Avallon - Le Vallee du Cousin

Lillian :  Avallon - the old walled town, sits atop a granite hill and most of the photos we've shown you so far were of that part of Avallon.

Audrey :  In the valley below runs the River Cousin - very pwetty, with ducks and fish in it and sweet little bwidges over it.

Audrey : The French don't pwonounce 'Cousin' like the relative - start like a dove's 'Coo' then 'son' to rhyme with The Crystals 'Da doo Ron Ron' and you've got it - almost.

Lillian :  Our people had explored the Vallee du Cousin a little on their previous visit - in December 2007.  The river was not quite so gentle and calm then. 

Audrey :  What a skinny bridge!

Lillian :  Our people say it was either a foot-bridge or aqueduct, and that it was behind a large disused mill.  There are lots of old mills and such along the Cousin.

Audrey : We found this disused building which was once a tannery.


And there was an overgrown picnic spot with this deer - set somewhat strangely half-way up the rock cliff.

It was quite a hot day when we went for that long walk down to the valley ... and then back up the hill! 

Lillian :  On the slopes there are some lovely homes

 

and the famous garden plots where the locals grow fabulous fruit and vegies.  This lovely photo is also from our people's previous visit.

 Audrey : What a sweet old wheelbarrow - but we saw some donkeys!    I love donkeys, don't you?  

Lillian : Yes, there are the donkeys again, with the old hill-top part of Avallon in the background - the spire is St Lazare.

And now looking the other way - from the top, down across the valley.

Audrey :  To an Australian that landscape looks so green and lush.   Many of the locals are keen gardeners - I think I understand why.  Remember those fruit trees we saw - pruned to an ideal shape for very small people - or Blythe dolls - they were only a few feet tall!! 




 Lillian :  And the gorgeous peony flowers ...  

A rich red bloom amongst Lily of the Valley - parfait!

Audrey : I think I understand why our people would like to live in Avallon - a pretty and historic town, climate and soil perfect for growing almost anything and fantastic food.   What could be better after a warm spring day spent exploring; than a meal of goat's cheese, wonderful fresh bread, a local Chablis, mineral water and for desert ... an apple pie or

 

A Fantastic Meringue !!!

Avallon - with 2 L's

Lillian :  The Avalon of the Legend of King Arthur has one L but some historians think they are the same - see here.   Avallon was originally called Aballo  -  'apple' or 'apple tree'.  At any rate, our people love this little town in the heart of Bourgogne (Burgundy) and they think it is quite magic.

 

Audrey : I think they would like to move to Avallon! 

Lillian :  It is a very pretty place - the old town is on top of a hill, surrounded by remparts (ramparts) with watchtowers ...

  

 

Lillian :   The river Cousin runs at the bottom of the valley and it is full of fish.

Audrey :  The French people don't say 'cousin' like we do.

Lillian :  No - and they say Avallon in a rather unexpected way too.

Audrey :  The hill-side is covered with little walled gardens where the locals grow fruit & vegetables and some flowers.

 Audrey :  Avallon is quite a sleepy little place where men play boules in the parks in the afternoons - the men in the background here were quite young.

 

  

Lillian : There are winding, narrow streets with over-hanging buildings; many of them maisons à colombages (half-timbered houses) and as we noticed at Marie-Antoinette's Hameau  the French don't paint these buildings black & white but use more natural browns for the timbers and soft cream or apricot for the cob or torchis (a mix of clay, chopped straw, lime and sand).

 Audrey :  There are also a lot of cats ... tres francais!

Lillian :  Yes, and that kitty had been visiting the Costume Museum;  it is a private collection, very large - our Stylist went there and was amazed and delighted. 

 Audrey : Perhaps that is why she loves Avallon - a town with a population less than 7,500 and yet there is a costume museum and a Chapellerie (hat-shop)!  Our tour-manager nearly bought himself a very stylish Borsalino!

 

Lillian : We stayed at Les Capucins - very nice and the restaurant was great but I thought the garden was the best part.  There was muguet (Lily of the Valley) in flower!

Audrey : And this pretty flower, which we had never seen before;  it looks rather like a row of pink wigs from a production of "Hairspray"!   What is it Lillian?

Lillian : I had to research this one - the French call it
Coeur de Jeannette - the Latin name is Lamprocapnos (formally Dicentra) spectabilis - the English call it 'bleeding heart' or 'Dutchman's trousers'!

Audrey : Very cute - more about the lovely town of Avallon in our next post.