Royan? It seems everyone we know thinks it is either interesting or ugly. There is no in-between with this city. We spent the day exploring Royan and its surroundings with our landlords, Josiane and Christian. Christian, born on the corner of Rue des Bonnes Femmes, has lived in Royan since he was a small boy. Josiane is a transplant from Savoie, the mountainous east of France. She has been in Royan for 16 years. We set out from La Rochelle on the bus—the only customers for the complete one and a half hour journey. The sun was out and we enjoyed seeing more of the countryside. There were two stops in Rochefort, the city built by Louis XIV to house his navy. It is full of beautiful buildings of that period, so full in fact, that some of them seem to be falling into ruin.
Royan was a sleepy little village on the Atlantic coast until sea bathing became popular in the 19th century. Because of its excellent climate and wide, long beaches, Royan soon became a favourite with the bourgeois of Bordeaux. They began arriving in the 1830's after a steamer company launched a direct route from Bordeaux. Soon little 'bathing machines' were springing out of the
beach and large, lovely homes began to occupy the sea front. Before long, a casino was operating and with the advent of railway lines, the city began to welcome crowds of tourists. Emile Zola was a frequent visitor; here he fell in love with his wife's laundry maid and discovered photography. Picasso fled from Paris in 1939. He stayed a year, during which he painted 'Cafe des Bains'. 
Royan was a sleepy little village on the Atlantic coast until sea bathing became popular in the 19th century. Because of its excellent climate and wide, long beaches, Royan soon became a favourite with the bourgeois of Bordeaux. They began arriving in the 1830's after a steamer company launched a direct route from Bordeaux. Soon little 'bathing machines' were springing out of the
beach and large, lovely homes began to occupy the sea front. Before long, a casino was operating and with the advent of railway lines, the city began to welcome crowds of tourists. Emile Zola was a frequent visitor; here he fell in love with his wife's laundry maid and discovered photography. Picasso fled from Paris in 1939. He stayed a year, during which he painted 'Cafe des Bains'. 
And so it went until WW II. By April 1945, when the rest of France was mostly liberated, there were still German soldiers grimly holding onto pockets along the Atlantic coast. One of these pockets was Royan and the Allied Forces were told that only Germans and collaborators remained in the city. As well, the Allies had a new weapon they wanted to use: napalm. So, on January 5, 1945 the centre of the city was bombed into rubble, using conventional bombs and the new napalm. In fact, nearly all the German soldiers had left and a message informing the Allies of this had been sent. However it was in French; the American signalman could not understand it. By the time the message was translated into English, the city was destroyed and 1500 French citizens were dead.
Faced with rebuilding most of the city, the Ministry of Reconstruction decided to turn the site into a laboratory of modern architecture and town planning, using the Athens Charter as a guide. This Charter set out the principles of the modern city, namely the concept of independent zones for four 'functions': living, working, recreation, and traffic. In spite of this rigid approach, Royan is quite beautiful. All the buildings are made of Béton (poured concrete) but there is a lightness of design, a use of colour and a diversity to the construction that saves it from looking sterile and boring. By great good luck, some of the 19th century summer villas remained standing and small details on the 1950s buildings mirror the sumptuous decor of that era. And these large, elaborate villas seem to fit happily among the strong lines of the modern buildings.
And then it was off to see two small villages, in total contrast to the modern town. Meschers and Talmont sur Mer are both fishing villages turned tourist attractions. Luckily for us, the tourists haven't yet arrived: the villages were still clean and uncrowded. Of course, this also meant that everything was closed—no shops, no cafés so it was a bit of a ghost town experience. Meschers is built high above the sea and is known for its caves, carved out over centuries into the limestone cliffs. They have sheltered humans for as long as they have been there and they still do. Some of them are actual homes, lived in during the summer when the cool 
air of the cave must alleviate the heat. We noticed that one person had built a stairway down to the sea with a small deck. Christian said that at high tide they can dive off the deck into the sea. Others of the caves have been turned into restaurants and bars. Sadly, they were closed. We will have to return! Talmont is still a fishing port. A charming little village with a wonderful Romanesque church dedicated to Ste. Radégonde. She was an impressive woman of the 6th century. A princess, she was captured by the French king Choltar. She was educated at court and eventually married the king. However, her religiosity which included sleeping on the stone floor instead of with her husband led the king to complain. She left him to become a nun and founded the convent of the Holy Cross in Poitiers where she is buried. I was intrigued by this woman of so long ago, educated, with a mind of her own who actually got what she wanted! The Talmont church had been left in ruins until after the war when it was reconstructed by some of Christian's family who worked for many years for the Ministry of Historical Monuments. 
