The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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2 years ago

Issue No. 12

Sensational cities to tiny villages, food and wine, culture and heritage. Champagne, an aristocratic saffron grower, Anger, Montparnasse, Morzeine, Carol Drinkwater shares her passion for France. Gorgeous photos and fabulous features will transport you to the heart of France in this brilliant, free magazine...

What are your favourite

What are your favourite places in France and why? I love Paris and the Cote d’Azur, but I also love the area around Biarritz down towards Spain along the Atlantic coast. Still, Paris and the Cote d’Azur get my vote. Paris, for the very obvious reasons that it is one of the greatest and most beautiful cities in the world. Its choice of art exhibitions and cinema is probably only matched by New York. I am not a city person, or no longer, but I am always excited when I arrive back in Paris because I know that for several days I will be running from one place to another, and there will be so much to see, friends to meet and talk with. There is a very deep-rooted support of the arts in France and nowhere is it more apparent than in Paris. Quality of life matters; freedom of speech is a fundamental here; respect for the individual and each individual’s belief, sexuality, lifestyle. France is a republic, and that is also deeply rooted within the national psyche. What do you think makes France a great place to visit? Looking at everywhere in the world I have visited or lived, there is nowhere else, in my opinion, that has the balance so well distributed. It means that sometimes one is caught up in an air traffic control strike or such but the point is the French understand that to take away the right to voice an opinion, takes away the voice of the individual. Freedom of speech. Democracy. Family values matter here. An excellent education system and almost entirely free or very affordable. "Freedom of speech... balance... democracy... support of the arts... excellent education Along with the United States, but at far less cost, there is a terrific health care system. If I am going to get sick – please not – but if so, I want it to be here where I know I will be cared for, expertly and swiftly. Excellent newspapers with intelligent broadsheet journalism; superb food; a vast choice of landscapes: skiing, thousands of kilometres of coastline with the gentle lap of the Mediterranean or the surfers’ paradise along the Atlantic. Wild coasts, elegant resorts. There are always opportunities for children and for the young if you are travelling as a family. A deep and rich history to explore, to plunge yourself within.

La Place Du Marché de La Grande Epicerie de Paris, copyright DR Credit Mairie de Biartiz /Laurent Garcia left Biarritz; above the market place, Bon Marché, below Bruno Oger at Bristot des Anges What's your favourite restaurant? We love to cook so we don’t eat out a great deal except in Paris. And we don’t do upscale expensive restaurants. We prefer something a little simpler. The Bon Marché store in Paris is my favourite place to shop when I am in the capital and they have a wonderful food hall. Le Gorille Blanc is a traditional bistro with a lively atmosphere and very good food (4, impasse Guéménée). Chez René, 14 Boulevard Saint-Germain is an old favourite of ours. It is lively, very Parisian, fine food and great atmosphere. In the south of France, close to the village of Le Cannet, the Michelinstarred chef Bruno Oger has opened an upmarket gastronomic restaurant and alongside it the more modest Bistrot des Anges. We eat there from time to time and send all our cottage guests there, and they are always very happy.