So it’s December 1st already! Since Christmas is fast approaching there’s no time to lose booking some time off and getting yourself away for a midwinter break. There are lots to see in France, but if you’re after a quick jaunt across the Channel and perhaps a weekend or more in France then stay close to the coast and visit Calvados, it has plenty going on this December.

There are, of course, plenty of Christmas Markets on the go this time of year in Lisieux, Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, Caen and more. Most have already begun and are running through to late December so there’s plenty of bargains to be had and exploring to do.

One event we’re interested to see is the annual racing of the Santas on Omaha Beach. This novel event happens on the 18th of December and involves a yacht race of folks dressed in Santa racing along the beaches of the D-Day landings, 2011 marks its fifth year running.

Calvados will also have Loisirsland return this year. Loisirsland is a France’s travelling leisure park, it normally sets up for school holidays, lots of fun if you have kids, it can be found in Caen from 22nd-31st of December.

Of course there’s lots more to see, Calvados is home to Guillaume le Conquérant Château a huge stage theatre which every December gets festive with a Sleeping Beauty theme. You could also visit the birthplace of William the Conquerer where there will be fireworks the Falaise Christmas Market and various showcases.

A trip to France is just a P&O Ferry away, their Dover to Calais service will have you well on your way to Calvados and a December filled with Christmas wonder!

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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Tomorrow will be the third Thursday of November, and you know that means? Beaujolais Nouveau is here again! And that means the 2011 store of Beaujolais Nouveau wine is soon to be uncorked for the first time…and drunk in abundance.

Traditionally, in the words of Bernard Ludwig Black “Old wine, is good wine” Beaujolais Nouveau, of course, being the exception. This is a youthful vintage bottled after a mere 6-8 weeks, it’s meant for immediate drinking, we’re speculating here but assumedly one winemaker couldn’t handle the wait, sampled it early and thought ‘That ain’t bad’ or at least something similar must have happened.

In France the Beaujolais Nouveau festivities kick off at the stroke of midnight. Towns that have the wine stocked crack into their stores and make merry until late into the night, in Paris restaurants stay open until late, there’s live music and fireworks.

The French government have passed regulations to ensure that the wine is only drunk after midnight on Thursday and the intention is to have the year’s harvest drunk by Christmas – excellent right?

It may be quite short notice for you to get to France in time for the Beaujolais Nouveau celebration, although P&O Ferries can take you across the channel at short notice, but this year’s yield of Beaujolais will still be knocking about well into December so there’s plenty of time to sample this year’s vintage.

P&O Ferries can get you to wine country in France from via the Dover-Calais service, so book now, our hats are off to you if you can get to the Beaujolais Nouveau festivities tomorrow night!

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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After we recommended you the Lille Christmas market the other week, P&O Ferries would now like to point you in the direction of another town that should help you get in the festive spirit: Strasbourg.

Due to its location close to the German border, Strasbourg’s Christmas market has a distinctly German touch – but that’s definitely an advantage, since the Germans do Christmas markets better than almost anybody else.

Combined with Strasbourg’s lovely cathedral, alleyways and market squares, this expertise in all things Yuletide makes for a fantastic experience leading up to the holidays. Taking part from 26 November until 31 December 2011, the Strasbourg Christmas market might be a bit out of the way for some P&O Ferries users, but it’s definitely worth the trip.

The main Christmas market is held in the area surrounding the town’s cathedral and has been going for more than 400 years. There are, however, 11 more markets spread around the city, including a market dedicated to the guest of honour, the country of Switzerland. Every year at the Strasbourg Christmas market, a country is awarded the opportunity to bring a bit of its own festive spirit to Alsace. The Swiss Village will offer artefacts and Swiss delicacies to punters – there will be traditional lumberjack tea and of course different cheese and chocolate treats.

There will also be the chance for parents to spend some quality time with their children in one of the many activities organized specifically for kids at the Strasbourgh Christmas market. There will be an ice skating rink as well as an ice garden containing tunnels and sculptures, and there will be shows put on in the dedicated Christmas village every Wednesday, Saturday at Sunday at 2.30, 4 and 5pm.

In addition to all this, there will be free classical and choir concerts, theatre performances, carols, organ recitals, and much, much more. One last highlight we’d like to point out is the huge Christmas tree in the place Klebér, beautifully decorated and illuminated by Antoinette Pfimlin.

As you can see, there is more to Christmas markets than mulled wine and handicrafts (of which there will of course also be plenty) – why not take a little trip to the continent to get into the spirit?

To get to Strasbourg, you can take a P&O Ferry to Calais and drive to Strasbourg via Dunkirk and Lille (around 5.5 hours).

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Tags: France by Matthias Scherer
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Remembrance Sunday has just passed and we approach Armistice Day this Friday to commemorate the ending World War 1. The Armistice signed between Allies and the Central Powers on the “Eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” is given special resonance with it being the eleventh year of the new millennium.

