A visit to Uzerche (oo zairsh) isn't complete without having driven up the narrow one way street to the Abbaye at the tippy top of this designated Village Etape (Vee arzhe aye tap).
A Village Etape is a small town of usually less than 5,000 in habitants designated to provide a complete set of services for national and provincial highway travelers. This also means they provide natural or cultural landmarks, activities and attractions in some form, core requirements addressing quality of hours of operation for amenities such as restaurants, supermarkets, lodging and tourist information centers.
Despite the possibility of thick fog on our journey today, we set for by 10am, wanting to be home for lunch around 1.30.
It is COLD! Just over 1C when we left home, and it has only improved slightly since, to maybe 3C!
We ate a protein breakfast, knowing we would eat lunch later, and needed the energy for any climbing we may do, this being a town on a hill.
First we had to get there. There are several routes to the town, and we chose the one with the Chateau we had seen before and wanted to investigate further. It was not to be, as the gates were firmly closed until the night of the Marche de Noel, or Christman Market on the night of the 16th December...after we have left, unfortunately.
Here is the Chateau de Bonneval in the town of Coussac Bonneval. What a pretty OLD town. Again, narrow roads leading through houses that are ALL built on the road in the Vieille Ville, or Old Town.
We had to be content with taking these kinds of photos, over the lovely rock wall. One of the prices of touristing in winter.
This property facing the Chateau is for sale....hmm...a bit much work needed on this one, methinx.
Because of it's location in the middle of the village, the Chateau is frequently misnamed the Chateau de Coussac-Bonneval.
The building is interesting as it showcases the changes in architectural design from early Mediaeval stronghold to Renaissance Palace, and to elegant stately home of La Belle Epoque era.
The captivating aspect of this Chateau is more about the role of the building providing a back-drop to the involvement of the Bonneval Family in some of the key moments in French History.
In recognition of it's significance as a heritage site and tourism destination, the beauty of the interior and the quality and variety of its contents, the Chateau has been adjudged to be one of the 3 most important locations in the Limousin Region by the assessors of the 'Favorite Monuments of France, 2014. Thanks to the official Chateau site for that information.
This Chateau is in reasonable condition, thankfully. Apparently it has been owned by the same family for 1,000 years. It is the ancestral home of the Marquis de Bonneval, one of France's oldest noble families. The Marquisate dates back to 1655, when the title was bestowed. The founder of the House of Bonneval built the first chateau in 1050. Gaston De Bonneval, 1911 -1998, served as Aide de Camp to General Charles de Gaulle. The Chapel dates back to the year 930, believed to be the same year that work began on the first Chateau de Bonneval. Fascinating history, and colorful characters, come from this family, well intertwined with the royal houses of France. 30 Generations of the family are documented on a Family Tree, housed within these walls.
The house beside the Chateau gates is covered in vines which Im sure look lovely in the Fall.
Over hill and down dale to Uzerche. The countryside looked as cold as it was. The wind was cold...not just cold, but biting cold, in any exposed areas.
I think we eventually drove over the road on top of this tunnel. This lead us into the town of Uzerche.
Choosing the road to the Vieux Ville (old town) we were on a one way street to the pinnacle where the Abbaye sits on top of the Rock. This is one of 9 portals into the old town. Known as the Becharie Door (or sometimes Barachaude Door). You can see traces of its former Drawbridge in its niches on the sides.
The nine doors or portals are: Porte Mousty, Claurenson, Becharie, Du Roudex, Baffat, Barachaude, de l'abbaye, Portal de Sauvaget, Portoal of the Saintes Jacquiers.
Up, up....
To the large square at the top where the Marie (Council chambers where the Mayor works) and the Abbaye, among other significant buildings.
The Mairie (Town hall )is straight ahead. It was built over some See the white door to the far left? Public Toilets!
We were strongly inclined to get a Grand Crème in the Tabac on the right, but being a touristic place, we thought they might charge a premium. We carried on , in the freezing cold, moving constantly to stay warm. Gloves were employed today..yay! I remembered, lol. I did leave my orange glow hat behind, however, and should have had it with me. My jacket hood had to make do in the short term.
Modern sculpture in ancient places is always pleasing to see, even when I don't like it, but this water-course was supposed to be working, and it wasn't. Winter isn't important on the tourist calendar, so they turn these things off.
Uzerche was first a fortress city. Some archaeologists recognize the site of Uxellodunum or Usercodunum, the last oppidum of the Gallic defence in its fight against Caesar.
Pepin the brief made the city fortified in 763 and build an enclosure of 18 towers and a "palace " there.
This is a classic example of an old Colombage home. Colombage means Half Timbered, and is the Daub and Wattle method of filling in the gaps, as it were. Further on, I will show you how it also falls apart. This home on the square is wonderfully preserved or renovated, more likely. How important is this renovation! If we are to know what happened in our past, these homes are important in the scheme of things.
Up a steep ramp is the Abbatiale de Uzerche. Until the 11th Century, churches were built of wood. O
Of course, so many of them burned down, to be followed (generally) by buildings of stone, which was freely available in the locations we find them today. The Crypts of this building were started in the 11th century. The rest of the church was built over several centuries.
The following was translated from a website of the town or Uzerche.
The
Looking from the Mairie down to the imposing building with the white front, that used to be a school for young girls. It is no longer used for this purpose.
It is a pretty town square, but it was cold as death when we went out onto the ramparts to look down on the Vezere River (Vay Zaire). The river goes around the town in an oxbow, which is interesting to see from such a high place.
The lovely old building on the right is a former Boys school. So, down the hill a bit is the Girls school (former) and here is the Former Boys school. Got to keep those boys and girls separate!
