kokoryko Says: The village of Monein, sys itself it is in the heart of Bearn! It is a nice village , located 30 km West of Pau, direction Mourenx, (or Bayonne, and turn left after 20 km), counting 4000 inhabitants. The village itself is picturesque but the most important features there are...
kokoryko Says: Church St Girons , built in the end 15th and beginning 16th centuries is said to be the biggest gothic church of Bearn. It was for some time a protestant temple, but in the mid 17th century it became definitely catholic. The remarkable thing here is the framework under the...
kokoryko Says: Do not live Monein without a visit to a wine producer!I was recently (Beginning Dec. 2006) at “Domaine Cauhapé”, probably one of the best in the area; he produces 3 dry white, 6 sweet white and 1 red wines. Henri Ramonteu, the owner, when he is there welcomes the visitors...
aaaarrgh Says: Pau Castle is a mixture of styles, filled with amazing furnishings and well worth a visit. Henri IV Le Bon Roi of France was born here in 1553 and his turtle shell cradle is on display. However, it was local Bearnais hero, Vicomte Gaston Febus who created much of the chateau...
hquittner Says: There was not much of interest in the Church of St. Martin other than that it large and close by the Chateau. It is, I think, 19C, and is neo-Gothic in style and quite spacious inside and quite tall with four large levels. We usually do not look at recent churches but this...
hquittner Says: To people with a strong interest in the development of tapestry as an Art form, the walk through of the Chateau at Pau is a rewarding experience. There are how ever, as is usual with many collections, some difficulties. Most collections are set out with little feeling about...
hquittner Says: The birth and life of Henri in Pau include some items of his and others surrounding his family. The initial crib is on show as evidence of his great future. There is an important monumental fireplace and a painting of him in youth. The ceiling of a one room is decorated to...
hquittner Says: The largest room in the Castle is on the ground floor and it is able to be set up for dinners that seat 100 people. The lateral walls are covered with eight Gobelin tapestries. They are related to King Henri's daily life and were probably the first tapestries created at the...
hquittner Says: The most prominent part of the outside is a full sized statue of King Henri I stand under the central arch of the entrance to the Court of Honor. Some busts are also present upon different faces of the courtyard
hquittner Says: The Chateau of Pau was started in the 12C and was enlarged during the 13-15C and remodeled during the 19C. The first building was a flat topped hunting lodge and also served as a Donjon. In the next centuries it converted to a castle residence. In 1464 it became the capital...
hquittner Says: There are several Art Museums worth visiting in Southwest France if you are spending an extended time here. Above all others is the Musee des Augustins in Toulouse. Only three other general examples are also of interest in the area: in Montpellier, Pau and Agen. In addition...
mikey_e Says: The Palais de Congrès Beaumont is built to evoke the Belle Epoque era that was likely the last time that Pau was a major tourist destination, but it is nevertheless distinctly modern. The large casino sign at its door should alert you to the fact that this is a house of...
HarveyWest Says: If anyone needs airport transfers from Pau I can highly recommend www.sea-lifts.com.They offer a minibus service throughout the South West of France (Toulouse, Pau, Lourdes, Biarritz, Bordeaux)Pre-booked service only. You can pay online.Have used Sea-Lifts a few times and...
mikey_e Says: Pau is a pretty small town, and it is unlike that you will really need to use public transportation to get around, unless you are really going far afield or you have mobility issues. Still, it can be a bad hike to get from the train station up to the Castle area, and it is a...
siwi Says: Francis Miot creates marmelades, chocolates, aphrodisiac bonbons, and funny specialities (funny in french)...
Les coucougnettes, les tétons, les castagnes, les chocolats, le choco'cisson, les confitures et notamment à la Couille du pape ou encore au Gratte-cul. Bref, tout...
aaaarrgh Says: Chuckle... I realise Pau is described as a very English city, but I didn't expect to see a shop filled to the brim with British food :-)The Little London Larder opened in 2006 and is run by a friendly and knowledgable French lady. She previously lived in London selling...
kokoryko Says: Since I live in Pau, I was twice at the races, and, if not fun as in the Marx Brothers movie, as a totally non-competent and non-involved (I do not bet) I find it interesting to spend one or two hours in this special ambience, walking around, and watch as much at the people...
kokoryko Says: At the races, the horses are interesting but the people in the audience are worth a look too!First of all, it seems in Pau, people like to go to the races as you see on the main picture where the 3500 places gallery is crowded.Interesting characters can then be observed here...
hquittner Says: The city of Lescar was thriving 1000 years before Pau was begun. This was the center of Bearn at that time. In the early 12C the cathedral of Lescar was built. Its most attractive elements are the Romanesque12C capitals lining the nave and the modillions on the outside of...
mikey_e Says: I think that I may have given the impression that Pau is a lacklustre attraction. That's not entirely true. Certainly, I wouldn't suggest to anyone that they should plan for a week-long vacation here. Neverthteless, if you are in a comfortable hotel, away from the rowdy and...
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Pau (pronounce it « po ») is the capital city of Bearn and the prefecture of the Pyrenees Atlantiques departement.
First of all, it is located on a “strategic” place for those who like mountain and......
The second stop on my "retravelling childhood trips" tour was Pau. I was on a bit of a high after Toulouse, where I had had an exceptionally fun time (see my page on that city), when I headed towards...
Around the town, you can see buildings whose cobble and brick facades hark back to the days when artisans built noble people's residences with materials dragged from the river Gave.
From the center of the city there is a Promenade from which there is a grand view of the Pyreness to the south. Near the walk is a grand chateau of the 14C which was converted into a Palace in the...
The English middle classes have been coming here regularly since the early 1800's. The bracing climate from the nearby Pyrenees helped cure their pasty complexions. It certainly worked for moi...
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