Having completed your removals to France it is more than likely that, once you’ve settled into your new home, you’ll want to spread your wings a bit and visit some of the country’s tourist attractions.
As you know France has some very popular attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and The Louvre, to name a few, but you may well have seen them by now. Your move to France will give you the opportunity to visit some of the country’s more unusual offerings: places that are not necessarily at the top of any tourists’ list, but nevertheless ones that are definitely worth a visit.
We have compiled a list of some of these lesser-known attractions, covering everything from sewers, to playing cards, corkscrews and cheese. Read on to discover our pick of some of the strangest, most extraordinary museums France has to offer.
Hamiltons Removals Click here to find out how we can help with your move or contact us to discuss the type of service you require.
Museums in France with a Difference
Paris Sewer Museum
Opposite 93 Quai d'Orsay
75007 Paris
If engineering is your thing, you’re in for a real (if slightly smelly!) treat here. The museum is actually a working part of the Parisian sewer system. Along its walls are pictures chronicling the changes made to the system as it was adapted to meet the growing needs for waste disposal in the city and the technology for keeping the pipes clean. Top tip: this brief but fascinating tour is best enjoyed whilst breathing through your mouth.
Paris Museum of Playing Cards
Rue Auguste Gervais
Issy
75000 Paris
Whilst the city of Turnhout in Belgium is widely recognised as the home of the playing card in Europe, this interesting diversion in Paris traces the history of their development throughout France. Founded on a collection by Louis Chardonneret in 1930, the number of exhibits grew thanks to Robert Thissen's donation of modern cards in 1986. Most remarkable are the many artistic changes to the face cards and styles of suits over the years.
Museum of Glasses and Lorgnettes
380 rue Saint Honore
75001 Paris
This museum focuses on everything to do with eye-wear and leads you from the 13th Century, right through to today’s fashions. There are more than 3000 examples on display including eyeglasses, monocles, pince-nez and opera glasses. You'll see the glasses worn by The Dalai Lama, Sammy Davis Jr and Elton John among others. The exhibition also covers the development of the telescope and field glasses.
Museum of Ironwork
2, Rue Jacques Villon
76000 Rouen
If you are moving to Rouen, or anywhere nearby for that matter, you must go to the Museum of Ironwork. It's fascinating, and even if the idea of looking at lots of bent metal doesn't appeal, we assure you that once you've stepped inside the magnificent 15th-century Eglise St-Laurent (that houses the collection), your imagination will run riot. You'll find all kinds of ironwork on display, from the most brutal and functional, to the highly delicate and decorative. It beggars belief that one medium and one art form can have so many different uses.
Corkscrew Museum
Domaine de la Citadelle,
Rte de Cavaillon,
84560, Menerbes,
With over 1000 exhibits ranging from the refined to the down right lewdicrous (a deliberate miss-spelling), this collection has to be seen to be believed. As an aside, the collection and the attached vineyard are owned by film producer Yves Rousset-Rouard, the man behind "A Little Romance" starring Diane Lane and Laurence Olivier.
Camembert Cheese Museum
Le bourg
61120 Camembert
A tour of the Camembert Cheese Museum sees you surrounded by ancient milk churns and laurel boxes as you learn of the process by which three pints of milk are turned into a pound of cheese which is then left to mature for two months. Interestingly, the exhibition features an ever-increasing collection of Camembert cheese labels from places such as Chile, Denmark and New Zealand. This is because the name “Camembert” was never AOC protected, unlike the name “Champagne”.
Prune Museum in Agen
Berino-Martinet Farm
47320 Lafitte-sur-Lot
The Prune Museum celebrates 100 years of traditional prune cultivation. There are a number of exhibition rooms featuring some traditional prune drying ovens. In one of the drying rooms you'll see an actual reconstruction of the prune drying process, and the workers wear period dress to bring the whole experience to life. For a more modern take on all things, you can visit one of three projection rooms to watch a 25 minute video which takes you to the heart of the orchards and the production process.
We hope you've enjoyed our little trip around some of the more unusual museums of France. If you come across any that we haven’t included here, please tell us about them in the comments section below, and we will try to include them in future articles on the subject.
About Hamiltons
Hamiltons Removals offer high quality removals to Switzerland. Whether you require packing, cleaning and storage or just the transportation of your belongings, we offer a tailor made service to suit.
Whatever your requirements, contact Hamiltons Removals today and let us take care of your European removals.
