8/27/17 Our Second Week in the Loire Valley

It has been two weeks since we arrived in Sancerre.  John has been really busy with class every day either in the morning or afternoon, and with school-related activities in his "off" time.  This coming week there is a wine tasting on Tuesday, an evening picnic at a vineyard near Sancerre on Wednesday, and a visit to a goat farm on Thursday.  I can't wait to see the baby goats!

Sancerre sponsors a Summer Music Festival every year and we have had a variety of bands and singers and dance events almost every day.  There was line dancing in the square and a blues singer (the next street over) Saturday night, Irish music last Tuesday, and Thursday and Friday night a folk group called "Lord Jack".  They rolled into town Thursday afternoon and set-up right below our windows.

They performed some folk music and did some songs from the US by request.  We just sat at our window and enjoyed the show!

After two weeks of taking taxis and trying to work with the local transportation, we decided to rent a car.  We took a taxi to Cosne-sur-Loire:

The train from Cosne to Nevers:

And picked up our car:

Cutest car E V E R !!!!!

Travel time from Sancerre to Europcar in Nevers:  4 hours, 15 minutes

Travel time (via car) from Europcar back to Sancerre:  40 minutes

Need I say more.

Nevers was a really nice town.  Quite a bit larger than Sancerre, with a large train station, banks, and many businesses and restaurants.  

Saturday is market day downtown:

We had lunch at an outdoor cafe near the market before heading to the tourist office.

I will never have coffee again without whipped cream.

From the tourist office we headed to the Cathedral Saint-Cyr-Sainte-Julitte.  

It was heavily bombed during the WWII and nearly destroyed.

The restoration is amazing.  All the stained glass has been replaced and while it is unusual to see the modern design in such an old structure, it just works.

Saint Joan:

And Saint John:

We visited the final resting place of Saint Bernadette at the Convent of the Sisters of Charity where she spent the last years of her life, nursing the ill.  She died of tuberculosis in 1879 at the age of 35.

She was buried in the garden at the convent but was exhumed in 1925 when her canonization was proposed.  Amazingly enough - her body was found to be intact and was preserved and is now exhibited in the chapel.  She's very tiny and very beautiful. It was very moving seeing her.  They have an area set up where you can just sit and pray and it is special and peaceful.

They have a small museum on the convent grounds:

The clothing she was wearing when she arrived at the convent:

Her prayerbook, rosary, and Stations of the Cross:

On the way back from Nevers, we stopped at Pouilly-sur-Loire and found the house of my dreams:

Seriously - how much could it be?

De Ladoucette !!!! 

John is not much of a "chateau guy", but even he was impressed.  Yikes!  Very fairytalesque!