Life in France: La Rochelle

During our holiday in Fouras we also went to La Rochelle the one day. To watch the new Steven Spielberg movie Tintin (Kuifie vir die Afrikaanssprekendes) - excellent! We've really enjoyed it. By the time we got out of the movies it was almost time to have dinner, so we drove to the heart of La Rochelle. Fortunately JL knew a good restaurant, well known for its seafood. I had fish soup for a starter (I really love the French fish soup and this one was the best I've ever had!) and then moules frites for my main meal, while JL enjoyed a seafood platter and a fish. So for those of you who plan to visit La Rochelle some time - remember the name André. During season you will have to book a day or two in advance, as they are very popular. The decor inside was welcoming, the service good and the food excellent! They are situated very close to the old harbour - vieux port (La Rochelle has 3 harbours).
As it was already dark by the time we got there, I left the camera in the car. But I'll share some photos of La Rochelle with you we took during my first visit to the Charente.
La Rochelle is becoming increasingly popular with Parisians, as it is only 3 hours by TGV. At the start and end of a weekend you'll have difficulty to find a seat on the TGV. It was recently voted as one of the preferred places in France to live in.
It was the first place in France to start with the concept of having bicycles available for tourist (the velib concept you'll find nowadays in Paris).
They host an annual music festival in July, the Francofolies, attended by thousands of people. We've watched the broadcast on television, good musicians, worth it to include in your travel programme.
La Rochelle was the capital of protestantism. Henri IV's mother was a protestant and when he became king of France, he established the edict of Nantes to bring peace between the two religions. However, after his death in 1610 La Rochelle was no longer secure. Louis XIV & his friend Richelieu wanted to destroy La Rochelle. However, the mayor Jean Guiton (whose statue is nowadays in front of the city hall) came up with a big defense, although eventually in vain. After 13 months of being surrounded La Rochelle had to give in, the town lost its privileges, the commerce was destroyed as were the fortified city walls. Guiton's life was saved, but he was exiled.
La Rochelle started of as a fishers' village, but from the 12th century it became an important harbour for exporting wine and salt. This was the time of Elianor of Aquitaine. She was married to the French king but divorced him in 1152 whereafter she married the king of England in 1154 - and La Rochelle, then being part of the Aquitaine, became English property. (This divorce and marriage were one of the main reasons of the wars between England and France. La Rochelle changed hands between the English and the French several times.) OK, enough history, the photos:

Above: if you arrive by car, you'll see this church next to an underground parking

Below: the arcades are very distinctive of La Rochelle and originated in the 13th century, used by merchants to display their goods

Like most other towns and villages they have a market

You'll find timbered houses from the 15th & 16th century

the square in front of the hôtel de ville, above the statue of Guiton

The hôtel de ville was constructed in phases from the 15th - 19th centuries and is witness to the historical prosperity of the region (except for the one below with another one of Guiton's statue, the others are all of the hôtel de ville, like the two above)

Below: the latest addition to the hôtel de ville

Above: the towers of the old port, one was a donjon (a jail)

Below: La Grosse Horloge (the big clock, that is the tower) - it was part of the city walls, in the 13th century one of the gates linking the port with the old town. It had some alterations over time, but it still link the pedestrian zone with the port