Saturday, 16 November 2013
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Removals to France: A Brief Regional Guide to the Weather in France
One of the most attractive things about moving to France is the prospect of all that better weather. If your move to France is taking you to the south of the country, you’ll regularly experience summer temperatures in the late 70’s to early 80’s °F. And whilst that’s not up in the hundreds, it is still comfortably warm.
It’s not just the south of France that offers such good weather either. If you are moving to Poitou Charentes, Burgundy or Ile de France, you can look forward to fine temperatures. In fact, it’s fair to say that wherever your removals to France takes you, your summers will be a delight as August daytime temperatures rarely fall to below 70°F. If you prefer a cooler climate, as some do, you might want to consider moving to Brittany in northern France or to the French Alps in the east. The climate in northern France is quite similar to that of the southern English counties of Cornwall, Sussex and Kent.
At Hamiltons Removals, we have been taking care of our clients’ removals to France for over 20 years. Depending on the service you require, our removals operatives will pack, load and then unpack your items on arrival. Larger items, which may need to be dismantled for transportation - like wardrobes, beds and sofas - will be re-assembled with the utmost care; all this is done with the politeness and professionalism upon which we base our reputation.
Here at Hamiltons Removals we like to see our customers comfortably settled in their new home, so we have compiled a brief rundown of the weather you can expect in some of the most popular areas in France. Read on to discover some of the best locations in France to get a great tan, and those parts of the country where the climate is more temperate than Mediterranean.
Removals to France – Click here for a free detailed quote of your move or contact us to discuss your individual requirements.
The Weather in France
Paris
If you are moving to Paris, in the Ile de France region, you’ll find the weather somewhat comparable to London. Paris is an area known for its low rainfall, but every now and then she'll surprise you with a brief but quite heavy downpour, almost regardless of the time of year. That said, Parisian summers are generally pleasant, rating somewhere between mild and warm. Like London, Paris is also prone to the occasional heat wave, turning trips to the banks of La Seine into mini summer holidays. The similarity to London doesn't end there; winters in Paris are cold with temperatures hovering at or near freezing.
Nord Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, in the north of France, is cool for most of the year but it does get some very pleasant weather in summer. The really nice thing about moving to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is that there are hardly ever any real extremes of temperature. The summers are mild to quite hot, and whilst the winters may freeze over sometimes, this is quite rare. The climate here can be likened to that in Kent and the south of England, as well as to that in the south west of France, although it can get quite wet down there at certain times of the year.
Franche-Comte
Those of you moving to Franche-Comte in eastern France are in for a real treat weather-wise. You'll need to kit your wardrobes out with everything from summer dresses/shorts and linen suits to woolly hats, thick jumpers, raincoats and wellies. Franche-Comté's weather is truly continental. Your summers will be hot and your winters cold - and it'll rain too, quite often when you least expect it! Changeable is the best way to describe the weather here, or perhaps unpredictable; a real home from home.
Poitou Charentes
Anyone moving to Poitou-Charentes in the south west of France can look forward to one of the most pleasant climates in the country. The winters are mild and the summers are hot but not in any way humid. Theirs is a dry, pleasant heat, which is easy to work in and even more of a joy not to. The area is famed for its production of wine and it’s these non-extremes of temperature, combined with regular but not excessive rainfall, that contribute so well to the verdant and fertile landscape.
Rhone Alps
If you and your family are moving to the Rhone-Alps region in south eastern France, you can expect changeable weather which leans more towards wet than dry. Summers here are hot and can be quite humid, and winter temperatures are kept low by the neighbouring Alpine mountains. The mountains, of course, are a huge draw to the area as they bring with them the prospect of adrenaline fuelled winter sports. We’ll pack your skis with the greatest of care.
Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
If not for the weather, why else would you be moving to Cote d'Azur? And who can blame you? As we write this article (in August) temperatures are being recorded all over France at between 65 and 72 °F. However, in the Côte d'Azur, on the French Riviera, it is 80°F. The region is known for its very pleasant year round climate and particularly for its beautifully sunny and dry summers. Its Mediterranean climate has tempted many a British visitor to up sticks and move here over the years and the attraction shows no sign of dwindling. They say that warm weather and sunshine are good for us, and with around 2,830 hours of sunshine a year the Cote d'Azur has that "feel good factor".
