Day 39 Sightseeing In Angers
What a beautiful city Angers
Well, I certainly made amends today and literally rode all over the city (clocking up more than 20km) looking at every street, every monument, every chateau and I think just about every patisserie shop.
The weather for a change has been perfect, just what was needed to see this magnificent city at its best.
Initially I wasn’t going to bother, but I finally decided to reacquaint myself with the massive chateau overlooking the Maine River (Angers isn’t actually on the Loire River
For some reason in ’07 I never got to see France
The exhibition takes up a huge air-conditioned auditorium and is impressive indeed. The rest of the chateau was also great to see again.
The city is large, but is easy to navigate and on the bike it is possible to see plenty in a relatively short period of time. I also went into the huge Saint Maurice Cathedral which was another experience in itself.
It was just on 11.45am when I went in an almost on cue, classical music started playing from the Cathedral’s massive music pipes. There were only a handful of people in the church and everyone stood still, mesmerised by the incredible sound coming from seemingly every corner of the huge building.
The music continued for 15 minutes until right on 12noon when the bells started chiming … it was a fantastic few minutes indeed.
Outside the city is a maize of streets full of restaurants and bars and in true French style everyone was jam packed come the middle of the day.
I still can’t get over how the French treat every meal like a special occasion. Wine, good food and seemingly all the time in the world, they certainly make every meal a great occasion.
The other thing that is so impressive about Angers
Anyway, it wasn’t much of a rest day because I have been on the go all day, but it was well worth discovering this city properly the second time around.
captions. Pics 1,2,3: The massive Angers Chateau Pic 4: Where I stayed in 2007 Pic 5: Steets full of shops ond restaurants everywhere Pic 6: Saint Maurice Cathedral ... incredible listening to the music. Pic 7: A restaurant outside one of the most famous wooden frame houses in France
The fortress of Angers, on a rocky ridge overhanging the river Maine, was one of the sites inhabited by the Romans because of its strategic defensive location.
ReplyDeleteIn the 9th century, the fortress came under the authority of the powerful Counts of Anjou, becoming part of the Angevin empire of the Plantagenet Kings of England during the 12th century. In 1204, the region was conquered by Philip II and an enormous château was built during the minority of his grandson, Louis IX ("Saint Louis") in the early part of the 13th century.
Nearly 600 m (2,000 ft) in circumference, and protected by seventeen massive towers, the walls of the château encompass 6.17 acres (25,000 m²). Two pairs of towers form the city and landward entrances of the château. Each of the towers was once 40 metres in height, but they were later cut down for the use of artillery pieces. The Tour du Moulin is the only tower which conserves the original elevation.
In 1352, John II le Bon, gave the château to his son, Louis I. Married to the daughter of the wealthy Duke of Brittany, Louis had the château modified, and in 1373 commissioned the famous Apocalypse Tapestry from the painter Hennequin de Bruges and the Parisian tapestry-weaver Nicolas Bataille
In 1562, Catherine de' Medici had the château restored as a powerful fortress, but, her son, Henry III, reduced the height of the towers and had the towers and walls stripped of their embattlements; Henry III used the castle stones to build streets and develop the village of Angers. Nonetheless, under threat of attacks from the Huguenots, the king maintained the château's defensive capabilities by making it a military outpost and by installing artillery on the château's upper terraces. At the end of the 18th century, as a military garrison, it showed its worth when its thick walls withstood a massive bombardment by cannons from the Vendean army. Unable to do anything else, the invaders simply gave up.
A military academy was established in the château to train young officers in the strategies of war. In a twist of fate, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, best known for taking part in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo, was trained at the Military Academy of Angers.
Still a part of the French military, the chateau was severely damaged during World War II by the Nazis when a munitions storage dump inside the château exploded. Today, owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere château has been converted to a museum housing the oldest and largest collection of medieval tapestries in the world, with the 14th century "Apocalypse Tapestry" as one of its priceless treasures. As a tribute to its fortitude, the château has never been taken by any invading force in history.
On January 10, 2009, the chateau suffered severe damage from an accidental fire due to short-circuiting. The Royal Logis, which contains old tomes and administrative offices, was the most heavily damaged part of the chateau, resulting in 400m2 of the roof being completely burnt. Thankfully, the Tapestries of the Apocalypse were not damaged.
Your history lesson for the day x
Sam Stosur won her semi final match 6-1 6-2, how good is that!!
ReplyDeleteI love wondering around little towns, it is so much fun looking at the shops and sights, much more fun than the big cities.
Hope you enjoyed reading about the history of the Chateaux, I know I did.
xx
I am sure everyone reading your blog wants to jump on a plane and join you in the Loire - we are so jealous! no really, so happy for you Gary that you are living your dream on your trusty bycyle. I'm sorry Dad and I didn't get to see the Loire Valley when in the South of France.
ReplyDeleteBecause of your enthusiasm and description of your journey, with the help of Wikipedia I swat up on some of the history of the wonderful places you are travelling through, and am learning a lot!
Hope Stosur can win the finals?
Luv you M X
Hi Dad
ReplyDeleteJust caught up on all your blogs after a busy week up in Brissy. Glad to see its still as amazing as ever. Can't beleive your half way through your trip! Miss u heaps xoxoxo