Poitou-Charentes myths, legends and history - La Dame de Chambrille

La Dame de Chambrille

Poitou-Charentes myths, legends and history

 

La Dame de Chambrille

One of my favourite discoveries this year was a mysterious granite rock formation (a geological oddity in an area where limestone prevails), located along a footpath, in the woods, not far outside of La Mothe-Saint-Héray, Deux-Sèvres. Its towering presence is enhanced by the legend surrounding it, and the fact ‘she’ has been named, La Dame de Chambrille (the lady of Chambrille). 

The towering presence of La Dame de Chambrille

 

Once upon a time, many years ago, Berthe, the beautiful daughter of a local squire fell in love with her neighbour, Guy de Tremont. Unfortunately, the elderly Baron de Chambrille asked for Berthe’s hand in marriage, to which her father agreed, despite poor Berthe’s despair. Some time passed after her wedding, when, by chance Berthe and Guy crossed paths once again, and soon began meeting in secret every night, only parting at the first light of dawn. 

 

The Baron became suspicious and followed his wife, watching the lovers before stabbing them one morning in a fit of jealousy. Berthe was petrified and became the rock with a profile of a lady’s face that bears her name, the Dame de Chambrille. Guy dragged himself, despite bleeding heavily, towards his home, where he died, his blood becoming the little red pebbles still visible in the stream that runs through the valley, his tomb, a flat rock found at the water’s edge. 

 

The red pebbles of Guy de Tremont

Like many similar tales, it might be a sad one and a little grisly, but I do love the magic of a good fairytale, and you have to agree, that rock does have an uncanny likeness to a damsel in distress, staring down at the stream where her lover’s body lay.

 

La Fouace

La Mothe-Saint-Héray is also home to a local delicacy that we have sadly yet to taste, though it’s not through want of trying. The fouace is a round brioche bun, but it’s not just a boulangerie speciality, it too has an interesting story behind it. The name comes from the Roman word ‘foacius’ meaning to be cooked under the ashes, or in the hearth, and it is from this same word you get fougasse from Provence and the foisee from Burgundy, among just a few to be found all over France. The Mothais fouace is said to be the real fouace, as not only was it mentioned in one of the Gargantua books by François Rabalais in 1534 but even in the Middle Ages, pilgrims on the Compostela route to Santiago would detour to stock up on these local delicacies, thanks to the reputation and quality of the local flour. I am always rather excited by a story that links the Chemins de Saint Jacques with food (see here). 

 

Until the war there were twelve fouaciers in La Mothe-Saint-Héray, but more recently the patisserie Favreau was the only holder of the secret recipe, that tradition dictates is only passed down to those who take over the business. Sadly, the Favreau patisserie closed in 2021, and when no buyer could be found, the recipe and manufacture moved to a local Mothais farm. It is now sold in the local COOP, but only from Wednesdays to Sundays.

 

In the spring of 2022 when we set off on our loaded Bromptons to follow the Sèvre Niortais river from its source to the Atlantic, La Mothe-Saint-Héray was our morning coffee stop on day one. We arrived on a sunny, Monday morning during the April school holidays, to find all the boulangeries were closed, despite our need for fuel with our coffees (thankfully the bar was open). Let’s just say by the time we arrived in Saint-Maixent-l’Ecole at lunchtime, I was running on empty. Returning one summer afternoon this year, to explore a bit more, we were able to buy our favourite flans at one of the boulangeries, that we ate in La Dame de Chambrille’s woods, but the fouace once again eluded us. 

 

The Orangery at La Mothe Saint Héray

The Orangery in La Mothe-Saint-Héray is also worth a visit, and as it’s always good to have a reason to return, maybe next time we will be lucky enough to enjoy a stroll around the beautiful gardens and a taste of a fouace. 

Advent Postcards, Tusson Charente

 

Advent postcards, Tusson, Charente

Advent day twenty-three

Today’s cycling advent-ures postcard is from Tusson in the Charente, an easy twenty-kilometre bike ride from home. This means it’s not only a popular cycling destination for us, but also our morning coffee stop if we are cycling the sixty kilometres to Angoulême. It is also somewhere that holds some significant memories.

