Webquest 6: Orléans and the Castles of the Loire River

For my final webquest I wanted to go on a tour of the castles of the Loire River Valley. There are far too many to do them any justice in one tour, so I selected five that I thought looked most beautiful to visit, and planned to stop in Tours in the middle of my tour for a little local food and drink. My first stop was the Château de Chambord. Chambord was built in the early 16th century so that King François I could live close to his girlfriend. The ornate roof was designed to look like the skyline of Constantinople.

My next stop is only a short drive down the valley: the Château de Chenonceau. This castle was a private residence until the King of France's widow, Catherine de' Medici (daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici) decided that it should belong to her.

About 6 miles away from the Château de Chenonceau is the Château de Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci's mansion Clos Lucé. Like Chenonceau, Amboise was a privately owned castle until the royalty confiscated it. The moral of this story is, if you build a castle too fancy, it'll get taken away. Da Vinci's home was connected by an underground tunnel into the castle.

Between Amboise and my next stop is the city of Tours. The city is amazing and worthy of a quest of its own. Like much of France, they are proud of their meat, so I'll just have to suffer with delicious goat cheese and a sweet bread called fouace. Mmm.

Not much further down the river is the Château de Villandry, another private castle confiscated, this time during the French Revolution, and given as a gift to Napoleon's brother Joseph. It is currently privately owned, but open to the public. Its main attraction is its extensive garden.

Finally I came to the Château d'Ussé. If this castle seems familiar it might be because Walt Disney used it as one of a few that inspired the castles in his movies.

If I was fantastically wealthy, I'd have some really nice gardens and a river front home like all these ones, but a lot smaller. It would be hell to clean all of that space.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Chambord
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Chenonceau
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Amboise
http://www.tours-tourisme.fr/city-of-gastronomy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Villandry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Uss%C3%A9

Webquest 5: Marseille to the gorges of Verdon

I was inspired by some of the other webquests I’ve seen to devote this one to some of France's more beautiful sights outside of the cities. So, I wanted to start on the french riviera in the city of Marseille. The city was founded around 600 B.C.E. by Greeks as a trading port, though nearby cave art demonstrates that the area has been inhabited for at least 29000 years.

After visiting the ruins of the old Greek harbor above, I went to the coast, and saw among other things the Château d'If.

The Château d'If is a fortress built on an island about a mile away from Marseille. Also along the coast by Marseille are the calanques, a picturesque coastline of steep cliffs.

There is a cave underneath the calanques that is only accessible by an entrance 37 meters under water that contains numerous cave paintings dating back to 27000 B.C.E. This area around the Mediterranean sea has its own kind of shrubland called garrigue.

 

I was hungry and wanted to try some local foods before leaving Marseille, so I went to a restaurant and ordered a bouillabaisse, a soup made from 3 or more different kinds of fish, leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and a rouille, "a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread."

I also had some Pastis, an anise flavoured liqueur, usually 80 to 90 proof. I left Marseille and went out into the Provence region. One of the things Provence is famous for is almost endless fields of lavender.

I finally reached my final destination for the quest: Lac de Sainte-Croix.

Into the Lac de Sainte-Croix flows the Verdon river through the Gorges du Verdon.

My webquest adventures have convinced me that eastern France from the Mediterranean to Germany is one of the most beautiful regions on earth.

Webquest 4: Besançon to Arc-et-Senans

 I started out this weeks journey in Besançon. It is a smaller city in Eastern France between Nancy and Lyon. Besançon, like many french cities, has some remnants of the Roman Empire, such as the Black Gate of Besançon.

Wandering through the old city, in the center of Besançon, i came across the 16th century Palais Granvelle, it is now used as a museum of history.

  Inside the Palais Granvelle is a beautiful colonnaded courtyard.

After visiting the Palais Granvelle, I went to one of the other main attractions in Besançon, The Citadel of Besançon, designed by french fortress builder Vauban in 1668. It is on top of a hill surrounded by cliffs overlooking Besançon.

The Citadel is now being used as a Museum of World War 2 French Resistance, a Natural History Museum, and a Zoo.

After all of my wandering around the old city and the Citadel, I became very hungry and decided to go get something to eat. The region is famous for its comté, a mild, nutty cheese.

  I ordered a baguette, some comté, some pumpkin and comté soup, morille mushrooms in cream sauce, and the local sherry-like vin jaune, all local favorites.

All of that delicious food was really filling, and I wanted to go into the countryside, so I drove Southwest from Besançon, through the beautiful Franche-Comté region

until I came to a small town calles Arc-et-Senans, that would have been almost empty if not for the Royal Saltworks built there in 1775.

It was envisioned as the center of a city that would grow up around it, but that never developed. It stands directly next to the second largest forest in france: The 80 square mile Forêt de Chaux.

This area of France seems more low key and mundane, but in a good way. It seems like the residents of Besançon, are not the most eager to be put on the tourist maps.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Besan%C3%A7on
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/mar/28/besancon-france-city-breaks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Saltworks_at_Arc-et-Senans

Webquest 3: Lyon to Pérouges

Lyon is a beautiful city on the Rhône and Saône rivers in southeast France, and the second largest city in France next to Paris. If you visit between December 8 and December 12 you can catch the Fête des Lumieres, during which Lyon is lit up in a huge number of colorful light displays.

Lyon has architecture dating back to the roman times. First on my list: the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière.

Lyon is also famous as a culinary center, but almost all of their famous regional foods contain meat. How frustrating. I went to a local restaurant and purchased Quenelle de Brochet, a pike and cream sauce dish. I also bought Cervelle de Canut, a white cheese with herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar and some bread to spread it on. The region is also famous for local wines, so I ordered a bottle of Beaujolais, a red wine that is lighter and sweeter than most reds, more like a white wine.

