rd to 26th. More information at www.festival-avignon.com

Also, each saturday July 11th to 25th included at the Halles, several local chefs will prepare, in front of the public, a meal using products from the Halles markets. It takes place from 11am to 12pm.

In Arles, there is "Les Rencontres d'Arles" from July 7th to September 13th. The festival celebrates its 40th anniversary. This event is dedicated to photography, and several exhibitions are organized throughout the city. From July 7th to 12th is the opening week, with various conferences and exhibitions planned. More information at www.rencontres-arles.com

Then, from July 13th to 19th is the Festival les Suds, dedicated to world music and dance. The full program is available at www.suds-arles.com

In the Languedoc region, there is the "Festival de Radio France et Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon", from July 13th to 31st. Dedicated mainly to theater and classical music, it celebrates its 25th anniversary. More information at www.festivalradiofrancemontpellier.com

In Carcassonne takes place the "Festival des Cités", a cultural festival that uses the beautiful background of Carcassonne's medieval town to create a magical event. Dedicated to music, dance and theater, it is not to be missed if you are in the area! Details available at www.festivaldecarcassonne.com

In Dordogne, you'll have plenty of events to discover too! In Sarlat, from July 18th to August 5th the "Festival des Jeux du Théâtre" takes place. Centered on theater, it features several plays, from renown authors or young artists. Full programme can be viewed at www.festival-theatre-sarlat.com

In Bergerac and its surroundings the festival "L'été musical en Bergerac" takes place from July 23rd to August 14th. A total of 15 events will be held in Bergerac and its surroundings (Abbaye de Cadouin, Bastide de Monpazier among others). This festival is dedicated to music (all genres, from classical to blues) as well as dance. More information at http://festivalbergerac.blogspot.com

In the Bordeaux area, there is the festival “Vivacité fait son cabaret” in La Réole, on July 17^th and 18^th. It features several street animations and shows, for all ages! More information at vivacite.info.

In August is the “Itinérance Médiéval en Valley du Dropt”. This festival travels through the Dropt Valley (Saint Macaire, Sauveterre de Guyenne area) from August 6^th to 30^th, with shows and animations presenting what life was in this region in the Middle Age, using the many monuments (bastides, castles…) as a beautiful background. More information at www.medieval.dropt.org.

More information about festivals in other regions of France coming up soon!

Sent by Laura in our France office.

Tax in France restaurants drops - will the price?

VAT changes in France

After years of discussions between restaurants, the French government and the European Union, it finally happened! Instead of applying a 19.6% VAT on the bill, restaurants will now apply a lower tax of 5.5%. It had been a promise made by Jacques Chirac, and was a subject of conflict between the government and the restaurants union. So today, all the newspapers talk about this change, and how it should reflect on the overall bill. Officially, restaurants and cafés are supposed to reflect this tax change by lowering their prices. Officials also hope that the employees will see a raise in their paycheck, and that it will create more job in this industry. If you believe the media, it is the magical pill that will solve all the problems restaurants are facing right now, and will have everyone in France rush to the restaurants. Will it really shows on the bill? Personally, I don’t think so. I hope it does lower the price by a few Euros, but I wouldn’t count on it. Many restaurants say that they are struggling to make money, and have already announced that they will not use this to lower the price but to have a better margin.

It will take some time to determine the consequences of this change on prices, as the summer season is here, summer prices have arrived and depending on where you travel, some places charge a ridiculous amount of money compared to the quality of products/services they offer. So one piece of advice for all of you traveling, don’t jump on the first restaurant you see. Take some time to walk around and see the various options you have.

Sent by Laura in our France office.

Team Astana Works the TTT Course

As we have an office just outside of Montpellier and a few connections in the local cycling scene, one of our local contacts sent these pictures in from Tuesday when Team Astana showed up in Montpellier to work on their Team Time Trial form on the course for next week in the Tour. The course and details can be found at www.letour.fr