Saintes

Tuesday, September 28th

My cappuccino at l'Eden

Before I left Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire I sipped on a cappucino while thinking about my journey ahead at l'Eden Cafe on 25 Avenue Felix Gaillard. I decided to take my journey to Saintes, France. Here, there are many Roman ruins, so I thought it would definitely be an interesting journey. Saintes is about 54 km from Barbezieux, so it was only about a 55 minute drive going down the D700 and D137 routes. 


Before I got to Saintes I stopped in Pons which is also famous for their Cognac. I found a neat tour I thought I should take advantage of that took me to Hennessy Cognac only 13.2 miles away. I hopped on a Hennessy boat and crossed the Charente River. This also included learning how they make cognac, a visit to the museum, and a cognac tasting.

Hennessy Boat

Cognac Tasting

I finally decided to make the trip back across the river to Pons and back on the road towards Saintes. Saintes is along the Charente River, the same one I took the Hennessy Boat across. I decided to stay at Relais Du Bois Saint Georges. It's such a fun hotel located in the "sunniest part of the Atlantic Coast." All rooms have their own theme which makes the stay very interesting! It's so nice to enjoy the close by beaches, vineyards, and delicious wine!

Relais Du Bois Saint Georges

Roman Amphitheater

There is so much history and battle that took place in Saintes, such as King Louis IX defeating Henry the III as well as being known as a Pilgrimage site. Saintes is also popular for producing brandy, tile, iron goods, and pottery. When I arrived I went to visit the Roman Amphitheater. It was really neat to see! 




Resources:
http://hipparis.com/2009/06/15/smiling-cappucino-only-in-italy/
http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/en/guide/placeofinterest/152893-hennessy-cognac
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/518467/Saintes
http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/france/saintes/saintes.html#brief_history
http://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/relaisdubois.html?aid=322736

Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, France

12 septembre 2010:

Bordeaux, France

Oh la la! I will definitely miss the beautiful cathedrals and the fabulous vin! I couldn't get enough of the wine. I did lots of wine tastings and vineyard tours. It's interesting that Bordeaux is the largest wine region in the world.  Bordeaux definitely had a lot to offer to tourists.

Bordeaux Wine

On my way to Barbeziuex-Saint-Hilaire, I stopped in Saint-Denis-de-Pile. I decided to stay at Chateau de France to see how life in a chateau would be like! It was beautiful, and I had so much to do I didn't want to leave. After a morning swim in the pool I took a private tour of the vineyards and cellars located on the property. The tour was accompanied by wine tasting. Chateau living was definitely a lifestyle I could get use to. There were so many nearby activities to do such as golfing, horseback riding, hiking, and visiting the sandy beaches! 


I just arrived at  Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire. It's approximately 84.3 km from Bordeaux. This town is known as a "market town." The town's north side is a vine covered countryside. 


The town is famous for their breed of chicken. The chicken is called "la poule noire de Barbezieux" and almost went extinct until they were saved to revive their popularity and are now bred successfully in the town.

A few other interesting things about Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire is that their main economic activity is their cognac production. Very delicious and famous! It was interesting to take a tour of how they make the cognac. They even have certain types of wood the barrels are made out of. Their hot spring provides their town with central heating as well as rheumatism, circulatory problems, and respiratory breathing. I visited the hot springs and it was very fun! The have one of the largest aquatic center's in Europe called the Les Antilles. It is centered around a lagoon. It was very fun to see all the people that go to the aquatic center and have a good time. 

Resources: http://www.cognacetapes.com/itineraires/en/cognac-and-traditions.html

My WebQuest Starting Location

1 septembre 2010:


I have never been to France before so choosing my starting location was very difficult for me. I chose to start in Bordeaux. I'm excited to visit the cathedrals and drink the Bordeaux wines! I'll be staying at the Best Western Grand Hotel Francais because I read some good reviews on them. I'm very excited to start my voyage!

This is the front of the hotel

This is the hotel lobby