Impressions on the river.

For the first time the Maritime, River and Port Museum in Rouen will organise an exhibition on the theme of pleasure boating on the Seine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This exhibition ties in with in the Normandy Impressionist festival, and will be complemented by a remarkable collection of pleasure craft, never before exhibited in public. This exhibition will be accompanied by a gathering of boats on the Seine.

Battle of Berlin.

This original exhibition focuses on the Battle of Berlin, the last combat which crushed Berlin and which left Hilter surrounded, leading him to commit suicide on 30th April 1945, thus putting an end to the Nazi regime. However, the price of freedom with this victory was high for the Soviet Union which lost 26 million men.
This exhibition has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, and the Central Museum of Armed Forces in Moscow together with the Caen Memorial. This is the first exhibition of this magnitude on this subject to take place in Western Europe.

Go back in time.

The period between the World Wars was rich in decorative art.
This exhibition, called "Quimper Cornouaille, années 1920-1930, L'appartement Art Déco", offers visitors a chance to discover a new style for the period, particularly Breton art deco with its urban buildings, unusual furniture and earthenware.

The environment in danger.

In the context of the international year of biodiversity, the Museum is increasing awareness about the rich diversity of the living world, but also the threats it faces.
The exhibition called Biodiversité: le Museum Sort de sa Réserve (Biodiversity: the museum outside its habitat) aims to make the public more aware of the need to protect the environment, often by simple, everyday actions.

The forerunner of impressionism.

The exhibition is dedicated to Leon Riesener (1808 - 1878), and it is the Museums of Lisieux which together hold the most important public collection of his work in the world, consisting of paintings, graphic works and daguerreotypes. This exhibition will demonstrate how the stylistic evolution of this artist's work shows him to be an important precursor to the Impressionist movement.

Leon Riesener visited Normandy many times from a very young age, with his cousin Eugene Delacroix. In 1857, driven by the need for new impressions and some solitude, Riesener bought a mill in Benzeval, where he continued his research on colour and then on the division of tones. With his subjects and his style of painting, Riesener was to pique the interest of younger artists such as Berthe Morisot, Renoir and Degas. At his death, the Impressionists were to pay him a special tribute. Renoir engraved a portrait of the older artist on the front page of la Vie Moderne in the issue of 17 April 1879.

Yachting over the years.

The exhibition traces the story of sailing, its official recognition in 1850 which led to the democratisation of this pastime as something for all.

From 3rd July 2010, to tie in with the traditional ceremony of the blessing of the sea on Wednesday 18th July in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, the museum will welcome visitors curous about the local history of major maritime events: regattas, benedictions, and sea festivals in Normandy.

Tapestries on display.

A prestigious institution, the Manufactures Nationales of tapestry and carpets are the guardians of weaving techniques and ancestral know-how. The Musée Jean Lurçat et de la tapisserie contemporaine (contemporary tapestry) has on display a selection of contemporary collections from Manufactures Nationales.
The exhibition gives visitors a chronological tour from 1960 to the present day, bringing woven design to the fore through works by major contemporary artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, such as Picasso, Matisse, Calder, Chillida and others.

Here's one I made earlier…

Whether you are a newcomer seeking fresh ideas, an experienced artist wanting to perfect your craft, or a professional hunting out the latest trends and materials, the Salon Créativa is the place for you. The real selling point of the fair is its focus on workshops. Professionals will be there to demonstrate the latest techniques and products, answer questions and give tips and advice.

Four permanent workshops run throughout the week where you can try out one of the 70 crafts on offer, from dressmaking to patchwork or mosaics.

The fair brings together 160 exhibitors in a 8 000 m² exhibition space - you will find specialists in sewing, handicrafts, fine-arts, floral decoration, children's activities, etc.

Experience the satisfaction of having something crafted from your own two hands.

A taste for Chinese luxuries in France.

In the early 18th century, trading between France and China allowed France to discover Asian goods such as tea, silk, porcelain, pearl, ivory, etc. The first boat to provide this trade link was the Amphitrite which docked at the port of Nantes. From this first taste, France was to develop a craving for Chinese goods. China was to attract intrepid Westerners, however the sack of the Palace in Beijing in 1860 was to mark the end of an era.

This exhibition invites you to learn about the relations between France and China during this 1700 - 1860 period. Come and examine some of the precious objects from this period, loaned for the occasion by major museums such as the Musée Guimet in Paris.
This is a new and refreshing take on the age-old relationship between two countries.

A World Heritage site.

