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Tag: puerto esperanza

Fishing village Puerto Esperanza near popular Viñales in Cuba charms with quietness and fresh seafood. | FinnsAway Travel Blog

Rural Cuba: Tranquil Puerto Esperanza

Published: December 28, 2019

Fishing village Puerto Esperanza near popular Viñales charms with quietness and fresh seafood.

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How to travel between Viñales and Puerto Esperanza using local transportation | FinnsAway travel blog

From Vinales to Puerto Esperanza

Published: November 12, 2019

How to travel between Viñales and Puerto Esperanza using local transportation

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One more throwback to autumn in France, with a pic One more throwback to autumn in France, with a picture collection from along the rest of our road trip there in October. 🇫🇷 😍 🍂 

From the Loire Valley our journey continued south, as we had one more house-sit, this time near Saint-Junien in the Haute-Vienne department, close to Limoges. On the way there we did some sightseeing in Poitiers, known for its Romanesque church of Église Notre-Dame la Grande and Palace Of The Aquitaine Dukes.

During the house-sit we mostly stayed put, taking care of two absolutely lovely dogs and focusing on work. We only did a short day trip to the La Cité Martyre, the ghost village of Oradour-sur-Glane. A shocking massacre and destruction took place in the village during the WWII, and the ruins were left to stand as a memorial to these horrors, which must never happen again. 

After the house-sit, we drove northeast, all the way to Alsace (that is our "home" in France and the place where our van will stay over the winter). On the way we stopped for a sightseeing tour in Bourges, known for the grand, Gothic-style Bourges Cathedral and an old town with half-timbered houses.

In Champagne region we visited Tours, and made a walking tour in its medieval old town with narrow, cobbled alleys, half-timbered houses and gothic churches. As this was our first time in Champagne, we had planned to taste some champagnes in Tours, but as the weather was cold and gray, we decided to postpone that experience for the next visit, and maybe head to the wine route instead of cities to do that.

But now, it was time to say farewell to our camper and continue to warmer regions for the winter months, starting from Greece! 🤩 

#finnsaway #nomadlife #travelforlife #housesitting #france traveldiary

Bourges cathedral is stunning both from the outside and inside! 

Our newest furry friends Ruby and Zola ❤️ 🐾 

The house-sit was in a tiny little hamlet, a very peaceful and beautiful environment for focusing on work and going for trail runs and dog walks. 

Abbaye de Nouaillé-Maupertuis near Poitiers

The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane are a WWII memorial. 

The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane are a WWII memorial. 

Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine in Poitiers.
Throwback to the lovely Loire Valley in France, wi Throwback to the lovely Loire Valley in France, with memories from Angers, Tours and Amboise ❤️ 🇫🇷 

Angers on the Maine River, at the edge of the Loire Valley, is known for the massive Château
d'Angers 🏰 

(swipe for more pics and short captions)

#finnsaway #nomadlife #travelforlife #france #visitloirevalley

Angers | Tours | Amboise | Langeais | Loire Valley

This 13th century castle has massive 17 towers, and is home of the Apocalypse Tapestry.

We stayed in Angers for five days as house-sitters, taking care of Rory the golden retriver, who
loved to take us for walks in the historical city center and the scenic riverfronts of Angers.

Another landmark of Angers is the Angevin Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Maurice
cathedral from 12th to 13th century. 

On the way from Angers to Tours we stopped to admire some of the many castles of the Loire
Valley. Château de Langeais is an impressive fortress in the small town of Langeais by the Loire
River.

The original castle was built in 10th century and destroyed during the Hundred Years' War.
The current Flamboyant-Gothic castle was built in the late 15th century and restored in the late 19th
century. 

Tours is a bustling university town with several layers of history.

The old town of Tours (Vieux Tours) is known for its medieval half-timbered houses, cobblestone
alleys and vibrant squares with plenty of restaurants, cafés and boutiques.

One of the major landmarks of the
city is the stunning cathedral, Saint-Gatien, featuring a Gothic facade, towers that consist of 12th-century bases and Renaissance tops, rose windows and royal tombs.

