Archive for June 13th, 2020

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June 13, 2020

Grande Plage, Part II, Quiberon!

Well the season is almost here and time to finally get out of the house. I have come back to my watering hole of many years now, the Grande Plage or big beach of Quiberon in the tip of the Quiberon peninsula about 35 minutes from home normal traffic as in the middle of the Summer season it can get to one hour.

quiberon

Of course , I have written several posts on it but all briefly mentioned in overall posts; this time I giving it the credit it deserves with a single post; the Grande Plage is it! Love it!!!Without trees it can match any similar beach in the world, and I know about beaches!

quiberon

The Grande Plage ,900 meters of fine white sand! This beach, in the heart of the resort town of Quiberon, is accessible to all and has a parking for bicycles, a carpet and an armchair hipocampe for people with reduced mobility. In summer it offers a kids’ club and aeach bar. For your safety this beach is supervised in the summer and has a first aid station; showers and toilets. We do enjoy the Grande plage or big beach, the center of it all here. It has kiddies areas, and grownups. Large beach with white sandy sands and wide enough to play games. This is our favorite as it comes with easy parking, great eating/drinking places and very nice people watch site!

quiberon grande plage to sea jun20

You, also, have a Fisher’s Club here! A wonderful concept of bistro on the beach which at the Grande Plage sits right on the beach! I mean right on the sand! litterally you can tan go to for a dip and come back for a nice glass of Champagne and oysters!!! la classe!!! And of course, it is our favorite when by the beach. They are just getting started again after the virus closing but looking forward to another great beach bum season lol!

The Fisher club ,see Quiberon: Le Fisher club see Quiberon

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Another of our all time favorite right on the entrance to the Grande Plage, I mean just dipping your feet in sand and come for delicious ice cream, chichis (churros) and Italian ices you name it several flavors to choose from and different sizes too.  This is the Quai des Glaces or ice cream quay. My boys love them and now with milkshakes! like bubble gum and Schrumpt flavors!! of course I had my usual coconut and chocolate……

The Facebook page of the Quai des Glaces Quiberon: Facebook page of the Quai des Glaces Quiberon

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Overall a great time all day with the boys and is beginning to be filled, very popular not only with locals but Europeans especially Germans, British, Irish, Italians, Spanish, Dutch etc. I met a German couple who have been coming here for the last 20 years!!!

However, as usual, some webpages I think will be useful to have in one spot to plan your visit here and it is highly recommended.

My favorite plages tv site on the Grande Plage of Quiberon in English: Plages tv on the Grande Plage de Quiberon

The viewsurf webcam on the Grande Plage of Quiberon in French: Viewsurf on the Grande Plage of Quiberon

As I have written in plenty of posts on the Grande Plage I will stop here and post the newer photos from this week. Hope you enjoy it and do come, a perfect place for a meetup!

and remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!

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June 13, 2020

The market of Quiberon, part II

Ok so let’s talk about on another of our pastimes in the area and elsewhere. The markets are it for the very best of my belle France. As the culinary par excellence country of the world, France ,also has several layers of quality. All is mentioned like the AOC wines folks with colors and labels and regions. The supermarkets can cheat bringing products from all over the world, but in the marchés or markets you get local and at most regional products, the very best in my opinion.

quiberon

We go to all of them while traveling, even when I go on business I walk the beat just to get the feeling or a delicious fruit to bring back to the hotel , always fascinating. If you want to get the feeling of the place and speak French ,you will know it all , the merchants here are experts on the local scenery! This is no different in our fav Quiberon! in the Morbihan dept 56 of our lovely Bretagne and my belle France!

quiberon

I mentioned before we live just up north from the coast and beaches of the Morbihan ,a very nice area where we can be there in 35 minutes in normal period and up to an hour in Summer vacation times. Let me tell you a bit more part II as they are others on the market of Quiberon.

