Is the summer heating up and wearing you down? Do you wake up each morning looking at the same tired set of clothes and dreading getting dressed? Maybe it’s time to spice up your summertime maternity wardrobe and beat the summer blahs before they truly drag you down. It does not take a huge investment to add a little excitement to your wardrobe, just a few well picked summer tops, a casual summer dress or two and maybe even a new pair of Bermuda shorts or a cool summer skirt will do the trick. There’s still several months of hot weather ahead, so you should get more than enough wear out of your investment in the weeks ahead. Here are a few suggestions for some great summer pieces:

Everybody needs a few fun casual tops that are lightweight for the hot days and can easily mixed and matched with your existing wardrobe. Love my Belly is a super hip maternity brand that has some of the best convertible tube tops on the market for expecting moms. Some of my favorite patterns in their convertible tubes are the Cannes in brown in aqua shades, the Havana in wine earth tones and the Canary in Aqua. All of the Love my Belly Tubes have a secure shelf bra, an adjustable halter tie that can be bowed in front or tied around the neck for a different look. All of the Love my Belly Tubes come in 1 size fits all and they truly do stretch to fit with no show through. This style tube goes great with denim, crops, shorts or a skirt!

Another great style for a fun summer top is the Bellabumbum maternity/nursing cami. This sexy cami tank top has a cute babydoll tie in the front along with a supportive shelf bra which can be pulled to the side for nursing access. Bellabumbum’s maternity/nursing cami is stretchy enough that it can be worn for either maternity or nursing postpartum. This style comes in both solid black and a shiny Metallica with silver Lorex threads which go with everything. You can dress this top up or down and it is always great with denim. You will want to wear this one long after you have the baby!

If you are like most women, you may find your top drawer is stuffed full before you know it while your skirt and bottoms wardrobe is barely populated. When you are pregnant and expanding quickly, there is nothing worse than a pair of shorts or crops suddenly becoming too tight and uncomfortable and nothing more boring than pulling out the same pair of denim shorts or black stretch pants to start the day. Many expecting moms find a casual skirt can be more comfortable and easier to wear as well as cooler for the hot summer months than a tight pair of jeans. A truly fabulous denim skirt will go with nearly every maternity top you own and can really help beat the summer blahs. Noppies makes a super hip Puerto Rico Skirt that resembles a navy denim skirt with a little extra flair with a ruffle hem that overlaps in the front and shows just a little leg. This skirt is super flattering and has the most comfortable elastic waistband that fits just above the hips and under the belly. If you opt for a more traditional denim skirt, check out the Mama Black Big Dipper denim skirt in light blue wash which hits just above the knee. This five pocket design with zip fly and back pocket design looks like your favorite pre-pregnancy denim skirt and can even be worn after the baby. Maternal America also makes a super year round belted denim skirt which hits just below the knee with a stretch elastic waist and adjustable elastic denim belt.

If shorts are more your style, take a look at Maternal America’s Bermuda Pant. This casual but chic Bermuda short hits just above the knee with casual side pockets and a wide stretchy elastic waist that hits low on the belly above the hips. This style comes in both solid black and oatmeal and in both cotton/spandex blends as well as cotton/linen/spandex for a slightly dressier look. Wear it casual or dressy!

If you like casual dresses for maternity or nursing wear, then you have to take a look at Majamas Cozy Dress. This tank style dress is simple, chic and super comfortable. True to Majamas style, you will love to lounge or even sleep in this dress as well as wear it out to lunch or even dress it up for a special occasion. The double layer super supportive shelf bra built into the tank has a pull down layer for discreet nursing access. The material overall is so stretchy that you can truly wear it during and after pregnancy. This dress comes in a number of pretty solids including this season’s twilight and cocoa as well as classic black and a beige stripette pattern. Many women like this dress so well; they end up buying it in a number of colors.

Finally don’t forget your feet! Once you find the top, skirt or shorts and dress that suits your style and taste, invest in a pair of stylish sandals or wedges that are truly easy to walk in and feel comfortable to your feet as your center of gravity shifts. There is nothing like a new pair of shoes to complete your look and to show off your new clothes or add a little more spice to your wardrobe!

As you begin to narrow down your possibilities, perhaps the hardest aspect what part of the country you’d like to focus on. French fashion, perfume, gastronomy and wine are famous all over the world, but you can’t fully comprehend them unless you visit first hand. Apart from the capital city of Paris, France has so much to offer, that it is impossible to experience it all in just a one or two week stay in a holiday cottage in France.