Corsica
Corsica too has a Mediterranean climate. If you are moving to Corsica you can expect summer temperatures of anything between 75 and 80°F in July and August and even in the grip of winter, it never gets much below 55°F. By mid-July and lasting right through to October, going for a dip in the sea feels like stepping into to a lovely warm bath, and even in December you'll be able to get away with shorts and a T-shirt.
Lorraine
If you are moving to Lorraine in northeastern France, you are not going there for the sun and the warmth. Located near to the border with Luxembourg, you may well be looking forward to skiing in the Vosges Mountains or to trekking around its rivers, lakes, and parks; but our guess is you won’t be going there for a tan. Summers are humid and the warmest month is August. You can expect temperatures in the late 70’s °F, but you won’t find it the type of heat you’ll find further south; and in January the barometer might register 37°F if you’re lucky.
Midi Pyrenees
If you’re a sun worshipper, we would strongly recommend moving to the Midi-Pyrenees. It is one of the sunniest regions in France. July and August are the best months of the year - with strong sun and intense heat; but the beauty of this region is that the high temperatures of the day are countered by cooler evenings and nights, making for a more comfortable nights' sleep. You know the Indian summers we in Britain hope for the following year after a disappointing July and August? Well, in the Midi Pyrenees you can look forward to this, most of the time.
Brittany
The weather in Brittany has often been compared to that in Cornwall and other south western parts of the UK, and there are similarities of course. The two areas are not that far from one another after all. If you are moving to Brittany you can, however, expect it to be at least a few degrees warmer. You can look forward to enjoying the same lush countryside, similarly beautiful walks and scenery, but it’s just a few degrees warmer with a different language, a different culture and a more relaxed pace of life – perfect.
Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy in the North-West of France in general experiences mild weather throughout the year. This is because its western side fronts on to the Atlantic Ocean. There are rarely any extremes of temperature here, though it can rain quite a bit. This again is not a region favoured by the sun worshipper; if you are moving to Upper Normandy, be prepared for mild autumns, cool winters, warm springs and pleasantly hot (but not over-powering) summers.
About Hamiltons
Hamiltons Removals are members of The British Association of Removers (BAR), The Road Haulage Association (RHA) and we are BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered. We are big enough to have all the necessary resources at our fingertips and yet small enough to really care about what our customers think. We have a growing list of testimonials from people we have helped move to all four corners of the world and we look forward to being able to add your name to that list.
High Quality Removals Click here for a free quotation for domestic or worldwide removals.
It’s not just the south of France that offers such good weather either. If you are moving to Poitou Charentes, Burgundy or Ile de France, you can look forward to fine temperatures. In fact, it’s fair to say that wherever your removals to France takes you, your summers will be a delight as August daytime temperatures rarely fall to below 70°F. If you prefer a cooler climate, as some do, you might want to consider moving to Brittany in northern France or to the French Alps in the east. The climate in northern France is quite similar to that of the southern English counties of Cornwall, Sussex and Kent.
At Hamiltons Removals, we have been taking care of our clients’ removals to France for over 20 years. Depending on the service you require, our removals operatives will pack, load and then unpack your items on arrival. Larger items, which may need to be dismantled for transportation - like wardrobes, beds and sofas - will be re-assembled with the utmost care; all this is done with the politeness and professionalism upon which we base our reputation.
Here at Hamiltons Removals we like to see our customers comfortably settled in their new home, so we have compiled a brief rundown of the weather you can expect in some of the most popular areas in France. Read on to discover some of the best locations in France to get a great tan, and those parts of the country where the climate is more temperate than Mediterranean.
Removals to France – Click here for a free detailed quote of your move or contact us to discuss your individual requirements.
The Weather in France
Paris
If you are moving to Paris, in the Ile de France region, you’ll find the weather somewhat comparable to London. Paris is an area known for its low rainfall, but every now and then she'll surprise you with a brief but quite heavy downpour, almost regardless of the time of year. That said, Parisian summers are generally pleasant, rating somewhere between mild and warm. Like London, Paris is also prone to the occasional heat wave, turning trips to the banks of La Seine into mini summer holidays. The similarity to London doesn't end there; winters in Paris are cold with temperatures hovering at or near freezing.
Nord Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais, in the north of France, is cool for most of the year but it does get some very pleasant weather in summer. The really nice thing about moving to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is that there are hardly ever any real extremes of temperature. The summers are mild to quite hot, and whilst the winters may freeze over sometimes, this is quite rare. The climate here can be likened to that in Kent and the south of England, as well as to that in the south west of France, although it can get quite wet down there at certain times of the year.
