We saw Bourges cathedral on the 16th and decided that evening we'd do at least one more major sight before storing the camper for our month in a Paris apartment. The sight we settled on was Auxerre, an important Medieval center that promised a number of attractions, not least of which was that, although we have done much of northern Burgundy, we'd never yet made it to Auxerre. We drove over on the morning of the 17th, immediately found the
aire de camping-cars, right on the river Yonne, and, after lunch, headed for the old town and cathedral. Two days' visiting the attractions and wandering the streets confirmed our choice, and we found it pleasing that, after so much travel, we could still be so impressed with something new.
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From the aire de camping cars, looking across the river, up at Auxerre's cathedral, one
of four great buildings one sees, panning around |
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| Next, another Gothic, the abbey church of St. Germain |
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| And another, the abbey church of St. Eusebius |
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And finally the Kansas cathedral of St. Glutena; we're in France: even the
grain elevators are beautiful |
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| Remaining bit of city wall and tower, near St. Germain's |
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| Just wandering, beautiful houses everywhere |
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| Street scene |
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| Ditto |
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| Half-timbered stuff everywhere |
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| Street cafe decor |
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Differential effects of red vs white wine (as we'll see, this is a big wine-producing
area) |
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| Wood carving on some of the oldest buildings |
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| Big square |
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Beautiful clock tower; based on Cinderella's castle, some
say |
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| Unusual carving on building |
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| Statue of local author La Brettone and friend |
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Another famous Auxerre personage was Cadet Roussel; a marching song mocking
him was popular in the Revolution; the city's self-guided walking tour follows in
his footsteps, so to speak |
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| Cadet Roussel statue |
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| Helpful model of old Auxerre |
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| Not a lot of art nuvo here, but a little |
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| Beautiful place, nonetheless |
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| And another memorable meal at |
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| La Quai, on the Yonne |
