Into the Loire

I’d started the day, with the ‘pleasant ‘ task of emptying all the ‘waste’ from my tanks..and not splashing too much of it on me !, and so set off from St Amand , with a bit of an idea as to where to go…

Initially I headed through the quite back roads of rural France,heading for the Abbey of Fontenvraud http://www.abbayedefontevraud.com/, where Richard the ‘Lionheart’ is buried, alongside his mother, and would also head me in the direction of the Loire River Valley which I’ve never visited before ( I don’t think !)

The countryside was really pleasant, with warm sunshine streaming down, and a nice lunch stop by the Loire… amazing really where you can find to stop, and a quick walk down into the Loire, if you wanted to go through the riverside mud !

By mid afternoon, I was at the Abbey, where I soon found a parking space, and walked to outside the Abbey , all the stonework was glistening white, having been recently sandblasted, nonetheless it obviously retains it’s cleanliness year after year. Reluctantly paying money to enter..I walked into the grounds, and the startling sights before me…as I entered the Abbey church I could see laid out near the centre, the decorated coffins of Richard the Lionheart and relatives.. in an otherwise empty church. The history is interesting in that the community being formed in 12C, was really a small town, with an Abbess in charge ! and later stolen from the Church by the state in the Revolution, and for quite some time being turned into a harsh prison, before closing, falling into disrepair, and then resurrected in the 1960’s , and now a UNESCO world heritage site !

I could see why, with all the grounds so well kept, and spectacular views all around- the gardens were planted with lots of sweet smelling plants, useful in the humid atmosphere !

The kitchen/cook house,was a startling shape, with turrets allowing it to be changed into a preserving smoke house when needed,no doubt feeding many…

The entire estate was well worth the visit, and I spent several hours there, before leaving, looking round the village surrounding it and then heading across to Richelieu, founded by the Cardinal of the same name, as an ideal template for any new town… it was a pleasant stroll in the late evening sunshine, but not a long time to spend there..then onwards back towards the Loire, to find somewhere to stop for the night – there had been somewhere outside the walls at Richelieu http://www.ville-richelieu.fr/, I decided though it would be too noisy, so kept driving into the evening sunset, watching a lone hot air balloon floating over the countryside, and getting the news of another Great nephew being born, Jack Oliver being born to my niece Clare and Tim,supported by their other son Harry –congratulations everyone !

I eventually found a quiet spot (just outside a cemetery !) and quickly fell asleep…Goodnight !