We talked together about the difficulties and the burden of being a country with many old and important buildings. How to decide where to spend the money when there is never enough to fix everything? I mentioned the beautiful buildings we had noticed in Rochefort, being left to the elements. Christian shrugged in true Gallic fashion: "But what to do ? History is everywhere in France!" We have been struck by this during our time here. Not only is the country full of history but so are its people. I have begun think this becomes a burden, something that Canadians won't understand for another few hundred years. We have heard of French families almost ruining themselves by desperately trying to keep the old family house going. It has been passed from generation to generation for centuries, so it is impossible to give it up, just impossible. Christian told us how difficult it was for him and Josiane to decide which of the two family homes he inherited would be kept. And we have read about the resurgence of villages in France, fuelled by the return of people to their roots, where they buy second homes. It is wonderful and exciting for us to be part of this, to be able to see our roots in this area and learn more about the people who settled Canada. We see that in Canada we often have been too quick to demolish the old in favour of the new. I am glad that, however toothless they seem at times, we are beginning to develop protection laws for our old buildings and that more money is being dedicated to their upkeep. On the other hand, we can see how being a new country reduces the weight of the past: We look more readily to the future, are more easily able to adapt to change than European countries. Somehow these old stones are a heavy burden on their owners, dragging their spirits into the past whether they wish it or not.
air of the cave must alleviate the heat. We noticed that one person had built a stairway down to the sea with a small deck. Christian said that at high tide they can dive off the deck into the sea. Others of the caves have been turned into restaurants and bars. Sadly, they were closed. We will have to return! Talmont is still a fishing port. A charming little village with a wonderful Romanesque church dedicated to Ste. Radégonde. She was an impressive woman of the 6th century. A princess, she was captured by the French king Choltar. She was educated at court and eventually married the king. However, her religiosity which included sleeping on the stone floor instead of with her husband led the king to complain. She left him to become a nun and founded the convent of the Holy Cross in Poitiers where she is buried. I was intrigued by this woman of so long ago, educated, with a mind of her own who actually got what she wanted! The Talmont church had been left in ruins until after the war when it was reconstructed by some of Christian's family who worked for many years for the Ministry of Historical Monuments. 
We talked together about the difficulties and the burden of being a country with many old and important buildings. How to decide where to spend the money when there is never enough to fix everything? I mentioned the beautiful buildings we had noticed in Rochefort, being left to the elements. Christian shrugged in true Gallic fashion: "But what to do ? History is everywhere in France!" We have been struck by this during our time here. Not only is the country full of history but so are its people. I have begun think this becomes a burden, something that Canadians won't understand for another few hundred years. We have heard of French families almost ruining themselves by desperately trying to keep the old family house going. It has been passed from generation to generation for centuries, so it is impossible to give it up, just impossible. Christian told us how difficult it was for him and Josiane to decide which of the two family homes he inherited would be kept. And we have read about the resurgence of villages in France, fuelled by the return of people to their roots, where they buy second homes. It is wonderful and exciting for us to be part of this, to be able to see our roots in this area and learn more about the people who settled Canada. We see that in Canada we often have been too quick to demolish the old in favour of the new. I am glad that, however toothless they seem at times, we are beginning to develop protection laws for our old buildings and that more money is being dedicated to their upkeep. On the other hand, we can see how being a new country reduces the weight of the past: We look more readily to the future, are more easily able to adapt to change than European countries. Somehow these old stones are a heavy burden on their owners, dragging their spirits into the past whether they wish it or not. 
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