Football marries Rugby in FAB PO

Eric Cantona's team is playing Marc Lievremont's team in a game of two halves :
The first half is football and the second half is rugby!!!
In aid of charity , this match will be held in Vernet les Bains at 18h on May 1st. Entrance 5euros.
May 2nd will be the revenge match at Argeles sur Mer ( Stade Gaston Pams) at 17h follwed by a concert headlined by local grown CALI. Entrance 10euros.

Fête De La N'importe Quoi

It's festival time in the Pyrenees Orientales and every little town and village gets ready to parteeeee
Of course, being French, most of the festivals are based around food. There's the oyster festival, the cherry festival, the apple festival, the bread festival, the strawberry festival, the artichoke festival, to name but a few.
The festival theme is really just an excuse really for everybody to get together, socialise and share a few anecdotes over a few convivial glasses of wine.
This weekend in Corneilla de la Riviere for example, we will be celebrating "La Fête de Thym" - Yes, you've heard it correctly, the 8th annual Thyme festival promises to be a superbe day out ;
9H Kicks off with an artisan market with local wines, produce, charcuterie, honey, cheeses , oh and of course some thyme
10H A musical "troupe" will take to the streets and entertain the market goers
11H The Giants will march through the town; huge statues in brilliant costume
12H Catalan sardane dancing
1230 Barbeque ( with thyme flavours of course)
14H Human pyramid ( really is an amazing sight)
14H30 More music
15H Albert Bueno concert
17H More sardane dancing
18H Thyme soup for everyone

Contact us to find out what festival is on when you are here and make your trip a memorable one to the FAB PO! A great way to taste real Catalonia, literally!
www.fab-po.com

Tour de France is coming to town!

The roads are being widened, the city is being cleaned up, the flowers are being planted ... Stop press! The Tour de France is coming to town!!!

For the 36th time since the tour has been running, Perpignan, cité catalane, will welcome the cyclists to it's refurbished Place Catalogne in Perpignan central for the finish of the 5th stage of the 2009 tour. The finish line is in front of the newly restored 'Dames de France' building , which dates from 1903, the same age as the Tour de France itself!
This 96th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometres.

Mark it in your diaries, July 8th , the Cap D'agde - Perpignan stage , of over 197 kms will take the following course :

Departing Cap D'Agde , the route will enter the FAB PO at Barcares and will skim down the coast, passing Canet, St Cyprien, Argeles sur Mer before heading back up to the main road approaching Perpignan from the South. The cyclists will race 5kms around the centre of Perpignan before coming back to Dali's "centre of the universe".

The city of Perpignan expects to receive over 20,000 tourists for this massive sporting event, not to mention tv crews and media.

Don't forget to book your accommodation early to avoid disappointment. See www.fab-po.com for accommodation options

Everybody needs somebody to love

FAB PO member Berkeley Wright is playing in this free Blues Brothers concert tonight : 27 April 2008
It is open to everyone, and it is free entrance (but drinks can be bought). It is at Camping La Sirene, Route de Taxo, Argeles-sur-Mer , Monday 27 April at 21.30 - the show lasts about two hours. Berkeley Wright is one of the stars of the show!
For directions & info see http://www.camping-lasirene.fr/
NB: If it rains, the show will be cancelled.
Check with La Sirene Tél. : 04 68 81 04 61 before leaving home
Sounds like fun!

Vintage Car Rally in Perpignan

A Car Lovers Delight
Last Saturday , 18 April, Perpignan hosted it's 29th annual Car Vintage Rally ( La Nuit des Longs Capots) FAB PO went along to see what all the fuss was about and even for us girlie girls, the cars were seriously impressive and the atmosphere one of excitement and anticipation.
The rally brings 70 different types of cars manufactured since the 1950s. Organised by the grand prix association 66, it gives vintage car owners the chance to peacock their prized possessions in a very convivial atmosphere.
The departure point was at 10h30 from in front of the Palais de Congres ( where the main tourist office in Perpignan is located) and from there they are given their map and off they roar. The 2009 route brought them from Perpignan to the fortified town of VilleFranche sur Conflent , then back to Mas Vermeil in Perpignan and around again to Ille sur Tet.
Sundays route was from Perpignan to Chateau de Corneilla and back.
Anyone interested in partaking next year 2010, should contact the organiser :
remi.boada@wanadoo.fr

Another great reason to visit the FAB PO!

Focus on The French Tour Co

Every week, we hope to do a "focus on" feature on one of our FAB PO members. This week , it's Suzanne and Karen O'Reilly from The French Tour Co ( http://www.thefrenchtourco/)

Article from The French Connexion, June 2008

Two sisters start two businesses

Sisters Suzanne and Karen O'Reilly have set up two businesses together in France.
Former French teacher and air hostess Suzanne, 35, got the idea for a property business six years ago. The pair branched out this year to start a second business doing regional tours.

How long have you been in business?
I started in the property business in 2000 when I worked with a real estate agency in Perpignan, learning the ropes for two years. In 2002, I set up business with my sister Karen offering a property-finding service http://www.connexionfrance.com/www.bidsinfrance.com to English speakers. This year we have diversified and our new sister company http://www.connexionfrance.com/www.thefrenchtourco.com provides tours and transfers in the Perpignan area.

Why did you choose to do it?
In 2000, I was happily employed by the Amir of Qatar and flying first class on his private jets around the world as one of his flight attendants. While rollerblading on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice one day, I fell and broke my wrist and so had to find another job as I was unable to fly. While recuperating in France, I spotted a niche in the market to help English-speakers purchase property - at the time, there was nobody else doing this in the Perpignan area and the business took off.
For the tours, we had a huge clientelle in the area and they were always asking us about discovering the region. We just recognised another area of business that complimented our own. We were kind of doing that job for free for a lot of people. We can show people places they wouldn’t get to see - little places and views. A lot of people who take the tours fall in love with the area and think about living here so then we can find property for them.

What type of business are you and how much did it cost to set up?
For the property business we were both set up as agent commercial indépendant. The costs were minimal - about €150 to register with the chamber of commerce. The French Tour Co is a registered SARL - my sister and business partner is an accountant so we did not have to employ a professional to help us set it up.

What was your expected income?
The French Tour Co is a completely new business so we have no idea what our turnover will be. We've bought a minibus and have other vehicles on our fleet, including a convertible - this year we will be happy to break even.

What were the hurdles?
The social charges were a huge shock to us, it's only really in year three they begin to kick in, in earnest.

What would you have done differently?
We were overly enthusiastic at the beginning and probably didn't do enough research into the whole social charges/taxation system. I would recommend to everyone if they are getting into business to hire a good local accountant and get sound financial advice before launching into the unknown.

See article here : http://www.connexionfrance.com/expatriate-news-article.php?art=198

Accommodation in Perpignan centre

Special offer!!!!!!

Lovely apartment to rent in Perpignan city centre – 15% off all bookings for April and May.
The apartment is located in a former 17th century convent 2 minutes’ walk from Perpignan’s Place de la République.

Renovated to a high standard, it comfortably sleeps 6 with two double bedrooms plus a twin.

Normal prices: 550 euros/week or 300 euros for 3 night weekend stay.

Special offer prices: 467.50 euros/week or 255 euros for 3 nights.

Please contact Louise Sayers for availability information at info@medandmountain.com and don’t forget to quote FAB-PO.