France – Page 7 – DJmotortouring

Yport (Normandy), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

We arrived in Fecamp in order that the vet could do the necessary with Nala and Beanie to facilitate their return to the UK. Within an hour of arriving we had parked up, seen the vet, had coffee and a pastry for breakfast and were en route to Yport, stopping at a supermarket for Vanya on the way (Vanya will always find room in the Van for a few more bottles of Cremant). We like Fecamp but it is fast becoming a bitter sweet place to visit since, more often than not, it heralds the end of a tour.

Better news is that we had pre-booked a place at our usual campsite in Yport and, best of all, had secured a table for dinner at our favourite restaurant in the town and one of our favourites in Normandy – Le Nautique.

Dinner was a few hours away and so, after parking up at the campsite, I strolled off into Yport, leaving Vanya to sunbathe. She wants a suntan before Iain’s & Orla’s wedding in August and I wanted some sea air.

Yport has barely changed since we were last there. I say ‘barely’ because I did notice one difference in the church. The votive (model ship) which used to hang over the altar now sits amongst various others along the far side of the church. Isn’t it sad when you notice that kind of detail? Hey, no matter. Yport is a great place to chill.

Yport is also a great place to eat. There aren’t many restaurants or cafes in the town but they are all okay and, if you like fish (especially mussels), Le Nautique is outstanding. They love dogs there and the patron chef went out of his way once again to personally find a table for us in our preferred space at the back of the restaurant and cleared a space for Nala and her wheels. He couldn’t have been more accommodating. The welcome, the service, the food & drink and, most important, the concern he showed throughout our repast made for another unforgettable visit.

Vanya particularly likes the mussels at Le Nautique but we were a little concerned that it would be too early in the season for them. We needn’t have worried. They wouldn’t serve them if they weren’t first class. We do love the Nautique.

The next day saw me down at the beach again but this visit didn’t go too well. Would you believe that skimming stones over the waves nearly cost me a finger? I would never have believe that rock could be so sharp. I threw a piece of flint and as it left my hand it literally ripped open the length of my index finger. It was a wide, deep and long cut and boy did it bleed. I’ll not go into any more detail except to say that I couldn’t get any treatment locally. Yport is a very quiet little town. The only place open that particular afternoon was the tourist information office and the lady there couldn’t contact the local doctor, nor the chemist. Moreover she was frightened to death of blood. Fortunately, I keep a fairly comprehensive medical kit in the Van and I was able to sort things myself.

Enough of that. It was my birthday and we were booked into a quite exceptional little hotel a few miles down the road at Pont Odemeyer.

Chartres (Centre-Val de Loire), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

I don’t know why but we have often passed Chartres on our way through France and not once thought to visit the place. We stopped this time only because the municipal campsite is close to the town centre and on a direct line to our next destination on the English Channel. We’re pleased we did. Chartres is a charming historical city with a majestic medieval cathedral and a very pretty old town down by the River Eure. Add to this that the city operates an absolutely stunning light show every evening (Chartres en Lumiere) and you will understand why we’ll be coming back.

Considering the trials and tribulations the city has endured over the years (I’ll talk a little about that), it’s medieval centre and especially it’s cathedral are incredibly well preserved and a joy to wander.

I followed the banks of the River Eure into the city; the route taking me along narrow cobbled streets and past colourful half timbered houses, medieval wash houses, olde worlde water mills and numerous picturesque humpbacked bridges. It was picture postcard views all the way.

After exploring much of what I shall call ‘downtown’ Chartres, I decided to visit three of the more prominent churches in the city: Eglise Saint Pierre, the Parish Church of Saint Aignan and, of course, the Cathedral Notre Dame de Chartres. It was time to go uptown.

Few if any people would want to follow the route I took to the upper part of the city. Tortuous is an understatement. I couldn’t help it. My excitement with the city was increasing with every step; so much so that I wanted to press on and see more but; every time I glanced back I would see something I had missed and would have to retrace my steps or, all too often, be drawn in yet another direction. It was almost intoxicating.

It took a while but, eventually I managed to collect myself and head straight for the Eglise Saint Pierre without constantly looking back! Chartres is a compact little city and this more direct approach soon saw me reach the church by a route which took me past the Maison du Saumon on Rue de la Poissonerie (now a tourist information office) and the Marche aux Legumes on the Place Billard (where farmer’s markets are held every Wednesday and Saturday). I paused briefly at the tourist information office to obtain details as to the evening’s light and sound show and picked out a restaurant on Place Billard where we could have dinner that evening but, otherwise, I kept moving

The Eglise Saint Pierre (formerly the 7th century Saint Pere en Vallee Abbey and part of a Benedictine monastery) obviously lives in the shadow of the city’s cathedral. Unlike the cathedral, it is in serious need of renovation both inside and out. It started to deteriorate during the French Revolution when the abbey cloister was removed and the monastery’s outbuildings were converted into a cavalry barracks; with the church itself being emptied and used as a saltpetre factory. Steps were subsequently taken to restore the church but time and lack of real investment has taken a heavy toll and it is sad to see a building, once so venerated, in such disrepair.

