Picardie Persdossier 2009 Engels

PICARDYNorthern France

Press Pack2009

CRT Picardie /B. Teissèdre / A.S. Flament

Table of contents

Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................2

What’s new in 2009?..........................................................................................................................4

Unmissable events..............................................................................................................................5

Focus on…. Bargain spots..............................................................................................................8

Commemorate.......................................................................................................................................9

Explore.....................................................................................................................................................10

Invigorate...............................................................................................................................................11

Breathe....................................................................................................................................................12

Relax..........................................................................................................................................................13

Taste..........................................................................................................................................................14

Meet the locals....................................................................................................................................15

Press Contact.......................................................................................................................................16

Press contact : Claude Chaboud - Maison de la France [email protected] - 0207 061 6636

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mailto:[email protected]

CRT Picardie/Jean Pierre Gilson

Introduction

Picardy is a French region that has much to offer. Whether you are looking to spend a cosy time with your family or to explore an incredibly rich fauna and flora, Picardy never disappoints. Picardy is a very easy destination to reach, it is only three hours drives from London and has an extended networks of trains from Paris or Lille. It is a whole new culture just on your doorsteps. For the ones in love with nature and lovely gardens, Picardy is a must see, with great forests and gardens, it offers a wide range of sites and tours to enjoy.Picardy shares a special bond with the United Kingdom, a common history throughout the years. With such memorable events such as the battle of the Somme, Picardy is a unique destination for those in search of remembrance.But the wealth of Picardy is not only in its fantastic landscapes but really it lies within its own habitants. Indeed, Picardy is unique because it has a strong cultural identity that people love to share


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So close

Picardy is ideally located in Northern France, only 2 hours drive from Calais, 1 hour from Lille and 30 minutes from Paris.

Easily accessible

By Car : Channel Tunnel, Ferries from Dover to Calaiswww.euro tunnel .com - www. po ferries.c o m - www. seafrance .com

By Train: Eurostar to Paris or Lillewww.eurostar.com - www. raileurope .co.uk

By Plane: Ryan Air flies to Beauvais from Glasgow, Dublin, ShannonParis Charles de Gaulle airport is only 30 minutes drive from Picardywww. ryanair .com - www. paris -cdg.com


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http://www.paris-cdg.com/

http://www.ryanair.com/

http://www.raileurope.co.uk/

http://www.eurostar.com/

http://www.seafrance.com/

http://www.poferries.com/

http://www.eurotunnel.com/

What’s new in 2009?

Picardy is launching a brand new website dedicated to the UK market!

We believe that Picardy, by its values, its great outdoor and its cultural history is a place where people can meet, explore and discover new landscapes and culture.

Picardy is a destination that can offer a great value for money; it is a place where people can have a great time without having to spend a fortune.

Picardy is the opportunity to take a break, leaving the worries, the bad news and relax, regenerate, because we know we will experience a warm welcome.

For all those reasons we decided to create a new website dedicated to the UK, which will offer the possibilities of booking tailored holidays online, where people will be able to leave comments and ideas to share their passions and experiences.


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Unmissable events

Festival Jardins en Scènes.From 26 June to 5 July 2009

In Picardy, the art of gardening is a passion, but also a tradition.


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14 gardens in Picardy will welcome artists from the performing arts (dance, music, theater, singing ...) for performances in the heart of Picardy’s natural habitat.Various artists will be present to provide the public with moments of poetry, humor and friendliness.

In 2007 nearly 520 000 visitors discovered one of the 72 gardens of Picardy, showing the enthusiasm of the public and its thirst of discovering the know-how of our gardeners.

For 2009, nine art companies have been carefully selected to entertain the visitors during they journey through the different parks and gardens, sharing their love for the nature and a true passion for the art.

Each performance will be adjusted and sometimes entirely based on the natural surrounding. Lovers of live shows will move musicians, actors and dancers in a natural source of inspiration for artists that feed on aesthetics and harmony. The gardens lovers will love having a stroll in a beautiful natural environment


Bird and Nature Festival in ABBEVILLE

18 to 26 April 2009 Nature-lovers meet at Picardy’s Bird Festival every spring. For nine days, each member of the family finds what he’s looking for. The programme includes guided nature walks, horse-riding, boating, cycling, kayaking, photo exhibitions, animal art shows, animal documentaries and children’s activities.

