A stunning building

On river bank Charente, built on an unstable place, the Corderie Royale is laid down on a raft made of oak pieces, deeply pressed on marshy ground. This explains the building could have a slant shape nowadays, even if it’s perfectly safe !

The Corderie Royale and the boat basins were part of the Arsenal, wanted by Colbert, Minister of King Louis XIV, in order to built war vessels, in a safe place, far from english cannons. Here, for 250 years, more than 350 vessels have been built, armed and maintained. Some of the greatest military and scientific expeditions set off from here.

A rope making  factory

The ropes were one of the important pieces on a vessel. The  largest ones needed 100 kms of ropes !Each rope of 195 meters long had to be built all in one piece : 270 meters were necessary to braid the rope,that explains the dimension of the building. On north end, raw material was stored and on south end, the rope was  tarred to be wear resistant.

Le « jardin des Retours »

The garden of returns has been created after the restoration of the building. As many botanic expeditions came back to Rochefort in the past time, with plenty of unknown and never-seen-before plants, Rochefort owns nowdays famous green houses and particulary  an academy of begonia. Alongside the Corderie Royale, willows,hazelnut trees, rub shoulders with magnolias, tulips and many others trees and plants are witnesses of this glorious past.

The Hermione freedom’s frigate

The most famous ship l’Hermione, symbol of french-american friendship has been built in this Arsenal. Moreover, the young major general La Fayette boarded the Hermione on 1780, to fight alongside the American insurgents who were struggling for their independence. 18 months later, the American insurgents, whom La Fayette had joined, won decisive victories, first in Chesapeake Bay, then in Yorktown, with the support of French troops led by Rochambeau and de Grasse.

“From the first moment I heard the name of America, I loved it; from the instant I knew it struggled for freedom, I was consumed with the desire to shed my blood for her I will count the days I got the chance to serve it, everywhere and anytime, among the happiest days of my life.” La Fayette 

In July 1997, the Hermione-La Fayette association embarked for a tremendous challenge : the reconstruction of the Hermione frigate. In 2015 the new fregate sailed to Boston, Yorktown and New York to celebrate this part of the history. You can visit the Hermione and know more about it if you come to Rochefort.

And to know more on Rochefort Arsenal, L’hermione, I suggest you to make a stop at the nice Librairie Maritime in the Corderie Royale.  If you are fond of sailing books, adventure books, adventurer book-writer, sea-protection, sailing… this bookstore is for you !

L’article The Corderie Royale, an amazing story est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.

Looking back to the previous year, I see hard work and great satisfactions.

Deeply involved in communication and public relations since many time, living in cognac region and working in great south-west France, I thought that if cognac, famous name for a famous product, was worldwide known and appreciated, its slow elaboration, the high skill of the people involved in this success, the landscape, the heritage, and the way of life, rather remained in the shadow. 

Since a long time, I had the idea to tell these little stories day after day, season after season, in the vineyards, distillleries, cooperage… as such as the cultural life of the region, the importance of the river Charente, on which the first cognac barrels were loaded in the past centuries to, then, cross  the oceans, as the Hermione ship on board of which La Fayette came in the US.

At the beginning of 2016, I felt I was ready to start, to create a blog, and I easily found its name  : living in cognac which is the reality. Would this blog  be relevant ? I just could not go wrong, or be boring. Could I find enough time ?  Many other questions appear day after day… Finally, I decided that I should go ahead.  First a Facebook pro page, and Instagram, launched last end of may allowed me to draw a clearer outline for the blog. I worked on july and august off line. On line on september 2nd, Living in Cognac was  ready  for the crunch time of harvest, it could not feel more right.

Few months after, I could say that I enjoy much more than I could expect in my mind. I am sincerely grateful to everyone reading, following, sharing… and particularly those of you who add comments or ask questions. In Norway, UK, Australia, USA, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Nederland, Sweden, India, Canada, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Mexico, Chile, China.. and in France so. Thanks, really thanks, I am so grateful for your interest and your so nice comments.

Of course, many thanks to the winegrowers and distillers  who took time for photos and discussions, the owners of Logis de Puygaty, and many other people, happy to share their passion.

I wish you all my best for this new year.

And soon, an other post on the cooperage. Stay tuned.

L’article Telling the story of cognac region est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.

This landscape is that of cognac : we are in the cognac delimited region. Atlantic ocean is the natural border on west side, and Bordeaux vineyards on south side. The oceanic climate, the quality of soils mainly, clayer, chalky, and limestone, the sun exposition, are some of  the secrets of cognac.

Roman churchs,  high houses  with closed courtyards, vineyards, historical towns such as Angoulême, Jarnac, Cognac, Saintes, Rochefort on the river Charente, small villages sleeping in the heat of the sun, there’s so much to see.

You could imagine that this small area is like a  stunning painting, but  may be a bit boring all the year long.

On the contrary, cognac has  opened-eyes on the world since a long time. The dynasties of famous names of cognac, coming from abroad to create their trade  in XVIII century, and the charentais sons of families, went off in search of adventure, gave for ever, this sensibility of exchange, meeting other cultures.  For instance, La Fayette left France to sustain American War of Independance, on board of the Hermione, by Rochefort Harbour, and Henri Fauconnier in the beginning of XX century went off to Malaisia to create a succesfull rubberwood plantation.

No doubt that the famous notoriety and sucessfull story of cognac, can be explain by this spirit of curiosity.

It’s true, however, that many visitors coming here, discover that cognac is not only a beverage, but a small city and a region, and for some of them, that cognac comes from vines…

It would be my pleasure to take you on a stroll week after week, wherever you live in the world, and show you, secret places, skilled winegrowers, favourites, nice people leaving here and stunning views.

if you agree, let’s go…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaZ2K9mTZEg&feature=youtu.be

L’article The chance to live in cognac region est apparu en premier sur Living In Cognac Land.