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FRANCE
The sheer physical diversity of France would
be hard to exhaust in a lifetime of visits. The
landscapes range from the fretted coasts of Brittany
and the limestone hills of Provence to the canyons
of the Pyrenees and the half-moon bays of Corsica,
and from the lushly wooded valleys of the Dordogne
and the gentle fields of the Loire Valley to the
glaciated peaks of the Alps.
Each region looks and feels different, has its
own style of architecture, its own characteristic
food and often its own dialect. Though the French
word pays is the term for a whole country, many
people frequently refer to their own region as
mon pays – my country – and this strong sense
of regional identity has persisted despite centuries
of centralizing governments, from Louis XIV to
de Gaulle. Industrialization came relatively late
to France, and for all the millions of French
people that live in cities, the idea persists
that theirs is a rural country. The importance
of the land reverberates throughout French culture,
manifesting itself in areas as diverse as regional
pride in local cuisine and the state's fierce
defence of Europe's agricultural subsidies.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the French
countryside is the sense of space. There are huge
tracts of woodland and undeveloped land without
a house in sight, and, away from the main urban
centres, hundreds of towns and villages have changed
only slowly and organically over the years, their
old houses and streets intact, as much a part
of the natural landscape as the rivers, hills
and fields.
Despite this image of pastoral tranquillity, France's
history is notable for its extraordinary vigour.
For more than a thousand years the country has
been in the vanguard of European development,
and the accumulation of wealth and experience
is evident everywhere in the astonishing variety
of things to see, from the Dordogne's prehistoric
cave-paintings and the Roman monuments of the
south, to the Gothic cathedrals of the north,
the châteaux of the Loire, and the cutting-edge
architecture of the grands projets in Paris. This
legacy of history and culture – la patrimoine
– is so widely dispersed across the land that
even the briefest of stays will leave the visitor
with a powerful sense of France's past.
The importance of these traditions is felt deeply
by the French state, which fights to preserve
and develop its national culture perhaps harder
than any other country in the world, and private
companies, who also strive to maintain French
traditions in arenas as diverse as haute couture,
pottery and, of course, food. The fruits of these
efforts are evident in the subsidized arts, notably
the film industry, and in the lavishly endowed
and innovative museums and galleries.
From colonial history to fishing techniques, aeroplane
design to textiles, and migrant shepherds to manicure,
these collections can be found across the nation,
but, inevitably, first place must go to the fabulous
displays of fine art in Paris, a city which has
nurtured more than its share of the finest creative
artists of the last century and a half, both French
– Monet and Matisse for example – and foreign,
such as Picasso and Van Gogh. There are all kinds
of pegs on which to hang a holiday in France:
a city, a region, a river, a mountain range, gastronomy,
cathedrals, châteaux. All that open space means
there's endless scope for outdoor activities –
from walking, canoeing and cycling to skiing and
sailing – but if you need more urban stimuli –
clubs, shops, fashion, movies, music – then the
great cities provide them in abundance.
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