Auxerre - the river, canals, trains and an otter

Lillian :  Auxerre is on the river Yonne.         

Audrey :  The Cathedral and le pont Paul Bert (that's the bridge).

Lillian :  The Yonne is very peaceful with parks along the sides and lots of boats & barges.  

Audrey : We thought that perhaps we could stow-away on one of the boats - but we were discovered!

Lillian : In the shallows, there were so many little fish that in this photo they look like leaves.

Audrey : There were also lots of ducks and some big swans that you could ride on ...

Swan boat in need of repairs!

Lillian :  We went walking over the other side of the river - found a floor mill, the Moulin du Batardeau.

Audrey :  And I think we found where the pointillist artist Paul Signac was standing when he painted this in 1902.

   

Lillian :  Then while we were admiring that lovely view our Tour Manager spotted an otter!

 Audrey :  We didn't believe it at first but yes - it was an otter here is a close up

 

 Lillian :  A Common or River Otter (Lutra lutra) - swimming very fast across the river to a little island.

  

Lock almost full - the level of the canal

Audrey : All quite near where the Canal du Nivernais joins the Yonne.  There is a lock and they were busy.

Lock emptied - the river level

  

Lillian :  The Lock-Keeper's dog was over-seeing all the operations.

Audrey : The Lock-Keeper obviously has dollies and they live in a lovely doll-sized moulin of their own. 

Lillian :  Now this little building looks a bit like a windmill but it was probably a guardhouse.

Audrey : We had a little rest on the steps - our feet were tired and we'd been carrying a big cake box!

Lillian : Yes, our lovely day in Auxerre was nearly at an end - time to make our way back to the train station.

Audrey : That wasn't our train -

This was our train.

It was very fast - 

  
Audrey :  We were back in Avallon in a flash and those cakes were worth the carrying about.

Lillian :  A Flan Natur and a religieuse au chocolat.

Audrey :  That is a funny name - religieuse is French for a nun & a nun in a brown habit would probably be a Carmelite.

Lillian :  These yummy cakes are 2 choux pastries filled, put together & iced.  It doesn't really look like a nun - I think it looks more like a monk. 

Auxerre - the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne

Lillian :  We also took a day-trip to Auxerre last spring when we were visiting Bourgogne.

Audrey :  Auxerre was easier to get to than Vézelay - we took the train.

View from the train - somewhere between Avallon & Auxerre

Auxerre's train station

Lillian :   Auxerre is a major town - and whereas Avallon & Vézelay are perched on top of hills, Auxerre is in a valley and sits beside the Yonne River.

Audrey :   But just like those other towns, Auxerre has a famous church - the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne.  This Cathedral is very decorated compared to the other ones - though only one of its towers was built.

Lillian :  This more ornamental style gets called Gothic, later than the Romanesque Basilica in Vézelay.  Although most of the Cathedral was built in the early 1200s, this western facade wasn't finished until the 1500s. 

Audrey :  Well, it still isn't really finished - they forgot about that other tower!  

 

Though that one they did build is very nice - did you notice how the falls of the wisteria flowers echoed the decoration on the tower?

Lillian :  The three doorways on the Western side have wonderful Tympanum.  

This is right-hand side as you are facing the Cathedral and probably completed close to 1240.   The central part tells the story of David and Bathsheba and the tympanum portrays the story of John the Baptist. 

The South Portal

Audrey :   The Main doorway has even more people and they have fancy little platforms to stand on.

The Main Portal

Lillian :   This work was done later - about 1400.  The Last Judgment is shown in the centre - on those little platforms are scenes from the lives of the apostles.  Amazing delicate filigree carving.

Here is a close up

Audrey :  Unfortunately all the people down low and within reach, had been beheaded - the poor things! 

Audrey :  The door itself is quite gorgeous with Fleur de Lis carved and painted.

   Lillian :  Let's walk around to the Northern side - round that tower

And on this side - in the middle - the north transept and another wonderful tympanum and lots of filigree carving. This dates from the end of the 1400s.

Audrey :   So, if I have this correctly - the Gothic style has lots of fancy, filigree carving, and pointy arches and lots of gargoyles.  This Cathedral has wonderful gargoyles.

