Friday 17 February 2017

Beautiful Monpazier.


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!!




29 comments:

  1. Lovely photos - especially the first one. Is that a market place?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, all of the bastide towns had a central covered market place. This one is a beauty.

      Delete
  2. It is beautiful! Perfect time to visit.
    The grandchildren have left?
    Greetings Maria x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They leave tomorrow, so yet another trip to the airport.

      Delete
  3. I visited in the early '70s. It looked the same then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since 1280, the only thing to have changed much is the lichen and moss.

      Delete
    2. It was summer time and practically deserted.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. It really is. Some nice little restaurants there too.

      Delete
  5. Whenever I see photos like these I always imagine the generations of people who have walked and talked there. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also plenty of terrible things happened there. Probably best not spoken of.

      Delete
  6. I bet you're upset that there's no McDonald's ?!!!!!! Haha !!
    Such a beautiful, preserved town .... I can imagine the dastardly things that went on there. XXXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Costa Coffee, no Starbucks, no KFC, we hardly know what to do with ourselves.

      Delete
  7. There are so many ready-made film sets in Europe. I love the cloistered market places.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perfect for Medieval films, onwards. No wires or TV aerials.

      Delete
  8. Those are fantastic pictures. I'm guessing the first one shows a market square? I do envy all the history you get to enjoy. -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Plenty of history around here, mostly untouched too.

      Delete
  9. Thought that we'd get there today but only got as far as lunch nr Bayac!
    I believe this is the story of our lives.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking at my photos, I can hardly believe that there is no-one in sight.

      Delete
  11. For 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The French bastide towns all look very similar.

      Delete
  12. stunning. 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...

    ReplyDelete
  13. I 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

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...