Avallon & Vezelay - 19 & 20 July

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Avallon is a small, touristy town situated on a picturesque hilltop. South of the Eglise St Pierre is one of the city's ancient gateways - the Petit Pont. From there a pathway descends to the beautiful Vallée du Couson. The rustic Hotel du Rocher, where I stayed, was situated in this valley zhich was wonderful for the views except for the task of carrying an increasingly heavy packpack back up the slopes. From my shuttered windows I could look out at views of the valley.

In one of the small parks a group of men were enthusiastically playing Boules. This is a game a bit like bowls except its played with much smaller metal balls zhich are thrown high so that they hit the ground then roll the rest of the way to their destination. The men use a big magnet suspended on a string so that they don't even have to bend to pick up their ball.

In a small cafe I noticed the high profile of pets, especially doggys, which are allowed in restaurants and are treated like small people. A couple sitting at a table next to me had a little dog tied up under their chairs. He was equipped with his own plastic water bowl under the table and was allowed to jump onto his owners' laps whenever he wanted. When they left the waterbowl was left ontop of the table, so I thought they must have forgotten it. However when the waitress came to clear the table, she nonchalantly collected the bowl as well, presumably to wash it up with the rest of the other dishes....

In the same place a gorgeous little tan and white papillon was sitting quietly on a high stool at the bar patiently waiting for his master to finish reading the paper. The stool was too high for him, to jump down so he was stranded - sometimes he patted his owner on the arm to get his attention.


Vézeley is a tiny village about 15k from Avallon. It is perched on a rocky spur crowned by a medieval bascilica and surrounded by a patchwork of vineyards. There is a park behind the bascilica with views of the Vallée de Cure and nearby villages.

There is really only one main street which has galleries, wine cellars, small shops selling local crafts and cafes/restaurants.

In summer there is only one bus which leaves Avallon at 9.20 for Vézelay and retourns at 5.17pm. Vézelay could be seen in a couple of hours, so the schedule is a bit inconvenient as, unless you have a car or pay the taxi from the train station 10k out of the way, you have to spend the whole day there.

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