Tours is a great day trip destination, but there sure is enough to see and do (and eat and drink!) for a bit longer stay. 

The small, charming city of Amboise was once home to the French royal court. 

The most
remarkable sight of the town is Château Royal d'Amboise, a 15th-century Renaissance royal palace
built by King Charles VIII.

The huge castle features the Saint-Hubert Chapel, where the remains of
Leonardo da Vinci are entombed. 

The main street leading past the Royal Castle is lined with popular restaurants and souvenir shops. 

The main entrance to the castle leads to a
Memories from Nantes, France – sightseeing, giant Memories from Nantes, France – sightseeing, giant mechanical machines and craft beer! 🤩 🇫🇷 🏰 🐘 🍻 

As a part of our tour in France in September and October we stayed for a couple of days in Nantes,
the sixt largest city of the country and the administrative seat of the Loire-Atlantique department
and the Pays de la Loire region.

Nantes is also known as la Cité des Ducs, the City of the Dukes, for the Castle of the Dukes of
Brittany, that uses to be a Ducal residence (pics 2,3,9). The handsome castle is one of the main landmarks of the
city, but there is a huge amount of historic buildings and ruins from different eras.

One of the special features of Nantes is the Machines of the Isle of Nantes (Les Machines de l'île), an artistic, tourist and cultural project based in the old buildings of the former shipyards that were once used for ship construction.

The most famous creation of the machine project is the Great Elephant, a twelwe-meter high
mechanical elephant made from 48 tons of wood and steel, and lubricated with 2,500 litres of
hydraulic oil. It's amazing (well yes, we are engineers 😄)! It can carry up to 50 people, and it trumpets and sprays water while
walking (swipe till the end for videos!).

Nantes also has a lot to offer for beer lovers, as there are several microbreweries, taprooms and beer
bars.🍻

Especially impressive was the brewery and taproom of The Little Atlantique Brewery, built in
a historic, 19th-century oil pressing factory in the industrial Docks de Chantenay/Bas-Chantenay
district (pics 5&6). You can easily reach it by a water bus from the Isle of Nantes

More about craft beer in Nantes (and from everywhere we roam) in @craft.beer.nomads account.

 #finnsaway #nomadlife #travelforlife #france #visitnantes

France | Nantes | traveling
Two tips for south-western Brittany: the fairytale Two tips for south-western Brittany: the fairytale village of Rochefort-en-Terre and the medieval Castle of Suscinio (pics 16-20)!

Rochefort-en-Terre (pics 1-10) has been listed as one of the most beautiful villages of France 😍🇫🇷

Wandering along the cobbled alleys is like a journey back in time, and even if the medieval centre is
small, there are plenty of picturesque details to admire.

There is also a castle in Rochefort-en-Terre (pics 11-15), but not anymore a medieval one - the current manor
house was built on top of earlier ruins in the early 20th century. Parts of the old fortress walls still
exist, and it's a beautiful walk to go and explore the castle area.

Bonus top for vanlife: there is a great place to park for night by the Moulin Neuf lake, just a short
walk from Rochefort-en-Terre village.

Suscinio Castle on the Rhuys Peninsula in the Morhiban department was one of the residential
palaces of the Dukes of Brittany. It was a place of abundant life in the Middle Ages, and the well-preserved, carefully renovated site includes the moated castle, a ruined chapel and a few other
buildings.

Suscinio Castle was built by the sea, next to lush forests, and it in the 14th century it was used as a
place of leisure, especially as a base for hunting trips.

From 1471 to 1484, the castle housed Jasper Tudor, Henry
Tudor (later King Henry VII of England), and the core of their group of exiled Lancastrians. Since
1840, the castle has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

#finnsaway #nomadlife #brittany #rochefortenterre #susciniocastle
Throwback to Brittany with a few pics of the stunn Throwback to Brittany with a few pics of the stunning walled city of Vannes! 😍🇫🇷

Overlooking the Gulf of Morbihan, Vannes is a well-preserved, medieval fortified town with cobbled streets and squares, half-timbered houses, beautiful gardens high stone walls, towers and gates, as well as a cute harbor.

