Archive for November 13th, 2022

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November 13, 2022

Memories of Seraincourt !

The town of Seraincourt is located in the 95 department of Val-d’Oise in the Île-de-France region. It is located in the regional natural park of French Vexin. It borders the department of Yvelines (78) and close to the Seine valley, located 16 km from Pontoise, 40 km from Paris, and 71 km from Rouen. It is easily accessible from the former N14, current RD 14 which out of Paris is the A15 same road towards Rouen, Here we visited coming on the D43 Meulan en Yvelines to get from the A13 to the D14 road to Rouen,in my road warrior ways.

While passing we took the time to have some drinks and a break at the Le Relais du Vexin resto right at the intersection of the D43 and D205 roads, The reason of this memorable post with my Dad and dear late wife Martine in the picture,The Cergy-Pontoise tourist office on the Le Relais du Vexin: https://www.ot-cergypontoise.fr/fr/fiche/4832220/le-relais-du-vexin/

Seraincourt D43 et D205 le relais du vexin Pipo et MF Sept09

Some of the things to see here which living not far never had the inclination to visit sadly are:

Menhir of Gaillonnet, 3.16 meters high dating from the Neolithic period. The Saint-Sulpice Church of uncertain origin, and was served by Premonstratensian canons from 1175 to 1791. The City/Town hall, rue des Vallées (D 205): This Wood-clad pointed gable house was the jewelry pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exhibition. Dismantled and rebuilt, it was donated by Henri Blum, the mayor at the time. The 18C Château de Rueil, rebuilt by the Choppin de Seraincourt family in the 19C.  The Château de Seraincourt 3 rue du Château; 27 hectares of the Estate include an 18C castle overlooking a park, a pond and its fountain. The castle is the former home of Ninon de Lenclos and Pola Negri, silent film actress of the early 20C.Now it is a lodging and events for rent place.

The Golf de Seraincourt, Le Gaillonnet, Chemin de Dalibray, This is the best here I have been in it but not played and unfortunately no picture as when living in the area and no blog in those days pictures were scare, However, a super golf course with all facilities worth the detour for the fans. This explains it better ; The Val d’Oise dept 95 tourist office on the Golf at Seraincourt : https://www.ot-cergypontoise.fr/en/file/4806237/golf-de-seraincourt/

The town of Seraincourt and its heritage : https://www.seraincourt95.fr/mon-village/patrimoine/monuments/

There you go folks, another dandy spot in my road warrior world. Memories forever or as the saying goes to remember them is to live them again! Indeed. Hope you enjoy this small post on a nostalgic spot , Seraincourt!

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

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November 13, 2022

My little Portivy !!

I like to bring you back to my beautiful Morbihan in my lovely Bretagne of my belle France. I continue my road warrior tour in off the beaten path towns of my Morbihan. This time the interesting coastal village of the wild coast, Portivy. This is again an update of an older post that I find nice to do; hope you enjoy it as I.

Coming right along on the Côte Sauvage or wild coast in the Quiberon peninsula , we entered the town of St Pierre de Quiberon and find ourselves in the picturesque fishing district of Portivy.  We passed by here all the time for the nice coastal road and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and really need to walk the village more, However, will do an introduction now and more eventually.

It is the only boat shelter on the wild coast of the Quiberon peninsula. Portivy, in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon, is a marina and a village spirit. Very close to the fort of Penthièvre, the port of Portivy dates from 1880. Built on an old causeway, it was for a long time useful to the fishing boats which came to deliver sardines , then plentiful, to the nearby factory. The factory is no more, the sardine boats landed in Port-Maria and Portivy, today, only houses promenade fishing, sailboats, the zodiacs of the neighboring diving center and kayaks are here.  A little away from the main tourist flows of the Quiberon peninsula, with its coasters stranded at low tide and its pleasant seafront terraces. Notice to surfers, south of Portivy, at the start of the Côte Sauvage, the pretty little coves of Port-Blanc and Port-Bara, can be worthy of Hawaii, when the weather is in the right direction (not recommended for beginner surfers).