The area of some 253,000 hectares that makes up the Parc Loire-Anjou-Touraine is above all a land of confluences along its many rivers. A landscape shaped by man, the Loire is designated a UNESCO World Heritage "cultural landscape", a title awarded to an area in which aspects of cultural heritage blend harmoniously with a natural landscape of significant quality.
The architecture of the Park is characterised by the distinctive pale tufa stone which reflects sunlight and forms a stark contract to the blue slates of the roofs. The natural heritage reflects the image of the Loire landscape: a landscape made up of vines, hillsides, troglodyte caves, forests, pastureland and valleys, but also a host of wild birds (over 200 species identified), the European beaver, salmon and shad that are also part of the history of the Loire.
The Parc Loire-Anjou-Touraine covers 136 communes, all committed to an innovative, dynamic policy based on the preservation and presentation of their natural, historical and cultural heritage, on economic and social development and on enhancing environmental awareness and education. The Park is working to establish innovative experimental projects in the field of sustainable development.

A rich natural heritage.

The Parc Naturel Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande lies between Rouen and Le Havre, in the Eure and the Seine-Maritime départements. Shaped by the meanders of the Seine, the area provides glorious panoramas and sweeps of well-watered meadows. Plateaux, valleys and hillsides carved out by the river make up the landscapes of the five natural regions of the Park: the Seine valley, the Pays de Caux, the Roumois, the Basse Vallée de la Risle and the Marais Vernier.
Three abbeys, rural museums, châteaux and thatched cottages forge the identity of the Park's cultural heritage. The wetlands, the Park's ecological highlight, sink into soft silences, punctuated by pollarded trees.
There are natural sites to be visited in the Marais Vernier and the Basse Vallée de la Risle, with or without a guide. These habitats, which are of vital importance to the Park as a whole, are the subject of special awareness and preservation campaigns.

Lest we forget.

In chronological order, the museum retraces the different stages in the history of the Second World War, from the exodus to the Liberation.
It stresses the primordial role played by the port of Cherbourg as a supply base for the Allied armies fighting to win back France.
The permanent collection has been reorganised and new displays created: prisoners of war, everyday life under the Occupation, and the victims of genocide. Whether this is your first visit or one of many, the Liberation Museum is well worth your attention.

Under the sun.

Cap-Coz, not far from the Fouesnant Forest, is a fine sandy beach at the tip of the bay. Often crowded with families and groups of friends, the beach offers a variety of things to do including a variety of nautical activities. Whether you want to relax or really let loose and get fit, this is the perfect place. By walking all the way up the beach and following a little trail, you will reach a small rocky island from which the view is simply exceptional.

A place of worship.

At the heart of the town of Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, lies the church, with its high square steeple.
Before entering this church, admire general appearance of it. The church has many small architectural elements topped with small roofs, giving it the appearance of a castle. Inside, light floods in through the stained glass windows, giving the place its charm.

Through the ages.

Built in the 11th century, the Talmont-Saint-Hilaire castle was fortified in the 12th century. It was the residence of the famous Richard the Lionheart, king of England.
The castle crossed the centuries, not without being affected by the vicissitudes of time and the elements. It was greatly damages during the wars of religion and was destroyed on the orders of Louis the 13th, during the 17th century. Although it stands in ruins, the castle will take you on a real journey through time.

Stones ancient beyond belief.

Dating from some 6,000 years ago, the megalithic site at Carnac is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe. Around 3,000 menhirs (standing stones) are aligned over an area of 40 hectares and a distance of 4 kilometres.
The Kermario, Le Menec, Kerlescan and Petit Menec (La Trinité-sur-Mer) alignments, which together form the Carnac site, represent one of the first monumental stone structures in Europe.
Plans are under way to redevelop the site to improve facilities for visitors, to enhance the landscaping and architectural qualities of the site and, by creating pedestrian and cycle paths, to open up new ways of visiting the monument.

In the footsteps of Marcel Proust…

By walking up the beach in Cabourg you cannot help but notice the imposing Grand Hôtel… This imposing palace, boasting no less than four stars, seems to embody the character and history of this beach resort from its darkest hours to its golden era.

Elegant, refined and imbued with a sense of prestige, this establishment brings to mind the French Belle Epoque and the beginnings of the sea-bathing craze, when Paris's high class flocked to the shores in summer. Marcel Proust, for example, was a recurrent holidaymaker in Cabourg.

Follow in the footsteps of a great explorer.

The museum, dedicated to Jacques Cartier, retraces the life and times of its former owner: his everyday life and his great expeditions.
It is housed in the Manoir de Limoëlou, in the Rothéneuf quarter, a building considered to be the ancestor of the malouinières, the mansions built by the shipping magnates of Saint-Malo.

Le Mans, a rich history.

