France 150 - Abbaye de Ourscamp/ the rising Meuse/ a closed aire at Stenay

---

Where in the world is Gabby the motorhome? Sitting outside the ruins of the Abbaye de Ourscamp in Picardy. Who would have thought that we would have made it? It seems an age away that the idea was mooted to spend Christmas in France. We had plenty of Tesco vouchers to pay for most of the Chunnel trip and had the time off work to make a holiday worthwhile . What we needed was the battery to work. It did not and the holiday was almost cancelled . First it was on . Then it was off. This went on for a few weeks before in the end the new fitter assured us that the battery would work . So with a leap of faith we set off and it has all gone well. The most the battery has gone down is 17% and this is soon put back with a half hour drive. We feel blessed to be sitting on a gravel car park eating our breakfast in such a lovely place.

So how did we get here? Our first plan was to stop at the charming canalside aire at Stenay. We had heard such good things about the aire . Clean , tidy and on the Meuse canal. A pretty village and port de plaisance . Just our sort of place. When we arrived the aire was empty. The machine which should have let us in was covered unceremoniously with a black plastic bin bag. The port was empty but sadly we were not welcome there . The recent rain had made everything too soggy to use . Second choice a Camping CAr aire just a few villages away. This one would cost us 7 euros , free water , free drainage and free Wifi. We drove on and chose a spot overlooking the river Meuse. We didnt feel right so moved to slightly higher ground. Even this felt soggy under foot . In the end we moved off the aire and stopped the night on the small gravel car park overlooking the childrens playground . Our only neighbours two teenagers who spent the evening on the childrens rides . We heard a couple of vans coming in and heard them leave in the early hours of the morning . Djalal ad din said that "Silence gives answers" and we got our answer in the clear light of day. The river had risen, burst its banks and had we stayed the plots were under water. Gabby would have need a quick lesson in swimming to extricate herself from the lake she would have found herself in.

The abbey is set amongst farms and a handful of houses. It makes for an interesting drive to find yourself on back lanes and tiny roads. A pleasure to just tootle again . We dont have to get from A to B quickly. This holiday is more about just wasting time. Fields are waterlogged. The villages are decorated for Christmas. Sometimes simple Christmas trees with bows made from glittering material. Others sprayed with silver or white. They feel less crass than at home. Some houses have Christmas trees - sapin in French outside their doors. Christmas is a little more subtle here.

The Tourist Information Office seemed overly large for the area. We walked through the tiny boutique and paid 3 euros each to look around the abbey ruins. As this was our first abbey of the trip it was going to be interesting to see what it had to offer and how it compared with other great abbeys in France. It was founded in 1129 by Simon de Vermandois who was the Bishop of nearby Noyon. It certainly looked impressive and would have been more so in its heyday. Its position in France was always precarious . On the borders of both Picardy and the Ile de France it was always vulnerable to wars and troubles. Throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries it was fought over and left in ruins. By the 17th century it was completely ruined . A shadow of its former self. What stood in front of us though was still pretty impressive .

We walked first through the newer part of the abbey looking back at some pretty impressive gates. These gates known as the Gate of Honour dated back to 1784. To our left we could see the remains of a newer block which had been devasted during the 1914 - 1918 conflict. The block to the right hand side had fared better and the Servants of Jesus and Mary revived the site . We saw one monk dressed in brown and a group of schoolchildren but apart from those we had the abbey to ourselves. Just as we like it. We walked slowly around the great courtyard and looked back on the de Lorraine wing destroyed completely. The monks lived in de Gesvres. Sadly the abbey was in such disrepair that it was completely fenced off . Signs warned us not to enter for fear of pierre . Pierre falling on our head was not something we would have enjoyed. Sadly we could not get up close and personal . The walls were covered with greenery. Nature was slowly taking over the abbaye. The abbaye had been 102 metres long, 18 metres high to the roof and once had a vaulted ceiling. It was 24 metres wide and could house 400 monks. There were the usual flying buttresses, ornate doorways, side chapels and rose window.

At the rear of the abbey we found what was once the abbey hospital. Constructed in 1240 it had much changed in use and style over time. All its original fittings had been robbed so its function was lost . It was a bland place with little character due to rebuilding in the 19th century. It was now a chapel with altar, some art and a Christmas crib.

We did enjoy the visit to the abbaye even if much had been destroyed . The plan for this holiday was to try to see different things . So far then we have ticked off the Vauban fort. the chateau /fort of Sedan and now the abbaye.

---