Traveling Naturally
&
green earth guides
Beyond Ecotourism • Ethical and Green Travel around the Globe
FRANCE
Green Itineraries:
Bastille Day Eco-Tour de France The Green Way in Limoges, Gueret and more......
Live interview on New Hampshire Public Radio's Word of Mouth with Green Earth
Guide author Dorian Yates, click here for link to the audio show.
Here is detailed information on the sites and accommodations mentioned on the
show:
The Tour du France route on July 14, 2009 runs from Limoges (in the Limousin
region) to Issoudun (in the Centre region) - 194.5km (about 120 miles) - right
through the center of France. See the Tour du France route at www.letour.fr
Health food stores in the area include:
In Limoges (87 Haute Vienne dept):
La Vie Claire, 9 rue Lansecot, 87000 Limoges; Tel: 05 55 307 671
Bonne Terre affiliated stores:
Planete Nature, 15 rue Hoche, 87000 Limoges, Tel: 05 55 796 997 (off Place
Marceau)
Rayons Verts, 11 rue Clouet, Limoges, Tel: 05 55 439 583
In Gueret (Creuse # 23):
La Vie Claire, 4 rue de l’Eglise, 23000 Gueret, Tel: 05 55 528 547
In Chateauroux:
Castel Bio, 15 rue Joseph Bellier, Chateauroux, Tel: 02 54 089 144
Espace Bio, Centre Commercial St Jacques, 36000 Chateauroux
There are markets in Issoudun, Bourges, Gueret and other towns. In Gueret market
days are Thursday and Saturdays.
Places to lay your head at night include the following green lodging:
Holiday Tipis in France has six tipis powered by solar electricity. Open from
May 1st to August 31st, they serve local foods for breakfast included in the
tipi charge, and optional dinners three evenings a week. Stays range from three
to seven days and prices run from 170 to 350 euros per tipi depending upon
length of stay. Located about fifteen minutes from Gueret. Holiday Tipis in
France, 7 Folbeix, Ladapeyre, Creuse, France 23270; Tel: 05 55 809 026; Email:
info@vacanesdetipienfrance.com; Web site:
www.vacanesdetipienfrance.com
3 Place de Sarbres is a vegetarian bed & breakfast in a renovated 18th century house in the town of Felletin about 1hr
45 minutes East of Limoges and one hour south of Le Creuse, considered the
French Lake District. The apartment ranges from 189-252 euros per week.
Bed and Breakfast rooms are 50 euros a night - vegetarian meals are extra. In
Felletin the water comes from the mountains so it is like bottled water from
the tap... also there is a micro brewery in the town. www.3placedesarbres.com
Northeast of Gueret you will find Le Petit Pauliat, a rural gite rented by the
week from Saturday to Saturday in a beautiful rural setting with nearby Le
Petit Pauliat, 4 Pauliat, 03380 Treignat; Tel: 04 70 070 885; Email:
info@pauliat.com; Web site: www.pauliat.com.
For the thermal baths....
Evaux-Les-Bains is a small spa and thermal bath town east of Gueret. More
information is at the town web site: www.ot-evauxlesbains.com; and at the Web site for the baths: www.evauxthermes.com
Walking routes include:
One of the Routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (Route of St James), runs
through the region of Limousin, starting in Vezelay and heading south of
Bourges towards Limoges and St Leonard De Noblat - GR 654.
Parks: Issoudun has city parks and sites
Regional Natural Park is in Brenne just west of Chateauroux between Limoges and
Bourges - Web site: http://www.parc-naturel-brenne.fr/parc/ou/index.html
Excursions:
90 km south of Limoges the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde is home to a famous market
where you can find local specialties including walnuts, mushrooms, truffles,
apples and violet mustard. The market is held on Place du 14 Juillet and Place
de Lattre de Tassigny on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from 8am to 12:30pm.
The Limousin region was home to a strong contingent of the French Resistance
including the Maquis guerilla resistance fighters who worked to combat the Nazi
controlled government in Vichy. In Brive-la-Gaillard you can find the Musée de la Resistance et de la Deportation Edmund Michelet (The Resistance & Deportation Museum), with memorabilia, artifacts and photographs from World War
II and the French Resistance. Musée de la Resistance et de la Deportation Edmund Michelet (The Resistance & Deportation Museum), rue Champanatier, 19100 Brive la Gaillard; Tel: 05 55 740
608. Open every day except Sunday and holidays from 10am to 12pm/2pm to 6pm
with free entrance.
A Sustainable Saturday in Paris: how to spend a green Saturday in Paris
Book in at the Hotel de la Porte Dorée, a family run hotel with some green amenities, on avenue Daumesnil in the 12th
arrondissement, on the east side of the city, steps away from the Port Dorée metro and bus stops, making the city sites easily accessible. Make sure you
are equipped with a map of Paris and the metro and/or bus lines.