Little effort seems to have been made to restore the church to it’s former glory and I didn’t take many photos of the outside of the church because, frankly, it looks rather shabby. This was one of those rare occasions when I would have dearly liked to see a church covered in scaffolding (as part of a restoration process).

My final thoughts as I took a last look at the outside of St Pierre’s were that (i) I would have to look inside the building for any remaining majesty the church may have and (ii) the exterior of the church may look better at night when lit up as part of the ‘Chartres en Lumiere’ spectacle. I was to be delighted on both counts. The inside of the church does look equally tatty, with parts of the stonework falling away, but I left the building feeling that whatever it lacks in resplendent majesty is more than compensated for by a dignified simplicity. Oh to see it properly restored…

Less than 5 minutes walk from Eglise Saint Pierre is the Parish Church of Saint Aignan. This was to be my next stop.

This 16th century structure, built on the site of much earlier churches (one of which was standing in 400AD), also lives in the shadow of the cathedral. It is considerably smaller than both the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Chartres and the Eglise Saint Pierre and, whilst not as neglected as the Saint Pierre, it is rather tired. No matter; with it’s painted wooden interior, faded frescos, 16th century stained glass windows (one of which had to be repaired after being hit by an artillery shell during France’s religious wars) and many interesting corners and artefacts, Saint Aignan has real character and is one of the most spiritual and impressive churches I have ever entered. I adore it and when taking photos I sought to capture some of it’s more intriguing aspects.

Clearly, Saint Aignan has experienced it’s fair share of history and no more so than during the French Revolution when a wave of desecrations took place in Chartres. Amongst others, the churches of St Michael, St Hilaire, St Saturnin and St Martin le Viandier were all totally destroyed. Some others, such as the churches of St Andre and Ste Foy, were left mostly in ruins; while others still, including St Aignan, were deconsecrated and their relics desecrated. Saint Aignan was used as a warehouse and then, towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars (in 1814), as a jail to hold Prussian, Russian and Austrian prisoners of war. Finally, it served as a fodder granary until in 1822 it was returned to the city upon condition it be restored as a Catholic church. I’ll say it again, I adore the place. I’ve never been in a church with so much character and atmosphere.

From the Parish Church of Saint Aignan I made my way to the most famous of Chartres’ religious buildings, the UNESCO listed Cathedrale Notre Dame de Chartres. Built between 1190 and 1220 it is a grander version of at least five earlier cathedrals that once stood on this site. It is one of very few cathedrals around the world which remains largely intact from the day it was built. Indeed, most of the stained glass windows date back to when the cathedral was built.

Famed for it’s sheer size and magnificent Gothic architecture, the quality and quantity of it’s sculptures, it’s magnificent blue stained glass windows and a remarkable collection of relics, this most spectacular cathedral was classified as an ‘Outstanding Monument’ at the same time as Mont St Michel, Vezelay Abbey and the Chateau of Versailles. That’s good company to be in.

As I arrived at the cathedral there was a service of sorts underway and so I started with a tour around the outside of the building; admiring the two lofty spires at the front of the building (one in the Gothic style and the other Romanesque) and numerous intricately carved flying buttresses at the rear. Most impressive however are the Cathedral’s three portals which are rich in ornate sculptures featuring old testament prophets, relief scenes of Christ’s life, the apostles and various martyrs, etc. The detail on and around the different entrances is incredible.

As I entered the Cathedral I realised it wasn’t a regular religious service underway but a choir performing some rousing ‘a capella’. To describe the music as exhilarating doesn’t do it justice; it was glorious. The choir was very good but it was bad timing on my part (the performance was being filmed for for television and neither the choir nor the tv producers would want me wandering the church during the performance). I didn’t have the time to sit and enjoy the show and so I restricted myself to simply walking those parts of the church where I wouldn’t prove a distraction. I didn’t get to see anything of the altar and not very much of the cathedral’s abundant stained glass collection. I missed out too on the Sancta Camisa (which is part of the silk tunic which the Virgin Mary supposedly wore when giving birth to Jesus and which is, arguably, the most historic of all the cathedral’s relics). I did however have the ambulatory almost to myself and was able to spend a fair time admiring the splendid stone screen (the rood) which surrounds much of the chancel. It is a stunning mix of statues which had not long been cleaned and so looked brand new.

