Archive for November 21st, 2022

November 21, 2022

Curiosities of Landerneau !

This is going deep in Finistére dept 29 of my lovely Bretagne. Always looking for new spots in France we came to Landerneau! I found me some pictures not in my blog so therefore, here is a new post , text and older pictures new to my blog. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

A historical spot in Landerneau is the Auberge Notre-Dame de Rumengol inn , Built in Renaissance style in 1668, this house is a former inn on the pilgrimage route of Notre-Dame de Rumengol. The statue of Our Lady of Rumengol, in Kersanton stone, was once painted. The bottom of the niche, depicting a shell, is the most symbolic decorative element of the Renaissance. This private house located at 3 rue Saint-Thomas was once an inn on the way for pilgrims to one of the oldest pilgrimages in Brittany: the Grand Pardon to Notre-Dame de Tout Remède in Rumengol. It was called Notre-Dame de Rumengol house, of course because of its kersantite statue, once painted and adorned with 2 lanterns installed on the corner of the building. This statue represents the limit between the bishopric of Léon, to the north, and that of Cornouaille, to the south. The house is topped with a cornice with modillions and surmounted by a Louis XIII style skylight overlooking the Place Poul ar Stang square, a marvel of architecture indeed, worth the look.

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The Pont de Rohan is an inhabited bridge crossing the Élorn river in the center of Landerneau. It is one of the oldest of the 19 bridges built in Europe. Built in 1510 at the bottom of the aber which served as a port, it has the additional originality of undergoing the tide and separating fresh water from brackish water. The 67 meters that make up a section of the rue du Pont connect the Quai de Léon to the north and the Quai de Cornouaille to the south. The bridge has five arches. A first arch connects the latter to a small island over a channel which serves as a weir and rises towards the bed of the river after drawing a bend. A dyke consolidates the north shore of this second islet and extends downstream until after an invisible erasure dam at high tide. From here three arches cross what is the main branch of the Elorn river downstream of another erasure dam.

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This first bridge was rebuilt in 1510 by Viscount Jean II de Rohan, Lord of Léon. The work originally included two shops, a mill and a prison, It was in the 17C that the bridge was decorated with small houses , In 1760, the toll was abolished. The burden of maintenance returning to the distant governor of the province, the bridge was deteriorating. In 1825, the mill, which took advantage of the current of the Elorn river, was destroyed by fire. It will be completely razed in 1897. During the Nazi occupation, the Wehrmacht doubled it as a wooden bridge. This was replaced in 1958 by a concrete bridge, which relieved the old Rohan bridge of road traffic to which it was absolutely unsuitable.

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The town of Landerneau on its heritage/historyhttps://www.landerneau.bzh/un-peu-dhistoire-2/

The local Landerneau-Daoulas tourist office on the Rohan bridge of Landerneauhttps://www.tourisme-landerneau-daoulas.fr/decouvrir/actualites/pont-habite-de-landerneau-lun-des-seuls-en-france-4727

There you go folks, another dandy combination of my lovely Bretagne. You will love it in Landerneau and the Notre Dame de Rumengol and Pont de Rohan are worth the detour indeed! Again , hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

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November 21, 2022

I bring you back to La Roche Maurice !!

Let me take you to another wonderful off the beaten path site in my lovely Bretagne. However, the locals know it well and we love it even the market.  I have enjoyed the visits to La Roche Maurice in the Finistére dept 29, and I am amazed of the monuments of great architecture and historical value here. Let me update this older post on the Church Parroquial enclosure of St Yves, and the Château in La Roche Maurice. Of course, I have other posts on these but this post will be with additional new pictures in my blog, Hope you enjoy it as I.

The parish enclosure of La Roche Maurice consists of a modest Calvary but an ossuary and a church remarkably characteristic of the Leonardo Renaissance. I am translating from the City page on both as already plenty of history from my library in other posts.

