Monday 13 June 2011

Round and About - Aixe-sur-Vienne Part 3

As I mentioned in Part 1, Aixe-sur-Vienne, is situated  a few kilometres west of Limoges in the Haute-Vienne department of Limousin.  It gets its name from its position on the upper reaches of the Vienne River. 



The town is situated at the confluence of two rivers: the Vienne and the Aixette. Aixe-sur-Vienne offers fantastic opportunities for walking, cycling or even kayaking activities and tours.

 The main road (N21) crosses over the Vienne here, into the centre of the town. I have tried to find the name of the bridge, but with no success!
Looking upriver from the bridge.

The bridge over the Vienne is extended around a bend and crosses over the Aixette  at the confluence.

Along the Aixette river, there is a footbridge and, next to it, a stone arch named the Pont Malassert.  It appears that it is often called a "Roman Bridge", but in fact it apparently dates back "only" to medieval times! I gather that only half of it is left; the original bridge would have had two of these small arches, with logs of wood resting on top to walk over.

One of the very old houses that are in this area.

The sign reads L'Herbularium, Jardin des médicinales.  The garden is just to the side of the large bridge over the N21 and the Vienne runs along the back of the garden. All very well kept!
It is very attractive, but while I was there most of the flowers were either in bud or they had just gone over
The garden with a view of some of the old buildings in the back ground. The Vienne is at my back.

Coming soon - Part 4 around Aixe-sur-Vienne, which will cover the Eglise Sainte Croix, the Holy Cross Church. 

70 comments:

  1. Hello Diane:
    What a very pretty village this is. Having the river close by is such a bonus as it always adds interest at whatever season. Everything looks sowell cared for and pristine, clearly a strong community spirit is in place. We look forward to continuing our tour with you.

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  2. I just love those wooden fences around the beds... they look so light and airy. I am imagining you are taking a short breather from your own garden to do a little exploration for your interested readers!

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  3. Jane and Lance there are some lovely areas in this village but other places that I would not bother to photograph! The river end though is quite lovely and well looked after. Diane

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  4. lostpastremembered I am basically using up photos that I have previously taken because I have not much time at the moment. Since returning from the UK I have had people staying here without a break and time has been very limited!! Diane

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  5. What a beautiful village,so nice to have a river and be able to do kayaking etc without worrying about hippos and crocs! I would defnitely be doing lots of kayaking if I lived there!

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  6. Haha Liesl, no I don't think there would be a croc or hippo problem there :-) Diane

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  7. Lovely photos, Diane. I love the wood on the outside of the buildings - the style of building is so different from what we are used to in the Loire.

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  8. Thanks Jean, it amazes me how different each area can be architecturally. Diane

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  9. What a lovely part of France - the bridge and footbridge are SO pretty. The buildings almost look Tudor!
    Mary

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  10. Reading this post has brightened my day. I have decided to try and spend an hour blog reading to calm my whirling brain and visiting your blog has certainly helped. Thankyou so much for your kind words.

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  11. What a wonderful tour. Love the old bridges and buildings. The garden looks well tended.

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  12. Thanks for the continuing tour Diane ...

    ... If I coud have another daughter I think I'd name her 'Aixette' ... what a lovely looking word, I'm not sure how to pronounce it or what it means though ... :)

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  13. Most interesting place Dianne! This is a virtual tour of ancient Vienne made real by your wonderful photos and captions. The Roman influence is quite evident in this place. What a garden! I just love how the French make the horizontal espalier of pear trees to make use of the limited garden space whereby making the garden even look more beautiful. Great post indeed!!!

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  14. Such beautiful photos, makes me want to visit. I am still amazed at your photography skills, and with an inexpensive camera to boot!

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  15. Mary (Mum's kitchen) the lower part of the town, which is the older part as far as I can see, is quite lovely. I have driven through there many times, but only when I came to walk around did I realise there are some beautiful spots. Diane

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  16. Linda I know just what you are going through. I am glad this post helped a little to calm you down. Diane xx

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  17. Gaelyn the garden is perfect and not a weed in site. The bridge is so different. Diane

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  18. Graham I agree is is a lovely word. Aixe so far as I can find out is purely a name and I pronounce it 'ex'. Somebody who is French may read this and correct it though. Aixette I would guess means little Aixe. Perhaps because it is smaller than the town, or there is another river I do not know about. Sorry to be a bit vague but that is the best I can do. Diane

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  19. michelangelo the garden is so well looked after, and yes I also like the way they grow their fruit trees to make more space. It is very effective and very attractive. Until I walked around I did not even know the garden existed and I have driven through many, many times. Diane

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  20. Judy there are no skills attached to my photos, the auto does it all :-)) Thanks for the kind comments though. Diane

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  21. Il est très agréable de se promener avec toi à travers la France profonde. C'est très beau.
    A très bientôt.

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  22. I like the idea of the L'Herbularium, and will combine a visit to the village with a trip to Limoges airport at some time. Thank you Diane - your pics as always are a temptation!

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  23. It's so lucky that you have this lovely weather. You can take such amazing trips and take incredible photos.

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  24. I love getting know about your country. The medieval bridge is really cool.

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  25. Love the wooden bridges and how nice you can enjoy a bit of sunshine at last.
    Thank you for another lovely post.

