Blog Feed: Visit Normandy-Pays de Loire

2013 D-Day Normandy Calendar

Published on 2013-05-24 09:30:18

D-Day Events 2013 This is a guide to 2013 D-Day events in Normandy, France for the 69th Anniversary of D-Day. Sunday 26th May 2013 Amfreville (50) - 11:00 a.m.  : ceremony at the 507th PIR monument. Picauville (50) - 09:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. : 10th

France Breathalyser Law

Published on 2013-03-08 08:03:19

France Breathalyser Law – Final Decision, Sort Of! The on-off breathalyser law is now officially ON – except that there’s no sanction for failure to have one and the Interior Minister thinks they are a waste of time! “tout aut

Diversions around Rouen – Update

Published on 2013-02-28 13:07:29

Diversions around Rouen due to Bridge Closure First published November 9 2012, updated and republished February 28 2013. Until further notice there are diversions around Rouen, heading both north and south, as the main bridge for vehicles over the Se

Monty Don’s French Gardens – Champ de Bataille

Published on 2013-02-11 11:42:11

Monty Don – French Gardens

Normandy-Loire Blog Year 2012 in Review

Published on 2012-12-31 02:26:36

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 79,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at

La Basse Cour B&B

Published on 2012-11-20 11:49:34

La Basse Cour : Bed & Breakfast on the Normandy-Loire Country Border Although we have a separate page on the blog describing our own B&B, I still get messages asking if we can recommend anywhere to stay – well, if you are looking for B&B or hot

Diversions around Rouen

Published on 2012-11-09 05:52:14

Diversions around Rouen due to Bridge Closure If anyone is baffled by the (even greater than usual) difficulty in driving around Rouen, it is because a petrol tanker crossed the central reservation, crashed and caught fire on the Pont Mathilde –

Brocantes & Antiques around Alençon

Published on 2012-10-09 11:57:03

Brocantes & Antiques around Alençon As we slip into the cooler days of a southern Normandy autumn and there is less work to do in the garden, we have been nosing around brocantes and antique shops near Alençon. Earlier this year we focussed on the brocantes of the Perche region to our immediate east, so [...]

“Esprit Antique” – Antiques and Architectural Salvage

Published on 2012-09-26 05:03:16

On the way back from visiting the garden “Interieur à Ciel Ouvert” on Sunday afternoon we passed near Radon, on the main road from Sées to Alençon (D438) in south-east Normandy.  By the roadside we spotted a garden in which there was a massive statue of a horse and a couple of forged iron gazebos, [...]

Garden “Intérieur à Ciel Ouvert”

Published on 2012-09-24 12:39:40

Garden “Intérieur à Ciel Ouvert” Very late in the season, we took advantage of a rare Sunday off to visit this new garden “Intérieur à Ciel Ouvert“, a little over an hour away at Athis de l’Orne, which we heard of only this summer while flicking through the brochure “Gardens of Normandy 2012″. When we [...]

Birding in Normandy & Pays de la Loire

Published on 2012-09-18 13:09:10

Birding in Normandy & Pays de la Loire I’ll admit it  – this is not going to be a long treatise on birdwatching in the region. Suffice it to say that wherever you go in the region, given time and patience you’ll see something interesting in the air or on the ground and covered in [...]

Manoir de Couesme

Published on 2012-09-09 10:27:13

Art at the Manoir de Couesme Every September the Manoir de Couesme here in Ancinnes hosts a month-long art and sculpture exhibition by a featured artist. 2012 is the turn of Bap, a sculptor and artist originally from Dijon. Today Jude and I went to see the exhibition, which as usual is arranged around the [...]

Le Mans 24 Hours 2013 Dates

Published on 2012-09-01 04:58:58

Le Mans 24 Hours 2013: Dates Announced The 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours will take place on 22-23 June, a week later than initially scheduled. The dates of the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours, initially scheduled for 15-16 June, have been put back by a week at the request of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile [...]

