We cycle west from Caen in the Normandy region of France. Along the way, we pass through a tree-lined road of autumn leaves that cannot be seen from a car. In the town of Verson, just before our destination, we visit sites associated with Léopold Sédar Senghor, a poet, French teacher, and former president of Senegal. Our final destination is the Church of Saint-Malo in Mouen, which already existed in the 12th century.
We hope you will enjoy the tour on an indoor bicycle or similar.
OpenStreetMap (OSM)
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
Photos
Léopold Sédar Senghor (public domain, author: Roger pic., souce: Bibliothèque nationale de France)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:L%C3%A9opold_Senghor,_Pic,_5.jpg
Colette Hubert Senghor (licenced by Das Bundesarchiv under CC-BY-SA 3.0, photographed by Egon Steiner)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colette_Hubert_Senghor.jpg
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Highlights Let’s go out together! We are currently in Caen, Normandy, France. We start from the city of Caen and cycle to the town of Mouen. We cycle about 12km (7.5 mi). We are now in front of Caen Railway Station. This is the starting point. We are leaving. We are already in the bike lane. The car stopped for me. Thanks a lot. Trams pass by in both directions. We cross the River Orne. We cycle upstream along the left bank of the River Orne. The woman in front of me gave way to me. Thanks a lot. We can see the River Orne on the left and the racecourse on the right. There are always people walking, jogging, cycling, etc. along this tree-lined avenue. When there are no races taking place, the racecourse is open to walkers and joggers. When a horse race is taking place, it’s like this. During a horse racing match. After a race. We go back to cycling. The location of this racecourse is called the Prairie, and was originally a marshland area. When the River Orne, which flows alongside it, is about to overflow, this prairie acts as a detention basin to divert the river water. Here, the River Orne bends at a nearly right angle. When the river was flooded, water would overflow on the outside of the curve, and the area around the current Prairie would become a swamp. In the 11th century, numerous canals were dug throughout the area that is now the racecourse to drain the marshes, which were then converted into hay meadows. The railways heading towards the Bayeux are visible on the left. This time we see the railways on our right. We pass through a tunnel of trees. This time, the road passes through a grove of trees. Below we can see the ring road that runs through the outskirts of Caen city. There is a fork in the road to the left. 400m (437 yd) from here, a restored waterwheel can be found. The Rocreuil mill, registered in 1827, had 3 water wheels. But the mill was abandoned during the 1944 war bombings. 79 years later, in 2023, the walls of the mill building and one of the water wheels were restored. We enter the town of Verson. On the right is the house where Léopold Sédar Senghor lived. Let’s take a detour. Senghor was a French and then Senegalese statesman, poet, writer, and the first president of the Republic of Senegal. While Senghor was the president of Senegal from 1960 to 1980, he adopted an African socialist policy domestically and a pro-Western and pro-French policy towards the outside world. The garden on the west side of Senghor’s house is now open to the public as a park, thanks to a donation from Mrs Colette Senghor to the town. There are several panels on display in the park that tell the story of Mr and Mrs Senghor. Léopold Sédar Senghor was also the first African to sit on the Académie Française. The Académie Française is a national academic organisation in France with a history of 390 years, and is responsible for compiling French dictionaries, maintaining the quality of the French language, and promoting academic and artistic endeavours. Mr Senghor was also one of the originators of the term “Négritude,” a slogan that promotes black self-awareness, a term that refers to the spiritual climate and cultural characteristics of black people, and the name of a literary movement. After stepping down as Senegal’s president in 1980 and peacefully handing over the reins to his successor, Léopold Sédar Senghor and his wife Colette Senghor decided to spend time in Normandy, the homeland of the parents of Colette, and set up residence in Verson. Léopold Sédar Senghor passed away in Verson on 20 December 2001, at the age of 95. In 2004, Colette Senghor decided to bequeath her home to the town of Verson after her own death. Colette Senghor, born Colette Hubert de Betteville, passed away on 18 November 2019 in Verson, at the age of 93, two days before her 94th birthday. In accordance with Colette Senghor’s will, the couple’s former home in Verson has been the property of the town since 7 July 2022. The house has been open to the public on an intermittent basis since September 2022. The park was open to the public for the first time on 20 September 2025, with the opening ceremony held the following day, after several months of redevelopment. We are in the town hall park of Verson. There is a metal sculpture in front. The inauguration ceremony for this metal sculpture took place in October 2006 to mark the centenary of the birth of Léopold Sedar Senghor. The title of this metal sculpture is “The baobab and the apple tree”. It was created by Anne Deshaies, an artist from Lower Normandy. Baobabs are widely distributed in the tropical dry regions of the African continent. They have a stocky tree shape and grow into giant trees with a diameter of over 10 meters (11 yd). On the other hand, Normandy is an apple-producing region. This is a facility called “Senghor Space.” The town built it as a tribute to Léopold Sédar Senghor. It is used as a town library and as a hub for meetings and exchanges. It also promotes the various organisations active in Verson, including those in the visual arts, dance, and music. It is clear that Léopold Sédar Senghor has had a great influence on the town of Verson. We resume cycling. I miss the sign and end up cycling in the pedestrian lane. Realising my mistake, I head back into the bike lane. The slope is steep and long. Please excuse the heavy breathing sounds. We see the Mouen bus stop on our left. We are now in Mouen. We turn right. Sorry about the loud brake noise. We arrived in front of the Church of Saint-Malo in Mouen. This is our destination this time. According to the town’s official website of Mouen, the first written traces of the commune of Mouen date from 1190 with the document where Robert de Gouvix donates the church of Mouen. The bells of the Saint-Malo church of Mouen are ringing. The church building was designated a historical monument of France in 1846. Thank you for watching. Please click the “Like,” “Subscribe,” and “Bell” buttons if you like this video and this channel!