 

Way back in 2019, when Covid-19 was just a whisper in the newspapers, we created our Christmas Day bike ride and picnic tradition, and Tusson was the location we picked to pop open the Champagne and tuck into our feast. It was also Tusson that was the destination for our first post lockdown adventure in May 2020. Safely spaced, but cycling together with Ed, Pearl and our friends, we took it in turns to choose our takeaway cakes from Gâteaux, a popular tea shop in Tusson, before heading back to our Christmas Day picnic tables to enjoy an outdoor freedom treat.

 

The delights of Gateaux salon de thé

There is a lot more to Tusson than just our memories though as it is also a significant stage on the Chemins de Saint-Jacques pilgrimage route. The 15^th century church is dedicated to Saint-Jacques, so it’s not surprising that the entrance is home to a carved statue of him as well as a contemporary sculpture of a pilgrim, and the inside also has some striking wall paintings. As you take your time to explore the narrow lanes of Tusson, many with stunning flower borders, you will also find statutes, stained-glass and pottery workshops, and many noble medieval buildings.

 

The other side of the main road there is a 19^th century lavoir (wash house) that hides an unusual secret, something we only discovered this summer. To the left of the lavoir, and up some stone steps, it is possible to see part of an ancient underground aqueduct that used to bring water to the old priory. Running behind (and completely hidden from) the main road are the remains of two priories (a men’s and a women’s), a medieval monastic garden and the biggest surprise for us, an adapted sensory garden for people with autism. It is definitely a village that deserves the time to explore its many treasures and if this isn’t enough, just outside of the village there are megaliths and tumuli dating back to the 5^th millennium BC.

Advent postcards, Javarzay, Chef-Boutonne, Deux-Sèvres

 

Advent postcard, Javarzay, Deux-Sèvres

Advent day eighteen

It wasn’t just the under tens in our village who got an early Christmas gift from Père Noël yesterday, we had our own reason to celebrate as Adrian’s mum was visiting for a long weekend. This is her first trip to France since 2019 and as we won’t be travelling to the UK this Christmas, we made the most of being able to have an early family celebration.

 

It was a busy weekend, taking in the Christmas market and lights in Poitiers on Saturday and taking her on a guided visit of Chef-Boutonne and Javarzay on Sunday afternoon. The Château de Javarzay may not be open, but we peered in the windows and had a good wander of the grounds, the lavoirs (wash houses), churches and the Boutonne river – which I’ve never seen so flooded. The sluice gates were all open and the power and speed of the water cascading through was mesmerising, and so very different from the gentle stream I’m used to seeing at work all summer. There is a mark on the wall of one lavoir showing the height of the flooding in 1982 and the water levels are currently only a few centimetres lower, with most of the features of the lavoir under water. 

 

Wanting to remember the heat of the summer, I’ve picked some sunny photos for my advent postcard today, with blue skies, pretty flowers and the golden hew of the stonework. 

We returned home with fresh faces for hot chocolate and homemade mincepies and later tucked into our version of a Christmas Day dinner. There was turkey, braised red cabbage, sprouts and other seasonal vegetables, but served as a risotto with side dishes. I’m not one to do things by the rules and as you can see, all plates were empty, so it went down well and was so much less hassle than a roast dinner.

An early family Christmas meal - the posed selfie

 

An early family Christmas meal - the empty plates

 

Advent postcards, Souvigny Allier

Advent postcard, Souvigny, Allier

Advent day thirteen

Today’s cycling advent-ures postcard is from Souvigny in the Allier department, a lunchtime rest stop for us as we cycled from Moulins back to Noyant-d’Allier. I can’t tell you much about Souvigny, but I couldn’t miss it out from my advent postcards as it truly was picture postcard perfect.

 

The sun was shining, we wandered deserted cobbled streets with creamy stone buildings and took in what is left of the château, before finding a shady bench to have our picnic lunch. Luckily for us, this gave us views of the impressive façade of the church as well as the shops with their ancient painted fronts, all under a blue sky. Souvigny was central to the Bourbon family and is also an important religious town thanks to the discovery of not one but two saints tombs. Saint Mayeul and Saint Odilon were both abbots at the monastery at Cluny over a thousand years ago. It isn’t quite on the direct Vézelay pilgrimage route, but many pilgrims make a detour here and I have to say, I’m in agreement with them. Souvigny is 100% worth a detour. 

