Niort – land of Dragons….
A little cloud cover here today with a sharp drop in temperature, means we aren’t going to be sitting out in the sun, so thus provides a perfect opportunity to take a short hop northwards across into the department of Deux Sèvres and a visit to Niort, a typical French town, but a real gem of a find !
A cleaverly laid out Aire, which separate walled pitches for each Van, and our excitement is building for this town as we’re the only non French van on a aire that you have to pay for !
Set around the river which is criss-crossed by beautiful stone road bridges as well as a network of smaller, ironwork pedestrian ones.
Further along the river, a growling weir cascades beside a picturesque stone castle , begging to be captured by an enthusiastic travel photographer….
But what brought us here, wasn’t the promise of stunning architecture, fascinating history, but lord of a mythical creature…..
It’s not often, you get the chance to see a Dargon, is it ?
Dragons….
The legend goes, A monster living in a cave in the swamp near the door of “Saint-Jean” terrorizes “niortais” people.
A local solider,decides then to kill this monster, and rid the town if this evil creature, by stabbing it in the throat.
He goes in the cave of the monster and gives him a thrust of a sword. Believing it is dead, he removes his helmet and approaches the animal which bites him.
The knight dies then, poisoned by this last surge of the dragon.
The rest of the town is just as interesting…..
A castle….
The Donjon, on the river banks in Niort, is a major part of a medieval castle and the most important monument in Niort that dominates the town centre.
In part the donjon dates from the 12th century, when it was built in the roman style by Henry II (Henry Plantagenet) and Richard the Lionheart, and is one of the largest castles from this period that remains in France.
The Market….
The 19th century market hall, a large structure built in the glass and steel design, It is one of the most impressive market halls of this type in France.
and the market itself has a very extensive range of fresh produce available.
The Town Hall….
The Town hall in Niort is an imposing neo-renaissance style building with a large central campanile built at the end of the 19th century.
Any body think of a better place to stop?
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Paul.