Bagnoles-de-l'Orne is a spa town located not too far west of Alençon. It's a surprising place, or at least it was to me. I didn't know there were thermes — hot springs — in Normandy. And I didn't know there were these kinds of resort towns up there.
The main place in Bagnoles-de-l'OrnePeople, especially older people, go to places like Bagnoles to "take the waters." They bathe in the hot springs and if they're lucky their arthritis and rhumatism pains go away. Among other maladies, I guess.
A typical scene in Bagnoles-de-l'OrneSomething about the place reminded me of what a resort in Switzerland might be like, even though Bagnoles is not in the mountains. There are however some high hills in this part of Normandy, and the landscape is very green.
Needless to say, there are a lot of senior citizens in Bagnoles. It's a quiet, peaceful, calm kind of place. I felt like I fit right in (my age: 57), and I'm going to keep the place in mind as the years continue to pile up (better than the alternative, they say).
And Bagnoles is full of hotels. I looked at the room rates posted in one and was at first surprised to see that it offered chambres avec eau courante — rooms with running water — for €22 a night.I guess if you're taking the waters by bathing in the hot springs every day, you don't really need a bathroom in your hotel room. The toilet is probably down the hall. This particular hotel also offered rooms with baths and showers, but at twice the price.
"Hot Springs Hotel"
L'Hôtel des Thermes in Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
This hotel called Le Roc au Chien (Dog Rock) is located on the little road that goes from the baths at Bagnoles back into the center of the little town. It's a short walk, actually. The building is nice.
There are so many hotels in Bagnoles de l'Orne! Every other building is a hotel, and some of them are enormous. You can find whatever style of hotel you would ever want, from modern and luxurious to old-fashioned and inexpensive. Here are two more, right in the middle of town.
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne would be a great place to stayfor somebody wanting to visit the surrounding area,
including Sées, Carrouges, and the hilltop town of Domfront.
A typical Norman house in Bagnoles, which is more like a park than a townAnd finally in the middle of the town there's a lake and on the edge of the lake a casino. If you get the low-price room in one of the hotels you'll have some money left over for gambling. I just hope you don't end up taking a bath at the casino, if you see what I mean.
Le lac et le casino à Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
Lovely place... but why Dog Rock, do tell?
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen, I don't know why it's called Le Roc au Chien. The rock itself is a landmark feature at Bagnoles, according to web sites I've looked at (including http://perso.orange.fr/bernard.langellier/orne/bagnoles.html
ReplyDeletebut none of them gives the origin of the name.
Bonsoir,
ReplyDeleteBagnolles-de-l'Orne, c'est sympa à voir, mais à y vivre, c'est autre chose ! Francis a failli racheter un cabinet dentaire à Bagnolles... L'enterrement de 1ère classe, à mon humble avis...
Sinon, voici ce que j'ai trouvé sur la/les légendes entourant cette formation géologique, "le Roc au Chien" :
http://www.petitfute.com/tourisme_en_france/php3/etablissement.php3?destination=L061_03_01&ref=70&code_activite=A01&code_sous_activite=A01_03
Bonne soirée ! J'attaque mes 10 dernières copies que j'ai gardées pour la bonne bouche :-) Marie
"to take a bath" (US) = "subir des pertes (financières)"... Merci, Professeur, je ne connaissais pas cette expression... Marie
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures -- I especially love the sign on the hotel.
ReplyDeleteSome lovely photos, thank you for sharing! After our visit we discovered a 1909 diary by Mary Waddington who talks about her visit during the Belle Epoque when royalty would visit the town to take the cures. Have a look here http://www.normandythenandnow.com/guest-post-cures-for-princesses-in-bagnoles-de-lorne/ plus some recent pics to remind you of your visit!
ReplyDelete