Time for another entry. I'm just back from seeing Louise off at the station. She arrived from Brussels on Friday night, and we've been very busy! As The Two Ronnies used to say.... 'And in a packed programme tonight...' Indeed.
I had a meal with Therese and Jean on Friday before Therese kindly took me to the station to collect Louise who arrived just before 9.30pm. Louise was able to stay next door, thanks to the kind invitation of M-H & C, who are away. Which saved us topping and tailing! It's sort of next door, but really more like the same house, just another wing.
On Saturday morning after doing some supermarket shopping we went into Centre Ville and basically just wandered round. We were looking forward to seeing the Christmas Markets which had been well advertised. What a disappointment. They weren't markets full of Christmas stuff, but just endless stalls full of, well, the same sorts of things you would see at home and think, 'Oh yes, ho hum. Pashminas. Mosaic mirrors. Giraffes. Hmmm....' You know the sort of thing. (I actually like giraffes so perhaps that wasn't the best example!) But I had expected Christmas crafts! Outside the Town Hall there was an outdoor skating rink, and I was tempted to have a go, but I didn't have a change of clothes, and getting wet was not a viable option, as it was Very Cold. We did most of our shopping in a warm mall, and Louise & I both bought a hat and a scarf, and Louise also bought a beautiful checked jacket. Very smart indeed. We came home and had tea, then Therese picked us up and we went to a concert. It was put on a by a local choir, and was a musical commentary on the Paris Commune unrest of about 1870. Some of the singing was quite good and quite moving. Some of it, I have to say, was not. In general the production needed tightening up, but overall I enjoyed it, and was thrilled to bits to have the opportunity to go to a local theatre production.
Sunday was The Big Day Out. Jean came and picked us up at 9.30am, and we also went and collected Gi, a friend from uni. And off we went. First of all we visted the Chateau d'Oiron near the town of Thouars.It was built in the 16th century and now houses a collection of contemporary art works. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the juxtaposition, but perhaps it was just that the art works were pretty weird. In my 'umble opinion! I guess a girl who loves Monet most of all isn't going to be too excited about garden forks sticking out of a wall, or dead birds with nails stuck through them, or perspex jellyfish. Well, actually, I quite liked the jellyfish. But you get the picture. It was an interesting place, but unheated, and not the highlight of the day. We then went to see the chateau in the town of Saumur. It looked terrific from the outside, and had a moat to beat all moats. But it was closed for the season. Well, it wasn't a day to be out anyway, unless you were really keen. (Which we were!) I thought my face was going to drop off with the cold! But we did love that castle, and the views were fantastic.
Next we had lunch - at the Buffalo Grill! We drove round a bit and were quite taken with the whole area. I was really chuffed that we were looking at the Loire River. I hadn't realised that we were in that area. It was one of those defining moments, like seeing the Leaning Tower, when you think "Oh my goodness!" (Or something similar.) We then went to The Abbaye (abbey) Royale de Fontevraud. It is where Richard the Lionheart and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine are buried. As you know, I work a bit at the Alienor d'Aquitaine Lycee, so I felt a very strong connection! In fact I bought a book to read more about Eleanor, as she appears to have been quite someone, in a time when women never were!!
The abbey was just great. It was built in 1101, and in fact was a state prison from 1804 until 1963. That included wartime when the Nazis interred French Resistance prisoners. It has been beautifully restored and in particular I loved the Chapter House with paintings/frescos dating from 1563 on the walls. The kitchen was also fantastic. It is a separate building and is circular, with 8 niches, each one for a cooking fire. High up are the little chimney holes. I loved it!
And that was pretty much the day. I bought a few resources and we walked round a bit, but the places mentioned made up the basis of our day out. We were about an hour and a half from Poitiers, and Gi and I both nodded off on the way home.
Today Louise and I walked into Centre Ville and looked at several eglises (churches)-we have a few of them! And very nice they are too. We had lunch in town, pottered round a bit, and then got the bus home. After a very quick cup of tea we then got the bus again, this time to the station for Louise. And for me - I had to pick up the tickets for my trip to Grenoble which I had booked on line. I also had to book train travel to fit in with my trip to Al Ain over the new year. Thank goodness I got a very nice English speaking man called Alain, as it became a little bit complicated, especially when it was discovered that there were no trains back to Poitiers on the night of my return, and I have to stay overnight in a hotel. God, knowing what Charles de Gaulle Airport is like I could spend the whole night just trying to find my way to the hotel. But never mind! I just hope I still have some money by then. Could someone in the world please do something about the exchange rate for me??!!
And Louise got her train to Brussels and I got the No 8 St Eloi bus back home. Back to uni and usual routines tomorrow. :-)
Photos: The exterior of the Abbey kitchen; Gi taking a photo in the Chapter House at the Abbey; me in a little village, the name of which escapes me, with the Loire in the background; a view of Saumur taken from the chateau; and a sign on the wall at the Abbey.