What sets this cathedral apart from most others in France is how well preserved it is, even after all the deprecations caused during the French Revolution. The contents were plundered early in the revolution and the Sancta Camisa was shredded by the mob (only two small rectangles of silk remain) but, despite the new government ordering that the cathedral be demolished, it survived after a local architect cautioned that the resulting huge pile of rubble would block all of the roads in the city centre for years to come.

The cathedral again escaped destruction in 1944 (during the Second World War) when it was thought by approaching US forces that a mix of German soldiers (artillery range finders and snipers) had esconced themselves in the cathedral spires. A decision was made to reduce the cathedral to rubble but before the bombardment could begin a US Army Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith Jr, who understood the historical significance of the church, offered to enter the cathedral and check the situation for himself. Finding no Germans, he was able to report that the building was empty and the order to destroy the cathedral was rescinded. The cathedral was saved but tragically, the colonel was killed in action later that same day in a village just two miles north of Chartres.

On my back to the Van, I popped in on another impressive and historically significant building which is just behind the cathedral. It is the former Episcopal Palace, largely rebuilt during the 17th and 18th centuries but which hosted the coronation of Henri IV of France (Henri de Navarre) in 1594. It is now a museum (the Musee des Beaux-Arts) and it was holding an exhibition of work by Gerard Rancinan and Caroline Gaudriault; the main feature of which was a monumental photograph called La Deluge (the Flood). It is an impressive piece of work but, for my part, I think the artist has taken one of my favourite paintings, Gericault’s ‘Raft of the Medusa’, as his inspiration.

I returned to Chartres later that evening with Vanya (and our two dogs) and showed her those parts of the town which I believed would most interest her but; we were there primarily to see the light and sound show (Chartres en Lumieres). There was no rush; the show couldn’t begin until dusk at the earliest and we therefore had plenty of time to see the sights and enjoy a bottle of wine at the bar I had earmarked earlier on Place Billard.

We were at the front entrance to the cathedral at 10.45pm, just as Chartres en Lumiere was starting. Earlier, the tourist information office had issued me with a city map and brochure which identifies start and finish times (they vary according to the season) and lists the 21 buildings which are lit up. You can then plan for yourself which elements you want to see (and when) but, it is recommended you be at the front of the cathedral for the start of the event. We intended to do that and then follow the display down through the old town by the River Eure before finishing at L’Eglise Saint Pierre. That would carry us through to well after midnight.

The show was stunning. I took a few photographs which could never do the display justice but, if I’m honest, I wasn’t interested in taking photos. I simply wanted to enjoy the spectacle. The lights and accompanying music showcased the cathedral so perfectly, I was almost spellbound. Vanya, more wisely, took video; some of which I will no doubt include in my video of this tour when I get round to doing it.

*Just one of the small bridges over L’Eure*

We headed back to the Van not long after midnight but the light show was set to continue until about 1am.

Our stay in Chartres was all too short but we had to move on to Normandy. Amongst other things, we needed to get the dogs to our vet in Fecamp for the medical check that would allow them to be readmitted to the UK (and our return ferry was scheduled for early the following week). Before then, we also wanted to return to Yport for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants (Le Nautique) and; in addition to that, Vanya had booked us into a boutique hotel in Pont Audemeyer where we were to celebrate my birthday. Honestly, these tours can on occasion be quite stressful… Lol.

We’ll definitely return to Chartres and, all things being equal, we would stay longer. It’s a beautiful city and I know we didn’t take full advantage of the place. Two things we missed out on are the local cheese (Dreux a la Feuille) and the astonishing Maison Picassiette (built by a certain Raymond Isidore). I’ll not go into detail now. This blog is already long enough but, they’ll be our starting points next time we are in Chartres. Instead, I’ll simply finish with a couple of photos (not mine) so as to provide a taster.

Loches (Centre-Val de Loire), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

Loches is one of the more picturesque towns in what was once the province of Touraine. You’ll still hear mention of Touraine but the province (along with all the other 33 provinces) was abolished during the French Revolution and incorporated into a series of ‘departments’. Loches is now one of the more picturesque towns in the Indre et Loire Department of the Centre-Val de Loire Region. Doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?

It is a small town of some 7,000 people on the banks of the River Indre just 25 miles south east of Tours and, in addition to being wholly captivating, it is steeped in history. We decided to stay in the town for two days to properly explore the place and to watch England’s last group stage game of the football (European Championships) against Slovenia. It proved to be one of the more enjoyable stopovers of this tour (but not because of the football although England did make it through to the next round and will play Slovakia next).

Loches is split into two parts; the old medieval town which sits at the top of a natural rocky spur and is full of sloping cobbled streets and imposing buildings and monuments and the modern more fashionable and dynamic lower part of the town with it’s wide open spaces.

