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.
For weeks now the house has been decorated for the holidays. I decided to mix it up a little bit by going with a red color scheme for the tree this year. Here are a few photos of some of my decorations. I thought that I would stay in Querqueville this...
The triumphal arch of the enclos paroissial in Sizun dates from 1585 – 1588. Its central part is surmounted by a Calvary and a walkway where priests could celebrate Mass in the open air. A stone stairway gave access to the upper gallery but it was removed...
Sunday was my last day in Haute Normandie and I still had a few places I needed to visit. Fortunately, there wasn't any fog and I was able to get some nice photos of our chamber d’hôte Au temps des cerises which was surrouned by orchards of fruit trees...
On m'a demandé de ne pas publier les photos du Château d'Omonville à Denneville sur mon blog, car c'est une résidence privée. Si vous voulez voir mes photos, s'il vous plaît envoyez votre adresse email à thomashugues007@yahoo.com et je vous enverrai un...
Since I was in Lyon for four days, I purchased a two-day pass that allowed me to use the public transportation system and access to all the museums at any time. It was so convenient not having to worry about ticket prices. Lyon, which is listed as a Town...
On Friday I went on another hike along le sentier des douaniers of La Hague. This time I started from Port du Hable in Omonville-la-Rogue toward Port Racine in Saint-Germain-des-Vaux for a total of 14 km. The distance wasn’t the problem for me but the...
WHY LIVE, LIVE FOR WHAT? Un repas près de chez vous pour explorer et échanger sur le sens de la vie. Une occasion de découvrir la foi chrétienne. It is a meal near you to explore and discuss the meaning of life as well as an opportunity to explore the...
The town of Landivisiau wasn’t very interesting nor was it a part of my tour except as a place for me to stop and find a restroom. Of note however was the parish church, l'église Saint-Thuriau which was built in the 1860s and replaces a church that was...
Staying caught up with this blog is more difficult than you think. I’ve got so many photos of places I’ve visited recently that it is difficult to post everything. Still, I’m trying. A few weeks ago we had some wonderful weather and I took a short hiking...
The monastery at Cunault along the banks of the Loire, downstream from Saumur, was founded in the fourth century by Saint-Maxenceul the area’s first evangelizer. Monks from Noirmoutier then founded an abbey here in 847 but were expelled from Cunault during...
After a day of hiking and then a visit to the German gun batteries, I then drove to Montebourg to visit the Abbaye Sainte-Marie. Strangely enough I've never been there even though it's so close to Cherbourg. The origins of the abbey can be traced back...
Église Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul in Coigny dates from the 15th - 17th centuries and is known for its 16th century polychrome rood beam with crucifix and its 17th century altar. This is an exterior view of the nave and the seigneuriale chapel. The saddleback...
Alors un signe grandiose apparut dans le ciel: c'était une femme. Elle avait pour vêtement le soleil, la lune sous ses pieds et une couronne de douze étoiles sur sa tête. Elle était enceinte, sur le point d'accoucher, et ses douleurs lui arrachaient des...
Friday, May 3, 2013 -- Lavra to Sâo Pedro de Rates I think all of us slept very well last night. Tommy was nice enough to go into the village and buy all of us croissants for breakfast. It’s always good to have something to eat before hiking. Together,...
It was a beautiful day when I visited Saumur but I must admit that it was colder than I expected. I parked the car near the chateau and walked to the tourist office to see if I could get myself a walking map of the city. Strangely enough, the map misses...
I can’t tell you how glad I was to finally reach La Martyre. It meant that I could sit down on a park bench near the church and eat my lunch. I was so hungry. After eating, I was able to take my time and really enjoy visiting the parish close, the oldest...
Bear with me and I’ll soon have all my photos uploaded to the blog. I heard that some people were having problems viewing all of the photos. That is because you may not have access to Flickr where I store the photos. I can’t do anything about that. Another...
Église Saint-Pierre de Vesly is a large and beautiful 13th century Gothic church located in the town of Vesly. It was built on the site of a Merovingian necropolis. The reconstruction of the church after World War II led to the discovery of many sarcophagi...
Gazing with wonder at the majesty of the sheer rock walls and tiered snow platforms, Victor Hugo exclaimed, “It is both a mountain and a rampart; it is the most mysterious of structures by the most mysterious of architects; it is Nature’s Colosseum –...
Yesterday after Mass, I went to visit the old windmill in Fierville-les-Mines called Le Moulin à vent du Cotentin. Built in 1744, it is seven meters tall with a pivoting roof depending on which way the wind blows. It is one of the few mills in France...
LES GROTTES DE JOBOURG Le nez is a word derived from the Norse "ness", meaning cape and not as some would think, the French word for nose. The nez de Jobourg is one of the most visited sites along the Channel. The shoreline cliffs are the highest in Europe...
Le Manoir de la Crasvillerie near Réville is a granite mansion dating from the late 15th to early 16th centuries. Its two octagonal towers and its mullioned windows guarded with iron bars gives it an aspect of being stern and contemptuous. It was built...
One afternoon, I went for lunch at a restaurant near the cathedral. I wish I could remember its name. The food was delicious: Baeckeoffe and another choucroute dish with the best tasting sauerkraut I’ve had my entire life. Afterward I went to le Musée...
A great way to visit Le Mans is to take a leisurely walk through the old town, along its narrow streets and river embankments. I started my walk at the foot of the cathedral steps at the Place du Jet d’Eau where there sits a marvellous fountain from 1853....
The Basilica of Saint-Just Valcabrère is a Romanesque building from the 11th and 12th centuries and is known as one of the ancient stops for pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago, a World Heritage Site. One kilometer east of Notre-Dame de Saint-Bertrand...