Black Saturday in France 2012

Published on 2012-07-27 11:35:40

4 August 2012 – Black Saturday As we come to the end of July, the crossover of the French July and August holidaymakers means millions of car drivers moving across the country over the next couple of weekends – either starting their holiday or returning home. A week tomorrow – Saturday 4th August 2012 – [...]

Steam Train Rides in the Sarthe (Pays de la Loire)

Published on 2012-07-06 05:24:32

Steam Train Rides in the Upper Sarthe (Pays de la Loire) For steam train enthusiasts, or those simply looking for something a little out of the ordinary to do, the Sarthe Steam Railway (run by Transvap, a group of amateurs who care for and restore the locomotives) is open for Sunday trips from this weekend [...]

Beware France Breathalyser Rip-Offs

Published on 2012-07-01 09:50:32

France Breathalyser Rip-Offs Today (July 1st 2012) is the first day the law comes into force requiring all drivers to carry a breathalyser in their car. Until November 1st there will be no fines imposed – just a warning.  After that the fine will be 11€.  This includes car drivers, commercial vehicles, motorbikes and scooters [...]

EHIC – Health Insurance Card for UK visitors to France

Published on 2012-06-29 11:20:52

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) replaced the old E111 in 2006.  UK residents should make sure they have one before they come to France, in addition to travel insurance. The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance – it will not cover private medical healthcare or costs such as mountain rescue in ski [...]

“Bioparc” Zoo de Doué – Free Tickets

Published on 2012-06-18 03:22:31

“Bioparc” Zoo de Doué I have a pair of adult tickets worth 37€ available for this popular “bioparc” between Saumur and Angers in the Pays de la Loire – as I can’t use them, I’m offering the pair of them free in a draw that is open to everyone who leaves a comment on this [...]

Le Perche – a Second-hand Shopper’s Dream

Published on 2012-06-12 10:48:38

Brocantes and Antique Shops of the Perche Do you like digging and scratting around second-hand shops, antique shops or boot sales for little treasures and bargains?  If so, the Perche region is made for you! The Perche towns and villages are thick with antique and second-hand shops (“brocantes”), and every village has an annual attic [...]

Le Mans 24 Hours Drivers Parade

Published on 2012-06-07 06:12:55

Le Mans 24 Hours Drivers Parade We’re rapidly approaching the 80th running of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans so here’s a potted guide to what’s happening when; even if you’re not going to the race itself, the spectacular (and free!) Drivers’ Parade takes place in the centre of Le Mans itself on Friday, [...]

St Céneri-le-Gérei “Rencontre des Peintres”

Published on 2012-05-21 05:47:49

St Céneri-le-Gérei “Rencontre des Peintres” This weekend, the local village of Saint Céneri-le-Gérei in the Alpes Mancelles will be transformed into an open-air art gallery. On the 26th, 27th and 28th May the “Rencontre des Peintres” or ‘Gathering of the Painters” celebrates its 26th edition in this picturesque Normandy village, classed as one of the [...]

Arts and Crafts Market at La Perrière

Published on 2012-05-17 13:02:57

La Perrière Arts Market 2012 On the Pentecost holiday weekend Sunday and Monday of 27-28 May 2012 about 90 artists will be displaying their works in the streets and alleyways, village square, houses and gardens of la Perrière – everywhere available, in fact! This is the 16th annual arts market at la Perrière – contemporary [...]

Manoir de la Bonnerie Gardens

Published on 2012-05-06 11:05:34

Les Jardins du Manoir de la Bonnerie Yesterday (May 5th 2012) we went to the opening day for the gardens at Bonnerie Manor House and were lucky enough to have a day of sunshine.  April had given us hokey-cokey weather of rain and sun – in one minute, out the next, in, out, in, out, [...]

See Normandy in a Different Light!

