Category Archives: FRANCE

All posts about France

The Troglodyte Tour: hobbit-holes in Saumur, Loire Valley

Vivienne Mackie takes notebook and camera round homes buried in a hill. Imagine caves without a single stalactite or stalagmite. Picture caves formed, not by water action, but by human hands. And now imagine those caves along the banks of … Continue reading

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After the election

Well, we didn’t win any seats, but we got 35% of the votes. Now I understand why established minorities like the British Liberal Party keep rabbiting on about proportional representation. We also created a free ‘spectacle’ for the members of … Continue reading

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Local Politics

A month ago, an unknown car came down our untarred country lane and pulled up outside our house (it couldn’t have gone much further – the lane peters out into a bridle path a hundred metres further on). I went … Continue reading

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The Canal du Midi – learn the history and walk its source

Let me tell a little history about the Canal du Midi, and suggest an unusual walk. Construction of the Canal du Midi started one year before the Great Fire of London. That’s less than eighty years after the defeat of … Continue reading

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