Nothing Says England like Thatched Cottages and Country Homes!

We left Bere Regis Friday morning and, after talking to the proprietor of our B&B, we learned about a large country home not to far away called Kingston Lacy which is owned by the National Trust.  As we had hoped to see Highclere Castle (of Downton Abbey fame) but it isn't open right now so this looked like it might be a good alternative.  So, we decided to visit it.  On the way, however, we stopped at Milton Abbas which I first saw in 1979.  This small village has a street lined with lovely thatched cottages.

From Wikipedia, here is its story:

In 1780, Joseph Damer, Lord Milton, the first Earl of Dorchester and owner of Milton Abbey, decided that the adjacent market town, Middleton, was disturbing his vision of rural peace.  He commissioned architect, Sir William Chambers, and landscape gardener, Capability Brown, (both of whom had already worked on the Abbey building and grounds) to design a new village, Milton Abbas, in a wooded valley (Luccombe Bottom) to the southeast of the Abbey.  Most of the existing villagers were relocated here, and the previous village was demolished and the site landscaped.  The 36 almost identical thatched cottages were intended to house two families each.  They were built from cob and were painted yellow, with each house fronted by a lawn; originally a horse chestnut tree was planted between each dwelling.  Almshouses and a church were also provided for the new villager.  The church, consecrated in 1786, is in Georgian Gothic style, with late 19th-century additions.

Some house-names give  lues to some of the original inhabitants of the village: baker, blacksmith, brewery, etc.  Today the houses are white-washed  and the main street also features a public house (the Hambro Arms), a Post Office/shop, a now redundant school building, and a Wesleyan chapel.

That earl must have been very rich to decide to just move an entire village!  Here are some photos of this pretty village.

  

From there, it was on to visit Kingston Lacy, about 40 minutes away.  The house was bequeathed to the National Trust in the 1980s and it was the most valuable property that had been given to that organization.  Its history dates from the 1500s.  Our visit was only to the house.  We did not have time to explore the massive gardens on the property.  The following information is from Wikipedia:

Kingston Lacy is a country house and estate near Wimborne Minster, Dorset. It was, for many years, the family seat of the Bankes family who lived nearby at Corfe Castle until its destruction in the English Civil War after its incumbent owners, Sir John Bankes and Dame Mary, had remained loyal to Charles I.  The house was built between 1663 and 1665 by Ralph Bankes, son of Sir John Bankes. It is a rectangular building with two main storeys, attics and basement. The gardens and parkland were laid down at the same time, including some of the specimen trees that remain today. Various additions and alterations were made to the house over the years and the estate remained in the ownership of the Bankes family from the 17th to the late 20th century.  The house was bequeathed to the National Trust upon the death in 1982 of Henry John Ralph Bankes, along with Corfe Castle. 

Yes, there was an organ in the dining room!

After our visit there, we headed for the Dorset coast where UNESCO designated area called The Jurassic Coast begins.  We wanted to see Durdle Door, a limestone arch which has been made by the sea.  It was difficult to get a proper photo of it and the hike down, which we didn't do (for me because it also meant a long hike up!) still wouldn't have given us the angle of photo we wanted.  However, this is what we managed to take:

With that, our brief visit to Dorset was finished and we started heading west to Devon.  We drove on to the small village of Otterton, just outside Budleigh Salterton, where we stayed the night at the King's Arms.  This is a village I used to drive through with my mother and her cousin all the time years ago to get to Sidmouth from Budleigh where they lived.  It was a nice memory to come back here as I had actually never stopped in the village except to maybe take a quick photo.  So, here is a photo of the lovely pub where we spent the night, one of an interesting phone box, and of some of the many thatched cottages in the village.

Next up:  we head for Dartmoor to see the ponies, sheep and those very tricky lanes that are even narrower than the ones in Dorset!  Yikes!

I'm Back!

Well, not actually back but back doing blogs.  I left Alsace Wednesday afternoon, dropped the rental car off in Offenburg, took a train to Frankfurt Airport where I stayed overnight.  I thought it was curious the way the Germans in both the Offenburg and Frankfurt Flughafen Bahnhofs (train stations) designate the smoking areas - with a yellow line painted on the platform as if the smoke could figure out that barrier!  Further, there was actually a cigarette machine beside the elevator in my hotel last night selling Gauloise cigarettes.  Clearly, smoking is not yet the pariah there it is back home.  There are even Winston-sponsored smoking rooms inside the terminals at Frankfurt airport!