The Organic Market Brancusi (Marche Biologique Brancusi) is held Saturday
mornings from 9:00 am to 3:00pm. To get there take the purple #8 Metro line
from Port Dorée towards Richelieu for two stops to Daumesnil. Switch to the green #6 line
towards Charles de Gaulle Etoile. Take that twelve stops to the Edgar Quinet
stop and walk down rue de Gaite or through the Montparnasse Cemetery to du
Maine Avenue. Rue R.J. Zay off of du Maine will bring you to Place Constantin
where you will find the Marche Biologique Brancusi. The teal #13 metro stop,
Gaite is closer, but not worth the switching coming from Port Dorée.
For bikers, there is a Paris Vélib bike station at 1 Place Edouard Renard a couple of blocks from the Hotel.
Bike to the Market and there is a Vélib station at 90 Ave. du Maine, one to two blocks from the market, near the
Gaité Metro stop. For more Vélib information, visit their website for locating stations all over Paris.
Once you have explored the market and eaten some delicious food, you can walk to
Park George Brassens, or rent a Vélib bike (there are two Vélib stations along the park – one is Station # 15046, 42 rue des Morillons), where book lovers will
particularly enjoy the secondhand and antique book market held in an old horse
market pavilion in the Parc on rue des Morillons in the 15th arrondissement of
Paris (Métro: Convention). The Parc has vineyards, beehives, 510 rose bushes, walking
paths, and more. The book market, held on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to
6pm, has over 200 participating booksellers, 68 of which rotate through each
weekend.
After the Parc and book market you can bike or Metro to the St. Germain
neighborhood, a lively area full of fun stores and eats, making your way
towards any number of sites – Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay – to name a few. If you are planning on one of the museums, you are better off
planning in advance for those and purchasing your tickets Online to avoid the
crowded entry lines.
You can eat lunch at the first all-organic bar and restaurant in Paris, Phyto
Bar, serving terrific organic food. They offer an array of fresh squeezed
juices—the grapefruit-kiwi is an especially refreshing combination. The seaweed “caviar,” made with a variety of greens from the sea, is highly recommended. Next door,
you will find La Nature a Paris Boutique, their sister store, a tiny,
jam-packed health food shop. (Phyto Bar Restaurant and Bar, 47 Boulevard
Saint-Germain; Tel: 01 44 07 3699.) The Phtyo Bar Restaurant is about five
blocks along rue Monge from the Seine River and the bridge across to the Notre
Dame Cathedral. In nice weather there will be book, souvenir and art vendors
along the Seine.
If you need a rest after your walking, biking and sightseeing, you can bus, bike
or metro back to the Hotel.
Once you are refreshed, the evening offers a number possibilities. One of my
favorite Paris excursions is to listen to the nuns sing vespers at the Sacre
Couer Basilica – the magic and beauty of their voices can be enjoyed by all. They begin at 6pm
and sing for about thirty minutes.
From the hotel you can get to Sacre Couer a few ways. By bus take the #46 from
Porte Dorée to the final stop of Gare du Nord (a large train station). From there you
could walk all the way, or walk to the Funicular that goes up the hill to the
basilica. If you want to go by Metro, you want to be on the #2 blue line. Take
the #8 purple line from Porte Dorée two stops to Daumesnil, change to the #6 green line to Nation. At Nation get
onto the #2 blue line and take that to Anvers. Here you will be quite close to
the funicular, which you can either take, or simply walk up the steep steps.
If you want to stay closer to “home” in the evening, try a delightful experience at the Grand Mosque, serving tea
and more. For a truly delicious experience you can wind down with a Hammam
steam bath and massage at the Mosque. The Tea room is open seven days a week
from 9:00am until 11:30pm, so you can enjoy this almost anytime of day. Check
the website for specifics about the Hammam since they have different days for
men and women. The Hammam is open until 9:00pm. To reach the mosque by metro
from the hotel either get onto the purple #8 line at Porte Dorée for two stops to the Green #6 at Daumesnil (or walk to the Daumesnil stop).
Take the Green #6 six stops to Place d’Italie and switch to the orange #5 for two stops to Saint Marcel. Walk two
blocks up rue Geoffrey St-Hilaire toward the Jardin des Plantes (worth a stroll
and visit on its own), and the Grand Mosque. The Tea room and Hammam entrances
are on rue Geoffrey.
Lastly, if you are in Paris during July and August, there are outdoor film
screenings in La Villette Park showing at 9:00pm most nights. But, if you
decide to enjoy a Hammam Steam bath on Saturday evening, you can go to the
movies Sunday night instead.
Traveling Naturally Saturday in Paris:
• Organic Brancusi Market
• Used and antique book fair in Parc George Bressans
• St Germain neighborhood\Notre Dame Cathedral (with possible visits to the
Louvre or Musee d’Orsay)
• Lunch at PhytoBar Organic Restaurant
• Return to Hotel for Rest
Evening Options:
• Sacre Couer Basilica Vespers 6pm
• Tea and/or Hammam Bath and Massage at the Grand Mosque
• La Villette Park outdoor movie screenings in July and August only, at 9:00pm
most nights (http://www.villette.com/fr/parc-villette-agenda/)
Go Lightly...... leaving small footprints wherever you go