Stage 6 Tour de France 2027

Food and Drink to Accompany Stage 6 Tour de France 2027

Stage 6 is in Brittany, known for its pancakes - sweet crêpes and savoury buckwheat galettes.

Cider is a speciality of the region.

Buy 12 bottles of Brittany cider (affiliate link).

Vannes

Vannes.

Skiing Made Easy

Skiing Made Easy is a practical guide to learning to ski based on many happy seasons of ski teaching.

It takes you through the beginner's progression from snowplough to parallel turns, starting at the very beginning and not assuming any prior knowledge.

The book suggests relevant exercises to develop and improve your skills. Common faults are identified, along with the best ways to correct them.

'By the way' sections contain information about many of the little things that people assume you just know, but you may not.

'This is the book I wish I'd had when I started skiing' - reviewer on Amazon.

How to buy:

• get the paperback direct from the author at ValThorensGuide (cheapest paperback option)
• order the paperback from Amazon
• order the ebook from Amazon

Skiing Made Easier

Skiing Made Easier is the follow-up to Skiing Made Easy, and picks up from where the first book left off.

The first chapter is Refining Your Parallel Turns.

The chapters on ski technique beyond basic parallel turns are Carving, Short Turns, Bumps and Off Piste.

There are then further chapters on Avalanche and Mountain Safety, Ski Psychology, Physical Preparation, Ski Servicing and Alpine Wildlife.

As in Skiing Made Easy, common faults are identified and exercises suggested to correct them and to develop your skills.

'By the way' passages contain bits of skiing knowhow that could otherwise take years to pick up.

How to buy:

• get the paperback direct from the author at ValThorensGuide (cheapest option)
• order the paperback from Amazon

The Amazon URLs are affiliate links.

Angers

Angers is a city of 147,305 people in the Loire valley: on the northern edge of Angers the confluence of the Mayenne and Sarthe creates the river Maine, which flows through Angers; a short distance south of Angers, the Maine flows into the Loire. Angers is the former capital of Anjou.

History of Angers

Angers existed before the Romans, and during Roman occupation, it was called Juliomagus Andecavorum (the market of Julius Caesar, in the area where the Gallic Andecavi tribe lived). The name Andecavorum developed into Angiers by the C12th, and later to Angers.

There were Germanic invasions in 275 and 276, which made the local people fortify a high area of their settlement. Angers was briefly held by Vikings in the 870s.

From the 900s to the 1200s, Angers was ruled by the Fulk family, who were Counts of Anjou. Fulk Nerra (the Black) was so-called because of his dark complexion, and his character - ambitious, predatory, covetous, brutal, and criminally violent. 

Henry Plantagenet became Count of Anjou in the C12th, where he spent most of his time, as well as Duke of Normandy and King of England. He married Eleanor of Aquitaine, which sowed the seeds of the One Hundred Years War.

The rulers of Anjou were promoted from counts to dukes, and the last of the Dukes of Anjou was Good King René (King of Sicily), and Count of Provence. He surrendered Anjou to Louis XI, the French king, in 1474.

In the 1800s, many old quarters of Angers were knocked down, and the city wall was demolished in 1850. Angers expanded, and the Parisian model was adopted, with wide boulevards and avenues. Angers lost its nickname 'the Black City', which was earned by the extensive use of local slate for the rooves of buildings.

Angers was occupied by the Nazis in June 1940, and liberated by General Patton on 10th August 1944.

Angers today

Today, the old town of Angers is dominated by the Chateau d'Angers. Nearby are the Cathédrale Saint-Maurice, and the half-timbered Maison d'Adam. Also significant is the Tour St-Aubin, which dates from 1170, and was the bell tower of an Abbey which closed during the French Revolution.

The new town is centred on Saint-Serge, which has buildings of the state University of Angers. (The University of Angers was founded as a school in 1080, and became a University in the 1350s; the other University in Angers is the Catholic University of the West). There's also a big University Hospital.

Angers' economy

Angers' economy is based on production of wine, liqueurs (including Cointreau), Scania trucks, and computers. Angers is the largest horticultural centre in Europe, and the leading producer of hydrangeas. Many banks and insurance companies have offices here, and there's a big convention centre.

Culture in Angers

Inside the the chateau, a famous tapestry is displayed, the Apocalypse Tapestry. There's a Fine Arts Museum and a Natural History Museum, and Angers has a Grand Theatre. The Anjou Festival takes place in July, with drama, music, dancing, poetry, and art.

Angers is twinned with Wigan. When they organise exchange visits, who gets the better deal, the Angevins or the pie-eaters?