Camping Parc de la Bastide St. Remy de Provence (September 2018).
An impression of campsite Parc de la Bastide St. Remy de Provence (Bouches du Rhône) during our overnight stay in the last week of September 2018.
TROO FRANCE
The most beautiful place in France.
L'abbaye de Hautecombe (Savoie - France)
(EN) Hautecombe Abbey (Latin Altacumba, Altæcumbæum) is a former Cistercian monastery, later a Benedictine monastery, in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille near Aix-les-Bains in Savoy, France. For centuries it was the burial place of the members of the House of Savoy. It is visited by 150,000 tourists yearly.
The origins of Hautecombe lie in a religious community which was founded about 1101 in a narrow valley (or combe) near Lake Bourget by hermits from Aulps Abbey, near Lake Geneva. In about 1125 it was transferred to a site on the north-western shore of the lake under Mont du Chat, which had been granted to it by Amadeus, Count of Savoy, who is named as the founder; and shortly afterwards it accepted the Cistercian Rule from Clairvaux. The first abbot was Amadeus de Haute-Rive, afterwards Bishop of Lausanne. Two daughter-houses were founded from Hautecombe at an early date: Fossanova Abbey (afterwards called For Appio), in the diocese of Terracina in Italy, in 1135, and San Angelo de Petra, close to Constantinople, in 1214.
It has sometimes been claimed, but as often disputed, that Pope Celestine IV and Pope Nicholas III were monks at Hautecombe.
Apart from its exceptionally beautiful location, the chief interest of Hautecombe is that it was for centuries the burial-place of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy. Count Humbert III, known as Blessed, and his wife Anne were interred there in the latter part of the 12th century; and about a century later Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury (1245--1270), son of Count Thomas I of Savoy, was buried in the sanctuary of the abbey church. He had come out from England with King Edward I to accompany him in a crusade, but died at the castle of St. Helena in Savoy.
The abbot Anthony of Savoy, a son of Charles Emmanuel I, was also buried there in 1673.
The abbey was restored (in a debased style) by one of the dukes about 1750, but it was secularized and sold in 1792, when the French entered Savoy, and was turned into a china-factory. King Charles Felix of Sardinia purchased the ruins in 1824, had the church re-constructed by the Piedmontese architect Ernest Melano in an exuberant Gothic-Romantic style, and restored it to the Cistercian Order. He and his queen, Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, are buried in the Belley chapel, which forms a kind of vestibule to the church. Some 300 statues and many frescoes adorn the interior of the church, which is 215 feet (66 m) long, with a transept 85 feet (26 m) wide. Most of the tombs are little more than reproductions of the medieval monuments.
The Cistercians re-settled the abbey from Turin, but the Italian monks soon left, and were replaced by others from Sénanque Abbey, who remained until about 1884. The premises were taken over by the Benedictines of Marseilles Priory in 1922, but in 1992 the monks left for Ganagobie Abbey in the Alpes de Haute Provence, and the buildings are now administered by the Communauté du Chemin-Neuf, an ecumenical and charismatic Roman Catholic group. (Wikipedia)
Map for tourists:
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Interactive Tour de France - Webisode 4 Provence
Click here to make it interactive :
The 4th episode of our interactive bike trip around France, meeting French people & their culture.
Chambles (Loire - France)
(F) Chambles est une commune française, située dans le département de la Loire et la région Rhône-Alpes.
Située au milieu des gorges de la Loire, sur la rive gauche du fleuve, la commune de Chambles est un des sites les plus connus et attirants du département. Ce petit bourg a su préserver son caractère féodal qui lui donne toute son originalité. Surplombant les gorges de la Loire, le village de Chambles jouit d'une situation géographique remarquable et d'un panorama exceptionnel. Chambles est constitué de nombreux hameaux où se côtoient exploitations agricoles et résidences principales de citadins à la recherche d'air pur et d'espace. (Wikipedia)
Map for tourists:
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Monteux, France - a must-see for water slide fans
Water slides in all shapes and forms. The SplashWorld Monteux is a great location for a summer vacation.
Find the list of water slides at this location on our website:
Fête des lumières (Festival of Lights) 2010 (Lyon - France)
(EN) The Festival of Lights (French: Fête des lumières) in Lyon, France expresses gratitude toward Mary, mother of Jesus on December 8 of each year. This uniquely Lyonnaise tradition dictates that every house place candles along the outsides of all the windows to produce a spectacular effect throughout the streets. The festival, which includes other activities based on light, usually lasts 4 days, with the peak of activity occurring on the 8th. The two main focal points of activity are typically the Basilica of Fourvière which is lit up in different colours, and the Place des Terreaux, which hosts a different light show each year.
