Problem
Kissing festival? Where? When?
Answer
FRANCE VALENTINE'S DAY AND KISSING
It's at Roquemaure in South East France, on the Rhône river, the Saturday before Valentine's Day (according to the local website). Please check dates. The name means black rock in Occitan language. Roque is French for rock.
Wine, women and wonderful.
Not just any women. Kissing nuns. And kissing priests. The festival was started by a priest.
In February 2018, in London, it's flu season. Frankly, I'm a bit wary of kissing anybody on the lips. Or even the cheek. Or even shaking hands. Or being in a room with lots of people.
However, I am interested in the Fête du Baiser, La Fête du Baiser.
It's at Roquemaure on the Rhône river. Not the Rhine, the Rhône. I don't know the Rhône well.
I have heard of Château-neuf-du-Pape on the other side of the river. In English the name means the new home (or castle or mansion) of the pope. So this area of the Rhône is a wine region, an important wine region, depending on wine for prestige and income.
Roquemaure is 12 kilometers north of Avignon. Everybody knows Avignon. In kindergarten, we sang, Sur le Pont D'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse. On the bridge of Avignon, everyone dances, everyone dances. Unfortunately, that's a mistranslation. Even in the days of the horse and cart dancing in the road was a dangerous thing to do. They were not dancing sur but sous le pont, underneath it.
The local people dress in period costume. The wine is free and flows freely. (Is there an entrance fee? Or do you pay in kisses?)
What can you buy locally? Commemorative stamps at the post office opened for the festival in the Capitale des Amoureux. Wine and Cheese. A complete meal, starting with olives and walnuts. For your starter or main course, speciality sausages, and to flavour any other main course you choose (such as scrambled eggs), savoury aromatic truffles. To finish with something sweet and romantic, lavender honey and gingerbread hearts.
For more details see the Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/18/1108609398996.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquemaure,_Gard
avignon-et-provence.com
OVER TO ITALY - VALENTINES AND ANIMALS
If you think that's odd, St Anton's church in Italy blesses dogs. In fact all kinds of animals. (See next post.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Kissing festival? Where? When?
Answer
FRANCE VALENTINE'S DAY AND KISSING
It's at Roquemaure in South East France, on the Rhône river, the Saturday before Valentine's Day (according to the local website). Please check dates. The name means black rock in Occitan language. Roque is French for rock.
Wine, women and wonderful.
Not just any women. Kissing nuns. And kissing priests. The festival was started by a priest.
In February 2018, in London, it's flu season. Frankly, I'm a bit wary of kissing anybody on the lips. Or even the cheek. Or even shaking hands. Or being in a room with lots of people.
However, I am interested in the Fête du Baiser, La Fête du Baiser.
It's at Roquemaure on the Rhône river. Not the Rhine, the Rhône. I don't know the Rhône well.
I have heard of Château-neuf-du-Pape on the other side of the river. In English the name means the new home (or castle or mansion) of the pope. So this area of the Rhône is a wine region, an important wine region, depending on wine for prestige and income.
Roquemaure is 12 kilometers north of Avignon. Everybody knows Avignon. In kindergarten, we sang, Sur le Pont D'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse. On the bridge of Avignon, everyone dances, everyone dances. Unfortunately, that's a mistranslation. Even in the days of the horse and cart dancing in the road was a dangerous thing to do. They were not dancing sur but sous le pont, underneath it.
The local people dress in period costume. The wine is free and flows freely. (Is there an entrance fee? Or do you pay in kisses?)
What can you buy locally? Commemorative stamps at the post office opened for the festival in the Capitale des Amoureux. Wine and Cheese. A complete meal, starting with olives and walnuts. For your starter or main course, speciality sausages, and to flavour any other main course you choose (such as scrambled eggs), savoury aromatic truffles. To finish with something sweet and romantic, lavender honey and gingerbread hearts.
For more details see the Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/18/1108609398996.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquemaure,_Gard
avignon-et-provence.com
OVER TO ITALY - VALENTINES AND ANIMALS
If you think that's odd, St Anton's church in Italy blesses dogs. In fact all kinds of animals. (See next post.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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