. Information

Bird and Nature Festival AssociationTel.: + 33 (0)3 22 24 02 02

Web: www.festival-oiseau-nature.com

In the framework of the 500th anniversary of Jean Calvin’s birth:24 April to 28 June 2009Exhibitions: Calvin’s Readers Jean Calvin Museum and the Chevalet GalleryOpening on 24 April at 6:30pmFor the first time, this show displays an extremely rich group of printed copies of works by Jean Calvin including readers’ handwritten annotations from the 16th to 20th centuries, such as the famous copy of the Institution de la religion chrétienne annotated by Sully, which the National Library of France has recently acquired. The history of a book seen from its readers’ and users’ viewpoints, a history of reading and annotation, is the overall intellectual and cultural context.

Festival des Forêts (Forest Festival)– COMPIEGNE


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CRT Picardie/Benjamin Teissèdre

21 June – 20 July 2009

Visits to historical sites, guided walks, concerts, a unique programme of events and renowned musicians come together as part of the unforgettable Forest Festival, which is now in its 15th year.Several concerts and exhibitions are already planned for the Théâtre Impérial, the Église de Vieux Moulin in Rethondes, the church at St Crépin, the abbey church in Saint Jean Aux Bois, as well as around the forest and in the Parc de Songeons. The concerts held in the forest combine a love of nature, walking and classical music, where you can enjoy listening to a flute recital while relaxing on the grass.

Information: + 33 (0)3 44 40 28 99Website: www.festivaldesforets.fr

The cathedral in color show, June to September, December, AmiensDiscover the fabulous architecture of the cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage monument, through a renewed view of its western frontage façade. Every evening from mid-June to mid-September and also during the whole month of December, the façade is spectacularly illuminated at nightfall to recreate its original polychrome color scheme. Come and share a brighter color revelation in a new musical atmosphere.www.visit-amiens.com/Picardy region.

Focus on…. Bargain spots


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http://www.festivaldesforets.fr/

Réderies in Amiens, 26th April, 4th October 2009Over 2000 stall holders, professionals or Amiens inhabitants take part in the “Réderies” in Amiens, which now welcomes more than 80 000 visitors. This event is so popular and renowned that people come from all over France and even Belgium, Netherlands or Great Britain.www.visit-amiens.com

Braderie in St Quentin, 07th September 2009The Braderie of Saint Quentin in Picardy, Northern France will take place on Monday, 7th September 2009 from 8 am to 7 pm. Over 1500 stall holders will partake in this edition. This fair already existed before the Great War and since then keeps growing every year. Traditionally, typical dishes will be proposed such as tripes and Black pudding for lunch.


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http://www.visit-amiens.com/

CRT Picardie/AS Flament

CRT Picardie/Sam Bellet CRT Picardie/Sam Bellet

Commemorate

Come to Picardy to Remember and commemorate the First World War. Museums and monuments stand as testimonies to the battle of Somme, one of the most important battles of the First World War in 1916, in which almost three million men of over 20 nationalities were involved. 1.2 million Soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in action.

Historial museum of the Great War This central reference museum for the First World War offers a better understanding of the causes, events and consequences of the war. Learn about daily life in the front line and behind the lines and all the cultural, social and political features of this overwhelming war which shaped the 20th century.www.historial.org Armistice clearing, Rethondes

The armistices of 1918 and 1940 were signed in the middle of Compiègne forest, one of the most beautiful forests of France. The museum displays the famous train car, stereoscopes (with 700 unique views), as well as exhibitions about the armistices and the treaty of Versailles in 1919, along with weapons, uniforms and artifacts from the trenches.

www.picardietourisme.com

Caverne du dragon, Oulches la ValléeIn the east part of Picardy, German defences were set up in the resulting caverns and corridors, providing strategic dominance as well as troop protection. Gunfire spat as if from the mouth of a dragon. Hence, the name of the largest and best known of the caverns, the Caverne du Dragon, which


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http://www.picardietourisme.com/

http://www.historial.org/

CRT Picardie/Sam Bellet


CRT Picardie/Didier Raux

reopened in 2000 as one of the principal WW1 museums in France.www.chemindesdames.fr (French only)

ExploreCome to Picardy to Learn more about history by visiting one of the 6 gothic cathedrals, the abbeys and the fortified churches, Compiègne, Pierrefonds and Chantilly chateaux, Amiens, Laon…

