My summer travels to France

BACK HOME:

It had been too long since I had been back home.

Finally in August after an absence of 3 years I took the train to my home town, a small French village called St-Benoit in the region of Poitou-Charentes. Unless you are from the neighbourhood, you probably would have never heard of St Benoit, but of Poitiers, the large town nearby.

Of course, I took a walk  along the Clain to enjoy the reflection of the trees and boats in the river

…and I had to revisit all major sacred sites from the churches of St. Radegonde and Notre Dame la Grande to the large St. Pierre Cathedral.

After spending a few days there I headed to the island of Ré on the Atlantic Coast. I enjoyed the island, reachable via a toll bridge from La Rochelle. The island is famous for its short houses surrounded with tall colorful….. The capital, St Martin de Ré, was very beautiful and busy while the other part of the island near St Marie de Ré was more quiet, but charming.

The island is famous for its many bicycle riders discovering the island and sites using the bicycle paths!

First I took a TGV at Montparnasse for Poitiers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a famous store in Poitiers selling the most delicious biscuits and chocolates, it is Rannou Métivier. It even has a museum retracing the history of the company and cookies making in Montmorillon.

 

The square in front of the courthouse has just been finished and the courthouse’s facade cleaned.

 

Two hours by car from Poitiers is the island of Ré:

 

 

 

I could not go to the ocean without trying a seafood platter: could not believe how much I got and this was only the first of a four course menu at the gourmet restaurant Atalante!

 

Hopefully it will not be another 3 years until my next visit!

• Atlantic
• bicycle
• Cathedral St. Pierre
• Island of Ré
• La Rochelle
• Le Clain
• Notre Dame La Grande
• Ocean
• Poitiers
• Poitou Charentes
• Rannou Métivier
• sacred sites
• St Benoit