Avallon - Vézelay

As forecasted, another wet day today but it failed to ground the intrepid travelers. On with the coats and off we went to explore both Avallon and Vézelay.  Both these villages have an old medieval centre, ramparts, turrets and an important church in the bigger scheme of things! ("And nice shops and art galleries.") and, both are considered "beaux" villages in the French scheme of things. 

Adding a little colour to the day!

Yes, still raining this morning, real "coats on, coats off" weather. So, we bit the bullet and headed into Avallon town centre - this old medieval centre has been an important military centre for many centuries. The fortifications were commenced in the 9th and 10th century, giving, at different stages, the French king, the Duke of Burgundy and the Kingdom of Austrasie a reason to burn, plunder and massacre its inhabitants. At other stages the city was decimated many times by the plague. It also lies on the old famous Roman  road, the Via Agrippa. We took a long walk around the town and the ramparts - interspersed with rain! 

Avallon is described as a beaux village of France. It has the old watch tower....

... the very important medieval Collégiale St Lazare...

... the 12th century "Petite Porte"  ...

... the ramparts ...

... and the medieval doctors tower. 

Back to the van and another visit to the supermarket before heading off to Vézelay for lunch. More rain as we drove through many old villages along the way. 

Vézelay, famous for its UNESCO Romanesque Basilica, is a village high on a rocky outcrop overlooking an ancient Burgundian countryside. Starting as a simple monastery in the 9th century, with the relics of  Saint Marie Madeleine (Mary Magdalene),  the Abbey of Vézelay became one of the most important places in Christendom - an important stopping point for pilgrims heading to Compostela in Spain. 

Vézelay' s Basilica. 

The crypt where the supposed relics of Marie Madeleine are kept. 

The Romanesque interior of the Basilica. 

12th century house along the Main Street. 

The village's orientation points to the Basilica at the very  top of the main street. The long walk to the top is flanked by elegant old building that now have been taken over by galleries, shops and a limited number of residences. Many of the galleries had interesting paintings and sculptures - also providing good relief from the rain that came across in waves. The wine tasting centres also provided shelter - and the dry Chablis was very pleasant. 

Beautiful sculptures by François Brochet. 

Painting also by François Brochet 

"Old Man"  no not Bernard after a few local reds!

Interesting dislocated view of a medieval town - some buildings are starting to look like these!

At the end of the afternoon we headed back to the van and decided to stay in Vézelay for our overnight. 

Other snaps from today:

Samur-en-Auxois

Wild rain over night and again this morning - not a lot of enthusiasm to rise early and get underway. So it ended up as a very slow start to the day- isn't that what we are suppose to do! 

In leaving the aniseed capital of France, Flavigny, we realised  just how high above the Burgundy countryside we had climbed. Just down the road is where Big Julie (Caesar) defeated the Gallic  tribes under the leadership of Vercingetorix and placed Gaul (France) under Roman rule. 

Our main goal today was to locate some LPG to fill our gas cylinder which ran out overnight - your's truly was out changing to our reserve cylinders at a very early hour!  It is amazing - we knew that it would have been getting low but no where along the route we have taken in the last week was there a service station that carried LPG. Found three stations in Avallon would you believe! 

But on our way we had to stop at the very scenic town of Samur-en-Auxois. There is a legend about that Semur was built by Hercules on his way back from Spain. Perhaps it wasn't his buildings we were looking at today but they were certainly from an earlier era. Semur is situated on the top of a pink granite spur with a river flowing below. It has a healthy amount of cobbled stone streets lined with medieval houses and shops. The older half-timbered properties have been joined by more recent properties with characteristic faded shutters and wrought iron balconies. 

The walking trail  around Semur takes you on a course that showcases the picturesque nature of the town. Like numerous medieval towns war and revolution played havoc with their look over time. If it wasn't wars of religion or a hundred year war between the French, the Burgundies and the English, then it was the revolution that finished the job - and that was before we entered the twentieth century!  Only four remaining towers and a few bits of ramparts are left standing from earlier times. And in the  church evidence is everywhere of the defacement during the revolutionary period. Nevertheless, Semur is a delightful place to spend a few hours - even if it rains!

The Armancon River with the Prisoner Tower and town in the background. 

 Cobblestone roads around Semur. 

Looking back toward the Barbican and city gate. 

 Outside the town gate. 

More views towards the town. 

Defacement of art work in the church. 

We later drove on to Avallon, filled with LPG and groceries, and then located our aire for our overnight stop.  A few other motorhomers turned up as did the rain again!  

Looking towards Avallon - we were in for a downpour!