AmiensWell known for its beautiful cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece, Amiens is also full of other treasures such as its Belfry, Jules Verne’s House, numerous museums and of course its floating gardens called “les hortillonages”, exclusively reachable by boat. You can also go for a walk in the Saint-Leu quarter with colorful and lively little streets…The perfect place for a city break!ChantillyThis city gave its name to the famous “crème chantilly”, one of France’s most world renowned gastronomical specialties. But you can also visit the town’s gorgeous chateau with its French Garden designed by Le Nôtre in the 17th century, the Condé museum which exhibits historical paintings (before 1850) and which is, after the Louvre Museum, the largest in France. Every other year, an international fireworks competition is organized in

front of the chateau. Chantilly is also the capitol of horses; it has become the largest horse training centre in the world and you can also enjoy a tour of the living horse Museum, the most beautiful and the biggest museum of its kind.

www.chateaudechantilly.com - www.museevivantducheval.fr LaonLaon is a medieval city and the largest preserved area in France with 80 classified monuments. Built on the top of a hill, this unusual city offers


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http://www.museevivantducheval.fr/

http://www.chateaudechantilly.com/

http://www.chemindesdames.fr/





spectacular view over the surrounding area. Its gothic cathedral is also remarkable.www.tourisme-paysdelaon.com

Invigorate

Come to Picardy and invigorate yourself with fantastic activities, stretch your legs or enjoy horse riding, sand yachting, cycling, hiking, sailing, golfing either in one of the royal forests, the beautiful countryside or on the wide sandy beaches of the bay of Somme, listed as one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

Marquenterre ParkIn the heart of the Bay of Somme Nature Reserve, the Marquenterre Park is a real heaven for bird watching. Concealed by planting screens or observation blinds, you can move across the dunes, marshes, forests to encounter an extremely diverse fauna and flora. The migratory birds have made this place their favorite stopping off point between Scandinavia and Mauritania. Discover it on a Henson horse back. The Henson breed was created in 1975 in the bay of Somme. This breed particularly adapted to outdoor riding. www.marcanterrasearanch.com Sand Yachting "Our trump card is the space. You have the fabulous impression of always being able to carry on further without ever stopping. Sand yachting is always appealing because it allows us to be in direct contact with nature.” Lionel BOONE, Sand yachting trainer Bike ride through the forest of Compiègne The vast forest of Compiègne offers 15 000 hectares of unspoilt nature. This vast forest is now known as ‘the kingdom of the bicycle’ with over 30 kilometers of permanent cycle tracks plus plenty of other paths and grassy lanes. It’s perfect for walkers and hikers too.


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http://www.marcanterrasearanch.com/

http://www.tourisme-paysdelaon.com/




BreatheBreathe in the air in one of the 72 parks and gardens opened to the public. With more than one million visitors every year, gardens are definitely part of the picardian Art de Vivre. Many gardeners are eager to tell you about their garden and to teach a little bit about their know-how.

Orgeval garden Nathalie Vinçon welcomes you in her old 18th century (listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments) winegrower’s manor with its cosy little walled garden set on a hillside near Laon. Italian in style, the garden of 2500m² is laid out over three stepped terraces with old roses, clematis, irises, perennials and rounded clumps of box. www.vendangeoir-orgeval.com

Van Beek painter garden in Saint Paul It’s the story of a painter who fell in love with gardening. Colors become flowers, canvas become garden, which makes altogether a painting with constantly renewed landscapes. Van Beek has built his garden with flowerbeds for every season so that the colors stay as long as possible. He says « My garden is the manifestation of my paintings, a great passion that I would like to share » Tel : 00 44 (0)3 44 82 20 18 - www.andre-vanbeek.com

Clos Joli in Brécy Discover Françoise’s important collection of eclectic flora with more than 500 rose trees. “I have created this garden in harmony with my artist’s inspiration. I have tried to combine everything. This garden is like a laboratory where I have great fun!”Tel: 00 44 (0)3 23 71 23 05


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http://www.andre-vanbeek.com/

http://www.vendangeoir-orgeval.com/


CRT Picardie/N Bruant

Mme Rigault/manoir de Sarron

RelaxCome to Picardy to Relax in a cosy and traditional guest house or a “hotel de charme”. Enjoy a charming week end, French gastronomy and “art de vivre”.