Published on 2012-05-04 12:03:23

“Pierres en Lumières” (Normandy Treasures Lit by Night) Here’s a chance to discover Lower Normandy under a very different light! Since its inception in the Orne department of Normandy four years ago, the annual event of “Pierres et Lumières” has drawn bigger numbers of visitors each successive year. Saturday 19th May 2012 from 8pm until [...]

Hostas, Hail and Holidays

Published on 2012-04-23 06:48:51

April Showers! What a month April has been!  We’ve become so used in recent years to drought-like conditions in spring and early summer that a prolonged period of April showers, as we’ve had this last fortnight, takes us completely by surprise.  It is easy to forget that this should be the norm and the ground [...]

La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

Published on 2012-04-10 07:25:50

The Gardens of La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard The gardens of La Petite Rochelle at Rémalard have just re-opened for the first time this year and we took advantage of an empty house on Easter Monday to pay a visit – after we had cleaned and changed the rooms and after the guests had left that [...]

Petit Bordeaux Gardens, near Le Mans

Published on 2012-03-31 05:57:52

Les Jardins du Petit-Bordeaux Gardens of Petit-Bordeaux Spring 2012 Although it doesn’t officially open until tomorrow (April 1st) owners and gardeners Michel and Sylvie let us have a sneak preview of their garden near St Biez-en-Bélin yesterday – it’s always a treat at any time, but doubly so when you have the place to yourselves! [...]

France Breathalyser Update

Published on 2012-03-02 05:31:34

Breathalyser Update Further to earlier articles on the new road traffic laws for France in 2012, it has been confirmed that new law in France requiring drivers to carry a breathalyser in their vehicles (known in France as “alcootest” or “ethylotest”) will apply not only to cars but also to motorbikes and scooters. Motorbikes, Cars [...]

New “Blue Zone” Parking Rules in France

Published on 2012-02-23 06:49:05

Changes to “Blue Zone” Parking Rules and Parking Discs Yet another change to traffic regulations in 2012 has seen the introduction of a new style of parking disc in France to replace the old version from January 1st. “Blue Zones” are designated parking areas in towns where you can park for free, but only for [...]

Breathalysers Compulsory in Cars in France – Start Date July 2012

Published on 2012-02-15 04:31:06

Further to my earlier article on the new road traffic laws for France in 2012, I have learned that the new breathalyser law (“alcootest”) should come in to force on July 1st 2012. The date has been pushed back from the original planned date of April 1st to give manufacturers time to produce enough of [...]

Boules Rules – OK!

Published on 2012-02-04 03:32:14

BRIEF RULES OF PETANQUE or BOULES 1. Size of teams, number of boules The game is played between two teams with one, two or three players on each side. With teams of one or two, each player has 3 boules to throw; with teams of three, each has 2 boules. The “cochonnet” (or “but”) is [...]

Candlemas – La Fête de la Chandeleur

Published on 2012-01-27 08:15:22

La Fête de la Chandeleur Origin of La Chandeleur La Chandeleur (Candlemas in English) is a Christian religious holiday with pagan roots , falling just before the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia which was celebrated to avert evil spirits and purify the city.  It falls on 2nd February, 40 days after Christmas Day, and commemorates [...]

New Laws for Drivers and Motorcyclists in 2012

Published on 2012-01-09 07:49:19

New Driving Laws in France As of January 5, 2012, a number of new measures affecting motorists and bikers in France were announced by the Minister for the Interior. These driving law reforms were first announced by President Sarkozy on November 30, based on decisions made in spring 2011 by the Interministerial Committee for Road [...]

2011 in review

Published on 2012-01-01 03:39:41

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for Visit Normandy-Pays de la Loire blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 51,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 19 sold-out [...]

Le Mans Christmas Market 2011

Published on 2011-12-15 12:06:29

Le Mans Christmas Market Le Mans Christmas Market and many other festive celebrations are now in full swing and the Market will run daily until Christmas Eve. The Le Mans Christmas Market village is located in Place de la République and as well as dozens of artisanal produce and craft stalls it includes a number [...]

