I've been going to and from the airport like a Yoyo recently, so I thought I'd stop-off en route and take some snaps.
Our nearby town of Monpazier is the jewel in the crown of S W France.
Founded in 1285 by King Edward 1 of England, it is one of the better preserved Bastide towns in the whole of France.
Eleanor of Aquitaine lived here, as did Richard 11.
Do enlarge the photos; the town merits it.
If you visit in Summer, the streets are not so quiet!!
Lovely photos - especially the first one. Is that a market place?
ReplyDeleteYes, all of the bastide towns had a central covered market place. This one is a beauty.
DeleteIt is beautiful! Perfect time to visit.
ReplyDeleteThe grandchildren have left?
Greetings Maria x
They leave tomorrow, so yet another trip to the airport.
DeleteI visited in the early '70s. It looked the same then.
ReplyDeleteSince 1280, the only thing to have changed much is the lichen and moss.
DeleteIt was summer time and practically deserted.
DeleteMagnificent.
ReplyDeleteIt really is. Some nice little restaurants there too.
DeleteWhenever I see photos like these I always imagine the generations of people who have walked and talked there. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAlso plenty of terrible things happened there. Probably best not spoken of.
DeleteRare to see it so empty!
ReplyDeleteA rare pleasure.
DeleteI bet you're upset that there's no McDonald's ?!!!!!! Haha !!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful, preserved town .... I can imagine the dastardly things that went on there. XXXX
No Costa Coffee, no Starbucks, no KFC, we hardly know what to do with ourselves.
DeleteThere are so many ready-made film sets in Europe. I love the cloistered market places.
ReplyDeletePerfect for Medieval films, onwards. No wires or TV aerials.
DeleteThose are fantastic pictures. I'm guessing the first one shows a market square? I do envy all the history you get to enjoy. -Jenn
ReplyDeletePlenty of history around here, mostly untouched too.
DeleteSo beautiful...sigh!
ReplyDeleteLovely, isn't it.
DeleteThought that we'd get there today but only got as far as lunch nr Bayac!
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the story of our lives.
Tomorrow is another day!
DeleteI've drunk my fair share of coffees in the town over the decades. It certainly has a charm but, as you say, isn't usually so quiet once the spring comes.
ReplyDeleteLooking at my photos, I can hardly believe that there is no-one in sight.
DeleteFor a moment I thought that the town looked similar to one the band played in last June, but enlarging the photos said it wasn't, just a sized down version.
ReplyDeleteThe French bastide towns all look very similar.
Deletestunning. i wonder how old those beams in #1 are? Raised from the ground on stones like that to protect them from wet rot, they might conceivably be centuries old...
ReplyDeleteI have loved it from the first visit. So have my family. Who could resist. Grateful to live near enough to get a 'Monpazier' fix when I need one.
ReplyDelete