quiberon

Every day in the morning, fishermen from Quiberon offer their fish and seafood products on Place du Varquez, near the Grande Plage main entrance off Place Hoche, Quiberon. You can’t get any fresher than this! As for the market, it takes place every Saturday morning in this same square and offers seasonal products, regional and artisanal specialties. Hours Saturdays from 8h to 13h right on the parking of Place du Varquez.

quiberon

There were the traditional local flagship tourist items and slate wooden boats ;painted sea sweaters … of all sizes! raincoats for the 3 or 4 days of annual rain..! a sea air from the windows of the crepe makers! substantial part of the Houat Lobster ,spider crabs and Quiberon sardines .There were also vendors of andouille sausages. fruits and vegetables in abundance , the local corner vegetables and apples and salted butter and some sweets, fars (sort of puddings), galettes or kouign amann. Of course, we always do some shopping!!!

quiberon

There are a couple other nice markets but we prefer the one at Place du Varquez, around Place Hoche, and the Grande Plage. As above.

For info these are the other two in Quiberon. Port Haliguen on Wednesdays from 8h to 13h and only from June 17 to September 16. And Boulevard Chanard , facing the sea by the Grande Plage every evening from 20h and only from July 4 to August 30.

The general webpage for things to see in Quiberon from the Morbihan dept 56 tourist office in English are: Morbihan tourist office on things to see in Quiberon

The ones to see in Quiberon from the Bay of Quiberon local tourist office in English: Bay of Quiberon on things to see in Quiberon

And there you go folks , another wonderful beach day of shopping in the wonderful marché de Quiberon, Saturday morning with glorious sunshine. Enjoy the shopping at Quiberon!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

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June 13, 2020

Place Hoche, Quiberon!

Well this is a beach town and have plenty written on it in my blog. However, seldom we seek a street, square to reconcile with the sunshine and just enjoy our days. Well, this is for us stop no 1 at Quiberon before the beach, of course.

We parked always nearby coming early at Parking Varquez, just before the closing of the Saturday market. And once settle down we walk the beat, all over the city center and the sea boulevard ,however, we end up at the Place Hoche, more like an esplanade really but officially a square Hoche. You have plenty to choose from all around as well as a wonderful promenade boulevard facing the beach and plenty of goodies.

The air of the big beach or Grande Plage (see posts) is cooling you off while you stroll this square full of shops and especially places to eat and drink. We have tried them all! However, our favorite and a great friend by now is the L’Esplanade Café right on Place Hoche just behind it is Rue de Verdun.

quiberon

Here, you have Remy the owner, always pleasant helpful talkative and the drinks and snacks just great for a wonderful afternoon. Later on in the evening they stay open until 2-3 AM and the crowds gets more lively. We go with the family so we stay to go in the afternoons more quiet and more time to talk.

You can drink the famous Belzubeth 8,5% beers (we love it) as well as the St Omer premium drafts and La Goudale ! (second choice). Always with a very friendly and nice ambiance.

quiberon

There is a nice little train or petit train that stops at the Place Hoche, and if it is your first time here ,it is worth taken to see it all. And not forget the grand statue to General Hoche, native of Versailles and pacififer of the wars of the west or chouans against the French revolution until 1815!

quiberon

quiberon

Finally, from the square or Place Hoche, you can see clearly straight ahead the wonderful Grande Plage , always calling you for the water!

quiberon

One for the road from the Bay of Quiberon tourist office (mine too) on must see in Quiberon in English: Bay of Quiberon on Quiberon must see

In all Quiberon is nice , family friendly and just clean and beautiful as a peninsula should be, the Presqu’ïle de Quiberon has its ending here at Quiberon. Enjoy it as we do!!

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

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June 13, 2020

Place de la Nation, Paris!!

So in closing on this again series of streets of my eternal Paris , I come back to you with a dandy but hardly ever gone by. I had one of my bosses in Paris lived by there, and curiosity took me by a while back, took one picture and left. As we are coming to the end of the closings due to the virus I thought provoking to put this post now.