First, the Calvary is formed by three crosses representing the crucified Christ surrounded by two thieves in Henry II costume. The current parish church has replaced a 14C medieval chapel dedicated to Saint-Yves . It was built in the 16C. It was first the trevial ​​church of Ploudiry until 1791. The Rohans ceded the land for free and paid numerous subsidies to help rebuild the church, which lasted nearly half a century. Indeed, the stained glass window in the apse dates from 1589; the south portal would be from 1550, the bell tower, 60 meters high, would be from 1589. It is characteristic of the Leonardo Renaissance with its double gallery and its double chamber of bells. The south portal consists of two twin doors, framed by a Flamboyant Renaissance arcade, in which are nestled the twelve apostles. The stained glass window represents in twenty-one paintings the essential scenes of the passion of Christ. The tympanum is divided into fourteen bellows with the coats of arms of the Rohans and their allies. The work was influenced by Flemish art. Made in 1539, the stained glass was removed and cleaned in 1715; the coat of arms broken during the French revolution was repaired in 1870. Revised in 1937, it was removed and saved from Nazis looting in 1942. It was reassembled from July 11 to 20, 1950 after being stored in Valy-Névez. It is framed on the left by the statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours and on the right by the polychrome group of Saint-Yves between the rich and the poor.

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The rood screen of La Roche Maurice is one of the most beautiful in Brittany. Executed around 1570-1580, in polychrome sculpted oak, it looks like a bridge connecting the two large piers that delimited the choir. This gallery is accessed by a staircase in the right pier. On panels of the gallery, many characters: on the side of the heart, twelve statues in low relief; on the side of the nave, twelve other statues in the round. Above the rood screen stands Christ on the cross, surrounded by the Virgin and Saint John, The external ossuary is a success of the Leonardo Renaissance. The base of this side façade bears a gallery of seven characters, some of which were hammered during the French revolution, symbolizing the various social categories dependent on death, represented at the corner of the southern buttress by a skeleton (the ankou) brandishing a dart and proclaiming: “I kill you all”. At the door of the south gable, we also find another Latin inscription, dated 1640: “Remember, man, that you are only dust”.

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The city of La Roche Maurice on the parroquial enclosure: https://larochemaurice.fr/leglise-saint-yves-et-lenclos-paroissial/

The local Landerneau-Daoulas tourist office on the parroquial enclosure : https://www.tourisme-landerneau-daoulas.fr/sortir-bouger/activites-culturelles-et-patrimoine/patrimoine-culturel/enclos-paroissial-de-la-roche-maurice-5072

The Château de Roc’h Morvan clinging to its rocky outcrop overlooking the Elorn river by 70 meters: it was in the 11C that the viscount of Cornouaille, Morvan, erected it for its strategic defensive position. The medieval castle then passed into the hands of the family of the viscounts of Léon, then that of Rohan, before serving as a prison. It even becomes a quarry for the reconstruction of the town! Find out more about the site at the Heritage House, located at the foot of the castle. You will find some objects from the excavations. Interpretation panels are also installed to guide you in the discovery of this monument with a square dungeon that few buildings of this type have preserved in Brittany.

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The City of La Roche Maurice on the castlehttps://larochemaurice.fr/chateau/

The local Landerneau Daoulas tourist office on the Roc’h Morvan castle https://www.tourisme-landerneau-daoulas.fr/sortir-bouger/activites-culturelles-et-patrimoine/patrimoine-culturel/le-chateau-de-roch-morvan-un-site-fortifie-tout-en-hauteur-6941

And of course, left out from previous posts on La Roche Maurice but we need to eat and so we did grandly at the Auberge du Vieux Château,Rare but will include this personal picture here for reference to the restaurant, It is me and my oldest son, For generations, families from Landerneau and the surrounding area have flocked to the table at the Auberge du Vieux Château, Sadly , I read in local newspaper ,the owners of 33 years are retiring tired of the pandemic covid and the resto is for sale, This was a memorable lunch,indeed. To be continue…

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The official Auberge du Vieux Châteauhttp://aubergeduvieuxchateau.fr/

The RestaurantGuru reviews on the Auberge du Vieux Château: https://restaurantguru.com/Auberge-du-Vieux-Chateau-La-Roche-Maurice

There you go folks, another dandy in my lovely Bretagne. These are great architecture and history of the medieval period with nice views , worth the detour to La Roche Maurice to see the Château de Roc’h Morvan and the Church Parroquial Enclosure of St Yves. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

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

November 21, 2022

Curiosities of Josselin and Loudéac !!

Going just north of me ,I like to update this older post on pretty Loudéac in pretty Côtes d’Armor dept 22, and awesome Josselin in my beautiful Morbihan dept 56, both in my lovely Bretagne.  We have been to Josselin before that we enjoyed very much; we had time so we ,also,visited Loudéac! I l will post on the tales of two wonderful towns of my lovely Bretagne!

