Recently I posted some photos I took in the town of Lavardin, which by car is about an hour north of Saint-Aignan, on the Loir river. An hour south of Saint-Aignan, where the historical Poitou, Berry, and Touraine provinces meet, is another little town (pop. 350) with impressive ruins on a hilltop.
This is the place called Angles-sur-l'Anglin. The Anglin is a small river, less than 60 miles long, that flows into the larger Gartempe river near the village of Angles, which is about 45 miles south of Tours and 30 miles northwest of Poitiers.
Why is it called "Angles"? One hypothesis is that the name derives from an Occitan term, anglar, meaning a sheer cliff or a steep rock promontory. The river would have been named for the rock or the village.
Another hypothesis is that the place was settled many centuries ago, at the time of Charlemagne, by a group or tribe of Angles (as in Angles and Saxons) migrating south from the north of Germany.
These photos are from April 2006. I think Walt and I went to Angles once before that, in 2003 or 2004, but I haven't located those photos yet.
il y a aussi les "jours d'Angles" qui sont de magnifiques broderies !
ReplyDeleteChristiane, merci de me faire connaître les jours d'Angles. Magnifiques!
DeleteIf I recall correctly, you went to Angles-sur-l'Anglin with your friend Sue,
ReplyDeletechm, how are you progressing? I hope every day is better.
DeleteThank you BettyAnn. It is very slow, but at my age what can you expect? Je ne suis pas encore sorti de l'auberge!
DeleteI had to google "sorti de l"auberge," and at first wondered if you were at a hotel. "Not out of the woods" might be a good translation. At any rate, we're also hoping you're progressing. ;-)
DeleteThank you, David. I'm doing my best!
DeleteWhat a sweet little village. Those ruins cover such a large area. When the buildings were functioning the complex must have been immense.
ReplyDeleteKen, it looks like you must have had a beautiful day when you went there. That clear, blue sky, above the old stone, makes for such nice photos. I'd never heard of this place.
ReplyDeleteChristiane D, thanks for that lead on Jours d'Angles!
The ruins are quite impressive looking up in that last photo. I'd like to think It's Angles as in English influence....makes it easier to remember.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting village with "interesting angles!" I really enjoy the views of those tours and the high-pitched roofs. Merci, Ken.
ReplyDelete