I chose to visit the upper town first and made my way from our campsite (La Citadelle) across the Indre and up into the old town via the aptly named Rue Chateau (given that there’s a castle at the top). On the way I paused at the 16th century Maison du Centaure. This Renaissance style building was originally a private residence (named after a relief on it’s facade of Hercules killing the centaur Nesses) but it is now used to house public exhibitions. There’s a permanent exhibition recounting the story of Loches and, while I was visiting, a temporary exhibition (Loches en 1944) to mark the 80th anniversary of France’s liberation during WWII. I wasn’t very impressed with the latter production which, unless I missed something, failed to make any mention of a shocking event concerning George Dubosq who headed the French Resistance in this area at the time. I’ll not go into detail here but, he was a very unsavoury character who was eventually executed by the French government on 14 May 1946. Bit of an oversight not to mention him, don’t you think?

Reproduced below is a photo of the relief after which the Maison du Centaur is named. Nesses had been caught trying to abduct Hercules’ wife, Deianira, and Hercules had hit him with a poisoned arrow. In case you have forgotten your Greek mythology, the centaur died fom the poison but before expiring he convinced Deianira that his blood had magical properties and would serve as a potion to ensure her husband’s future fidelity. In fact, the blood was poisoned by the very venom which Hercules had tipped his arrow with. Later, when Deianira began to have doubts about her husband’s faithfulness and sought to win him back, she bought him a magnificent shirt which she sprinkled with the potion. Hercules gratefully donned the shirt… and the poison took effect. It began to boil him alive. Hercules could not endure the pain and killed himself. A distraught Deianira subsequently hung herself. Greek tragedies, eh?

It took no time to walk from the Maison du Centaure up into the old town and my first port of call, the Collegiate Church of Saint Ursus (Saint Ours in French). This 12th century church dominates the town. All the principal buildings across Loches’ old town are built of the beautiful tufa/tuffeau rock I described in my earlier post on Turquant (Tour 9) and this white rock especially when topped with grey tiles is simply stunning. Equally striking, inside Saint Ursus, is the intricately carved alabaster and marble tomb of Agnes Sorel, a young lady who was a mistress to the French King Charles VII and who, during her all too brief lifetime (she died at just 28 years of age), used her position with such great effect to shape the political and social landscape of France.

*Collegiate Church of Saint Ursus of Loches*

Agnes Sorel joined the Court at just 20 years of age and her outstanding beauty immediately caught the eye of Charles VII. He was captivated by her ; so much so that at age 22 she was declared ‘maitresse en titre’ (the First of the King’s Mistresses). Charles was besotted with her, even going so far as to declare that he would leave his pregnant wife for this new mistress. He showered her with gifts (including the Chateau and Royal Residence at Loches) and; he was all too easily influenced by her, which aggravated many in the court (particularly the Dauphin, Charles’ son, who would became King Louis XI).

Agnes Sorel further provoked the court by introducing fashion trends which, for the time, were quite outrageous. Starting with low necklines and transparent fabrics, she graduated to going bare breasted (a style which others in the court were encouraged to follow). Worse still she wore diamonds in public which was a privilege afforded only to the king in those days.

There are various views as to how Agnes Sorel came to die at such a young age. Initially it was thought she died in childbirth but with increasing frequency it is being suggested she died from poisoning by the Dauphin who had grown to despise her.

*The Great Hall* *in the Royal Residence*

For all it’s size and grandeur (it has been described as an architectural jewel), the Royal Residence in the Chateau complex at Loches has very few rooms but, it has a high place in the history of France. It was the preferred residence of Charles Valois even before he was crowned Charles VII of France and it was in the Great Hall in the Royal Residence of Chateau Loches that Joan of Arc, after raising the siege of Orleans, urged the then Dauphin Charles to enter Reims to be crowned King Charles VII. It would be a long time after this before the 100 Years War was concluded but for many this was the beginning of the end of England’s rule in what is now France. For my part, it felt special (extraordinary even) standing in the Great Hall where Joan of Arc once stood and caused such a celebrated event.

From the Royal Logis I made my way to the most imposing of the buildings in the complex, the 11th century castle keep or donjon, which during the 12th century was occupied and strengthened by Henry II and and his son Richard I (the Lionheart). Later, during the 100 Years War, the donjon and a ‘New Tower’, were converted into a state prison. Indeed, this prison held nobles and senior members of the clergy from late in the 15th century until the 18th century when it was ransacked and partially destroyed during the French Revolution.

I spent hours wandering this part of the castle complex. A touchscreen histopad was provided with the entrance ticket and with the histopad I could visualise each room, cell, underground passage and dungeon as it may have looked when being used as a prison. This was brilliant because it proved as close an experience of being immersed in history as you can get.

