Elizabeth Castle and a walk on the Jersey Shore

May 20, 2018

Construction was begun on the rock outcropping in the middle of St. Aubin’s Bay off the coast of St. Helier during the long reign of  Elizabeth I.  It in now a museum. Jersey has some of the greatest tide differentials in the world with some parts of the island seeing a 12m/39′ change.  That means […]

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Orgueil Castle or Gorey Castle

May 19, 2018

The site of the castle had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212.  The castle was the primary defence of Jersey until the development of gunpowder which then rendered the castle ultimately indefensible from Mont Saint Nicholas where the […]

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La Hougue Bie

May 19, 2018

Stonehenge, Newgrange and now La Hougue Bie.  La Huge Bie is  the oldest manmade structure I’ve so far seen.  Older than the other two by over 1000 years. It is a Neolithic ritual site which was in use around 3500 BC. In Western Europe, it is one of the largest and best preserved passage graves and […]

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St. Helier, Isle of Jersey, Channel Islands

May 18, 2018

Another delightful day on the water!  The ferry from St. Malo, France to St. Helier, Isle of Jersey only takes about 1 1/2 hours and was jammed with school kids from France taking a day trip.   I can’t explain why I felt such a feeling of elation upon passing through Border Control and, after […]

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St. Malo

May 17, 2018

The original idea was to explore the Atlantic coast of France working my way through Nantes and then up to Brest in Brittany and east to St. Malo for ferry to UK, but once understanding the work added because of the rolling 2/3 off/on rail strike, I decided to just cut this short and go […]

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La Rochelle Cathedral

May 15, 2018

A place of worship since 1152 the existing cathedral as begun in 1746.  Between trees and the bus center it was difficult to get good exterior photos, inside made up for it Remember when you want to take a photo of a ceiling turn your phone to front face and get your face out of […]

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Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de La Rochelle

May 14, 2018

I found this eclectic and fun museum in the heart of the city after walking through another open air market that made me regret no kitchen. The main focus seems to be the natural history cabinet of Clément Lafaille, collector at the origin of the museum when it opened in 1832. Interesting piece in the […]

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La Rochelle, France

May 13, 2018

I arrived in LaRochelle a day later than planned.  When I checked out of the hotel in Bordeaux and went to the rail station I was surprised to find the trains on strike.  A rolling on with 2 days of strike and 3 days of working.  And no inter city buses either.  Had to buy […]

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Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France

May 12, 2018

Such a commanding display from all sides, the strength and power and courage it shows

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Musee des Beaux-Arts, Waterfront & St Louis’ Church

May 12, 2018

Holding one of the largest collection of art outside Paris, this seemed like a good place to get out of the rain. I’m writing this post from memory  due to the download issues.  Most of the  trip is written in CT nearly 2 months after. I believe this sculpture is of a sculptor. Alfred Smith […]

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