A couple of weeks ago, The Calm One, our electric car, and I all tootled off to Aubeterre sur Dronne which is about a thirty-minute drive southeast from chez nous. Aubeterre, a lovely village of about four-hundred inhabitants, is nestled along a chalk bluff above a loop of the Dronne River and has been listed as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 1993. Our visit was an information-gathering one focused on identifying what pleases us the most. Well, everything pleased us. We will be back!
Crêperie de la Source not only gets terrific reviews for its menu and friendly, attentive service, but also for fabulous terrace seating overlooking the countryside.
Seeing hot-pink cascading geraniums hanging from a bracket fixed to a stone house soothed me as much as my catching muted conversation drifting from various sidewalk cafes situated in nearby Place Ludovic Trarieux.
Someday I will find out the history of this intriguing house with its even more intriguing sashed dormer window.
Saint-Jean is an underground, monolithic church whose earliest beginnings date from the 7th century. Many pilgrims on their journey to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain visited this prominent reliquary.
The village, as it is built into steep terrain, has haute (upper) and basse (lower) divisions. We started our walk halfway between the two and could see the remnants of le château d'Aubeterre above and...
...and the countryside below.
Deciding not to fight gravity, we ambled downwards till we reached the bottom...
...and then met sneaky, old gravity on the way back up!
Resting from time to time allowed us to admire the buildings full of character...
...and beauty.
We both loved Aubeterre and will return for the restaurants, various artisan shops, and its natural and historical ambience.
À la prochaine!
Crêperie de la Source not only gets terrific reviews for its menu and friendly, attentive service, but also for fabulous terrace seating overlooking the countryside.
 |
| Closed, but we shall return for the tapas, savoury galettes, creamy tarragon chicken... |
Seeing hot-pink cascading geraniums hanging from a bracket fixed to a stone house soothed me as much as my catching muted conversation drifting from various sidewalk cafes situated in nearby Place Ludovic Trarieux.
 |
| The ubiquitous white limestone inspired the village's name: alba terra = white land |
Someday I will find out the history of this intriguing house with its even more intriguing sashed dormer window.
Saint-Jean is an underground, monolithic church whose earliest beginnings date from the 7th century. Many pilgrims on their journey to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain visited this prominent reliquary.
The village, as it is built into steep terrain, has haute (upper) and basse (lower) divisions. We started our walk halfway between the two and could see the remnants of le château d'Aubeterre above and...
Deciding not to fight gravity, we ambled downwards till we reached the bottom...
 |
| I see their soupe de poisson, paupiette de veau & fondant au chocolat in my future |
...and then met sneaky, old gravity on the way back up!
Resting from time to time allowed us to admire the buildings full of character...
 |
| Balconies with stupendous views |
...and beauty.
 |
| Limestone houses with red tiled roofs |
We both loved Aubeterre and will return for the restaurants, various artisan shops, and its natural and historical ambience.
