These days, Poitiers might not figure on the list of
European Road Races (Monaco, Angoulême and Pau
are the sole survivors) but over the last weekend of
June, the streets of the city will echo to the roar of more than
100 classic cars. They will be commemorating the Dunes
Road Race, originally run in 1923 and named after of the
Dunes area of Poitiers where the first race was run.
The race was revived 25 years later as the Poitiers Road
Race and ran for three years, open to competition cars and
famous marques such as Bugatti, Delahaye, Fiat and even
cycle-cars. It took a group of enthusiastic French owners of
classic and prestige vehicles to bite the bullet back in the
1980s and come up with the idea of a celebration of the
original meetings, known as Poitiers Élégance Automobiles.
French couples are reportedly so bored with their love lives that they are going
in search of inspiration. Hence the recent ‘gentrification’ of sex shops.
Nick Rowswell meets Madame Eva who runs one in Bourges
“Recent surveys have
shown a growing
number of French
couples complaining of
boredom in bed,” writes
Matthew Campbell in ‘The
Sunday Times’ (April
13, 2008).
Forget shifty-looking
men in dirty macs perusing
the blue videos; today’s
clients are far more
respectable. Even the term
‘Sex Shop’ has been
banished. Paris is full of
‘Love Stores’, warm and
friendly places where women
no longer fear to tread. On
offer, the traditional range of
toys, but also professional
sex advice and service with a
smile.
For Madame Eva though,
the ‘Love Store’ revolution is
no more than just another
Parisian fad. Out here en
province, Eva has been
catering to the sexual needs
of citizens of Bourges in
the Cher for a decade. “I am
not just a shopkeeper,” she
says. “I am a sex therapist,
a psychologist and a
social worker.”
French firefighters have been getting to know their
colleagues on the other side of the Channel, thanks to a
visit arranged by Chris Coombes, former deputy chief fire
officer in Leicestershire, now retired to the Indre.
In April, a group of sapeurs-pompiers from the Indre
went to an Essex Fire and Rescue Training Centre at
Colchester.
A battle still rages over the route of a much-needed ring-road near protected
marshland in the Vendée. Jacqueline Karp investigates
In the ancient town of Talmont-Saint-
Hilaire (Vendée), below the
imposing ruins of Richard the
Lionheart’s castle, the long drawn out
battle still rages over a new bypass on a
section of French coastline protected by
the law L146-6. To the south lies the
Payré marshland, the southernmost ria
(half buried river valley) on France’s
Atlantic coast, rich in rare vegetation
and wildlife.
The traffic thundering through the
town centre to Sables-d’Olonne leaves
nobody in doubt over the need for a
deux fois deux voies – a dual
carriageway – bypassing the town. The
big question is where to put it.
The Association Talmont Nord-Sud
has been fighting the town council since
its decision in 1993 to send the route
south of the town.
Only part of the marshland to the
south of Talmont is a designated area of
outstanding natural beauty (zone
remarquable) as well as a Natura 2000
site. A large area of marshland closer to
Talmont’s southern limits was ignored
by Vendée’s conseil général when it
marked out the protected zone.
Marlen Volland, deputy mayor of Saumur and in charge of
international relations, described Europe as a
springboard for Saumur “and an adventure and a journey for
us all”. The occasion was an international conference held
mid-May, ‘L’Europe, un tremplin pour le Saumurois’ to raise
awareness about international exchange programmes.
The dates for the second Raid Bleu Normandie have just
been announced. From August 13 to 17, light catamarans in
the Formula 18 category will compete in a series of regattas
off the little port of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue on the east coast
of the Cotentin.
Among the 50 crews from 10 European
countries, the Swiss trimaran champion
Yvan Bourgnon and the French yachtsmen
Gurvan Bontemps (left) and Matthieu
Marfaing (right) have promised to take part.
But there is more to the Raid than
racing. The event is
entirely devoted to sustainable
development, protection of the oceans
and intelligent management of natural
resources. To this end, an educational
‘village’ will be specially built where
visitors of all ages can learn more about
how to preserve the marine environment.
LD Lines is adding a second ferry to its Le Havre-Portsmouth
service from next November. The vessel is being built at the
Visentini shipyard near Venice. It will take up to 800
passengers and 120 lorries and will reach a speed of 24
knots. LD Lines is a subsidiary of the group Louis Dreyfus
Armateurs. It expects to almost double its traffic, estimating
passenger numbers of half a million per year from 2009.
Also planned is a new regular 20-hour crossing at weekends
between Le Havre and the southern Irish port of Rosslare.
Further to recent articles in French News about women's pensions, the UK Department of Work and Pensions has issued a press release explaining that "women pensioners could boost their state pension or even be in line for a windfall payment under special terms.
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