Friday 12 August
On the road again, heading towards the Loire Valley, which we visited 3 years ago for Christmas, but enjoyed so much we thought we'd come back - but to a different town this time.
Arriving at our municipal camp site, Camping Ile D'Offard without a booking but got in anyway. This is our first municipal site and it is amazingly 4 stars. We set up, had lunch and went to explore the town of Saumur just 2km away where Bill had his second hair cut of the trip, this time by a nice French lad who didn't speak a word of English. No problem, Sylvi was able to explain the required buzz number.
Back at camp it was all happening with wine tastings from local wineries and a few market stalls which we were very impressed to see for a municipal site. There's plenty of activities for kids, a huge pool and very good restaurant/bar. This area is so popular with the Dutch, the camp actually employs Dutch/French speaking group leaders to entertain the kids. But for the adults the pleasure is looking across to the Chateau de Saumur just across the river.
During July/August, the Chateau is presenting a light and sound show in the evening. The catch is that it starts at 10:30pm and finishes at midnight. So each quarter from about 11pm there is the sound of rather large fireworks going off and reverberating not only throughout our camp but also the entire valley. The last and loudest fireworks are of course at the end – midnight.
Saturday 13 August
Quite overcast today with a few light showers forecast but we headed into town to do our own walking tour. The town of Saumur dates back to the 10th century when an abbey was built overlooking the river Loire. The original 12 arch stone bridge to get into town was built by monks in the 13th century, one arch per year. The Cessart Bridge was then built to replace it in the 2nd half of the 18th century. This was an engineering marvel for its time, containing the only access for pedestrians as well as vehicles in France at the time.
The building of the Castle of Saumur began in the 2nd half of the 10th century to protect the abbey and has undergone several modifications since then. In fact it is currently under renovation so we decided not to visit as all but 2 rooms are closed, with no discount for the disadvantage. But it really is a beautiful, fairytale castle from the outside.
A wall was built around the town from 1360 to fortify it and you can still see it in certain areas, though it is mostly incorporated into the town buildings.The Town Hall built in the 15th century is very impressive and regal looking though it was originally built as a fortified stronghold built into the city wall and intended to protect the bridge. In the courtyard the facade is beautifully decorated, complete with dragon drainpipe and Gothic refinements.
Only a part of the 15th century Maison du Roi (King's House) remains, and even that is getting a facelift. Kings such as Charles VII, Henry IV, Louis XIII and XIV stayed in this fabulous house which is how home to the Red Cross.
A protestant temple built in 1843 was not much to look at inside, but under the outside portico are sealed Tablets of Law (10 Commandments) written in old French and engraved on slabs of slate. Bizarrely, we could see that the engraver had made an error in the numbering and tried to correct it, probably making this a very valuable historic piece, if it were a stamp or coin.
There were so many interesting buildings to visit on our tour of the city and the last one we saw was the Chapel of St John containing an exposition of 15th century tapestries. There was a series of them telling the story of two martyred saints. Some in the series had gone missing and some were incomplete due to damage, but most of them were in pristine condition. Totally amazing.
On our walk around the town, we came to the street where Coco Chanel's parents lived and where she was born.
We thought about visiting some local wine caves just outside the city but after such a full day walking around we couldn't face it. The weather was very good to us again and we were totally enchanted by this lovely town. The Loire Valley is certainly one of our favourite places in France.
Sunday 14 August
Raining as we headed off towards Chartres known for its gigantic 12th century Cathedral of Notre Dame where pilgrims came from far and wide to worship and bring wealth to the town. Along the way we saw a lot of sunflowers with their heads down and facing away from us. They looked quite mature so it must be harvest soon. We also drove through several small villages, all absolutely gorgeous with old style houses, beautiful flowering gardens and citizens walking home from the boulangerie with their baguettes for lunch.Arriving with the sun at our second municipal camp site, Camping Les Bords de L'eure, we had no trouble getting in but did have to search the site for a power outlet that would fit our connections. Apart from France, we've only had this trouble at the camp in country Czech.
However, the real surprise was the toilets - 3 of the 4 toilets in the men's WC were squat toilets, as were 2 of the 4 in the women's. Bill had encountered these in the Middle East, but to find them still in operation in the middle of France says something about the French. As the sole contemporary men's toilet was very popular, Bill and many others were able to experience the charm of doing his business the old fashioned way.
