Catching the French in the Act of Sale

Tomorrow morning bright and early, the participants of the Working and Living in France Conference, will file in one by one to register and take their seats to begin the three intensive days. Presentations will be made by Paris’ finest professionals and experts on every topic related to working, living and investing in France.
The first day will focus on cultural crossing, immigration, starting a business in France, learning the language, getting to know Paris along with a special Private tour of the Paris Hôtel de Ville, compliments of the city of Paris.
The second day focuses on real estate and investing in property…the legal aspects, tax implications, property finding, renting for profit and renovation. Together we will dine together at Paris’ historical Chez Jenny.
The last day, money and business preoccupy us — off shore investments, income tax, transferring from one currency to another, investing in France. We’ll close with a panel discussion to wrap up every question not already answered.
This is the 9th conference of this kind our team has produced. Each time we see new faces that become fast friends many of whom we see returning to make their dream to live in France come true.
There are several conferences on the agenda for the rest of 2005, so be sure to consult with our site at https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/liveinfrance/index.html or email Schuyler Hoffman at [email protected]/parlerparis to be on our special mailing list to be notified.
Next week we’ll be reporting on the outcome of the conference, and meanwhile, today’s newsletter, is chock-a-block full of information. So go pour yourself a tall glass of wine from any one of France’s fabulous regions and have a slow read.
A bientôt…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider
Email: [email protected]

P.S. My Marais apartment just became free for rental in its entirety from July 22 to an August 1 departure. There will be no Parler Paris that week while I lay like a lizard on the beaches of the Dalmatian coast. Some lucky folks could meanwhile be lounging on my Paris fauteuils. Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/leeds.html for more information.

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Volume III, Issue 20, May 19, 2005

In this issue:
* The French Notarized Deed of Sale
* Cultural Coping — Making the Move to a New Culture
* Bookmarking the Paris Pages
* Starting Up the Best Beastly Boutique
* The Right to Start a Business in France
* Having a Kir in the Grosse Pomme
* Whining about Wines in the Regions
* Fair Trading du Vin
* A French Treasure Hunt
* Neighbors Unite — Une Fête des Voisins
* Today’s Rates of Exchange by Moneycorp Currency Brokers
* Hot Property Picks:
* What’s On the Auction Block
* Book Property Services Before June 1 and Save
* Getting a Mortgage is Easier Than You Think
* Take Advantage of Your Insider Discount
* Things You Need to Know
* Classified Advertising: Vacation Apartments

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The Acte de Vente
By the Chambre de Notaires

Prologue:
Growing up in New Orleans, I had always heard that an “Act of Sale” was when the deed of a property was signed. That expression, I later learned, was a carry-over from Louisiana Napoleanic Code, because everywhere else in the country, it was termed “property closing,” whereas in France, it’s called an “Acte de Vente” — or translated — “Act of Sale.” The following text is taken directly from the Chambre de Notaires Web site regarding the Acte de Vente and what you, as a buyer, can expect from it. It’s a bit cumbersome, but details the procedure for you quite explicitly.
Adrian Leeds

Any property sale must be recorded by a notarized deed. After the preliminary contract has been signed, the notaire undertakes the formalities, obtains the authorizations and assembles the requisite documents to ensure that the deed of sale is fully effective and cannot be disputed or annulled. Some formalities are undertaken before the sale; others after the deed has been signed.</p >
SOME PRELIMINARY FORMALITIES
* The purge of pre-emptive rights A pre-emptive right makes it possible for the beneficiary to replace the buyer.
Notaires must ensure that there are no pre-emptive rights of any kind applicable to the intended transaction. Should such a right exist, the notaire must ensure that it is ‘purged’ (i.e., make a proposal to the holder of the right to exercise his or her priority to purchase the property).
The main pre-emptive rights are as follows: – the tenant’s pre-emptive right – the urban pre-emptive right.
