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 Our first night, we stayed at La Grande Maison, near Saumur. What a place! |
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 Our room |
 Fellow guest, historian Alex |
 The house had its own standing stone. |
 Nick in the garden |
 We got a meal with wine tasting included. |
 The old pigeon house is used for wine tastings. |
 The system of underground caves and cellars runs under the house and all the way into the next town! |
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 Breakfast at La Grande Maison and the market in Saumur |
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 We bought our year's garlic from this seller. |
 And organic tomatoes here for preserves! |
 This is a supermarket display in Saumur |
 Fête du Pain in St-Père-en-Retz |
 A cute reveller |
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 The castle in Pornic |
 A volley ball player |
 Our friends' lovely farmhouse in Bazoges, where we've spent many happy summers, including this one |
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 Lumière du Marais was a music and firework spectacular retracing the 1,000 years of the history of the abbey. |
 We followed the spooky monks into the abbey and watched the spectacle. |
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 At the labyrinth. This is the last photo taken with my beloved camera before it crashed to the ground and broke. |
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 One of the first photos taken with the new, replacement camera |
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 Trying out the new camera |
 Garden pears were preserved in wine. |
 A market seller in Fontenay |
 The woman who sold us our apricots for jam in Challans. Sunset on the beach. Baskets on display |
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 The market in Challans, a riverside picnic and another market seller. |
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 Advertising in France never looked so good. Sexy man with glasses, the Vendée heart, and a poster for the Catholic church |
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 Some of our exciting food back at the farmhouse |
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 Interesting light, Nick playing Frisbee, and looking at bats in the garden |
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 This woman entertained us with stories of fairies and giants beside the streams and water mills at L'Aubonniere, near Chaillé-sur-les-Ormeaux. |
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 We always see at least one bride and groom in France on our holidays. |
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 Sunset photography. We had the beach to ourselves! |
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 Scenes from the market, a lake we weren't allowed to swim in, and playing Backpacker, a card game we love (George has the coveted penguin card). |
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 An ancient church near the Mervent forest |
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 Great macaroons are to be had here! |
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 Read about Salt Boy here. |
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 On our way to Noirmoutier. You can cross the causway at low tide. |
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 We found a food market at Fromentine |
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 Vouvent, sunrise in the garden, and making sun-dried tomatoes. |
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 Ben Cohen has nothing to do with Clisson - just a nice photo. |
 The streets of Niort are guarded by a dragon. |
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 Getting plums for jam could be dangerous! |
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 Back home with all the preserves we made. georgenick.co.uk Click HERE to see our 2007 trip to the Vendée  
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