There definitely is a lot to see in Vannes, and we recommend a bit longer visit than day trip. We stopped in the city just for a sightseeing walk, but it would've been great to stay longer to see the city also in the evening, and to eat in one of the many restaurants if the old town.

Vannes would be also a great base to explore the nearby attractions, so add it in your map for travels in Brittany!

#finnsaway #nomadlife #digitalnomads #brittany #vannes

🗝️ France | Brittany | Bretagne | Vannes | Medieval | Old Town
In September we did a long house-sit in a small vi In September we did a long house-sit in a small village near the town Ploemeur in the south coast of Brittany, taking care of a sweet old dog, a lovely cat and a fish pond. As usually during house-sits, we focused on work and writing, but also explored around a bit.

Our runs and bicycle rides took us to scenic trails along the coast and around the Lannénec Pond, to explore the beaches and castles. We also made a couple of day trips to nearby sights and tourism destinations, such as megalith sites.

Did you know that there is a huge amount of megaliths in Brittany? In fact Brittany contains the world's largest and densest concentration of prehistoric megaliths, erected during the Neolithic period roughly 6000 years ago.

We visited two megalith sites in Morhiban region, the Ménec Alignments in Carnac (pics 1&5) and the Kerzerho Alignments (pics 6&7). 

With over 3000 monoliths (single blocks of stone), spread out in several groups and up to 11 rows over a length of 4 kilometers, the alignments of Carnac are one of the most spectacular and mystical megalithic sites in the world. The Kerzerho site is smaller, but also very scenic.

The huge stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. The man type of these stones are alignments (rows), dolmens (stone tombs with a large capstone), tumuli (burial mounds) and single stones called menhirs.

#finnsaway #nomadlife #digitalnomads #brittany #megaliths
The island of Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most The island of Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most stunning sights of Normandy, and of the whole France. This historical pilgrimage destination and UNESCO World Heritage site draws in a huge amount of visitors, but can be still rather quiet during the off season. 

The main destination in Mont Saint-Michel is the monastery on top of the rocky island, but the whole tidal island, set in a beautiful bay shared by Normandy and Brittany, has a magical atmosphere.

The island turned in into a pilgrimage site after bishop Aubert of Avranches, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself had pressured him into having a church built atop the island.

From 966 onwards, the dukes of Normandy, followed by the French kings, supported the development of a major Benedictine abbey on Mont Saint-Michel, and it became a renowned centre of learning.

The Mont Saint-Michel island is not only about the monastery though, and there is much more to see and explore. Below the abbey, there is a small, old village with narrow streets and steep staircases, and beautiful half-timbered houses turned into museums, restaurants, hotels and boutiques.

#finnsaway #nomadlife #digitalnomads #visitnormandy #montsaintmichel
Road trip memories from Normandy 🇫🇷 Along our ro Road trip memories from Normandy 🇫🇷 

Along our road trip through northwestern France, we drove past the D-day beaches of Normandy.

The long, sandy beaches look beautiful, but carry a tragic history, and there are a lot of memorials reminding of the WWII events.

We stopped in Longues-sur-Mer to explore the German battery on a dramatic, 60-meters high cliff. This site is the only battery in Normandy with original guns in the bunkers (pics 6-10).

From the battery we continued to Omaha Beach, that probably is the most well-known of the D-Day Landing sites. The main sights in the site include the Les Braves monument, the Normandy American Cemetery, with Graves of 9387 American service members, and two museums, the Overlord Museum and the Omaha Beach Museum.

Omaha Beach, or the "Bloody Omaha" was the landing site of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division, and saw heavy resistance from the German 352nd Infantry Division.

#finnsaway #nomadlife #digitalnomads #visitnormandy #omahabeach
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About FinnsAway

We are Anne & Toni, a Finnish nomad couple traveling the world since 2017. We left 9-to-5 life behind to be free to explore the world and work location independently.

We are adventurous backpackers and low-cost travelers, often following the road less traveled. We write detailed travel guides with quality photos, as well as short introduction posts about the destinations that we explore.

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