Hi everyone, I am continuing with photos of our stay with friends near Poitiers!
One of the days we headed out and stopped off at Nieuil l'Espoir, a beautiful little town, very quiet on the day we were there!
We visited this lovely church.
I loved the pink glow created by the window
The Boulangerie had a fabulous Summer display...
..perfect for the time of year and the temperature!
We continued our journey intending to go for lunch but passed a Lavoir - an old washhouse - we just had to stop!
The path was quite overgrown but so worth the tickles on the legs!
This is where the women of the town would bring their laundry to wash!
We had never seen so many varieties of dragonflies in one place, although they were so fast we kept missing with our cameras!
We went up to the restaurant our friends wanted to visit, only to find it closed on the day we were there so it was off to find somewhere else.
We came across this Auberge - we were too late for a seat outside so had a shady spot inside instead. The first course wasn't memorable at all, quiche and salad as it was towards the end of lunch time and ew had missed the specials, but the desert was a wonderful fruit salad - as you can see we had our usual water to drink!
You may have guessed from the name of the inn that we weren't far from the Abbey- Abbe St Junien de Nouaille Maupertuis
We called in at the church first
Quite grand!
There is a moat around the walls
You get an idea of the site of the grounds and building here!
A beautiful beetle..and our friends behind the plant!
This is as close as we got to seeing the abbey - a small chapel on the way to a modern chapel that the monk in the reception area directed us to saying that he didn't like it..I'll let you judge!
It certainly wasn't very ornate...
..and my SIL and I weren't so sure about the crucifix on the altar..but the light from the windows...
You know how I love to see light projected around churches so I think you can guess what I liked about this place!
Finally - I would love to have this in my garden...
...two for Elizabeth(and Bleubeard of course), our hosts at T Stands for Tuesday...
...and one for Helen(H)...what on Earth is this huge flower...do you know please?
Have I outstayed my welcome today? I took loads of photos and had more than enough to show you..but it's OK I won't carry on!
Happy T Day everyone - I'll try to show you where we went on Saturday in my next post!
Thanks for looking, Chris
14 comments:
wow, what a post! I love all the churches- those last windows with that gorgeous light, are just breathtaking. Glad it's not just me that struggles with dragonflies!
Wow Chris, I do not know where to begin-but I loved everything-and viewed your post twice-everything was so wonderful-the churches, the light coming in those windows, the dragonflies, the moat-you get out to hike and view such wonderful places, thanks so much for sharing all the photos with us-hugs Happy T wishes Kathy
Wow Chris, a wonderful collection of photos today.
I am so pleased we have our modern washing equipment, Those poor women must have worked so hard to do the wash back then.
Happy T day wishes.
Yvonne xx
Beautiful photos! I also like the way the sun shines the church windows. Thanks for sharing. Happy T Day!
So many beautiful windows in this post Chris. I love the photo of the color light on the floor after passing through the window. And boy that fruit salad looks delicious. You really visited some fabulous places on your trip. Hope it was wonderful T day. Hugs-Erika
Late again, dear friend. SO sorry. Yes, I love the cats in the window. Just adorable.
I was actually mesmerized by your photos and enlarged everyone, especially those I had to read. And read I did!
You love your churches and we got to see two more today. The light coming through those windows was wonderful, but I didn't care for the stark crucifix or the alter.
Your fruit salad dessert looks like something I would really enjoy. And water is best when out and about. Thanks for sharing these latest photos and your fruit salad and water with us for T this Tuesday (OOPS, now Wednesday), dear friend.
That was a lovely tour, Chris. My, you got to see a lot in just one outing. The churches were beautiful and fascinating, except for the modern one. I didn't care for the atmosphere - so stark and barren. The colorful lights through the window were the only redeeming feature. Thank you for taking us along on your tour of Nieuil l'Espoir.
Happy T-day! Eileen xx
Your posts really do give me a good sense of place. That stained glass, the nature scenes... I always feel like I've been on a virtual trip :)
How i love these posts and touring France with you Chris! The churches are all so special indeed. Love that you got to that old wash house:) Too bad about the lunch although that fruit salad does look awfully good.
And how picturesque is the Abbey with the moat and stone...
can't say so much about the modern part-it just doesn't have the charm for me.
Thanks again for sharing, and a happy belated T day!
Just lovely! All the churches were unique but the Abbey one was truly grand. Yes, the last one was really bland. I love stained glass windows. And the wash-house was an interesting place. Just pictured a group of ladies there chatting and working away. As usual, thanks for sharing! :)
Great assortment of photos. I love the churches. That old washing place was interesting to see. I loved that cat window. Happy Belated T-Day!
Where di I start? I always love traveling to France with you. Today's visit to Nueuil L'Espoir was wonderful. Did you find out anything about the history of the village as espoir means hope and that intrigues me.
As always the churches you visited are lovely. And yes, the light shining through the windows is magical. I have mixed feelings about very modern churches, but this one was tastefully done. And I liked the cross. I'm sure there was much symbolism in the details.
The abbey is impressive. They were quite powerful in their hay-days. Hence the moat.
My hat off to you for getting the dragon flies. They are notoriously difficult to photograph.
The wash house is something I would rather not be reminded of. Here every village has one. Most of them are restored. I'm sure they do that to remind us women how fortunate we are living in the 21st century. (The Spanish are very chauvinist).
Your fruit salad looks yummy. I would gladly eat that on a hot day.
Happy belated T-Day,
Hugs,
Lisca
What a fabulous place to visit! It looks such a quiet village and I enjoyed exploring with you 😀. Yummy food too! Wishing you a Happy belated T Day! Hugs, Jo x
I haven't really managed much of a getaway this year (well, a quick visit to Cestina in CZ, but that was mostly a working trip) so I'm enjoying my holidays in France by proxy! I love that weathered window with the wonderful lacy cats, and the light cast by the stained glass is magical.
Alison x
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