Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mont-St-Michel
Despite being the most
photographed sight in France,
the ethereal beauty of this vast
abbey can still take your breath
away
(see pp8-11)
.
Avranches
Avranches has a long and
historic association with Mont-
St-Michel
(see pp8-11)
, which it
overlooks across the bay (one of
the best views is from the Jardin
des Plantes). St Aubert, who
founded the abbey there, was
Bishop of Avranches; his skull,
complete with the hole made by
St Michael's finger, is on display
in the Basilique de St-Gervais et
St-Protais. In an annexe of the
former episcopal palace, the
Musée d'Avranches contains
wonderful collections of medieval
sculpture and religious art, and in
the town hall library you can see
the superb Mont-St-Michel manu-
scripts, dating back to the 8th
century.
d
Map B5
•
Tourist office: 2
rue de Général-de-Gaulle. 02 33 58 00 22
Jardins des Plantes, Avranches
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
Clamber to the top of the
Roc au Chien for a panorama of
this refined spa town steeped in
legend
(see p61)
, its lake, casino,
park and avenues of gracious
houses built for the wealthy who
came to take the waters in the
late 19th century. Sufferers from
problems ranging from arthritis
to stress still flock to the
Établissement Thermal in its
striking
belle époque
building.
d
Map D5
•
Tourist office: pl du Marché.
02 33 37 85 66
Alençon
This handsome market town
was a famous lacemaking centre
in the 17th and 18th centuries. The
only examples you will see today
are displayed in the Musée de la
Dentelle “au Point d'Alençon ,
housed in General Leclerc's
wartime headquarters, and in the
Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la
Dentelle. The latter presents an
exhaustive history of the lace
industry, along with collections of
French paintings and Cambodian
artifacts. Even the intricate
stonework on the façade of the
Église de Notre-Dame resembles
lace. Inside, a chapel is dedicated
to Ste Thérèse, born in the town
and baptized here.
d
Map E6
•
Tourist office: Maison d'Ozé, pl de la
Magdelaine 02 33 80 66 33
Le Perche
Still relatively unknown, this
area is famous for its powerful
Percheron horses and its manors.
Perche manors are quite different
from typical cosy, half-timbered
Norman farmhouses; they are
much more defensive buildings
of stone, embellished with turrets
and towers. The surrounding
countryside is gentle, with
undulating hills, dense forest and
lush valleys. Grazing Percherons
add an air of serenity. Chief
among its seductive villages and
small towns are Mortagne and
Bellême
(see p110)
.
d
Map G6, G7
•
Comité Départementale du Tourisme: 88
rue St-Blaise, Alençon. 02 33 28 88 71
For more on lacemaking
See p64
107
