Road trip - day 25 - Tuesday

Up late, breakfast outside under the communal covered area. Moses came to visit a couple of times, coming in to the Gite to wait whilst I had a shower to say good morning! Cats also visited but shoo'd them out ;)

Set off for Fontevraud to visit the abbey & the village. Got there just at noon & decided to have a quick look at the village first. Stopped at the bisquiterie for hot chocolate & home made ice creams. Village has a cobbled centre, supposedly pedestrianised with cars allowed to drive slowly ..... all we saw were delivery trucks, lorries & a fork lift taking building supplies towards the church & Abby entrance arch!

Turned out the ticket office for the Abbey was just off the main square. Fascinating visit; the abbey has over the centuries had many uses. Lots of work currently being done to improve areas, open a hotel & plans to open other areas not currently restored. Funny enough we saw many loads of mattresses being delivered presumably for the hotel opening!

Enjoyed the Byzantine kitchen, the displays from the prison years, the underground tunnel, the cloisters & the very simple but atmospheric church with the tombs of a Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry 2nd & Isobelle the wife of John Lackland (Richards brother)

Had a quick drink in the cafe & sat outside in the sun for a while in the garden area watching the mattresses & bed bases being unloaded into the new hotel - must be a lot of bedrooms!!

Stopped for another ice cream & to pick up bread for a simple bread & cheese tea back at the Gite before aperitifs with Nigel & Wendy.

Had a really lovely evening with W&N, nibbles, drinks, coffee & good conversation. Late to bed after 11pm, slept well!