I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to live in Vichy. It is absolutely beautiful here. I’ve had quite a lot of time to explore the town, so many pictures will be posted! Vichy is a smaller town so we are able to see a lot of it on foot. We are about 10 minutes from the center and 7-10 minutes from the river the opposite way. I honestly don’t remember any other weekend I walked as much as I did my first weekend here.
My first adventure was on my first night on the way to the supermarket. I had 3 days before the beginning of language camp, so I definitely took the opportunity to see as much as I could. Every corner I turned I wanted to stop and take pictures. Disclaimer: these pictures don’t do the place justice.
This is a map of the city. I live on the right side of the river. The black star is my residence, and the red is my university.
The most current information I found on the population was of 2012. There were 25,315 inhabitants. That’s much smaller than the almost 128,000 inhabitants in Topeka! I really don’t mind the size of the city, since I don’t have a car. It is tailored for walking and cycling, which makes it very easy to get around. Settlement of this area can be traced back as far as the Roman era, known then by the name Vippius. Vichy is well known as a spa town, due to its thermal waters.
Interesting fact about Vichy: Following the german victory in the “Battle of France” during WWII, there was an armistice signed by the Nazis and representatives of the French Third Republic. The armistice signed in June of 1940 allowed the germans to occupy areas of the north and of the west of France. This area was called the “Zone occupee”. The remaining area of France was called the “Zone libre”, and was to remain under French government. The French Third Republic was overthrown and replaced by the French State, headed by Philippe Petain. Since Paris was located in the occupied zone, the government was moved to Vichy. Vichy served as the de facto capital of France from 1940 to 1944, while Paris remained the official capital.
Gab provided us with a map of the streets of Vichy. I plan on highlighting all the streets I’ve been on so I’m sure not to miss anything! The town’s architectural heritage is a mixture of Byzantine, Moorish, Venetian, neo-Gothic, English and art deco influences. It is really amazing to walk in the city and see the different styles.
The park by the river, as well as along the river, had a renovation that created more entertainment activities for the people of Vichy. (They call themselves Vichyssois.) They have an enclosed area of the river for swimming, a little water park, an outdoor gym, a nice jogging trail, paddleboat rentals, snack and beverage shops as well as river-side restaurants. There is also a nice garden and lots of areas to sit in the middle of tons of trees!! It is a very nice place to enjoy and relax!
There are lots of pigeons in Vichy. It reminds me of Santa Barbara. There are also black swans? Here are some pictures of the garden and walking trail.
Here are some pictures of the places alongside the river:
Like I mentioned before, Vichy is known for its mineral waters. They have made the city a spa destination. The mineral waters are available at a hall called the Source des Celestins and at a second location by the river. I was really excited to try the water, but it tastes like salty carbonated water! I took a big gulp and had the hardest time swallowing it haha.
Here are pictures of the hall and the spa:
There was a closed off area at a building nearby, I was only able to take pictures from the door, but it looked very beautiful.
Here are pictures of the second source:
They bottle the water and sell it. The most common brand is Volvic. I don’t think I’ll be buying one lol. There’s definitely a lot more pictures than the ones here. I think I may start a Facebook album so I can post the rest. I’ll finish off with a few other pics I have taken. I can’t believe I’ve been here for over two weeks! Time is flying by.
It looks like Sundays are becoming my blogging days. Hopefully I can get more in than just once a week. I should probably get to bed soon. Language camp is over and tomorrow I start my first week of classes. So excited for that. 🙂 Thank you for reading and stay posted for more!
Au Revoir!
XOXO -Karen
Karen to France 2015 