Sun, Sea and Samsung Super League

This weekend the curtain rises on the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI series in the lovely town of La Baule, France which is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.

Located in the Pays de la Loire, La Baule has been attracting holiday-makers and tourists in large numbers ever since the Nantes-Guérande railway line was built in 1879 and owes a great deal to the two businessmen Benoit and Berthault who transformed what was originally the tiny village of Escoublac into an attractive seaside resort.

Escoublac fell victim to the ravages of the Atlantic ocean following a violent storm which struck the region in 1779 and buried the village under sand. Customs officers, who policed the unstable sand dunes left in the aftermath of the gale, gave the area the name "Bole" which refers to a flooded maritime meadow, and that eventually evolved into the name we recognise today.

Benoit and Berthault came up with the clever plan to plant coniferous trees to fix the soil and prevent further erosion and this explains the 700-hectare forest of maritime pines that can be found bordering the sensational nine-kilometre beach of fine white sand. This week, beach-walkers will be joined by some of the top show jumping horses in the world who will be stretching their legs and bathing their toes in the Atlantic Ocean just like everyone else!

La Baule was once part of Britanny and still holds dear to the traditional seafood and pancake cuisine of that region. A meal at one of the many excellent local restaurants must always include a Britanny pancake - an experience all its own - and visitors should not forget to purchase some of the famous "Fleur de Sel de Guérande" sea salt which is hand-harvested locally. Mineral-rich and grey in colour, Fleur de Sel is treasured by lovers of good food world-wide and is often described as "the champagne of sea salt". It is retrieved by sea-salt farmers called Paludiers who continue the traditional method of skimming the surface of the salt marshes with simple wooden hand tools. Additive-free and exceptionally pure, Fleur de Sel which translates in English into Flower of Salt, is best used like fresh herbs by sprinkling it onto food before serving and just a few weeks ago this precious local product was granted official protection.

Water sports are hugely popular in La Baule, but this week it is equestrian activity that takes centre stage as the François Andre stadium, which held its first international show jumping event in 1963, opens its gates for the first leg of the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI series. The eight elite nations which include France, Belgium, the USA, Sweden, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland will be battling it out over eight competitions at eight of the most prestigious show jumping venues in the world over the next few months with the final taking place in Barcelona, Spain next September.

For the home team there will be a different feel this season as popular long-time French Chef d'Equipe, Jean-Maurice Bonneau, has stepped aside and Gilles Bertran de Balanda has taken up the reins. The Samsung Super League with FEI series has brought about something of a renaissance in team spirit in recent years as the participating nations have been inspired by the series motto "National Pride, International Passion" and there will be plenty of French pride in evidence this weekend as Monsieur de Balanda, himself a French show jumping hero, will be honoured for his accomplishments as a competitor and his contribution to his country in a special retirement ceremony during the show. A win for the home side, who took the series title in style in both 2003 and 2004, would also go down very nicely this Friday afternoon.