The origins of the festival date to 1643 when Lyon was struck by plague.The municipal councillors (échevins) promised to pay tribute to Mary if the town was spared. Ever since, a solemn procession makes its way to the Basilica of Fourvière on this day to light candles and give offerings in the name of Mary. The event thus commemorates the day Lyon was consecrated to the Virgin Mary.
In 1852, it became a popular festival when a statue of the Virgin Mary was erected next to the Basilica, overlooking the city. Now a focal point of the festival, the statue was created by the renowned sculptor Fabisch and was sponsored by several notable Lyonnais Catholics. It was then accepted by Maurice Cardinal de Bonald in 1850. The inauguration of the statue was due to take place on September 8, 1852, the day of celebration of the Virgin . However, the flooding of the Saône prevented the statue from being ready. The archbishop, with the agreement of a committee of lay people, therefore chose to move the date back to the 8 December.
By 1852 in Lyon, December 8 had already been a celebration for the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. Leading up to the inauguration, everything was in place for the festivities: The statue was lit up with flares, fireworks were readied for launching from the top of Fourvière Hill and marching bands were set to play in the streets. The prominent Catholics of the time suggested lighting up the façades of their homes as was traditionally done for major events such as royal processions and military victories.
However, on the morning of the big day, a storm struck Lyon. The master of ceremonies hastily decided to cancel everything and to push back the celebrations once more to the following Sunday. In the end the skies cleared and the people of Lyon, who had been eagerly anticipating the event, spontaneously lit up their windows, descended into the streets and lit flares to illuminate the new statue and the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière, later superseded by the Basilica. The people sang songs and cried Vive Marie! until late in the night. This celebration was then repeated from year to year.
Thus, tradition now dictates that every family in Lyon keep, along with its Christmas decorations, a collection of stained or clear glass in which candles are burnt on windowsills on the 8th of December. These stout, cinnamon-coated candles can be found in shops towards the end of November.
Nowadays, the city's council puts on professionally-run performances. The people of Lyon's participation remains strong as evidenced by numerous façades lit up in the traditional way and by the throngs of people wandering the streets on December 8.
Historians and sociologists note the rather misinformed notions that the people of Lyon have concerning the celebration's origins: confusion over the thanks given to Mary, as well as the dates involved, leads people to think the celebration commemorates the establishment of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière or a wish granted after a plague supposedly struck in the 19th century. (Wikipedia)
Map for tourists:
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Fête des lumières 2009:
Fête des lumières 2010:
COOBER PEDY (AUSTRALIE)
Coober Pedy, capitale mondiale de l' Opale en plein Outback, avec ses milliers de puits de mine et ses maisons troglodytes.
voir blog : L'AUSTRALIE EN CAMPING-CAR
Les Arènes de Nîmes (Gard - France)
(EN) The Arena of Nîmes is a Roman amphitheater found in the French city of Nîmes. Built around 70 AD, it was remodeled in 1863 to serve as a bullring. The Arenas of Nimes is the site of two annual bullfights, and it is also used for other public events.
The building encloses an elliptical central space 133 m long by 101 m wide. It is ringed by 34 rows of seats supported by a vaulted construction. It has a capacity of 86,300 spectators and since 1989 has a movable cover and a heating system.In 2007 was sends 10,000 spectacors and now capacity of arena is almost 97,000 spectacors.
(D) Die Arènes de Nîmes ist ein römisches Amphitheater in der französischen Stadt Nîmes.
In Nîmes, der colonia Nemausus in der Provinz Gallia Narbonensis des Römischen Reichs, wurde das Amphitheater zwischen 90 und 120 n. Chr. nach Vorbild des römischen Kolosseums erbaut. Während der Völkerwanderung diente es als Fluchtburg und wurde 1863 in eine Stierkampfarena verwandelt. Heute finden dort auch andere Veranstaltungen statt.
(ES) La Arena de Nimes (también Arenas de Nimes según su nombre en francés Arènes de Nîmes) es un anfiteatro romano situado en la ciudad francesa de Nimes. Edificado en el año 27 a. C., en la actualidad se encuentra remodelado y se utiliza como coso taurino para la celebración de corridas de toros desde 1863 (las Arenas de Nimes son la sede de dos ferias taurinas al año). También se usa para otros tipo de espectáculos.
Tiene un ruedo elíptico de 133 m de largo y 101 m de ancho. Está rodeado por 34 gradas, sustentadas por una construcción abovedada. Tiene capacidad para 16.300 espectadores y cuenta desde 1989 con una cubierta móvil y un sistema de calefacción.
Map for tourists: FILMS
cassis et le castelet
vacances à la ciotat