Monday, 20 September 2010

Journées du patrimoine 1

Once a year France celebrates its heritage by opening up buildings and gardens that are not usually open to the public. The options available can range from a guided tour of the Elisée Palace (6-hour queues), to a farm having an 'open day' (no queues), and are generally a good excuse for a day out.

The "Journées du Patrimoine" took place this last weekend, and since it was a nice day on Saturday, the wife and I went out to see what was to be seen. As it happened, we chose to visit a couple of gardens that are normally open to the public anyway, but that doesn't diminish their appeal.

The first one is a really lovely little garden just a short drive South of Le Mans. Called Jardin du Petit Bordeaux it is not large, but is laid out so that as you wander around it, the vista it presents changes constantly, giving you something new to admire every few paces. It was started some 25 years ago by its owner and is meticulously maintained. Well worth a visit if you like gardens and are near le Mans.























































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3 comments:

  1. Tessa Lake20 September 2010 at 10:17

    Those gardens are beutiful, you'd think it was high summer from your photos! :)

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  2. Tim Trent21 September 2010 at 02:57

    Will you be aiming for your garden becoming part of this in times to come?

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  3. Mark In Mayenne21 September 2010 at 06:22

    Hi Tim, I don't imagine that my garden will come to be of this sort of style and quality. It's clear that the owner spends his life managing and caring for it, and while I appreciate his efforts, its not the sort of thing I would want to spend 100% of my time on.

    I envisage that my garden will be much lower maintenance, with all that that implies for density of planting, shaping of shrubs, etc.

    I hope none the less that the garden will be attractive to visit. I doubt that I would make it a part of the journées du patrimoine, because I wouldn't want strangers walking around the place while I have a family staying here celebrating a birthday or whatever, children in the pool, etc.
    M

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