"Angers, France" a Angers Travel Page by TimDaoust

Two years ago I studied for a month in Angers on a program called Live and Study in Anjou. Angers is the capital of the Anjou region and is referred to as the gateway to the Loire Valley. Situated on the Maine River and home to some 30,000 students, it is both a college town and a historical goldmine. It is home to the ominous Chateau d'Angers which houses the famed Tapisserie de l'Apocalypse, the Cathedral St. Maurice, dating back to the 12th century and what is known as the purest French spoken anywhere in the world. And the people are lovely.

My dormitory was near the centre ville and a short walk from the Chateau D'Angers. As part of our curriculum we saw almost every monument and musee in Angers and the Loire Valley region. Wine tastings were not uncommon either. The wine in the Loire Valley is excellent (maybe not as famous as Bourgogne or Languedoc or Bordeaux but nonetheless amazing.) You can taste and buy Loire Valley wines at the Masion du Vin across from the Chateau. The centre ville is a beautiful place to visit and is easy to conquer on foot.

During our stay we were lucky to experience the fete de la musique, a festival that takes place all over the world every summer. Musicians perform in any and every venue for the entire evening. During the Fete, Angers was full of local music groups, one every ten feet in the centre ville, it seemed. It was an incredible experience and a great way to get to know a town. Angers is definitely my favorite place in Europe and that's not just because I've spent the most time there. Stay tuned because I'm in the process of sprucing this page up a bit and adding a load of pictures and tips to it.