This anniversary brings veterans, historians and relatives of the fallen to France to continue the memory of deeds and sacrifices of our fighting forces. Both Belgium and France offer tours of some of the sites of the major battles of WW1. Over the remembrance period museums in Normandy offer special exhibitions and private collectors loan items such as military maps for the examination of the public. Though the Armistice of 11th November stems from WW1 the two minute silence invites us to reflect on the heroism and horrors of all armed conflicts from the Great War to those in continuance today.

If you wish to pay your respects at the site of these there are various daytrips and 3 or 4 day tours available which include the Somme and Ypres as well as noted locations of WW2 operations such as Dunkirk, Market Garden and Omaha beach.

If you wish to tour alone or in a private group the option of a personal tour or MP3 guide will give you a truly informative trip.

Some guided tours include overnight lodgings and coach trips back to Calais to keep things easy for your ferry trip back to Blighty

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Tags: Belgium, France, History, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a great offer from P&O Ferries for all of you who are planning a little day trip to France to stock up on local delicacies for those cold days. Everybody knows that a bit of nice cheese and a glass of wine will help ward off that dreaded Sunday afternoon blues, and where better to shop for these precious goods than with our French neighbours who are experts in these fields?

From £19, you could cross the channel for a spot of shopping and bag of six free bottles of wine of your choice (red, white or rosé)! In addition to that, you will also receive a buy-1-get-1-free voucher for either an English Breakfast or a portion of Fish & Chips onboard the P&O Ferries food court.

This special offer ends on Thursday 1st December, with travelling at the discounted rate valid until 15th December.

For more information about this great offer, click here.

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Tags: France by Matthias Scherer
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The early heralds of Christmas are upon us. We’re going to have to ignore Halloween and Firework’s night draws up too many Balotelli allusions so we’re looking ahead to Lille’s Christmas Markets. They start on the 19th of November and are open every day except 25th December right up until New Year’s Eve.

83 Wooden chalets are set up for independent market stalls and all the shops of Lille compete to have unique and exciting window displays. You’ll be able to find all manner of Christmas presents in Lille, whether you’re after something special or on the hunt for a bargain. The Christmas market is set up in the Place Rihour,if you have trouble finding it, it’s the one with the 18 meter high Ferris wheel and ‘Marche De Noel’ written everywhere.

The market is small in comparison to some of the German Christmas markets you may have been to, but the city of Lille has lots to offer. The city has a rich history with signs of original settlement dating well before the Middle Ages. The cities involvement in major French and European events are well recorded here, so it’s certainly worth droping by a museum or exhibition before travelling home.

There are a number of hotels available if you intend to stay the night or wish to make a long weekend of it. P&O Ferries offer a £35 each way fair, which allows you to stay as long as you need – the price includes transport for your car and up to 9 passengers. Alternatively you could make a daytrip of your shopping, the £25 daytrip fair is definitely one of the best deals for getting yourself, your car and your kids on to the continent.

P&O’s channel crossing from Dover to Calais is an hour and half journey, so you might want o book an early one for your trip to Lille’s Christmas markets.

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Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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This will be the 20th anniversary of Boulogne-sur-Mer’s annual Herring Festival brought to you by Fishing Animation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Boulogne-sur-Mer Cote d’Opale.

If you fancy a brisk coastal holiday P&O Ferries Dover to Calais service will leave you just a short journey to Boulogne, easily navigable by public transport, or you can of course take your car along with you.

This is an excellent chance to enjoy fresh herring or kipper, they’re cooked up on huge barbecues, the whole town turns out for this event, with a joyful atmosphere and glass of Beaujolais you can have a fun and tasty trip to northern France this winter.
You’ll be able to sample all the locally caught fish and the many variations of servings; the festival is on over the weekend of the 19th November, so dress warm. Boulogne-sur-Mer really goes all out for the Herring Festival with traditional dress, there will be a musical performed by Dominique Pourre on the Saturday starting at 3. The festival starts at 10 AM so you may want to arrive the night before, the day doesn’t finish until 7pm so there will be plenty of time for you to travel on the Saturday it begins.

P&O Ferries run a frequent Dover to Calais service, from there it is about a half an hours’ drive to Boulogne and all the herring you can eat.

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle by Karim Beerahee
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The famous Le Grande Rex cinema, in Paris, is opening a special exhibit on the 22nd of October with all the signatures it has gathered from visiting movie stars and singer on display. These include such huge names as Woody Allen, Cesaria Evora, Angelina Jolie and (if it’ll impress you) Justin Bieber.

Etoiles du Rex is an interactive tour (think Universal Studios in Paris). It welcomes all ages and would make a fun day out for the family or anybody with an appreciation of the movie making process. Although the theatre itself is far more impressive to behold at night when the tower is lit up a tour during the day will certainly be well worth it.

The tour is not without its share of surprises, you and your companions can do a bit of acting and be superimposed into movies such like King Kong and you’ll get the chance to purchase your footage on DVD. Your digital tour guide French cartoon star Manissa (styled on Jessica Rabbit), you get to have look through real sets and see animatronic puppets come to life. You’ll get a talk through some of the workings of movies including special effects and sound effects.

For a unique and intriguing tour of European cinema take a P&O Ferry from Dover to Calais, bring the car, bring the kids.

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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