Tour of Estavayer

Monday our neighbor, Veronique, very nicely offered to give us a tour of the village. Estavayer is a medieval village of about 4500 people established under the Savoie reign. The Savoies were French and they controlled the town until they lost the land in a war in the Middle Ages. The chateau and the village walls still stand. The chateau is still in use as government offices. When we enter the town we go through the ancient stone portal. All around the town we see frogs hanging from wires, and there is a frog museum in the village, to be visited another day. The frog is the symbol of Estavayer.

After our stroll around the village with stops at the church, chateau, ramparts and other points of interest, Veronique took us out to a private campground and beach, which is owned by her brother. She grew up in the nearby area of Corbierre and her father owned the chateau there and the lands. He eventually sold off the chateau and kept a small house and some land for the family. The beach and park area are just lovely and would be a wonderful place to vacation.

Following our tour we were invited to the Brasy home for lunch. There we met Veronique's husband, a local policeman, and her brother. She gave us a beautifully presented luncheon of fish with a flavorful sauce, rice and salad, with a special local pastry for dessert. We sampled several of the local wines with our meal.

We had a good conversation with the policeman. It seems like a good job to be a policeman in a small peaceful village where you know everyone.

Monday evening as we were watching Catwoman we heard a loud bang and then the flash of lightning shone through the window. We have had a very dramatic storm all night long with huge claps of thunder and brilliant flashes of lightning, waking us up from time to time during the night. The rain continues on into Tuesday morning, but the thunder and lightning have subsided. Car tour today, I guess.