Thursday, I flew to Heathrow and met up with my friend, Nawal.  We picked up a rental car and headed south - it was a bit harrowing getting out of LHR and a challenge remembering to always drive on the "other" side of the road.  Driving the M25 is never fun with those massive lorries on either side of you and the traffic continued to be very heavy even as we headed south.  However, a few hours later, we arrived at the village of Bere Regis in Dorset.  Our B&B is charming and we walked to the village pub for drinks and dinner  Now, I have been in Dorset quite a few times.  The first time was in 1979 on my first foray to Europe.  Back then, my friend and I, as we drove through this area, laughed about the names of some of the villages:  Tolpuddle, Piddlehinton, Puddlehampton and others that seemed to focus on a "je ne c'est quoi"!  So, when I asked the gal at the pub about the names, she told me that more of them were focused on "piddle" than "puddle" before Queen Victoria visited the area and, because of her visit, many of the names were changed so as not to offend her.  So, imagine our surprise this evening when we found out we were just a stone's throw from a village called Shitterton (the sign is now in stone because the wooden signs were stolen so often) and the turnoff for it is just after Butt Lane.  I cannot make this stuff up!  British names are a hoot!

We were totally surprised at the village pub when we found out the couple sitting at the next table to us was from Parksville!  Further, they are staying at the same B&B as us.  What a small world!

Tomorrow, we start our journey west toward Devon with plans to stop at the Isle of Portland and Durdle Door.  Not sure if the weather is going to be cooperative but at least today was sunny and warm.  

Back in Alsace

Tuesday, we returned to Alsace after our 4 days in Burgundy.  We took a northern route on our return, driving through the Vosges mountains and the tunnel at St. Die which is open after years of being closed.  I'm not actually sure when it reopened, maybe several years ago.  Our route took us through the Alsace-Lorraine region; the Lorraine section is in the upper Moselle valley.  We drove through the towns of Vittel and Epinal, stopping for a break at the latter and discovered the Moselle runs through the centre of it.  The towns in this area seem to be plainer and lack the charm of both Alsace or Burgundy, in my opinion.  They appear more "functional" with a focus on industry rather than tourism.  And, there are not vineyards; the climate and geography doesn't lend themselves to that.  Vittel is, of course, famous for its water and many of the towns we drove through had saw mills.  The lumber industry seems to thrive in the area.  Below are a couple of photos of Epinal.  As we went over the summit of one of the passes, we came upon a memorial to the US troops who liberated this area in 1944.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken a photo of it.  It was near the entrance to the National Park of the Vosges.

Since we've been back, I've been taking it easy but Jo and Jeff took another bike ride, this time south to Colmar, a fair distance from here.  Before we left for Burgundy, they had cycled to Strasbourg which is to the north.  It is worth mentioning that there is an incredible system of bike paths around here, independent from the roads.  Further, the Tourism Office here in Rhinau (which is about the size of a postage stamp) has electric bikes available to rent.  They are affordable (20 Euros a day plus a deposit) which gives avid cyclists an alternate option of exploring the area.  

Thursday was market day in the village.  So, we went to pick up roast chicken and potatoes for our lunch.  We passed a group of young children all in bright little vests; Jeff wondered if they were little "gilets jaunes" in training - ha ha!!

For the Dubney's last day in Alsace, we decided to head for Obernai, one of the prettiest of the villages (towns) on the Alsace Wine Road.  I have blogged about it before but on this visit I noticed a number of the shops that have been there for years are gone and some have been replaced with more upscale stores.  One, which looked interesting, sold nougat and spiced bread (essentially gingerbread).  I had a sample of the latter and it was very tasty so I considered buying a small loaf of it.  That was, until I found out the loaf (smaller than a loaf at home) cost 18 Euros or about $26!!  What on earth did it have in it?

We admired the square, the Hotel de Ville with its trompe l'oeil, shopped at Dietrich (a lovely tourist store), walked through the tiny Jewish quarter where you can still see Hebrew written on some buildings dating from the 1400s, and actually enjoyed an ice cream - it was almost warm enough!

The next couple of days will be downtime for me.  I took the Dubneys to Orschweier  Bahnhof this morning for their train(s) to Trier and more cycling.  Now, I will have a quiet few days before I head to London next Thursday.  If anything interesting happens, I will update the blog. However, once I start my road trip along the south coast of England through Dorset, Devon and Cornwall and then on to north Devon and the Cotswolds, I will be updating the blog.  I hope to share some stories along with photos of quaint thatched cottages, charming Cornish fishing villages, and anything else that captures my interest.

Suivez La Chouette

Or "Follow the Owl".

Our last stop on this 4 day exploration of Burgundy was Dijon.  I need to emphasize that 4 days is not nearly sufficient to explore this amazing region of France.  Gosh, we ran out of time to even do a wine tasting (degustation).  However, that doesn't mean we didn't drink Burgundy wines - both white and red.

Monday, we drove the short distance from Vougeot to Dijon passing by more villages known for their fabulous wines such as Gevry-Chambertin and Fixin.  While I have been to this area of France a couple of times before, I had never visited Dijon so I was looking forward to seeing it.  We arrived at our hotel just after 11 am.  We had planned to arrive early so we could park the car and head into town.  What we weren't quite prepared for was that our hotel was about a 45 minute walk into the town centre.  The good news was that it was all downhill as Talant where we are staying is at the top of a fairly steep hill.  That didn't bode well for the return but then isn't that what taxis are for?

