Arc and Ark - Day 14

Song -The Long Road by Mark Knopfler

 We have a long day of driving ahead of us today from Chinon to Sarlat-la-Caneda which is about five hours.  Our first stop was Chateau du Rivau where Joan of Arc obtained her war horses in 1429.

And look who was there to greet me on the draw-bridge!  Mr. B !

 Can you believe how much wood they must of used to keep the chateau warm?  This one holds an entire tree!

 My very favorite statue of Joan of Arc lives here.  I am not sure who designed it but I so love the peaceful look on her face.

As we entered the courtyard there was an all white peacock who couldn't get enough of his own reflection while looking into a window.  He was so impressed with what he saw that he never put his plumage down for a second.  I have to say that he was rather impressive!

Drove through Richelieu which was a very cute town and square.  Our next stop was Saint-Savin for lunch and a peek at the Abbaye frescos.

 When I saw this view of the town I asked Mr. B to please turn around so I could take a photograph. He is so incredibly patient with me and my camera! Doesn't it look like a painting???

We had to find a place for lunch before 2 pm when most restaurants stop serving food.  We found a comfortable place outside in the square just across from the Abbaye.

 View of the church steeple from inside the Abbey through the old wavy glass window.

The Abbey of Saint-Savin  is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Abbey was founded in the early 800's by Charlemagne to house the bodies of two martyrs from the fifth century - Saint Savin and his brother Saint Cyprien. 

 When you step inside you are immediately struck by the brilliant frescoes on the ceiling depicting scenes from the Old Testament. They were added in the 1100's.

 Above is Noah's Ark

And this is the building of the Tower of Babel

In the 1800's the frescoes were lovingly restored as were the marble-like columns.

Drove past Limoges and finally got on a freeway to Sarlat.  We had a funky Best Western waiting for us there!  Sarlat is a popular place and we planned this trip rather suddenly so our options were limited because we wanted to stay within the town.

The only reason I call it "funky" was because the elevator only went up two stories and we had to lug all of our luggage up the last flight!

 Once we got settled we walked into town and had dinner in the square that the woman at the front desk recommended Le Regent.  It was a warm evening bathed in the golden light of the local stones. Sarlat also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Everyone was outside on this lovely evening - children were playing & tables from various cafes were spread along the cobblestone pedestrian street, live music was coming from a bar up a little side alley, older people were strolling with their dogs......and church bells would ring on the hour and half hour. 

And guess what?

No one had their cell phone out.....

"Name your streets or no high-speed internet"  

- Sarlat had until May 25, 2018 to name 219 anonymous streets!

Returning to France Day 11

Song - No Particular Place To Go by Chuck Berry

We picked up our Renault "Captur" car on the outskirts of Paris but it took us some time to actually get out of the city.

As Mr. B and I were heading to Chinon in the Loire Valley we drove past fields and fields of yellow mustard that went as far as the eye can see.

The town lies along the river Vienne with an impressive castle on top of the plateau. The castle was built in the 12th century on top of an earlier Gallo-roman fort. It was an important site for many reasons but my favorite was that Joan of Arc had a meeting with Charles VII in 1429 and it is considered the turning point in the fortunes of France and subsequent removal of the English from France. She was 17 years old.

We checked into our hotel in the late afternoon.  Mr. B took a rest in our room while I went downstairs to take some photos of the flowers in the courtyard.

 After a long spell of rain, the hotel had just put out their umbrellas and since it was such a beautiful afternoon I decided to sit outside, sip a glass of wine & sketch.

 Hotel Diderot has a small gravel courtyard where you may park your car.  Surrounding it is an old stone wall and a small, sweet, well tended garden.

There are large iron gates that are closed at night, not for safety reasons but to keep the courtyard quiet for their guests.

There is a small lane behind the hotel (Rue Diderot) where you can stroll into town passing by various houses, churches and shopfronts.

Mr. B and I headed down Rue Diderot to explore and find a place for dinner.

Some of the buildings looked like they had been added onto during different centuries.

 There are wine caves built into ancient Troglodyte dwellings up on the tufa plateau.

 It was fun to wonder what happened to the people who lived in these structures. Did the family that owned the house above not agree on the same architect?  Or did half of the house get demolished?

 Or did half of it just slowly fall over like this building has been doing for many years?

There is lot's of interesting things to see from a much earlier time.

And on the way home from dinner we walked along our lane wearing rose colored glasses. (wink)

"If Joan of Arc could turn the tide of an entire war 

before her eighteenth birthday, you can get out of bed."  

-- E. Jean Carroll

Embrace It All

Song - Stop In The Name of Love by the Supremes

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Paris and it is difficult for me to cope with the tragedy and violence from last weekend.

I had an art reception on Sunday that I was going to post about today but in seems so irrelevant in view of what's happening in our world right now.  I will save it for another day.

I hope you find time to light a candle, say a prayer or make yourself & a friend a warm cup of tea.

One of my favorite sculptures of Joan of Arc at Chateau Rivau

"We could learn to stop when the sun goes down and when the sun comes up.  We could learn to listen to the wind; we could learn to notice that it's raining or snowing or hailing or calm.  We could reconnect with the weather that is ourselves, and we could realize that it's sad.  The sadder it is, and the vaster it is, the more our heart opens.  We can stop thinking that good practice is when it's smooth and calm, and bad practice is when it's rough and dark.  If we can hold it all in our hearts, then we can make a proper cup of tea."  --Pema Chodron

Goats and Bats!

This morning I learned the proper way to eat goat cheese for breakfast in Chinon.

 

 

Pour on a little local honey and crack a few walnuts on top. Voila!

 

 

 

Mr. B had alternative plans....Chinon or not....he is attempting to taste his way through every jam produced in this region.

 

 

 

The resident cat, Booby, meowing at my feet for a little petting & a little food.

 

 

Leaving the Loire, we headed to the Perigoid on little two lane roads. This happens to be a wide road in the photo but I just love the long rows of plane trees!

 

 

We stopped at several churches and several castles. I seem to be on a Joan of Arc route lately. One castle we just happened upon was where Joan of Arc stopped to asked for War Horses, which she was granted.

 

 

Bon nuit!

 

PS: a gargantuan bat just flew into our room as we were getting ready for sleep. Mr. B shooed him out with a bath towel after about five minutes! Time to lock our terrace door.......no more of that fresh air for us!

 

 

 

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Knights in Armor

Greetings from Hotel Diderot in Chinon!

 

A leisurely breakfast on the hotel gardens....

 

 

...with Booby le chat.

 

 

A short drive to Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau.....

 

 

On a one lane, back road returning to Chinon, we discovered a 9th century church. And almost got locked in the Cemetary overnight but a sweet little old lady let us out!

Had lunch in Chinon and spent the afternoon at the Royal Fortress of Chinon high above our hotel. This is where Joan of Arc met with Charles XII (before he became king) and received permission to drive the English out of France.

 

 

It has been an historic and interesting day! Now time to find a good restaurant for dinner....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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