The White Cliffs of Dover

16 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Dover Seafront and Castle © James Armitage

Dover Seafront and Castle © James Armitage

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent’s administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Dover Calais ferry through the Port of Dover. The surrounding chalk cliffs have become known as the White Cliffs of Dover, and the narrow sea passage nearby – the Strait of Dover. Its strategic position has been evident throughout its history: archaeological finds have revealed that the area has always been a focus for peoples entering and leaving Britain. The name of the town derives from the name of the river that flows through River Dour. The town has been inhabited since the Stone Age according to archeological finds, and Dover is one of only a few places in Britain – London and Cornwall being other examples – to have a corresponding name in the French language, Douvres.   read more…

The port city of Saint-Malo on the Emerald Coast

2 April 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Port of Sablons © Pline

Port of Sablons © Pline

Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine. The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season. With the suburbs included, the population is about 135,000. The population of the commune more than doubled in 1968 with the merging of three communes: Saint-Malo, Saint-Servan (population 14,963 in 1962), and Paramé (population 8811 in 1962). Inhabitants of Saint-Malo are called Malouins in French.   read more…

Theme Week Brittany – Vitré

25 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Historical city centre © Electzik

Historical city centre © Electzik

Vitré (Breton: Gwitreg) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France. Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 17,000 inhabitants (2006). It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou. The town has been designated a ville d’art et d’histoire, a town of artistic and historic significance, by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its rich cultural inheritance. Vitré is the 37th French city with the most historic buildings and has 14% of the historical monuments of the department.   read more…

Theme Week Brittany – Quimper

22 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

St. Corentin Cathedral © Falk Koop

St. Corentin Cathedral © Falk Koop

Quimper (Breton: Kemper) is a commune and capital of the Finistère department in northwestern France. Quimper is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region, and has a distinctive Breton character. Shops and flags celebrating the region’s Celtic heritage can be found throughout the city. Quimper was originally settled during Roman times. By AD 495, the town had become a Bishopric. It subsequently became the capital of the counts of Cornouailles. In the 11th century, it was united with the Duchy of Brittany. During the civil wars of the 14th century, the town suffered considerable ruin. In 1364, the duchy passed to the House of Montfort.   read more…

Theme Week Brittany – Be Breizh!

20 February 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Bon appétit, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  9 minutes

Crozon © S. Möller

Crozon © S. Möller

Brittany (Breton: Breizh, French: Bretagne) is one of the 27 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes. The region of Brittany is made up of 80% of the former Duchy and Province of Brittany. The remaining 20% of the province is the Loire-Atlantique department which now lies inside the Pays de la Loire region, whose capital, Nantes, was the historical capital of the Duchy of Brittany.   read more…

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