When I did some research before leaving for this trip, I found that the symbol of Dijon is an owl (une chouette, en francais).  There is a self-guided walking tour of the town centre that can be done by following the little owl symbol in brass plaques embedded in the pavement.  There is an app you can load onto your phone to listen to the commentary at each stage of the walk.  Alternatively, you can purchase a booklet at the TI Office for 3.50 Euros, the same cost of buying the app.  Our plan was to follow the Owl's Trail and discover the town.  To be fair, Dijon is actually a city with around 350,000 inhabitants but the town centre is easily walkable.  

One of the stops along "The Owl Trail"

Before we got very far from our hotel, however, we stopped at the nearby Eglise Notre Dame de Talant.  The building of the church commenced in 1203 and it was the first Gothic church in the Duchy of Bourgogne.  It was designated a classic monument in 1908 and, in 1996, an organ by Swiss Metzer was constructed and installed.

We continued walking down the hill coming to Jardin Darcy.  Later we found that it was the first of the 24 stops on the Owl's Trail.  The garden, the town's first public garden, was created in 1880.  The garden is guarded by the "white bear", a tribute to the animal sculptor, Francois Pompon.

Across the street from the garden, we entered the town through Porte Guillaume, an 18th triumphal arch.  Our first impression of Dijon was one of wide, clean streets and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.  

We walked along Rue des Forges, again not realizing we were already on the trail.  One of the stops on this street is Maison Mailard (called Milsand).  It was built in 1560 and the house has a remarkable heavily decorated Renaissance facade. 
  

Toward the end of the street, we located the Bureau du Tourism although it had a sign saying it was under renovation so it took a little longer to finally find its temporary headquarters.  It was there I purchased the Owl Trail guidebook.  We skipped the Musee Beaux-Art - located in a former palace and free to visit - and ended up in Place de la Liberaton.  This very impressive semicircular square was designed in 1685.  It is considered to be one of the most beautiful royal squares in France.

Our next stop was Place du Theatre.  Good thing you don't have to do this trail in order as we seemed to be doing it in reverse!  No matter.  We stopped in this square for a break - and were pleased we could sit outside in the sun.  The theatre was built in neo-classic style at the beginning at the 19th century.  On the same square is La Nef, a former abbey which is now occupied by a cultural centre.  Le Musee Rude, named after a Dijon sculptor, is also housed there.  Around the corner and a little down the street is the Eglise St. Michel.

La Nef

The Theatre

Eglise St. Michel

Inside Musee Rude

Inside Eglise St. Michel

We continued our walk along Rue Verrerie, a street typical of the Middle Ages with its wooden-beamed buildings and arcades to L'Hotel de Vogue.  This is the best example of a 17th century town house with its courtyard and classic design.  Just around the corner was La Moutarderie Edmond Fallot where we made a stop.  I am not a mustard fan but I still managed to find something to buy there!

Rue Verrerie

L'Hotel de Vogue

Fallot's Mustard Selection

The mustard store was located next door to Maison Milliere, a house that was built in 1483.  It has kept its typical medieval appearance:  street stall on the ground floor and dwelling on the first floor with a wooden-beamed facade.

Both were located on Rue de la Chouette (Owl Street) where in a wall is the symbol of an owl.  Over the centuries, the owl became a good luck charm for passers-by, who rub it with their left hand.  Both Jeff and I touched it.  

 

  

The next stop was Notre-Dame.  This is a masterpiece of Burgundy architecture of the 13th century.  It is crowned by "Jacquemart", a war spoil of Philip The Bold.

In the guidebook for the Owl Trail, there is a cute story about the Jacquemart.  The duke took this clock from Courtrai, Belgium as "war loot" in 1382 and gave it to the people of Dijon in 1383 in recognition of their help in the Flanders war.  In the 17th century, people joked about the Jacquemart's bachelor status so, in 1651, a companion was added for him:  Jacqueline.  In 1714, people made fun of their infertility, so a little Jacquelinet was made for them and he was joined in 1884 by Jacquelinette.  Together they mark every quarter of an hour.

While there were more steps on the trail to see, we did only more, the market.  Unfortunately, because it was Monday,there were no merchants; however, we did get to see in the building itself.

By then, we were ready to have a break as it was late afternoon.  We stopped in a nearby square for refreshments and. of course, we had to visit the other mustard store, Maille.  We then took a taxi back up the hill to Talant.  Later, we headed to a nearby bistro for dinner.  Before retiring for the night, I managed to get a photo of Talant's lovely church.  It had been a great day but it was readily apparent we needed more time to thoroughly explore Dijon.  Next time!