Paris in the 1920s was the hotbed of literature and art – European and American artists flocked to the French capital to get inspired by the city’s unique aura, hang out in its cafés and bars, and enter into gloriously doomed relationships with each other. With a short ferry ride with P&O, you can visit Paris and revisit some of the places that represent this era of artistic splendour.t

Ernest Hemingway wrote beautifully about Paris in his memoirs “A Moveable Feast”, and lists some of the people he met and the places he used to frequent with them. Among his Paris crew were poets like Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, as well as Pablo Picasso and F. Scott Fitzgerald. This clique of artists mainly hung around the Notre-Dame-des-Champs district or Paris.

It was at Gertrude Stein’s house at 27 Rue de Fleurus that Hemingway and Stein discussed the art of writing and became close friends. Stein was a voracious art collector, and in her flat she had works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Picasso and Paul Cézanne.

Her flat, which she shared with her art critic brother Leo, was only a few minutes away from the Jardin du Luxembourg, which Hemingway loved for the respite its green spaces and gravel walks offered. He often crossed through the park on his way see Stein when he was particularly hard up, so that he wouldn’t have to look at the cafés and restaurants.

Hemingway himself lived in the Latin Quarter on the other side of the Jardin du Luxembourg, at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine. Then a dirt-poor area, it is now a bit more gentrified.

On the south corner of the Jardin du Luxembourg was the Closerie des Lilas, a café where Hemingway and his writer friends sank many café crèmes, wines and spirits. He also used it as an office – he wrote several short stories sitting at its tables, and started what would later become his first novel, The Sun Also Rises.

Another of Hemingway’s favourite places was the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, which was run by an American expat and contained hundreds of novels – a godsend for a reader such as Hemingway. The shop’s original location has changed beyond recognition, but the new incarnation, at 37 Rue Bûcherie (on the southbank of the Seine, next to the Ile de la Cite), is every bit as cosy and well-stocked.

To get to Paris and visit these haunts and many more, you can take a P&O Ferry from Dover to Calais.

Image credit: pablo.sanchez

Tags: France, P&O Ferries by Matthias Scherer
No Comments »

Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14th each year; it commemorates the storming of the prison fortress Bastille (1790) and the subsequent celebration, Fête de la Fédération (The National Holiday) that marked the one year anniversary in 1780.
The holiday is still celebrated annually as a symbol of uprising – nobody quite does revolution like the French. The storming of the Bastille was a flashpoint in the revolution and one of the birth pains of modern society when old ideas of hierarchy began to crack with the subversion of the aristocracy.

Today, Bastille Day is celebrated with huge military parades in Paris from Cadets of the Royal Horse Artillery with international participation from Britain and Germany. As it is a national holiday in France, tourists should expect some areas to have closures, although hotspots should be fine for public transport and retail. We do recommend you make full use of a cash machine beforehand though.

The celebration starts early and throughout the day there are a variety of parties, dances, communal meals, live music and firework displays. One of the more unique traditions of Bastille Day is the Firemen’s’ Galas, where fire stations across the country open their doors to the public for a look around the stations.

Bastille Day is celebrated in French communities around the world, but for those of you wishing to pay a visit to the land of beautiful women and good food, P&O ferries’ Dover to Calais service can get you there and back at a low cost on a service that runs up to 46 times a day.

Image credit: irene

Tags: France, History, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
No Comments »

This June motorcycle enthusiasts will be flocking to Assen in the Netherlands to see the MotoGP 2011, Karim Beerahee gets the scoop.

The MotoGP bike races in the Netherlands is just a week away (24-27 June), drawing masses of people to see the Road Racing World Championship. The Assen track in Holland was first used in 1925 it has since been replaced, but the Dutch TT has continued on the road circuit through de Haar Hooghalen and a couple of other places.

If you intend to take a trip to the Netherlands to see the Assen MotoGP then transport on to the continent with your bike can be done at minimum cost with P&O ferries. The frequent passage between Dover and Calais opens up a great opportunity for a roadtrip, cross a couple of borders and arrive at Assen’s TT Circuit in time for the start of the race. This tour can be done quickly pulling in at Bruge, Ghent and Antwerp or you can take a coastal road and hop across some of the islands between Calais and Rotterdam before cutting through Utrecht on your way up to Assen.

The MotoGP attracts such a large viewing audience that hotels set up local packages that include roaming passes and invitations to street parties as well as special deals with local facilities. The ‘Night of Assen’ takes place on the Friday before a weekend of racing, the town turns in to one large fair with stalls, bars, bands and rides.

Image credit: adriaan4
P&O ferries can get you and your bike across the channel so you can get a taste of the open road and burn across northern Europe for the motorcycle Championships

Tags: Britain, France, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
No Comments »

The 2011 Tour de France approaches, Karim Beerahee takes an early look at what’s in store for this year’s race.

The Tour de France sets off on the 2nd July this year, cycling enthusiasts from all over will be in attendance at the opening ceremony. The course this begins by crossing of the Passage du Gois, the 4.5 km link between mainland France and the island of Noirmoutier, a road only accessible during low tide.

Coverage of each and every turn of the race is accessible online and via television but if you want to see this annual event in person, P&O ferries can get you there. Thousands of attendees will be there to give the cyclists a proper send off, a preliminary parade of the bikes before an extravagant opening ceremony will give a real kick start to the Tour de France. This 3 week endurance test covers 3,430.5 Km and circumnavigates France ending in the country’s capital at Paris Champs-Élysées.