It was a very pleasant short walk into the city through a lovely leafy park and over a foot bridge above a canal with lots of people out in pedal boats or just enjoying the mild afternoon weather on this Assumption long week-end.
The first marvel was St Peter's Church which has foundations dating back to the 7th century. It was once a Benedictine monastery and became a parish church in 1803. This church has been so neglected there is a net suspended to catch pieces of falling plaster from the ceiling, and lots of mould around the pillars, but it did have some beautiful stained glass windows. In the rear there is an archaeological dig where the foundations from the middle age are revealed but the real spooky factor are the remains of a Breton deacon, Gilduin, found in the 13th century and on display in a small glass casket.
Walking through the cobbled winding streets containing small businesses and gorgeous old houses we got a nice feeling about this town. Near the piece de resistance, Notre Dame Cathedral, many cafes were doing a roaring trade. The Cathedral is absolutely massive and is under major renovations including a good clean, so we couldn't visit a lot of it but what we did see was very impressive. There was an organ recital in progress (to a packed house) as we walked through but to us it sounded like a mad musician just playing any key without real meaning. But then again, we aren't experts in organ music. For 7 Euros we could have climbed the 300 steps in the north tower but decided to give it a miss. The detailed plaster works on the outside are breathtaking and there was a lovely rose garden in the grounds in front of the beautiful Art Museum building just next door. The French certainly were great architects of the time.
A bit of a walk back to the centre of town, we found the Town Hall and walked around twice before coming back to the same spot to find the old Salt Store building. Back to camp to find the place almost full with the Dutch being the predominant occupants apart from the French. A Dutch couple recognised our Aussie flag and came for a chat. They'd visited Australia on a big caravaning trip several years ago. Although there were no fireworks nearby we knew we wouldn't be sleeping before midnight again due to a large group of “gypsy” Dutch people set up nearby.
Monday 15 August
Today is a public holiday in France and many European countries for Assumption and the local church let us know in no uncertain terms that we should all be up and at 8am mass. The sun is out and we'd planned a quick use of the free WiFi (available only at reception) but unfortunately it only works occasionally and on this occasion it wasn't, so we headed off.
Bill was looking for an area in between here and the Champagne region and found Melun which is famous for its brie. We have been eating a lot of beautiful French cheese for the past 3 months so we'll definitely need a cholesterol check when home.The French countryside in this area is a lot drier and very flat. We hadn't seen any wind turbines in awhile but came upon this area that had a long line of them.
It only took us around 2 hours to get to our camp site, Camping La Belle Etoile, situated near the River Seine in Île-de-France. As it's a public holiday we took it easy for most of the afternoon before heading into town for a look.
It is a lovely walk along the river filled with swans and on the other river bank, an enormous house which could even be a chateau, and then the enormous low security prison which butts right up to the Notre Dame church.
The prison actually started off as a convent (why it's so close to the church) then converted to a prison in 1808. The church itself has lovely stained glass windows and beautiful wooden pulpit.
Only a few cafes were opened so we walked a few of the winding streets. In front of the Town Hall, which is again very regal as it was once the home of a wealthy aristocrat, they have laid some lovely pavers to make a pedestrian only mall.
The other large church of note, St Aspais is currently closed for renovations but looks very impressive from the outside. There is a bronze medallion affixed to the external wall commemorating the deliverance of Melun from the English by Joan of Arc in 1430.
On our walk back home we came to some beautiful new riverside apartments built near where the Chateau de Melun once stood in the 12th century. The town is doing a lot to develop its historical heritage, placing plaques around significant sites and maintaining a tidy appearance.
Many of the older houses near the river are built from stones and look beautiful.
Apart from Joan of Arc, Melun also had a notorious resident - Nicolas Fouquet - the former Finance Minister to the Sun Kin Louis XIV. He made the mistake of building a new house that was more splendid then that of the King - so he ended up in Jail. The Sun King then took inspiration for the design of Chateau Vaux le Vicomte to build Versailles. We have continually come across buildings inspired by Versailles - so this completes the circle.
Back at camp, the peace and quiet we had enjoyed for most of the day was to be broken by 3 young French blokes after some fun and a group of Dutch girls camping in tents nearby. It is part of the perils of this type of accommodation but when it happens a few nights in a row it starts to weigh.
Well we didn't come across any Brie today as all the shops were closed for the holiday. This leaves us with room to enjoy more wine as we head to the Champagne and Alsace regions.
More photos here.
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