September sojourn
By September, the summer crowds have gone and the weather is often favourable – not too hot, but with plenty of sunshine. So, we headed for north Burgundy and Haute-Marne.
Our first stop after overnighting at Vimoutiers was the municipal site at Courgenay so we could explore Sens, a cathedral city we hadn’t visited before. We had planned to stay at Pont-sur-Yonne, but the municipal campsite that was there is now privately owned and seemed expensive.
The centre of Sens is surrounded by wide, tree-shaded boulevards, which have replaced the defensive city walls. These boulevards have plenty of free parking and it’s an easy walk to the cathedral, which dominates the city centre. The Place de la République invites the visitor to linger, flanked by pavement cafés and with the cathedral at one end and a nineteenth century covered market at the other.
The cathedral is huge and magnificent; the first built in the Gothic architectural style. Building started in the twelfth century and continued into the sixteenth.
Beside it is the Jardin de l’Orangerie (orangery garden). Even in September, this was a riot of colours, textures and exotic plants. The flower beds are rammed. There’s no room for weeds to grow here!
The old part of Sens is shaped rather like a ship, with boulevards along