France’s coastal region offers you a wide range of choices from the jewel like waters of the Mediterranean to the powerful ocean waters of the Atlantic. As you travel from shore to shore you find a blend of vineyards, castles, and breath taking mansions that are unlike any in the world. Whichever of France’s spectacular landscapes you prefer, staying in a holiday cottage in France will transport you to another time and place.

In the north western part of the country is located the regions of Normandy and Brittany. Farms abound in both regions, and if you like cheese, then you’ll definitely enjoy a stay here. Normandy is well known for its coastal location, and unsurprisingly its seafood is second to none. The local cuisine promises to make your holiday cottage stay one of dining delight.The cheese and seafood alone will make your visit worth it, your taste buds will never forgive you when your return home! When driving through the landscape in these two regions, you can’t help but noticing the many orchards which dominate the countryside. Luckily the local restaurateurs will make sure that they make this wonderful cider available to you during meals.

If your tastes run to the more bucolic, be sure to look into holiday cottages in the green and fertile Loire Valley. The valley is a monument to the royalty and nobility of the 1500s with its castles, palaces, and royal gardens. In fact, based on the area’s importance in history it is designated as a World Heritage Site. For outstanding beauty and heritage, the Loire Valley is guaranteed to tick all the boxes when looking for a holiday cottage in France.

If you are one of the many people who loves learning more about wine, France’s vibrant vineyards are reason enough to holiday in the region, and find out for yourself why French wines are legendary. Famous wine growing regions include Bordeaux, Champagne and Cognac. From Bordeaux to Champagne, just look at the bottles and you will find the perfect destination for your holiday! When you choose to holiday in any of the wine regions, you’ll find a holiday cottage very near a vineyard.

For beaches that are ranked as among the best in the world, travel south to the Mediterranean shores. You will never find any beach resort areas as renown as those of Cannes, Nice, and Saint Tropez. This country is so varied, both in its countryside and its reputation, and you are certain to be able to find the perfect region to meet your criteria for the ideal holiday. Enjoy a beverage under the protection of a palm tree while enjoying your favorite cool drink. When you tire of just relaxing, walk just feet to the pure aquamarine of the seas and dive in. From the sublime beaches to the glitz of Parisian life, you will have all the choice you need when selecting experiences to enjoy while staying at your holiday cottage.

If you are interested in camping holidays, France will no doubt be near the top of your list of destinations. It’s easy on the budget and conveniently located (with many campsites in the north of France just a few hours drive from the UK), but it offers much more than just good value and convenience. From golden beaches to mountain vistas, and numerous cultural highlights, there’s plenty to offer the eager camper no matter what kind of camping holiday in France you’re after.

If you are after the beaches…

Little is more relaxing than a holiday that combines countryside camping and time on the beach, and France has many outstanding coastal regions where you can relax and soak up some sun. The Côte d’Azur in the south of France is perhaps the most famous, with its mixture of beaches and cosmopolitan resorts such as St Tropez and Cannes.

If you are looking for something a little more family focused, the beaches in the Royan may be more to your taste. Located in the west of France, it is a region of beautiful beaches and pine forests, and with many campsites located within walking distance of the coast it is one of the most convenient places to camp if you are after a relaxing beach holiday.

If you want spectacular scenery…

If dramatic scenery is what you are after on your camping holiday in France, you have plenty of places to choose from. The rolling hills, winding rivers and numerous chateaux make the Loire Valley perhaps the most naturally beautiful region in France, with the Dordogne and Burgundy also offering some great landscapes to camp in.

For great mountain views, go camping in the Alps and the Jura and enjoy one of the most striking mountain ranges in the world. There a plenty of opportunities for hill walkers and climbers of all levels…or you can just relax in your campsite and enjoy the mountain vistas!

If you are a culture vulture…

From gastronomy and wine to literature and philosophy, French culture is famous around the world, and a camping holiday can be the perfect way to experience the attractions on offer. For those who are interested in sampling French culture, Paris will always be the highlight of a camping holiday in France, and there are numerous campsites that give convenient access to the capital city.

If you’ve visited the museums and historical sights of Paris before and want something a little different, Brittany is an excellent option. With its unique, distinctive culture (including its own language) and many prehistoric sites, it can be a real cultural highlight of any camping holiday in France.

This is just a taste of what France can offer. With a little planning and research you’ll be able to find just about anything you could possibly want to do or see. So, whatever it is you like to do on your camping holidays, France will have something for you!

