Travelling the countryside

We managed to get a rental car, even though Enterprise said that they don't rent for the same day you call in, it worked!  Bill rode the bus into Auxerre to pick up a snazzy looking Citreon, 6 speed.

Ann, Bill and I left to go to Sancerre, a wine town overlooking the Loire Valley that Bill and his brother, Tom, had visited in 2019.  We drove through many fields of pure yellow, which we later figured out was grown for canola oil.  It was amazing how vast the fields were and the contrast to the hay being grown, and the wine grapes not quite in leafed out. The spring colors have been impressive with more trees leafing out every day.  It is not long after you leave a town that you are seeing these vast fields.

We stopped and looked at an old windmill along the way.

We were intrigued by a Fort in the town of Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines.  So, we parked the car and hiked up the hill to explore it and see the view.  The Chateau-Fort Des Comtes de Auxerre was impressive and had a community of houses near to it.  

As we walked back down the road, we came upon a woman working in her garden.  We spoke with her, she had some English and we had some French.  She most recently had moved there from another house on top of the hill and was remaking the garden.  She ended up inviting us into her patio area overlooking the Druyes river and giving us a glass of wine.  We met her daughter and enjoyed hearing about her sister who works in Los Angeles in film making.  So welcoming.  

She told us of how friends of her daughter and son had opened a cafe and would be serving lunch along the river.  We went there and had a most memorable lunch!  Such a delightful find, Druyes turned out to be our favorite.

Another thing we are seeing everywhere are Lavoirs.  They are the wash houses that were used along the banks of various rivers, including the Druye.  They have preserved them in many of the towns.  Beautiful stone buildings with a center pool, areas on the side with or without benches, and the water runs through.

We walked to a Grotto that was memorialized as the cave of Saint Romain, who founded a monastery there in 530. That was the beginning of the town, some 1500 years ago.  Again, photos need more internet.