Hotel de l’abbaye, Longpont“I enjoy receiving and pleasing people: I have an innkeeper's soul! I chat with them, give them my favorite addresses and advise which wine will go best with what I have cooked for them. I am always attentive to them, whether they are mushroom pickers, deer antler collectors, photographers, horse riders, walkers, pilgrims on the Saint-Jacques de Compostelle routes or visitors on the traces of the 14-18 war.” Benoît VERDUN, hotel-keeperwww.hotel-abbaye-longpont.fr Sarron Manor, Pont Sainte Maxence

Carine has fulfilled her dream, the dream of sharing her passion for decoration, beautiful houses and cooking. She says: « On the menu, I can offer you a traditional homemade cuisine prepared with products from my kitchen garden».www.manoirdesarron.com

"Les Arums" Manor, CiternesSophie has converted her traditional picardian manor built in 1865 into a guest house. She loves cooking, using organic products, she bakes her own bread and cooks waffles with original homemade marmelades.www.manoir-les-arums.com


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http://www.manoir-les-arums.com/

http://www.manoirdesarron.com/

http://www.hotel-abbaye-longpont.fr/



TasteTaste authentic and fine food such as Maroilles cheese, crème Chantilly, Ficelle Picarde and curl up by the fireside with a glass of Picardian Champagne.

Fleury-Gille ChampagneDid you that 10% of the Champagne vineyards were located in Picardy? Champagne Fleury-Gille is one of the numerous picardian champagne producers. ‘I'm from a whole family of wine growers, who first set up on the Marne hillsides in 1842! It's the grapes that have the real talent. My job is just to uncover it and share it with others. To this end, we organize one-day workshops, based on the concept of awakening our senses. We teach, in a fun and friendly way, basic wine knowledge and some simple vocabulary to describe and communicate our senses.” Dominique FLEURY-GILLE, Champagne Producer www.picardietourisme.com

Cider House MAEYAERT It all started in 1955, when the Maeyaert Family created the cider house in Milly-sur-Thérain. After only few years, the company grew very quickly and the family decided to diversify the production: beer, calvados….The MAEYAERT cider house is very demanding about the quality of raw materials and its production process. 1.8 million liters of cider and 300.000 liters of pear cider, or perry, are produced every year. Today, the cider house is renowned in France but also in Europe, USA and even in Japan. www.maeyaert.fr

QUENTIN cheese shop Julien Planchon has owned his cheese shop since 2002. It is situated in the “Halles du Beffroi”, a typical food market next to the belfry in Amiens. He sells all kinds of cheeses, but more particularly the picardian cheeses such as Maroilles, Rollot… He says: « I bought this shop from Mr Quentin, a very well known cheese vendor in the area. He taught me everything. After only a week, I understood that it would be impossible for me to have any other job. The passion was born! » Fromagerie Quentin, Halles du Beffroi, Amiens


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CRT Picardie / C. Struy

CRT Picardie / S. Bellet


http://www.maeyaert.fr/





Meet the localsCome to Picardy and Meet the locals. Behind every historic site and gourmet tradition, there's a Picardian willing to share their passion and help you discover the region in a new way.

Pippa DARBYSHIRE, Painter and café owner in the Bay of SommeCome and meet Pippa Darbyshire who owns a café-art gallery at the heart of the Bay of Somme, listed as one of the most beautiful bays of the world. She will tell you how stunning the bay is, how many activities you can practice. She will tell you about how peaceful and quiet Picardy is. That’s why she decided to move from England to Picardy. “The first time that I discovered the Bay, it was early one morning through my hotel window. Since then, I

have never left the region and I paint the impression that it has left on me: a raison d'être, a meditation.”Jean Michel Duda, Master of the crème ChantillyTaste the crème Chantilly in Picardy, where it was invented in the 17th century. Jean Michel Duda owns a Tea room in Chantilly chateau’s gardens, in which you can savour the famous cream with berries or pies. “My secret is having a good base product, a good crème fraîche, but you have to know to stop in time, before the cream turns to butter. That, of course, is the tricky part.”Jacqueline Baron, cooking flowers

"I became interested in edible flowers and cooking with flowers when I came back to Thiérache, the village I was born in. After a part of my life spent in towns, I wanted to come back and live in the country and to take greater interest in nature and what it offers us. Cooking with flowers is of course original but I don't think we are inventing anything new but simply returning to the recipes of our ancestors. Each season has its own different flowers and tastes. "www.picardietourisme.com


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CRT Picardie/AS FlamentCRT Picardie/David Grouard

Press Contact

In UKClaude ChaboudMaison de la FranceLondon WC1V 7JHTel : 0207 061 [email protected]

www.picardietourisme.com


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Documents

Picardie Persdossier 2009 Engels