Fanspot
Ramparts of La Rochelle
“Elle avait tout pour plaire. C’était la plus belle des sirènes. Elle a rencontré ce pirate un soir. Quelque part, dans les remparts de la Rochelle. Joli marin, elle avait les yeux rivés sur l’ancre tatouée sur son bras.“
Château de sable – Bigflo & Oli
Far from the aggressiveness of a more aggressive rap, Bigflo & Oli have been evolving since their debut in Toulouse in a much more emotional register. It’s not surprising, then, that the musicians deal with themes of love, family and complex feelings in their songs. In Château de Sable, the two brothers tell a sort of contemporary fable based on the disillusionment of a young woman after her encounter with a lawless pirate.
Released in 2018, the song, in which La Rochelle plays a prominent role, shortly preceded the controversy Bigflo & Oli were subjected to in 2019 following a joke made during the Top 14 rugby semi-final between Stade Toulousain and La Rochelle. It all started when Bigflo posted on Instagram during the game, “Folks, La Rochelle is not even a city. When you get a city, we’ll put a team on you. Allez le Stade, allez Toulouse! La Rochelle, you don’t even exist on the map, is that clear? When we come to do the Francos and everything, we’re nice, we’re fun, but not today. La Rochelle, there is nothing: there is a tower, iodine, four seaweeds, ciao!“.
A message that the rapper likened to humor, having preceded a proper apology: “Some people in La Rochelle, especially on Facebook, didn’t take kindly to the jokes I made during the game. I get insulted and everything. Guys, La Rochelle is the first place we played concerts, we went there maybe 8 or 9 times, I mentioned it in several songs so obviously it’s for fun. So sorry to those who were hurt by that, but obviously it’s jokes, it was all about the game.“Fortunately, since then, tempers have cooled and it seems that time is again at a premium between the duo and the Rochelais.
It took only 10 days for the album La Vie de rêve to go gold, selling 44,000 copies.
Porte Saint Nicolas - Motte Rouge
Built between the 12th and 18th centuries, the ramparts of La Rochelle give the city its special character.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in the region, the fortifications of La Rochelle include several notable monuments such as the Tour de la Chaîne, the Tour Saint Nicolas, the Tour de la Lanterne, the Tour de Moureilles, the Grosse Horloge, the first Porte de Cougnes, the Porte des deux Moulins and the first Porte Saint Nicolas.
Remarkably preserved, these ramparts tell a fascinating story to visitors. The different parts of the walls have had different functions over the years. Thus, the Lantern Tower was used as a prison in 1822. It was here that four sergeants of the 42nd regiment were detained for plotting against the government. It is common for the tower to be called the Tower of the 4 Sergeants in memory of its inmates who became famous.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Discover all the places Château de sable on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.