Parliament Of Britanny
samedi, mai 27, 2006
lundi, avril 24, 2006
Visit to Fougères
22nd of April:
Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Britanny against French aggression. Fougères is a town of Art and History.
It reminds me Ronda (Spain - Andalucia), it was a fantastic sunny day and hot.
The castle is one of the biggest French castle, with a 2 hectares area. Constitués de trois enceintes, les remparts sont magnifiquement conservés. Si le logis seigneurial est en ruine, les tours s'élèvent encore avec majesté.
Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Britanny against French aggression. Fougères is a town of Art and History.
It reminds me Ronda (Spain - Andalucia), it was a fantastic sunny day and hot.
The castle is one of the biggest French castle, with a 2 hectares area. Constitués de trois enceintes, les remparts sont magnifiquement conservés. Si le logis seigneurial est en ruine, les tours s'élèvent encore avec majesté.
Le beffroi
It was the first one to be built in Britanny in 1397. It symbolizes the craftship dynanism searching for independency.
dimanche, avril 09, 2006
7th of April 2006
Visit to Dinan / Dinard / Saint-Malo.
Dinard's reputation as the "Cannes of The North" has attracted a wide variety of stars. It really worth it. Winston Churchill enjoyed holidaying on the River Rance. Alfred Hitchcock spent many summers in Dinard and based the house used in his most famous movie Pyscho on a Villa standing over the Plage D'Ecluse.
Lawrence of Arabia lived in Dinard before his Arabic conquests and Piccasso, Monet and many other prominent artists enjoyed the stunning coast line.
In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malo's shipping merchants who built some of the towns magnificent villas on the cliff tops.
It lies on the Gulf Stream which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas.
It was a sunny day, I liked the two beaches and the various creeks that you can see along the the cliff walk. The sea colours were green, turquoise. There is a casino with a restaurant facing the sea.
Around 7, decided to go to Saint-Malo to contemplate the sunset.
Dinan:
Situated in an outstanding location overlooking the valley of the river Rance, the fortified town of Dinan is indisputably one of the most beautiful places in Brittany.
In Roman times it was situated at the crossroads of two important roads: one went to Normandy, the other to Rennes. Dinan is still surrounded by one of the oldest and most extensive ramparts of Brittany.
About 13,000 people live in this picturesque town in the Departement Côtes-d'Armor. Dinan is crammed full of half timbered buildings dating back to the 13th and 14th century with narrow streets opening up to reveal their secret to the visitor - a physical and spiritual presence which remains intact.
I'm lovin' it !!!
Dinard's reputation as the "Cannes of The North" has attracted a wide variety of stars. It really worth it. Winston Churchill enjoyed holidaying on the River Rance. Alfred Hitchcock spent many summers in Dinard and based the house used in his most famous movie Pyscho on a Villa standing over the Plage D'Ecluse.
Lawrence of Arabia lived in Dinard before his Arabic conquests and Piccasso, Monet and many other prominent artists enjoyed the stunning coast line.
In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malo's shipping merchants who built some of the towns magnificent villas on the cliff tops.
It lies on the Gulf Stream which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas.
It was a sunny day, I liked the two beaches and the various creeks that you can see along the the cliff walk. The sea colours were green, turquoise. There is a casino with a restaurant facing the sea.
Around 7, decided to go to Saint-Malo to contemplate the sunset.
6th of April of 2006
Visit to Vitré : old walled town obtained the label town of Art and History “Villes et Pays d’art et d’histoire », because of its very rich inheritance such as the
Castle of the Barons of Vitré XIIIth
Medieval streets (Beaudrairie, Poterie, d'Embas "XV and XVI century half-timbered houses")
NB: For French People : Elle a également été une ville-test pour
- Les cartes VITALE qui ont été distribuées dès 1994 à Vitré car l'usine Oberthür qui fabrique ces cartes y est implantée.
2nd of April 2006
Visit to the famous Mont Saint Michel
It is on the north coast of France, near the border of Brittany and Normandy. In fact it belongs to Normandy nowadays, but used to belong to Brittany.
It is home to the unusual Benedictine Abbey and steepled church (built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupy most of the one-kilometer-diameter clump of rocks jutting out over the waters of the English Channel.
The Mont Saint Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 because it is seen as one of the holiest places in the world. It is also surrounded by a very historical and extraordinary bay.