Josselin  has a thousand years of history and home of the noble family of the Rohan.  It is just about 45 km from my house and easy to get there on the road D768.  We headed for Josselin, and found easy parking at the Place d’Alzey right by the Hôtel de Ville or mayor’s office and behind the great Basilica. We did visited the usual wonderful buildings of the City with posts in my blog, such as the Basilica Notre Dame du Roncier, and the Castle of the Rohan, (see posts) as well as the new look at the Chapelle de la Congrégation as it is more popular known today. 

We did had time of course to eat and shop here always lovely. We re visit the Le Guethenoc restaurant ,11 Place Notre Dame, just facing the side of the Basilica Notre Dame du Roncier. It is our central place for eating here, and we had  pizza guethenoc, omelette jambon fromage, tagliatelles bolognaise, hamburger Rital ,omelette italienne, drinks for Leffe beers and expresso coffees all for less than 16€ per person, nice in a wooden house, very good nice service, and good local food (my sons going in on pic). The official Le Guethenoc:  http://www.restaurant-guethenoc.fr/

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We, also, did some shopping as usual across from the restaurant and in front of the Basilica at the Le Feu d’Or souvenir store. Loaded with Breton motifs in celtic décor and this time my sons went for the rings with Celtic dragons motifs. 20€ silver. You will find almost…everything here to take home too! City of Josselin on Le Feu d’Orhttps://www.josselin.com/professionnels/le-feu-dor/

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As we finished too early to get back home, I decided to show my family one of my old business haunts in my Brittany, and we headed for Loudéac, along the D778, this is Gallo language territory not Breton. We came back for more later on and have several posts on it; for now was just an introduction.

The main rue de Notre Dame is a nice artery with plenty of shops and restos, as well as a rather nice Hôtel de Ville or city/town hall with a bell on top. This is Loudéac, my business trips took me here and stayed at the very nice Hôtel des Voyageurs ,part of the local Brit chain of very good local classic hotels. This one is recommended and the restaurant is nice too as well as underground parking! It gives you a good central location to see inland Brittany very nicely.

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The city of Josselin on its heritage:https://www.josselin.com/decouvrir/josselin-et-son-patrimoine/

The Broceliande local tourist office on Josselin: https://www.broceliande-vacances.com/en/discover/our-must-haves/the-canal-from-nantes-to-brest/the-towns-and-villages-along-the-canal/josselin-a-thousand-year-old-city/

The city of Loudéac on its heritage/historyhttps://www.ville-loudeac.fr/listes/histoire-et-patrimoine/

The Côtes d’Armor dept 22 tourist office on Loudéac: https://www.cotesdarmor.com/a-voir-a-faire/patrimoine/villes-et-villages-classes/les-autres-villes-et-villages/loudeac/

There you go folks, a nice road warrior trip with the family. And we came home zipping along the D700 then the D768 ,to our home and comfy with goodies to eat and drink and thinking where to go next lol! Hope you enjoy the post and the combination of Josselin and Loudéac, as I.

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

November 21, 2022

Parc Asterix, le French park !!!

As I was on themes park visiting again, I remember this memorable park we came with the family upon arriving in France, OF course, we came back a couple times more early on and then went away into the Morbihan breton, I like to update this older post with new text and using the old pictures, Bear with me and hope you enjoy it as I,

Let me tell you about the Parc Asterix, le French park !!! The quiensentional French attractions park. There are many themes parks in France but this one is as much French as any, therefore, if you come to France for all French  ,then you need to bring your children here, period. I know I took mine earlier, tiny kids of about 10-12 years old and they love it so much still today young men they still remember fondly of their visits here with Mom and Dad.  At the more French parc Asterix , a tourist complex including a theme park and now three hotels opened on 30 April 1989. The theme park is dedicated to the world of comics from Uderzo and Goscinny, and  it is located in Plailly, Oise, dept 60 about 30 km from Paris. It is not open all year, need to check their schedules online.

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I like to tell you a bit about their history as I like it,

From 1981, Albert Uderzo, after visiting Disneyland in California, imagines a project of an amusement park on the theme of Asterix. The summer of 1987 marks the beginning of the construction of the park ,the location is chosen among other things , because of its network of communications such as the nearby Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport at only 10 km away, a private interchange connects the park to the A1 highway and a shuttle service makes the junction with a metro line.