Nice is a city by sea, with an ancient atmosphere, in the north of France. It is famous all over the world for its mild Med climate all the year round, brilliant sunshine, long sands and the life full of leisure in the old city area. Nice gains advantage from both sides. On the right is the city of Cannes, not far away from it, which is well known for the movie festival. On the left is Monte Carlo of Monaco which is only about ten minutes driving road. November in every year is the time for the wine of newest season to coming out of the vault. You can be lucky to taste the most delicious wine in France if you go there this time.

The old city area and the new city area in Nice is separated, so the old city area that is built in the 17th and 18th century is kept intact and in good condition. The distinctive feature of the old area is the color. Most of the buildings are bright yellow. In the pure sunshine of Med, you can feel they are fresh and bold.

There is a busy morning market which can date from several hundreds years ago every day in the center square in the old area. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the days you can buy fresh flowers here. Fridays are the days you can buy fresh fruit. It becomes the market for stamps and old books. Beside, the pitchman will come here to sell many things such as the second-hand clothes, the ware, and the family appliances and so on when holidays.

Promenade des Anglais is the main seaside road. It is named after the England people who invest to build the holiday resort. There are many palm trees on both sides of the seaside road beside which there are top-grade hotels of neo-Baroque style in Napoleon age.

For more information about traveling, please have a look at http://www.affordablecruisestours.com

Picture a French Villa Holiday; youâ??re probably thinking of lazy days spent by the Riviera, swimming in the pool, dining on local specialities and sampling exquisite local wine. And youâ??d be right. But youâ??d be missing one thing â?? the opportunity they offer to see some of the best attractions of the French Summer.
Like Britain, France is a country with a vibrant festival season. Unlike Britain, the French go less for drunken debauchery in a field and more for a variety of refined cultural and national celebrations. From the Cannes Film Festival to the Tour De France, a French holiday during the festival season offers a more adult experience for the summer. It also offers a huge amount of variety.
After booking a French villa holiday, youâ??ll have a base of operations to travel from. France, in comparison with the UK, has a reliable and relatively cheap national train service that connects small towns to major cities with a minimum of fuss. As well as a place to rest between events, a villa offers the perfect opportunity to take an extended break in the French countryside â?? soaking in the local culture between forays into festivals across the nation.
Taking part in the festivals of France offers a unique opportunity to see some of the countryâ??s most famous contributions to Western culture.
For example, if you booked a French villa holiday in the Dordogne this June, youâ??d be ideally placed for the Bordeaux wine festival. From the 24th to the 27th of June, youâ??d be able to sample some of the finest vintages in the country â?? and therefore some of the finest vintages in the world â?? relaxing in your villa just a short commute away.
If music is more to your taste than wine, then the French also have that in abundance. Jazz lovers will find plenty of interest throughout both June and July, as the country is host to some of the most historically significant jazz festivals in the world. King among these is the Nice Jazz Festival, which runs for eight days in July. This festival has seen legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles and Miles Davis play and was described in The Complete Idiots Guide to Jazz as â??the first jazz festival of international significanceâ?.
But the French have a love of music that extends beyond Jazz and beyond Nice â?? in fact, one that touches the entire country on the 21st of June, as the country celebrates â??Fete De La Musiqueâ??. Started in 1982, this annual event is sponsored by the French ministry of culture and sees cities and towns across the country celebrate music itself. Concerts are held in open air public spaces, from public parks to the streets to train stations and even museums. All concerts are free to the public, and all musicians and performers are asked to perform for free.
Aside from the world-famous and nearly iconic Cannes Festival (April), there are other international celebrations of the moving picture to be seen in France. From the International Documentary Film Festival of Marseille (July) to Annency, the international animation film festival (June), lovers of film are well catered for in the French summer.
But beyond film, music and wine, the French also offer particularly distinctive examples of national events. Perhaps the most famous of these are Tour De France â?? which needs no introduction â?? and the Paris Air Show. Taking place in July and June respectively, they offer two dramatically different examples of skill and dedication. Paris is only a train connection away from any regional transport hub in France, and the air show is famous for its displays of aerobatics and daring manoeuvers. Meanwhile, a French villa holiday offers the perfect opportunity to catch some of the 3,500km bike ride that attracts viewers across the globe and has become synonymous with the sport of cycling.

Finger food is the latest lifestyle thing. Anything goes, but in dainty-sized portions; food is sophisticated but nibbled strictly without cutlery. This sums up the success of a phenomenon that is winning over gourmets and great chefs, editors and designers, TV and Hollywood stars and A-listers.

