France

Snow-parched Alpine ski resorts have started to get some serious snow, with more expected—but it's still less than usual.

Low snowfalls are a big problem for ski resorts in France, Italy and Switzerland, with skiers waiting to the last minute to see where there's snow.

Two European cities are facing dry seasons in their canals, with record low tides exposing long-unseen areas of Venice's waterways, and Paris draining its iconic Canal Saint-Martin for cleaning and repairs. In Venice, abnormal tides this year, combined with a so-far dry winter, have left water levels about 70cm (more than 2 feet) below normal. As a result, routes for the city's vaporetti, or water buses, have been curtailed because they are unable to navigate in some of the smaller canals.

France's island region of Corsica is seeing new stirrings of nationalism, as pro-independence parties won power in the regional elections earlier this month. The new leaders have promised to move toward independence, but cautiously. The caution is based on a few points, among them polls that make clear that most Corsicans want a vote on independence, but that many are not sure it's a realistic goal economically. Unlike Spain's Catalonia or the U.K.'s Scotland, Corsica does not have a strong...

The recent terror attacks in Paris apparently haven't put off its lure for visitors; Airbnb reports it's the top New Year holiday booking in Europe, and second only to New York world-wide. The vacation rental company says it has 45,000 people booked in Paris for the holiday, and 47,000 in New York. The rest of the top 5 are London with 35,000, Sydney with 25,000 and Barcelona with 24,000. The figures indicate a quick and solid comeback for Paris's tourism industry; immediately after the...

Paris's traditional outdoor New Year's Eve celebration on the Champs-Elysees will happen this year, but will be a much more low-key affair than in the past. In the aftermath of last month's terror attacks, there had been thoughts it would be canceled. It will be a very different event, with no fireworks (for fear they might spark panic) and security measures to control crowds and keep too large a crowd from forming around the Arc de Triomphe. In place of the fireworks, there will be a...

This is the weekend that no one can escape news about Star Wars; it's all the media, social and otherwise—and TravelGumbo is no exception. Since we're a travel site, that's the focus of our round-up. Last month we reported on Air France's plan to premiere the new movie, The Force Awakens on Paris trans-Atlantic flights Thursday night, just as the film was opening in major cities. The special trip with the tiny-screen film included tickets to a giant-screen showing in Paris the next...

Burger King, which long ago lost out to McDonald's as #1 fast-food burger chain in France, has a double-pronged plan for getting back in the ring: It's bought out the 400+ French outlets of the Belgian chain Quick, and it's entering the halal fast-food market to serve France's 5 million Muslim residents. French competition authorities last week approved the takeover by Burger King, which has only 30 restaurants in France, saying "this deal does not harm competition. They did require...

On one of the few issues that can pull together all of France's political parties, the National Assembly voted unanimously this week to require supermarkets to donate unsold or slightly-outdated food to charities instead of dumping it. The law, which will take effect in January, was also passed last year, but with technical defects that caused a court to block it. It will require each market to pair up with an approved charity that will use or distribute the food. The national statistical...

The world climate conference (COP21) opens today in Paris with 150 heads of state and government meeting to try for a world agreement on environmental issues. The outcome is still doubtful, but lunch will not be a problem.   A team of French...

Carousels always attract my attention—I still want to grab the brass ring, I suppose—and France seems to have more of them than anywhere else I've been. Some are more memorable than others, and this one in Dijon sticks in my mind because...

    While walking through the streets of Paris I noticed the abundance of fresh seafood available.  All this photo does is make me hungry again.