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La Beauficiere is a 3-bedroom B&B near Hembaye (50 Manche, Normandie) - see map.
The bed and breakfast offers spacious family bedrooms with a double bed, bunk beds and sofa bed. A cot is also available.
All bedrooms have en suite shower and toilet.
The accommodation offers a kitchen/dining room and lounge.
The B&B has plenty of free private parking and storage for bicycles.
The bedrooms are designed to incorporate the original features of the buildings whilst combining this with modern features such as the original oak beams which have being restored to provide a central feature in a number of the rooms. All bedrooms feature views over a cider apple orchard.
English owners Liz and Alan offer a warm welcome and plenty of advice on places to visit in the area. Ideally situated within an hour of Caen and 1h 20 minutes of Cherbourg, it makes an ideal stop within reach of the ferry ports. With all the attractions of Normandy (butter, cream, cheese, cider, calvados etc) there are the Normandy beaches, Mont St Michel all within reach.
SPECIAL OFFER - Three nights for the price of two for September, October and November 2008 PLUS discounts on ferry bookings!
| May 19, 2008 |
Over the past thirteen centuries, the Mont Saint Michel (50 Manche, Normandie) has become a world renowned monument, celebrated both for its spiritual and religious significance as well as its historical and architectural interest.
Until 30 September 2008 and in 2009, the abbey and its surroundings will be alive with celebrations and cultural events to celebrate the 13th centenary of the Abbey’s foundation,including exhibitions, concerts, pilgrimages and special seminaries. These anniversary celebrations will provide a forum in which to shed light on the history of this incredible UNESCO World heritage site, as well as its future.
According to legend, in 708 the bishop Aubert of Avranches was said to have seen three apparitions of the Archangel Michael in his dreams. The Archangel told Aubert to build an abbey on top of the mount Tombe, going so far as to touch his finger to the bishop’s head, leaving a permanent hole in his skull. The bishop began work on the church and the abbey was consecrated in 709.
A new project is in the works to re-shape the land and tides surrounding the monument to ensure that the Mont Saint Michel will once again permanently be an island.
For more info on the Mont ST Michel see www.ot-montsaintmichel.com
Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on most internal routes.
Plus the French market is not as competitive. The French Railway system between major cities is both fast and competitive, especially if starting from Paris.
I have only been able to uncover a couple of airlines which offer domestic flights in France:-
http://www.easyjet.com/ - Toulouse to Lyon, Paris, Nice to Paris; Lyon to Biarritz, Bordeaux; Biarritz to Paris
http://www.twinjet.net/
Toulouse (32 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse, Brest; Marseille to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse; Paris - Perigueux, Cherbourg
http://www.airlinair.fr/ Brest,(29 Finistere, Brittany) Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes), Poitiers (86 Vienne, Poitou-Charentes), Brive (19 Correze, Limousin) Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) etc
http://www.ryanair.com/ now also has links from Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) to Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas de Calais) and Brest (29 Finistere, Brittany)
You can try sites like http://www.expedia.fr/ but even a price comparison site like http://www.baisse-de-prix.com/voyages.php seems to offer little new – it looks like Air France have cornered the market with little opportunity for discounting.
| August 9, 2008 |
I should not be surprised, but the French do seem to have a propensity to celebrate almost anything that is food-related, and claim that it is only their village that can claim to produce the best examples in France, if not the world.
Hence, the humble carrot gets its day of glory at Créances on the Cherbourg peninsula (50 Manche, Normandie).
Thanks to the persistence of its members, the quality “Label Rouge” mark was awarded in 1962 to carrots grown in Créance’s sandy soil and since 1990 the town has organised a special festival dedicated to its “queen of vegetables”, held every second Saturday in August.
The programme includes a parade of carrot growers, the “Mougeous d’Carottes”, a cooking competition, a fair open to everyone and musical entertainment. Every year about 25,000 visitors come to join in the fun.
Créance’s market garden area produces approximately 35,000 tons of “carottes des sables” and 10,000 tons of leeks every year.
Further details from the Syndicat d’Initiative de Créances (in high season)Tél/fax : 02 33 45 05 71
Contact : Créances Town Hall : 02 33 46 30 18
An innovative project has been launched which links 2 attractive regions either side of the channel through their respective abundance of gardens to visit. French gardens are often interesting to visit, especially as some aim to create what they think of as a “jardin anglais” - usually with lawns and “cottage garden” deatures, whilst others, particularly in the grounds of stately homes and chateaux, can be very formal.
Normandy clearly has a wealth of gardens open to the public - “The parks and gardens of Normandy, whether botanical, landscape or historic have become important points of reference. Connoisseurs as well as novices will be enthralled by the wealth of different species as well as the beauty of the individual sites. You will find 40 sites, all members of the association, which have been selected not only for their beauty but also for their hospitality. Visitors can discover a wide range of surroundings and secret walks which change daily according to the weather, plant cycle and with a little help from man.”
They range includes the famous Monet gardens at Giverny (27 Eure, Haut-Normandie) near the Seine, the magnificently named Jardins de Bellevue at Beaumont le Hareng (the herring?) (76 Seine-Maritime, Normandie) which houses 2 national collections and Agapanthe (”a contemporary garden, burgeoning with plants, takes the form of a series of sharply contrasting intimate spaces ; a botanical walk which also pays tribute to man-made structures, artistically blending the mineral and vegetable kingdoms.”) at Grigneuseville (76 Seine-Maritime, Normandie); and as far west as the Jardin des Plantes at Coutances (50 Manche, Normandie). There are also the gardens at Chateau Champ de Bataille (Castle Battlefield?) at Le Neubourg (27 Eure, Normandie)
Just check for opening times, especially out of season.
You’ll find a useful website which has details of all the Sussex and Normandy gardens in the scheme at www.gardensnormandysussex.com/
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Keywords: Gardens, Jardins, Normandy,Normandie,France
| May 20, 2006 |
20-27 May 2006 sees the 20th “Jazz sous les Pommiers” Festival at Coutances (50 Manche, Normandy) - the capiral of the Cotentin Peninsula, which is the peninsula which juts north with Cherbourg at its head. This promises to be an ideal way of enjoying mellow jazz in late Spring in the heart of Normandy with apple blossom and warm evenings. Whilst the big concerts are held in the Theatre Municipal, there are jazz events throughout the town - some in the open air, some free. Enjoy the Normandy cuisine - cider, pork, cream and butter are the regions gastronomic jewels.
For more info see www.jazzsouslespommiers.com
Situated on an outcrop, the town has a fine 11th/13th Century Cathedral and a “Jardin des Plantes”.
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