France 50 - Chambery

---

We woke early to a dewy colder morning and ate breakfast. The mountains certainly made the mornings colder and it took longer in the day to warm up. We set off for the small town centre of Challes les Eaux where we planned to catch the bus into Chambery. We are getting used to using public transport now and find it quite useful to get from A to B. The bus arrived and we were very lucky as we only had to pay 1 euro each to travel on the bus. Apparently it was mobility week and the public transport company of Chambery wanted to take motorcars off the road and were encouraging residents to pay 1 euro for a weekly ticket to use the buses. This must have been the best value for bus travel we met all fortnight. The bus journey takes about 20 minutes and goes through the industrial areas of the town arriving eventually at the bus station at Elephant in Chambery.

Chambery is in the department of Savoie and located in the Rhone Alpes region of France. it is the capital of the department.

I expect you are wondering what the reference is to elephants. The bus stops in Chambery almost next to the Fontaine des Elephants which is a famous landmark in the town. It was completed in 1838 to honour Benoit de Boignes feat whilst in India. The monument is monumental and stricking with sculptures of the heads and forlimbs of the lifesize elephants. Water gushes from the elephants trunks. It seems that the residents of the town disliked the statue something I cannot imagine as it is so unusual. It is however still graced with the nickname les quatre san culs which rather rudely means the four without arses. From the photograph you will see why.

We drank coffee and ate an apple and raspberry crumble type cake. The town was not too busy and there was no market today.W

We walked up to the castle of the Dukes of Savoy who later became the Kings of Italy. The royal family of Italy originated in this part of the world and later became Kings of Sardinia. We had wanted to see the castle but found the gates closed and locked. We walked around the perimetre trying to find another way in but found only the gates and building of the Prefecture. Eventually the gates opened and we managed to find out that there was a guided tour of the castle and buildings at 2.30 each afternoon. For those who read our blogs you will know we hate the guided tours so decided to give this one a miss. It was in French and took in the town as well as the castle. Instead we walked around the town and dived in and out of alleyways some of which were medieval. We also had to miss a trip to the nearby Abbey of Hautcombe on Lac du Bourget opposite the town of Aix les Bains. The abbey was built in 1101 and destroyed during the French Revolution. It was restored during the 18^th century and is now the resting place of King Humbert of italy and his wife.


The cathedral in Chambery is another strange and very different building. For a start it has walnut rather than bronze doors. It is dedicated to Saint Francois de Sales. The building itself dates from the 15^thcentury and was defaced during the french revolution. The exterior does look very restored in parts. Inside the building has the largest trompe l’oeil in Europe. The ceiling which is lofty and looks as if it is all made of stone but when you look closer you can see the roof is actually painted. It is was painted by two artist Sevesi and Vicario. The only colours in the ceiling deep blue with creams, whites, grey and browns and it is a real masterpiece. We sat for a while , not really religious but the cathedral was quiet and cool. We lit a candle to remind us of our loved ones and we admired the roof over and over again. The light through the stained glass windows turned the roof into a pinky haze.

We ate lunch in O’Cardinals Irish bar which is in the shadow of the cathedral and its neat small square. It was a busy pub and we sat in the early afternoon sun eating lunch. Lunch was the plat du Jour – Carre of pork which was succulent and cooked to perfection, petits pois with lardons and ravioli gratin. It was a lovely meal and cost 9 euros 50 cents.

There are a good selection of shops both large and small. There is much to commend Chambery.

Tomorrow we head home - a municipal camp site just outside of Beaune and finally one just outside of Calais before heading back to work again and more planning for our next trip.

---

Photos

Chambery
The Elephants without arses

Chambery
Is this a painting or stone