The tides in the area shift quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse". The tide actually comes in at one meter per second.
When we arrived the tide was high so we could not walk around the bay therefore we decided to hanging around the village.
While standing in front of it I couldn’t help thinking it had fallen from the sky, as it is one really big piece of rock standing alone in the beach, surrounded by a plain of sand and water to one side and grassland to the other
I thought it would be a bigger rock, when you see it on TV or on Pictures it looks bigger than it is. In some hours you can see everything.
The streets were narrow and looked like in Carcassonne castle.. really nice...
After visiting it, it came as no surprise to find out that it's actually the second most visited place in france, after paris, and in particular by japanese tourists.
Departure from Mont Saint Michel at 5pm to Saint-Malo.
It is on the north coast of France, near the border of Brittany and Normandy. In fact it belongs to Normandy nowadays, but used to belong to Brittany.
It is home to the unusual Benedictine Abbey and steepled church (built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupy most of the one-kilometer-diameter clump of rocks jutting out over the waters of the English Channel.
The Mont Saint Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 because it is seen as one of the holiest places in the world. It is also surrounded by a very historical and extraordinary bay.
The tides in the area shift quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse". The tide actually comes in at one meter per second.
When we arrived the tide was high so we could not walk around the bay therefore we decided to hanging around the village.
While standing in front of it I couldn’t help thinking it had fallen from the sky, as it is one really big piece of rock standing alone in the beach, surrounded by a plain of sand and water to one side and grassland to the other
I thought it would be a bigger rock, when you see it on TV or on Pictures it looks bigger than it is. In some hours you can see everything.
The streets were narrow and looked like in Carcassonne castle.. really nice...
We ate in Restaurant Du Guesclin ** (Mussels + roasted potatoes + Omelette de la mère Poulard + Caramel Dessert + rosé wine)
After visiting it, it came as no surprise to find out that it's actually the second most visited place in france, after paris, and in particular by japanese tourists.
Departure from Mont Saint Michel at 5pm to Saint-Malo.
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Britanny.
It is the most visited place in Brittany :
- The walled city (La Ville Intra-Muros)
- The château of Saint-Malo
- The tomb of the writer Chateaubriand on the Ile de Grand Bé
- The Cathedral of St Vincent
Saint-Malo was the birthplace of Jacques Cartier (explorer of Canada) and Chateaubriand (1768-1848), writer and diplomat...
A bit of history: In past centuries it became notorious as the home of a fierce breed of pirate-mariners, who were never quite under anyone's control but their own; for 4 years from 1590, Saint-Malo even declared itself to be an independent republic, taking up the motto "not French, not Breton, but Malois". The Corsairs of Saint-Malo not only forced English ships passing up the Channel to pay tribute, but also brought wealth from further afield
I really enjoyed the large beaches at low tides with a fantastic sunlight, the sky was blue as i'm used to see it in Spain.
The building along the walls are rathe big (5 floors on average). The city is really charming.
Back to Rennes at 9pm by train .
samedi, avril 08, 2006
Trip to Brittany
23nd March 2006
TGV to Rennes, is the capital of the Bretagne, as well as the prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.
The town is built on a hill. It is at the meeting point of two rivers: the Ille and the Vilaine.
The connection from the Station to the Place Saint-Anne is fast (10mn) , nice place.
The Parliament of Brittany, is arguably the most famous building in Rennes.
Colorful traditional timber frame houses are situated primarily around the city center.
I'm living in Plaza of the Lists (Place des Lices) close to "Les Halles Martenot" of the 19th century, host the market of the lists on Saturday mornings (the third market in France).
TGV to Rennes, is the capital of the Bretagne, as well as the prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.
The town is built on a hill. It is at the meeting point of two rivers: the Ille and the Vilaine.
The connection from the Station to the Place Saint-Anne is fast (10mn) , nice place.
The Parliament of Brittany, is arguably the most famous building in Rennes.
Colorful traditional timber frame houses are situated primarily around the city center.
I'm living in Plaza of the Lists (Place des Lices) close to "Les Halles Martenot" of the 19th century, host the market of the lists on Saturday mornings (the third market in France).
Culture
Rennes invests heavily in arts and culture and a number of its festivals (such as the music festival Les Transmusicales, les Tombées de la Nuit and Travelling (a cinematic festival)) are well known throughout France.