It is a lengthy list of nobles who were held in the prison with, perhaps, the most famous being Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan who died in Loches in 1508. How he died and where he is buried remains unclear but it is thought he was allowed to starve once his usefulness had lapsed and the search for his body in the castle grounds continues to this day.

From the Castle Keep I made my way back through the beautiful cobbled streets of the Medieval quarter to the new part of the town, passing the Lansyer Museum on the way. I didn’t have time to visit the museum which was once home to the 19th century landscape artist Emmanuel Lansyer but, upon his death in 1893, he bequethed the family home, his art collection and thousands of personal objects to the city of Loches and the home itself was later turned into a museum.

In the new part of the town where I hoped to find a restaurant-bar which would be showing the England v Slovenia football match that evening, I passed the Tour Saint Antoine and the Saint Antoine Church. Neither were open to visitors but that allowed me time for a beer or two and, on the corner of Mazerolles Square, I found the perfect place to both enjoy a beer and watch the football later in the day. Bless her, the proprietor agreed to reserve a table for me in front of the widescreen television.

The football match was a disaster. Slovenia are currently ranked 57th best team in the world by FIFA but once again, England failed to deliver with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Although England have made it through to the first play-off round (the Round of 16) and will meet Slovakia next, they continue to play very poorly.

Notwithstanding the above, we had a pleasant evening in the bar where I had reserved a table. The food (a shared platter) was good and the wine (a bottle of Cremant de Loire for Vanya and a bottle of Chinon Red for me) was excellent and everything was very reasonably priced. Oh, and we got to see Loches at night – and very pretty it is too.

*A shared platter and some very fine local wine.*

Of course, it didn’t end there. Yours truly left his hat at the restaurant and had to return the next day to retrieve it. It worked out very well because the farmer’s market was in full swing as I arrived back in town and the Loches market is considered one of the best in the area with it’s focus being towards a wide range of farm products from all across the old province of Touraine. The produce of bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, fishmongers, florists, market gardeners and, naturally, wine producers were all in evidence. The real discovery for me during this tour however, has been the Chinon red wines and the market provided yet another opportunity to acquire a couple more bottles.

There’s no doubt we’ll be back to this area and not just for the wine. During this visit we didn’t get to see the nearby town of Beaulieu les Loches (with it’s abbey ruins and church of Saint Laurent) nor the famous flower village of Chedigny (with it’s Michelin Guide restaurant of Clos aux Roses). Next time.

Excideuil (Nouvelle Aquitaine), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

A fair drive saw us move from Fanjeaux in the Region of Occitanie to Saint Jory de Chalais in Nouvelle Aquitaine. We went by way of Excideuil. That’s Excideuil near Perigeuex in the Dordogne, not the one in Charente.

Excideuil is a pretty little market town which grew up around a 10th century monastery by the River Loue. There’s little, if anything, remaining of this monastery (the Abbey of Saint Medard) except, the town’s principal church (L’Eglise Saint Thomas) was constructed on the same site and it is likely some aspects of the earlier religious buildings were incorporated into the new church.

Saint Thomas sits on the market square together with a number of other historical buildings, including the Commanderie des Templiers, the adjoining Commanderie de Sant Antonin and a small covered market area which the local farmer’s make use of every Thursday morning. The doors to the church were open and choral music was being piped around the church. The atmosphere inside was quite special – serene.

Nowadays, Excieuil is a small market town of just 1,100 inhabitants but it experienced a period of great prosperity during the late 15th century after King Louis XI exempted it from paying taxes (in recognition of the many times the town was sacked by invading armies during various wars). This favour by the French king, coupled with a burgeoning mining industry, saw the town’s population and wealth increase exponentially.

Now it is an altogether quieter place.

In it’s time Excideuil has witnessed much history and been tested more than most. Leaving aside the town’s Templar connection, there’s a 12th century castle (the Chateau d’Excideuil) on a rise at the edge of the town which has been involved in numerous battles and sieges over the years, particularly during the conflict between Richard the Lionheart and Philip II of France (twice the castle had to fight off sieges by Richard although it fell at his third attempt) and again during the 100 years war when the English twice seized the castle from the French. The castle is now owned by the Naudet family who restored it after 300 years of neglect. I wasn’t able to gain entrance to the castle but I understand that part of it is open to the public notwithstanding that it is privately owned.

Fanjeaux (Occitanie), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

This was my second visit to Fanjeaux and Vanya’s first although she didn’t get to see much of this pretty little town. We were in Fanjeaux (just outside at Les Brugues to be precise, parked up on a farm) to catch up with some longstanding friends, Chris & Tessa.

I cooked my Spanish Chicken in the Remoska and we sat by a small carp lake in the warm sunshine eating, drinking and chatting for the best part of 3 hours. We’re five weeks into this tour now and I’m really starting to chill. Sad that we have to head back to the UK.