Château de Falaise – William the Conqueror’s Castle

Published on 2011-11-17 05:36:40

Château de Falaise – William the Conqueror’s Castle On the way home from a visit to Ikea at Caen this week, we stopped off at Falaise to visit the Château de Falaise. Falaise (meaning “cliff” in French) was the birthplace of William the Conqueror. The castle of Falaise overlooks the town from the high crag [...]

Jardin Retiré at Bagnoles-de-l’Orne

Published on 2011-10-04 13:37:41

Jardin Retiré at Bagnoles-de-l’Orne Tucked away in the Southern Normandy spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne is a delightful little private garden that opens to the public at weekends from mid-April to end of September. “Le Jardin Retiré” is a beautiful garden that exploits its shady character as a virtue rather than a hindrance – if you’ve [...]

Black Saturday in France

Published on 2011-07-29 02:33:47

Saturday 30th July – Black Saturday If you’re travelling by car in France tomorrow (Saturday) look out, it’s the busiest day of the year – and traffic trouble starts today on main routes from big cities. With July holidaymakers returning home and August holidaymakers starting their holiday more than 600km of jams are forecast tomorrow, [...]

Eurolines Coach Services : Paris to Normandy/Pays de la Loire/Brittany

Published on 2011-07-20 11:03:04

Eurolines Coach Services between Paris and Pays de la Loire/Normandy/Brittany Eurolines, the biggest coach network in Europe, has won the right to transport passengers between a number of major towns in western France and Paris. In February this year a change was made to the restrictive laws on coach travel in France (which exist to [...]

Garden Plant Festival at Bagnoles de l’Orne

Published on 2011-05-26 12:07:35

Garden Plant Festival at Bagnoles de l’Orne Following great success in previous years, the garden plant festival and sale takes place this June at Bagnoles-de-l’Orne in southern Normandy. The garden show attracts nurserymen and plant grow

Le Jardin Boutique, Champsecret, Bagnoles-de-l’Orne

Published on 2011-05-17 13:26:08

Le Jardin Boutique Location: Champsecret, Orne, Normandy At the beginning of April we visited one of our favourite gardens locally, the Jardins de la Mansonière at St Saint Céneri-le-Gerei. While we were there we asked Michèle (Manson) where she

Le Mans 24 Hours Museum

Published on 2011-05-16 10:42:11

Le Mans 24 Hours Museum At the beginning of 2009 the Motor Museum at the Le Mans 24 Hours racetrack reopened after a major refurbishment.  Ever since we’ve been meaning to go and check it out, but as usual it took a lot longer to get around to

Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle Revisited

Published on 2011-04-28 09:49:48

La Petite Rochelle Garden Revisited We visited the garden of La Petite Rochelle at Rémalard for the first time in late summer 2010 (see Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle) and immediately fell in love with it. Even after the hot and arid

Gardens of Normandy – “Jardin François” at Préaux du Perche

Published on 2011-04-27 09:47:27

Gardens of Normandy – Jardin François Préaux du Perche Le Jardin François is a garden in the Perche region of south-east Normandy; it is spread over 2 hectares with a whole range of different habitats including wildlife friendly ponds, an &#

The Normandy Perry Trail

Published on 2011-04-11 04:03:30

La Route du Poiré - the Perry and Cider Route of Normandy While cleaning one of the guest bedrooms today my eye was caught by the spectacular blossom on the fruit trees this year – there’s an apple tree outside the Cream bedroom window a

Le Mans Historic Car Rally

Published on 2011-03-29 03:31:00

Apart from the obvious big race weekends at Le Mans, there are many smaller events at various tracks and road courses around the region throughout the year. Essay is another major circuit less than half an hour from us, in the Orne department, and ev

