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Justine in Mont Saint Michel Abbey
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Presenter: Justine Shapiro
Famous for its cuisine, art and architecture, France is the
world's most popular tourist destination. Visitors are lured
by the romance of Paris and the sophistication of the south
- but is there life beyond the Eiffel Tower, can-can girls
and haughty waiters? Justine Shapiro travels to the western
and northern regions of this surprisingly diverse nation to
find out.
First Justine touches down on the Normandy beaches,
site of the tragic World War Two D-Day landings. Touring the
surrounding sites in an army jeep, she discovers the history
of St Mere Eglise, the town at the centre
of the behind-the-lines parachute drop the night before D-day
and achieved notoriety in the film The Longest Day.
Nearby is the world famous thousand-year old pilgrimage site
Mont Saint Michel, an abbey perched on a
small rocky island in the middle of a shallow bay. Justine
tackles the abbey on foot - a trip that's claimed a fair few
pilgrims through the centuries because of its sudden tidal
turns and deep pits of quick sand.
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Justine jumps on a high-speed train and travels back in time
to prehistoric Brittany. All along its southern
region there are mysterious megaliths; especially striking
are the formations found in Carnac - older,
larger and more numerous than the more famous Stonehenge in
England.
Brittany stands out of the French cultural landscape with
its individual history and language. The Fete de Broduese
celebrates Brittany's uniqueness. At this festival women sport
coifs - large embroidered hats typical of the region. Justine
meets the queen of the festival and even gets a coiff of her
own.
Passing through the coastal resorts of Le Touquet,
Boulogne-sur-mer and
Calais, Justine continues inland to discover French
Flanders, probably the least known part of
France. The people in Flanders have much in common with the
Flemish of neighbouring Belgium. Justine chances upon the
Festival of Giants, taking place just outside
Flanders in Douai. She eats lunch with a family of medieval
giants and takes part in the town's festivities.
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I'm the one in the hat: Justine at the Fete de Broduese in
Brittany
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Battlefield Tourism is big business in the north and the
hardships and heroism of World War One soldiers is of enduring
interest to thousands of visitors every year. Justine joins
World War fanatics for a night in a farmhouse that served
as a front line hospital for the British - a good place to
mentally prepare for a morning trip through the haunting trenches
of the Somme Valley.
Finally, Justine moves northeast for a scenic bike ride -and
ends up in the Champagne region where she
toasts her discovery of this often overlooked yet equally
fascinating region of France.
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