Due to our extended stay on the Ile de Re, we had just two days/nights to fill before we were due at our friend Sue’s for a 7 nights. After all this time, we almost got it off to perfection now. Look at the map/route then google beautiful villages in the area. So our first stop was the small village of Damvix, which is on the river Sevre -Niortaise. During the summer it holds a scarecrow festival, they were in situ however with other 40 on the trail, we decided to take in the ones on our route. We walked for a couple of miles down the river, passing sunflower fields where the flowers were starting to droop, awaiting to be harvested for their seeds. It was a peaceful place to rest/reset our batteries after the hectic days before.
The next morning we only had a 45 minute drive to our next destination Vouvant, a medieval walled city. A small place with a lot going on. We got the key to the Tour Melamine from the tourist information & climbed to the top for the 360 view over the surrounding landscape. We had a run in with an owl & after being held hostage for a short while by it, we made our way to the local creperie to recover. Next up was the church, the exterior is absolutely exquisite with it’s gothic stone carvings. The exterior of the church was undergoing renovations, but it has stood at this location since the 11th century. We took a walk down the river as we had found out that there was a replica of the Lourdes grotto by the side of the river, it was build back in 1958 to celebrate the 100 years anniversary of the apparitions. We went out after dark! Found out that there was a sound & light projection on the portal of the church at 10.35 (precise) so took a walk down to watch it. For such a small place the show was amazing.
Apres Les Heures
Next stop L’Absie just 25 minutes away to spend the week with our long term friend Sue, who we both met 26 years ago when we all worked for B&Q.