Two Volunteers Take a Day Trip to Angouleme

On Saturday, two of the volunteers decided to venture out of Brossac and explore the nearby city of Angouleme. The morning started relatively early with Paul taking the two girls to Chalais train station, just in time to catch the 8:00 am train.
Upon reaching Angouleme, the volunteers followed the directions to the ‘centre ville’, climbing further up the town’s landscape. Like most day’s out, the first stop was the tourist office, where the volunteers decided on the selection of museums and sites for the day. From here, we headed straight to the food market, looking at the range of jams, cheeses and wines of the region, whilst practicing their little knowledge of French with the locals. The rest of the morning was spent exploring the rest of the town, hiking up the ‘jardin vert’ and having a stroll by the river.

Angouleme Jardin Vert

By the time we sat down for lunch, we were exhausted from all the walking. We quickly replenished with bread, burgers and salads before setting off again to the various churches and cathedrals of Angouleme. The historic architecture of the buildings was beautifully inspiring, whilst giving an insight into the religious heritage of the town. By the time we had finished in the churches, the museums had just opened. Us girls began at the museum of Angouleme, which celebrates the prehistoric findings, Sub Saharan remnants and the archived paintings of the town. The last stop on the list was, of course, the comic strip museum. Angouleme is a city dedicated to ‘la bande dessinée’, with comic images and recognizable characters scattered across the walls of the town center. Here, the festival of comics takes place each January, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors to witness the city’s art. Although our visit didn’t come in time for the festival, the displays at the museum were enough for us to embrace this part of the region’s culture, allowing us to admire the different artist styles and funny stories of the comics.

Angouleme Museum Cathedrale

Inside an Angouleme Cathedrale

Overall, our day trip was very enjoyable and with lots to do in Angouleme, both us volunteers would recommend visiting the town during your stay at La Giraudière.