* Tenant’s pre-emptive right: an owner wishing to sell accommodation which has already been leased must enable his or her tenant(s) (and their spouse) to exercise their pre-emptive rights as stipulated by law, but only under two conditions:
* for the first time the accommodation placed under joint ownership is put up for sale (article 10-I of the law dated 31 December 1975)
* sales release (article 15 II of the law dated 6 July 1989).
* Urban pre-emptive right: the urban pre-emptive right (DPU) makes it possible for a local authority to have priority in purchasing specific property up for sale in areas which have been defined beforehand by the town council.
The aim of this procedure is to carry out general interest operations (for example, communal facilities). Some property and some operations must be excluded (for example, donations).
If the property is located in an area subject to the preemptive right, the notaire sends the mayor of the local authority a declaration of intent to dispose of the property (known as a DIA) stating the price and conditions of sale. This declaration constitutes a sales offer.
The town authorities have two months with effect from receipt of the DIA to issue their response. The municipality may:
* not respond (the municipality is then deemed to have waived its pre-emptive right by failing to answer) or a formal waiver of the right; the property can then be sold to the buyer at the price stated in the DIA
* accept the proposed price: the sale is then concluded. The deed of sale must be signed within three months of the response. The price must be paid within six months. In the absence of such, the seller can retrieve his or her property and sell it without restriction to a third party
* make a counter proposal: the owner then has two months to waive the sale (silence from the owner is deemed a waiver) or accept the counter-proposal. In the absence of an understanding, the price is set by the courts.
* Obtaining urban development documents
The notaire must obtain several urban development documents including: – the urban development certificate or information note. This is an administrative document intended to or administrative limitations to property rights. The ‘ordinary’ certificate makes no statement about whether specific land can be built upon – the individual alignment certificate with the public highway – the quarry certificate. This certificate provides information about the property’s position with regard to soil and underground risks (former quarries, the type of support work involved, etc.) – the hazard-free certificate – an extract from the land register table which identifies the property and the owner.
* Requesting mortgage information
The notaire checks the proprietor status of the seller and reviews his or her property deed. The notaire also checks the provenance of ownership over the last thirty years. This conveyancing is important because only the owner of property can legally sell it.
For example, if the notaire discovers that the property is jointly held, approval from all the joint owners must be obtained.
To carry out this conveyancing task, the notaire requests a mortgage statement known as the “hors formalité” [no formalities] statement.
Obtaining this document is also the only means for the notaire to find out about the guarantees (known as ‘inscriptions’) taken out on the property. If the seller purchased the property by mea ns of a guaranteed loan which has not yet been reimbursed in full, the inscription by the bank still applies.
The inscription entitles the bank to receive the proportion of the price corresponding to the balance of the loan outstanding once the property is resold. There may be other inscriptions (for example, made out to the Treasury). The notaire carries out the requisite verifications to ensure that the buyer is not required to pay the seller’s debts.
It is therefore preferable not pay the price directly to the seller.
* The work damage guarantee If the sold building was built less than ten years previously, the deed must stipulate the presence or absence of work damage insurance.
This information is vital for the buyer and tells him or her who to contact in the event of a claim.
* The compliance certificate When buying housing which has recently been built or modified and which required extensive work, the compliance certificate issued by the local authority certifies that work has been carried out in compliance with the building permit.
PAYING THE PRICE
The main obligation faced by the buyer is to pay the price on the day and location stipulated by the sale.
The price may be paid in various ways:
* In full when signing the deed of sale. Any payment in France must be made in Euros. The seller issues a receipt for the price. Payment of the price is noted in the accounts of the notaire. The notaire asks the buyer to hand over a bank check [“chèque de banque”].
This payment is for:
– the buyer’s personal contribution – expenses – the amount of the loan(s) which are not noted in the deed.
Payment of the price through the offices of the notaire’s accounts makes it possible to preclude any of the seller’s creditors (who may or may not have
guarantee).
It is also useful in terms of proof of payment.
* In full by means of a loan * Payment in the future. Exceptionally, all or part of the price may be stipulated as payment in the future, i.e., within a specific term laid down by the contracting parties to the deed of sale.
