Sancerre

Friday
Another holiday in France today - Victory in Europe Day. The forecast wasn't particularly great, but we decided to go out for the day anyway. We headed first for the town of Charité sur Loire. Unfortunately, as we drove down, the overcast skies gave way to rain. We visited the Abbey church of Notre Dame, all that remains of a monastery complex that was once the daughter abbey of the great abbey at Cluny. We went for a short stroll around the town, but as the rain persisted, and I had forgotten my umbrella, we decided to move on towards the hilltop wine town of Sancerre. We had been optimistic and taken a picnic with us, so we found a place beside the Canal Latéral du Loire, and sat and had it in the car, watching the swallows soar and swoop above the water. By the time we reached Sancerre, the rain had virtually stopped, so we were able to enjoy a walk around the town, buying ourselves a cake from a patisserie to round off our picnic lunch (!), and a few bottles of white wine. Then we went for a drive to some of the neighboring villages of Amigny and Chavignol, the latter being famous for its goat cheese, so naturally we were forced to buy some of that too! Meanwhile, the weather had been brightening slightly, but it improved noticeably once we started heading for home, so by the time we arrived home, it was a lovely sunny early evening!