FRANCE - LAND OF THE EIFFEL TOWER AND THE BAGUET

Many people will mention Paris as their first association with France - which is understandable, because this cosmopolitan has much going for it. Place du Tetre, Eiffeltoren, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Louvre - etc etc. I have been there several times - you will photos from my 1993 visit.

However, France is more than just Paris and its Eiffel tower. In fact, the rest of the country is quite different than Paris. Which is the same as London and England or Amsterdam and Holland, for that matter. France does have a dramatic Atlantic coast with Bretagne and Normandie as most well-known. To the south you will find rivers, canyons and beaches. And for mountains you will find the French Pyrenees and the French Alps.

In 1998 I organised a press trip to Pris and its surroundings, with the emphasis on its gardens. In 1999 I returned to France for a hiking trip in the French Alps for a week, in the Vanoise region which borders Italy. It was one of the best hiking trips in the Alps I have done so far.

No doubt I will return to France. Despite the fact that the French are sometimes peculiar people. Or should I say unique?