Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Candes-St-Martin and Saumur

Saumur was our destination today. But before that we .... 

Fontevraud d'Abbey was an unplanned stopping point but it turned out to be a pleasant place to stay and visit. The rain had ceased by this morning which allowed us to get out for a walk and explore the village. The village is clustered around the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud. We hadn't realised just how popular it is with the French. Perhaps it was because two English kings were buried here!  

The Abbey, built in the 12th century, is the largest preserved monastic site in Europe. It was different because it had mixed order of nuns and monks. With the revolution all property reverted to the state and Napoleon turned it into a prison which it remained for 150 years. 

Buried here were Henry II, Richard the Lion Heart and Elenor of Acquitaine, with their bones being dug up during the French Revolution and spirited off to some unknown destination. Henry II was of the house of the Plantagenets who were the royal family of England until the Tudors overthrew them at the battle of Bosworth. 

After our walk we set off for the Loire again with Candes-St-Martin as our first stop. It is here that the Vienne and Loire rivers meet. This delightful village is built of the white tufa stone and has a 13th century church of note. We climbed to the panorama viewing point for the confluence of the two rivers. 

We are in the land of the troglodytes! With the soft rock it became a very real option for people to burrow into the rock to create extra space for their living quarters. 

We had lunch by the Loire before moving on to Saumur, a larger town with another chateau built overlooking the lower  town. The chateau, currently undergoing serious renovations, was built as a fortress in the 14th and 15th centuries. Later it became a prison for the town! Today it houses the citiy's museum. 

After another stop at the supermarket we drove to the charming village of Chouzé-sur-Loire for our overnight. 

Chinon

Jean d'Arc day today. Chinon was our main goal, the town where Jean convinced the Dauphin, in 1429,  to provide her with an army, and the rest is history. The equestrian statue in the Place Jean d'Arc dates from 1883 and is positioned here because this is the area that Joan d'Arc was supposed to have drilled her army. 

The day started with us thinking that it would be a quiet Sunday morning in Crisssay-sur-Manse,  but we hadn't counted on the Sunday flea markets across France! Yes, woken at 6.30 am with the sound of activity nearby,  and discovered, a little later, that a flea market was up and running.  So the intrepid thrill seekers mozied on down to see what all the fuss was about - should have stayed in bed!  Lift your game Frenchies! Some people obviously hadn't discovered their local tip. 

Out trip into Chinon took us down to the town of Tavant where there was supposed to be some incredible frescoes, eons old, but could we even find the church in a single-street village - no! Eventually we did but it was all shut up - a locked church on Sunday morning in France! 

It wasn't long before we arrived in Chinon, and the approach to the city was via the bridge opposite the Royal Fortress of Chinon.  This approach gaves us great views of the massive fortress dominating the town. 

Wandering through the old town we came across numerous medieval houses, some half-timbered buildings but most in the white tufa stone, like most old building across the region, making an attractive unity across the town. 

Later in the day we did come across a serious Sunday flea market - on the south bank of the Vienne. This was not only extensive, but also well supported by the passing populace. 

We later adjourned a little further to the west for our overnight stop in Fontevraud d'Abbey, a town which hosts an interesting 11th century Abbey. 

More pics:

More harvesting completed. 

We came across a gypsy camp this morning  - all very orderly and tidy - quite different from what the popular press depicts them to be. 

A more serious flea market in Chilon. 

This pub has been selling beers since 1190!

The deterioration in the soft tufa stone work on the St Etienne Church. 

Crissay-sur-Manse

It looked as if we had a day of rain ahead of us when we woke this morning. The sky had opened up with serious rain, the first rain of this strength since being in France. It delayed our departure until late in the morning, and even then it was still raining when we set off for Crisaay-sur-Manse. 

We traveled further along the Creuse Valley until the river merged with the much larger Vienne River. We drove through the very lovely village of La-Celle-St-Avant before stopping for a short time in Pouzay on the Vienne River. 

It was only a day or so ago that we were asking some French folk why farmers were not growing sunflowers in the numbers we had seen previously - well today we have passed numerous plantations of sunflowers. On a number of occasions all you could see were paddocks of sunflowers extending to the horizon. 

By lunchtime we had reached Crissay-sur-Manse, described as "a beautiful village in the bucolic Manse valley".  Yes, a pretty village but also pretty dead! Take for example the castle, built in the 15th century, never finished and never occupied- and now a ruin! 

Oops! There's another sunflower again with the remains of the 15th century castle in the background. 

The village is noted for the very white stone that the village is built from, this stone is known as tufa, a soft stone that is found in the region and is easily carved and so used in the building of some of the great chateaus of the Loire. 

The village is rather quaint with its narrow streets and 15th century houses with numerous medieval features still evident. 

Late in the afternoon the sun appeared again and the day started to warm, it was then that we decided to stay here for the night with another two motorhomes parked up as well. 

The view out over the Manse valley from Chrissay-sur-Manse. 

St-Benoît-du-Sault and Argenton-sue-Creuse

We woke to a very different sky this morning - overcast and very cool. By the end of the day it had warmed a little and there was plenty of sunshine.

The Creuse River valley was our destination today with visits to two ancient towns which had grown around the river. St-Benoît-du-Sault and Argenton-sur-Creuse both were well worth the visit. It slowly dawns on you just how old all these villages of France are, and how long people have lived in many of the buildings that we pass. In these villages,  houses are falling down and perhaps too old and costly to restore. It is quite sad to see this deterioration. 

The village of St-Benoît-du-Sault owes its existence to the Benedictine monks who  settled the area in the 10th century. They chose a site on a rocky outcrop for security reasons. Today the old town is clustered around this original settlement. 

Being on a rocky outcrop there are great views in all directions. 

The old medieval wall and buildings provide housing today for many of the residents. Unfortunately, many of buildings are vacant or in need of renovation. 

Still, there are many buildings that catch your eye. 

Perhaps, the most significant building is the Romanesque church of St Jean Bapiste. It is the earliest example of  the Romanesque style in France. 

The clock tower and belfry have stood the test of time!

The inner ramparts and gateway of the town are still in good condition.  

The painted wooden boxes displayed in a gallery specialising in this craft form. 

Another gallery works worth displaying. 

A quaint square in the centre of the village. 

We are getting into heavy chateau-traffic! Just two of the many passed today. Chateau Tenay and Chateau Chazelet. Keeping in mind, each represents a life style where just a few benefitted from the wealth of the land!

Our next stop was the village of Argenton-sur-Creuse, being overseen by 6 metre high, 17th century statue of the Virgin Mary on top of the Bonne-Dame Chapel. 

The picturesque setting for Argenton-sur-Creuse with the view of Bonne-Dame Chapel on the high point. The town was originally a Roman settlement and later a fortified castle was built on the above hill top - later destroyed and torn down. 

The attractive riverside houses enhances the attractiveness of Argenton-sur-Creuse,  

The view over the River Creuse from the original fortified settlement. Later the main settlement moved to the other side of the river. 

The 16th century hotel with a watchtower. 

The prosperity of the town was dependent on the flow of the river - it had numerous working mills along the river which provided the trade for a wealthy vibrant town. Tanning was one of the big industries with wheat mills and cloth mills being important as well. The old mill house above is part of this story. 

Evidence of the mills along the river can be seen nestled into the banks. 

The bridge was built as the town centre was moving towards the right bank. 

We later drove along the Creuse valley to our overnight village at Oulches.