The Naked Lady of the Loire

Published on 2011-02-22 02:30:16

New Venue for the Naked Lady of the Loire, Tours own “Angel of the North” The controversial “Femme-Loire”, a giant statue of a naked woman that was originally to be installed overlooking the UNESCO Heritage site of Marmoutier

Spring is on the way in Normandy-Loire Country

Published on 2011-02-17 03:41:50

Only halfway through February and the garden here is alive with birdsong, the snowdrops at their peak and the daffodils in bud, promising golden days to come. The tulips are pushing through the beds by the old barn and the staging in the kitchen wind

La Galette des Rois

Published on 2011-01-11 09:35:52

“Galette des Rois” A French New Year Tradition Galette des Rois The “Galette des Rois” or “Cake of the Kings” is a special cake that is looked forward to with great anticipation in much of France in January. They a

Le Mans “24 Heures Vélo”

Published on 2011-01-11 08:12:26

Le Mans “24 Heures Vélo” 24 Hours Endurance Cycling Race, August 2011 2011 sees the third annual Le Mans 24 Hours Cycling Race, an event that proved a massive hit on the last two occasions and whose popularity is expected to grow even mo

“Trompe de Chasse” – French Hunting Horns

Published on 2011-01-05 07:57:00

French “Trompe de Chasse” or “Cor de Chasse” Hunting Horns Normandy is famous for its horses and, by association, with hunting on horseback.  One characteristic of hunting with hounds on horseback are the amazing hunting horn

Le Mans “La Nuit des Chimères” Winter Spectacle

Published on 2010-12-04 03:56:35

Le Mans – La Nuit des Chimères Son et Lumière Every evening throughout the Christmas holiday, the cathedral and fountain in the fortified Plantagenet town of Le Mans are being transformed into a giant projection screen, a partial reprise of the s

Tour de France 2011 at Le Mans

Published on 2010-12-02 09:48:19

Tour de France 2011: Stage 7 Departure Circuit Bugatti, Le Mans The Tour de France will follow part of the legendary 24 Hours Le Mans circuit in 2011. On July 8th Le Mans will host the start of the 7th stage of Tour de France 2011. The race will star

Alençon Lace

Published on 2010-11-16 09:41:15

Alençon Lace – Frilling Stuff UNESCO recognised the exceptional quality of Alençon lace by adding it to the “Representative List of the Cultural Heritage of Humanity“, it was announced on Tuesday this week (see video at end of art

Manoir de Couesme, “Desseins de Femmes” Ceramic Art

Published on 2010-09-12 12:57:28

Desseins de Femmes Ceramic art exhibition at the Manoir de Couesme A few days ago we visited the Manoir de Couesme in Ancinnes to see the outdoor exhibition of sculptures, paintings and ceramics on display in the grounds of the manor house. The Manoi

Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard

Published on 2010-08-26 02:37:50

Garden of La Petite Rochelle, Rémalard We had heard of the garden at Rémalard called  la Petite Rochelle before, but only came to visit it for the first time after chatting with the owner of the gardens at Château de Lorière which is nearby.  I

Gardens of Normandy – La Petite Rochelle, Rémelard

Published on 2010-08-26 02:37:50

Garden of La Petite Rochelle, Rémelard We had heard of the garden at Rémelard called  la Petite Rochelle before, but only came to visit it for the first time after chatting with the owner of the gardens at Château de Lorière which is nearby.  I

Gardens to Visit in Normandy (Orne & Eure)

Published on 2010-08-16 03:39:15

Gardens to Visit in Lower Normandy 10 Best Gardens in South East Normandy Champ du Bataille, Normandy – Gardens and Chateau du Champ du Bataille (27 Eure) Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei, Normandy – Jardins de la Mansonière (61 Orne) Vendeuvre, N

Musée du Vélo – Tour de France Cycle Museum

Published on 2010-08-14 13:27:44

Musée du Vélo Fantastic Cycle Museum at la Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet All over France you find specialist museums, created by people with a burning passion for a particular subject.  Once in a while you come across one that is worth going out of your