What makes this bike race one of the most anticipated worldwide is the tactical aspect, with steep climbs and mountain passes, this year’s 22 teams will have a trying time climbing le Galibier twice on the course. The sprints at the start will test the mettle of the cyclists so you’ll get to see the very best cut ahead of the others, and if you intend to move about see the race all across France, there are some new locations that intersect the track. In the 2011 Tour de France there are 15 new stage towns, including Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Mûr-de-Bretagne and Cap Fréhel, so followers of the race will get to visit areas of outstanding beauty and impressive architecture.

This year’s Tour de France starts 2nd July finishing on the 24th, for quick passage from Dover to Calais P&O ferries can get you there.

Image credit: malias

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
No Comments »

P&O Ferries are offering a package deal for you and the family to get to Disneyland’s Magical Moments festival. At a discounted price, with hotel included, P&O ferries can get you from Dover to Calais on their frequent cross-channel service. Once at Calais you’ll be just a few hours away from Disneyland. With P&O ferries you’ll be able to load up your car and take the entire family on a fun filled Disneyland holiday at a budget price.

This package includes Accomodation and breakfast, at the Disneyland Hotel, 2 tickets for the Disneyland Park for each day of your stay, kids under 7 get free hotel and park tickets.This deal covers stays ranging between 9th of May and the 7th of November 2011. The only catch here is that booking closes on the 30th June.

The Disney Magic Moments Festival will see all the Disney favourites with specially created attractions such as Mickey’s Magical Celebration, Aladdin’s lamp, A Royal Invitation from the Disney Princesses and much more. In true Disneyland Style there will of course be an extravagant parade and fireworks display that you certainly won’t want to miss.

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
No Comments »

After getting on our collective bike earlier in the week, we look at another great outdoor activity you can partake in across the channel. Today: surfing in France.

‘Oh Mama/I wanna go surfing’ was the chorus to one of last year’s biggest hits – “Let’s Go Surfing” by the US indie darlings The Drums. This summer will see many a surfing newbie take to the board for the first time, alongside the veterans who know their waves better than they know the way to the shops.

France is well-known for its watersport-friendly beaches, and right now we are in the middle of the ideal period for surfing. Brittany, on the North Atlantic coast, is a popular spot for both more experienced and unexperienced surfers. The reef breaks tend to cater to the former, the more gentle waves near the beaches are a good training ground for the latter.

A little bit further south, La Torche is another good surf spot, especially for beginners. The beaches are long, and the waves (at around 4-5ft) are great for finding your footing. The locals are friendly and there are plenty of bars and cafes serving excellent food (the local crepes are especially good).

Going further down towards Spain, travellers will pass along the Western Loire region, on the Western coast. There, small islands and long, sandy beaches abound, making it a lovely spot for some less rocky surfing.

The water temperatures are highest in June, July and August, so it would make sense to look into your surf trip during the next few weeks. Calais, P&O’s ferry port in France, is a great landing station from where you have easy access to surf spots all across the North Atlantic coast.

Tags: France, P&O Ferries by Matthias Scherer
No Comments »

On July 2nd, the world famous Tour de France kicks off across the channel. P&O Ferries offers cycle passengers discounted travel to Europe – and they don’t have to wear a yellow jersey.

Cycling is a fantastic way of excercising – if you plan it right, you can cover large distances without exhausting yourself, whilst taking in your surroundings as well as shedding a fair few calories. Obviously, it is much easier to drag yourself onto the saddle when the sun is shining. So, with the summer only days away, what better time to consider a little cycle trip to Europe?

Bicycle transport on P&O Ferries from Dover to Calais is, at £29 per passenger, a great offer for cyclists. If you were to set out from London in the morning of your journey, you could even cycle through Kent’s gorgeous countryside to Dover in time to get the 9:05pm P&O Ferry to Calais.

Once you get to Calais, there are multiple options to take. You could either set off towards Paris via the lovely mid-sized towns Abbeville and Beauvais. Or you could make use of one of the many EuroVelo routes, which are cycle routes approved by the European Cyclists’ Federation and which have limited motor traffic and plenty of provision points.

You could travel as far as Rome in Italy or further east towards (and maybe through?) Germany, or you could set off in the direction of the famously cycle-friendly Netherlands, from where you could get a P&O Ferry back to Hull.

For more information on where to pedal once you get to Calais, check out the EuroVelo section on the European Cyclists’ Federation website.

Image credit: Space & Light

Tags: France, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Matthias Scherer
1 Comment »

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the 6th June 1944, when over 160,000 allied troops were landed in one of history’s greatest seaborne invasions, along the beaches of Normandy. As time progresses fewer veterans are able to get to Normandy to pay their respects at the long silent battlefields of the early 20th Century. Historians, families of soldiers and those wishing to educate their children in the history of this continent still pilgrimage to the beaches of northern France and keep the memory of those soldiers alive.

D-day was one of the most remarkable feats of military organisation in history with international armies cooperating to simultaneously launch naval and airborne personnel along a 50 mile stretch of coast to invade Nazi occupied France.

The operation is not likely to ever be forgotten with the coast of Normandy still sporting the names of the beaches used in the military strategy: Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc and Utah Beach. Gravestones mark in military precision the colossal figures of the dead in several huge cemeteries across Normandy, and a lot of the street names in Normandy honour the units that served to liberate specific areas.

There are re-enactments to mark one of the greatest feats of the war, as well as huge firework displays to honour the sacrifice and celebrate the victory of the operation. Special showcases, tours and museum exhibits are all available to visitors. This year sees special guest speaker Congressman Robert Hurt a surviving veteran and Medal of Honour recipient for actions in WW2. A reunion tent is set up and food provided, the public are welcome to see the guest speakers and tour along the beaches of Normandy to see the landscape of a decisive Allied victory.

Image credit: The U.S. Army

P&O ferries run 46 sailings a day between Dover and Calais, if you wish to pay your respects in Normandy over the coming years

Tags: Britain, France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
No Comments »