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.
The second English-speaking tour of Lyon that I took was of the Croix-Rousse district. It was here that the silk industry in France really took off. It was silk which, in the 16th century, made Lyon a major industrial city; until then most of the silk...
Monday afternoon was the last art class for the year. I thought I would post some photos of some of the things we have done so far. Arts plastiques is an adult class offered by Maison Pour Tous in Octeville. As you can see, we do a little bit of everything...
Some friends of mine decided to visit for a few days in July and I took them to visit several parts of the region including Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, just off the coast of Normandy. Although the sky was dark and threatened to rain, it quickly...
Avant de passer de ce monde à son père, Jésus disait à ses disciples : « c’est la paix que je vous laisse, c’est ma paix que je vous donne ; ce n’est pas à la manière du monde que je vous la donne. Ne soyez donc pas bouleversés et effrayés. Comme le Père...
L’abbaye de la Piété Dieu de l’Épau was founded in 1229 by Queen Bérengère of Navarre, widow of Richard the Lionhearted and Dowager Countess of Maine (who also lived in the heart of old Le Mans—Cité Plantagenêt). It is one of the last Cistercian establishments...
Although I’ve visited many sites in and around Périgord in the past, this was the first time I went to Périgueux. It is an ancient town situated in the fertile valley of the River Isle. Its long history can be traced in its urban architecture and two...
The original château was built in the 13th century and looked down upon a village that has since disappeared. The Hundred Years’ War left Puymartin in ruins with its fortifications, doors and roof destroyed. In 1450, the family of Radulphe de Saint-Clar...
Perhaps the best way to eat chestnuts is to eat them fresh out of the oven. Roasting them over an open fire just doesn’t seem to be as easy as it sounds. The first thing one needs to do is to preheat the oven to 180°C (350° F). Use a sharp paring knife...
Église St-Pierre in Prétot-Sainte-Suzanne is a massive, old church in the form of a Latin cross with a square bell tower and gabled roof, typical of many churches in Normandy. The church as it exists now dates as far back as the 15th and 16th centuries...
A good friend of mine sent me a video about plans to recreate the old castle fortifications of Cherbourg using computer technology. In the future, visitors can hold up a computer tablet device and see where towers, walls, gates and old buildings once...
So in my art class this week we all tried to copy this painting by Kay Gallwey of a naked lady wearing a hat. I think if I had to try doing it again, I would perhaps choose a different subject and I would probably do a much better job. Acrylic on paper....
People familiar with the Tour de France will know that the most famous climb during the race is through the mountain pass called the Col du Tourmalet. More than any other pass, it has been included in the race the most number of times since 1910 when...
The church of Bagnères-de-Luchon is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. The image of the Virgin can be found in bas-relief in the tympanum above the main door of the western façade constructed in 1890. Sadly, this door is closed and scaffolding is...
On June 23, I attended the Clochers en fête which took place among several churches in the Marais du Cotentin. Because I didn’t want to be shackled to a tour guide and only see one or two churches, I visited about twelve on my own. It was quite an adventure...
I took so many photos during my vacation that there is no way to post all of them at once. Instead, I will create short articles about the things I saw on my visits dans les Pays de la Loire in the upcoming weeks. I hope you will bear with me and check...
Last night I went to le r estaurant Pékin in Cherbourg which is owned by two friends of mine from my French class at Maison Pour Tous. They were so kind to allow us to gather at their place of business to ring in the New Year. We started our New Year's...
Although most people will probably say that the Cathedral is the most spectacular building in Strasbourg, I would have to say that despite its size the Protestant Church of St-Pierre-le-Jeune is equally impressive. Its charm reads like an open book with...
Yesterday was another beautiful day for a hike along le sentier des douaniers. Again, I did about six kilometres on a trail near the one I did a few days ago close to Herqueville. This hike starts at the bottom of the D403 below Le Hameau Linnet. Walking...
Le Mont de Besneville is a hill 116 meters above sea level offering a breathtaking panorama of the countryside and the coast. This was the second stop on the trip I took with the AVF Cherbourg group on October 9th. There is a road leading to the summit...
April 10, 1912--My dear friend, Quentin, After a smooth crossing of the English Channel aboard the new White Star Titanic, I am already feeling quite anxious to explore this great wonder of our age. The maiden voyage of this great ship has just begun!...
Although I spent many years living in Tbilisi, I never took the time until now to make my own khinkali, traditional meat dumplings. I followed the recipe below and ended up with approximately 20 khinkali. I cooked ten for lunch and had the rest for dinner....
So yesterday I told you all about Pontmain and the apparition of the Virgin Mary which has brought it so much fame. What I failed to tell you was that was my first stop on my trip to the Mayenne last weekend. I had such a wonderful time—especially since...
In March of this year, my French teacher from Maison Pour Tous gave me some cuttings from her Christmas cactus. At the time, we were debating whether or not it should be called an Easter cactus. I think I can put that discussion to rest now that it has...
Looking out from my hotel window I could see one of Lyon’s most famous landmarks, the LCL-Tour Part Dieu, affectinaltly known as “Le Crayon” (the pencil), by most locals and tourists. It was the first skyscraper to be built in Lyon in 1977. It currently...
Monday, May 6, 2013 -- Ponte de Lima to Valença The path out of town was nice and fairly easy to follow but I still managed to get turned around several times—almost walking over a bridge that wasn't even in the guidebook before I realized that I was...
