Carnival of France, Travel and Francophiles, Debut Post

Welcome to the debut of the Carnival of France, Travel and Francophiles. The Carnival is a weekly round-up of news, blogs, travel reports, photos and other findings related to France.

A wine decline - Of all things, France is experiencing a decline in domestic sales of wine, according to thisfrenchlife.com. Say it isn't so! Meanwhile, Frenchduck.com talks about the VINISUD wine trade show in Montpellier this week, focusing on the various fascinating vintages from Limoux. Perhaps you even dream of being a wine merchant yourself, and would like to know what it takes.

Mardi Gras mania - The Chroniques d'une Fraise blog features various videos from the Nice Carnaval. While everyone knows about the New Orleans revelry, Nice has been celebrating the approach of Lent since the Middle Ages.

The French Bond girl - A French actress, Eva Green, has been chosen to be the new James Bond girl in the upcoming movie, Casino Royale, so says the 40 Days in Paris blog.

Michelin Guide hath offended - There could hardly be an area in which the French are more serious and sensitive. There was anger in reaction to news that France's oldest restaurant, La Tour d'Argent, was downgraded to one-star in the new Michelin guide releasing this week, according to Yahoo News.

Bird flu fever - In response to the first reports of the frightening avian flu near Lyon, the French have begun vaccinating 300,000 geese and ducks against the lethal disease, The Times UK reported.

Peek at their baguettes - One of the most sublime France experiences is the simple pleasure of getting and sampling a fresh-baked baguette. Now, you can get a behind the scenes peek at the process with the Baguette Cam discovered by the 40 Days in Paris blog.

France in Pictures

This week, there are several wonderful photos of France posted throughout the Web, including:

• a great shot of Peyrepertuse Chateau from above
• a pretty picture of the timbered buildings and flower box-dotted windows of La Petite France neighborhood in Strasbourg
• a soul-warming picture of lovely Villefranche-sur-Mer at sunrise, one of my favorite French beach towns.
• a close-up photo of a timbered building in Vannes
• and, of course, it just wouldn't be right to leave without a photo of the most photographed site in all of France, the Eiffel Tower. I picked this shot because it shows the grand dame putting on a light show at night.

I am looking for hosts for the Carnival of France. If you are interested in hosting, or simply would like to suggest your blog or article for next week's carnival, email me.

Technorati tags: France, Paris, carnival, blog, Mardi Gras, wine