Fontenay Abbey

Fontenay Abbey was our main destination today. We had this UNESCO site circled in our atlas for a number of years but each time passing this way we, for some reason, have failed to include it on our itinerary. We were very pleasantly surprised by our visit. 

Fontenay Abbey - a very serene and peaceful place. 

The day started out being much cooler  after a heavy shower over night. We were quite pleased with this as it started to cool the van a little.  It was also market day in Noyers - had it always been Wednesday over the centuries?  Noyers became important because of its location with salt and corn markets being held at regular intervals during the Middle Ages. Today it was cheese, sausage, fruit and veg, and 'bollywood' clothing! Nothing to catch our eye so we departed this 'beau' village. 

 The Wednesday market in Noyers. 

 

The 18th century lavoir we checked out this morning in Noyers. 

The drive to Fontenay Abbey, in the Côte-d'Or region of Burgundy, took a us along the pleasant Armancon River Valley and the Canal de Bourgogne.  The approach to the Abbey gave us a feeling of seclusion, and what was hidden behind the external wall was a pleasant surprise. 

 An aerial view of Fontenay Abbey (photo from billboard). 

The Abbey has been through tumultuous times in history with it being sold off as a property of the state during the French Revolution. Fortunately, it was used as an industrial site which meant the buildings were not pulled down. It was later bought by a banker in 1906 and he commenced the extensive restoration of the Abbey. 

Founded in 1118,  Fontenay Abbey was a great centre of learning and of technical advancement. The Forge building was the first metallurgical factory in Europe and also the first use of an hydraulic hammer. 

 The forge and trout pond. 

 At the heart of the technological revolution in Europe. 

 The Abbey Church. 

 The garden and the dormitory. 

 Abbey and other buildings. 

 The pond that supplied the Duke of Burgundy with trout. 

The trip to Fontenay Abbey was well worth the detour. We had lunch there before heading further south to Flavigny sur Ozerain, the home of "The Anis de Flavigny " - Flavigny aniseed. This famous sweet comes from this medieval hilltop town and has been been made in the Abbey for three centuries following an age old recipe. They consist of an aniseed coated in   raspberry, jasmine, coffee, or every flavour you could think of. The best description could be what we know today as tick-tacs. 

 

 Flavigny Aniseed. 

We wandered around the village and found some interesting bits and pieces!  Flavigny is another of the hundreds of medieval villages dotted around France - again, quaint, rustic and interesting.  

 These little guys and gals carved in the church pews caught our eye!

 

The cat as a boot scraper. 

 The medieval gate to the village of Flavigny. 

Ancy le Franc - Noyers

Someone once told me that the only constant was change. I'm not sure if they were talking about motorhoming in France. Today was all about change - if this morning we thought we would end up in Noyers I would have said you're crazy. But that is exactly where we have ended the day - and what a delightful place to do so. 

 

 Noyers sur Serein, immediately grabs your attention. It  is classified as one of the "beaux" villages of France. It is well preserved and it creates the impression of entering a 15th century village. 

 Noyers has retained a very authentic medieval atmosphere with the half-timbered house throughout the village. 

 

The potter's shop in the Corn Market Square. 

 The remains of the 11th century ramparts. Now houses are built on these remains. 

We started the day by the canal in Tanlay. Another very restful night even though the temperature remained in the twenties. The breeze off the canal kept things at a very pleasant level. So much so, we slept on past our normal rising time. I won't say what time one member of the wanderers woke! 

On the road again - for 10 km -  to Ancy le Franc. Arrived just as the sun was starting to get some sting, and to our surprise we found the perfect antidote- an avenue of large trees. 

 

The Avenue of trees leading to the chateau in Ancy le Franc. 

Another chateau!  This time at Ancy le Franc. It is a good place to have our daily exercise around the garden and village. The village walk took us to a "look out" above the town - but with a very little viewing window! The chateau was of interest (even though we are a little chateauxed-out at this stage). This was the very first of the Renaissance chateaus built in France. Built in 1542, it has four equal wings, forming a perfect square. 

 Chateau Ancy le Franc's  impressive exterior. 

 Interior features. 

 Internal courtyard, apartments and orangery. 

 Views around Ancy le Franc. 

After lunch we thought we would travel a few km to where we planed to stop the night. When we arrived at Ravieres it was unsuitable so we quickly decided to move on to Noyers- the beauty of motorhoming. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and admiring this ancient village. Chatted to an interesting Scotsman who runs a gallery in the town - Brexit again  a subject!  Many photos later we headed back to the van for the night. 

 Pottery and  paintings around the galleries. 

 Features to catch our eye. 

 Rampart tower, Town Hall and  15th century Serein Inn. 

A thunder storm interrupted our wanderings around the village tonight. It was just enough to be annoying.