Paray-le-Monial

Monday, May 7th: Elisabeth was going to Paray-le-Monial today and had asked if I'd like to go with her. We left Blanot a little after 8 AM. On the way to Cluny there is a very sharp curve, tighter than any curve I've ever found in the states. It is known locally as the bandits' crossroad. There is a path at that point heading into the woods and any vehicle is forced to slow way down so it would be a perfect place for travelers to be robbed.

There is also a short cut that avoids all the curves, but it has been closed to vehicular traffic. Some know it as hangman's alley. Folklore says that's where hangings happened after the revolution.
When we arrived in Paray-le-Monial, Elisabeth dropped me off at a cafe near the Basilica while she went off for her appointment.
We planned to meet there later...I didn't have a watch and she wasn't sure of how much time she needed, so meeting at a cafe meant I could relax over a cup of tea or whatever.

Around the corner I passed a blooming rhododendron that reminded me of the one at home that I work so hard to protect from snow. There was another rhododendron with more blooms in a deeper purple, but it hid the house and I liked the white shutters and white railing, typically French.

I wandered through the park and told one lady, in French, that she had a beautiful dog...I got to pet him. Then over the bridge to the church. Notice the row of square trees, sort of a hedge on stilts.


My first stop was to wander around the cloisters and enjoy the garden which had a sweet aroma. Look carefully and you can see an iron gate in the foundation...it leads to a passageway beneath the church.

Though obviously not used, the well in the center of the garden has water in it. Small ferns grow inside it between the rocks. There was a large clump of pink hardy geranium and also rue, both of which are in my gardens at home.

Then I wandered into the Basilica itself. It was originally built in the late 900s. (That's a 3 digit number...not a mistake!)

There was a man with a disfigured face and cup with change in it resting on the steps...not a common sight since France has traditionally taken care of its people.

When I opened the door, there was another door right behind it. That was a surprise, but I'd seen other people disappear through this entry...no screams...so I opened the second door...


Because it takes so long to build churches like this, and sections that get destroyed may be rebuilt in a different century, parts of the building illustrate architecture at different time periods. Looking at the pair of towers...the single tower at the other end of the building is much older...can you tell which tower was built in an earlier period? 

I walked around the church, enjoying the music. A young fellow was carefully placing pamphlets on the seats so I stopped to read one...a wedding was soon to take place.

There were no decorations or flowers, though they might have arrived later. On the other hand, in that beautiful church they weren't needed.

The musicians were obviously practicing for the wedding. I figured that if people began to congregate it would indicate that the wedding was about to start and I could disappear. Meanwhile, this was a free concert...I sat down to listen.

The tower on the right was built during an earlier period than the one on the left. Outside I took pictures of the canal.

There were steps leading to the water...the bride could arrive by boat if she so chose! Then I headed back to the cafe, ordered a tea and sat down to wait for Elisabeth who drove up within a couple of minutes.

As we drove out of town she pointed out the small chapel dedicated to a nun who saw apparitions and is one reason this town is famous.



Because it was a Monday, most stores were closed. There was no reason to hang around...

...until we reached Charolles, and then I couldn't resist taking more pictures!

Reminders of Holland with Margery where our goal had been to see every tulip and daffodil...and I think we pretty much did!

I don't remember any garden in the middle of a canal, certainly not at the edge of a waterfall, but the vivid blue was the same.



Granted, in Holland the crown imperials were usually growing in large clumps and here (see below) they are single stalks, but there are a number of them blooming and that's better than I've been able to do at home. The crown imperials have a bunch of leaves at the top of their stem with yellow flowers hanging down below that "crown."

I loved the graceful willow by the short waterfall. I'm not sure if this is two canals or a river and canal side by side.




We stopped at a restaurant that is also a museum about the famous Charolais cows.

The ones I took pictures of will never be eaten, but these white cows dot the countryside which is divided up by hedgerows.

Around Cluny stone walls divide the fields, but stone and hedges don't exist around vineyards because the machinery needs space to turn around.

There would be a lot more pictures of our trip home, but my camera decided it had worked hard enough! The battery has a mind of its own. One of these days I will get into Macon and see if the camera store has a battery that would work in my camera so I won't get cut off in the middle of a great day.

We visited one of Elisabeth's friends and her neighbor, another American living in France, dropped by while we were there. Lee was from NYC. Her husband is French.

I'll just have to drive this route again.

That evening I developed chills...crawled into bed with 2 wool blankets AND the comforter. By early morning I was able to stop shivering and toss off the comforter.

