logo
Poitou-Charentes

Chauvigny – the Best Made Plans Sometimes Go Awry

Chauvigny was our last stop before leaving the Valley of the Frescoes and returning to the Loire Valley.  We had such great plans for the sights we were to see here and the frescoes were only a minor part of those plans. As Robert Burns said, “the best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry”. Being as it was ...

Saint Savin Abby Valley of the Frescoes

Valley of the Frescoes- Bucolic Villages of Amazing Frescoes

The Valley of the Frescoes extends from Saint-Savin to Saulgé. There are five stops on this route:  Abbey of Saint-Savin, Antigny, Jouhet, Montmorillon and Saulgé. We based our stay in Montmorillon and from there explored these frescoes. You can read about Montmorillon here. Valley of the Frescoes - Saulgé On our first ...

Saint-Jean d’Angély

My travel agenda usually has more things to see than are hours in the day, but I arrived in Saint-Jean d'Angély totally unprepared. I had been wandering through sunflower fields, taking photos, when I spotted the towers of the Royal Abbey Cathedral. I had no idea what town they were in but it wasn't difficult to follow them ...

amphitheater saintes

Saintes- a Fascinating Gallo Roman town filled with amazing history

Read my story in French » The Gallo- Roman town of Saintes which dates back over 2000 years is the capitol of the Santoigne Department in the Poitou-Charentes (now the Nouvelle Aquitane). This delightful town is easy to navigate on foot. I parked my car in one of the numerous car-parks and walked everywhere. My B&B ...

Sunflowers in France

Read my story in French » The word for sunflowers in France is TOURNESOLS. It’s easy to see where the name comes from since tourner is to turn and sol is for sun. Growing 5 – 12 feet tall the flowers face east when fully grown – although myth has it that their face always the sun. However, young sunflowers do ...

Poitou-Charentes Region Is Now the Nouvelle-Aquataine But its Beauty Has Not Changed!

The former Poitou-Charentes Region of France lies on the western side of France, fronting the Atlantic Ocean. This is now the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. In this predominantly rural region you will find remains of the Romans and Gauls who once inhabited this part of France. Having the mildest climate in ...