Day Ten - Looking for Troglodytes but Nothing is Open on Sunday

Probably Closed Judging by the Lack of Activity

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When we finally found the actual entrance we saw that the abbey was actually open but only for another half hour. We decided to forego the entrance fee and just take a glance around the place from the outside. But not before taking advantage of the giftshop and the toilets.

Fontrevaud-L'Abbaye

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The abbey dates from the early 12th Century. It was set up as both an abbey and a monastery with nuns and monks in separate communities.

More Background History

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The abbey had a number of wealthy benefactors as well as many abbesses that came from wealthy families. It was the practice during the Middle Ages that extra daughters that couldn't be married-off were sent to become nuns. Also the widows of defeated nobles often ended-up here.

A Cute Little Town

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After unsuccessfully trying to find a cash machine we took a little walk around the abbey village.

And of Course, the Bakery is Open

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Nothing was open in town but the locals could still pick up their daily loaf at the local Boulanger. How much bread can these people eat?

Another Interesting Vacation Home

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I took this photo mainly as a reminder for the website for the French vacation home rental website. We'd miss out on those nice breakfasts that way, but one could save beau coups bucks renting a house for a week or more.

A Look Back at the Abbey

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Just outside of town we found a scenic overlook that afforded us a nice view of the abbey and town.

More Impressive from a Distance

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Zooming in on the abbey I got a much better idea of why this was a UNESCO Heritage Site and why so many visitors come to take a look - in the summer. Since we were loving this part of France so much a return visit when things were open might be in order.

Highway to the Danger Zone

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Now that evening was approaching and we had squeezed in all the sights that I had pre-planned, it was time to find our hotel. Using the car's built in GPS we made our way toward Hotel le Canter in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent. Looking at the map now it looks like we could have just returned back toward the troglodyte area by following the Loire River. Instead the GPS took us through the middle of a huge French army training facility. Signs all along the road warned of live ammo being tossed around or buried in the woods. Originally this area was the training ground for French cavalry. Now it is the home base for the French tank corps. I suppose they need lots of privacy to practice running those tanks at high speed in reverse .

Into the Wine District

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I know nothing about wine and only enjoy the sugary sweet varieties, but apparently we would be staying smack dab in the middle of wine country. The local product is a famous sparkling wine similar to champagne. But don't you dare call it "Champagne"! That's a specific region of France and only their bubbly stuff can carry that title.

It Almost Seemed Endless

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We drove miles with nothing but these vineyards on either side of us. When we reached the outskirts of a town all the buildings had signs advertising the wines and even had personal vineyards in their backyards. They do love their wine and bread.

Château de Saumur

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On our way toward the hotel we passed more brown signs denoting a historic site. We drove uphill to see this big castle dating from around 1000 AD. It was in the hands of the Plantagenet Kings of England for many years. Later it was used as a prison during the French Revolution. It seems that every old castle or church we saw on this trip was a prison during that turbulent period of French history.

Another Place Deserving of a Return Visit

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The castle is not only famous for its long history but it is also home to museums dedicated to the decorative arts and toys as well as to the Museum of Horse and equestrian history.

Pretty Impressive for a Place I never Ever Heard About Before

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I don't even recall seeing this in my tour guides but upon casual examination it seems like a pretty impressive and interesting site. Methinks the Loire Valley alone has enough to see and do to warrant a week's vacation there.

It Must Have Been Open Today

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By the time we got here it was close to 5 pm on a Sunday evening. We saw what looked like tourists streaming out of the castle. If only I had known this might have proven much more interesting than that hard-to-find abbey.

Downtown Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent

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Our hotel here (Hotel le Canter) was by far the cheapest night of the trip. I shouldn't complain but you definitely get what you pay for. The town where it was located was rather drab and without any real shops or points of interest. The hotel was a bit Fawlty Towers-ish and had seen better days. But it was clean, warm and safe. In fact, we appeared to be the only folks there. There wasn't even a front desk person. We had been given a code that let us inside and on the front desk were our room keys.

Saumur Bridge

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According to Wikipedia shortly after the D-Day invasion American bombers and P-51s successfully attacked and destroyed this bridge thus cutting off German armored units who were rushing in to counter attack. Earlier, British air units succeeded in destroying a nearby railroad tunnel which might have been used to bring in more troops and supplies.

A Successful Search for Sustainence

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After hauling our bags up to our rooms, we hopped back in the car to seek dinner. We had seen lots of activity in downtown Saumur so we drove into town. One block of the city seemed to be where all the restaurants and bars were doing a great business. We couldn't find parking so we drove to the other side of the river to see what might be open over there. Nothing but a pizza parlor. Driving back to the Saumur side of the river we kept looking for a place but the few places that were open were packed. We still hadn't learned that dinner time in France starts at 7 pm. Restaurants didn't usually open until then. But we eventually did find this corner bistro with nearby parking available.

Playing Around with the Camera Again

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We walked into a ten table joint where only one table full of six customers sat. We were greeted with smiles and "Bon Jours" then the whole table got up and headed in different directions. Two were chefs who headed to the kitchen, one directed us to our table and another grabbed menus for us. The other two just disappeared. After placing our drink orders then our food choices we eagerly awaited some genuine French food.