ANGELA BIRD'S

The
Vendée

WHAT'S ON IN THE VENDEE
February 2012

(entries in red indicate new additions)

	PLEASE NOTE This website is really just a supplement to Angela Bird’s guidebook, The Vendée (left), which gives full details in its 176 pages of hundreds of interesting and off-beat tourist sites throughout the region. What you see on the website consists of either extra topics not covered in the book (Calendar, Restaurants, Travel routes, Internet links etc), or updated information (new tourist attractions open – or old ones closed) since the most recent edition of the book appeared. For the complete picture, order The Vendée through bookshops in the UK and Ireland, or from Amazon ; it is also on sale in good bookshops throughout the Vendée.	The listings on this site are supplied in good faith, gathered by the author from various Vendée sources. However it is always wise to check details with organisers or tourist offices before making a special journey.

Until 26 Feb 2012	Georges Simenon: La Vendée aux Quatre Coins du Monde Comprehensive exhibition about the famous Belgian writer who invented Inspector Maigret. Simenon and his family lived for some years in and around the Vendee, and he used the area as the setting for many of his Maigret novels.	Historial de la Vendée, Les Lucs sur Boulogne.
Until 26 Feb 2012	Emile Savitry. Un photographe de Montparnasse. Savitry lived and worked among the artists and intellectuals of Paris from 1930 to 1950. Starting out as a painter, he went on to become a photographer, reporting on war and on peace, and photographing fashion for Vogue & Harper's Bazaar. This exhibition shows his work. Tues-Sun 2.30-5.30pm. Admission charge	Musée de l’Abbaye Ste-Croix, Rue de Verdun, Les Sables d’Olonne.
4 Feb 2012	International Wetlands Day walk Come and view migrating birds stopping off on the flooded marshland near the coast. There’s also a tasting of local produce. West boots and waterproofs. Booking essential; 10am.	Querruy Sellier, Notre-Dame-de-Monts, near St-Jean-de-Monts (tel: 06 76 46 30 03)
8 Feb 2012	Spectacles De Vendée: Les Plus Beaux Airs De West Side Story Soloists of Lyon - Bernard Tétu, with Percussions Claviers de Lyon, play favourite numbers from Leonard Bernstein’s 20^th-century masterpiece. 8.30pm. 16 euros; children and disabled 10 euros. Booking opens 17 Jan.	l'espace Prévoirie, Soullans, near Challans. Réservation : 02.51.36.93.60 ou www.vendee.fr
9-16 Feb 2012	26e Circuit des Plages Start of a week-long prestigious cycle race through the Vendee’s seaside resorts, starting at St-Reverend (inland, near Coex)., and finishing at St-Hilaire-de-Riez (on the coast, near St Gilles)	Various venues (tel: 02 52 55 47 84).
10 Feb 2012	Spectacles De Vendée: La Pampa Furiosa des Gauchos Lively traditional dance by 14 Argentinian experts. 8.30pm. 16 euros; children and disabled 10 euros. Booking opens 23 Jan.	pôle culturel les Floralies. La Tranche sur Mer. Réservation : 02.51.36.93.60 ou www.vendee.fr
11 Feb 2012	Bird-counting Help LPO experts to count wetland birds on open marshland on the edge of Fontenay le Comte. Open to all. Wear boots and waterproof clothing. 9am; meet at LPO office.	LPO office, 93 Rue de la Villa Gallo-Romaine, St Médard des Prés - Fontenay le Comte (tel: 02 51 56 78 80)
11 Feb 2012	Olé ! Describing themselves as a “heavy mental flamenco show”, this trio of guitarists has won awards at the Edinburgh Festival, the Montreal Comedy Festival, and played in London, in Adelaide and Melbourne for their comedy, musicianship and juggling. 8.45pm. 15 euros children 6 euros.	Theatre de la Licorne, Le Havre d’Olonne, Rue du 8 mai 1945, Olonne-sur-Mer
11 Feb 2012	"Vita Monteverdi - Scelsi" Recital by Sonia Wieder-Atherton of pieces by a 16^th-century Italian composer, and also by 20^th-century Gianto Scelsi (1905-1988). Accompanied by Franck Krawczyk, 8.30pm. 16€, children 8€	Les Atlantes, Les Sables d'Olonne. Reservations à l'Office de Tourisme des Sables d'Olonne Tél. : 02 51 96 85 78
11 Feb- 11 Mar 2012	Sports d’Hiver a la Mer “Winter sports” by the sea include not skiiing and skating, but rather sand-yachting, roller hockey, “snowshoe” rambles through the dunes and Nordic walking through the forests. Full programme can be downloaded from 20 Jan.	La Barre-de-Monts/Fromentine area
19 Feb 2012	Demi-finale du Championnat de France de cross-countryMore than 2,000 runners of all ages vie to qualify for the finals of the French Cross-Country championships. (Finals are held in La Roche-sur-Yon on 4 March)	Hippodrome de l’Atlantique, Saint Jean de Monts.
19 Feb 2012	Grand Dimanche Gras A pre-Shrove Tuesday event, with lots of delicious deep-fried pastries to tuck into before Lent. Traditional goodies include merveilles, tourtisseaux, bottereaux, gaufres and mollets de dames. There are also performances of a play about farming life, and demonstrations of rural crafts. From 2.30pm. Admission 3€, children under 18 free.	Maison de la vie rurale. la Flocellière.
26 Feb 2012	Chocolat Concert An afternoon of delicious chocolate tastings (by Aizenay’s chocolatier Jean-Claude David), of mousse, tarte, sweets, ices… and music from string quartet Luscinia, specialist in 18^th-century music. 3pm.	Salle Les Quatre Rondes, Aizenay, near Challans Tickets on sale from23 Jan, (tel: : 02 51 94 60 65)
29 Feb 2012	Concert: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire Sascha Goetzel directs Bela Bartok’s Divertimento pour cordes; Richard Strauss’s Concerto pour hautbois Op 144 (soloist Alexei Ogrintchouk); and Beethoven’s Symphonie n°5 Op 67 8.30pm. 14 euros, children 8 euros.	La Longere, Beaupuy, nr Mouilleron-le-Captif, near La Roche-sur-Yon. Réservations : 02 51 31 10 50,

The Conseil-Général’s website also has a regularly updated calendar of events
on its site www.vendee.fr, under “Agenda”.

A free quarterly publication called Musique-Danse lists many concerts of all kinds in the Vendee. You can find it in Mairies and tourist offices.
There is an online version here.

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