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Aix-en-Provence Travel: France
Aix (prounounced “eks”), or, to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, some 30 km north of Marseille. It is located in the Provence region, in the Bouches-du-Rhne dpartement, of which it is a sous-prfecture. Population is approximately 130,000.
The Cours Mirabeau, a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane-trees, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains, divides the town into two portions. The new town extends to the south and west, the old town with its wide but irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries lies to the north.
Aix is an important educational centre, being the seat of the faculties of law and letters of the university of Aix-Marseille, and there is a lot of students lodging and parties in the old town and around university buildings in the new part of downtown.
Ajaccio Travel: France
Ajaccio (Corsican: Aiacciu) is a city and commune of France, prfecture (capital) of the dpartement of Corse-du-Sud and, since 1810 capital of the rgion of Corsica. Population (1999): 52,880. Ajaccio is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica, 210 m. southeast of Marseille. It occupies a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio. The harbour lies to the east of the town and is protected on the south by a peninsula.
Sights in Ajaccio
The peninsula carries the citadel and terminates in the Citadel jetty. To the south-west of this peninsula lies the Place Bonaparte, a quarter frequented chiefly by winter visitors attracted by the mild climate of the town. Apart from one or two fine thoroughfares converging on the Place Bonaparte, the streets are mean and narrow and the town has a deserted appearance.
The house in which Napoleon I was born in 1769 is preserved, and his associations with the town are everywhere emphasized by street-names and statues. The other buildings, including the cathedral of the 16th century, are of little interest.
Albi Travel: France
Albi is a city and commune in southern France. It is the prfecture (capital) of the Tarn dpartement, and is located on the Tarn River, 22 miles northeast of Toulouse. Population (1999): 46,274. Its inhabitants are called Albigensians (French: Albigeois). The city was founded by the Roman Empire, and was then known as Albiga. The Albigensians, 12th and 13th century heretics, got their name from this city.
Sights in Albi
Among the monuments of the town are the Sainte Ccile basilica, world largest brick construction, and the Old Bridge (Pont Vieux) still in use today after a millennium of existence.
Amiens Travel: France
Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. It is the prfecture (capital city) of the Somme dpartement. Population: 120,000. The Paleolithic culture named Acheulean was named for its first identified site, in Saint-Acheul, a suburb of Amiens. Amiens, the Roman Samarobriva, was the central settlement of the Ambiani, one of the principal tribes of Gaul, who were issuing coinage, probably from Amiens, in the 1st century BCE. By tradition, it was at the gates of Amiens that Saint Martin of Tours, at the time still a Roman soldier, divided his cloak with a naked beggar.
Attractions in Amiens
Amiens cathedral (a World Heritage Site) is the tallest of the large ‘classic’ Gothic churches of the 13th century and is the largest in France of its kind. After a fire destroyed the former cathedral, the new nave was built 1220 – finished 1247. Amiens is notable for the coherence of its plan, the beauty of its three-tier interior elevation, the particularly fine display of sculptures on the principal facade and in the south transept, and the labyrinth and other inlays of its floor. It is described as the “Parthenon of Gothic architecture,” and by Ruskin as “Gothic, clear of Roman tradition and of Arabian taint, Gothic pure, authoritative, unsurpassable, and unaccusable”.
Angers Travel: France
Angers is a city in France in the dpartement of Maine-et-Loire, 191 miles south-west of Paris.
Angers is an industrialized city housing 150,000 people in the city proper, and close to 250,000 within the metropolitan area. The city traces its roots to early Roman times. It occupies the slopes on both banks of the Maine, which is spanned by three bridges. The district along the river is famous for its flourishing nurseries and market gardens. With its wide, straight streets, gracious public gardens, and ample, tree-lined boulevards, Angers is one of the more pleasant towns in France. It is well known for its fresh produce and cut flowers.