It was Tuesday, May 8th. I found my way to Sologny by noon to join the dinner party I'd been invited to at chez Godon. Ernie and Cheryl, an American couple who are renting in Aze, and Sylvie were also there. It was a delightful meal, but by 5 PM I was tired and headed back to Blanot. I was supposed to go to Beaune with Elisabeth for the evening, but I wasn't up to it. After a nap I went over to Anne's and enjoyed chatting with her for awhile. No pictures for Tuesday. On Wednesday Anne took me to her favorite hardware store that caters to farmers and I bought a long sleeve flannel shirt. Back in Blanot Mirelle loaned me one of Noel's sweatshirts. I feel well cared for by friendly and loving people.

Hollande becomes president

Sunday, May 6th: Elisabeth stopped to vote and then we stopped for a meal at the local restaurant run by 2 gals who spent a year in the gite I'm in. Then Elisabeth went to work at the polls and I headed for Messeugne to attend a concert featuring Stephan on drums and some other fellow on guitar. (I still can't pronounce the name of this ville.) A lot of the roadway I traveled was really only one lane wide. I kept praying that there wouldn't be a car heading in my direction! Notice the one lane bridge that you can't see over!

Little hamlets pop up and roads wander every which way...I got lost a couple of times, but finally found Messeugne. Fortunately France announces the end of a village on every road leading out of it. Since I didn't know where the concert building was located in the town, I would drive down a road until I knew I was leaving the village, then turn around and try another road. It finally worked. Both of Elisabeth's daughters were there along with grandchildren. I felt right at home. At one point Stephan brought out 2 plates of cheese for the audience...one cheese came from Holland...choose whichever cheese you wanted! (When I returned to Blanot I first saw Anne who said Blanot had voted 68 for Hollande and only 32 for Sarkozy.) I drove home in the rain, but took a bunch of pictures anyway.

 At 8 o'clock it was official that Hollande was the new president. Elisabeth grabbed a bottle of wine and off we went to first celebrate with Veronique and then with Nicholas and his wife Elena. On our way we saw a rainbow. On the way home we saw the supermoon...hopefully these are good omens.

La Invasion des Formis

It is Saturday, May 5th. I had a good night's sleep...woke up a little later than usual at 8:30 and headed for the bathroom. At least some of the outside walls are more than a foot thick, and the bathroom has a window sill that is probably 12 inches deep. The window is high so I have to stand on tiptoe to actually see the sill, but I noticed movement around the edge so I took a peek. The ants that had been happily crawling around the porch yesterday were now crawling around on my side of the window. I decided to make my coffee, take my shower, look up the word for ants, and then find Noel. He said Mirelle would have to get something that afternoon, but word made it to Elisabeth and she arrived with a powder that seems to have done the trick.

The bathroom window is behind the top of this bush which is just beginning to bloom.

I invited Elisabeth to dinner, but I needed a carrot peeler. She suggested that when I was leaving in BB, I stop at her place and honk. Fortunately she was watching for me and came to the car laughing. I was beeping away, but BB's horn is silent!




 I drove off to Cluny, followed Elisabeth's instructions, found a parking space without a problem, and headed for the Saturday market. This is one of the houses I walked by.

 On the way home I decided to take a detour to Aze and see what was down that road.


 
You can't see much of the house in this picture, but I was fascinated by the pond that appears to be touching the house.

I followed a side road out of curiosity and liked the stream that wiggled its way through the field.

 

Upon reaching Blanot I decided to not make the turn up the hill, but to keep on going. I found the hamlets of Vivier and Nouville. Later, Anne informed me that they are actually a part of Blanot. When all the hamlets are put together, there are about 160 people in Blanot.





 I also stopped to take a picture inside the church to show the slated benches we sat on for the concert. The church holds about 100 people.

Late afternoon I cooked the rhubarb Elisabeth had given me from her garden. While I was putting dinner together I realized that I had enough food for 3 so I took a chance and ran over to Anne's place. She hadn't eaten and was willing to join Elisabeth and me. I thoroughly enjoyed their company for the evening!

The computer wasn't processing the pictures so I am late getting this post posted. It's late and I have to be up early so it'll take a bit for me to get caught up...hang in...more to come!

First Jaunt

It's Friday, May 4th.
 Yesterday Elisabeth showed me how to work the chaise lounge. I decided it would work better for comfortable reading in the living room corner than to save it for sunning myself outdoors. The latter isn't likely to happen...I like sitting on my porch when the sun is warm. Outside the window can be seen the vine that provides privacy on the porch. It should be in bloom within a few weeks.