Advent postcards, Aulnay Charente-Maritime

 

Advent postcards, Aulnay, Charente-Maritime

Advent day eight

The jet stream has once again turned on us, bringing wild, wet and windy weather this weekend. We did have exciting cycling plans, but for the moment, it looks like we’ll have to take a rain check in the morning – keep your fingers crossed please. At least I can look back on our summer fun and remember that wonderful feeling of the heat of the sun on my skin.

 

Aulnay, in the Charente-Maritime has been an important stop for pilgrims on the Chemins de Saint Jacques de Compostelle for hundreds of years and a special place for us since our first St Jean d’Angeley 100km-day cycle route in 2017. There is something quite magical about reaching Aulnay and the last twenty kilometres of the day.

 

This year Aulnay has featured twice on our cycling calendar. As well as being our last cake-break and offering cool shady grass to lay down on, with a view of the impressive church spire, on our 100km a day, it was also a cycle ride destination to explore it more on a Terra Aventura adventure. This, once again, took us to hidden places we’ve missed, and pointed out so much more details than we’d noticed despite many years of cycling here.

 

The church of St Pierre dates from the 12^th Century and is a beauty. The spire draws you in from many kilometres out, and once you stand underneath the enormous carvings on the arched doorways, there is so much to see, one visit isn’t enough to appreciate it all.

 

I can’t wait to return to Aulnay next year, celebrating not only turning 53 but ten years of birthday 100kms-in-a day-bike rides.  

Anniversary adventures in Angoulême

Anniversary adventures in Angoulême

In my post to mark the passing of January, I wrote about my hopes that February would bring us crisp, blue sky and sunshine days and so far, it has delivered. The frosty mornings have looked beautiful, illuminated by the deep orange glow of sunrise, and witnessed from the warmth of the duvet. By lunchtime there has been enough heat in the sun to dine outdoors and as Ed has slipped into the habit of a weekly visit, the washing he’s brought with him has dried nicely outside.

 

This year to help us mark our upcoming silver wedding anniversary, (two months today) we have decided that a cycle tour every month, of a minimum of one night away and one hundred kilometres cycling, is a fitting way for us to combine a challenge with a celebration. You might ask “where is the challenge in heading off for a night away once a month?” Well, when the weather is against you and it is just you and your legs to propel yourself along, a romantic getaway soon becomes a challenge for the mind, as well as the body. It also involves working together to keep each other motivated to carry on, well, February’s challenge certainly involved Adrian doing a lot of stopping, waiting and offering of cake, to keep me motivated to carry on, but it was still teamwork and togetherness, and that’s what counts.

Destination Angoulême 

 

Destination Angoulême, Saturday

At around sixty kilometres from home, Angoulême was the perfect destination for our February overnight cycling mini break and having completed previous cycling adventures there we knew where to stay, where to eat out and where to find breakfast. 

 

Our route took us into the Charente department and through our first cognac vineyards before we’d managed twenty kilometres, and it was here I had to stop to take my first layer of clothing off. Our planned lunch stop was in Luxé, just after we crossed the river Charente for the first of many times, where the snack bar by the lake promised a delicious croque monsieur but it wasn’t to be. The thing with cycle touring, even if it’s only two 60km days, is that it’s important to be prepared and pack for all eventualities. As we sat on a bench between lake and closed snack bar, eating a hard-boiled egg from our bag, the tables tantalizingly laid for service, were just visible in the gloomy interior. We had patiently given them their Charentais quart d’heure, the obligatory Charentais fifteen-minute delay, but still nothing. I guess their Google listing stating winter opening times of 12h till 14h Thursday to Sunday, didn’t include the first Saturday in February. 

The Well of Miracles, Xambes, Charente

 

The village of Xambes wasn’t much further on and here we hoped to find a picnic bench to enjoy the emergency avocado salad I’d packed in case the cafe was closed. The signs to the Well of Miracles were too intriguing not to follow and tucked into the flaking wall at the side of the church, we found a small statue of the Virgin Mary and a rather disappointing well. Lourdes it was not. The sign told us to thank the Virgin Mary, which we did, and low and behold, her path led us to a picnic bench nestled in a secluded copse of trees. Maybe had I been more grateful to her, she could have seen to it that every snack bar and boulangerie we were to pass today wouldn’t be closed. 

Katie The Tiny Tourer enjoying knitted tree warmers in Var, Charente

 

At Saint-Amant-de-Boixe we swept past the impressive abbey, and closed boulangerie, before continuing onto Montignac-Charente, where we chose the challenge of a sharp climb up to the donjon, only to find it closed. We carefully carried the bikes down a set of ancient stone steps, to arrive at the door of another closed boulangerie. We were now following the pilgrimage route of St Jacques, that has tucked in beside the river Charente from Charroux in the Vienne and will continue with us to Angoulême. In Vars, as well as a closed boulangerie, we had the excitement of discovering a slow puncture on Adrian’s rear wheel and lots of knitted tree warmers in bright colours decorating the village centre. A bit of air pumped into the tyre, for the first of many times, and we were good to continue. 

 

Time for a hug on the banks of the Charente

Our final route into Angoulême followed the couloir verte (green corridor) that is sandwiched between the tranquillity of the Charente River on one side and the continual engine roar from the ring road flyover on the other. We first cycled into town this way in autumn 2019 where I clocked up my first 3000km on Katie, my Brompton. We are now well on our way to twenty thousand happy kilometres together and a cake on a bench would have been a fitting way to celebrate, had we managed to find an open boulangerie. At a bend in the river, my eye caught a beautiful old plane tree, spotted and majestic, towering above me like a gigantic, knobbly giraffe. I had to pause for a moment and give it a hug, which is when we noticed an abandoned avenue lined with similar plane trees leading from the river up a long-overgrown track towards a gated property. I bet at some point in time the wealthy owners would have had their own water access, maybe even a small port for exporting their cognac.

 

Home for the night was the Aparthotel situated at river level, giving our legs a different form of exercise as we set off on foot to climb the steep steps cut into the Jardin Vert to reach the ramparts, eighty metres above us. We had a mission to accomplish, namely sourcing provisions for a packed lunch for our return tomorrow and as it’s never a good idea to shop on an empty stomach, we added a few sweet and savoury treats to keep us going before dinner too. This was maybe a touch greedy as despite cycling just over sixty kilometres, it was a mostly flat, easy day on the bike that probably hadn’t burned as many calories as we were about to consume before unfolding the bikes in the morning. 

 

The ramparts of Angoulême and Général Resnier

The top of the ramparts offered spectacular views over the river and back in the direction we had come from. A small plaque set into the walls told of the brave attempt at non-motorised flight by Général Resnier, hailed as the man who gave rise to the idea of France’s first air army. Determined to find a way for Napoleon’s troops to invade England, he trialled his winged invention from this point in 1801, aged a spritely seventy-three-years young. His third attempt saw him ‘fly’ three hundred metres, before landing on the far bank of the river, breaking a leg, ouch. 

 

Our discoveries didn’t end here as we found the remains of a lantern des morts in the garden behind St Andre’s church. These tall stone columns, whose lights were said to guide the soul to heaven, are unique to ancient cemeteries in our area, and always top of my list to visit. I had no idea Angoulême had one, so even though the main body of it had been repurposed as a chimney, seeing the decorative top section close-up was a treat.

 

Dinner at Le Bruleau Charentais

Dinner was at our favourite Angoulême restaurant Le Bruleau Charentais, who offer a feast of local delicacies. A shared slate of charcuterie, followed by entrecote steak and chips, cooked in the traditional, local method over an open fire, on full view in the restaurant, lived up to our expectations. All washed down with a Pineau de Charentes as an aperatif and a red Bordeaux wine with the steak. A delicious and well-deserved meal, but I really should have let Adrian tuck into my leftover chips, as I normally would, but somehow there weren’t any left over.

