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new :
the Cathedrale
Notre Dame of Lausanne 
Lausanne
rose window - photo-analysis
Interactive
map of Aquitaine and the Pays Basque
on first arriving in France
- driving
France is not England
Marianne - a French national symbol,
with French definitive stamps
the calendar of the French
Revolution
the 6th
bridge at Rouen: Pont Gustave Flaubert,
new vertical lift bridge
Futuroscope
Vulcania
the French umbrella &
Aurillac
the forest
as seen by francois mauriac, and today 
places and
playtime
roundabout art of
Les Landes
50 years old:
Citroën DS
the Citroën 2CV:
a French motoring icon
la
belle époque
Pic du
Midi - observing stars clearly, A64
Carcassonne,
A61: world heritage fortified city
Grand Palais, Paris
Marianne - a French national symbol,
with French definitive stamps
the calendar of the French
Revolution
le pique-nique
Hermès scarves
bastide towns
mardi gras! carnival in Basque
country
what a hair cut! m & french pop/rock
country life in France: the poultry
fair
short biography of Pierre
(Peter) Abelard
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interactive map: hover with your
mouse,
clickable areas in pink change to a hand icon
Motorway aires are designed to provide a suitable environment for relaxing,
refreshing and recovering during the long, hard journeys. As well as facilities
of often dubious nature, picnic tables and seats, a telephone kiosk, there
are often optional extras such as a play area or a display related to
some local interest or event.
l’autoroute
des deux mers
(motorway of the two seas)
The two seas are, of course, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediteranean
Sea to the south and east. The A62, with a little help from the A61 beyond
Toulouse, is the ideal and convenient method to travel between the ‘two
seas’ by motor vehicle.
Away from the major commercial and industrial cities of Bordeaux and
Toulouse, the motorway is quiet and at times empty, a pleasant drive through
typical French agricultural landscapes. For part of its route, close to
Agen, the motorway runs almost parallel
to the Canal Lateral, which is part of the Canal
du Midi that makes an aquatic connection between the Atlantic with
the Mediterranean.
mas
d’agenais
Mas d’Agenais aire is a huge aire providing welcome
space, dappled shade and picknicking areas amongst a forest of mature
trees.
In the cool shade at Mas d'Agenais aire
Click on the yellow link above to see the full
page for the Mas d’Agenais aire.
buzet-sur-baïse
pigeonnier at Buzet-sur-Baise aire, with
the chateau beyond
Going south, shortly after the Aigullon sortie [sortie 6] is a small
but grand aire, Buzet-sur-Baïse. The aire is overlooked by the picturesque,
privately-owned chateau, whose twin towers were added in the 15th century;
while the aire itself features a half-timbered pigeon
house [pigeonnier]. The aire also has a small children’s
play area.
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moirax
view from the top of the hill at Moirax aire,
looking way down towards the motorway and the town of Agen
For children of all ages, this aire is a great adventure park, with shrubs
and copse-covered rises climbing up the almost terraced hillside, ready
for extended games of cowboys and Indians or other tracking and hide-and-search
games. For the more grown-up, there are walks to the top, either straight
up the grassy terraces, or more sedately by following the road.
This internal road zigzags up the hill, where at the top, there is a
wide, panoramic view of the valley shared by the river Garonne and the
Canal
Lateral, with views of Agen and its suburbs beyond. Also here is the
children’s play area - tidy, fenced for security, with an unusual
climbing frame.
above: play area at the Aire de Moirax, looking down
on the aire and the panoramic view
below: the Moirax aire climbing frame
A verdant, forgotten aire that is a true escape from the gunmetal tarmac
and grey safety barriers of the neighbouring autoroute. A place in which
to “Tread softly...”
'Downs' and woods at Dunes aire, A62
Click on the yellow link above to
see the full page for the Dunes aire.
aire
de garonne
 .
The Aire de Garonne is franchised to the LeClerc supermarket
chain. Probably as a result, the aire, its facilities - shops, cafés
and so on, are immaculately clean. The prices are a little below those
to be found at other aires with shopping and fuel.
Click on the yellow link above to
see the full page for the Aire de Garonne.
pruneaux d’agen
 Agen
is the capital for the principal French region for growing Agen plums,
which are mainly dried and turned in to prunes [les pruneaux d’Agen].
There are huge orchards of plums either side of the A62 Autoroute. Supermarkets
sell bagged-up prunes and, when the new season’s dried crop is available,
they often feature these large, plump, sweet and flavoured semi-dried
fruit. [The French prefer their pruneaux to be mi-cuit
- semi-dried, they are more moist and easier to eat that way.]
end notes
- aire: in this
context, an area —
aire de loisirs: recreation area;
aire de pique-nique: picnic area;
aire de repos: rest area;
aire de services: services , motorway (GB) or freeway (US)
service station.
- This region is noted for
its architectural pigeon houses, often built so the house is raised
off the ground, away from foxes, polecats and pine martens. Newsagents
and gift shops often sell postcards showing a selection of local pigeonniers,
or even illustrated books (usually in French). At
this link are a series of seven pages showing pigeonniers in the
department of Lot and Garonne (click on arrow to the right to move to
the next page of photos).
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