Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cochonnet
about 30 feet, then throws the first of his iron balls near the target. The
nextplayertakesaturn.Assoonasaplayer'sballisclosest,it'stheotherguy'sturn.
Onceallballshavebeenthrown,thescoreistallied—theplayerwiththeclosestball
gets one point for each ball closer to the target than his opponent's. The loser gets
zero. Games are generally to 15 points.
A regulation
boules
field is 10 feet by 43 feet, but the game is played every-
where—just scratch a throwing circle in the sand, toss the
cochonnet,
and you're
off. Strategists can try to knock the opponent's balls out of position, knock the
co-
chonnet
itself out of position, or guard their best ball with the other two.
To learn more about France past and present, check out a few of these books or films.
Noniction
For a good introduction to the French culture and people,
Culture Shock: France
(Sally
Adamson Taylor),
French or Foe
(Polly Platt), and/or
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't
Be Wrong
(Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow). The latter is a must-read for anyone
serious about understanding French culture, contemporary politics, and what makes the
French tick.
For a readable history of the country, try
The Course of French History
(Pierre
Goubert).
Portraits of France
(Robert Daley) is an interesting travelogue that roams from
Paris to the Pyrenees. A mix of writers explore French culture in
Travelers' Tales: France
(edited by James O'Reilly, Larry Habegger, and Sean O'Reilly).
La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life
(Elaine Sciolino) gives travel-
ers a fun, insightful, and tantalizing peek into how seduction has been used in all aspects
of French life—from small villages to the halls of national government.
Many great memoirs take place in Paris. Consider reading Ernest Hemingway's
A
MoveableFeast,
ArtBuchwald's
I'llAlwaysHaveParis,
and/or
ParistotheMoon
byNew
Yorker writer Adam Gopnik, who takes his young son for a carousel ride in Luxembourg
Garden.
If you'll be visiting Provence, pick up Peter Mayle's memoirs,
A Year in Provence
and
Toujours Provence
. Ina Caro's
The Road from the Past
is filled with enjoyable essays
on her travels through France, with an accent on history.
Da Vinci Code
fans will en-
joy reading the topic that inspired that book—
Holy Blood, Holy Grail
(Michael Bai-
gent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln)—which takes place mostly in southern France.
