Welcome to In the Vendée, a blog featuring articles submitted by people who have migrated or enjoy traveling in this lovely area of France. If you're curious about what it's like to live in or visit the Vendée, you're in the right place. Our intention is for readers to immerse themselves and leave with that on vacation feeling; and for writers—experienced or novice— to apply quill to paper and share their experiences.

Do you have a great idea for a story or helpful advice for active parents like you? We would love to hear it! We are always looking for interesting work for this blog. Even if you've never blogged before, we'll help you on your way. Our standards are high and good quality images must be included with your article. If you don't have any, we'll try to find some. You can find out exactly what sort of stuff we would like to see and how it works here.

tiger mosquitos in the vendee
16/05/2022

Tiger mosquitos & allergies! Oh NO!

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I'm a buffet. It's true. And, I hate mosquitos. One of my earliest memories is of hearing that annoying high pitched singing in my ears. I didn't know what it was. But I knew I didn't like it. When the existence of mosquitos was...

24/11/2020

USA to Paris to the Vendée: Our European Family Vacation

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There is nothing like a pandemic and lock down to make you appreciate your past travels. It is hard to believe that it has been one-and-a-half years since my husband and I decided to take a trip to France. With the children. I had been...

13/08/2018

A Day Trip to Oradour-sur-Glane

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Truthfully, it was a bit of a drive from where we live near the Marais Poitevin in the Vendee, but Oradour-sur-Glane had been at the top of my imaginary list of places in the world “to shoot”. A poor choice of terms, I realize. But...

28/10/2020

Out of the pan into the pan-demic

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The sun shines through my window overlooking views of the picturesque medieval town of Fontenay-le-Comte. The warm weather of the summer recently passed and is replaced by a crisp autumn sky. I’ve been here one month now and, on my way...

07/11/2019

Ode to the miracle of my parents

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Cour du Miracle. Translated to English, it means ‘Miracle Court’. The legend has been told since the early 18th Century, a part of Vouvant’s history, if you will. Today, however, I am sharing my very own, personal story of the ‘Miracle...

13/04/2020

Expatriate in lock-down France

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In recent years, the thought has crossed my mind many times that if anything could keep me from my mother in Belgium, it might be World War III. Never had I considered a virus-related near-global quarantine. But the very first day of...

17/10/2018

Tried and Tested: 2018 Journées Européennes du Patrimoine in the Vendée

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OUR verdict is IN! Les Journées Européennes du Patrimoine are awesome! All it took was a little research & planning, a full tank of petrol, and our trusted GPS. Oh, and the alarm clock to rouse the family.What are the Journées...

01/07/2019

Connecting people and places

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Curious about everything and always sensitive to cultural expressions, I have developed a career path that focuses on heritage, ancient and contemporary art and the performing arts. Much more than a love of "old stones" (I don't like...

15/06/2020

Choosing a Kiss. A memoir of racism in the life of a naïve immigrant

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Since the murder of George Floyd, I have been painfully aware that blacking out my profile against racism is easy. Finding words to help in the fight, not so much. But give me a minute, I have a life-story to tell. I remember well the...

25/09/2017

Day trip to Mont St. Michel by night

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We may be semi-permanent travelers these days so it's probably a little snooty to admit that we don’t enjoy huge masses of tourists. But we do avoid those hot spots where possible. We can't help it. Our introverted nature means we seek...

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