And on my black and white series saga this time I take you to La Rochelle. Again, the pictures are on the individual posts on the sights, this is an update, revision of an older post of my first visit. Hope you are enjoying these book type reviews of my belle France!
Wonderful energetic vibrant lively town, I have passed by it and been in it briefly several times and as usual the family comes after. My oldest son studied here in the restaurant/hôtels business and he love it too . We arrive by car of course, driving past Nantes on the A83 going down and then driving by the D937/949/746/165 back for free via La Roche sur Yon, Nantes and home ground. Plenty of parking by the Place de Verdun and the Vieux Port parking areas, and a nice park and relay by Jean Moulin at city entrance.
Oh yes we booked an appart hotel one room all the family, great, at the wonderfully renovated sparkling new clean nice all aboard Odalys Appart’Hotel Archipel at 27 rue de la Huguenotte in the Ville en Bois district. webpage: http://www.odalys-vacation-rental.com/beach-holidays-france/poitou-charentes/la-rochelle/archipel.html
The appart hotel Odalys was just around the corner of two museum , the automates and the reduits, and you see in the Automates museum figurines of old publicity periods in working order and they move, they sing etc. You are thrown back to another era with walks by Montmartre. We got out into the Reduits museum this one is of scale models of boats, like the Titanic, the trains, the planes, the cars and motocycles, very nice indeed as it relates more to our adult life. Webpage for both here: https://museeslarochelle.com/index.php?resultat=automates/automates.php
La Rochelle was wonderful on our first full day there, and the second day was no exception if better. We had out on a tour of the town again, and again, we walk all over, wonderful town full of old wooden houses, and old historial buildings even now used as concert hall like the Oratory or Oratoire where Richelieu gave the first Catholic Mass after taking the town back from the Protestants. We did enjoy the rock scene at the Christmas market by the cours des dames near the vieux port.
We had plans to visit the aquarium as my boys love them, so we hit that first right off opening time at 10h (10am). We walk into the main section where an elevator takes you down to the Atlantic cell, then more Mediterranean, Oceanique, to the amphitheater , and up again by walkways (there are elevators too) ; you see the corals, the indo pacific ocean, the lagoon, the Caribbean the sharks, go around the cornish and the tropical jungle, then out back out to the boutique and restaurant on the top floor with great views of the old harbor or vieux port. The site tells you 2 hours are ok but we took 2h30 to see it all. webpage: https://www.aquarium-larochelle.com/en
Another nice museum is the naval museum or musée Maritime ,this is a wonderful home grown museum that shows the sea life in this area typical of the region and France. The sea is everywhere,and this is a seafarer town par excellence! Since its inception in 1988, the Maritime museum of La Rochelle or Musée Maritime gathered a fleet of 8 ships such as the meteorological frigate France I, the trawler Augoumois, the tug Saint Gilles, the classic trawler, Manuel Joël, Joshua, Bernard Moitessier, the SNSM Commander Leverger , the canoe Ketch, the dredger TD6, and Duperré, and the major canoe Star. La Rochelle Naval Museum has developed on its quays a reception policy of classic yachts whose owners are committed to sail and race. The project of restoration of the Slipway will complement this dynamic and will give La Rochelle of a tool suitable for the restoration, maintenance of the boats. Just great history for the whole family!!! webpage: https://museemaritime.larochelle.fr/
We continue to walk, and walk is really a walker paradise of quaint old streets and historical buildings. We walked by the tour de la chaine, tour de St Nicolas, and the scaffold tour de la lanterne ,the great Grosse Horloge at the vieux port,and the halles or market.
And of course the Cathedral St Pierre, and the Church of Saint Sauveur were nice, and a stop by the train station or Gare de La Rochelle, why not! We do the train here too, you know, its not like all my friends think I drive all over, well most places, I do take the trains sometimes, not too many times…we do preferred the car/auto!!
And of course , between all we had time to eat and shop at La Rochelle!
We had some sweets ,snacks at places like the La Panitiére, and La mie Caline bakery. Finally, we sat for a formal dinner at Quai 22 restaurant, 22, Quai Duperré( sadly by now has closed and its place there is now The Jolly Sailor) This was like a metal boat with several floors and the funny anecdote was to find rest room or toilette hahaha. I got me into the women side, lol!! oh well, those darn beers again; nothing major, the ladies behave lol! The fish and chips was excellent too the best I had in France, so far.
And of course, some ice creams at D’Jolly, oh yes in zero temps C° !!! and chocolates at l’Atelier du chocolat. And the boulangerie chain Roger Sicard, the boys tea atInfini Thé, the works!!!
Of course, they saw Micromania and video games galore! The walk inside the covered market or Halles, the ramparts and the beach or plage de la concurrence. Oh well what a day and night; all wonderful!
In all it was a pleasant visit to La Rochelle ,and now that we know it better, another spot in our favorites map, and one to consider coming back. You too will be enchanted by this seafarer town of La Rochelle.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 