France - Day 19

18-Jun-2007

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France - Day 31

 

Day 19 - Thursday 19th May 2005

I walked out the front door this morning and surprised two deer grazing on the lawns, they bounded off into the thick woods surrounding the house.  We went into Arnay-le-Duc to check out the weekly market, we weren't overly impressed so we took a walk around the winding streets.  The church which began as a fortified chapel in 1092 and gained its present form in the 18th Century is quite imposing and undergoing restoration of the roof.  The tower behind the church was part of a castle that was constructed about 900 years ago.  It looked in excellent condition, they built them tough in those days.  We walked to the butcher and picked up some steak for tea and our daily supply of baguettes.  We dropped the supplies of at home the headed up to the Morvan, a mountainous region dotted with little villages and lakes.  We stopped for lunch at Asnost before heading further into the hills.  Lake Des Settons was a lovely spot, obviously very popular with the Burgundians as a leisure location, with "pedalos" and fishing piers thick with fishermen dotted around the shores.  We went for a walk around the edge and out on the dam that creates the lake and Cameron demonstrated the local Fish Jumping Dance.  We spotted some very large fish in the lake, mostly carp, but the occasional other species jumping for insects.  The roads were quite narrow and wound through beautiful green forests with vistas off into the distances appearing at farm clearings.  The farms looked particularly verdant with fat charolais cattle lazing in the sun and occasional spectacular palomino ponies, some miniature and some large.   We drove on through Chateau-Chinon, Arleuf and Mont Beuvray.  Along the way wood cutters were cutting timber, there were lots of piles of logs beside the roads.  We also passed the occasional memorial to WW2 resistance fighters who had been active in the woods.  We then headed for home and our usual pate and wine.  Jude and Cameron cooked dinner of steak and roasted vegetables after which we settled around the fire for the evening.  Another perfect day.

 

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