Attractions and Places To See around Provency - Top 20

As in probably every other profession, there are a few so-called “black sheep” among the many honorable millers in the milling trade. The popular children's book author Otfried Preußler tells the following short episode in “The Flight into Egypt”: “And they didn't even get all the way to Klostergrätz that evening, but there was a mill on their way, the monastery mill - they stayed there until the next morning. At first the monastery miller was almost shocked when the k.k. Gendarmerie knocks on his door: There had been a certain dispute with a customer last week about a few sacks of milling material which had disappeared in the mill here in a completely inexplicable way […] but it could have been that he had been reported for it anyway – and now they’re coming to pick him up… then of course all the disputed milling sacks had immediately fallen from his mind, the monastery miller, just as [sergeant] Hawlitschek was now simply asking him for a place to stay for the night.”

Montreal is worth a detour. The climb is easy to ride and you are immediately greeted by a brasserie 😀

Cute little medieval town

Avalon is a really pretty town on a hill. There is a shopping street and lots of restaurants. AND: A Shimano specialist workshop with lots of experience and great flexibility to repair racing bikes at short notice! 😀

At the moment (May 24) there is unfortunately construction work on the central square!

The town of Avallon is home to very old monuments such as the Saint-Lazare church which is in front of you and a little further on the Clock Tower. The city center is very pleasant with its squares and fountains, and its very beautiful Maison des Sires de Domecy. By heading towards Quarré-les-Tombes you will see several islands located on the course of the Cousin, as well as remarkable old bridges spanning it. The statue of the famous Avallon frog, which you will not fail to see, was sculpted in Châtillonnais stone by Yvan Baudoin.

Saint Martin, to whom the church in Avallon is dedicated, is - along with Saint Nicholas - probably one of the most popular saints of all. The memorial day of the former officer in the Roman army is November 11th. On the night after the famous “parting of the coat,” when he leaves half of his army cloak to a freezing beggar, Jesus Christ appears to him in a dream. He then converted to Christianity and was later elected bishop of Tours (France) - initially against his will.

At the top of a hill that you will see taking shape when you arrive, requiring you to deviate from the main roads to enter the old town, Montreal has managed to retain a medieval atmosphere that strikes as soon as you pass through the first gate of the ramparts, called " Downstairs door". In the 13th century, the stronghold consisted of three enclosures pierced with pointed arch doors surmounted by towers. A first enclosure isolated the castle and the collegiate church from the rest of the top of the hill, where the garrison was certainly housed, itself sheltered by a second enclosure. The door that closed the access has disappeared but the base of a nearby watchtower is still visible. A third line of ramparts protected the town on the hillside. Beautiful old mansions, some with mullioned windows or embellished with colorful gardens, line the main street and some picturesque alleys. After a small climb, you can pass the second remaining historic gate called "Porte d'en haut" which opens access to the Collegiate Church, built in the 12th century and restored in the 19th century by the architect Viollet-le-Duc. The square adjoining the collegiate church is like a belvedere offering a panorama of the surrounding countryside. For the record, this Burgundian Montreal is part of "The association of Montreal of France and Europe" with 3 other perfect namesakes in Aude, Ardèche and Gers (I only had the opportunity to visit only the latter which is also a charming town), and also Montreal la Cluse (in Ain), Montreal Les Sources (Drôme) and even Monreal Eifel (in Germany).