Let me tell you a bit more on the Place de la Nation in Paris.

The Place de la Nation, formerly Place du Trône, then Place du Trône-Renversé, is located on the border of the 11éme and 12éme arrondissements of Paris. This square is located on the road from Paris to Vincennes. There is a nice music kiosk by the bd Diderot side. The square is served by lines 1, 2, 6 and 9 of the Paris metro at Nation station, by RER A station, as well as by bus lines 26, 56, 57, 71, 86, 215 and 351 of the network by RATP, and at night by line N11 of the Noctilien bus network.

paris

If we look clockwise starting with avenue du Trône (from where i was coming from) between the two columns you can count or see the avenue du Trône continuing as far as the Porte de Vincennes via the Cours de Vincennes; avenue du Bel-Air; rue Fabre-d’Églantine; rue Jaucourt; avenue Dorian; boulevard Diderot; rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, leading to Place de la Bastille; Boulevard Voltaire leading to Place de la République, passing through the city/town hall of the 11éme arrondissement; avenue Philippe-Auguste leading to the Père-Lachaise cemetery; the rue de Tunis; avenue de Bouvines; and Avenue Taillebourg.

A bit of history I like

This vast space, which extended into vineyards and market gardens to the enclosure and walls of the gardens of the old village of Pique-Puce occupied by convents, educational or retirement homes, is at origin of the square. A throne was installed on this space on August 26, 1660 for the solemn entry into Paris of Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse of Austria, (Hapsburgs Infanta of Spain and Portugal, Archduchess of Austria and, when she married Louis XIV, Queen Consort of France and Navarra from 1660 until her death in 1683)   returning from their marriage in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, hence its first name of Place du Trône.

In 1787, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux erected two columns to frame the granting barrier of the wall of the General Farmers and the entrance to the Cours de Vincennes. They were not yet surmounted by statues of Philippe Auguste and Saint Louis which were added only in 1845.

After August 10, 1792, the place was renamed Place du Trône-Renversé or renverse throne square. It was still just a vacant lot. It is in the southern part, the most shaded, near the right pavilion built by Ledoux, that the guillotine is erected on June 13, 1794 with an average of 30 executions per day. The remains were thrown into two mass graves in the Picpus cemetery. Among the guillotined personalities, I notice the Carmelites of Compiègne, on July 17, 1794.

The place takes the current name of Place de la Nation on the occasion of the national holiday of July 14, 1880, under the French Third Republic. Which brings up the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (liberty, equality,and fraternity) on the pediments of all French public institutions. The central monument, Le Triomphe de la République is a bronze group commissioned in 1879 by the city of Paris. It was the subject of two inaugurations, one in 1889 for the centenary of the French revolution in a painted plaster version, then in 1899 for its final version in bronze. The Republic, at the top of a chariot drawn by two lions, is framed by various allegorical figures: the Genie of Liberty who guides the chariot, the Work symbolized by a blacksmith who pushes the chariot, helped by the allegory of Justice, finally the Abundance which closes the procession by sowing fruit symbols of prosperity. Children accompany or assist the main figures. The preserved central statue is turned towards the Place de la Bastille, thus creating a republican axis frequently used for popular demonstrations.

Lately, under the Mayor of Paris ideas the Place de la Nation has undergone great changes to reduce the flow of traffic in order to revise the sharing of public space hitherto essentially devoted to traffic (the central ring going from 26 to 12 meters) in order to increase the spaces intended for pedestrians, cyclists, green spaces and on the terraces. Another pet project to increase traffic as the number of cars remains the same.

More on the Place de la Nation from the Paris tourist office in English here: Paris tourist office on the Place de la Nation

And there you go folks, another dandy gem in my eternal Paris. Always great architecture and history all over the city and much more to be found, stay tune. the Place de la Nation should be great at night with its restaurants bars around it and great looks.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

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