Mini materpieces for the palate are served up to a growing public which moves nonchalantly from quiches and pasta to vegetables and sweets, then back again to tartlets. Hors d’oeuvres, first courses, second courses, side dishes and desserts no longer exist in the tastebud-tantalizing world of appetizers. Every food is perfect for creating exquisite titbits to be served in unrestrained freedom. Nibbles have become an art form, an indulgence which it seems no-one is able to do without.

Is this the dawn of a new gastronomic culture based on petite portions and picture-perfect presentation? Perhaps. There are certainly plenty of courses for learning how to prepare the perfect aperitif. Many people resort to recipe books, especially those released by top international chefs, like Heinz Beck who, with his culinary creations, amazes both his restaurant guests and his avid readers. From the printed page to the kitchen: Padua recently hosted the first edition of the Italian finger food championships. Italy’s top chefs flocked to the city in the northern region of Veneto, and worked nimble-fingered to present their own original ideas for tasty, balanced snacks.

Designers too have been won over by the finger food fashio, making it even more cool with brand new drinks served in custom-designed cocktail glasses. Designer Karim Rashid presented his Kartini Sapphire at the D&G Gold Bar during the Salone del Mobile fair. Keeping Rashid and his designer aperitif company, were other creatives like Konstantin Grcic, Tom Dixon and Marcel Wanders. Another celebrity on the list was the regular gossip-column subject and ex-wife of Marilyn Manson, Dita von Teese. The burlesque dance queen actually invented a drink of her own made with violet, her favourite flower, and served it at the Cannes Film Festival.

Major companies are also much taken by the happy hour craze, launching products and accessories for unforgettable parties: there are cups, plates, shakers, “pocket” cutlery and much more besides. For autumn 2008 Bormioli Rocco (http://www.bormioliroccoprofessional.com) launched Amuse Bouche, a collection of glassware and stemware in different shapes and sizes designed to enhance the latest trend in eating and conviviality. What’s more, every pack contains a collection of recipes with ideas and tips from top chefs on how to prepare mouthwatering nibbles. 
Yes, that’s right, everyone just loves the finger food fashion.

A classic option to explore the celebrated cities of France such as Nice is through car travel because the unbounded freedom that car travel offers is much needed for exploring Nice in France. Cruising through the south of France, there are museums, and restaurants to experience. Visiting these attractions is most convenient with a car because crowded public transport systems can be exasperating sometimes. As hiring a car in Nice from the airport is simple, one can sit back and drive through the divine country lands without a care in the world.

Nice offers a uniquely luxurious comfort along with other world famous tourist attractions which few other places can offer. The west side has small hills while the east extends to the Mediterranean Sea. Serene Vineyards, quiet villages and a savvy nightlife awaits you if you drive through the countryside.

Restaurants – The culinary delights that Nice offers is the cities chief attraction. The Cours Saleya market offers fine delicacies, while sipping the Provencal wine is another soothing experience. Overall, Cote d’Azur can be put as the gastronomic capital of France.

Beaches – Being along the coastline, Nice offers some really warm and relaxing beaches to its tourists lined with cosy seaside apartments and hotels.

Festivals – Each February sees a fresh influx of artists and performers for the Nice Festival beginning with Mardi Gras and ending with a Jazz gala.

With the many interesting places to visit and diverse cuisines to taste, Nice sums up perfectly the whole of France outside Paris (which has a different feel altogether).

Other French Attractions

Paris, known to many as the city of love, is also the fashion capital of the world. It offers something for everyone – huge mysterious museums for the intellectual, restaurants and cafes for the foodies, a romantic nightlife for the adventurous and much more. The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and Louvre Museum are world heritage sites worth visiting. One can only do justice to Paris by travelling slowly and absorbing every single bit of the lovely city which can be done best by car. Apart from Paris, Cannes is another charming town known for its annual film gala and sandy beaches.

A majority of French attractions are littered across the vast pleasant country side with small hill passes, the Alps and Pyrenees Mountains. Hiring a car in Nice makes it easy to enjoy this precious experience at one’s pace instead of hurrying through.

Tips for Hiring a Car

Choose a Car which can easily accommodate you and your family without being too big – traffic can be a major issue in some cities.
A GPS navigation system aids in travelling without getting lost in the dreamy country side and also helps in saving time.
Check with various number of Car hire companies for the different prices so that you do not end up with an expensive package.

Travelling to France has perhaps been on the wish lists of every travel-hungry person and you can make your trip even more memorable by travelling through the country in a car.