Attractions in Angers
The site of a massive and ancient Chateau, the city is also noted for the impressive twin spires of the twelfth-century Cathedral of Saint-Maurice. Other noteworthy churches around Angers include St. Serge, an abbey-church of the 12th and 15th centuries, and the twelfth-century La Trinit.
The famous abbey of St. Aubin has a courtyard with elaborately sculptured arcades of the 11th and 12th centuries. The tower there is also splendid.
Angouleme Travel: France
Angoulme is a town in southwestern France, prfecture (capital city) of the Charente dpartement. Population (1999): 43,171. Angoulme (Iculisma) was taken by Clovis from the Visigoths in 507, and plundered by the Normans in the 9th century. In 1360 it was surrendered by the Treaty of Brtigny to the English; they were, however, expelled in 1373 by the troops of Charles V, who granted the town numerous privileges. It suffered much during the French Wars of Religion, especially in 1568 after its capture by the Protestants under Coligny.
The countship of Angoulme dated from the 9th century, the most important of the early counts being William Taillefer, whose descendants held the title till the end of the 12th century. Withdrawn from them on more than one occasion by Richard Coeur-de-Lion, it passed to King John of England on his marriage with Isabel, daughter of Count Adhmar, and by her subsequent marriage in 1220 to Hugh X passed to the Lusignan family, counts of Marche. On the death of Hugh XIII in 1302 without issue, his possessions passed to the crown. In 1394 the countship came to the house of Orleans, a member of which, Francis I, became king of France in 1515 and raised it to the rank of duchy in favour of his mother Louise of Savoy. The duchy afterwards changed hands several times, one of its holders being Charles of Valois, natural son of Charles IX. The last duke was Louis-Antoine, eldest son of Charles X, who died in 1844.
Bastia Travel: France
Bastia (Corsican Bastia), is a town and commune of northern Corsica, in France. It is the prfecture (capital) of the Haute-Corse dpartement and has a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Bastia is also also an important Corsican port and is famous for its wines. Bastia was founded in the 14th century by the Genoese, and remained the capital of Corsica until 1791. It has a variety of historical tourist attractions, including a citadel dating back from the 16th-17th centuries as well as several 18th century buildings.
Belfort Travel: France
Belfort is a town and commune of northeastern France, prfecture (capital) of the Territoire de Belfort dpartement in the Franche-Comt rgion. Population (1999): 50,417. Approximately 80,000 including suburbs.
Attractions in Belfort
Belfort is the home of The Lion of Belfort, a sculpture by Frdric Bartholdi expressing people’s resistance against the siege in the Franco-Prussian War (1870)
Besanon Travel: France
Besanon is a French city in the dpartement of Doubs, of which it is the prfecture. Population (1999): 122,308. Besanon is the capital of the Franche-Comt rgion of France, a rgion including the four dpartements of Doubs, Haute-Sane, Jura and Territoire de Belfort. As such, it is the seat of the Franche-Comt regional council, and the regional prfecture (government offices).
Attractions in Besanon
The city is renowned for having one of the most beautiful historic centres of any major town in France. The old town, “la Boucle”, is enclosed in a broad horse-shoe of the river Doubs, which is blocked off at the neck by Vauban’s imposing Citadelle. The historic centre has little in the way of unseemly modern architecture, and presents a remarkable ensemble of classic stone buildings, some dating back to the Middle Ages. Among the most visited historic monuments are:
Bordeaux Travel: France
Bordeaux ( pronunciation; Bordu in Gascon) is a port city in the south-west of France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine rgion, as well as the prfecture (administrative capital) of the Gironde dpartement. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais.
Bordeaux is also the name of the wine produced in the region surrounding the city. The city is built on an arc of the river Garonne, and is thus divided into two parts: the right bank to the East and left bank in the West.
Bordeaux Wine
The Bordeaux region is home to many of the most prestigious wine producers in the world. Both red and white wines are made in Bordeaux. Red Bordeaux is called claret in England.
Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes and may be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. White Bordeaux is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.
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