Périgueux in Aquitaine

18 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  < 1 minute

Town Hall © Père Igor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Town Hall © Père Igor/cc-by-sa-3.0

Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of the départment and was the capital of the historic County of Périgord. The city has 30,000 inhabitants and is the biggest city in the Dordogne department. River Isle flow from east to west through the city.   read more…

Bastille Day

13 July 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Patrouille de France over Avenue des Champs-Élysées © David Monniaux/cc-by-sa-2.0-fr

Patrouille de France over Avenue des Champs-Élysées © David Monniaux/cc-by-sa-2.0-fr

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, French officials and foreign guests.   read more…

Cognac on the Charente

29 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Museum of the Arts © Mayhem2006

Museum of the Arts © Mayhem2006

Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France with 19,000 inhabitants. It is a sub-prefecture of the department, some 120 kilometres north of Bordeaux. The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.   read more…

Velib’, third most extensive bicycle sharing system in the world

12 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  7 minutes

© velib.paris.fr

© velib.paris.fr

Vélib’ is a large-scale public bicycle sharing system in Paris. The name Vélib’ is a portmanteau of the French words vélo (English: bicycle) and liberté (freedom). Launched on 15 July 2007, the system has expanded to encompass around 20,000 bicycles and 1,202 bicycle stations, located across Paris and in some surrounding municipalities, with an estimated ridership of 110,000 people per day in average.   read more…

Morlaix in Brittany

21 May 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Morlaix with its viaduct in the background © Thesupermat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Morlaix with its viaduct in the background © Thesupermat/cc-by-sa-3.0

Morlaix is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France with a population of 15,600. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overhanging houses constructed of stone and timber. Many have religious and secular sculptures on their façades. A tidal river that almost completely dries out at low tide reaches the town of Morlaix where there is a lock into a marina.   read more…

Caen in the Calvados department

7 May 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Downtown Caen and the Abbey of St. Étienne © DennisPeeters

Downtown Caen and the Abbey of St. Étienne © DennisPeeters

Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located 15 km (9.3 mi) inland from the English Channel.   read more…

Auray in Brittany

30 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Port of Saint Goustan © Varus111/cc-by-30

Port of Saint Goustan © Varus111/cc-by-30

Auray is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in northwestern France. Inhabitants of Auray are called Alréens.   read more…

Rochefort on the Atlantic coast

23 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

The L'Hermione © Dimimis/cc-by-sa-3.0

The L’Hermione © Dimimis/cc-by-sa-3.0

Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.   read more…

Theme Week Corsica – Bonifacio

11 April 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Gabridelca

© Gabridelca

Bonifacio is a commune at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, in the Corse-du-Sud department of France. Its inhabitants are called Bonifaciens, feminine Bonifaciennes. The commune in this case is identical to the canton and is the largest commune of Corsica.   read more…

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