The French cultivate a passion for the art of living. They love to cultivate themselves, eat at restaurants, stroll through (flâner) the shops and visit museums. France is a country of celebration, conviviality and sharing that must be enjoyed.
The French way of life is a myriad of elements constituting a material heritage and especially immaterial obvious and yet elusive (insaisissable), the pinnacle (la fine fleur de) of what makes you dream when you think of France and those who live there. But what is it exactly?
Art, Culture, Heritage, History
France and its rich history, fertile ground from where is born “l’Esprit des Lumières”, home of writers, artists, philosophers, architects, creators among the brightest in the world. It has specific features: a rich cultural heritage that includes innumerable sumptuous buildings (castles, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, many palaces...), many museums, theaters, cinemas, bookstores, theaters, art galleries and I pass.
France and her spirit is also the love of history, beautiful stones, old dishes, period furniture that we chine and patine. All you have to do is walk around the rooms of the Château de Saint-Martory to see it.
The French way of life also raises/evokes (évoque ?) lively discussions on the terrace around a café, parties to remake the world around a good bottle of wine, or young people who read Sartre on the metro or in public parks, and the youngest who regularly follow political news in Le Monde or Libération.
Gastronomy, Good Wine
Of course, the Art de Vivre à la française has for ambassador privileged gastronomy, inscribed on the World Heritage of Unesco recently, and which shines France and its customs everywhere on the globe.
The great chefs - Yannick Alléno, Paul Bocuse, Thierry Marx, Guy Savoy, Jean-François Trap, Hélène Darroze and all the others - with their unequaled knowledge, their technical and aesthetic requirements as well as their creativity, contribute to the forefront in the Art de vivre à la française.
Cooking would be nothing without wine: the French terroir is rich and the French wine-making know-how delighted the palate of the amateurs of the whole world. The most expensive and most famous wines in the world are obviously French.
The French art of living is also the precision and the taste for detail, allied to the ability of the French - as good epicureans - to appreciate good food and to devote time, an unshakeable interest, the means, and to make the moment of the meal a convivial moment.
Romanticism
Paris is nicknamed the "city of light", but abroad it is mostly seen as the city of love. And Toulouse is when it is (toulouse est quand à elle) nicknamed "the pink city", thanks to its architecture.
It is true that France with its sweetness of life, its bucolic landscapes, its poetic language, encourages love. This vision is particularly evident in American films (I am thinking in particular of Woody Allen's film: Midnight in Paris).
The French way of life is a combination of elements that take root in the history and culture of France and that denote taste, aesthetics, the sense of detail, the requirement in all its forms ( intellectual, that of courtesy, of work well done), freedom too, that of making choices and saying what one thinks without fear.
One could almost sum it all up in the Art of taking one's time and enjoying the passing moments, which strangers, with their "new" vision, often perceive and celebrate with great candor.
If you liked this description of the elegant art of living with in the french style, it means it’s time to you to discover our country! A week-end in a 500 years old castle is the perfect way to live entirely the experience.
Indeed, who wouldn’t love being king or queen for a day in a glorious french chateau? Chateau de Saint-Martory is one of the best south france holiday destinations. This 500-year old early French Renaissance castle enjoys a spectacular setting for your family reunion. The unique combination of gastronomy, culture, elegant living spaces and gorgeous historical suites offers the backdrop of the unforgettable holidays you always dreamed of, lifestyle at its best.