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  26. What wonderful photos. It is so nice to see France through your eyes. I think in another life you must have been a tour guide :-). I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  27. Nadji. Je suis heureux que vous appréciez la promener. A bientôt. Diane

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  28. GaynorB, I have driven through this place so many times and I never appreciated it until I parked the car and walked!! Diane

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  29. Olga the weather has cooled down a lot but I would be so happy to have rain, we need it sooooooo badly. Diane

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  30. Pam I also think that bridge is pretty cool. When I go that way again I will see if I can get some better photos. Diane

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  31. Dianne I love the sunshine but at the moment I would be more than happy to have a week of rain. The country is in the middle of one of the worst droughts for many years. Diane

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  32. Mary I am glad you enjoy the tour. I enjoy stopping at all these places. Before my blog I would have just driven through and not appreciated what was around me!! Take care Diane

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  33. Lovely photos Dianne, i especially love the photos of footbridge and stone arch ! Ya, about the train market at Bangkok, actually for the vendors there is very normal and no dangerous selling goods there and this market have been there for 80 years! You should visit to this place one day..cool and fun!

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  34. Sonia I would love to visit there but afraid once we are both retired, which will I hope be very soon, finances will be tight and long distance travel will be well beyond our means :-( Diane

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  35. First of all, somehow I missed the post about the birthday of your FIL. He looks great and incredibly young for his age! This is a very scenic village and interesting with the old bridge. The gardens look well kept and unique with the fencing around them. If I ever make it back to France, I want you to be my tour guide!

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  36. Great tour of Aixe-sur-Vienne!
    I do not know the region at all and your reportage is so good that makes me feel I've been there!!...
    Thanks for your numerous visits, I have been so busy I couldn't surf on anyone's blog for several days!
    And I will be away for a week from this WE!
    Much love Diane, keep well!

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  37. Very scenic and beautiful place Diane!!!
    Many thanks for so beautiful photos!!!
    Many greetings

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  38. I love your posts on the Charente and the Limousin especially when you visit small villages and look at historic buildings. I am always reading history (I love the Normans and Plantagents) and your area is mentioned so often in the texts especially in the years of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I keep meaning to ask if you have been to Chalus (where Richard I was shot by an arrow and from which he died).

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  39. I really like your heading picture with the rainbow. La Vienne looks like such a peaceful river and the village looks peaceful too – I’d love to visit these types of villages but we don’t drive in France so, unless we can take a train and be in the center of town, we don’t go. I am pleased that you show us such lovely spots.

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  40. This is such a beautiful little place, the stuff dreams are made of really. My sister is living in France this year and I'm off to see her next month-maybe we'll see some of these beautiful villages too!

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  41. Diane, thanks again for showing us another gorgeous place in France. How I wish I can visit France one day. I love visiting those countryside more than the city. Hope you're having a lovely day.
    Blessings, Kristy

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  42. Pam you are right re my FIL he is amazing for his age. Glad you enjoyed the French tour. Diane

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  43. Peggy you are right it is a lovely spot. Diane

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  44. Noushka thanks for the kind comments. Hope that you have a great week away. Take care. Diane xx

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  45. Magda between your photos and mine we have seen a lot of Europe recently :-) Diane

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  46. Dolly Chalus is about 1hr 30 mins from us and well East of Limoges which is generally as far as I go because that is where the airport is. When Nigel moves here permanently there are several places we would like to see all easy trips for one day, I have just added Chalus to the list so keep watching this space :-)) Diane

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  47. Vagabonde if you do not drive in France there must be many places that you never get to see. Never the less our very small local village does have 3 trains a day visit so if ever you are this way..... Diane

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  48. Alice I am sure you will see some beautiful villages, they are all over France. I wish I could tour around more, but the cost of fuel nowadays limits our travel I am afraid. Have a great time next month. Diane

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  49. Kristy I go along with you there, I also love the countryside and the small villages, I am not a town person. I hope you get to visit one day. Diane

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  50. Always enjoy a wonderful trip around the beautiful villages..Everything is so quaint and lovely.
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful country.
    xoCarolyn

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  51. Carolyn most of the villages are very old and have masses of history attached to them, quite different I imagine to what you have in the USA. I love sharing France with others because it is so beautiful. Diane

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  52. Indeed Diane :))
    It's nice to travel, even with photos!
    Amities

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  53. It's a very pretty town. It's funny how everything with any age to it becomes "Roman" isn't it?

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  54. Diane have you ever been at
    http://www.ustream.tv/petespond

    This is my third 24 a day webcam I am hooked on.

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  55. Magda you are right, your photos are I am sure the only way I will visit Holland, or Greece for that matter. Thanks. Diane

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  56. Marji the Romans were all over this place, so it is a good name to use I guess before they really do decide what year these places appeared! :-)) Diane

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  57. Nadege I love web-cams but with our slow connection in France they do not work well and You Tube is impossible!!! Sad. Diane

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  58. Just beautiful, takes me to another place :)

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  59. You certainly get about Diane, and what a lovely place to get to, especially the herb garden.

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  60. Thanks Muppy it is always nice to zap over to another place :-) Diane

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  61. growinginmygarden I mostly get to see all these places taking different routes to Limoges airport!!! I was really taken by the lovely herb garden. Diane

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  62. I can imagine how beautiful the garden would be when the flowers are all in bloom! :)

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  63. I enjoy the photo journeys that you take us on- beautiful photos.

    Velva

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  64. Lovely photos, wish I could visit these places one day!

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  65. The 5th photo is definitely my favourite view. Lovely!

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  66. Just wonderful, it must be so nice to walk around there.

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  67. chubskulit there are some very pretty spots around there ;-) Diane

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  68. beautiful place! i dont think i have to opportunity to travel to this place yet so i'll just enjoy it from here!!

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  69. Lena, There are so many places I would love to visit but many of them I will only see through other bloggers eyes :-) Diane

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