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Jun 6, 2022
Tours, in the centre of France, is an old city created by the Roman Emperor Augustus. The inner city is pedestrian surrounded by old houses.
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Jan 22, 2020
The “Memorial aux Marins Morts pour la France” (Monument for the Sailors who Died for France) is an impressive memorial located in the Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany.
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Jan 18, 2020
A lighthouse, a church, ruins of an abbey, a French Navy Observation post and a WWII Memorial museum at Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany. Quite a place to visit.
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Jun 27, 2017
If there was one essential and strategic point during the invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day, by the Allied troops, it would have been the capture of the two bridges in Benouville and the neighbouring Ranville. The two bridges were essential for the liberation of France and the rest of Europe. The operation was called […]
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Mar 29, 2017
The Utah Beach was one of the D-Day landing beaches, this one mostly staffed with US Army soldiers. It was on the Western edge of the D-Day beaches, and the beach consisted of deep sand and dunes. 3200 soldiers died on the beach that day. To commemorate this occasion, a museum was erected to display and […]
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Mar 24, 2017
Normally speaking the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise should mean nothing to most people. Unless you are a WWII buff or a movie buff. The movie in question is “The Longest Day” starring none other than John Wayne trying to get to Sainte-Mere-Eglise during D-Day. The village itself nowadays consists of some 2,500 inhabitants (that is, after […]
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Mar 22, 2017
One of the few things that are worth a visit in Cherbourg, or even doing a detour to visit, is the Cite de le Mer museum. The museum is quite recent, it opened its doors in the year 2002. But the building is not new. It is the former transatlantic terminal building from the glory […]
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Nov 14, 2016
Dieppe is a city that was exposed early on to the WWII invasion when the Canadians attempted an invasion called the “Dieppe Raid“, also known as “Operation Jubilee“. It was a sort of “test case” to see if it could be done, and unfortunately, it cost a lot of lives; 1400 died and1946 were captured. […]
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Oct 20, 2016
Montbard is a small city of some 5500 inhabitants, a river and a big canal flowing through it and an incredible abbey close-by. It also has a castle perched high on the hill overlooking the city. The small city is dominated by a big hill, and on top of the hill, perched as high as […]
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Aug 30, 2016
Amiens is a strange city when you look at it. It’s pretty, pleasant even, but you don’t see that many tourists like in other big French cities (like Bordeaux, Marseille or Lyon) . With its 150,000 inhabitants, Amiens is the 28th largest city of the country, but when you ask people what they know of […]
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Aug 16, 2016
Sometimes taking a wrong turn on the country roads brings you deep inland, and to some very surprising scenery. One of them, after having taken a wrong turn in Brittany was this amazing castle; the Chateau Kergrist. Hidden away from big roads, this is a castle that merits a detour. Built in the 1400’s […]
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Feb 19, 2016
Transport Getting There Lyon is a major transportation hub in France, second only to Paris. It is easy to get there in almost any kind of transportation. Air: Lyon has a major international airport with flights from many European and French cities. Click here for list of all direct destinations served by the Lyon airport. Within […]
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Feb 17, 2016
We’ve already shown you the wonderful Basilica, but there are many more churches in Lyon. The Lyon dioceses is one of the oldest in France, so it’s no surprise to see many churches, a cathedral, convents and many chapels. Anywhere you go in Lyon, you’ll stumble upon a church, some of them ruins with no information. […]
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Feb 10, 2016
This is part 2 of the introduction of the city of Lyon. To read the first part, click here. As a recap, we are walking from the TGV (High Speed Train) railway station to the hills, a 2.5 km walk. Vieux Lyon – Old Lyon On the other side of the Bonaparte bridge, crossing the […]
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Feb 9, 2016
Lyon is a city full of contrasts, particularly in its architecture. The city is big, Lyon itself is France’s 3rd largest city, but when you add the suburbs, then the Lyon metropole is France’s 2nd largest metropole (after Paris). It is also the world capital of gastronomy, the city where many of todays top chefs have […]
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Dec 29, 2015
Transport Getting There Ferry: The closest ferry harbours to and from the UK are Cherbourg, Caen/Ouistreham and Le Havre. Air: The international airport for Caen (click here to access the airport’s web site) is very close-by with regular flights to the UK. Within Bayeux There is no useable bus service, but you don’t need one. When entering the […]
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Dec 29, 2015
The Bayeux War Cemetery is also referred to as the British War Cemetery of Bayeux. And that is because the majority of soldiers buried here are British and British Commonwealth soldiers who died while trying to liberate France during WWII. Some 4,640 soldiers are buried here, most of them died during the World War II […]
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Dec 28, 2015
There is a very unique memorial in Bayeux. All over Normandy you will find all sorts of memorials (and cemeteries) for all nationalities that have died during World War II, but this one is different; it’s a memorial for fallen reporters. Journalists that have been killed while doing their job of reporting the truth. But this […]
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Dec 22, 2015
Bayeux, famous for its enormous tapestry, is a city relatively unscathed by WWII. So it’s pretty old looking with many old houses and small streets. It also has several monuments and cemeteries dedicated to WWII.
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Dec 15, 2015
Transport Getting There Ferry: Closest ferry harbours from the UK are Dieppe and Le Havre. Within Caudebec-en-Caux Caudebec is so small that you can walk from one end to the other in 10 minutes. Restaurants There are a couple of restaurants (normal French food, crepes, pizza), but only one springs out above any of them, […]
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Nov 27, 2015
Transport Getting There Train: There are no direct trains to Honfleur. The closest train station is Trouville/Deauville‘s station. Click here to find out train distances. Ferry: Although large cruise ships arrive here, no ferries. The closest ferry harbour is Le Havre. Air: The international airport for Deauville is very close by with regular flights to […]
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Nov 26, 2015
Following Normandy’s best kept secret (Veules-Les-Roses), here’s the least best kept one; Honfleur. Honfleur is one of the prime tourist destinations in Normandy, second only to the Mont St. Michel. It’s not only popular with the foreign tourists but also with local French ones. Day trippers from Paris, even from within Normandy, will be visiting this […]
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Nov 24, 2015
Transport Getting There Ferry: Closest ferry from the UK arrives regularly at Dieppe. Within Veules-Les-Roses Veules-Les-Roses is so small you’ll spend more time trying to park than you would walk from one end to the other. Restaurants There are several reasonable, even good, restaurants in the village. The old coach inn, the Douce France, has a […]
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Nov 23, 2015
Veules-Les-Roses in Upper Normandy is one of the best kept secrets for most tourists, especially the foreign ones, but as a place to visit, it is most interesting and rewarding. It’s a very small village (some 600 inhabitants) that is foremost a beautiful, scenic and very photogenic village. Although notable visitors like Victor Hugo stayed here, you really […]