Standing on a snowy mountainside about 2,500 metres above sea level, Eric Marechal holds up a crimson test-tube. Inside is an algae sample known as "snow blood," a phenomenon that accelerates Alpine thaw and that scientists worry is spreading. "These algae are green. But when it's in the snow, it accumulates a little pigment like sunscreen to protect itself," said Marechal, research director at Grenoble's Scientific Research National Center, who was collecting laboratory samples on Le Brevent mountain with teammates. Alberto Amato, Ludovic Gielly and Jade Ezzedine of the Cell and Plant Physiology Laboratory of Grenoble take samples of the Sanguina nivaloides algae, also known as "snow blood" and which presence accelerates snowmelt at the Brevent in Chamonix, France, June 14, 2022. R...
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travel articles and news about France
A permanent virtual exhibit of one of France’s most famous prehistoric sites, the undersea Cosquer Cave, is set to open its doors as concerns grow that it could be completely inundated as a result of rising tides driven by climate change. A replica of the Cosquer Cave in the Villa Mediterranee is pictured in Marseille, southern France, Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) As of Saturday, visitors to the port city of Marseille will be able to see the Cosquer Mediterranee, a replica of the over 30,000-year old site. The visual and audio “experience” features copies of the prehistoric paintings that made the cave internationally famous. The Cosquer Cave was discovered in 1985 by diver Henri Cosquer, in deep waters off the Marseille coastline. The original entrance is about...
Read MoreIt’s the end of an era for the famed Lido cabaret on Paris’ Champs-Elysees. Amid financial troubles and changing times, the venue’s new corporate owner is ditching most of the Lido’s staff and its high-kicking, high-glamour dance shows — which date back decades and inspired copycats from Las Vegas to Beirut — in favor of more modest musical revues. Dancers, other employees and union activists are gathering Saturday in front of the Lido to try to save their jobs and the history of the cabaret, known for its dinner theater and its “Bluebell Girls” revue. Artists plan a performance to pay homage to the venue. FILE - Lido dancers Alicia, left and Charlenne pose during a photo call at the Lido cabaret on the Champs-Elysees avenue to take part in the Crystal Globes awards ceremony in P...
Read MoreA plan has been hatched to guide a killer whale adrift in France's River Seine back to the sea — using orca sounds, local officials said on Friday. Following a meeting with national and international scientists, including marine mammal specialists, the local prefecture said it would monitor the killer whale from a distance with a drone while emitting orca communications in an attempt to guide it back to the sea. An orca swims in the River Seine at Duclair in Normandy, after straying into the river from the sea and swimming from Le Havre to Rouen, France, May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol "The use of these non-invasive methods, from several hundred meters (feet) distance, will make it possible to avoid using ships in the immediate proximity of the animal, which could aggravat...
Read MoreEmployment in the sector could also exceed 2019 levels next yearTravel & Tourism growth expected to outstrip France’s GDP The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has revealed the Travel & Tourism sector in France will propel the national economic recovery and could even surpass pre-pandemic levels next year, when it is projected to rise 2.2% above 2019 levels. The forecast from WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) shows the sector’s contribution to GDP could reach more than €216 billion by next year. Employment within the sector could also exceed 2019 levels, creating almost 90,000 additional jobs, representing nearly 2.8 million by the end of next year. FILE PHOTO: People walk past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel next to the Louvre museum on a sunny day i...
Read MoreOn a sunny afternoon this week, Eli Mwenda happily snapped pictures of his sister Rebekah Mithinji by the Eiffel Tower, two of many tourists enjoying a long overdue break in Paris after freezing holiday plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Paris trip for the siblings was a graduation gift for Mithinji, initially planned for 2020. Two years later they finally made it, with Mithinji travelling from Britain and Mwenda all the way from Kenya. Tourists walk near the glass Pyramid of the Louvre museum on a sunny day in Paris, France, May 11, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes "I'm so glad we made it, it's been such a long time coming," said Mithinji, all smiles under her sunglasses. "It's refreshing, feels like we're sort of going back to normal," added Mwenda. "Walking around the str...
Read MoreArchaeologists have found an ancient lead sarcophagus under Notre-Dame cathedral along with fragments of a rood screen, offering a new insight into the history of the building which is currently under reconstruction after a devastating fire in 2019. Notre-Dame, which dates back to the 12th century, commissioned the excavation works inside the cathedral as a precautionary measure before the installation of scaffolding needed to restore a 100-metre high wooden roof ridge. "The floor of the transept crossing has revealed remains of remarkable scientific quality," France's Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot said, adding that excavation works have been extended until March 25. The excavation site lies under a stony layer that dates from the 18th century, but some lower levels go b...
Read MoreDior is reopening its sprawling flagship store and a museum at the label's historic Avenue Montaigne site this week after a two-year revamp, the latest in a series of hefty real estate investments from luxury conglomerate LVMH in the French capital. The official opening of the complex, scheduled for March 6, follows on the heels of a flurry of inaugurations of new sites from the group in recent months, including a department store and two luxury hotels – the Cheval Blanc overlooking the Seine River and the Bulgari hotel on the tony Avenue George V. A view shows the 30 Montaigne, the original site of Christian Dior's first store, ahead of its reopening in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier LVMH has benefitted from a post-pandemic boom in demand in high-end con...
Read MoreFrance announced it was slightly easing COVID-19 protocols for vaccinated travellers from Britain, dropping a requirement for proof of an essential reason for the trip and for obligatory self-isolation upon arrival. The demand for a negative COVID-19 test, conducted 24 hours before a trip, remains in place, the French government added on Thursday. The measures will take effect as from Friday morning. Travel industry has welcomed the development. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said, “WTTC welcomes the reopening of French borders to UK travellers. Once a variant is endemic closing borders is pointless and only damages livelihoods especially in travel and tourism one of the hardest hit sectors during the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: People wearing protective face masks walk on a s...
Read MoreIn the French ski resort of Val d'Isere, staff had been hired, shelves fully stocked and everyone was looking forward to a good season until, that is, France banned British tourists due to fears over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The ban was announced on Thursday, just two days before the start of the holiday season. "It's an economic disaster," said resort director Christophe Lavaut, pointing out that in Val d'Isere, the bulk of the clients come from Britain. "No business in any sector can make it, losing 42% of its clients in two days." A closed chairlift is seen during a heavy snow-fall in the closed winter ski resort of Val d'Isere, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, France, December 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann While he does not co...
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