Just a short post, mainly photos!
There were many great ice cream shops in La Rochelle and if you are on a diet you may have trouble missing them! This is the one we actually went in search of, as it is, according to website Trip Advisor and its reviewers, the very best 5 star ice cream around! It did not let us down, as you can see from the following photos.
Word of the shop's heavenly produce had got around, as we queued for 10 minutes before getting to the counter! The first one was mango and coffee and the second was pistachio and chocolate!
Just a small selection of the amazing flavours available. 
While driving around the villages near La Rochelle, we saw this advertising sign which gives nothing away, lacking anything which identifies its location! The old church building in the background might be a clue, but I do not know what that is either! I generally take a photo of the village signs as we drive in or out of the place, but this time I slipped up, I am sad to say.
A little further down the road we saw these remarkable gardens, which I thought might be of interest to the gardeners out there who are interested in topiary and garden ornaments. A little too much for me, but nonetheless, it was a most amazing piece of workmanship!! And all tucked away in a small village!
One more post on the area around La Rochelle to go, with only the Île de Ré day visit to follow.
Very Disneyland like! An amazing find and a great advertisement for the company who landscaped those gardens (whose offices might be nearby).
ReplyDeleteNadege you are right, it is like Disneyland, fantastic advert if there was a little more information!! Have a good day, Diane
DeleteHa ha, it looks like Edward Scissorhands visited that little place.
ReplyDeleteAlso, i love ice cream. Those look delicious.
Red
Red I have never seen anything quite like this..... Mmm I dream of those ice creams :-) Enjoy the rest of the week.
DeleteI have a sudden craving for ice cream now. Those are some intense gardens - it's obvious they put a lot of time, effort, and love into them.
ReplyDeletePam I just look at those photos and my mouth waters! Have a wonderful week Diane
DeleteYou wouldn't want to have had a few and find yourself in that garden....
ReplyDeleteI think the sign is advertising a 'paysagiste'....landscape gardener I suppose. But you'd think it wuld give a telephone number or e mail address if so....
Fly I had not thought about seeing that after having a few, but you are right, it could just put you over the top :-) It was odd there was little advertising, and it was also strange that I had no village name either, must have been fate! Keep well Diane
DeleteCertains glacier méritent le détour...que nous faisons aussi.
ReplyDeleteQuels jardins de poupée, les enfants doivent bien s'y amuser!
Merci de cette visite insolite! Bonne soirée!
Merci pour le commentaire, je l'apprécie. Bonne journée.
DeleteLovely gardens! The ice cream looks divine. I have a gelato place very close to me. I pass it by instead of going in the door because the ice cream is divine :-) I hope you're having a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteJoyful I am glad that we have no ice creams shops near by, I would have broken the scales before now if there was one. I am a huge fan of ice cream and also chocolate!! Have a good day, Diane
DeleteThat's the most unusual topiary I've ever seen. Must require an immense amount of passion and time. Send me for ice cream instead.
ReplyDeleteGaelyn I have never seen anything quite like this before. I guess it is a good advert but a bit over the top! I will join you with the ice cream :) Have a good day Diane
DeleteThose ice creams do look delicious and the topiary is just amazing, someone is very passionate about it. Thanks for sharing. xx
ReplyDeleteKaren you are right passionate is the word, it must take hours and hours to keep the place like that. Hope all well, take care Diane
DeleteWhat a unique and interesting posting. It is not a type of garden you will find in Stavanger, so for me this is new and very special.
ReplyDeleteGunn it is very beautiful but I cannot imaging having a garden like this, what a performance keeping it up to this standard!! Have a good week Diane
DeleteYou are right, Diane, it's a little too much, but worth seeing anyway.
ReplyDeleteJM I am very pleased that we saw this, I just cannot imagine living with it!! Take care Diane
DeleteLove those gardens but probably will not copy the ideas! As for that ice cream, oooooh, yes please!
ReplyDeleteVera can you imagine the work that goes into those gardens! Mmmmm that ice cream was so yummy. Keep well Diane
DeleteI love a good ice cream and I've got admit that some of the best I've ever had were in France. Love the gardens - I couldn't live with them but great to see. I'm looking forward to your Île de Ré post - I've been told many things about it, but I've never managed to get there.
ReplyDeletePhil that ice cream was really good. Our trip to Île de Ré was quick as we had to drive home the same day as we visited it, but it is a place iI would like to go again and take in all the history. Have a good week Diane
DeleteSome people have just too much fun in the garden. I used to be a terrible snob about it but have mellowed completely. Why not have fun -- it's your garden. Bring on the garden trolls!
ReplyDeleteDeanna I am all for fun in the garden but this is a bit over the top :-)))) It was fun though looking at it. Have a good Sunday Diane
DeleteGreat clippings and cornets, how I miss European ice-cream just not the same here in the UK. :(
ReplyDeleteI have to agree Linda, European ice cream is far nicer, wish I could send you some. Take it easy and have a good Sunday. Diane
DeleteWow , never seen a place like it , how very novel , and fun . The gelato is more my thing , LOVE Pistachio .. my favourite :-) yes definitely not the same as the UK :-( ,, have a lovely week xo
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne, can you imagine the work that goes into that garden! I would not mind one of those pigs in the garden thought they were quite cute ha ha. You have a great week as well. Diane xox
DeleteFabulous as always!
