De captivants à banals, les articles et photographies de “The Baguette” sont une tentative de publier un journal de ma vie dans la Manche et de proposer un forum de discussion pour tout ce qui touche à la Normandie.
After visiting the windmills at Besneville, our AVF group headed to the small town of Saint-Lô-d'Ourville where we were to have lunch at the restaurant "Au p'tit creux". Before that, we had quite a surprise when we were given a guided tour of the parish...
After a good night’s sleep, we woke early the next morning and went downstairs to breakfast in the hotel. Perhaps I was over ambitious but we took on the trip to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis, a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of French...
It hardly seems possible that another summer has come and gone. Yet, the warm weather, uncharacteristic of the region has managed to linger on into this first week of September. Before I return to my French class on the 13th, I wanted to take advantage...
Je me souviens encore d’une plante qui m’avait émerveillé pendant mon enfance. Cette plante fleurissait au moment de Noël dans le salon de ma grand-mère paternelle, aujourd’hui décédée. Elle avait de nombreuses tiges retombantes et l’extrémité de chaque...
La porte du midi – L'arsenal de la marine Built in 1862, la porte du midi has been, until recent years, the main gateway to the “Port militaire” also called “L’arsenal de la marine”. For generations the workers and seamen who contributed to Cherbourg’s...
The origins of the château date back to the 10th century when it was first situated on the border of Anjou on the banks of the river Loir. It was used as a stronghold to protect the region against attacks from the Normans. Until the 15th century, it was...
Je vous remercie de m’avoir permis de prendre des photos. Voici une revue des événements pendant la Semaine Sainte. 17 AVRIL 2011 ÉGLISE DE QUERQUEVILLE CÉLÉBRATION DU DIMANCHE DES RAMEAUX ET DE LA PASSION Quelques jours avant la fête de la Pâque, Jésus...
On Friday, after some cloudy skies in the morning, the sun came out and I decided to continue with my hikes along le sentier des douaniers near Vauville. I parked near l’ancien carrière at the bottom of the D318 and proceeded to walk down la rue following...
In 991, the Benedictine monks of Cormery complained to Hugues Capet, the King of France, that Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou (17 years old and Earl of Anjou in 987), was building a fort on their land in Montbazon. Despite their annoyance, the King did not...
A Gallic necropolis, dating back a century before Christ, was recently discovered by a team of archaeologists at the foot of the beach in Urville-Nacqueville. So far, about 30 graves have been uncovered. Funeral urns containing ashes, and skeletons of...
La gare de Tours was built between 1896 and 1898 under the direction of the Touraine architect Victor Laloux. Four statues dominate the façade—two were created by Jean-Antoine Injalbert (allegories of Bordeaux and Toulouse), while the other two were created...
LIGHT. We can't have enough of it. When I look at this building, I am not concerned with the children who attend school here. Instead, I imagine the possibilities of turning this place into a wonderful home--one that has huge windows that allow the natural...
J'ai un cœur d'artichaut. Une feuille pour tout le monde ! Did you know that just one artichoke has 60 calories, 0 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbohydrates (including 7 grams of fiber) and 4 grams of protein. It’s a great source of vitamin C, potassium,...
Near the town of Brix, at 100, route du Mont Epinguet is the unique Jardin de Clairbois. Its name derives from the small river La Claire which winds along the foot of the wooded hills of Mont Epinguet, part of the ancient forest of Brix. In 1964, M. and...
Vocable Sainte-Colombe, martyrisée en 273. Dans sa prison, un homme, sur ordre de l’empereur, s’apprête a la violer. Une ourse se jette sur lui. On vient metre le feu à la prison, l’ourse bouscule l’incendiaire. Colombe est finalement décapitée. Son culte...
As many of you know, I was on vacation for the last couple of weeks in the Loire region. I took so many photos that it will take weeks to finish naming and editing them. Still, I will attempt to make a blog posting for my readers to enjoy. The first stop...
The City of Chinon is situated in the southwest of the Touraine region, on the borders of the Anjou and Poitou. The site is remarkable being built on several levels between the Vienne River and the chalk cliff where the fortress was built. The site was...
Église Saint-Vincent is a Gothic church from the 15th century which lies atop a small promontory overlooking the banks of the river Douve within the marais du Cotentin. The bell tower, located above the transept, has a particular shape: square at its...
This church, now in the center of the Le Mans, was originally the abbey church of the monastery of St-Pierre-de-la-Couture. It was built by Bertrand, a bishop from the 6th century. The façade of the building is from the 13th century as is the impressive...
The Petit train de la Rhune is a cog railway at the western end of the Pyrenees. It links the Col de Saint-Ignace, some 10 km to the east of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, to the summit of the La Rhune Mountain. Located opposite the station of the cog train is a...
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from...
Le Musée de Tessé is the Museum of Fine Arts in Le Mans. It offers numerous guided tours on various themes and is located just inside Tessé Park. The building is a former bishop’s palace, itself built on the site of the former mansion of Maréchal de Tessé....
The pretty and lively city of Avranches is one of the oldest towns in Normandy and its origins date back to early antiquity. Saint-Aubert, Bishop of Avranches in the 8th century, instigated the foundation of Mont-St-Michel and the two centers are therefore...
Biarritz lies on the border of the Basque Country and is the most fashionable and most frequented seaside resort in southwest France. At the beginning of the 19th century, Biarritz was but a small, whale-fishing harbor. The people of Bayonne, when they...
Sunday, May 12, 2013 -- Santiago de Compostela There are many things to see and do while in Santiago. Perhaps the most important is to visit the cathedral and stay for the Pilgrim Mass held every day at noon. It is this Mass that pilgrims are most anxious...