Located right in the heart of Le Mans, the Maine Museum of Archaeology and History brings you the history of this fascinating region from its origins to the late 15th century. The museum boasts a number of prestigious collections: Trésor des Sablons, the suaire de Saint-Bertrand, Plantagenêt enamel work and Coëffort silverware.

The architect designed the space in terms of vast, airy spaces; a minimalist design in which even functional, technical elements (lighting, cameras, ventilation) are hidden.

Discovering the Cotentin.

Where the département of the Manche meets the Calvados, on the "threshold of the Cotentin", the Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin is made up of 27,000 hectares of marshland and polders set in a landscape of traditional bocage woodland and rolling meadows (90,000 hectares). Pastureland and hay-meadows, crisscrossed by ditches and dotted with the occasional peat-bog, are the distinctive features of this wetland area that opens out onto the Baie des Veys. With the advent of the winter floods, the marsh turns "white" as the Cotentin peninsula comes into its own.
Less extensive areas of moorlands, woods and forest plus the coastline add diversity to the landscape.

Authenticity intact.

The Domaine de Kerazan estate was bequeathed to the Institut de France in 1928 by Joseph Astor, the last of an eminent Breton family.
The estate consists of a manor house surrounded by 5 hectares of parkland and a vast expanse of farmland and forests. The land is farmed and maintained in accordance with the wishes of the testator, who stipulated that it should be inalienable.

The manor stands in the Finistère département, halfway between Pont-l'Abbé and Loctudy and some twenty kilometres south-west of Quimper, in Cornouaille, part of the "Bigouden country".
The heart of the estate is the manor house itself, its commons and its park, and the adjoining farm of Grand Kerazan: this was the "big farm", occupied by the "big farmer".
The most striking aspect of the estate is its authenticity: the buildings have remained intact, the manor house retains all its furnishings and collections, as if Joseph-Georges Astor had left it only yesterday.

In the heart of Laval.

The church of Saint-Vénérand in Laval is a Renaissance masterpiece: serving a parish created in the late Middle Ages, the church of Saint-Vénérand stands out as the most finished expression of Renaissance art in Laval.
Still in an excellent state of repair, the church is open to visitors keen to explore its history.

Where kids are treated like royalty!

Parents and children all want their holidays together to be a success and a source of unforgettable happy memories.

A family holiday resort must be in a position to offer absolutely everything to make that possible: suitable accommodation for families, activities to suit different ages, fun and entertainment for all, and a wide range of facilities in an environment that must be not only attractive (naturally!) but also safe.
Station Kid resorts, in association with the Ministry for Tourism which supports the association's projects, are committed to this vision, and have agreed to a strict charter with six key checkpoints : welcome, facilities, events and entertainment, activities, environment and safety.
Communes which qualify receive the award for a period of three years. The award is made only to communes that pursue a real policy of welcoming children aged between 3 and 12 and their families.

As a result, everything is in place to ensure that children have a fantastic time with their parents, who can feel relaxed and secure.
On the programme: sports, walks, fun learning activities, games and competitions and shows for all the family to enjoy.

13 centuries of farming history.

South of Rennes at the farm of la Bintinais, the Ecomuseum features exhibits on the history of Rennes and also serves as an observatory of ancient breeds of animals that have been preserved.
Lovingly restored, the farm recounts five centuries of the region's history through costumes, tools, farming equipment and reconstituted rooms (kitchens, larder).

Shortbread treats.

Created in 1904 by Charles Bansard, Asnelles shortbread continues to perfume the air of the town to this day. The factory also produces other shortbread cakes as well as cookies and financiers (almond cakes), still using traditional craftsman's methods. Visits (by appointment) explain the manufacturing process and production line.

The wonderful world of shells.

The Maison du Littoral, which stands at the heart of this natural site looking out to the Pors Kamor lighthouse, offers an insight into the Côte de Granit Rose through its exhibitions and explanations of nature.
For children: workshops to learn how to tie sailors' knots, a "touch and learn" house full of minerals and a light-table display on local flora.
There is also a model explaining place names along the channel leading to Ploumanac'h harbour.

What time is it?

Rouen’s Great Clock is a key landmark in the Norman city. It comprises a Gothic belfry, bell, Renaissance archway and classical fountain. It was the first to be built to house the city bells, whose mechanism is one of the oldest in Europe.
From the outside you can admire the sculpted archway, a Renaissance masterpiece, and restored sundials.

History and architecture.

When worked on the reconstruction of the citadel, from 1683, he put all his talent into the building that has become the symbol of Belle-Ile-en-Mer.
A proud and imposing monument, the citadel protects the history of the town with its stones. Follow the moats and cross the central place, history is there, you can feel it under every step. Now it is a cultural centre with a museum, and the citadel hosts many events.