Monday, April 21, 2008

Verneuil-Sur-Avre - lunch

What a lazy day this turned out to be. Following elevenses in Chandai, we stopped again a little later for lunch, this time in Verneuil-Sur-Avre, a larger town of about 6,000. In the meantime we had progressed a little, having entered the Eure department of Lower Normandy and had also reached the end of the N26 highway.
Over the centuries, Verneuil has seen its share of warfare and ownership changes from the time the stronghold was developed in 1120 by Henri 1st (the son of William the Conqueror). During the 100 years war it briefly fell into English possession and suffered its most recent hostilities in WWII when the church of Saint Jean (shown at right) was bombed in 1944. The main square, Place de Madeline, is rich with 17th and 18th century buildings including many inevitable half-timbered houses. There are several pedestrianized streets that are similarly endowed. For more pictures, click here.

No comments: