Thursday, May 5, 2022 - Connecting with old friends and with French history

 This morning, we have an international full house - Ron and Chris from Winchester, England, Dan and Paulette from Brussels, Belgium, and Janis and Clark from North Carolina. There's so much to share, catching up on families, comparing notes on Covid response in 3 countries, a little politics, and a lot of laughter. So breakfast took longer than usual. 

The plan for the day is to mosey our way to Chablis and taste wine. Our host came at 9 to do some outside maintenance (working on the septic system, cutting the grass, etc.) and when talking to him, he suggested we follow the Burgundy canal toward our destination, with a visit to Tonnerre. 

This took much longer than 2 hours and 20 minutes - we had to stop frequently and "smell the roses"

You never know what you'll find along the way. The D970 and the canal move towards and away from one another, crossing paths occasionally as though dancing their way north. As the road wove through the town of St. Thibault-en-Auxois, the size and shape of the church at its center caught our attention, in spite of the scaffolding on one side. 

St Thibault

The church is unlike any we've seen before (and we've seen a lot). It's almost like 2 different churches put together. Founded by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of St. Rigaud (Saône et Loire) in the 11th century, the church became a pilgrimage site when it received the relics of St. Thibault, greatly enriching the priory. 

looking toward the nave, short, wood-paneled, simple

looking toward the altar and choir - high gothic, light, bright, tall (27 meters - a bir over 80 feet tall)

In the early 14th century, St. Thibault came under the protection of a rich lord, Jean de Thil (Was the protection requested or imposed, I wonder.) who required certain royalty fees for his protection. That didn't save the town from being burned by marauding bands of brigands who burned the town at the end of the century. Then in the 17th century, the nave collapsed totally and in the 19th century a new nave was built, leaving St. Thibault a hodge-podge of building styles. (And a really fun church to explore.) The chancel and choir are beautifully gothic, soaring toward heaven, while the pews and paneling of the nave, even though beautifully carved, seem firmly anchored in the earth. An interesting contrast. 

Back on the road, we next headed for Tonnerre, a town that was begun as a Roman fortress. 

Tonnerre

We parked in the lower part of the town, next to the church, Notre-Dame de Tonnerre.

Notre Dame de Tonnerre

First order of business was to find a bathroom which was not far from the Fosse Dionne. We found it, but it was locked. Luckily, the tourist bureau was open across the street, so we asked there. The host there let us all use the bathroom in the tourist bureau and we also got information on the sights of the town. 

We next headed to the Fosse Dionne. An 18th century lavoir (clothes washing basin) was built over the source of a spring (fed by rainwater that filters through the limestone plateau) that emerges in the center of town. In Roman days, it provided water to the fortified Roman town. 

Fosse Dionne - women would come to wash their clothes. The roof protected them from the weather. Water doesn't look so good these days. Fertilizers in the soil, perhaps?

Above us yet is the church of St Peter up a very steep hill and covered in scaffolding. With no doors open, our visit was short. 

Church of St. Peter

However, from the church, there are great views looking over the city.

Tonnerre - view from the church

Back to the car, we checked out the Gothic church of Notre Dame. This church was severely damaged by bombs in WWII, restored after the war. 

gothic architecture Notre Dame in Tonnerre

Because it was chilly and rainy and because we didn't know much about the town other than its name, I think we didn't really give the Tonnerre more than a quick glance. And the upper part of the town had many old buildings that looked in need of some love. And we had other places to travel that day. So we left without seeing the Hotel Dieu (medieval hospital for the poor) and other sites. But like most of the towns we happen upon here in Burgundy, it is worth a closer inspection. However, it's lunch time and we're all hungry.

We found our way to a park in Tonnerre next to the Burgundy Canal where we ate our lunch standing since there had been rain and the tables and benches were all wet. 

Dave, Paulette, Dan, Janis, Clark at lunch along the canal

Onward then to Chablis to have a little look around before wine tasting. 

Chablis vineyards under threatening skies

After parking, we walked to the center of town, Dan and Clark stopped to buy some wine, while I checked out the wysteria at a very cute looking restaurant. 

wysteria

restaurant under an arbor of wysteria vines

wine store recommended by Dan

The church, Eglise Collegiale de St. Martin, was locked but our exterior inspection gave us an interesting tidbit about its history. Saint Martin's name is invoked to protect horses and cavalry men. Horseshoes are nailed to the side door.

funny face carving on the church

Can you find the horseshoes nailed to this door?

Eglise Collegiale St Martin in Chablis

One final stop before heading home was to taste wine at Domaine Borgnat in Escolives. This is a winery and bed and breakfast that Dan and Paulette had stayed at when last bicycling in Burgundy. 

Stainless tanks at Domaine Borgnat

Dan, Paulette, Dave at Domaine Borgnat

I collected several pollarded tree photos today to show you what progress (if you can call it that) has been made in leafing out. Most look pretty weird, right?

Once more we've packed a ton of things into one day. We're tired.