After eating, I went for a walk through the Parc de la Tête d'Or. A huge park in middle of Lyon. It contains a lake, a zoo, and a botanical garden.

There are a couple of famous Lyonnais I'd like to mention briefly. First electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre. Jarre has made a huge amount of music over the last 40 years, and is one of the most popular musicians in France. He has put on a number of free outdoor concerts that had audiences that number in the millions, and this one in his hometown of Lyon was performed for more than 800,000 people and the pope. Jarre used the lighting systems from the festival of lights synchronized to his music to turn the whole city into part of his stage show.

Another famous Lyonnais drew the image below. It is not a hat.

The above page is from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In addition to being a writer, he was a pilot, and disappeared without a trace during a reconnaissance flight along the southern coast of France in World War II. Wreckage of his plane was only recently discovered. The airport in Lyon is named after him. Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry is a TGV (very fast train) station connected to the Airport in Lyon. It is an interesting piece of architecture too.

Having seen some of Lyon, I drove out into the countryside. Nearby to Lyon is Cloister la Tourette, a monastery designed by french architect Le Corbusier and Greek/French musician and architect Iannis Xenakis.

Also Nearby Lyon is Pérouges, a small walled in village from the middle ages. This is a popular destination for Lyonnais, as well as a common place to shoot movies set in the middle ages.

 

Webquest 2: Nimes

Today, I began my journey in Nîmes. It is an ancient city in southern France, close to the Mediterranean Sea. There have been people living in or around Nîmes for more than 6000 years. There are numerous sites around Nîmes that show the history of the city and the region, leading from the Neolithic period, through to today.

I started my day with a tour of the Nîmes ancient architecture, starting with the Arena of Nîmes, a roman arena built around 70 C.E. It is still used today for a concert venue and bullfighting ring.

From the Arena, I went to the Maison Carrée, a roman temple build in 16 B.C.E. This building has been preserved through the years, but has never stopped being used. It has been a roman temple, a christian church, a meeting hall, a horse stable, a city archive, and a fine art museum. Directly next to the Maison Carrée, is the Carré d'art, built in 1993, which houses a museum of modern art and the city library. Despite the contrast in building styles and materials, the two buildings share the portico and columns, which give them a sense of continuity. 

I was feeling hungry, and i wanted to try out some of the regions specialties, particularly Brandade with truffles. Brandade is a dip or spread made with cod, olive oil, garlic and mashed potatoes. It is traditionally served with bread or truffles. I opted for the truffles. OMG. With my lunch I drank a local but familiar product. Perrier comes from a spring just outside of Nîmes.

Fully sated on deliciousness, It was time to move on to the days next adventure. Nemausus 1 is a low income housing project that incorporates many interesting and beautiful features. (part of the reason I love this documentary series is that it gives such a good sense of the atmosphere of the place.)

Then on to a beautiful roman tower overlooking Nîmes, the Tour Magne. I couldn't embed this panorama from the top of the Tour Magne, but it is well worth checking out.

http://visites-virtuelles.showaround.fr/france-360/visite-virtuelle-nimes-tour-magne-vue.htm

I visited a market and picked up another local speciality: Tapenade made with olives and anchovies, Pélardon (locally produced goat cheese) and a baguette to enjoy them with. Then went to the Jardins de la Fontaine to eat them.

From Nîmes I headed south to Parc naturel régional de Carmague, a protected wetland area on the Mediterranean Sea, where I spend a couple of hours walking.

I finally finish my day at the nearby village of Saintes Maries de la Mer, on the Mediterranean sea. It is the subject of a series of paintings by Van Gogh. 

I sat on the beach, and swam in the sea to finish out my day.

http://www.saintesmaries.com/en/

http://www.ot-nimes.fr/index.php?id=1&L=1

Webquest 1: Nancy to Dabo

I started my journey in the Place Stanislas, a beautiful public square in Nancy in the Lorraine region of France.

 
The sides of the square are made up of the city hall, theater, hotel, a pavilion, and a fine arts museum. All of these buildings have the same ornate design for their facade, and the result is stunningly beautiful.

I decided to go into the museum of fine arts, one of the oldest in France. It houses many pieces representing the whole range of western art, but I was particularly taken with the Daum glasswork exhibit.

Currently on exhibit in the museum are the designs of Jean Prouvé, who's home is the reason for my choosing Nancy as my first stop. I know it seems odd to be interested in something so dry, but I am a nerd and the simple, practical, modular designs of Prouvé appeal to me. So from the museum I visited Prouvé's home, and then decided to get something to eat.

I went to the Restaurant Ariane, where I ate a green salad with tomatoes, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette, as well as a vegetable quiche (Quiche Lorraine has bacon), and for dessert, Calfoutis aux cerises, a delicious looking cherry cake. On my way out of Nancy, i purchased some macaroons, bergamots, mirabelle plums, a bottle of mirabelle plum lambic, and a cd by local composer Florent Schmitt.

As I drove South east of Nancy, I stopped by the Château de Lunéville, a large castle with extensive open fields and gardens. 

 The inside of the castle is unfortunately closed for restoration due to a fire. So I continued on my way east, where I at last came to Dabo, and I climbed the Dabo Rock with my bag of goodies, and ended my day munching on plums, drinking Lambic, listening to Schmitt, and checking out one of the best panoramas I have ever seen.

Dabo, Dagsburg, View from the Rock Le Rocher in Alsace

Some of this info I already knew, some came from http://www.nancy-tourisme.fr/ some came from endless reading on wikipedia, and exploring the surrounding area on google maps.