Angoulême market and vintage cars

 

Sunday, the return

Our morning began with a walk back up to town for breakfast in the covered market. Here we enjoyed coffee at the Italian deli for only 1€, with chocolatines, Angoulême is officially too far south to call them pains au chocolats, from the boulangerie stall, meaning breakfast was easily achievable for under 5€. Just to add to the atmosphere the local vintage car club had their monthly Sunday morning meet, so we returned with the loaded bikes, for a pre-depart coffee and to admire a collection of Truimphs, Minis, Fiats and more, gleaming in the morning sunshine with that smell you only get from the interior of an old car. When we spied the cannoli at the deli, we couldn’t resist trying one each. These delicious, sweet pastry tubes, one filled with a chocolate cream, the other caramel, worked well with the coffee but would have been a bit too sweet on their own. At least this morning’s pastry fest made up for not getting an open boulangerie en route yesterday and the sugar rush should have been enough to power me home.

 

On day one, I had felt strong, powerful, and able to match every one of Adrian’s pedal strokes. As I glided along, I was convinced 60km wasn’t far enough for these weekends away and we should be upping our game to push further afield. It was a breeze, mainly, I later discovered, thanks to the wind on our backs, an unseen force gently helping us on our way. On Sunday, everything felt very different, and cycling into the wind almost relentlessly, meant even the downhill stretches needed effort to keep moving. Cycling is the perfect activity for us as it enables us to enjoy a shared passion, spending our days together, but our different paces mean we have space for our own thoughts as the kilometres roll by. As I watched Adrian pull further and further ahead of me, I realised there were quite a few similarities between cycle touring and marriage, and no, I don’t mean they can both be a pain in the bum. 

 

Not every day will be effortless, sailing along with the wind behind you and not a care in the world. There will be some days that require more will power and more focus, that take more out of you to reach the same end point. But that is OK, without the tough days, the easy days wouldn’t feel so much fun. For more insightful thoughts on relationships, join me back here following our March anniversary getaway.

 

Cognac vineyards

Our slow progress home continued, with plenty of opportunity to enjoy the scenery around us. I heard not one but two early season lawnmowers in action and at one point we cruised past some delicious prawns sizzling away, being cooked on a windowsill. Out of the villages, we enjoyed fields full of hunched white cattle egrets, a skylark calling above a vineyard and we surprised a woodpecker by our arrival in the woods. By mid-afternoon our February adventure was over, Ed and Pearl welcomed us home with big smiles, and it was time to start thinking about what to cook for dinner and where to go in March.

 

I know some couples would prefer to celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a destination more exotic, maybe a weekend in New York for example, but Angoulême worked perfectly for us and our goal of burning fewer fossil fuels. When I discovered a link between Angoulême, New York and our wedding anniversary, that was all the proof I needed that we’d made the correct decision.

 

On 17^th April 1524, exactly four hundred and seventy-four years before we got married, Italian explorer Giovanni da Varrazano, (also known as Jean de Varrazane) discovered the bay of New York and named it “New Angoulême”, in honnor of the king of France, François 1er, who’d sent him on his voyage. The king had been the count of Angoulême and this newly discovered world, was for a short time, known as the Terre d’Angoulême. If you don’t believe me, you can read more in Jacques Habert’s book, “When New York was called Angoulême”, published in 1949.

When New York was called Angoulême

 

I have no doubt we will visit Angoulême again, by bike, and I know there are more treasures waiting for us to discover. 

Christmas in the Creuse

The nativity scene in the village of St-Martin-Ste-Catherine in the Creuse

Christmas in the Creuse

 

It was a genius of an idea. A spur of the moment change of plan that immediately felt so perfect it actually ignited my Christmas spirit – something that never happens in November. 

