Tag Archives: France

Morning News: Taliban’s New Government, France & Germany, Milan Fair

A look at the international reaction that Afghanistan’s new government is receiving, Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with Armin Laschet, who is hoping to be Germany’s next chancellor, and Milan’s Salone del Mobile fair.

French Views: ‘Castle Of The Counts Of Perche’

The #castle of the counts of #Perche stands on a hill overlooking the #French town of Nogent-le-Rotrou, in the central Eure-et-Loir department. This thousand-year-old fortress, testament to a wealth of local history, is now a museum. Through nearly 400 objects, it takes visitors on a journey through time, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. FRANCE 24 takes you on a tour.

The castle of Saint-Jean dominates the town and is a fine example of medieval architecture and of the history of Nogent-le-Rotrou. The rectangular keep is 30 metres high and is 60 metres above the Huisne valley. Its construction began in the first years of the 11th century after the first Lord of Nogent, Rotrou I. The end of 12th century and beginning of the 13th saw the construction of the circular enclosure and 7 defensive towers. The castle of Saint-Jean has withstood many sieges in its time, the most violent was probably in 1428 when the Count of Salisbury burnt the keep and destroyed the inside of the building. In 1624, de Sully became the owner and built the attractive Louis XIII pavilion against the north rampart. The interior has been completely renovated since the 1960s and now houses a local history museum with exhibits and documents about country life in Perche, as well as on the history of the town and the castle. It also houses various temporary exhibitions.

Tours: The Musée d’Orsay In Paris, France (4K Video)

The Musée d’Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. 

Walking Tour: Sélestat – Northeast France (4K)

Sélestat is a commune in the Bas-Rhin region of Alsace in north-eastern France. Sub-prefecture and seat of the community of communes of Sélestat, it had 19,360 inhabitants at the last census in 2018, which made it the fifth commune of Bas-Rhin and the eighth Alsatian commune in number of inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Sélestadiens and Sélestadiennes. Located in the plain of Alsace, at the foot of the Vosges, the town is crossed by the Ill and its territory is largely covered by the wetlands of the Grand Ried.

Walking Tour: Bayeux – Northwestern France (4K)

Bayeux is a town on the Aure river in the Normandy region of northwestern France, 10 kilometers from the Channel coast. Its medieval center contains cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and the towering, Norman-Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame. The famed 68-meter Tapisserie de Bayeux, an 11th-century tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England, is on display in an 18th-century seminary.

Walking Tours: Metz – Northeastern France (4K)

Metz is a city in France’s northeastern Grand Est region, with gardens and leafy promenades along the Moselle and Seille rivers. In the old town, the Gothic Metz Cathedral is famed for its massive amount of stained glass windows, many by noted artists. Nearby, the Musée de la Cour d’Or displays artifacts from Roman to Renaissance times. The Centre Pompidou-Metz, with its undulating roof, exhibits contemporary art. 

Top Village Walks: Vieux Colmar In France (4K)

Vieux Colmar is known for its canals, cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses, and Alsatian restaurants. Bakeries, bars, and cafes cluster around Place des Dominicains, and the Koïfhus is an event space inside the old customs house. Cultural treasures include the medieval Isenheim Altarpiece at Unterlinden Museum; the House of Heads, with grotesques by Bartholdi; and St. Martin’s Collegiate, a Gothic church.