Two Faced Gargoyle

 

Lillian :  Yes, and they function as waterspouts - which was originally the purpose of gargoyles. 

A monk with an animal's face?

Audrey :  I thought they were there to make us laugh!
Lillian :   I think they are meant to be scary - here is a Wikipedia article. 
Audrey : Well, that man with the lizardy skin doesn't look happy and he might club you but the dragon is lovely - look how he is sitting on the corner, like he'll fly off any minute.

And these Gargoyles aren't scary at all.

Smiling Lion sheltering a child

A GoatGoyle

Audrey :  This one is clever - we'll show it turned round - the water pours from the jug on his shoulder and he has a sweet little doggy.

Lillian :  This is the apse or chevet - it is at the Eastern end which is the tradition.  Some of that was built in the first half of the thirteenth century - you can also see the buttresses.

And one last photo of the exterior of the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre with roofs and cherry blossom, well it was spring time.

Audrey : Next post we'll show you photos of the inside of this Cathedral - it has some splendid stained glass windows.

Versailles - More from the Palace Gardens

Audrey : More topiary!

Lillian : We had fun exploring the Southern Parterre gardens.

 

Lillian : But it was during the week when we visited, so the fountains were mostly turned off -

Audrey : Not squirting water all over the place?

Lillian : Ahem, but it's ok, because you get to see the statuary better.

Audrey : That one was very big and near to the palace and it was all fwogs and things.   
Lillian : It is The Latona Fountain.  Based on a tale in Ovid’s Metamorphoses about Apollo’s mother Leto.  She wanted to drink the water from a pond in Lycia but the people there didn't like her and stirred up the mud at the bottom of the pond.  Leto called on Jupiter to do something and he turned those people into frogs and lizards.

Audrey : That's not very nice is it! 
Lillian : I guess not but it did give the fountain designers a great excuse to use water creatures - and make Lizard & Frog people ...

Audrey : They were rather fun.

Lillian : There are also some further ornamental ponds with the Latona story in the parterre beyond the big fountain; we didn't get to see them but our people did on a previous visit. 

Audrey : That was in the winter-time wasn't it?
Lillian : Yes, our people say it was very cold and the marble statues were all wrapped up in canvas - you can see some here behind the people turning into frogs.
Audrey : A little like a work by Christo !

Lillian : The weather was lovely when we were there and here are some of the statues along the main walks.

Audrey : She has just had a bath and is checking that she remembered her deodorant!


... I like this lady's outfit - quite swash-buckling!

 

Audrey : Here are some very nice gentlemen - one has done the shopping while the other has been minding the baby - though he should put some clothes on !

Audrey :  Ewwww!  Goodness Gwacious!  What is happening here!

Lillian :  I think that is Cleopatra - she was bitten by a snake.


Audrey :  Well she should have put some clothes on too!





Lillian : Of course the most famous fountain at Versailles is The Apollo Fountain

 

 Audrey :  So beautiful - and Apollo is quite good looking too!
 
Lillian :  It is all gilded lead and was made between 1668 & 1670.


Audrey :  Ooo! he is quite old then.

Lillian : Here is a photo our people took on that other holiday in winter - doesn't it all look so different?

 

Audrey : That's the Gwand Canal behind isn't it?
Lillian : Yes, the Grand Canal - it is 1,670 metres long and very straight -
Audrey : There are quite a lot of straight lines in the palace gardens ...

Lillian : Yes, I was told that the gardeners use laser beams to help them keep straight when they prune all the trees.  That is the double row of elm trees (I think they are elms) alongside The Royal Walk.

 
Audrey : Those trees didn't have all their leaves on yet - don't they look lovely?






Lillian : Those avenues of trees go off to the left & right of the lake at the top of the Grand Canal.  


Here we are at that lake, it was very busy with people getting into row-boats and lots of ducks ...

Audrey : We can see your hair in all those little plaits Lillian.  Our stylist took a picture of this lady on wall of the main Palace because she has wonderful plaits too.

 

Lillian : In our next post I think we'll show the people our photos of Marie Antoinette's Estate.

Audrey : Oh yes, that was all so pwetty ... I think she built it for Blythe dolls ...