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ABOVE: The ‘seed packet’ wall at Chaumont<br />
Glorious Chaumont<br />
My wife and I have just returned from<br />
a holiday in the Loire Valley and on<br />
arriving home, the August issue of<br />
FRANCE Magazine awaited us. What<br />
a small world it was to see Chaumontsur-Loire<br />
and its gardens across the front<br />
cover. Only a week previously, we had<br />
made our annual visit to the International<br />
Garden Festival, and Naomi Slade’s<br />
brilliant article describes perfectly this<br />
amazing themed show.<br />
She rightly points out that one has<br />
no idea what is around the next corner<br />
or what interesting or madcap ideas one<br />
will find. For many years, we have<br />
referred to the competition gardens as<br />
wacky… interesting and madcap.<br />
Trying to understand the annual<br />
theme has always been a challenge and<br />
this year’s ‘Flower Power’ is no<br />
exception. Naomi captured so well our<br />
most enjoyable half-day visit for <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
We await the theme for 2018.<br />
Paul Hutton<br />
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire<br />
WINNERS: FRANCE<br />
CALENDAR <strong>2017</strong><br />
Here are the winners of our FRANCE<br />
Calendar <strong>2017</strong> competition. They identified<br />
the village of Collonges-la-Rouge in the<br />
Corrèze département and win a copy of the<br />
2018 calendar: Richard Pulham,<br />
Southwold, Suffolk; Susan Lilley, Sheffield,<br />
South Yorkshire; Jean Mayton, Ramsgate,<br />
Kent; Wendy Braithwaite, Liss, Hampshire;<br />
Barbara Duncanson, Compton<br />
Chamberlayne, Wiltshire; Dianne K Vitaska,<br />
Houston, Texas, USA; Fiona Newport,<br />
Hungerford, Berkshire; Peter Brussel-<br />
Smith, Port St Lucie, Florida, USA;<br />
Philip Glasson, Hounoux, <strong>France</strong>;<br />
Emmanuel Diaz, Isleworth,<br />
Middlesex; Christine Claydon,<br />
Benfleet, Essex; David Finch,<br />
Villeverneix, <strong>France</strong>; Chris<br />
Hardy, Northallerton, North<br />
Yorkshire; Nick Foster, South<br />
Train travel tips<br />
I very much enjoyed ‘Back on track’<br />
(August <strong>2017</strong>, issue 227) about the<br />
delights of exploring <strong>France</strong> by train. We<br />
have done just this for a number of years.<br />
Could I add a couple of tips? Lille is<br />
often an easy Eurostar/TGV interchange<br />
which saves you getting yourself and<br />
cases across Paris. Sending your heavy<br />
luggage on ahead via a service such as<br />
Luggage Mule is great, particularly if you<br />
have seats booked on the upper deck.<br />
TGVs also have quiet carriages – look<br />
for the small cartoon mobile phone<br />
asleep sticker – and the French by and<br />
large observe the restrictions.<br />
We have used the long-established<br />
French Travel Service many times and<br />
can recommend them for straightforward<br />
rail trips in <strong>France</strong> as well as more<br />
complicated tailor-made journeys.<br />
Paul Harrington<br />
Saltdean, Brighton<br />
…As an inveterate traveller by train in<br />
<strong>France</strong>, I thank you for the article ‘Back<br />
on Track’. I have another tip – when<br />
travelling from Gare de Lyon in Paris, by<br />
far the most comfortable and pleasant<br />
place to wait is in Hall 3. It is easily<br />
accessible from Halls 1 and 2.<br />
David Sharpe<br />
Cockermouth, Cumbria.<br />
Barrow, Somerset; Simon and Judith Gill,<br />
Wilmington, Kent; Jane Coyle, Holywood,<br />
County Down, NI; Ruth Jones, Maulden,<br />
Bedfordshire; Helen Horn, Glinton,<br />
Cambridgeshire; Mrs M Allery,<br />
Waterlooville, Hampshire; Jean Moore,<br />
Kidderminster, Worcestershire; Vivienne<br />
Upson, Great Totham, Essex; Beverley<br />
Simmons, Horsham, West Sussex;<br />
Mrs Tessa Knight, Middlestown, West<br />
Yorkshire; Sarah Hill, Lea,<br />
Lincolnshire; Dave Fisher,<br />
Coventry, West Midlands.<br />
● The 2018 Calendar is now<br />
available to pre-order – see<br />
pages 62-63.<br />
HAVE YOUR SAY<br />
ABOVE: Lac d’Annecy in Haute-Savoie<br />
Don’t forget to like us<br />
on Facebook,<br />
‘FRANCE Magazine’<br />
The mountains aren’t just for skiing…<br />
Here’s why you should visit this<br />
summer. See ‘8 Reasons to Visit the<br />
French Mountains this Summer’<br />
completefrance.com<br />
@Sarah Gavin Been to Châtel, Haute-<br />
Savoie, twice in the summer. It’s<br />
spectacular with lots to do. The ski lifts<br />
are open because of the downhill<br />
mountain biking!<br />
@Michele Mann We loved Annecy! The<br />
water was amazing! Even though it was<br />
Tuesday we still had fun shopping.<br />
@Marie Styer My dream water in the<br />
front, mountains in my backyard.<br />
@ Rebecca Lynn Monitz Worth staying<br />
here in August.<br />
Follow us on<br />
Instagram<br />
Peter Stewart has been<br />
gourmet cycling<br />
through Alsace<br />
Sophie Gardner-<br />
Roberts has been<br />
enjoying a tipple at<br />
Lac du Bourget<br />
See more of our<br />
adventures at<br />
@francemagazine<br />
Lara Dunn has been<br />
experiencing the highs<br />
of the Pyrénées at the<br />
Pont d’Espagne<br />
www.completefrance.com FRANCE MAGAZINE 15
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