Finnish culture is going to be on display in France

This extensive cultural drive under the 100% Finlande banner really only starts from the beginning of April, but things got going two weeks early on March 13th, when three works by contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho were performed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

The concert saw the first performance of Saariaho’s Mirage, for soprano, cello and orchestra, featuring Karita Mattila and cellist Anssi Karttunen, and two other pieces - Notes on Light (2006) for cello and orchestra and Orion (2002) for large orchestra. The works were performed by the Orchestre de Paris under conductor Christoph Eschenbach.

Weston French students ‘travel’ to France

Each student must plan a trip to Paris and another town in France. They go online to research plane tickets, accommodations and other details necessary for their trip.

As with any trip, the students have a budget they must stay within. When planning their five-day itinerary, they need to take into account the realities of time lost during intercontinental travel.

The students have gone online to French real estate and vacation sites to research vacation house rentals that meet the needs of their family. They had to pick a house, write a letter to the owner to inquire about availability, and a letter to their parent(s) telling them why they selected the house they did and specifically how it met their families’ needs. In hope of doing a house swap (to save money on the rental), students gave virtual tours of their own houses as well.

Land of a thousand chateaux

he Loire Valley is carpeted with fertile fields, crisscrossed by rivers, and studded with hundreds of chateaux in all shapes and sizes. Medieval castles are here because the Loire was strategically important during the Hundred Years' War (when France and England battled through the 14th and 15th centuries). During the Renaissance, pleasure palaces replaced fortified castles as the Loire became fashionable among the Parisian rich and royal.

The valley of a thousand chateaux is also the home to many good wines. As you travel through the Loire, look for "Degustation" (tasting) signs. Inquire at tourist centers for winery tour and tasting information. The towns of Vouvray and Chinon have many proud and hospitable family wineries.

'A digital-age fairytale in Paris'

Travel writing is a broad church. On its pews gather Bill Bryson, Redmond O'Hanlon and Bruce Chatwin (his notebook filled with imaginative fancies). In its chancel, hymns are sung to the humanity of Colin Thubron, the esprit of Nicolas Bouvier and the erudite historical narratives of William Dalrymple. Its young bloods – including Philip Marsden, Sara Wheeler, Jason Elliot and Rory Stewart – pray alongside its dead champions: Freya Stark, Gertrude Bell and Roger Deakin. Suddenly a cheeky, young Francophile wheels a pram into the nave, startling the congregation with a digital-age fairytale set in Paris.