Rennes is home to Stade Rennais FC, who play at Route de Lorient in the French Premier League.
jeudi, mars 30, 2006
Trip To Paris - Part 2
Wednesday, 22th of March 2006:
The next day, woke up at 8am and decided to go to the Eiffel Tower.. took line 13 till Gare Montparnasse and commuted to Number 6 till Bir Hakein.. the weather was cloudy, quite normal for Paris, it was drizzling with a little breeze..
At eleven i was under the world famous tower, not as many people as i could imagined but it was rather chill.. Decided to climb up by the stairs. Payed 3 euros till the second floor. At the beginning i was couting the steps but after a few minutes stopped to concentrate me upon the view. When i arrived at the second floor there were nobody except a few courageous foreign teenagers. The panaroma was great even if i could see far away because of a patch of mist.
Took many pictures 360° around, i was able to visualize the path i wanted to take.
It was a good idea to come early because after noon , groups of tourists arrived and blocked the ways. After a few minutes of hesitation, decided to go to the third floor even if it started to rain a bit. The price of the lift because it is the only way to reach the top of the tower was 3,3.
So overall, payed 6,3 euros to get to the end of the tower eiffel.. brilliant..
I took a rest at the cafeteria of the 2nd floor and nibbled some cookies.
What a surprise to see that the rain transformed into snow at the top, it was cool but cold so did not stay for a long time outside.. fortunately there was a room to contemplate the 360° view. There was a strong wind.
At 1pm i was downstairs and headed for the Trocadero’s Place.. the view from there is outstanding, there is some golden statues i saw before on internet pictures.. and two massive statues of greek heroes.
It is an English Gothic architecture famous in the European Continent.
It was surprising to see all the flags of the American regions and especially to see the Holy book on each of the rows.
Ten minutes walking from there i arrived at the Arc de Triomphe beginning of the Champ Elysées (funny moment: was singing the Charles Trenet songs) going down the Avenue..
It was the peak hour, so i did not pass under the Arc de Triomphe, too many cars... i felt a bit hungry and went down to a restaurant called Mac Donald, lol, it was overcrowed.
Amazing thing, you can listen music while eating like in the supermarkets.. Paris will always surprises me. While i was queeing for ordering, i met the most beautiful woman of the year, she was behing me. Her description: Tall, dark mid-long hair, green-eyed, well suited. She looked like an Arabic-Indian person.. A fox as Jared would described her..
I asked the first passer-by i met and he explaines nicely that the building was the new-opened petit Palais (that is to say the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris). I saw a TV report a few weeks ago about it. Why not entering and having a look at –morever it is pouring down.
One more time, the entrance was free, i was amazed at seeing the golden entrance and the ceiling of the main room. The guard told me i had to put my rucksack downstairs. And the box, there was a young lady thinking i was going to a lecture held in a private room but i was only a visitor.
I realized one more time that wearing a suit make you different for the eyes of others..
The basement was a real labyrinth, the exhibition were great.. spent a couple of hours inside.. got a cappucino in a modern chillout cafeteria "Le Jardin Du Petit Palais" for only 2.5 euros.
I thought i saw the most impressive pieces of art till i came upstairs and realized that the main work of art were there. Too many to describe them. One thing i remenber is the inner patio with a cosy garden with ponds and palm trees.
I met some Indian people from Bombay took a pic with them..
The bridge is huge and a magnificent piece of art.. many standard lamps and 4 golden statues + many golden stuff along the river..
The Hotel of
The next day, woke up at 8am and decided to go to the Eiffel Tower.. took line 13 till Gare Montparnasse and commuted to Number 6 till Bir Hakein.. the weather was cloudy, quite normal for Paris, it was drizzling with a little breeze..
At eleven i was under the world famous tower, not as many people as i could imagined but it was rather chill.. Decided to climb up by the stairs. Payed 3 euros till the second floor. At the beginning i was couting the steps but after a few minutes stopped to concentrate me upon the view. When i arrived at the second floor there were nobody except a few courageous foreign teenagers. The panaroma was great even if i could see far away because of a patch of mist.
Took many pictures 360° around, i was able to visualize the path i wanted to take.
It was a good idea to come early because after noon , groups of tourists arrived and blocked the ways. After a few minutes of hesitation, decided to go to the third floor even if it started to rain a bit. The price of the lift because it is the only way to reach the top of the tower was 3,3.