The 22-hectare amusement park is completed in 1989 with five thematic areas: Via Antiqua, the village of Asterix, the Rue de Paris, the Great Lake and the Roman city. In 1993, Great European Theme Parks was founded in response to the arrival of Euro Disneyland. Its members were Europa-Park, Alton Towers, Parc Asterix, Efteling and Liseberg. By 1994, it was already profitable, and in the same year, Parc Asterix SA was introduced to the Second market of the Paris Stock Exchange. In 1998,it bought the Grand aquarium Saint-Malo .In 1999, it merged with the Grévin-France Miniature Museum Group. The company then becomes Grévin & Compagnie SA. This year, 1999   the 3-Hiboux (owl) hotel with a capacity of 100 rooms is inaugurated in July. The Hotel des 3 Hiboux added in 2017 50 additional rooms to reach the number of 150. In addition, a convention and seminar center is in addition to the availability offered by the park. In june 2002 , the Compagnie des Alpes acquired Grévin & Cie via a takeover bid and created CDA Parks (Compagnie des Alpes ) ; in turn control by Caisse des Dépôts since same year, It now counting 12 parks and the current owners. Webpage : https://www.compagniedesalpes.com/en

There have been some innovations such as the “Lutèce Plage” or lutecia beach event which consists of a beach and entertainment on the shores of the Grand Lac in summer. Another event celebrating Halloween during the event “Fear on Parc Astérix” ,The new Attention Menhir !, , A new system named Filotomatix, a time slot reservation service is launched.

Today, the Parc Asterix park is officially composed of six universes, which are:

Via antiqua : This part allows access to the heart of the park. The public can find all the traditional services there, such as information points and cash desks. The “street” also contains many shops and food outlets such as the croissant de Diane, the large market of Lutèce, the Gallic galleries, the bonbon palace, at Rahazade, Numérobis, Gravedanlonix or even Le Bon Légionnaire. It is decorated according to the lands traveled in The Adventures of Asterix such as Belgium Gaul, Germany, Rome, India, Helvetia and Egypt. Lutèce can be recognized in various places. The attentive observer sees the Bocca della Verità, the Manneken-Pis, a Swiss cuckoo clock and the Nemean lion.

The Roman Empire: It presents itself as entirely decorated on the theme of the Roman Empire. True to the cartoon, the public will find humorous signs and inscriptions, including a sign pointing to Rome in all directions, in accordance with the proverb “All roads lead to Rome”. This district offers five attractions and one show: Romus and Rapidus: a Rapid river on board large buoys; Les Espions de César: aerial circuit where passengers board small, slow-moving vehicles, formerly equipped with pedals to increase their speed; Le Carrousel de César: carousel on the theme of the main comic book characters ; The Little Train: Children’s Train ; Caesar’s Challenge: Mad House on the Recruitment of the Roman Legion ; Gaulois-Romains: le match: show taking place in the 940-seat Roman arena located at the exit of Via Antiqua.

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The Ancient Greece: The village was previously included in the Grand Lac district. Entirely dedicated to the theme of the Hellenic world and its mythology, it illustrates the humorous style famous in comics by Uderzo and Goscinny.Seven attractions and one show are located in this area:The Trojan Horse: a flying carpet-type attraction, The Flight of Icarus: roller coaster on the theme of the flight and then the fall of Daedalus’ son;The River of Elis: peaceful journey aboard small buoys in the typical Greek gardens in reference to Elis ; the Lernaean Hydra: octopus-like attraction in the image of the Lernaean Hydra; Tonnerre 2 Zeus: wooden roller coaster with a height of thirty-three meters and a speed of around 90 km/h ; Discobelix: Ancient Olympic Games-themed Disk’O Coaster attraction; Pegasus Express: Launched Roller Coaster , with the specialty of going back halfway; The Poseidon Theater It was named dolphinarium before the district became a clean zone it is redesigned and reopens in 2022 to offer Les Plongeons de l’Olympe, a diving show performed by athletes,

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The Vikings : The theme district is home to six attractions: La Galère: rocking boat type attraction; L’Escadrille des aces: merry-go-round of small planes ; The Mini Carrousel: carousel for toddlers ; Les Petits Drakkars: merry-go-round of small boats;Les Petites Chaises volantes: merry-go-round of flying chairs reserved for children ; Goudurix: metal roller coaster. Long holders of the European record for inversions with 7 elements, Aerolaf: Aerobar This bar which rises along a thirty-five meter tower is not considered an attraction. It is operated by a company external to Parc Astérix, the latter receiving remuneration from said company.