This form of payment includes a number of agreements.
The contracting parties must in particular make provision for:
– the date of payment of the remainder of the price (a single date or schedule of dates)
– any interest accruing from the amounts to be paid (date at which interest is accrued, rate of interest, etc.)
– causes for forfeiting the term: for example, the contracting parties may stipulate that payment terms are terminated in the event that the purchased property is resold
– guarantees of the seller: the “seller’s privilege” guarantees payment of what is payable for the price. This is an inscription for the entire sold property which must be listed as a mortgage within two months of signing the deed of sale.
The effect of the seller’s privilege begins from the date of sale. The seller who has not been paid will be paid off first after sale of the property unless the seller wishes the sale to be settled by the courts, i.e., a retroactive cancellation of the sale.
* Annuity. If a property is sold in return for a life annuity, all or part of the price takes the form of an annuity with a proportion paid immediately known as the ‘bouquet’.
The buyer (annuity creditor) receives from the seller (annuity debtor) a property in return for the commitment taken to make payments (monthly installments) of the annuity.
The annuity is therefore merely a term of payment of the price or part of the price of the sale.
HANDING OVER THE KEYS
If the property is sold without restrictions, the main obligation facing the seller is to transfer the property to the buyer at the date stipulated in the deed.
The seller must hand over the keys and vacate the premises to enable the buyer to take possession of the property (article 1604 of the French Civil code).
Handing over the keys marks the start of ownership or use of the property by the buyer, usually at the date of signature of the deed of sale.
FORMALITIES AFTER THE DEED OF SALE HAS BEEN SIGNED
The notaire must undertake various formalities after signing the deed of sale.
* “Publicité foncière” [land notification] The notaire must notify the deed of sale in the mortgage bureau within no more than two months after the deed has been signed. This is a vital formality.
Notification makes the sale opposable to third parties (creditors of the seller, beneficiaries of rights affecting the property, etc.). Once the deed of sale has been notified, no other charge (such as a mortgage, etc.) can be registered against the name of the previous owner of the sold property. Registration fees and a land notification tax are paid when this formality is carried out.
Where applicable, guarantees may be requested for the sale by the seller or the bank and are registered by the notaire.
* Notification to the managing agent
In the event of the sale of property located in a joint property, the seller must give the notaire a certificate less than one month old stating that the seller does not owe any money to the joint property managing agent.
In the absence of such, the notaire must inform the managing agent of the change by means of a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt within fifteen days of the sale.
The managing agent is required to oppose the payment of funds by the notaire to the seller within fifteen days of receipt of notification by means of an extra-judiciary instrument (such as a bailiff ’s order).
Furthermore, and independently of the preliminary notification, the notaire must inform the managing agent of any transfer of ownership of property or a fraction of such.
Notification is intended to make the sale opposable to the managing agent. The buyer is then deemed one of the joint owners.
* Notification to insurance companies When the price is paid by means of a loan, notification of the sale is made to the insurance company of the buyer and the joint property managing agent.
The French Insurance code grants creditors exercising a privilege or mortgage the right to compensation payable by the insurer in the event of a claim.
* Transfer of the deed of ownership to the buyer Within a period, which varies according to the mortgage bureau concerned, the notaire must send the buyer the deed of ownership stipulating land notification in the mortgage register. The notaire also sends the buyer a final account statement.
* Release of the price
The notaire is not required to transfer the price to the seller on the day the deed of sale is signed.
The price can only be transferred to the seller once the deed has been notified in the mortgage register and the notaire has obtained a statement (known as the “état sur formalités” or statement of formalities) noting the absence of any mortgage or privilege inscription on the date of notification of the deed of sale.
If there are any inscriptions, the creditors must first be paid.
Prior to any transfer of the price to the seller, the notaire will have paid the amount into a bank where required and the managing agent for the joint owners and settled any gains.
If the sale concerns a building shared by spouses, the price may not be handed over to one of the spouses without the approval of the other. In practice, consent is issued in the deed.
