Semur-en-Auxios

What a treat to randomly discover this

We left the the super efficient motorways to find this lovely village. Just out of site at the end of the no through road above there is a nineteenth century lavoir. (locked, so no photos)

The French remain very fond of their “lavoirs”, the communal wash houses that appeared throughout the country from the 18th century onwards as a modern alternative to heading down to the nearest river.
By the end of the 19th century, there was one in virtually every rural community in France, their rise having been given a helping hand by a law passed in 1851 aimed at promoting the use of wash houses. The law had resulted in State subsidies that funded a third of all construction costs.
The lavoirs served not only a functional purpose (that of washing, scrubbing and rinsing the laundry) but also a social purpose: they represented a natural meeting point on a par with the local church, café or market.

I had a chat to the fisherman above - he assured me that the sprats he was catching were for a soup - more like bait I would have thought, drawing on my extensive knowledge of fishing with my father

There is a quality restaurant in this small place

...and here is the link

http://www.restaurantlesminimes.com/


Below, in  this village I am wearing a beautiful necklace of pearls and silk that Eva Vogt made for me in Jersey just before we left. She is a clever girl and I love it

https://www.facebook.com/EvaVogtDesigns?fref=ts