Fototävling i 'La Bambouseraie en Cévennes'

Jag har fått en vecka med både möjlighet att skriva skönlitterärt och göra härliga utflyktsmål som har fungerat som föda för sinne och själ. 

Monika och c:o ville besöka 'Bambouseraie en Cévennes' som ligger ungefär en och halv timme från Marseillan.   

La Bambouseraie en Cévennes som är en av Europas äldsta bambusamlingar skapades år 1856 av Eugène Mazel (1828-1890) som var en amatörbotanist som blivit dunderrik på kryddhandel. 'Bambusseriet' byggdes successivt ut fram till 1890 då han drabbades hårt ekonomiskt. 

Det var även samma år som han gick bort vilket kanske har ett samband?  

Trädgården som, bland annat, innehåller över tusen växtarter och cirka 300 bambuarter anses vara en av de vackraste trädgårdarna i landet. Mitt i trädgården finns även en replika av en by från Laos. 

Det här stället är väl värt ett besök!!

Cévennes, från det galliska ordet Cebenna, är både en kulturell region som rymmer departementen Ardèche, Gard, Hérault och Lozère, samt en bergskedja belägen i sydcentrala Frankrike. 

Den vilda naturen i Cévenne är speciell på flera sätt och är skyddad genom att platsen blivit utnämnd som nationalpark och fått en världsarvstämpel av UNESCO.

 Som historiker är det dessutom häftigt att Cévenne varit bebott sedan 400 000 f.Kr. 

Adrians värdfamilj - under hans år i Frankrike - hade köpt en 1600-tals herrgård samt stora marker uppe i bergen och gjort om stället till B&B som verkar vara populärt för vandrare. 

Det är en generös och trevlig familj och vi kan varmt rekommendera ett besök till: Domaine de Marouls

På hemvägen passade vi på att äta middag i den närliggande byn Anduzé med spår av galliska och romerska bosättningar. Under medeltiden blev staden ett mäktigt feodalvälde innan den 1266 införlivades med den franska kronan. 

Senare blev staden ett viktigt centrum för protestantismen och silkesodlingen, och utvecklades under 1200-talet till en knutpunkt för silkeshandeln och fungerade som en viktig protestantisk fästning under 1600-talets religionskrig. 

Jag upptäckte just att Dan Browns senaste roman har kommit ut 'The Secret of Secrets' vilket känns som julafton! Alla tycker inte om hans böcker men jag sugs in i hans berättarteknik och finurliga intriger som alltid bär spår av välunderbyggd fakta.    

HANDLING: "The world's most celebrated thriller writer returns with his most stunning novel yet—a propulsive, twisty, thought-provoking masterpiece that will entertain readers as only Dan Brown can do.

Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon—a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship. Katherine is on the verge of publishing an explosive book that contains startling discoveries about the nature of human consciousness and threatens to disrupt centuries of established belief. But a brutal murder catapults the trip into chaos, and Katherine suddenly disappears along with her manuscript. Langdon finds himself targeted by a powerful organization and hunted by a chilling assailant sprung from Prague's most ancient mythology. As the plot expands into London and New York, Langdon desperately searches for Katherine . . . and for answers. In a thrilling race through the dual worlds of futuristic science and mystical lore, he uncovers a shocking truth about a secret project that will forever change the way we think about the human mind."

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Den stora fototävlingen i La Bambouseraie en Cévennes'

Monikas bidrag:

Hon blev också korad som vinnar av gänget...

                                                         

Silvias bidrag:

Mats bidrag:

                                                                         

Elias och Claras foton

https://silviaedling.com/

I have had a week...

... with both the opportunity to write fiction and go on wonderful excursions that have nourished my mind and soul.

Monika and c:o wanted to visit “Bambouseraie en Cévennes”, which is about an hour and a half from Marseillan.

La Bambouseraie en Cévennes, one of Europe's oldest bamboo collections, was created in 1856 by Eugène Mazel (1828-1890), an amateur botanist who had become wealthy from the spice trade. The “bamboo garden” was gradually expanded until 1890, when he suffered severe financial losses.

It was also the same year that he passed away, which may be related?

The garden, which contains over a thousand plant species and around 300 species of bamboo, is considered one of the most beautiful gardens in the country. In the middle of the garden there is also a replica of a village from Laos.

This place is well worth a visit!

Cévennes, from the Gallic word Cebenna, is both a cultural region that encompasses the departments of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère, and a mountain range located in south-central France. The wild nature of Cévenne is special in many ways and is protected by the fact that the site has been designated a national park and its biosphere reserve has been given UNESCO status. As historians, it is also fascinating that the Cévennes have been inhabited since 400,000 BC.

Adrian's host family during his year in France had bought a 17th-century manor house in ruins and large tracts of land up in the mountains and converted the place into a B&B that seems to be popular with hikers. It is a warm, generous and pleasant place that we can highly recommend a visit to: Domaine de Marouls

On the way home, we took the opportunity to have dinner in the nearby village of Anduzé, which has traces of Gallic and Roman settlements. During the Middle Ages, the town became a powerful feudal domain before being incorporated into the French crown in 1266.

Later, the town became an important centre for Protestantism and silk cultivation, and in the 13th century it developed into a hub for the silk trade and served as an important Protestant stronghold during the religious wars of the 17th century.

I just discovered that Dan Brown's latest novel, “The Secret of Secrets”, has been released, which feels like Christmas Eve! Not everyone likes his books, but I am drawn in by his storytelling technique and ingenious plots, which always bear traces of well-researched facts.

PLOT: "The world's most celebrated thriller writer returns with his most stunning novel yet—a propulsive, twisty, thought-provoking masterpiece that will entertain readers as only Dan Brown can do.

Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon—a prominent noetic scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship. Katherine is on the verge of publishing an explosive book that contains startling discoveries about the nature of human consciousness and threatens to disrupt centuries of established belief. But a brutal murder catapults the trip into chaos, and Katherine suddenly disappears along with her manuscript. Langdon finds himself targeted by a powerful organisation and hunted by a chilling assailant sprung from Prague's most ancient mythology. As the plot expands into London and New York, Langdon desperately searches for Katherine . . . and for answers. In a thrilling race through the dual worlds of futuristic science and mystical lore, he uncovers a shocking truth about a secret project that will forever change the way we think about the human mind."

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The big photo competition in La Bambouseraie en Cévennes'

https://silviaedling.com/