Day 13 – Going medieval on a sunny day

Today, we decided to travel back in time. H.G. Wells, eat your heart out. We took the Austral and we were comfortable for the 23 kilometer drive from Chablis.

Noyers-sur-Serein is located southeast of Chablis and the short ride had us driving along vineyards, forest land, small villages and farmland. The grapes have all been harvested, the trees are just thinking about changing colors and the farmers are turning up the soil after their own harvest, but the landscape was beautiful as we coasted along. The GPS had given us three alternatives and we made a good choice.

My one ‘petit souci’ or little problem with the ride was that there was no place to pull over and take pictures. It’s a two lane road with no parking areas or even driveways. We will find a way during the remainder of our stay to take some pictures of the area. In the meantime, you’ll have to trust me…pinky promise!

When we arrived at the town, we were surprised to see that there were many people walking the streets and parking was difficult to find. We circled the town and then found the Naïfs Museum and a public lot to park. Since the museum would be closing soon for lunch, we decided to start with a walk around the town.

As we wandered down the streets, the architecture was amazing. Most of the buildings date back to the fifteenth century and they certainly look it. Not in a bad way, but half-timbered houses, piled stone fences and walls, and stairs worn smooth on the edges are not currently featured in House Beautiful magazine. But in this beautiful old town, they are perfect. We passed by a couple of people who were working on their houses. One was painting a gate and the other was tidying up their garden. Old, but well cared for.

When we approached a corner, the church bells were ringing in the twelve o’clock hour; the high, old bell tower helping the sound to carry. That’s when we saw the sign blocking traffic for ‘Market Day’. That’s why the streets were so crowded.

We continued down the street towards the town center. We could see some of the vendor stands, but unfortunately, most of them were packing up. We had a chance to peruse a few of the stands while we were walking around – some vegetables, a little jewelry and some charcuterie. If we had known, we would have started out earlier.

We continued walking down the main street in town, checking out the little shops along the way. There are quite a few artsy shops selling ceramics, hand-crafted jewelry and artwork. I had read that there are quite a few former Parisians who have given up on the big city and moved to the countryside. I guess these might be some examples.

We cut over to walk along the river and it really was serene. They chose a good name for it as the Serein River just meanders its way through the countryside. No rapids, no water falls, just a gentle flowing river.

As it was now going on one o’clock, we decided that we were both a bit peckish and ready for a bite to eat. We just wanted something simple, so we stopped in a boulangerie and bought a couple of sandwiches – one chicken and vegetables and the other a ham and cheese. We were lucky, since she only had four sandwiches remaining. We also thought we’d split a gougere, however she gave us a second one ‘on the house’. Our entire lunch came to Euro 10,35.

We decided to have a picnic in the car. We walked back over to the car park, rolled down the windows, poured out some water and enjoyed our lunch. It was quiet and nice. It was also close to the Museum, so it would be easy to get to when it re-opened.

Afterwards, we shook off the crumbs. Ok…I shook off the crumbs and then we walked over to the museum- only to find that it was closed. We were going to head back to the car, when a 30ish guy rounded the corner on his bike. He was the curator and was just a few minutes late from lunch.

We gave him a few minutes to open up and get situated before heading inside. The Naïfs Museum is a collection of objects and art, both older and modern. They have items and collections from France, Southern Europe, Latin America, Asia and Northern Africa. It was quite eclectic, but very interesting. I took lots of pictures, I’ll let you guess what some of my favorites were.

We really enjoyed the museum and made a point of telling the curator that we did. He seemed pleased that we even knew about it, let alone liked it. With that we headed to the car, rolled down the windows and started back to Chablis.

The ride back was as pleasant as the ride over. Same scenery and same absence of other vehicles. We mostly had the road to ourselves.

Like a pro, I maneuvered the car into the driveway with my flag girl shouting out directions.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the beautiful, sunny day. We’re trying to soak in as much as we can, because next week the forecast is rain. Ugh!

Dinner tonight was at Chablis Wine Not once again. We walked in and you would have thought we were regulars based on the greeting. We were led upstairs to our table and had the same servers as last time. Another great meal – this time meal instead of tapas and everything was delicious.

We shared a Croque Monsieur appetizer, then Sue had the grilled pork chop and I had the roasted duckling. Both were awesome. We splurged on a bottle of 2022 Domaine Cecile Tremblay Morey-Saint-Denis red burgundy that was over-the-top good.

A funny little side note: we ordered the wine from our waiter and when the head wine guy came to the table to open the wine, he was wearing a shirt from Domaine Cecile Tremblay. He told us that the owner is a friend of his and that he loves the wine. The little synchronicities in life are fun!

Afterwards, that’s my chocolate mousse and Sue’s gateau amand (almond cake) with angel cream.

Needless to say, we enjoyed our meals and the wonderful service. We’re looking forward to returning next week.

It was a beautiful evening for a walk back to the house. Honestly, this just feels so right. We are having a great time here in Chablis.