So overall, payed 6,3 euros to get to the end of the tower eiffel.. brilliant..
I took a rest at the cafeteria of the 2nd floor and nibbled some cookies.
What a surprise to see that the rain transformed into snow at the top, it was cool but cold so did not stay for a long time outside.. fortunately there was a room to contemplate the 360° view. There was a strong wind.
At 1pm i was downstairs and headed for the Trocadero’s Place.. the view from there is outstanding, there is some golden statues i saw before on internet pictures.. and two massive statues of greek heroes.
It is an English Gothic architecture famous in the European Continent.
It was surprising to see all the flags of the American regions and especially to see the Holy book on each of the rows.
Ten minutes walking from there i arrived at the Arc de Triomphe beginning of the Champ Elysées (funny moment: was singing the Charles Trenet songs) going down the Avenue..
It was the peak hour, so i did not pass under the Arc de Triomphe, too many cars... i felt a bit hungry and went down to a restaurant called Mac Donald, lol, it was overcrowed.
Amazing thing, you can listen music while eating like in the supermarkets.. Paris will always surprises me. While i was queeing for ordering, i met the most beautiful woman of the year, she was behing me. Her description: Tall, dark mid-long hair, green-eyed, well suited. She looked like an Arabic-Indian person.. A fox as Jared would described her..
I asked the first passer-by i met and he explaines nicely that the building was the new-opened petit Palais (that is to say the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris). I saw a TV report a few weeks ago about it. Why not entering and having a look at –morever it is pouring down.
One more time, the entrance was free, i was amazed at seeing the golden entrance and the ceiling of the main room. The guard told me i had to put my rucksack downstairs. And the box, there was a young lady thinking i was going to a lecture held in a private room but i was only a visitor.
I realized one more time that wearing a suit make you different for the eyes of others..
The basement was a real labyrinth, the exhibition were great.. spent a couple of hours inside.. got a cappucino in a modern chillout cafeteria "Le Jardin Du Petit Palais" for only 2.5 euros.
I thought i saw the most impressive pieces of art till i came upstairs and realized that the main work of art were there. Too many to describe them. One thing i remenber is the inner patio with a cosy garden with ponds and palm trees.
I met some Indian people from Bombay took a pic with them..
The bridge is huge and a magnificent piece of art.. many standard lamps and 4 golden statues + many golden stuff along the river..
The Hotel of
My Trip To Paris - Part 1
Tuesday, 21th of March 2006:
Departure from the center of the world’s station at around 7am by TGV (Take the time to go fast)
First of all, i looked for the left luggage lockers, it was in –2 floor. It costed 8 euros for 3 days even if you did not want to use the whole time, the stupid thing was that you cannot put some stuff and take them back, you only had to open it once; the second thing was i could not let my laptop in it so I had to carry it with me and i got to say that at the end of the day you feel it.
The front of the cathedral was impressive especially the two doors was massive scultures.
Cool !!! There was many many people. The top of the ceiling was really high, it reminds me Sevilla’s Cathedral.. the stained glass window and the great organ were fantastic.
Made a loop of it and seated for a few minutes because i was quite exhausted of having walked till it. It like the candles designed the Virgin Mary.
My watch ringed it was 6pm, time to meet with Yannick.. The Cathedral is close to the Town Hall which mayor is Bertrand Delanoe .. there were 3 photos exhibitions, went to one of a famous parisian photograph. The pictures were about Paris through the century, could see many monuments i was about to visit in the following days.. some pictures were fantastic.
Time was out with my appointement with Yannnick in front of the merry-go-round in front of the Town Hall.
We took the Underground to the Lyon’s Station to fetch my luggage and go to his place.. the bloody suitcase was heavy at the end of day.. i lived in the 14th (Line 13 Chatillon Montrouge) Stop Pleasance. It sounded a nice neighboorhood.
We went for shopping for the nite, some pastas and beers and breakfast stuff..
During the nite, we chatted about Past and Future, friends and others..
Departure from the center of the world’s station at around 7am by TGV (Take the time to go fast)
First of all, i looked for the left luggage lockers, it was in –2 floor. It costed 8 euros for 3 days even if you did not want to use the whole time, the stupid thing was that you cannot put some stuff and take them back, you only had to open it once; the second thing was i could not let my laptop in it so I had to carry it with me and i got to say that at the end of the day you feel it.
