Sailing into La Rochelle
September 22nd 2006 08:02
Bonjour tout le monde!
The first time I heard about this place, I was intrigued. It was in my Year 9 French text book. Desirée and Roger decided they wanted to go sailing at La Rochelle over their summer break and because Roger was a rich spoilt brat, off they went.
The real place though, is much more interesting, even without the love birds.
La Rochelle is a town in western France and a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime département and its harbour flows out into the Pertuis d’Antioche, a protected strait.
The next major event for La Rochelle was during World War 2. The Nazis established a submarine base in the town’s main port. It became a German stronghold and was the last French city to be liberated at the end of the war. A siege took place from 12th September 1944 and lasted until Germany surrendered on May 7 1945. French troops entered La Rochelle the following day.
La Rochelle's Harbour towers at night (this picture was taken by Eric Pouhier in August 2005. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)
The climate in La Rochelle is similar to that of the French Riviera, although it is on the same latitude as Montreal in Canada and the Kuril Islands in Russia.
La Rochelle’s main attraction is the Vieux Port (or Old Harbour) in the very heart of the town. It is a great place to go out at night because of the seafood restaurants which line the shore and the beautiful walk along the harbour walls. The port is also popular for sailing because of the little inlets and canals all over the country.
See you soon
À bientôt
Melinda
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