A ride to the country...

Off to the country…

On the weekend of the 24^th, the weather was still holding so we decided to take a short trip south of Paris .  I located an old church (11^th century) in a town called Gometz-le-châtel.  There used to be a medieval castle here in 1091 but it was destroyed in 1118 by King Louis VI leaving only this church.  We saw the chapel atop the main hill in the middle of the village and wound our way up a back road that would be hard pressed to allow one car up.  It looked more like a path.  I parked the bike when I could go no further.  

Here is Fran posing by the bike as we collected our thoughts on how to get to the church.  Fran returned to the US after two months in the Spring and I continued staying at the Paris apartment for another 4 months reveling in all the trips that were to come.

A path led the way up. Then up some wooden steps into the woods.   

Finally we made it to the area near the church.  Small gardens were laid out by locals near the old cemetery that adjoined the church. 

The church has recently (past 20 years), made a monument and had undergone renovation.  It is still a functioning church after almost 1000 years.

 

Near the  church is a villa that is finished in yellow ocher.  Probably the home of the priest.  

This location is only about  25 miles south of Paris and easy to get to using back roads.  It was a little chilly as you see Fran bundled up.  After the visit, we headed back to Paris for a dinner at our favorite local Thai restaurant.