Quiberon cote sauvage start aug12

However, the one thing to come to see in Portivy and I should be back is the Notre-Dame-de-Lotivy Chapel , 11C, built on the site of a former oratory dedicated to Dewi (David), Saint of Wales. It is the chapel of a former Priory (Lotivy) of Sainte-Croix-de-Quimperlé abandoned from the 17C. Duke Hoel  and his wife Havoise donated their estate to the Abbaye Sainte-Croix in Quimperlé in 1069. The chapel was looted and burned by the English in 1746. It was rebuilt by Françoise Sonic around 1840-1844 (read below). The stalls, placed in the choir around the altar, date from the 19C. There is an ex-voto replica of a three-masted boat le Pierre Déarné dating from the 19C. The ND de Portivy Chapel consists of a single nave ending in a semicircular chancel. An annex building is attached to the nave. Access to the chapel is via the south side of the nave.

portivy-port-blanc-ch-chapelle-notre-dame-de-lotivy-back-jun17

On November 6, 1844, a humble and pious young girl, Marie-Françoise Sonic, who cared for her sick mother in Kerhostin (a district of St Pierre de Quiberon), decided one evening to go and say a prayer before a statue of the Virgin sheltered in an angle of the ruins of the old Chapel of Lotivy (district of Portivy). During her prayer she hears very distinctly a voice saying to her in Breton:  “my daughter, go and say to rebuild this Chapel in my name “. Very moved, returning to the village, she tells her adventure. At the same time, Abbé Pascal Le Toullec, a native of Quiberon, has, during a prayer, the haunting thought of rebuilding the Chapel of Lotivy. His project raises enthusiasm. He will take him to good since on September 8, 1845, the first pardon can be held in the reconstructed Chapel. The Chapel is dedicated to the Virgin but it preserves the small statue of St. Ivy. The Chapel is located on the route du Moulin in Portivy.

The Bay of Quiberon local tourist office on Saint Pierre de Quiberon/Portivy : https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/saint-pierre-quiberon

There you go folks ,another gems in my beautiful Morbihan dept 56! You are better off with a car ,especially on Portivy but all worth it I can assure you. Hope you enjoy the tour of my little Portivy in the Quiberon peninsula.

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

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November 13, 2022

More curiosities of Granville !!

Again looking at my vault of pictures found some not yet in my blog and they should , as my blog is my life’s history of all the places in our wonderful world I have been in alone , with family or with friends over the years. I have written before on Granville, but here are more curiosities of Granville !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Rue du Cap-Lihou is the extension of rue du Port. The intersection with Boulevard des Terre-Neuviers marks the transition from one street to another. This is the access road to the Haute Ville or Upper Town when coming from the port area. It goes around Pointe du Roc and ends at the Rond-Point des Français-Libres, opposite the lighthouse. The Promenade Marc-Châtaigner, and the rue du Cap-Lihou intersect, the latter is also the starting point of the Promenade du Roc.  About 450 meters long and a hundred meters wide, extend the ramparts of the Haute Ville or Upper Town of Granville. The Haute Ville is the historic site of Granville: it was the English who were behind its creation in the 15C. The construction and reconstruction of the fortifications will extend over several centuries, while urban development will take place towards the East: modest residences, private mansions, whose owners equip the boats for the Great Fishing in Newfoundland or for the racing wars, and which will notably make the prosperity of the city from the 16C to the 19C.

Some of the things to see here are :

The Maison du Guet or Watch House. This charming building is an integral part of the silhouette of the fortified city. It raises many questions with its medieval look and its turrets reminiscent of Hogwarts. It is in fact a private house of seaside architecture dating from the beginning of the 20C.

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At Place de l’Isthme square. It is divided into two parts separated by a ditch dating from the 19C. The Musée d’art moderne Richard Anacréon or Museum of Modern Art Richard Anacreon, once a convent then a school, is located on the western part of the square. The famous Tranchée aux Anglais, meanwhile, is visible from the eastern part, when you come to tickle the arrows of the Casino,

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The Cap Lihou cape forms with the Pointe du Roc, the western end of Granville. Since 1826, the lighthouse built here has undergone very few modifications since its construction. The nazis, during WWII, camouflaged it with green paint. They had also built some fortifications, remnants of the “Atlantic Wall”, still visible today. A path runs the whole of the cape from the port to the old town. Some things to see here are the Lighthouse of Cape Lihou (see post) located on the Pointe du Roc at 34 meters above the highest seas, and the Notre-Dame Church of Cape Lihou  (see post), according to legend, sailors found in 1113 a statue of the Virgin in their nets. It was then decided to name Our Lady of Cape Lihou. This makes it the oldest place of worship in Normandie!. The famous fashion designer Christian Dior was baptised in this Church in 1908.

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The City of Granville on the Upper Town or Haute Ville : https://www.ville-granville.fr/a-voir-a-faire-a-granville/patrimoine/haute-ville/

The Granville tourist office on the walks in the Upper Town of Haute Ville : https://www.tourisme-granville-terre-mer.com/decouvrir/nos-incontournables/la-haute-ville-balade-autour-des-remparts-de-granville

There you go folks, another dandy tour which can be done on foot of Granville by the bay of Mont Saint Michel, gorgeous countryside of my belle France. Again, hope you enjoy the tour and see you soon by Granville.

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

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