Franche-Comte
Those of you moving to Franche-Comte in eastern France are in for a real treat weather-wise. You'll need to kit your wardrobes out with everything from summer dresses/shorts and linen suits to woolly hats, thick jumpers, raincoats and wellies. Franche-Comté's weather is truly continental. Your summers will be hot and your winters cold - and it'll rain too, quite often when you least expect it! Changeable is the best way to describe the weather here, or perhaps unpredictable; a real home from home.
Poitou Charentes
Anyone moving to Poitou-Charentes in the south west of France can look forward to one of the most pleasant climates in the country. The winters are mild and the summers are hot but not in any way humid. Theirs is a dry, pleasant heat, which is easy to work in and even more of a joy not to. The area is famed for its production of wine and it’s these non-extremes of temperature, combined with regular but not excessive rainfall, that contribute so well to the verdant and fertile landscape.
Rhone Alps
If you and your family are moving to the Rhone-Alps region in south eastern France, you can expect changeable weather which leans more towards wet than dry. Summers here are hot and can be quite humid, and winter temperatures are kept low by the neighbouring Alpine mountains. The mountains, of course, are a huge draw to the area as they bring with them the prospect of adrenaline fuelled winter sports. We’ll pack your skis with the greatest of care.
Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
If not for the weather, why else would you be moving to Cote d'Azur? And who can blame you? As we write this article (in August) temperatures are being recorded all over France at between 65 and 72 °F. However, in the Côte d'Azur, on the French Riviera, it is 80°F. The region is known for its very pleasant year round climate and particularly for its beautifully sunny and dry summers. Its Mediterranean climate has tempted many a British visitor to up sticks and move here over the years and the attraction shows no sign of dwindling. They say that warm weather and sunshine are good for us, and with around 2,830 hours of sunshine a year the Cote d'Azur has that "feel good factor".
Corsica
Corsica too has a Mediterranean climate. If you are moving to Corsica you can expect summer temperatures of anything between 75 and 80°F in July and August and even in the grip of winter, it never gets much below 55°F. By mid-July and lasting right through to October, going for a dip in the sea feels like stepping into to a lovely warm bath, and even in December you'll be able to get away with shorts and a T-shirt.
Lorraine
If you are moving to Lorraine in northeastern France, you are not going there for the sun and the warmth. Located near to the border with Luxembourg, you may well be looking forward to skiing in the Vosges Mountains or to trekking around its rivers, lakes, and parks; but our guess is you won’t be going there for a tan. Summers are humid and the warmest month is August. You can expect temperatures in the late 70’s °F, but you won’t find it the type of heat you’ll find further south; and in January the barometer might register 37°F if you’re lucky.
Midi Pyrenees
If you’re a sun worshipper, we would strongly recommend moving to the Midi-Pyrenees. It is one of the sunniest regions in France. July and August are the best months of the year - with strong sun and intense heat; but the beauty of this region is that the high temperatures of the day are countered by cooler evenings and nights, making for a more comfortable nights' sleep. You know the Indian summers we in Britain hope for the following year after a disappointing July and August? Well, in the Midi Pyrenees you can look forward to this, most of the time.
Brittany
The weather in Brittany has often been compared to that in Cornwall and other south western parts of the UK, and there are similarities of course. The two areas are not that far from one another after all. If you are moving to Brittany you can, however, expect it to be at least a few degrees warmer. You can look forward to enjoying the same lush countryside, similarly beautiful walks and scenery, but it’s just a few degrees warmer with a different language, a different culture and a more relaxed pace of life – perfect.
Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy in the North-West of France in general experiences mild weather throughout the year. This is because its western side fronts on to the Atlantic Ocean. There are rarely any extremes of temperature here, though it can rain quite a bit. This again is not a region favoured by the sun worshipper; if you are moving to Upper Normandy, be prepared for mild autumns, cool winters, warm springs and pleasantly hot (but not over-powering) summers.
About Hamiltons
Hamiltons Removals are members of The British Association of Removers (BAR), The Road Haulage Association (RHA) and we are BS EN ISO 9001:2000 registered. We are big enough to have all the necessary resources at our fingertips and yet small enough to really care about what our customers think. We have a growing list of testimonials from people we have helped move to all four corners of the world and we look forward to being able to add your name to that list.
High Quality Removals Click here for a free quotation for domestic or worldwide removals.
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