Day 2 ended in Bourges and allowed for a few hours of walking round the city in the evening and early the next morning. I could easily spend a month here, taking photographs every day, and enjoying the past, the present, and the many hidden corners. (The Cathedral photographs are here.) And Bradshaw has not entirely been abandoned because his Continental Railway Guide, 1913, stops in Bourges on Route 45!
The church of Saint Bonnet was built in the 13C by the nuns of the Abbey of St Laurent, adjacent to the church. Damaged in the great fire of Bourges, it was rebuilt in the early 1500s. It was a calm, cool space after the heat of the day. There is very little information on the internet, but the gateway and adjacent church seemed to suggest something grander in the past.
The Eglise Notre Dame was first built in 1157 and although it has an illustrious history it is now closed because the structure is dangerous.
The streets are lined with Mediaeval buildings, the squares were attractive, and there was live music. But no time to see the Palace Jacques Coeur and other places of interest on this very brief stop.
In the morning there was time for a stroll around the Près Fichaux, the Art Deco park adjoining the hotel. The gardens were opened in 1930 ‘..on the site of the marshland known in the Middle Ages as the ” Prés Fiscaux ” which belonged to the Abbey of Saint Ambroix and the inhabitants of its community..’. And now the 17C Abbey is restored as the Hotel de Bourbon, Bourges.
I thought this was fun!
And then it was time to set off on Day 3, and the gardens at Apremont-sur-Allier and Clermont Ferrand.
You may be interested in
The Churches of Bourges
The History of Bourges
Margaret Jones
Many years since I’ve been to Bourges. Lovely to see the pics of your hols.
Candy Blackham
I am pleased you enjoyed the very brief reminder – it was a lovely city and I would love to explore more deeply. The aim of visiting Bourges was to see the Cathedral, but, as always, one discovers more and more!