Another mid 30's day today which by day's end had us down to a very slow amble!
Back to Landivy - we enjoyed a meal with Dave and Jane the owners of Belle Madeleine B and B last night.
It was very nice to be in the company of other English speakers.
They were originally from Southampton and have lived in France for 10 years running the B&B for the last three years.
Dave is a sports fanatic while Jane has little or no interest.
She has learnt to speak French he has no interest!
We plied them with questions comparing various aspects of French life versus English life and I guess the fact they have been in Landivy which is no more than a town with a population of 150 but which has its own mayor, for 10 years suggests that taken overall they clearly prefer the French style
Jane said that if they sold the B&B and took the money back to Southampton it would only buy them a 1 bedroom unit!
On the outskirts of Angers we saw a shopping centre by the name of L'Atoll and being around lunchtime we pulled in not leaving for approx. 3 hours
The design of the centre is superb - it is a circular shape with a centre of greenery with the shops contained in the outside circular structure.
It is so big there is a small shuttle driving around dropping shoppers off in front of the shop they wish to visit
If I were to estimate it would hold the equivalent shopping area as all the shops at Albany mega centre and the adjacent shopping centre
It was completed in 2012 and in 2013 won the award for being the best European Shopping Centre
The following was taken from a website:
A shopping complex in Angers, France, combines an arched elliptical form with a skeleton of perforated aluminum.
The brief was to create a commercial mall with a refreshing architectural appearance, which could act as a gateway into the city. Antonio Virga Architecte and AAVP Architecture joined forces to design the amorphous structure, defined by four main poles and entry porches.
The entire mall is covered in an envelope of mother-of-pearl white aluminium, which rests 8 to 12m from the main structure to create a secure delivery area in between retail units and the exterior wall. From the ground to 3m high, small perforations conceal views from the outside; from 3 to 12m high, diamond-shaped perforations are highlighted by a system of back-lit lighting.
The project was designed with sustainable development in mind; special waste management systems, thermal dynamics, renewable energy and natural lights have been employed.
It is a very impressive site!
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