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Published: August 24th 2011
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Today we followed the River Loire until lunchtime, a delightful drive through a succession of little villages, with occasional chateaux, sometimes sharing the road with cyclists transporting fresh baguettes - perhaps for lunch. Around Saumur several villages were built against and into the limestone hillsides edging the river and often included caves. With grapes growing close by, the caves are used for storing wine and we also saw references to mushroom growing in the caves. One delightful feature of French towns and villages at this time of the year is the abundance of flowers in window boxes, hanging baskets, urns, in street garden beds and on roundabouts. Colours are mixed with French flair and the result is stunning. Roundabouts are often used to showcase aspects of the area or town in a very decorative and imaginative way. We really need to do something about the roundabouts in NZ!
A stop at Fontevraud L’Abbaye was a must for us, after having read about the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was a very “modern” woman back in the twelfth century. She spent the final years of her life at Fontevraud and is buried there, along with her husband Henry ll, son Richard
the Lionheart and also her daughter-in-law who was the wife of John Lackland, “bad King John” of England. Enough of the family tree!
Leaving the river, we headed south to Poitiers and the happy prospect of two nights of accommodation with a French friend who has a wealth of knowledge about this historic city and who will give us a chance to experience real French life. We arrived safely, settled in and then enjoyed a leisurely dinner of many delicious courses while we decided how we might spend this evening in Poitiers. Since it is summer and in Poitiers that means “Nuits Romanes” a night on the town was the decision.
As darkness came on we were driven into the heart of the city and in the warm evening air we strolled about looking at a selection of stunning historic churches and other buildings, just to get a taste of what is here. At 10.30pm we made our way to Notre Dame la Grande, a small church in spite of its name, where the facade was lit up with the most beautiful colours picking out all the intricate detail of the carving which covers this part of the building.
An appreciative crowd burst into applause as the lights stopped and the normal floodlit facade was visible again. The show was not over though. We saw people enter the church, and at 11pm a concert began. The music, the singing and the surroundings made this an extra special part of our night out. The concert over, the entertainment continued with a steel band playing out in the square and free refreshments for all. This is how a summer night should be!
Back home some time after midnight and ready for a good sleep, we know coming to Poitiers is a very good decision.
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