Explore #60: Pensionnat Catholique, France – June 2014

Explore #5 of the Operation Baguette tour After the majesty of Chateau Lumiere, it was onwards to our next location of the day – Pensionnat Catholique. History This former Catholic boarding school for girls opened shortly before the outbreak of World War II, replacing a smaller school on the same site which dated back to the mid 19th Century. The school is huge, and is said to have over 1000 windows. During WWII the school was initially used to house…

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Explore #59: Chateau Lumiere, France – June 2014

Explore #4 of the Operation Baguette tour After the sleep-deprived fun and games of the previous day’s exploring I was simply delighted when my alarm went off at 3.30am. Ahem. Dan and I shuffled around our room in semi-conscious monosyllabic fashion, plugging charged batteries back in to cameras, and trying to wake up for another day of derpage (i.e. exploring ‘derps’ – derelict places, try to keep up at the back). In truth, it’s amazing how much better you feel…

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Explore #58: Chateau Verdure, France – May 2014

Explore #3 of the Operation Baguette tour The last of our successful explores on Day One of Operation Baguette was this marvellous derelict Chateau, nestled in the midst of a very affluent suburb. After a drive-past recce, followed by a McDonalds to recharge our energy levels, we returned and made our move and were soon inside. As you will see the Chateau is in a perilous state of decline, and has reached the stage where it must be highly doubtful…

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