The naval ship's pantry is stocked with wines, baguettes and pate, and its casual dress code is shorts and sandals. There's even an artist - a painter to keep an illustrated record of the trip.
With a panache all its own, France's military is delivering aid to tsunami-battered Indonesia - and showing how a small force can make a difference.
A month after killer waves struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the French are part of an international relief operation that includes forces from more than a dozen nations, including Japan, Russia and Switzerland.
The 1,000 or so French sailors and soldiers arrived in Aceh province on the island's northern tip two weeks ago...
A mere thousand out of the entire French military? Compared to a US Carrier Group, it seems kinda stingy...