The port and industrial city of Gijón

14 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Town Hall © flickr.com - Reservas de Coches

Town Hall © flickr.com – Reservas de Coches

Gijón is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as “Gigia”. The city is situated along the Asturian coast and is distinguished by the peninsula of Cimadevilla (the original settlement) which separates the beach of San Lorenzo and adjacent neighborhoods to the east from the beaches of Poniente and Arbeyal, the shipyards, and the recreational port and the Port of El Musel to the west. It is close to the other main Asturian cities, Oviedo and Avilés.   read more…

The city of Santander in Cantabria

6 June 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Town Hall © Year of the Dragon

Town Hall © Year of the Dragon

The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446.   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…

La Rochelle, the french Geneva

9 July 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

The Harbour at night © Eric Pouhier

The Harbour at night © Eric Pouhier

La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a 2.9 km (1.8 mi) bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Its harbour opens into a protected strait, the Pertuis d’Antioche. The city has beautifully maintained its past architecture, making it one of the most picturesque and historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. This helped develop a strong tourism industry. La Rochelle possesses a commercial harbour in deep water, named La Pallice. The large submarine bunker built during World War II still stands there, although it is not being used. La Pallice is equipped with oil unloading equipment, and mainly handles tropical wood. It is also the location of the fishing fleet, which was moved from the old harbour at the center of the city during the 1980s. La Rochelle also maintains strong links with the sea by harbouring the largest marina for pleasure boats in Europe at Les Minimes, and a rather rich boat-building industry. La Rochelle has a very big aquarium, and a small botanical garden (the Jardin des plantes de La Rochelle).   read more…

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