There was a small art exhibition on the campsite and I reproduce below a couple of photos of exhibits around the lake. Below those are two photos from my previous trip to Fanjeaux (during Tour 2) when the weather was altogether nicer and the sunflowers were in full bloom. No matter we really enjoyed catching up with Chris and Tessa. ‘Til the next time!

The plan now is to make our way north to the English Channel but there’s no rush (France has this effect on me). We’ll overnight at Saint Jory de Chalais and take a look at the pretty market town of Excideuil on the way.

Bazas (Nouvelle Aquitaine), France June 2024 (Tour 9)

Worsening weather (I cannot recall France ever being so wet) forced us further south to the small town of Bazas, some 60 kilometres south east of Bordeaux, in the Gironde Department of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The weather forecast was more promising and we decided to stay in Bazas for a couple of days and then move on to Spain. The campsite we chose, Capfun, has a rather impressive Water Park and; it was almost totally empty of people (this being a weekend out of season). We had to give the Water Park a go before moving on but, more of that later.

Bazas and the surrounding area is famous for it’s white wines and Bazadais Cattle (well, the resulting cooked beef anyway). In addition, the town was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1998 because of it’s Cathedral and it’s association with the Saint-Jacques Compostelle pilgrimage route. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the local white wine although being so close to Bordeaux I am inclined more towards red wines. I’ll not comment as to the Bazadais Cattle except to say that I saw plenty of them during our drive south but not yet had any opportunity to taste the beef. I did, however, get into Bazas and the Cathedral is beautiful.

Axtually, I made a couple of trips into the town; an exploratory trip on my own shortly after we arrived and a second with Vanya and the dogs on the following day which also happened to be market day (and our wedding anniversary). The exploratory trip was on foot by a back route from the campsite across the fields. Nala couldn’t follow that route with her wheels and Vanya wouldn’t want to but it suited me that first day because within 15 muddy minutes of leaving Capfun I arrived in the town’s main square, the Place de la Cathedrale.

In Bazas, most things worth seeing are to be found on or near the fair sized arcaded Place de la Cathedrale and that includes the very majestic Saint John the Baptist Cathedral, the Hotel de Ville (this latter building having a most excellent entrance) and a range of 16th, 17th and 18th century mansions.

*Private mansions from the 16th, 17th & 18th centuries*

*The impressive entrance to the Town Hall*…

*Nala in protective mode (light artillery?)*

The ‘Belles Vendanges’ (or, in English, the Beautiful Harvest) is a work by the Parisien sculptor Lucien Pallez. Most of his known works seem to have been created between the 1870’s and the 1890’s but many have disappeared. All I know about this particular work is that it was donated to the town in 1911.

The most striking building in the square is the Cathedrale of Saint Jean Baptiste. Construction of this majestic building was started during the 13th century and it was sufficiently complete in time for Pope Urban II to urge the First Christian Crusade to the Holy Land from there. The structure was improved over the following years with the current finished product dating back to 1635. It is as good an example of Gothic architecture as I have seen.

Unusually, the town’s war memorial to it’s fallen in WWI is inside the cathedral. This monument stopped me in my tracks. To see so many killed from such a small town and, perhaps more tragic still, to see so many with the same family name – eight men with the surname ‘St Marc’ are listed on this memorial. Think too of the others who were physically and/or mentally wounded but get no mention. I’ll not describe their sacrifice as a waste because a great many of those killed or injured, died doing what they felt was right at the time and I would never demean their actions but, I will say that it was unforgiveable they should have been called upon to make such a sacrifice. Sorry. Rant over. Moving on…

I drove Vanya and the dogs into Bazas fairly early on the Saturday morning to ensure we could get the Van parked up before the crowds arrived. It is never easy finding a parking spot on market days. Farmer’s Markets in France are almost an institution and invariably well attended. Bazas does not have a huge market (how large does it need to be to serve a town of less than 5,000 people) but it has the most incredible fish stall we have ever seen – such a selection of fresh fish! I’ll let some of my photos do the talking…

*I used a filter here and I like the result*

Unbelievable! We had a great morning sitting in the Place de la Cathedrale watching the world go by over coffee and pastries and listening to a fairly accomplished busker – he had a great voice. We must have walked the market two or three times and, towards the end of the morning, bought some fish, fruit, cheese and wine for supper that evening. Probably the quietest start to a wedding anniversary we have ever had but it must rank among the most pleasant and memorable and the shellfish we ate that evening was outstanding.

I mentioned that the campsite had it’s own Water Park. We did try it out. Well, I went into one of the pools while Vanya went in up to her ankles but not all of the slides were working. No surprise there because we were the only people on the admittedly quiet site (we are out of season) interested in using the facilities. If only it had been warmer.

