A model abbey

Or, more accurately, a model of an abbey. Still Fontevraud, of course. This is a model of the place they have on display. As a student of architecture and city planning, I love these kinds of things.

A model of the Fontevraud abbey and part of the surrounding town, September 2003.

Last night and this morning are dry, but we're expecting another rain system to come through this afternoon and evening. The pond out back is overflowing, sending its water down the hill to one of the streams that feed the river. Everywhere I step is a muddy mess, except for the paved road. That's just wet.

Tuesday is la Chandeleur (Candlemas). I read that in the US, the traditional Christian holiday has been pretty much supplanted by Groundhog Day, which I see is translated into French as le jour de la marmotte, at least on Wikipedia. We're planning our annual crêpe fest, as is the tradition in France. Savory crêpes for lunch and sweet crêpes for dessert. There may be photos.

Leek and bacon pizza

This is probably my second favorite pizza, after what the French call pizza reine (tomato sauce, ham, mushrooms, and cheese). There's no tomato sauce on this one. First, I slice a leek and steam/sauté it until tender. Then I sauté some lardons fumés (smoked bacon). When that's done, I use the bacon grease (there's not a lot) to caramelize some canned corn.

The first of two pizzas for Thursday's lunch.

I use my home-made dough, enough for two personal-sized pizzas, made about four hours prior to baking so it can rise. I spread the tender leaks on first, add the bacon and corn, then grated cheese to taste. This time I used Ossau-Iraty, a sheep's milk cheese from the Basque region in southwestern France. We ate the pizzas with a bottle of the local red, a blend made mostly with gamay grapes. Delicious!

Now for a little color

I suppose the black-and-white treatment isn't appropriate for stained glass. This colorful window sits high over the nave of the abbey church at Fontevraud. It's not the best angle. I don't know why I snapped it from this spot and didn't think to reposition myself to better frame the shot.

I don't know if this window is original, restored, or a reproduction. Fontevraud abbey, September 2003.

A little history: I started taking pictures when I was around fifteen years old. I still have a few of those first awkward snapshots in an album somewhere, taken with a Kodak 110 Instamatic camera. Six years later, when I went to Paris for the first time, I had a newer Kodak 110 for snapping my "Kodak moments." Those photos bring back nice memories, but they leave a lot to be desired in terms of photo quality.

Still later, while in college, I got my first 35mm SLR. It was a Pentax, I don't remember which model, but I do remember the lens that came with it was defective and leaked light. The result was a lot of disappointing over-exposed photos. Once I figured out it was the lens that was broken and not me, I traded it in for one that worked. Then I took a couple of photography classes at school, really got into taking color slides, and amassed a sizeable collection over the years. Unfortunately, my slide projector is long gone, so looking at the slides is not easy. I scanned a lot of them since starting this blog and posted many of those images here. After the Pentax, I moved to Canon EOS Rebel SLRs.

I started using a digital camera in 2003 when I took these photos at Fontevraud. I borrowed Ken's Canon PowerShot Pro 90 to see if I liked digital photography. I did, and slides instantly became history. I continued using Ken's pocket cameras for a while (he had several) until I bought my first digital camera in 2006, a Panasonic Lumix bridge camera. Six years later, I got my first DSLR, a Canon T3i. In 2016 I upgraded to a Canon 6D.

Smoke doesn't get in your eyes

These roofs are above the kitchen at the Fontevraud abbey. The "lanterns" that rise above the roof tiles are the chimneys above what used to be the kitchen's fires and ovens. From what I read, there's some uncertainty about the specifics of the kitchen's layout when it was in use.

Chimneys above the kitchen at Fontevraud abbey, September 2003.

My errands on Wednesday went without a hitch. The woman at the insurance office was friendly and helpful as usual. The credit card worked (even though it didn't on line) and the bill is paid. I got what I needed at the hardware and housewares stores (including plastic bins for the pantry), and the dump, although crowded, was relatively easy.

Today I'm making leek and bacon pizzas for lunch.

Whimsical roof lines

I'm sure they were not intended to be whimsical, but that's my impression of this combination of different roof styles. Most of them cover the abbey's chapter house, topped by the steeple. The other roofs are part of the cloister (background) and the Saint-Benoît chapel (foreground).

Chapter house roofs, Fontevraud abbey, September 2003. Can you see the pigeon?

It seems that France may be entering another confinement (lockdown) very soon. The president was expected to make a decision today, but nothing is certain at this point. I'm planning to run some errands today in advance of things potentially getting difficult. The car is loaded for another run to the déchetterie (dump). Nothing heavy this time, just some bulky things and a bunch of cardboard. I have to go to our insurance office and pay the car insurance bill. The online payment site isn't taking my American credit card. I've had this problem before. And I have a few things I want from the hardware store. The other thing I need is a haircut, so I'll have to try to get an appointment in case the salon has to shut down. Again.

Outside

Here is an exterior view of the chevet (apse) of the abbey church at Fontevraud. You may be able to identify the three windows at the top of yesterday's photo. Rounded arches are typical of the romanesque architectural style, but in the transept I can see slight points on the arched windows, an indicator of the emerging gothic style.

Columns, buttresses, and arches. Fontevraud abbey church, September 2003.

We're below freezing by a couple of degrees again this morning. I don't mind because the puddles will be frozen over and the dirt road will be dry. No muddy paws this morning.

Le chevet

The chevet (apse) of a catholic church contains the chancel, the choir, the ambulatory, and, often, apsidal chapels. This is a shot of the upper portion of the apse in the abbey church at Fontevraud. The church is not a cathedral. In fact, it's technically not even a church, having been "supressed" at the time of the French revolution.

Inside the apse of the church at Fontevraud abbey, September 2003.

The complex was converted to use as a prison in the nineteenth century, then became the property of the French Ministry of Culture in 1963. According to Wikipedia, a major restoration was done in the 1970s and the complex opened to the public in 1985.