Mmm…well, it’s a bit embarrassing really, but we awoke to some seriously bad weather that put paid to our fearless assault of the river. (Well, we would’ve got wet and everything) So our second day in St. Leon drew hurriedly to a close and we hit the road to lose the rain, travelling via St.Yrieux, Limoges and Bellac, arriving quite by accident in Chauvigny, which proved to have a medieval town enclosed in ancient walls atop its hill.
The new town seems to have grown up around the foot of the hill, but after some searching we found our way up into the old part, and very rewarding it was too. Five forts situated within one winding stone battlement, it is an unusual example from this period. We wandered around the old streets and buildings for a while, discovering the strangely incongruous Caribbean Festival, which seemed grossly at odds with the medieval surroundings! On the one side of a small square was a minstrels stage, where small plays about the Crusades and the Templars took place, and a few feet away there was a layer of sand spread on the cobblestones, cardboard palm trees and reggae music pumping out. Talk about a culture clash! We wandered onwards, reaching the crumbling, yet imposing outlines of the old walls. The ruined, erratically castellated yet towering shapes served as a grandiose backdrop to a display of Great Birds of the world.
There was, alas, no sign of Mama Cass or Bella Emberg. There were, instead, two recalcitrant Heron type creatures (I’m not an ornithologist) with enormous wingspans, which treated the repeated requests of their handlers to come back to their cages with lofty disdain. It was fun to watch! Although there was a possibility to rest up for the night here, we decided to push on a little further, negotiating several unpronounceable hamlets such as Chatellerault, and eventually made it to St. Maure-de-Touraine, where, after driving up and down the main street a few times, we finally found a free motorhome parking area down one of the side roads. Perfect! Tomorrow, another “Cha” awaits us, Chaumont, but tomorrow is another day. Tonight, it’s dinner and a movie…..
Text by Kev Moore
Drawing & Photos by Miki
Both on Planet Goodaboom
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