Editor’s Note:
PARIS NOTA
IRES INFOS
1, boulevard de Sébastopol, 75001 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 44 82 24 44 — Fax +33 (0)1 44
http:://www.paris.notaires.fr
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Coping With A New Culture: Problems And Solutions
By Sourav Choudhury
Coping with a new culture has never been the easiest job of one’s life, for, not only that you miss your friends and family in the new place, you also miss your very own culture. And culture, as the social anthropologists say, is exactly what we do in our life. Going by this definition, you tend to miss everything, everything that you have done since the time you have taken birth, everything that you are used to — foods, customs, attitudes, languages — every little thing.
The problem multiplies if the new culture belongs to a different linguistic group than yours and if your knowledge in that language is not good enough for an efficient communication. Miscommunications and misunderstandings follow and if you are not of the outgoing type, like those shy ones who find it difficult to make quick friends in a new environment, the problem can even lead to depression.
If you have never been to a new culture, imagine yourself in an environment where you don’t speak the language, nor understand its customs and culture and vice versa and then making things worse, don’t even have somebody in front to share your feelings. As a matter of fact, our mind and body take time to adapt to new things and if life needs to move faster, depression is often the next thing to follow.
We have wonderful ways to fight these kinds of situations today. Internet is playing a vital role (and often the only source) to find and meet new people — and even one can meet people of their own culture and country, if a proper search is made. We can find out information about clubs and organizations of our own country and most of them will welcome you gladly in their organization. Another place to search for is the website of your embassy. If you do not have the web address of your embassy, go to yahoo or Google and search for “your nationality” + “embassy” + “new city.” Say a search like American embassy Paris will do the job. Most embassy Web sites have a list of organizations of their country present in the concerned foreign land.
Some Web sites, like http://www.kigoobe.com/meetup: English speaking Paris, is not only offering the Expats the opportunity to meet and discuss with others through forums and chat, but also various English television channels and other stuffs, everything someone tends to miss in the new culture – attempting a total solution to make your stay a pleasing one in your foreign land.
Besides meeting with others from your own culture, there are some other things as well that one could observe to cope with this kind of culture shock.
* Learn their language as fast possible:
An understanding with someone is only possible where there is a communication, and learning the language is essential for an effective communication. Learning their language is important as it also helps us to understand them and them to understand us — which in turn helps a better integration and helps increase the chance of making good friends
* Try to understand their culture:
Trying to understand their culture is another big challenge, specially understanding the differences. Since every culture is different, it’s quite common to misjudge others and take others as inferior (or superior, for instance) and develop complexity inside one’s self. This is something one need to handle specially, try to understand others culture, and respect the differences, and to think a difference doesn’t necessarily mean that one is inferior and the other one is superior.
* Be careful when you speak:
Since the cultures are different, it happens often, that an expression that is good in your culture may be taken absolutely bad in others and vice versa. This is worse when you start speaking their language, as then, the other person thinks that since you can speak and understand their language, you must be able to understand their culture as well, and if you do a mistake, that is often taken as intentional.
* Don’t irritate them because of anything:
You may have tremendous esteem for your own culture, and the other one may be different than yours, but don’t start ridiculing them or put them down by showing how your’s is better than their’s. Don’t speak only about your culture all the time as well, even if you miss your culture a lot. That can be irritating for the person in front.
* Get involved:
Get involved with them. Integrating and getting involved in activities of the other culture is the best way to shed off the “we are different” mask. And once this mask is no more there, if you become like one of them, or say, they become like people of your own culture, culture shocks can much easily be removed.
Fortunately though, not all Expats feel alike. For a lot, a change in cultural atmosphere is exciting, challenging, and a way to meet and understand new people and culture. A proper “how to” for winning over culture shocks can make everybody enjoy a greater experience in the new culture, thereby making their stay more positive and rewarding in the host country.
One last tip: Meet others, look for like minded people, make friendship.
