Walk: 11km; total: 347km
Sunday again, so we had a little sleep-in. Another load of washing was done while we had breakfast and planned our day. After the domestic chores were completed, we hit the streets of Chalon-sur-Saône on foot, guided by our map. On first impressions CsS seems like a fairly young town but when you start exploring it in detail you realise that a lot of it is quite old with lots of history. The town was buzzing with people today who were stocking up their larders from the fresh food market that was operating. Greg picked up a freshly cooked chock, champignons and tiny potatoes from one of the stalls. Back to the apartment we went and enjoyed a lovely hot lunch for a change. It was very tasty.
After a short rest, Wendy went out again on her own and did the majority of the remaining sites. As she had left the apartment with the key, Greg was unable to leave, so Wendy went back for water and to collect Greg. We then completed the last of the sites together. Greg then went off to visit the Fine Arts Museum. It had a very wide ranging collection including excellent exhibits from archeological sites around the region.
Left over chicken and potatoes with a bit of coleslaw from the supermarket was on the menu for dinner tonight, and it was just as good as it was at lunchtime. Greg completed his after-dinner wander and that saw out another day on tour.
Church and former Convent of St Pierre, erected at the end of the 17th century by Benedictine monks.
The facade was restored in 1900.
Fairly plain inside; by European standards anyway.
Denon Museum, built in the late 1700s and updated early 1800s. Became a museum in 1866
and contains collections of fine arts and archaeology.
WW1 I War Memorial
The Town Hall Belfry. Raised from the town hall as a staircase in 1429, it housed the bells that proclaim the power of the municipal institution. The Belfry is all that remains of the town hall today.
Nicéphore Niépce photography museum. It explains the evolution of photography from its invention to the digital age. It was just ok.
Mr Photography himself, sculpted in 1885
The old Carmelite Chapel, now hosting part of the town library
The Noirot Mansion, built about 1710
The Chiquet Mansion, built in 1770. Napoleon stayed here in 1805.
A medieval house built on another old house
St Vincent’s Cathedral, built in the Roman and Gothic styles from 1080 to the 16th century. The facade was destroyed during the Revolution and was rebuilt from 1827 in the Neo-gothic style.
St Vincent’s Cloister
A sculpture in the Cloister.
St Laurent bridge, originally built by the Romans around 30BC. Rebuilt a number of times, it was destroyed by the Germans in 1944, then completely rebuilt shortly after in concrete faced with stone
The Mint Quay and the Pumps. The Dukes of Burgundy minted money here during the Middle Ages. The pumps allowed clean water to be pumped from the water table beneath the Saône river bed and were installed about 1871.
The Chapel of the former hospital, built in 1873
The pharmacy of the old hospital. The first buildings were built in the 16th century, with further buildings added in the 19th century. The Dome, pictured above behind the chapel, was originally built in the 1770s, and completely remodeled from 1854-1870
The old hospital
Doyenné Tower on island of St Laurent
Tower known as “Coco Louvrier”; a watch tower from the Middle Ages and formed part of the Saône bank fortification. Coco Louvrier was a money lender who lived in the tower around 1800.
The Mothe House, late 15th to early 16 centuries. The main body of the house was constructed in stone, and the other half in timber.
The symbol we followed today - the Orbandale Way. The three golden rings (orbes) that constitute the town’s Coat of Arms, and that symbolize the three rows of guilded bricks in the old boundary walls that encircled the town.
The Tourist Office, built, between 1675 and 1710, was a staging post for coaches and wagons where horses were changed and merchandise stored.
The Perry House, built in 1614
The Four Seasons House, built in 1657. The four faces in profile each carry one of flowers, a sheaf of corn, fruit, and a bundle of firewood, each representing the four seasons.
The Piccolo Theatre. This facade is all that remains of the original 1776 building. The rest of the building was rebuilt in 1886 in the Italian style.
The House with Three Attics, built circa 1500.
The Sassenay Mansion
The De Virey mansion, built in 1612 using brick and stone
Obelisk
Island of St Laurent from the mainland
Saône
Streetscape
Port de Plaisance
Water scenes
Street sculpture made out of simple items.
A fancy looking river boat
