This post is a continuation of several previous posts, recapping my travels of the past month.

the view from the window of Maud’s house at dusk

Tuesday, 20 July. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, France.
I woke at 10, and had breakfast with Maud and [her daughter] Lucy: toast and a jam Maud’s friend had made, with amazing similarly home-made honey. Lucy and I did a crossword, and then once [Maud's son] James was up the four of us left. On the way out, they gave me the gate test: which gate of the two to the city is older? I passed.

We drove out to a castle (well, châtelet) about half an hour away, that had been in ruins for many years but has also, for like 30 years, been under reconstruction projects. It was right outside of a small town called Malain. The site was empty, but for one of the people involved in the project; we got to explore on our own. Maud’s been here many times over the past years, and her kids know it as well; most of the roof has been re-built, and they’re working on the garden, on the walls, and so forth.

At some point in medieval times, the castle was inherited by two sisters, who for whatever crazy reason decided it was a good idea to build a wall down the center, dividing the castle between them. So the castle has these odd remains of a wall, on top of everything else. It’s built into the cliff face, leaning into the rock. Quite a defendable location.

We lunched there, on ham-and-cheese sandwhiches and peaches. And then took off.

face drawn on the stone in Semur, France