 

Let me take you back a few weeks, to early November, when Ed and Pearl were home for a weekend visit. We checked our calendars and found a weekend when they were free to dog and house sit for us, so we could escape on the bikes in the hope of catching some fine autumnal colours and exploring some more of France. Adrian, being our chief planner, had found a few accommodation options, when he stumbled upon a bargain that couldn’t be ignored. Rather than a bijou studio apartment for two, with just enough room to squeeze the folded Bromptons in, he’d found a gite that slept six people and was happy to accept dogs, for the same modest price we always search for. A quick chat with Ed and Pearl confirmed they were happy to join us there, direct from Poitiers, and have fun with Mini exploring some new walks. As we won’t all be together for Christmas or New Year, it seemed the perfect opportunity to combine a weekend away and a family pre-Christmas celebration.

An evening stroll, autumn in the Creuse

 

Adrian and I arrived on the Friday, just as the sun was setting, bathing the rural landscape of rolling hills, fields of Limousin cows and autumn-leaved trees in a soft gold. The fire had been lit, adding to the warm welcome we received from Sally and Mark, who had even thought to add some Christmas decorations when we’d explained our weekend plans. We unpacked the car that was stacked to bursting with bicycles, walking boots, food, drink, clothes and the dog, before setting off along the lane for a quick evening stroll. Mini met the resident dogs who were as welcoming as their owners, and they all got on just fine once the ritual bottom sniffing had been attended to.

 

When Ed and Pearl arrived, it was quickly decided that Pearl would be our weekend fire chief. While our heating has always been of the push-button boiler variety, her parents have a woodburning stove and all Adrian and I had succeeded in doing so far, was either letting it go out or, poking it and stoking it, thus filling the room with smoke. With Pearl in charge, we were nice and toasty. 

Setting off for 70km on the Bromptons

 

Once the morning fog had lifted on Saturday, Adrian and I set off for a 70km ride on the Bromptons, exploring an area where the cycling was hilly enough to be challenging, but the autumn colours were stunning and the scenery was gorgeous. We are used to rural French cycling, following the back roads between villages and rarely being bothered by traffic, but the Creuse took quiet, lost lane cycling to a whole new level. It was as if we were the only ones in the world, as village after village slumbered behind closed shutters. Luckily there were cows to keep us company, lots of cows. Their gentle eyes lifted from the seriousness of grass chewing and followed us past their fields, their chestnut colouring blending perfectly with the trees and hedges framing the landscape.

The scallop shell that marks the Camino pilgrimage routes

 

Once again fate had thrown us onto the path of one of the French Caminos, the long-distance pilgrimage routes that cross France heading towards Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. This time it was the route from Vézelay that then heads through Limoges and Bergerac on its way to St Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. So many of our adventures cross the camino, the call to follow it becomes stronger each time.

The 16th Century frescoes in St-Martin-Ste-Catherine

 

As the afternoon drew on, we realised it wasn’t just us who were thinking of Christmas. A pause to rest our legs and look at the sixteenth century frescoes in the rather damp and crumbly church in St-Martin-Ste-Catherine, revealed the nativity scene tucked under the altar, ready for the first Sunday of Advent. The figurines were chipped and worn, no doubt touched by many hands over the years, the manger empty and waiting for its Christmas Day arrival. It was about this time that I began to doubt myself. Daylight was fading fast; the air had become noticeably colder and my legs were tiring with each pedal stroke. What 51-year-old fool thinks she can cycle 70km in an afternoon and then prepare a special four course feast for dinner? That fool would be me! 

A family festive feast

 

It was dark before we returned, but the chatter over aperos soon revived me enough to put together my Christmas flavours risotto; chicken, pumpkin, mushrooms and cranberries, served with side dishes of spicy red cabbage (prepared in advance) and sautéed lardons, leeks and walnuts – the leeks were a good substitute for the Brussels sprouts that didn’t look very appetising when we shopped. We dined like kings, pausing between courses to play games like Boggle, Uno and Head Bandz as the music played and the fire crackled in the background. Ed was our chief entertainer and when I could no longer sit upright, we sprawled on the sofas as he played his guitar.