Elisabeth had invited me for lunch and suggested I bring all the maps and my dulcimer.

 She was watching one of her grandsons, Gabrielle, and he had helped her make a souffle. He thought it was really neat to beat egg whites into snow. We also had Jerusalem artichokes and fennel as our vegetables. After lunch Elisabeth had to run to the church for a couple of minutes so I got the dulcimer out. With "This Old Man" I got Gabrielle to say the numbers in the right places. He sang along with "Frere Jacques" and even knew the English version. Later the 3 of us played a memory game. I think it's called Battel. Then I got the maps out. My goal was to find the man who makes spinning tops.

I felt that I had to take the BB (my nickname for the car) on my own to someplace out of town or I'd keep stewing about whether I could actually do it. Elisabeth circled the town on the map. She even called to be sure he was there. Then I headed back up the hill to get the car. Fear is having to drive in a narrow space downhill between 2 stone walls!

On the left is a nearby hamlet. Fortunately no one was coming because I stopped in the middle of the road to take the picture. 

I goofed when entering Cluny and took priority when it really belonged to the other car, but he didn't get upset and later I figured out what I had done...won't make that mistake again. I pulled over twice to check the map and be sure I was still going in the right direction. Most of the time I was wishing for places to pull over to take pictures, but the best I could do was to just keep taking in the scenery while saying, "Oh my god."

Eventually I actually made it to Sigy Le Chatel!  Boy am I proud of this picture.

Philippe Dony was outside his shop working on his van. I quickly discovered that he spoke English and told him one of my students had lost my finger top and I've been waiting 5 years to get back here. He  opened the shop so I could browse while he went off to wash the grease off his hands.

I bought 3 finger tops. The most delicate one has 2 holes in it...placed to create balance, which is why it just keeps going...the holes also allow you to see through the top as it spins. 

Then Philippe invited me to see his art gallery...a beautiful collection of wood sculptures. None are for sale. This is art to inspire democracy. I explained my blog and asked if I could take a picture. He felt that that would change the experience, but he set up some lights to create a shadow so I would have something to share. I said I'd be back with a friend in a few weeks and again towards the end of June. (Margery, we just have to get there before he and his family go on vacation for the last week of June.)

Chatel is the old word for chateau. This isn't the chatel of Sigy, but it's a pretty house just the same.

A car with a white haired man and 2 labs passed by me while I was taking this picture. A little ways down the road I saw the car again and then realized that the man had brought his dogs down to where the road crossed over the narrow river so the dogs could have a swim! 

This is still in Sigy Le Chatel, which has fewer people than Blanot and takes up less than half a page in the telephone book. Church towers seem to be in every hamlet.

Then I was on the road again! Everyone passes me. I still think 70 kilometers per hour is fast, even though Bob emailed to say it is only about 44 miles per hour.

 I saw a big P on a road-sign and quickly pulled into a safe place to stop. At least I could stop saying Oh my god long enough to take a few pictures. The people who live in the house below get to see these views every day...I hope they pause once in awhile to drink in the beauty.

I missed the turn in Cluny, but then recognized the organic store from yesterday and was able to double back to the right road.

At 6:15 this evening I wandered down to the Blanot church for the concert. Anne sat down next to me and said she hoped it wouldn't be too long because no matter how well one is padded, the benches get hard in a hurry. She was right, but the concert was worth it...and the church was full. Towards the end it started to rain. Then it paused and I just made it home as the drops began again.

Dinner was salad greens with 2 tomatoes followed by that yummy multi-grain bread with goat cheese and sausisson. Delicious!

From Sologny to Blanot

After our trip to the north we returned to the Godon's home in Sologny.




Francis and Marie-Annick live in an old stone house that Francis has almost finished rebuilding by himself. The stone steps in the living room that lead to the second floor are smooth and beautiful.You can see where they are along the wall, but you can't actually see the steps.

Marie-Annick cares for four pre-school children which explains all the bibs hanging by the dining room table. Beyond is a laundry room, the toilet room, and a new bathroom plus the downstairs bedroom where I stayed.


The new kitchen is a dream of modern conveniences. Beyond is an enclosed porch that used to be used as the dining room as well as a play space. Now it's mostly the latter.

 

The view of vineyards includes the TGV zooming past every so often in the distance, just before the hill rises. The nearest patch of dirt is the vegetable garden waiting to be planted.

