French restaurants – bad news, good news

French restaurants lower their prices for tourists
An article worth reading this morning on the internet is on the BBC Europe page and is entitled “French restaurants feel the crunch”. The article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8021292.stm) describes how many of the restaurants in France are being forced to tighten their belts and lower prices as recession eats into their profits.

So, the BAD NEWS
The report says that because of the downturn in trade more than 6,000 restaurants are reported to have closed in France last year - and that was before the economic crunch really started to bite.

For many years, The French government has been lobbying the European Union so they could be allowed to lower the VAT charged on meals. They, or more precisely, the café owners and restaurateurs, wanted the VAT (TVA in French) lowered from 19.6% to 5.5%. They claimed this would enable them to lower the prices and at the same time create jobs.

And now the GOOD NEWS
Today the Secretary of State for Commerce Hervé Novelli announced that, following the agreement reached in Brussels, VAT charged in cafés and restaurants would be lowered to 5.5%, effective from July 1 this year. This should mean good news for holidaymakers in France as the owners of the restaurants have promised to lower the prices charged, rather than keep the money as extra profit. We’ll keep an eye open to see if prices really do come down as promised.

Lac du Salagou celebrations

Special events between April and September at Lac du Salagou

Lac du Salagou is a man-made lake situated between Clermont l'Hérault and Bédarieux and is the largest artificial lake in the Languedoc-Rousillon region.

Constructed exactly 40 years ago to be used for irrigation purposes and as a buffer for drinking water supply (fire-fighting planes (Canadairs) fill up in this lake in case of serious fires in the region), the lake has become a unique and important tourist destination. To make way for the lake in the Salagou valley, years of preparatory work were required. Now occupying 750 hectares with a shoreline of 28 kilometres, the lake, excluding the shorelines, varies in depth from 4m to 45m – there are three drowned villages below the water. The water temperature varies between 5⁰C in winter to 28⁰C during the summer months.

Each year, the shores and surrounding countryside are host to thousands of tourists. Attractions include superb Mountain Bike Trials, horse riding courses, plenty of space for ramblers, fishing, windsurfing, sailing and swimming from the many pebble lakeside banks,

The region is holding many special events between April and September to celebrate this important tourist attraction. Visit the Vivre l'Hérault website for more information of the events.

Printival Boby Lapointe

Pézenas and the annual Printival Boby Lapointe
The last entry talked about always having plenty to see and do. Well, this weekend certainly has that, including visiting Pézenas for the annual Printival Boby Lapointe

Robert (Boby) Lapointe (April 16, 1922 - June 29, 1972) was born in Pézenas and at school excelled in mathematics. He had an extraordinary life – conscripted by the Germans during the war and sent to work in Germany in 1943. He escaped and found work in Marseille as a diver, from there to Paris where he opened a fashion shop, and then onto writing, acting and singing

In 1960, film director François Truffaut offered him a part in Tirez sur le Pianiste in which he played Framboise, accompanied by Charles Aznavour on piano.

Each year a festival “Printival Boby Lapointe” is held in memory of the local hero. This takes place April 15 – April 19 2009, with lots of activities.
Amongst the artists performing is English / French man Ray Everitt, quite a local celebrity in his own right - even making films with Cliff Richard and Roger Moore, to name just two. Visit Ray's website at www.black-et-ray.com). For more information about Printival Boby Lapointe, visit: www.bobylapointe.org (French only).

1.2.3.Fiesta at La Grande Motte

Fiesta with the biggest kites in the world

Whatever the season there is always somewhere to go and something to see. Next week there is the “1.2.3.Fiesta” at La Grande Motte.

First of all, for those who don’t know, La Grande Motte is a unique seaside resort, that was purpose built in the mid-1960s on what was at the time, swampland – sand dunes and small lakes. Its geographical location is quite outstanding, close to Montpellier and Nîmes and at the gateway to Camargue.

The resort is characterised by its distinctive pyramidal buildings, inspired by the pyramids of Mexico. Created by architect Jean Balladur, they were a real sensation at the time because of their bold design, and they have remained popular: the 16-storey Grande Pyramide, built in 1974, still dominates the skyline.

Extremely popular in the summer, the resort always has something to see all year round and the “1.2.3.Fiesta” on April 18 and 19 is an event worth visiting. The main attraction is the kite flying display, where competitors from all over the world come to show and fly their beautiful kites – the event is billed as having “the biggest kites in the world”. There is also the opportunity to try your own skills at kite flying. During the day there is also many dancing and musical displays, horse riding displays and in the evenings plenty of Bodegas – typical French / Spanish Camargue style soirée. There are also many discos on the private beaches, with resident DJs playing music for all tastes. A weekend not to be missed.

As a PS, the Tour de France goes through La Grande Motte this year on July 16 – a real spectacle.

New beach for the summer

A big make-over for a popular beach

Improvement work continues on the large stretch of beach between Marseillan Plage and Sète. This six kilometre stretch, running alongside the road between Sète and Marseillan Plage, has been subject to a big make-over, with a new beach using sand brought in specially designed ships and deposited and spread using large pipes. In addition, new car parking facilities are being built to help cater for the thousands of visitors to the beach in the summertime.

There is a new cycle track, separating vehicular traffic from cyclists and a feature of the department’s health and environment policy. The new cycle tracks, installed in many parts of the department, are proving extremely popular, both with residents and tourists.

The project will be completed in time for the 2009 holiday season and offers extra leisure space for tourists – plenty of room for picnics, sunbathing and water sports.