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Abbaye Fontenay
Inside the abbey Another stunning day. The trouble is with every stunning day there are stunning temperatures. Looks like mid 30s again. Today’s drive will take us north through rolling countryside to the historic Abbaye Fontenay. This excursion is two years late but all good things happen to those who wait.
Our route takes us onto a plateau overlooking the flat land around Beaune. The vineyards have disappeared and in their place there is wheat for as far as you can see. Harvesting is in full swing. Tractors pulling one or two large trailers full of wheat slow the touring public. At one point Farmer Henri joins the convoy with a load of large rocks. Why would he want to harvest large rocks? We indicate to turn off hoping he’ll go straight ahead. No! He wants to turn off too. Generally the traffic is quiet and flows well. We arrive in Montbard in time to buy some lunch.
With our picnic lunch we drive the fifteen kilometres to Abbaye Fontenay. The setting is idyllic. The abbey is nestled in a river valley surrounded by forest. We find an ideal picnic spot in the carpark. The day is heating up and as luck
is on our side people are leaving and some nice shady spots become available. Looking at the number plates in the car park it is a real united nations.
The abbey was established in the 11th century and has been undergoing restoration as far back as the early 20th century. Today it looks magnificent. Ground staff have made an excellent job of the lawns and gardens. The interior of the abbey is quite bare except for a small area where the altar would have been. Here are the remaining original tiles that would have covered some of the abbey floor. The tour takes you through the main buildings where you get a brief glimpse of what it was like for the monks living there so many years ago. It is cool inside the buildings and a place of respite from the heat outside. What it must have been like in the winter with the spartan surroundings we can but imagine. The visit has lived up to expectations but time to drive back to Beaune.
Oh the joy of an air conditioned car. The outside temperature is recording 36 degrees. Great to have all this fine weather but unfortunately
it comes at a cost, the heat. We’re hard to please but then again it could be raining and cold and we would be complaining about that. We’re not complaining about the hot fine weather, it just slows us down. The drive back follows a different route through wonderful farming countryside.
Back in Beaune we visit Mr Picard’s frozen food supermarket. What an absolute delight. We could stock the freezer for a month or more. Today it is two individual dinners and two wicked chocolate lava domes. Once back at the apartment, after our cold beer and nibbles, we heat up our dinners. What a pleasure. They come out exactly as shown on the packaging. Two very tasty dishes. New Zealand producers of frozen food should come over and have a look. Perhaps we should set up an export/import company of frozen prepared dinners. Oh those lava domes! After a short time in the oven the spoon breaks through the light sponge casing and a torrent of dark chocolate flows from the interior. All that is missing is a scoop or two of Tip Top ice cream.
We go to bed contented, even if a little full. Tomorrow
Abbaye Fontenay
The dovecot and kennels will be a busy day. A wander in the countryside and an unexpected side trip.
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