Curiosities of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, part I !!!

Posted in Europe, France

Once again, coming back at you with another off the beaten path gem of my belle France. These are again road warrior passing of me in my loving south , always with great architecture and history to boot. More older paper pictures found in my vault and of course,they need to be in my blog. Therefore, here is my take on the curiosities of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, part I  !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The town of Pauillac is located in the department of Gironde, 33 in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is 50 km from Bordeaux , It belongs to the Médoc peninsula, renowned for its prestigious vineyards. The port Pauillac-La Fayette by Quai Albert Pichon in the city center of Pauillac, The port marina was built in 1977 to accommodate Médoc boats, but also those of yachtsmen in transit from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean via the canal du Midi. In 1777, fleeing the troops of the king, it was from Pauillac that La Fayette left France to reach the Americas. There, his role will be decisive in the victory of the War of Independence of the United States. A monument commemorates this departure on the port/ marina of Pauillac.

Pauillac

The City of Pauillac on its marina and harbor : https://www.pauillac-medoc.com/fr/pauillac-tourisme/estuaire/port-de-pauillac/

Arcachon is located in the department of Gironde, 33 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It was created in 1857 by detachment of part of the town of La Teste-de-Buch. The Casino of Arcachon is at 164 bd de la Plage in the former sumptuous Château Deganne since 1903, in the heart of the city center , It vibrates 7 days a week in the popular seaside resort of stars and other personalities. Of course, traditional games (Black-Jack, English Roulette, Boule 2000) and slot machines are a delight for regulars. Tourists also enjoy outdoor concerts and shows in the summer. In addition, the Casino d’Arcachon has a restaurant open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. You will also discover the works of local artists there as part of the monthly exhibitions and enjoy the live concerts on Saturday evenings. A nice alternative to the routine.

Arcachon casino night

The official casino d’Arcachon: https://www.partouche.com/casinos/arcachon

The Pont Vieux in Orthez, spans the Gave de Pau river, it connects the city center to its suburb of Depart. It is on the vicomtale road which went from the Haderne bridge, at Sault-de-Navailles, to the Osserain bridge, and led to Roncevaux. It owes its construction to Gaston VII Moncade of Béarn, when he made Orthez the capital of Béarn and transported his court there. The Pont Vieux d’Orthez . With its fortified tower and arches of different sizes, it is one of the rare examples of medieval military architecture. It is now remarkable for its unequal arches and its fortified central tower. The tower was restored according to its original arrangements in 1873. The crenelage and the roof are modern, The bridge resists two important assaults: In August 1569, the Huguenot troops of Montgommery, after the battle of Orthez precipitated the priests in the Gave river by an opening ,the window of the priests, in the downstream parapet, to the right of the key to the main span, In February 1814, those of the Duke of Wellington launched behind the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte in retreat. On February 27, 45 soldiers of the rearguard of the army of the Marshal Soult entrenched in the tower of the bridge resisted for one day the assault of the English army during the battle of Orthez.

The town of Orthez on the Pont Vieux or old bridge : http://www.mairie-orthez.fr/Decouvrir-Orthez/Patrimoine/Pont-Vieux

 The Plage Centrale or central beach of Carcans Plage is the closest beach to the seaside center a few streets away. This large sandy beach is a continuation of the southern beach but it is supervised in summer. Access to the beach is quite simple via a path in the dunes. There is no parking for this beach, you have to use the one on the south beach.

The official Médoc Atlantique tourist office on Carcans plage :  https://www.medoc-atlantique.co.uk/carcans-maubuisson/

The village of Carcans Plage on the beach: https://www.carcans.fr/cadre-de-vie/carcans-et-son-territoire/son-patrimoine/l-ocean-8758

 

The Plage Centrale or central beach in Lacanau-Océan is the best known and most frequented. In season, it’s hard to find a spot of sand to put down your towel! Especially at high tide, the beach is considerably reduced and you have to go as close as possible to the rocks to settle down. This beach continues to attract the greatest number of people with its easy access and proximity to shops and takeaway sandwiches, Ice cream vendors roam the beach , This is unquestionably the liveliest part of the beach in the resort. This long sandy beach stretches between the Sud/south and Nord/north beaches (our favorite was the nord ,gorgeous!). To access this beach, no need to cross high dunes, you arrive directly from the top where there are several car parks (paying in season) and stairs allowing you to go directly to the beach. This beach is also emblematic in the culture of surfing in Nouvelle Aquitaine region! Indeed, every year in August, it hosts a sporting event: the Caraïbos Lacanau Pro, which is one of the oldest stages of a world-renowned surfing championship!

The city of Lacanau-Océan on the central beach or plage centrale : https://lacanauocean.com/fr/lacanau-plage-centrale.htm

The town of Biarritz is located in the department 64 of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Successively called Plage des Fous, then Plage de l’Impératrice, the Grande Plage is the central beach of Biarritz. Located along a promenade with terraces and cafes, it stretches over 450 meters of fine sand. Access to this beach is easy from the Quai de la Grande Plage. To park, there is a charge for parking at the Vinci Grande Plage (our spot) or the casino car park , This beach is supervised from the beginning of May to the end of October. There are also beach clubs for children and surf schools. Very nice indeed.

Biarritz plage de

The Biarritz tourist office on the Grande Plage/beach :https://tourisme.biarritz.fr/en/beaches/grande-plage

There you go folks, again, another gem and an off the beaten path sites of my belle France ! This is in wonderful 3 departements (provinces/states) of the south which we love to go so much and so many old pictures that I am glad putting in my blog, Great architecture and history as always, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Curiosities of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, part I !!! as I

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

6 thoughts on “Curiosities of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, part I !!!”

      1. When we were kids, my sister and I used to look up the numbers in the Michelin guide while driving to 06 Alpes-Maritimes to pass the time in the car. No iPads in the 80s and 90s 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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