Interview Francophone
Pour un meilleur 21ème siècle
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
by Ingrid Vaileanu et Florin Paun
Font-Romeu is not only the ski resort of Martin Fourcade, the French biathlete, five-time Olympic champion who has reached to the highest step in the sports championships.
What better way to start 2021 than to discover our choice of tourist destinations in France, Font-Romeu, Fort Liberia and the surroundings, which, through the impressive beauty of the landscapes, the quality of the services and the activities offered and the humanity and professionalism of its people who animate them, are up in the Pyrenee mountains and up to the challenges of the 21st century.
“Font-Romeu is a tourist resort which offers a diversity of activities. One can fall in love with this resort and many have come as tourists and then decided to stay. They are now among those who offer the best solutions for tourism activities. " said Christian Sarran, Director of the Font-Romeu Tourist Office (www.font-romeu.fr).
At the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees natural park, Font-Romeu is a winter sports resort with an important leisure offer and an immense playground, a resort marked by its noble values of hospitality and its recurring idea of "living well" and authenticity to share. Several apps allow playful approaches to discovering the Station and its surroundings: "The Cursed Treasure of the Lost Conquistador" in the town of Odeillo, font-Romeu.app, "The Cursed Sword of the Last Templar", etc.
Penetrate the mysterious forests by advancing in reverse by climbing with the « seals skin » on the skis the slopes with their chairlift frozen in the Covid 19 crisis in this winter 2020, we realize the ability to discover new experiences and winter activities which rely even more on personal effort, the ability to listen, to feel the mountain and to savor the glide after having arrived at the top of the ski slopes… What satisfaction shared with the companions of the climb ... and in particular the admirable Bruno Martin (www.esf-font-romeu.com), the well-known and appreciated ski instructor of the resort who choose this resort as professional and personal life destination.
But each climb begins with the first steps when you choose and check the equipment in, thanks to profesionnals lie for example, the family store well appreciated of Rachel and Yann Larroze in Font-Romeu which give meaning and support to any effort in sport: snowshoes , cross-country skiing, ski touring, etc.
"It is a wonderful family adventure which for us gives meaning to our work and our search to always find solutions for our clients" said Rachel with a wonderful smile that also matches the efforts shared with her husband and her parents.
“We are ready to respond to requests and pursue sales objectives through customer satisfaction,” added Yann.
In addition to the specificity of the resort where there is a special center for the training of Olympic athletes, Fourcade having made an impressive promotion for the resort, in this winter 2020 when classic skiing is impossible to practice, we had the chance to discover new activities, innovations like SkiJouring and even a local innovation that risks becoming the innovation of 21st century tourist resorts: the QuadBike!
"It is an innovation which allows the activity and the sensations of a Quad in all seasons, respects the environment while allowing to discover nature and certainly reduces the nuisances compared to a classic Quad" explained the founder. innovative Hugues Escarguel during a QuadBIKE test.
The one who provided the dishes and the culinary delights for the Christmas and New Year celebrations is first of all a man of Today and evey day assuring with responsibility and pride his role, his efforts and those of his son, his right hand to be at the height of the spot!
And to dazzle us, the boss of Ozone, Christophe and his collaborator David offer the possibility that in the middle of winter, we can go canyoning in the hot thermal water which offers a total change of scenery and thrills including the sensation to be teleported into the future - spring - (with vegetation, ferric around the canyoning) and then return to the present in the heart of the winter tourist resort in the middle of white and magnificent roads like the one for Le refuge de la Calme or for the lake of Bouillouses where the red wine in the rustic bar of the cabin ... is proposed respecting sanitary restrictions by Kim at the Auberge du Carlit after hours of walking on the snow in a breathtaking landscape ... simply brings happiness to the heights !
And so that the historical and cultural heritage is not very far from Font-Romeu, Fort Liberia and VilleFranche are worth a visit of several hours. And it is the true Knight of this heritage Joel Méné (who together with his family restored Font-Liberia) - who is the best to give the full dimension of these tourist and heritage destinations that deserve to be visited by at least one times in life! Since 2008, Villefranche-de-Conflent and Fort Liberia have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Souterrain des 1000 Marches is a sporting and discovery challenge.
In 1659, the Treaty of the Pyrenees (following the marriage of Louis XIV to the Queen of Spain) will define a new border between France and Spain. Catalonia will be cut in two, Villefranche founded in 1092 by Count Guillaume Raymond de Cerdagne is a strategic place, responsible for the defense of the Conflent and the surveillance of the passage to Cerdanya while serving as a base for operations in Catalonia. Vauban will fulfill with Fort Liberia the wish of Louis XIV to see Roussillon endowed with an invulnerable defensive system.
Vauban will conclude: "One cannot take too much care that buildings of this fort especially as on its particular beauty depends all the merit of Villefranche, which without the protection of this room, can never be worth anything a few things that one can do there ”.
"It is an honor and a pleasure to have served by my work and my efforts the Fort Liberia and Villefranche heritage to share, attract young tourists and inspire for the future" makes reason, with the view of Canigou in the heights making reasoning the voice of Joël Méné in the whole valley, the master of Fort Liberia proud both of the result of his efforts, of the quality of some admirable craftsmen such as the boss of Atelier Lapidaire (Taillerie de Villefranche) that he tries to promote and support, just like his family, in particular his son, head of the firefighting team - Canigou who also attracts admiration as a trusted personality and owner of the famous Restaurant Le Canigou.