Parc National duMont Rainier dans l'État de Washington ...                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Le parc national du mont Rainier (en anglais : Mount Rainier National Park), est un parc national américain situé dans l'État de Washington dans le Nord-Ouest des États-Unis.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Couvrant Couvrant une superficie de près de 956 km², ce parc est célèbre pour le mont Rainier. Cet imposant stratovolcan, dont le sommet culmine à plus de 4 000 m, appartient au massif de la chaîne des Cascades.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

L'occupation humaine de la région remonte à près de 8 000 ans, lorsque des Paléoaméricains l'arpentent pour chasser et pratiquer la cueillette. Après l'arrivée des premiers explorateurs d'origine européenne, les tribus locales de langues salishsont très touchées par des épidémies de variole amenée sur le continent par les colons dès la fin du XVIIIème siècle.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

La région devient le cinquième parc national américain le 2 mars 1899 durant la présidence de William McKinley. Administré par le National Park Service, dont la mission est de protéger ses richesses naturelles et culturelles, le parc abrite plus de 1 000 espèces végétales et plus de 300 espèces de vertébrés.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            (source : Trevor (source : Trévor Anderson)

La Tour de Pise en Italie   ...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         La tour penchée est l’emblème de la ville toscane de Pise. La légende dit que vers la fin du xvie siècle, du haut de cette tour, Galilée mesura le temps de chute de divers corps et put établir que la vitesse de leur chute était la même pour tous, et non pas proportionnelle à leur masse comme le supposait Aristote auparavant.

La Grande Muraille de Chine ...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Il s’agit de la plus gigantesque structure militaire jamais construite par l’Homme. De la frontière de Corée jusqu’au désert de Gobi, la Grande Muraille parcourt environ 6 400 kilomètres.

Mont Rushmore aux États-Unis  ...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Situé dans l’état du Dakota du Sud, au coeur des Black Hills, le Mémorial national du mont Rushmore est une sculpture gigantesque en granit. Elle représente les portraits de quatre présidents américains :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt et Abraham Lincoln.

La statue du Christ Rédempteur au Brésil ...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Il s’agit de l’une des 7 nouvelles merveilles du monde. Inaugurée en octobre 1931, cette sculpture de Paul Landowski mesure 38 mètres de haut et surplombe la ville de Rio de la montagne du Corcovado.

Printemps près du village d’Aínsa-Sobrarbe, Aragon, en Espagne ...

Ce paysage printanier se trouve au pied des Pyrénées… côté espagnol ! Pour le découvrir, cap sur la petite localité d’Aínsa-Sobrarbe, située dans la province de Huesca en Aragon. Faisant partie des Plus Beaux Villages d’Espagne, elle a la particularité d’abriter une partie du parc national d’Ordesa et du Mont-Perdu.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Cette réserve espagnole de plus de 15 000 hectares est célèbre pour ses paysages dramatiques, allant des sommets de plus de 3 000 mètres aux canyons parmi les plus profonds d’Europe. De nombreuses espèces ont élu domicile ici, comme l’isard ou le vautour fauve.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 En 1997, le parc national est déclaré réserve de biosphère par l’UNESCO et intégré dans l’ensemble Pyrénées-Mont perdu inscrit au patrimoine mondial

 Les Champs de Tulipes aux Pays-Bas  ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         En En avril, la Hollande se couvre de tulipes et attire donc pour l’occasion de nombreux visiteurs.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Joyau de la région (à une vingtaine de kilomètres au sud-ouest d’Amsterdam), le parc du Keukenhof expose des millions de bulbes sur 32 hectares; tout simplement enchanteur !

 Águeda  ...   au Portugal !

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Tous Tous les mois de juillet, des centaines de parapluies sont accrochés au-dessus des rues d’Águeda dans le cadre du festival d’art Ágitagueda.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Cette tradition a débuté il y a seulement quelques années, mais s’est déjà taillé une renommée mondiale.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   En plus d’ajouter de belles couleurs à la ville, l’oeuvre crée également un tunnel ombragé fort apprécié par temps de chaleurs estivales.

La Grande Barrière de corail, en Australie  ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              La La Grande Barrière de corail est le plus grand récif corallien du monde comptant plus de 2 900 récifs et 900 îles s’étirant de Bundaberg à la pointe du Cap York.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Le récif se situe dans la mer de Corail au large du Queensland, en Australie ...

La maison de La Fontaine  ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  C’est dans cette maison, qu’est né l’immense auteur des Fables, qui ont marqué depuis, des générations d’écoliers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Située Située dans l’Aisne, à Château-Thierry, cette demeure bâtie en 1559, comme l’attestait la date inscrite à droite du portail d’entrée, garde quelques éléments de décoration typique de cette époque, dont un bandeau de fleurs de lys au-dessus de la porte d’entrée.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Détail Détail intrigant, au-dessus de la corniche du premier étage, sont gravés trois croissants de lune entrelacés. Ce motif bien connu est le chiffre de Diane de Poitiers, célèbre favorite d’Henri II. La raison de cette représentation reste encore inconnue à ce jour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Musée Jean-de-La-Fontaine à Château-Thierry dans l'Aisne

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Jean Jean de La Fontaine a vu le jour en ces murs en juillet 1621. Son père, Charles, occupe alors la charge de Maître des Eaux et Forêts du duché de Château-Thierry et conseiller du roi.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Le fabuliste étudie au collège de Château-Thierry avant de partir à Paris pour suivre des études de droit. Il achète à son tour une charge de maître des Eaux et Forêts en 1652 et s’installe à Château-Thierry avec son épouse. Il hérite quelques années plus tard de la charge de son père.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Buste de Jean de La Fontaine par Louis Pierre Deseine conservé au musée Jean de la Fontaine

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Sa Sa première publication, L’Eunuque, est une comédie en cinq actes parue en 1654. Elle ne sera jamais jouée. Mais en 1660, à l’occasion du carnaval, il fait jouer à Château-Thierry, une farce-ballet, dont les rôles sont tenus par ses amis. Son cabinet de travail et d’écriture est alors situé dans l’aile donnant sur la rue, au premier étage. L’escalier qu’il emprunte pour s’y rendre se trouve dans une tourelle aujourd’hui disparue.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Maison de Jean de La Fontaine au XVIIème siècle.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Il Il se rapproche du Surintendant Général des Finances Nicolas Fouquet et écrit plusieurs œuvres pour lui. Il le suit dans sa disgrâce en Auvergne pendant un an.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

A son retour à la cour, il entre au service de Marguerite de Lorraine, veuve de Gaston d’Orléans (frère de Louis XIII). Il connaît un succès rapide grâce à la publication de ses premières fables dédiées au Dauphin.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Accaparé à Paris grâce à sa réussite, il revend à son cousin Antoine Pintrel, sa maison natale, en 1776.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Statue de Jean de La Fontaine par Pierre Julien conservée au musée Jean de la Fontaine

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Deux siècles plus tard, en 1876,  cette maison devient le musée Jean de La Fontaine grâce à la Société Historique et Archéologique de Château-Thierry.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ce musée présente de nombreux artefacts liés à l’œuvre du fabuliste mais aussi à sa vie comme son acte de baptême.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Classé monument historique, les façades du musée ont été restaurées en 2008, avec le concours de l’Etat, du Conseil Général de l’Aisne et de la ville de Château-Thierry.