Welcome to the seventh edition 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.

Riots work - After days of intense protests and violent riots, French President Jacques Chirac has announced that the new youth employment law, the CPE, will be scrapped. It prompted days of intense protests and even violent riots in France.

April Ratatouille - Ah, April in France. What a wonderful time to put together a tasty ratatouille. Provence Blog provides this fabulous ratatouille recipe. Ratatouille is a Nicoise dish that consists of various vegetables.

What a Ham! - The Bayonne Ham Festival celebrates a wonderful culture and cuisine. Basque ham is wonderful, and the locals take it quite seriously. The festival, which runs April 13 through 15, is also a celebration of a unique area, notes the French Duck blog.

Easter Egg Hunt - If you think your local Easter Egg hunt is nice, you might be a tad jealous of the Zraidi family. In their blog about life in Paris, called A View from Ivry, they describe taking their children to an Easter Egg hunt in Paris, in the gardens of the Rodin Museum no less.

Next Stop: Disneyland - Almost everyone in the world knows there is a Disneyland Paris. But the Rue Rude blog points out there is another wonderful Paris-area theme park. In fact, the blogger maintains the other park, Parc Asterix, is "a much more charming park."

France in Pictures

Hey. If you can't be there in person, why notlive vicariously through other people's pictures. On that vein, here are pictures that really get you under your skin and make you long to visit France:

• If you've ever eaten a cafe breakfast in France, this delicious petit dejeuner photo at the Photographer in Paris blog will make your mouth water.
• Soak up some unique atmosphere with this enchanting photo of Ihle deBrehat in Brittany.
• See the tremendous wine selection in this photo of Fromager in Paris.

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, Provence, riots, photography