I promised to tell you about following the day trip to Saumur . So go back on the bus after the delicious and hearty breakfast served in the medieval restaurant The tithe barn at Montreuil Bellay . We head for Saumur St Hilaire St Florent.

We get off the bus at a summer temperature of 27 ° to visit the park underground miniature Peter and light . The guide warns us that the input temperature underground is 12 °. Back on the bus to pick up a sweater and set off for the descent.

We enter the old limestone quarry, in the heart of the material that was used to Philippe Cormand to sculpt the most beautiful monuments of the Loire Valley . This self-taught Breton (we show our pride) never learned sculpture or architecture. Accuracy is of size (normal for a sculptor) and leaves us speechless.

Need we say more than that the tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, I have not presented all of the exposure but few chosen samples to make you want to go there. I let you admire the fine work of the artist.

All monuments, churches, castles and cities carved by Philippe Cormand are faithful reproductions in every detail of their models. Each ornament or rosette is identical and only the figures were carved apart. The whole work is a block.

The artist always starts his sculpture from above (the rooster on the spire of the church for example) which gives you an overview of accuracy when attacking a block of stone weighing several tons. It also means that any mistake in completing the work at the bottom of the sculpture can destroy months of work and is unrecoverable.

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Dear readers, believers or passage, it is time for me to give me a break and put the Mac to rest. You grant me happy I'm sure those two short weeks of abandonment that allow you to dive in previous posts that you have perhaps not read.

I will make my return on September 5 as children and find you happy to see comments that you kindly leave my attention.

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Hard to believe that my four weeks of vacation are already up. Despite a weather capricious, not ideal in July, I did not see the time pass.

The first two weeks I still feel that long ago that I left my home and it's a bit like time suspended its flight. Then the second part of the holidays, it's rather as if it was accelerating and I find myself counting down the days with the anguish of the recovery.

Instead of taking advantage of these last moments of freedom, I begin to rethink and anxious to work. And so Monday morning we'll have to get up early, take public transportation, be stuck with the day's work and follow up with the shopping, cooking ... well the daily grind.

Soon the holidays will fade and a few days after recovery they will be just a memory. Fortunately the nostalgia of those, too, will soon give way to optimism. I will enjoy this August where life moves in slow motion. The city will be deserted and quiet I'll want to stroll. I will do my shopping in supermarkets where the crowd will be less dense than usual and I will devote less time.

The midday lunch break, will be outside. Ah the sandwich eaten on a bench will not have the same flavor as when swallowed quickly to the corner office! I'll try to go early to enjoy the sun and why not dine on the terrace to extend the holiday feeling.

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Not being frankly spoiled by the weather for the holiday of July, I spend more time locked up in the mobile home and abroad. From the cool temperatures and rain clouds, must be addressed and reading is a great way to relax and escape the gloom.

With his novel, The happiness of the morning, Marie-Paul Armand was able to captivate me. Although the story takes place during the First World War , the war is only present in the background and it is the heroine Rosalind. While the city of Orchies in the North, where she lives with her ​​parents, was burned on the orders of the occupier, the girl will find refuge with his grandfather.

The grandfather who had driven her daughter when she was pregnant, will raise the child without any tenderness. The years pass and a childhood friend Rosalind will ask in marriage but she meets the great love and his life will be disrupted.

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If there is an initiative that I like in Loire Atlantique is that of Vélocéan, a network of cycle paths initialized from 2001 and continually developed.

The stated goal of this network is built for riders of course to promote the practice of cycling while enhancing the natural and cultural heritage located along its route. Vélocéan to discover the Loire Atlantic from north to south, connecting the Morbihan to the Vendee . Hey it's almost as if this department was friend friend with these two regions just waiting to welcome him in their midst.

The miles of trails and well identified are accessible to all, regardless of age or level of sports because they pose little difficulty. For the practice of a touring bike and recreation and not for performance, they are safe and without risk there is little driving children.

By bike it has a unique perspective on the environment, we can set foot on the ground at any time for a photo or linger in a picturesque setting. On the pedal stroke (almost) are alternated between the ocean and countryside. Imagine discovering the peninsula of Guerande on two wheels, explore the narrow streets of Piriac , across the salt marshes by taking the time to watch birds, join Briere to admire the houses with thatched roofs.

The 16 kms of trails that connect St. Michel Chef Chef at Pornic will give you the opportunity to taste the delicious cakes St Michel, test your knowledge of flora and fauna in the pond of Gâtineaux, to uncover the secrets of f aïencerie Pornic or taste the strawberries that you picked yourself in the vast fields of the Fraiseraie .

Hard to detail all the possible circuits but here are a few bonus tips before you start. The VTC is the perfect bike that will fit both the paved tracks as wooded trails. Consider that you will have the privilege of crossing natural areas intact, so be sure to preserve them (no trash, no cigarette butts pollution which also constitute a fire hazard, no picking, no disturbance to the birds ...).

