Saint Saturnin

My cousin's daughter Lena and I on Market Square

This week, we are visiting family in Auvergne, my native region, located in central France. And today, we went to Saint Saturnin, a small town of about 1150 inhabitants, where my cousin and his family reside. St Saturnin was built on a lava flow high above the gorges of the river Monne and overlooking the Veyre valley, it is encircled on three sides by the hills of the regional nature park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne. Towering over the village, its church and castle with their volcanic stonework form a spectacular and remarkably homogeneous duo. The church, built in the 12th century, is the smallest of the five major Romanesque churches in Auvergne. Its pyramidal shape draws the eye heavenward and the arches, often in groups of three, probably symbolize the Trinity. Also, the Royal Castle built in the 13th century by the La Tour d’Auvergne family who established itself on this estate in 1281. A perfect example of a large medieval chateau carefully restored, it was continually enlarged and embellished up until the end of the 15th century.  While walking around Saint Saturnin, you’ll also discover dry stone walls and terraces, beautiful small squares and typical narrow streets, this is no surprise that it has been listed as one of the most quaint villages in France.

La Rochelle

The harbor towers

Yesterday, my parents and I drove down to the west coast to spend the weekend in La Rochelle. My younger brother, Florian, was born there in 1977 and we lived there for 4 years.
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department, with about 76,000 inhabitants.  La Rochelle was founded during the 10th century and became an important harbor in the 12th century.  The main activities of the city were in the areas of maritime commerce and trade, especially with England, the Netherlands and Spain. In 1196, a wealthy bourgeois named Alexandre Auffredi sent a fleet of seven ships to Africa to tap the riches of the continent. He went bankrupt and went into poverty as he waited for the return of his ships, but they finally returned seven years later filled with riches.  Until the 15th century, La Rochelle was to be the largest French harbor on the Atlantic coast, dealing mainly in wine, salt and cheese. Today, the city has beautifully maintained its past architecture, making it one of the most picturesque and historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. This helped develop a strong tourism industry. La Rochelle's main feature is the "Vieux Port" ("Old Harbor"), which is at the heart of the city, picturesque and lined with seafood restaurants. The city walls are open to an evening promenade. The old town has been well-preserved. From the harbor, boating trips can be taken to the Île d'Aix and Fort Boyard (an old prison, like Alcatraz Island).  A fun fact; the 2 american sister cities of La Rochelle are New Rochelle, New York (since 1910) and Newport, Rhode Island.