The next morning I got to practice driving Lauryne's car, the one I get to borrow. I'm going to call it the Body Builder, or BB for short. Francis took two non-working vehicles to create one for the monstrous sum of 500 euros! The brakes wait until the last minute to engage. I'll be developing arm muscles to turn the steering wheel! But it runs.

(After driving the BB, I did order a rental car to use when Carol and I head to the south of France.) Francis wanted to do a little work on BB, so a little after noon, Elisabeth picked me up and brought me to Blanot. We had lunch at her place (below) before heading up the hill to my gite.

 

After Mirelle and Noel showed me all the spaces, how to close things up at night, how to work appliances and use the ancient key in the door...all those necessary details...Elisabeth left me alone to settle in. Francis and Lauryne dropped off the car, peeked at my new digs, and then went on their way. Anne from next door dropped by to say hello and then Elisabeth returned. I'd asked her to join me for my first meal. Of course I'd forgotten to get olive oil and butter, so I was a bit limited as to what I could produce...pasta in tomato sauce tossed with mozzarella cheese and topped with steamed broccoli followed by bread and goat cheese did just fine. 

 There is really just one big room with a bathroom and bedroom beyond. This is the living room corner with a fireplace I don't expect to use. The wooden door behind the straight-back chair is a big closet. The drapes have been pulled across the window for the night.

Below is the dining corner. I've got 2 lamps on the table with my little net book set up between them. That's the "working" end of the table. There's still plenty of space for eating at the near end. Elisabeth has loaned me a long sleeved sweater.

There's a step up between the big room and the rest of the gite. Going up and down that one step became a problem for my back. This morning I managed to find Noel in his workroom and, using my limited French, I was able to explain the problem and request a wooden step so the drop wouldn't be as high...two gentle steps instead of one. He immediately created the extra step for me! It works... makes a big difference.

 

And there's the kitchen corner...sink (only human dishwashers), gas stove, about 18 inches of countertop space, and what you can't see is the refrigerator which isn't any bigger than the stove. Actually, that's good because it provides a place for the coffee maker, toaster, and cutting board to sit. The bathroom has a nice shower which I enjoyed this morning. Around 9 o'clock I got out my backpack and walking sticks and 

headed down the hill to buy the fresh goat cheese that I remember so well.

Mark knows who I am, but he doesn't speak any English! It was a limited conversation, but we actually managed a joke! He asked if I'd come to buy the store and I answered that that wasn't possible as I showed him the change I had in my pocket.

The white car in the distance (below) is about halfway to the little cheese shop.

 I figured out how much I owed and actually came up with the right amount. Not bad for a first encounter!

With the cheese in my backpack, it was time to head for home. I hung a left in order to pass by the church (you can only see the tower and roof behind the stone wall) and the chateau. This Friday evening will be a free concert by musicians from a Dutch music school who like to play in Blanot. The crowd that attends isn't overly large and the acoustics are excellent in this old stone church.

Another neighbor, Daniel, was in front of his home with his old dog, Lilly. We manage a simple conversation in a mixture of French and English.

At the gite I turned the heat off and opened the door so I can see more of the outdoors as I work on this blog. It's time for another walk. Then Elisabeth will be here and I will drive her to Cluny in the BB (we'll see if she ever wants to go in "my" car again!) so I can pick up a few more supplies and learn the roads a bit.  

May Day

May Day in France is celebrated with municipal ceremonies and most places of work are closed. We arrived in time for the ceremony and the beginning of the parade.
That's Jean-Ives with the drum and the music teacher with the trumpet.

As we climbed in the car to leave Douvrin for the last time, I grabbed a croissant as breakfast...there hadn't been any time for food or coffee at the house. As it was, Francis had had to knock on my door to wake me up at 9 AM. We were supposed leave for the parade by 9:45 and then travel home from there. I had scrambled to get my shower and get packed!  

Once we were on the road I said goodbye to the mountains of bad coal...some of them are disappearing as the material is used in construction, but I doubt they can ever all be gone.

I missed the best pictures of yellow fields so what I can show here just doesn't do them justice.That yellow is absolutely magnificent!

By the time I got my camera to agree not to use the flash, I missed the trees that were loaded, but I did manage to catch this tree with its one globe of mistletoe.

Here are two houses that sort of typify their areas...the more modern brick house of the north and the old stone house with a dove cote from the Burgundy area.
The center of most rotaries are original plantings or something that relates to the area. I haven't seen two alike yet. Most are really beautiful or quite clever. This evening we were invited to have dinner with Sylvie, another teacher I meet through the student exchange program many years ago. She lives in Macon and just before we got to her house this was the rotary we passed. I just had to get a picture!