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In vacation since early July and for 4 weeks at the edge of the Atlantic (lucky girl), I devote myself to one of my favorite pastime, the reading . Time, alas, I usually default to combine all my hobbies and passion that I have since my childhood often actually costs.

Being at the seaside, it seemed that the song of the ocean Marie-Bernadette Dupuy was entirely appropriate. This novel tells of a real sensitivity a difficult childhood with its moments of grace.

Violaine is a spoiled child of loving parents. She knows the wide world than the ocean with which it shares the daily lives and his foster brother Francis, his nurse Guillemette and his daughters who are like sisters to her. In this environment of love and tenderness she blossomed and the brutal death of his parents will mow it.

His benefactress, the rich Duplessis Elise, will take its destiny and decide to rescue him from its marine environment and give it to her aunt Marcelline who lives in a village in the Pyrenees . The child discovers a hostile nature and malice of his family. The happy years will give way to abuse and wickedness.

Fortunately in this event will meet Violaine Sidonie, a Spanish gifts of healing is said a little witch. Sidonie and son Eloi will help him get a taste for life and his visits to their cottage will be for the child and the girl become a safe haven.

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To close the saga of my trip to Reunion , I have to introduce you to the majestic mountains and the impressive Piton furnace .

Some of you may have imagined an island with only languid tourism lazing around and sunbathing on the beach. It is not the case. The island also offers few beaches but they are very beautiful as you could see from my previous post. However the mountains are omnipresent and demanding good calves.

The road to access the Ilet string is very steep and hairpin turns are not lacking. Fear of heights to abstain! But the bravest will be rewarded on reaching the small end of the world as indicated by the panel and a green ocean that lies between two mountains.

Stop sign at the back Cilaos , pretty little town cradled in the mountains where it is good to eat in Creole cuisine , why not a smoked bringelle (kind of eggplant) sprinkled with sparkling water or the country of his little red wine.

To admire the summits before clouds obscure the view of the tourists must be addressed to the mountain early in the morning (Creole expression to say earlier). Up at 5 am, nice vacations, and on his way to the circus of Salazie .

When it gets too hot it remains to find the waterfalls a little freshness. Those of Langevin are superb and dive into a pool with blue green. The boldest bathe.

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December 27, Christmas has just ended and already we must consider a menu for New Year's Eve , thinking of his holding of Eve , his hair ... All this feels a little warm for me but this year it is not at all what I think.

I think suitcases, bathing suits , suntan creams yes ... But remember, I told you about a proposed trip. Envisaged in the summer it seemed far away and once the tickets reserved online through Corsair Fly I thought no more practically. But in a week today the dream take shape.

So the point of Eve, just a small meal improved face to face while watching TV will ring and when the clock strikes midnight and we will receive some phone calls and dodo. The first Saturday in January will happen to put the house in order, to store the tree and decorations in their boxes until the end of the year, to wash and iron, but happiness ... But all this is done without coercion because it's for a good cause.

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The famous Eiffel Tower at night

A friend gave me 4 free tickets to ride a riverboat on the Seine gave me a huge gift. Besides the saving of 40 € and performed, he gave me the opportunity to admire the most beautiful monuments of Paris , glittering in their robes of light.

The walk is a delight. That night it was cold, very cold but even the weather was clear and the boat well heated. No problem on that side. I risky, however, a short time (probably less courageous than the Chinese and Japanese were strafing everything goes to the upper deck) outside to enjoy it even more.

Over water, marveled, we discover Notre Dame, the Louvre , the Orsay Museum , the National Assembly ... not to mention the superb Pont Alexandre III. The boat glides silently through the night, the city seems sleepy, lucky Parisians who live in apartments on the waterfront spectacular preferring to snuggle up warm in their duplex than face the frosts of fall outside the norm.

Pont Alexandre III in Paris

The boat ride is a classic fly to Paris. Any self-respecting tourist must do it. I regret only one thing is that my little camera in these circumstances does not allow me to have more pictures to share with you.

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I spoke of my proposed trip without you reveal, for the moment at least, and to spare the suspense, the destination. A flyer said that traveling was better to reach his goal. I meditate on this phrase, but this is not my purpose today.

If one does find in foreign countries as a reflection of his own habits it's not worth traveling. A trip is preparing carefully, if only for the selection of outfits to go. These must be adapted to the climate and manners of the country. And if there is something to remember it is his good manners. In the train , thank you and god it is still practiced widely enough, it helps older people to get into the car and set up their luggage .

Once reached the goal the first rule is to respect the customs and usages of the host country. This seems obvious but I happened to be ashamed at the attitude of some of my compatriots. We are not in a branch of our own country so we behave like guests. Do not run into the sensitivity of indigenous wanting to enter places of worship in shocking outfits. If we are asked to take off our shoes and cover our heads we have to comply with this request without complaint.

French has the bad reputation of being a moaner. Why? Remember that we are local to the reference of our own country and our attitude will be equated to that of French in general. Then in pity do not criticize constantly what we see, what we eat, the benefits of the hotel, the comfort of coaches ... If we are all at home, and although as I said in the introduction, remain at the home.

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