ReplyDeletePlease let me know your favorite church - or the one you attend. I would love to post about it!
Thanks,
Melanie Ann :)
Hi Melanie, my favourite cathedral in France is the Notre-Dame at Riems, I did a post on it here http://lifeincharente.blogspot.fr/2010/07/reims-cathedral-and-tdf-part-91.html some time ago and I have often put odd photos in at other times. There is a lot of information about it here as well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reims_Cathedral.There are many beautiful churches and cathedrals in France but this so far has been my favourite. Keep well Diane
DeleteThank goodness its late night here Diane, no chance of nipping out to get an ice cream :)) I do appreciate a bit of topiary but oui, this is just a wee bit OTT!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha you are right, I could not imagine living with all that Topiary around me though I would be happy with one hedge maybe! Have a good day, Diane
DeleteHi Diane .. what an amazing ice-cream shop .. and to queue for 10 minutes .. my patience would be stretched .. but obviously worth waiting for.
ReplyDeleteThe gardens are amazing ... gosh if I was clipped to the bone like that I'd be biting my nails in case a stray hair went out of place ... incredible ... and what a lovely find. Gardeners are amazing - this was inventive to put it mildly ... I don't think I'd want them too near my garden (not that I have one) ... I prefer wild and woolly!!!
Great photos though .. and I hope you can get back and find out what that building is .. looks intriguing ..
Wonderful post - cheers Hilary
Hilary I am a very impatient person but my mouth was watering and 10 minutes was nothing to wait :-) I also prefer wild and woolly but the workmanship here was amazing. Thanks for the comment, Take care,hope the bruising has now gone. Diane
DeleteMended thankfully - I had no bruising! Not sure how you can fall on your face and apart from a greening around the eyes and cheeks end with out any other injuries .. just about beautiful again ... small scar across the bridge of the nose I suspect ... thanks for thought - Hilary
DeleteGlad to hear it, I think that you may have been lucky there was nothing worse. Diane
DeleteThose ice creams are seriously making me envious now! Would love a taste of each of them! And I love that topiary man sitting on the wall - crazy!
ReplyDeleteKit they are just the best ice creams ever, sorry I can't post you some :-) I would quite like that guy sitting on our wall but the rest is a bit too much! Keep well Diane
DeleteNow that's what I call an ice-cream. It looks absolutely delicious x
ReplyDeleteKerry not far to drive to La Rochelle when you move here :-))))) Have a good day D & N xx
DeleteCute photos and your ice cream photos look so yummy!
ReplyDeleteGreetings, RW & SK
They were really the best, I am glad they are far enough away I cannot get there easily!! Diane
DeleteI can only imagine the hours of hard work that goes into that garden but obviously a labor of love. One garden in our neighborhood had two larger than life topiaries. They were positioned at each side of their house, a rabbit and a squirrel, usually with a big ribbon around their necks. They were there for years, always neatly trimmed, and then the house was sold. Slowly the topiaries disappeared and I was sad to see them go. The garden isn't quite as shipshape as it was but I am thinking that somewhere there is a larger than life rabbit and squirrel in another neighborhood, and someone else is driving by and smiling. And now I am off to get some ice cream :)
ReplyDeleteDenise that is quite sad that they have just disappeared, I hope that they have appeared somewhere else in the neighbourhood. Hope your ice cream was as good as our was. Have a good week Diane
DeleteWhat a unique and interesting place!
ReplyDeleteZ.
Unique is right, I cannot imagine there is another place like that around. Keep well Diane
DeleteWhat a fascinating and beautiful place!!! Great photos!
ReplyDeleteThanks, it was a fun 3 days. Have a good weekend Diane
DeleteOh my!! I would get as fat as a pig if I stayed near one of these ice cream shops!! LOL!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha Joan, I am glad we do not have one near us either...... The scales would have been broken by now! Hope your weekend is a good one Diane
DeleteCute post, Diane! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to taste this ice cream Nigel(?) holds in his hands! LOL!!!
This garden is quite something, the motivation and/or passion of its owner must be quite strong!
Admiration!
Cheers, enjoy your WE!
Ye Noushka you are right Nigel was holding the ice creams :-) The garden was amazing but a little over the top! Keep warm over the weekend Diane
DeleteHi Diane,lovely photos:) Thanks also for your tip about adding orange juice to the butternut squash soup,will try that next time:) Have a great weekend.
ReplyDelete~Anne
Thanks Anne you have a good weekend as well. Diane
Deleteice cream looks wonderful very artistic garden
ReplyDeleteTorviewtoronto the ice cream was wonderful and I agree, the gardens could only have been made by an artistic person ! Hope you have a good weekend. Diane
DeleteI've seen plenty of interesting and unusual gardens, but I've never seen one like that. :)
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing it.
Bill I am not sure if you will ever see one quite like that again either!! Have a good day Diane.
DeleteThe ice cream looks appetizing but these trimmings on the garden is magnificent!
ReplyDeleteRose the topiary in the garden was magnificent. A great advert but too much for the normal home. Hope all well Diane
DeleteI love La Rochelle series Diane, beautifil pictures and amazing Ice creams!! xo
ReplyDelete