It is a beautiful and pastoral area with charming and pretty villages, rivers and forests... greenways and waterways...
Bagnoles del Orne is a spa town which features fine architecture during years attracting folk to its 'health-giving' waters. Whatever credibility you place on that kind of thing you can't ignore that the attention such towns gain means that they develop into attractions in their own right and this is no exception with it's lake and it's Belle Epoque inspired architecture which after WWI gave way to Art Deco which also features amongst the buildings here (the Casino by the lake is a good example).
Domfront is a historic gem for generations seen as pivotal in turf wars between Brittany, Normandy and Britain (of course)... On many occasions ownership of both French regions changed hands and indeed were owned by or did own Britain... Not surprising then that we all get on with each so and exchange residents. We have crossed over so many times that we are 'related', sharing a legacy of culture. The ruins of the castle are a testament to the damage caused to each other by each other whether the name of land acquisition or religious intolerance (same old... same old). Enough of the ancient buildings exist to make for a very worthwhile visit.
Alencon I was fined for speeding here (900 Francs on the spot... the Gendarmes kept my licence whilst I went to the nearest village with a bank machine!) Ouch! And anyway it wasn't me it was the bloke in front! The next worst thing to happen here involved William the Conqueror who, when he finally captured the town decapitated the townsfolk he could round up because they had made fun of his mother who had been the daughter of a Tanner. How? They hung animal skins from the town's walls during William's siege of the town. Very subtle eh?
Argentan, Often destroyed, rebuilt and much damaged (again) over hundreds of years - so there's plenty of history here - twice in WWII...once to take it over and then again to take it back (same old...same old). Earlier, on many occasions during the middle ages, in wars between France and England... but we're all pals now... in fact we do a 'war-share' these days in international conflicts - That's Europe for you!
These days there are plenty of websites to fill you in on all the facts... The who, what, where, when and how of the Orne... It's always a good idea to know as much about the area you may be living in before you travel...click and find out where you may like to be placed