Note: The term “Culture Shock” was coined in the year 1954 by one Kalvero Oberg to describe the negative effect in one’s body and mind during the period of cultural adjustment in a different socio-cultural environment.
Editor’s Note: The author, Sourav Choudhury is a Master of Science in Biological Anthropology and by profession, a web designer and owner of http://www.kigoobe.com, a Paris based web designing firm.
Other great sites for meeting Expats are:
http://www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis
http://www.parlerparlor.com
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Paris Bookmarks
By Adrian Leeds
The French telephonic system of information on a little box called the “Minitel” was long before the Internet appeared on the scene. Because of it (and a few other factors), they resisted getting “online” for quite a while. Americans caught on fast, as they do to anything new and different, and Web sites popped up like weeds.
While the Americans were posting sites of any size, shape and color, sophisticated or not (and not caring…”functionality” over “form”), the French were studying and preparing themselves for showing off their technical and design talents to make their first steps on the World Wide Web look like those of a distance runner.
(I point out these observations only to help you see the cultural differences more clearly — as in most aspects of life, the French will only leap after they have looked quite carefully so little risk (or none) is taken, while we Anglo-Saxons tend to leap and hope for the best.)
While I was doing the necessary research online to prepare route maps for the 30 participants of the Ultimate Travel Photographer’s Workshop we are hosting next week here in Paris (May 25 – 28), who will be quickly moving from one part of the city to another to capture the ultimate shots, it dawned on me that I have come to take for granted the very clever French (and some American) Web sites I employ on a regular basis to keep life in Paris gliding along on a smooth and fast pace and that perhaps I should let you in on ten of my favorite “bookmarks” so that you can glide along just as blissfully…

#1. http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/
It’s the French Yellow Pages, plus. Use it in English or French. Find any address, any phone number, any business, any anything in France. To find any person in France, switch over to the White Pages
#2. http://www.ratp.fr/
For getting around Paris by train, tram or bus…in English or French, let RATP guide you from point A to point B the fastest, easiest way, even by giving you the route with the least amount of walking or transferring.
#3. http://dictionary.com/
You just think my French is good. Ha! Think again. I can translate just about any text from English to French or French to English with the click of the mouse. ‘Course, the literal translations are rough around the edges, but with a sharp pencil, one might never know it wasn’t the years at Berlitz that made a difference.
#4. http://www.sncf.com/
Want to hop the train for London, Amsterdam or Nice? Book your “trajet” online, have the tickets sent to you at home and just show up at the station. Often, the site can make you nuts, because it’s not as functional as one might like, but it’s better than the alternative…standing in line at the Gare de Whatever waiting to book with a not-so-friendly “functionnaire.”
#5. http://www.viamichelin.com/
I love this site for getting from Paris to any point in France by car. It tells you absolutely everything you need to know to get there…where to turn, what routes to take, how long it will take, what it will cost, the mileage or kilometerage and even where you can expect speed surveillance cameras!
#6. http://www.paris.fr/
This City Hall site is tops for knowing what’s going on in the City of Light. Not for tourists, necessarily, but for those who want to be in the know on civic and political issues, cultural events and who’s who in Paris. I visit this site just about every day for a “fix” and to feel as if I’m on top of the tower looking out on the city.
#7. http://us.franceguide.com/
Maison de la France is loaded with info on Paris and the regions for a perfect exploration of La France Profonde. Pick a region, pick a place, pick an event or just discover…it’s all here, thanks to the country’s central information bureau.
#8. http://www.paris.notaires.fr/
Everything you want to know about property in Paris, thanks to the Chambre de Notaires. Some parts of the site are in English now, but if you can wade through the French, it’s filled with important statistics and commentary to help you make smart property-purchasing decisions.
#9. http://www.xe.com/
A newsletter with today’s rate of exchange lands in my inbox daily, keeping me up-to-date on how the dollar is fairing against the euro. It’s convenient for a basis of information, but if you want to make a large transfer, click over to http://www.Moneycorp.com/ instead for the best rate of exchange and be sure to tell them Parler Paris sent you.