Oh, and we missed out on the Bardelaise Cattle and Steak au Poivre. Next time.

A last two pictures of Bazas. We’re off to Spain.

Saint Jean de Cole (Nouvelle Aquitaine), France May 2024

Vanya wanted to stay at Camping Le Lieu a second night despite it raining so heavily that the Van required towing out of the quagmire which our pitch had become. No problem, the extra day would allow us to visit a nearby ‘plus beau village de France’ and, in any event we wanted to check out the hardware store in Thiviers (in the hope we could buy a spare buckle/clip for Nala’s wheels – the existing clip is set to split) but; henceforth, I’ll be parking the Van with at least one front wheel on hardcore (at least until we find the hot weather).

We arrived at Saint Jean de Cole in time for a light lunch. There’s a pleasant cafe-bar in the village centre on the Place de Saint Jean and the weather held fine while we enjoyed a roasted cheese, bacon and honey lunch, all washed down with a local red wine. Well, I drank a red wine.

Saint Jean de Cole proved a delight and is fully deserving of it’s plus beau village status. We stayed long enough to walk most of the village (we missed out on just the riverbank walk to the old railway station) and it didn’t rain!

It’s a very pretty and well preserved medieval village with most of the buildings having been made of a washed ochre coloured stone and a great many are half timbered.

The two most prominent buildings in the village are both on the Place Saint Jean. These are the 12th century Chateau de la Marthonie, razed to the ground during the 100 years war but rebuilt (it is open to visitors in the high season) and; most unusual for this part of Europe, a round shaped church (the Eglise Saint Jean Baptiste) which was also built in the late 12th century although the square tower was a 17th century addition. The church, which was closed during our visit, was originally crowned by a dome but the dome kept collapsing and was replaced during the 19th century by a tiled roof. The chateau and the church are both classified historical monuments.

Another 12th century feature of the village is the pretty stone bridge over the River Cole. On the far side of that bridge is a path which follows the route of the old railway line to the villages disused train station. Unless you have the good fortune to visit Saint Jean on the one day of the year that the priory is open to the public, this path also provides the best view of the village’s 15th century priory together with it’s original cloisters (which adjoins the Chateau). We had to make do with that view.

Without a doubt, Saint Jean de Cole is a charming little village and well worth visiting (I don’t think I mentioned that it has just 300 inhabitants?) and it has a highly recommended and charming restaurant, Les Temps des Mets, which we missed out on this time but will visit during our next visit to the Dordogne.

Oh, and Thiviers, the self proclaimed capital of foix gras just 12 kilometres to the west? We soon found our hardware store but they couldn’t supply the clip we required. We found one later at a Deichmann store in Perigueux.

Saint Jory de Chalais (Nouvelle Aquitaine), France May 2024 (Tour 9)

I cannot tell you much about the village of Saint Jory de Chalais in the Dordogne Department of Nouvelle Aquitaine. It is tiny and the River Cole flows through it and it is kept very, very tidy by it’s 600+ inhabitants but; that’s about it, except for the fact it is on our route to Perigueux (south of which is, supposedly, better weather) and it has a campsite that Vanya wanted us to overnight at.

Camping Le Lieu is a small campsite at the edge of Saint Jory de Chalais which until recently was known as Camping Maisonneuve. The campsite is run now by a most welcoming and friendly couple (Charline and Julien) and if the village doesn’t have enough about it to warrant a longer stay, the campsite does. We stayed two nights despite the continuing poor weather simply because we were made to feel so welcome.

There’s a barn adjoining the owner’s residence which has been transformed into a very sociable cafe/bar where most if not all of those staying at the site congregated in the evenings together with a few villagers. Food is currently limited to snacks and pizzas but the pizzas were fresh and tasty and the bar had no fixed closing time; which is always a plus when the company is good and the local red wine so pleasant.

The campsite has a swimming pool and a fishing lake but with the weather deteriorating so markedly, they were of no particular interest to us. On a warm, sunny day it would be different.

And the village of Saint Jory de Chalais…

As has been mentioned, there is not a great deal to the village. There is a shop and an inn, the Auberge St George’s, but both seemed to operate very limited opening hours. Had we been staying longer, we’d have made enquiries in that regard but; this is the Dordogne and there are plenty of other busier towns and villages in the area to visit, if that is what you want. We needed to visit a hardware store in Thiviers and Charline had recommended we visit the nearby ‘plus beau village de France’ of Saint Jean de Cole. There was all the reason we needed to stay on the second night.

