French / Cycling Quiz No 1!

While the world is on hold, we thought we'd devise a way to idle away a few minutes of each day with a France and Bicycle related quiz!

Scroll down for the answers; let us know how you score!

 

  1. Two sisters called Stéphanie and Caroline created which dish by accident in 1898?
  2. Richard the Lionheart died from gangrene poisoning after being shot by a crossbow during the siege of which castle?
  3. Which 5 time Tour de France winner was known as Le Blaireau (The Badger)
  4. Which grape is used for the production of the world’s most expensive wine, Romanée-Conti DRC?
  5. What is this world heritage structure?pont du gard
  6. Which French region gave its name to a type of luxury automobile?
  7. The Paris-Roubaix cycle race (AKA The Hell of the North) does not start in Paris any more. In which town does it start?
  8. Bishop Odo commissioned which famous documentary work?
  9. The painting La Nuit Etoilée inspire which Don Maclean hit?
  10. Catherine de Medici forced Diane de Poitiers to exchange which picturesque Loire château for the much less beautiful Château de Chaumont?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers:

  1. Tarte Tatin. The Tatin sisters were village bakers in the Loire valley, when according to legend, Stéphanie accidentally put an apple tart in the oven upside down. Contact with the hot oven surface resulted in the caramelisation of the fruit and sugar. resulting in the yummy desert that is on so many menus today!  Click here for our Loire Valley Tour
  2. Chalus. After the château was finally taken, Richard summoned the archer who had shot him to his death bed and pardoned him. Unfortunately for the archer, Richard's knights were less forgiving, and after Richard's death the archer was flayed alive then pulled to pieces by horses.
  3. Bernard Hinault. He was known as the Badger as in French folklore, when a badger bites you it will never let go, and it's jaws have to be pried apart. Click here for our Legendaires Tour
  4. Pinot Noir. Romanée-Conti is produced from a single tiny plot in Burgundy just north of Nuits-St-Georges; it can fetch £2,000 for a single bottle. Click here for our Burgundy Tour
  5. The Pont du Gard. This Roman Aqueduct was built around 3AD and is an extraordinary feat of engineering- the drop of 7mm for every 100m of span would be impressive today, never mind 2,000 years ago! Click here for our Cevennes Tour, here for our Provence Roman Heritage Tour and here for our Languedoc - All tours visit this remarkable site,
  6. Limousin.  The shepherds in the region wore a distinctive hooded cape to protect them from the elements under the stars. Early cars usually had a driver who sat in the open whilst the affluent passengers sat in the enclosed rear compartment. Somebody observed that this compartment resembled the shepherds' cloaks, and the name stuck!
  7. Compiegne. The race originally started in Paris, but logistics and a need to reduce the gruelling length (even now it is 260km) enforced a move. It is called the Hell of the North because much of it is raced over cobbled farm tracks which are often muddy and slippery. Injuries are not uncommon! Click here to join a sports tour
  8. The Bayeux Tapestry. Bishop Odo was half-brother to William the Conqueror. And of course, it is not a tapestry at all but rather an embroidery! Click here for our Normandy Tour
  9. Starry Night. Don Maclean's hit is an ode to Vinvent Van Gogh, who painted the work whilst staying at the mental health sanatorium at St-Rémy-de-Provence. Click here for our Provence Roman Heritage Tour 
  10. Chenonceaux. Diane was a favourite of the French king Henry II, a fact not unnoticed by Catherine, his wife! After Henry's fatal wounding in a jousting tournament, Catherine took control. Click here for our Loire Valley Tour