A shocking thing was you could not find any cash dispenser in the Station, you have to go out. I needed some cash to buy the underground tickets (10) Got the interview at 2.30 in the Hotel Cosy in the 12th neighbourhood.
So after made all the things, i decided to go there right away and had my lunch in the neighbourhood. The line i took was number 6 to the Nation and then Picpus (funny name isn’t it) the next one is famous too –it is Bel Air (Hey Remi this is yours)
The exit was 20 meters from the hotel, the name is well found (cosy) it really seemed like that.. walking around and visited a nice church and stopped at the Bistrot in the corner for lunch, i was pretty starving. I ordered an Entrecote with roasted potatoes as main, a tuna salad with tomatoes , and a beer as usual. The meal was really stuffing and good as well for only 13 euros.. i thought it would be more expensive, got a nice surprise..
Hardly i finished to lunch, went to the interview. When i entered saw a pretty young woman at the recepcion. She knew who i was at first glance.. we chatted half an hour or more, it was an unconvential interview, she explaines that the hotel was only 2 years old with a familiar runnning, visited the patio (i saw on the website) and we talked about my experiences...
The salary was 1350 net + Carte Orange included + breakfast ( Night Audit).
After that i made my mind to go to the city center walking along the Seine River. The weather was cloudy and chilly with a bit of wind. Met a guy along my walk who explained that life in Paris was more and more difficult especially accommodation. Saw some nice boathouses close to Notre Dame’s Cathedral. Took some picture of the most famous cathedral in france and tried to remenbered me the history of Casimodo.
Before arriving, there was a crowd of people on the bridge, some Japs.. coming closer from the entrance the number of people was rocketing, bands of Italians, Asiatic, Swedish.... many class groups..
So after made all the things, i decided to go there right away and had my lunch in the neighbourhood. The line i took was number 6 to the Nation and then Picpus (funny name isn’t it) the next one is famous too –it is Bel Air (Hey Remi this is yours)
The exit was 20 meters from the hotel, the name is well found (cosy) it really seemed like that.. walking around and visited a nice church and stopped at the Bistrot in the corner for lunch, i was pretty starving. I ordered an Entrecote with roasted potatoes as main, a tuna salad with tomatoes , and a beer as usual. The meal was really stuffing and good as well for only 13 euros.. i thought it would be more expensive, got a nice surprise..
Hardly i finished to lunch, went to the interview. When i entered saw a pretty young woman at the recepcion. She knew who i was at first glance.. we chatted half an hour or more, it was an unconvential interview, she explaines that the hotel was only 2 years old with a familiar runnning, visited the patio (i saw on the website) and we talked about my experiences...
The salary was 1350 net + Carte Orange included + breakfast ( Night Audit).
After that i made my mind to go to the city center walking along the Seine River. The weather was cloudy and chilly with a bit of wind. Met a guy along my walk who explained that life in Paris was more and more difficult especially accommodation. Saw some nice boathouses close to Notre Dame’s Cathedral. Took some picture of the most famous cathedral in france and tried to remenbered me the history of Casimodo.
Before arriving, there was a crowd of people on the bridge, some Japs.. coming closer from the entrance the number of people was rocketing, bands of Italians, Asiatic, Swedish.... many class groups..
The front of the cathedral was impressive especially the two doors was massive scultures.
Cool !!! There was many many people. The top of the ceiling was really high, it reminds me Sevilla’s Cathedral.. the stained glass window and the great organ were fantastic.
Made a loop of it and seated for a few minutes because i was quite exhausted of having walked till it. It like the candles designed the Virgin Mary.
My watch ringed it was 6pm, time to meet with Yannick.. The Cathedral is close to the Town Hall which mayor is Bertrand Delanoe .. there were 3 photos exhibitions, went to one of a famous parisian photograph. The pictures were about Paris through the century, could see many monuments i was about to visit in the following days.. some pictures were fantastic.
Time was out with my appointement with Yannnick in front of the merry-go-round in front of the Town Hall.
We took the Underground to the Lyon’s Station to fetch my luggage and go to his place.. the bloody suitcase was heavy at the end of day.. i lived in the 14th (Line 13 Chatillon Montrouge) Stop Pleasance. It sounded a nice neighboorhood.
We went for shopping for the nite, some pastas and beers and breakfast stuff..
During the nite, we chatted about Past and Future, friends and others..
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