The gite

  

The gite had everything we needed, including an enclosed garden, endless walks that took in views of the lake, woodlands and fields, and cosy, comfortable beds topped with soft flannelette sheets and heavy, down-filled duvets. The icing on the cake was that it was owned by an Australian ex-pro road cyclist who was happy to talk about cycling and share his knowledge of the local routes. A weekend here was not long enough. For more information you can contact them by email: s.fenner@ftptraining.com

Sunrise from the bedroom window

 

Life has been turned on its head a number of times since the summer and sometimes you just need to stop the madness for a moment. This weekend gave me the chance to reset my head and experience the sunrise from another bedroom window, and it’s always good to see things from a different angle.

 

Thanks for the fun and great memories. You guys are the best.

 

My family - an autumn walk in the Creuse

 

Poitiers summer fun

Place du Maréchal Leclerc, Poitiers

HoliDAYS out and about: Poitiers

This summer, rather than going away for a holiday we are making the most of our holiDAYS out and about, mostly involving the bikes. The first of these was an afternoon in Poitiers, where the relaxed groups of tourists milling around with maps, ensured there was a feel of holidays in the air.

 

There are certain things we like to do on holiday; ride our bikes, sit outside at a café, enjoy warm sunny weather, eat patisseries, drink cold beer and see the sights. I’m pleased to say, we managed all of these in just one afternoon in Poitiers.

Lunch on a terrace, Poitiers 2022

 

We lunched in the main square with the imposing Hôtel du Ville watching over us, as we people-watched the constant flow of activity around us. We might have had the intention of grabbing a quick croque monsieur, but with a menu offering steak frites, followed by a chocolate éclair and a coffee (that came with a biscuit) for less than 12€ each, our resolve crumbled. Seated outside, there was more than enough room for our bikes to join us without getting in the way and the distance between the tables was safe and reassuring. The creamy blossoms of the Japanese Pagoda tree fell like confetti on us, the table, and added a certain something to the salad that accompanied our steak frites. We then set off for a short twelve-kilometre city tour by bike.

Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Poitiers

This year Poitiers is celebrating the 900^th anniversary of Aliénor d’Aquitaine, who (I believe) is the only person to hold both the title of Queen of France and Queen of England. The impressive Palais that is at the heart of the medieval city, was where the Counts of Poitou and the Duchy of Aquitaine held their courts. I haven’t had time so far this summer to book into any of the events being organised but seeing this artwork on the grand steps up to Palais reminded me to check out the calendar, as I really enjoyed the office du tourisme’s guided love-theme walk. 

Parc du Blossac, Poitiers

 

Despite the tourists in the town centre, we had the beautiful Parc de Blossac, that dates from the eighteenth century, almost to ourselves. It’s central fountain and wide tree-lined boulevards, with a bandstand and views over the ramparts feel very Parisian to me and are perfect for enjoying on a bike, but the more intimate Jardin à l'Anglaise and small animal park are best explored on foot. If you look closely on the old stone walls there is evidence of the Nazi occupation, a swastika, and the date 1940, plus a German eagle, carved into the stone at one of the strategic viewpoints over the river. A reminder that the park was requisitioned as a parade ground for the many garrisons of soldiers stationed in the vicinity.

Church of St Hilaire le Grand, Poitiers

We also took advantage of the cool interiors of some of the churches in Poiters, including the church of St Hilaire le Grand (who was the first bishop of Poitiers). This impressive Romanesque church has been welcoming pilgrims on Chemins de St Jacques for hundreds of years and I’m always delighted when my path crosses this ancient pilgrimage route.

Poitiers viewed from the cycle lane flyover

 

In more recent years, Poitiers has come on a long way in terms of being an eco-city and somewhere that is cycle and pedestrian friendly. In our early years in France, on the odd occasion we did venture into the town centre, around family airport or station drop-offs, we quickly remembered why we rarely bothered. It was difficult to access, impossible to park and noisy and unpleasant to walk anywhere because of the constant traffic. The main square becoming pedestrianised was one of the best things they have done, topped only by the fact that the best view of the city is now one that is reserved exclusively for cyclists. It is a city panorama, from the flyover, where two out of the three lanes are now car free. Cycling into town from Ed and Pearl’s flat is a joy. Poitiers took the decision a few years ago, to drastically reduce car access into the city and now the town centre is a hive of people, happily shopping and socialising in the car-free streets. More towns need to follow this example.

Vive l’active travel!

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