Départements de France: Dordogne

 

 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – In the South West of France

 

Origin of name – Named after the river

 

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Prefecture  – Périgueux

 

Signature foods – foie gras (I know), truffles, Bergerac wines, ceps mushrooms

 

Famous places to visit – Chateau de Beynac, Lascaux (but caves are now replicas), Sarlat-la-Canéda, Rocamadour, Domme

 

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France

Départements de France: Creuse

  

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – Bang in central France.  2^nd lowest population – about the same as Kiribas. Cows outnumber people.

 

Origin of name – Named after the river

 

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Prefecture – Guéret

 

Signature foods – Creuse Cake, Rabbit cooked in cider, Cherry Clafoutis

 

Famous places to visit – Aubusson (tapestry & carpets), Villemonteix, Gentioux (pacifist war memorial)

 

Famous people from Creuse – Pierre d'Aubusson (Grand Master Order of St John)

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France

Départements de France: Côtes d'Armor

 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – In the north of Brittany adjoining the English Channel (or La Manche)

 

 

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Prefecture – Saint-Brieuc

 

 

Signature foods – Coquilles Saint Jacques (Scallops), Galettes, Cider,

 

Famous places to visit – Cap Fréhel, Côte de Granite Rose, Perros-Guirec, Dinan Castle, Ploumanac'h

  

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France

Départements de France: Côte d'Or

 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location –  a landlocked department in the North East.  The Champagne region lies to its north.

 

Origin of name – It means Gold Coast – but there isn't a coast.

 

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Prefecture – Dijon (203 miles south east of Paris)

 

 

Signature foods – Mustard, vinegar, gingerbread, chocolate

 

Famous places to visit in Côte d'Or - Gothic abbey church of Saint-Seine-l'Abbaye,  11th-century Romanesque abbey church at Saulieu , Château de Bussy Rabutin at Bussy-le-Grand, Abbey of Fontenay

 

Famous people from Côte d'Or – Arthur & Gaston Chevrolet (race cars), Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Tower),

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France so far.

Départements de France: Corse du Sud & Haute Corse (Corsica)

 

 

This is the next instalment of a monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it – This one covers the 2 departments on the island of Corsica.

 

Location – A mountainous Mediterranean island (which used to be part of Italy but was given to France after WWI).  It is actually closer to Italy than to France.

 

 

Prefecture – Ajaccio (Sud), Bastia (Haute)

 

Signature foods – Chestnut, sheep & goat cheese, pasta

 

Places to visit – Napoleon's birth place (Ajaccio), Bonifacio Citadel, Calanques of Piana, Restonica Gorge

 

 

Famous people from Corsica – Napoleon Bonaparte, Danielle Casanova (Resistance died in Auschwitz)

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France so far.

Départements de France: Corrèze

 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – A landlocked department just to the South West of central France.  Named after the river.

 

 

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Prefecture – Tulle

 

Signature foods – Gour Noir (cheese), Black sausage

 

Famous places to visit – Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, Argentat, Donzenac

 

Famous people from Corrèze – Popes Clement VI, Innocent Vi, Gregory XI, Eugene Freysinnet (pioneer of pre-stressed concrete), Dimitri Yachvili (Rugby)

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France so far.

Départements de France: Charente-Maritime

 

 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – on the south western coast. Immediately north of Bordeaux

 

Origin of name – named after the river Charente

 

 

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Prefecture – La Rochelle- famous Old Harbour

 

 

Signature foods – Cognac, Oysters, Shrimp, Charentais crickets (a sort of pate), Charentaise Galette

 

Famous places to visit – Royan (beach resort), Abbaye aux Dames (Saintes), Rochefort, Jonzac

 

Famous people from Charente-Maritime – Guy Laroche (fashion designer)

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France so far.

Départements de France: Cantal

 
 

This is the next instalment of a bi-monthly feature going through the 95 Departments of France in numerical order to check out things of interest. We are now up to Number 15. I hope you enjoy it

 

Location – in the middle of France's central plateau – one of the most sparsely populated departments.

 

 

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Prefecture – Aurillac

 

Signature foods – Roquefort cheese (although officially it has to be made in Aveyron), Aligot, Truffade, Cantal cheese

 

Famous places to visit – La Chaîne des Puys (extinct volcanoes), Garabit viaduct,  Salers, Chaudes-Aigues (hottest natural water in Europe), Chateau de Laroque

 

Famous businesses/brands – France's unofficial umbrella capital

 

Famous people from Cantal – Catherine Jarrige, Georges Pompidou, Pope Sylvester II, Marie Marvingt

 

Go to this Pinboard to see the Departments of France so far.