Take a Trip to Anger, France: A Small French Town with a Big Heart

Located in the heart of the Loire valley, about an hour and a half train ride outside of Paris, Anger (pronounced On-jay) is a spectacular place to visit for tourists who want to see the true France. Unlike Paris which is full of tourists, Anger is a city that is not frequented by outsiders, so it still has a good bit of its true French town charm. For that reason, you will need to be fairly comfortable with your French when visiting the city, most locals do not speak English, and will be slightly surprised that you do. The city has 21 bus lines. So once you get into town, you can travel everywhere you need to go by bus so there’s no need to worry with directions and trying to navigate your way around town in a car. The city in fact has very limited parking, and most travel by bus or bicycle. Beware the bus’s (like most in France) are not air conditioned, so if you making your trip in the summer your ride is bound to get a little toasty. Visitors can truly find something to do in Anger, simply by taking a walk around. The centreville (center of city) is filled with businesses, restaurants, and shops to fill your day with adventures. There are also several buildings still standing that were built when the city first began, so in addition to shopping you can also find a little bit of history. While your in town here are a few of the attractions you may want to visit. Fete de la Musique This music festival is help at the end of June in cities all over France. The night of the festival ands and musical performers of all shapes and sizes will line Angers streets. There’s a new band, and a new genre of music on almost every single street corner you pass in the centreville. Restaurants and pubs stay open late to accommodate the crowds. This is a great event to meet people within the city, and to experience an assortment of fantastic, and not so fantastic music. Musee Jean Lurcat Jean Lurcat made a series of tapestries which gave his impression of the world before, during, and after the Apocalypse. This museum stands as a place for those tapestries to be showcased to the world. The museum has a small gift shop with posters and postcards of the tapestries. The museum is one large room, and a tour guide would be hard to find. Each tapestry does have a placard beside it with an explanation of Lurcat’s intent. The museum staff, as well as the literature are all in French, so if you don’t speak French, come prepared with a translator. Cointreau Carrefour Moliere- 49124 Saint-Barthelemy d’Anjou Cointreau, a top shelf liquor in America has its home in Anger. The distillery is located on the outskirts of town, and it well worth the visit. The tour will take you to the vats where Cointreau is distilled, on a tour through the history of cointreau, and ends with samples of mixed drinks you can make with the companies line of products at the distilleries small bar. For those who enjoy the liquor (an orange triple sec) you can purchase a bottle to take home at an amazingly low price. Le Cathedrale Saint Maurice This is one of the physically largest landmarks in Anger. The cathedral has regular services, and beautiful stained glass windows. A great place to visit if you’re looking for somewhere to attend a church service, or just want to take in a beautiful piece of history. Bouvet Ladubay See where the sparkling wine is made. Bouvet offers a tour of their caves and a small tasting of their wines. Bouvet wines are also available in the US, so if you like what you taste, you can also purchase it back home.