I first visited France in 1980 on a family camping holiday and within days was able to say 'this is the place for me',finding myself immediatly at home in the country but with all the oddities of being in a foreign country,different lifestyle,driving on the wrong side of the road,strange food,a whole new language and I with only a basic secondary school knowledge of French but it was the beginning of a great love affair which has lasted and grown over the period of 30 yrs.(wow!!that's a long time when you see it written down).I have maintained a curiosity of things French,their foibles and eccentracies and an admiration for their stubborness in the face of rampant commercialism in daily life,which they seem to be trying to hold back and keep those things we have already lost or are in the process of losing i.e.local foods,local traditions,the fostering of artisan trades and the admiration of the work of the skilled tradesman,the restricted opening of supermarkets and all types of retail parks with their awful DIY and homestyle warehouses,long may they continue to resist Sunday opening.They have kept their wonderful local bakeries,oh!the wonderful smell and the magic of the traditional french boulangerie,it's well lit windows welcoming you as you drive thro' sleepy villages in the early morning from the ferry port of Roscoff.The unforgettable smell of the fresh baguette or pain in the car,you now know you have arrived,you're back,bienvenu!!

In 2003 we took this love affair a little further when you might say we became engaged and we purchased a holiday home in Brittany,proceeds of the Celtic tiger,so we began to make more regular visits to this part of France, ease of access had played a huge part in our decision making and thanks to both the regularity of summer ferry crossings and the by now handy connections to various French airports of the equally wonderful Ryanair and the fantastic Aer Arann we are able to make numerous visits of various length to our little rural french hideaway or as my workmates often remarked of my regular absences,'were you taking the horse to France?'

Over that 30 year period we have travelled to many parts of France and we have enjoyed the hospitality,the sights,the culture,the food,the friendlyness and those things which help to make France so special to us.Hopefully as I get more adept with the technology the site will develop and I will be able to share with you the the many places we have been to on our many adventures across this varied country,where we have stayed,where we have visited,where we have eaten etc. all part of Foley's France!!

I,like probably millions of other French non-nationals have had almost a lifetimes fascination with things French and with France itself and only recently decided to try and share my fascination with the country and its people with others, so HERE GO'S: