In summertime, each and every city in France hosts a Festival: historical, shipping festival, with animals...there are a lot to choose from .

Last Sunday we were in Richelieu city - the city built from scratch by the famous Cardinal of Richelieu. This famous personnage of the French history used to be the "Prime Minister" under Louis the 13th reign (17th century)....just before another famous Cardinal: Mazarin.



We can't say that he reminds in the French's heart because he was uncompromising and fought for the absolut power...not really in line with the French democracy principles set up 150 years after his death during the Revolution.

Anyway, Cardinal de Richelieu has built a city off plans: which is totally unusual in France. He made it impressive, and built the house (all the same) a way that neighbors could spy on each other...just to make sure that the religious principles were respected by all - even in the intimacy of the house.

Alexandre Dumas has written a lot about the machiavellian sides of Richelieu...and introduced us to the Musketeers: his "bodygards".

Which brings us to the "cape & swords" festival which have us come back to the 17th century...crossing Richelieu cardinal in the streets, surrounded by d'Artagnan, Athos, Portos and Aramis...the musketeers!! and also a lot of local people who enjoyed very much getting disguised for the occasion. A very nice event!!!

Even the King was there!!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Steve
We normally craft our own trips or join a small group tour. This time, we decided to try Emilie and Guillaume's tailored holiday service to enjoy southern France in a way we wouldn't have otherwise done. It was an excellent experience in every way and we recommend them highly. The BnB's chosen , the sightseeing and dining suggestions made as well …
Wendy
Celebrating my daughter Kelsey's Doctorate - Emilie planned the PERFECT / made to order itinerary for us! Serendipity led us to France Just for You - and has spoiled us for any other way to travel abroad. Perfect trip start to finish....there was no detail overlooked. The personal guidebook is to be treasured - a fabulous reference material and …
Beverley & John
We've just come back from an amazing holiday planned by Emilie. The detailed guide book and all the maps and brochures we received were way beyond our expectations. The information on local customs and language helped us immensely during our stay in France. Emilie was prompt and courteous answering our many questions while planning our custom tour …
Tonya & Bob
We did 2 weeks May to June to Normandy, Loire Valley and Paris and had a wonderful time. We gave Laura our list of must see and do items and our budget and she took care of the rest. From arranging our auto rental to providing suggestions to the French smart phones, everything was taken care of and good not have been easier. When our car got a flat …
Bobbi
We like to travel independently and Emilie was fantastic in providing us everything we needed to do so. We had wonderful information to read beforehand and received maps and GPS coordinates to get us where we needed to go.This is a great service to use to set up your hotel and car arrangements along with suggested itineraries that can be modified …
Wendy
I was going to plan a trip for my daughter and I and quickly got overwhelmed. We didn't want to go on those tours that have you going for morning until night. We wanted to be able to take our time and enjoy our trip. That's when I found Emiliee. We wanted to stay for 3weeks and really experience France, and Emiliee did just that. Her guide books …