#10. http://en.wikipedia.org/
Wikipedia, the free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit. In this English version, started in 2001, they are currently working on 563285 articles. Absolutely anything you want to know that someone before you knows, is there, and if you know something no one else knows, you have an opportunity to share it.

I warn you, though…since the French love complexity, so are their sites. They tend to be filled with “flying chickens” (animated graphics), won’t be as fast or as user-friendly as their American counterparts, but they are sure to make your life richer.
Isn’t that what it’s all about?
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Tous Pour Les Toutous: Start-Up in France
By Adrian Leeds
At the very first Working and Living in France Conference in October of 2002, a young woman attendee raised her hand while legal advisor Jean Taquet was explaining how one goes about having the right to live and work in France. She had lots of questions because, as she so boldly told us all, she had the dream to live in France and a business idea she wanted to pursue to make it happen. It was an idea that made everyone chuckle…”Mon Bon Chien” — the first gourmet pet bakery in all of France!
She arrived more than one year ago with her Golden Retriever “Sophie-Marie,” set out to accomplish her goal. With assistance from Jean Taquet to organize the legal aspects, the saga began. Quickly she befriended Marie-Elisabeth Crochard, co-coordinator of the Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group who opened her country home for weekend-long “séjours linguistiques” where she improved her command of French. That was a lucky stroke for Harriet (Hat) Sternstein, because Marie-Elisabeth became the kind of French friend every American with a mission needs by his or her side.
For the past year, we have followed Hat in her quest to open Mon Bon Chien…discovering that creating a new business, as innovative as this one, can become a monumental task in France — far different from what would be massively simple to accomplish in the United States. Every time I saw Hat at Parler Paris Après Midi (or just by chance on the street in front of the BHV), she would jokingly say, “It’s all your fault. You said at the conference this could be done!”
Proof has it that it CAN be done, against all odds. Jean Taquet glowingly reported on Hat’s trials and tribulations, one stumbling block after another, each one seemingly insurmountable. At the beginning the process appears simple and clear. He told Hat, “You obtain a visa to come to France, create an American corporation in France, change your immigration status in order to manage the French branch of the corporation, get the license from the French sanitary authority to open and finally, secure the shop.”
Jean wrote, “All of this is more easily said than done. I cannot find the words to describe the hardships this woman went through to make this business a success. We could describe a normal day as nothing but ‘blood, sweat and tears,’ and during most of the fall and winter of 2004, I was regularly blamed for making her believe that this project was even feasible in the first place.”
Now a year later, against all odds, Mon Bon Chien will open Thursday, May 26th at 12, rue Mademoiselle, 15th (01 48 28 40 12) as an upscale pet boutique providing “tous pour les toutous” — upscale “toilettage” for all sized dogs, complete accessories, clothing, toys and as the exclusive distributor for “Solid Gold All Natural Dog Food.” “All dogs and people welcome!” Hat exclaims.
Hat’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs starting off on their own in France: “When you want to move to France as an American, you have to be willing to jump off the diving board with both feet, head first. The importance of having a “French Connection” cannot be stressed enough. Without Jean, Marie-Elisabeth and many other advisors and friends, it could never have been possible.” And on a final note, “Sophie-Marie has made the transition well from bagels to baguettes.”
Sounds to me like Hat has, too.
Editor’s Note: Join Hat for a glass of bubbly on May 26th, 4 to 7 p.m. to celebrate her triumph!
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Business Permit (carte de commerçant étranger)
By the Paris Regional Development Agency
http://www.paris-region.fr/ard_uk/default.asp
Conditions:
Commercial or industrial activity or trade requiring registration with the Trade and Company Registry (3) or the Trade Directory (4)
General requirements for the exercise of commercial activities in
France (i.e. over 18 years old with a clean record)
Application to be made by:
Foreign individual
Self-employed businessman or hired to manage a company
– a French commercial entity or
– a foreign company operating directly in France via a branch or
commercial agency
Authority:
If the person intends to reside in France:
Simultaneous application for a long-term visa and for the business
permit to the French Consulate.
If the person does not intend to reside in France or is already in
France (but for less than 3 months) applications should be made to
the company’s local Prefecture.
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Apéritif à la Française or French Cocktail Hour Day…
…Is just the beginning of a weeklong celebration! On June 2, New York joins cities around the world for this yearly event, launching happy hour à la française in the city’s hottest bars, restaurants, and lounges. Key press and industry representatives players will experience the concept first-hand at the New York launch party on June 2nd at the Lotus Club (409 W. 14th Street) in the trendy Meatpacking district. This year, New York area consumers are also invited to join the fun as the party will go on into the night. Proceeds from consumer ticket sales will benefit Minds Matter, a not-for-profit organization providing NYC teenagers with educational opportunities that surpass their dreams (http://www.mindsmatter.org/).
Tickets are $25 – $30 per person. Visit http://www.frenchcocktailhour.com/ for more information.
In New York, from June 2 to 8, between the hours of 6 and 8pm, the first 10 people to order a special drink at each of the participating locations will receive a delicious complimentary hors d’oeuvres sampling plate. Similar promotions will take place in Chicago and Los Angeles.
The 40 participating establishments include New York’s finest French restaurants and bistros. So kick off your evening in style, French-style that is! For more information and a list of locations visit http://www.frenchcocktailhour.com.
Click here to order a detailed 2005 wine map:
http://franceshop.jaggedpeak.com/index.jp?edge=shop.getItems
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The Wine Regions of France
http://www.francetourism.com/
The diversity of French wines reflects the diversity of France itself. Each region offers a unique landscape, climate, culture, and history that have combined to produce the most famous wines in the world.

1) ALSACE – Strasbourg Area, Eastern France, at the German Border
2) ARMAGNAC: Midi-Pyrenees – Toulouse Area, Extends from Center France to Border of Spain Southwestern France
3) BURGUNDY/BOURGOGNE: Burgundy/Bourgogne – Between Paris and Lyon, Eastern France
4) BEAUJOLAIS: Burgundy/Bourgogne – Between Paris and Lyon, Eastern France
5) BORDEAUX: Aquitaine – Bordeaux Area, Southwestern France
6) CHAMPAGNE: Champagne-Ardenne – East of Paris
7) CALVADOS: Normandy – North West of Paris
8) COGNAC: Poitou-Charentes – Western France
9) LANGUEDOC: Languedoc-Roussillon – Straight Southern France, by the Mediterranean Sea
10) LOIRE VALLEY: Loire Valley – Southwest of Paris
11) RHONE VALLEY: Rhone-Alps – Lyon and Grenoble Areas, Southeastern France
12) PROVENCE WINE REGION: Provence – Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence Areas, Southeastern France
13) CORSICA WINE REGION: Corsica – Island Southeast of France, in the Mediterranean Sea, Home of Napoleon I

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National Trade Fair for French Wines
May 20 – 21, 2005
Mâcon (71)
1, place Saint-Pierre
71000 MACON
Tel: + 33 (0)3 85 21 07 07
Email: [email protected]
http://www.macon-tourism.com
This trade fair, aimed at wine lovers, brings together approximately one hundred wine producers from all the wine-making regions of France.
 
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DISCOVER FRANCE’S CULTURAL HERITAGE!
Experience the adventures of a knight traveling through time and space exploring French cultural heritage and win a cultural stay in France with our partners France Patrimoine and Le Cercle du Patrimoine
Click on:
http://us.franceguide.com/games/ChasseautresorPEC/home.aspx
To help you in this treasure hunt, Maison de la France invites you to visit the following headings in the purple menu bar: “Historical sites”, “Art and history” and “Guide to cultural heritage.” There you will find their treasures and clues to the riddles.
Please note: Registering will also allow you to make a break in the hunt and come back to it later. When registering, United States residents need to select “Etats-Unis” from the list of countries.
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Tuesday, May 31st: