Exploring history in London & abroad with my camera
I loved walking in the streets of the old city of Léon but I also wanted to see some of the contemporary architecture. Sadly the Museum of Contemporary Art was closed for renovation but we could at least enjoy the exterior. There was a service in the Church of San Marcos so photography, or even…
Port St Louis is situated at the mouth of the River Blavet and the port and the city of Lorient on the opposite bank of the river are all about trade. The Atlantic Ocean at Port St Louis Lorient, opposite Port St Louis …
Read More "Port St Louis – defence & trade on the River Blavet"
The Path of the Megaliths is a very interesting route and walk no.1 in the 'Randonnées dans Pays d'Auray' published by the Auray/Quiberon Tourist Board. We parked at the Alignements de Kerzerho and followed a circuit of c.11 kms on a broad track through magical forests where at places the atmosphere and a sense of…
We walked into the Place de la Republique in Auray to find the market in full swing - there were stalls and people in the main square, the surrounding squares and streets, and in the covered market. People were selling food, clothing, and crafts everywhere! The Church of St Gildas, built on…
We had walked on the Pointe de Listoir and afterwards decided to follow the rivers to the sea so visited the small town of Etel on the river estuary. The settlement gained its independence as a town in 1850 and in the 19C made its money from fishing, particularly sardines, with twelve factories canning the…
The Tourist Board of Auray-Quiberon published a marvellous packet of walks explained on double-sided cards - map on one side and text on the other - 'Randonnées an Pays d'Auray', but one can no longer buy it. Why not? Fortunately the gîte had a copy and during our week between Landevant and Pluvigner we followed…
Nantes has a wonderful Arts Museum, just beyond the Ducal Palace and in the middle of the old town. We visited twice in two days! The building, on two floors, is beautiful I loved the paintings by Paul Lazerges (1845-1902) Paul Lazerges, 'Caravan near Biskra, Algeria', 1892 …
Nantes was a powerful and prosperous city in which religion was important, as is evidenced by the many substantial and beautiful churches in addition to the Cathedral. I wasn't visiting the town in order to see the churches but it was difficult to avoid them! The first building on this site was a Chapel which…
The Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul in Nantes is built on the site of an earlier, Romanesque church and began building in 1434, taking nearly 500 years to complete. It is an extraordinarily beautiful and peaceful building, with no sign today of the severe bomb damage in WWII or the devastating fire in…
