{"id":3398,"date":"2014-07-29T15:19:48","date_gmt":"2014-07-29T13:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/?p=3398"},"modified":"2014-08-12T19:22:33","modified_gmt":"2014-08-12T17:22:33","slug":"la-giraudiere-volunteers-visit-the-west-coast-of-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/la-giraudiere-volunteers-visit-the-west-coast-of-france\/","title":{"rendered":"La Giraudi\u00e8re Volunteers visit the West Coast of France"},"content":{"rendered":"

La Giraudi\u00e8re Volunteers Visit the West Coast of France<\/strong><\/h1>\n

After two weeks as a volunteer at La Giraudi\u00e8re, I realized that I had not heard an American accent since my arrival. (That’s not completely true, a volunteer from Austria speaks with a lovely American accent that<\/p>\n

\"West<\/a>

Beautiful fields odf tournesols dot the landscape of Western France<\/p><\/div>\n

she claims she picked up when she lived in Kansas for a year as a child; it has a pleasant Teutonic lilt to it so it doesn’t quite count.) Of course, I didn’t come to France to meet other Americans but still, I’ve never traveled far or near without running into some of my compatriots.\u00a0 So where were they?\u00a0 It’s really no great mystery.\u00a0 Americans tend to visit the capital cities of Europe:London, Paris, Rome and then home.\u00a0 It’s understandable but by bypassing the West of France, they are denying themselves an incredible travel experience.<\/p>\n

On our last weekend as volunteers at La Giraudi\u00e8re, program director Paul lead us on a daylong excursion to the beautiful western coast of France.\u00a0 The first stop along the way was the bustling town of Pons.\u00a0 It’s windy, picturesque streets feature a market on Saturdays. On this particular sunny weekend, it was hosting the “La Grande Fete de la St.- Jacques.\u00a0 An annual affair, the shopkeepers dress as medieval merchants while solders in mail, maidens in headdress and mythological creatures roam the<\/p>\n

\"Fete<\/a>

A colorful poster announces The Fete de St. Jacques in Pons<\/p><\/div>\n

streets.\u00a0 As you shop for local soaps and cheeses, you are treated to the sounds of authentic medieval music played by roaming musicians.\u00a0 Children in period dress, dance to the music as they dodge the shoppers who fill the streets. Falconry and archery demonstrations on the grand lawn in front of the castle fills out the bill.\u00a0 It was a wonderful stop fro coffee, croissants and ice cream but soon we were off to the seaside village of Talmon sur Gironde.<\/p>\n

As you drive into Talmon you are greeted by a sign proclaiming, “Talmon, le plus beau village en France.”\u00a0 By the time you leave you will be in complete agreement.\u00a0 You first must leave your car in the car park as autos are not allowed in the village.\u00a0 The landscape is dominated by the fortress-like church of Sainte- Radegone that guards the harbor on the Estuary of the Gironde.\u00a0\u00a0 Beautiful in its simplicity, the church proudly looks upon the sea on one side and the small village on the other.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/a>

A street dancer escorts her merry band of musicians through the streets of Pons<\/p><\/div>\n

The tiny, neatly landscaped streets of the village wander through residences and shops alike.\u00a0 Tidily maintained gardens amidst sun bleached white walls add the color to this most charming of villages.\u00a0 The town dates back to the 1200s and the carousel on the outskirts of the village adds to the other era feel of the place.<\/p>\n

Although, Talmon lies at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, it’s the call of the sea, further up the coast that draws us to Saint-Palais sur Mer.\u00a0 It is this resort city, unlike any of the other places visited on this trip to France that makes me realize how much Americans are missing by skipping this area.\u00a0 Graceful palm trees and sturdy stone mansions line its quay along the sea.\u00a0 Balmy sea breezes waft through the air as beach goers and senior citizens alike,<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The imposing church of St – Radegone towers over le plus beau village dans France, Talmon<\/p><\/div>\n

stroll along to capture the golden rays pouring down from the blue skies.\u00a0 Large sailboats on their way out to the ocean can be seen in the distance as children of all ages frolic in the refreshing waters of The Atlantic. It only takes us seconds before we peel down to our bathing suits and we are diving in the surf. The pleasant temperatures of the water are a wonderful surprise, especially for anyone who has spent summer holidays on the\u00a0 chilly shores of The North Atlantic in America.\u00a0 I am reminded of Nice without the crowds and with better beaches.\u00a0 No rocky bottoms here but rather the type of sand that invites you to curl your toes into as you prepare to take your first dive into the water.\u00a0 An English band with a vocalist reminiscent of Adele rehearses along the<\/p>\n

\"St<\/a>

The beautiful seaside town of St.- Palais Sur Mer boasts warm water despite being on the Atlantic<\/p><\/div>\n

promenade for their evening concert.\u00a0 We knew we wouldn’t be able to stay long enough to hear their complete sets but it was easy to imagine the whole seafront lit up while merry vacationers danced the night away to their pop sounds.\u00a0 A delicious lunch of crepes, omelets and strawberry water readied us for our car ride home.\u00a0 Although we were a bit tired and all had a touch of the sun, the drive home was only 90 minutes long, reminding us just how close we were to this most beautiful of regions.<\/p>\n

La Giraudiere sits among the peaceful sunflower and farm fields of The Charente region but it is only a short drive to the gorgeous western coast of France. I didn’t sign up for this but what a marvelous surprise to find such a beautiful piece of the world in my own backyard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Terrence<\/a>Post Written by Terrence Cremin USA while on his working holiday volunteering in France\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/address>\n
\u00a0For information on volunteering in France<\/a> \u00a0or A working holiday in France<\/a><\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n
Don’t forget to join us on Twitter <\/a>and Facebook<\/a>!<\/em><\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

La Giraudi\u00e8re Volunteers Visit the West Coast of France After two weeks as a volunteer at La Giraudi\u00e8re, I realized that I had not heard an American accent since my arrival. (That’s not completely true, a volunteer from Austria speaks … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3398"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3436,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3398\/revisions\/3436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lagiraudiere.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}