Richelieu (Centre-Val de Loire), France May 2024 (Tour 9)

It was time to leave Montsoreau. We’d spent considerably longer there than intended and had a wonderful time but, the weather was not improving and we were craving sunshine. England’s weather during the last six months has been awful. From what the locals are saying, it has not been any better across France and; a number of people we have spoken to in France have real concerns about this year’s wine crop – there’s been far too much rain and not enough sunshine.

We made the decision to drive south towards better weather and to this end reserved a spot for a couple of nights at ‘Le Lieu’ Campsite in the village of Saint Jory de Chalais in the Dordogne Department of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The journey would take us through Richelieu (previously the home of Cardinal Richelieu and a place which had been recommended to us as somewhere to visit by an English couple we met in Montsoreau) and then on through the towns of Chatellerault and Chauvigny. Chauvigny we know quite well already having stopped there during Tour 4. We also made a decision to carry on south, to Spain if necessary, in the event the weather in St Jory wasn’t much improved.

So we paused at Richelieu. One of the advantages of travelling around France in the close season is that it is usually very easy to find parking (especially using the Park4Night App). On this occasion we were directed to the Place du Cardinal at the entrance to both the town and the municipal park. There couldn’t be a more ideal parking place in the town.

*Porte de Chatellerault (one of three original town gates)*

The small town takes it’s name from it’s founder Cardinal Richelieu who, after King Louis XIII, was the most powerful person in France. It was formed to serve the magnificent palace the Cardinal had commissioned for himself in 1625 and which later became the inspiration for Louis XIV’s Palace de Versailles. Sadly the Cardinal’s palace, which stood in the area that now forms the municipal park, was ransacked and seriously damaged during the French Revolution; so much so, it had to be pulled down.

The original town was developed to the south of the palace grounds within a walled and moated area measuring just 700 x 500 metres and; every house was built according to the Cardinal’s specification and by builders selected by the Cardinal. Unusual for the time, the town was laid out in a symmetrical grid style. It doesn’t take long to walk the town. The municipal park, on the other hand, can take quite a while to walk.

The main church on the Place du Marche, Eglise Notre Dame de Richelieu, is now the most prominent building in and around Richelieu and it is in much the same condition as when it was first built (as is much of the rest of this quite meticulously designed town, including the large wooden market hall on the same square). It is an interesting “classical” church designed by the renowned Jacques Lemercier.

After checking out the church, walking the length of the town’s Grand Rue and returning to the Van via the Avenue Quebec (so as to see the outside of the old walled town) we had seen just about everything worth seeing in Richelieu. We strolled the municipal park for a while and would have stayed longer in the park except that it started raining (again). We didn’t feel the need to visit the small palace, just outside the town, which the Cardinal had built for his mistress.

*A tree lined avenue in what were the palace grounds*

Final thoughts on Richelieu. It was an okay spot to break our journey south but, I don’t think it is worth going out of the way for. It would have been a totally different matter if the Cardinal’s Palace had survived the French Revoution but c’est la vie.

Montsoreau Olympic Flame (Pays de La Loire), France May 2024 (Tour 9)

We were up early today to witness the Olympic Flame being run through Montsoreau on it’s way to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The owner of Camping L’Isle Verte had provided his regular guests (and us) with Montsoreau T-shirts & caps that we could participate in a one off Flash mob as part of the village celebrations. Sadly, I was out on a walkabouts (wholly unaware of what he intended) and so missed the event but he insisted we keep the ‘outfits’ anyway and so it was that we set off to watch the arrival of the flame and enjoy the party atmosphere bedecked in the local colours.

*Some of the flash-mob, including Vanya and Beanie on the left, setting off*

The village was packed. Locals from all the surrounding villages seemed to want to celebrate the event; the local schools had announced a day off and; complete families lined the south bank of the Loire (because the flame would arrive by boat) and both sides of the Quai Alexandre Dumas (along which the flame would be run to the chateau to be blessed by the Maire). It looked for a while as though we would not be able to see very much of the proceedings but a very considerate gendarme, seeing Nala in her wheels, ushered us to a VIP spot where we would see everything. Bless him. We had the best possible view of the flame arriving by boat and of it being run from where the boat docked on the quay to the chateau. Vanya took some amazing video footage which I will try and include in the Tour 9 Video. For now, you will have to be make do with a couple of my stills.

*… and there’s the flame arriving by boat…*

*… and there, escorted by two rows of athletes, is our first sight of the Olympic Flame*…

*… and the athletes stepped back to allow a better view…*

*… which we saw repeated on tv in a local bar later in the day.*

Montsoreau and Camping L’Isle Verte proved a real find but to be there when the Olympic Flame was being run through the village was particularly special. The local people were amazing and many went out of their way to make us feel welcome, not just during the celebrations but at all times throughout our stay. We’ll definitely be back. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with a few more of our memories…

*The wonderful creperie with the best ever Galettes…*

Enough already! We have to move on.