Down behind the Mairie we looked down over the river and around the corner to the other fantastic buildings that make this town such an architectural delight.
The Vereze River
Does it LOOK cold? Heavens...hands in gloves still weren't warm, and my face was going to leave me for warmer parts.
Waz pointed out that this cantelevered Lanai looks a bit like a half house.
I followed Waz inside the Abbaye, and was greeted by this life-sized Nativity. It was a bit of a shock, to be honest. I was naughty and used the flash! tisk!...and was told off for my trouble.
The Abbaye didn't have the interior decoration that we might have expected, but then it is older than many we have been inside recently.
This is one of the 11th century Crypts, which you can walk into if inclined. It looked colder than we already were.
Behind the Abbaye, and that brown building is the back part of the Boys school.
Sitting on the rock wall overlooking the over side of the Vezere River (as it completes the oxbow), is this delightful sculpture.
Across the river and up the hill somewhat, is a typical French Farm building.
Making our way back down to the square, this is the sculpture at the top of the water course which wasn't running.
This stunning building apparently passed down several generations of Pharmacists. It sits next to the square, and is very imposing, opposite the Colombage house above.
This one. I love how the wisteria is trained along the top of the doors, and the front of the building. this is a very French thing to do.
Being an historic building, there are many extraordinary architectural elements to discover.
Look at the size of these lentil logs above the front door.
Most of the buildings are of stone, in the old village, but of course the doors will be wooden.
We think most of the people who inhabited this village were small. Waz is 5ft 11".
The stonework is extraordinary. Love the portal and red door.
Another across the river photo. This Maison bourgeois is rather gorgeous.
Remember I was talking about Colombage and how it is made? Here is a wall where the plaster has work/dropped away, and you can see the wooden cross-work that supports the daub, or mud mix...often mixed with animal dung and straw, and then stuck and pressed through the wooden slats, and dried.
There are Always vegetable gardens...everywhere!
We couldn't walk down hill any further without turning to ice blocks, so we went back to the car and made our way down the one way street over the other side and out of the old town.
There are Christmas decorations everywhere, but not to the degree that we see in the USA, which can be a bit over the top, to be frank.
It was a little challenging to find the right road to make our way across the river, ....over there where those houses are.
...but find it we did, and rose up the other side in search of a view spot so that we could find a better photo of the old city on the rock.
We parked and walked back down hill to the little portal we found that would give us the view we sought.
The way up was slippery, and I had to duck walk over the leaves, so I didn't fall.
Don't know how we found it, and it is rather an interesting place, overlooking small and interesting back yards...no grass, just concrete that might be 100 sq. meters at most.
It wasn't necessary to go all the way to the top. Going higher meant colder!
This is the rainy view that was our reward for the breath-taking climb.
It really is steep, and it doesn't show that here.
Out of focus, but I spied this by chance. The sign says that this is where to view thecity lights.
A pottery shop which wasn't open. We could smell a furnace working, somewhere close. That top vase is only 120 euros.
We were wet by now, so we turned for home. No reason to stop and take more photos as we were returning the way we had come. Well, kind of. Waz asked me if we wanted to go home a different route, and this necessitated going around the roundabout a couple of times to get the exit correct.
We did stop at a SuperU supermarket for some Christmas gifts to take home (I wont spill the beans!) and a new Pain Cereal. We are almost finished the last one. Grain bread is fresh made here, and lasts only a couple of days, having no preservatives.
There is a snow and ice warning, as I listen to Waz reading off the computer. The forecast has been revised somewhat...-4C tonight, and -6C on Saturday night, with a high of 2C both days. It is currently 1.8C, and I have closed all the shutters early because of the cold. The fire doesn't seem to be keeping us that warm, right now. I will have to sit closer.
I have a small gripe....There are no lap rugs in this house. The cats have special rugs for them to sleep on the furniture...and they were washed prior to us getting here, so I am using those for extra warmth. I don't know what these folks do for more heat, but....
Fortunately we travel with our warm slippers, and we have sufficient jackets to keep us toasty...mostly!
We get UK TV here, and get news from all over the world, which we love. We get sick of the US-centric news in the USA and wish we had this kind of cover there.
All kinds of shenanigans going on in the US and we aren't looking forward to going 'home'.
Time to get some dinner!
I don't feel like eating a lot of food...We ate a fairly substantial lunch...and I have some crepes in the fridge. Sounded like an opportunity to make savory crepes.
Ecshalotes, garlic, lardons, broccoli, courgette (Zucchini) and Mushrooms with a dash of white wine and some crème fraiche. Bubble bubble toil and trouble, and voila! Stuffed crepes with a little schredded (Rape or ra pay) emental cheese, and into the oven to melt the cheese on top. HOT PLATES! Aiieee...why do I always forget, lol.
Delicious, and plenty of food. We are all washed and dried, cats fed and mostly asleep. Two hold outs...Alfie, who opened the cat door even though I had locked it so he couldn't get out...hooked his claws under the lid and voila! One cat out the door! Smart beggar! He and Scruffles are awol right now, but I know both of them will eventually come inside.
Time to sit by the fire, which I have just put another log on (threatening to break into song, here!) and sit with Wazzles who is watching History Channel, WW11 movies of Guadalcanal, and the War in the Pacific. Both of our fathers were in that arena during the War, so it is of particular interest. My father was a Sheet metal worker in the Solomon Islands before being sent to Laucala Bay (Pronounced: Lou (as in our) thala Bay) in Fiji, where Waz's Dad was also stationed.
Dinner....
Alfie does insist on 'grooming' Waz's hair. Silly moggy!
On that happy note, Au Revoir.