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A travers le temps (Through time): Illustrating Paris, the first part of this universe focuses on the life of the Middle Ages and its knights. The area then evolves, moving from the Middle Ages to the 17C and 18C. It is within this zone that the majority of special events take place during the Halloween period. The visitor finds five attractions and three shows: Les Chevaux du roy: carousel similar to its Roman Empire counterpart, but oriented to a medieval theme ; National 7: circuit of clunkers through a small countryside evoking the blue route During the seasons of Peur sur le Parc,(Halloween) the course is redesigned and renamed Le Chemin des Sorciers;The Flying Chairs Carousel; The Oxygenarium: descent of buoys in a large slide. The script is summarized as follows: “Ferdinand de Teffélé, on the occasion of the Paris Invention Fair, offers a machine to take a breath of fresh air. Decontamination, expiration, arrival at the tops of the peaks and it’s the fall”. ; Attention Menhir: ten-minute film shown in a three-hundred-seat 4-D cinema. Named Les Studios Idéfix, this theater replaces the Cinématographe. The attraction lasts twenty minutes in total ;Hands down on the Mona Lisa: stunt show. A chase between thieves and policemen, with pyrotechnic effects ; The House of July 14: animated automata.

Bienvenue chez le Gaulois : (Welcome to the Gaul): This area contains twelve attractions and offers two shows: Toutatis: launched roller coaster, scheduled for 2023; Épidemaïs Cruises: boat circuit going around the village Passengers find characters from the main adventures of Asterix (Astérix chez Rahàzade, Asterix chez les Helvètes, etc.); The Cauldrons: Cup-type ride where visitors sit in cauldrons During the Halloween period (Peur sur le Parc), the attraction sees its decoration slightly altered as well as its name (Les Chaudrons infernaux); Menhir Express: log-type attraction. Course between the forest and the Egyptian zone ending with a fall of thirteen meters; La Trace du Hooray: bobsled roller coaster Nine hundred meters of descent at a speed approaching 60 km/h; Grand Splatch: aquatic circuit on the heights of the rock of Asterix – emblem of the park, visible from the highway – ending in a fall ; The Little Storm: music express ; The Little Bumper Tanks: Bumper Cars for Children. ; At Gyrofolix: Nebulaz-type ride, planned for 2023;  Chronos: magic show taking place in the 600-seat Panoramix Theater ; Du Rififi dans la basse-cour: show at the Bard’s theater featuring a Roman soldier accidentally catapulted into the Gallic village, Transgénix (the soothsayer).

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There is ,also, the Forest of Dogmatix (Idéfix) with Énigmatix: Small waterfall, Challis: Barnyard, Lavomatix: Jump around; Hydrolix: Aérodynamix Junior logs: Magic bikes.. Egypt : his 2.5 hectare Ancient Egyptian themed area offers visitors two attractions: OzIris. The course includes five inversions as well as a passage under a pool after a lift of 40 meters. ; and SOS Numérobis: junior roller coaster with a length of two hundred meters.

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The Parc Asterix had one hotel ,the Hôtel des 3 Hiboux , and now has two more, the la Cité suspendue, and the Les Quais de LutèceAnd how you get here! Be early and if you are like we come by car and got on the A1 autoroute:highway/motorway, and between exits 7 and 8 ,there is a private ramp to come into the park at approx. 40 min/30 km from Paris. Parking paying now 15€. By shuttle at CDG T3 ,and from RER B station “Aéroport Charles de Gaulle”, But never taken these public transports fyi.

The official Parc Asterixhttps://www.parcasterix.fr/

The Paris tourist office on the Parc Asterixhttps://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/72750/Parc-Asterix

The Chantilly-Senlis tourist office on the Parc Asterixhttps://www.chantilly-senlis-tourisme.com/en/la-destination/le-parc-asterix/

There you go folks, you can read it is more European, French and an enjoyable part of living here with children. The Parc Asterix is a must to visit especially with children to teens, Hope you enjoy the post and the parc as I.

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

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