Nantes (LFRS) - Poitiers (LFBI).
Moine River near Saint-Crespin-sur-Moine.
To be honest I’ve taken this shot mostly because of the great lighting in it. But it shows that beauty can be deceiving: The green line to our right is Moine River, a sub-tributary to the Loire River. It is well-known for its tendency of severe flooding during winter and its large fluctuations in speed and flow during the year.
Place Travot and Notre Dame Church in Cholet.
Do you see the small white-and-green rectangle diagonally above our left wing tip? That is Place Travot, the cultural center of Cholet since the 19th century. The large brown-ish church at its lower-right corner is Notre Dame, rebuilt in 1820. This city center underwent major changes since then - first the local industries were removed to free up space, then it was redesigned as a car park in the early 20th century, nowadays it is a recreational area after the car park was moved underground.
Château des Dorides to the southwest of Voultegon.
You can spot the castle directly left of our left wing tip. Sadly the only informations I found were that it was constructed during the 14th or 15th century and that it was owned by a cadet branch of the noble La Ville dynasty of Poitou. The branches’ name “La Ville de Férolles des Dorides” is a combination of the titles used by Nicolas de La Ville, Seigneur de Férolles and his wife Charlotte de Herbieres, Dame des Dorides.
Chateau de Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet in Saint-Loup-Lamaire.
Originally I took this picture of Saint-Loup-Lamaire because I liked the location of the town on a small river islet within Thouet River. But the highlight is definitely the Château de Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet, clearly visible on the left side of the town. The first castle was built in the 11th century by a Lord Drogon and later housed both French kings and English princes before being rebuilt by Claude Gouffier, Comte de Caravaz during the 16th century. Later it changed hands between multiple local and national familiies like the Lepage dynasty of Farmers General.
Landscape near Vouneuil-sous-Biard.
Not much to say about the eye-catching bridge of L’Aquitaine Highway near Vouneuil-sous-Biard at the southwestern rim of Poitiers. Just a beautiful sight.