Gordon Judges, Wireless Operator

Monday, August 22, 2011

Ferry to Romance

Ah-Ha!!!! I bet that title got your attention.

After 6 days in Normandy, we set off to shift our military gears from WW II and the Allied Invasion to The Great War or WW I.  But first we stopped in for a visit to Jumieges Abby, a former Benedictine monastery and commune dating back as far as the 5th or 6th century.


A bit of unexpected adventure when the road ended and we had to board a ferry to cross the Seine river....



Jumieges Abbey, initially pillaged and destroyed by the Vikings, was rebuilt in the 11th century and went on to become a great centre for learning and religion. It continued to prosper for centuries. It ceased to be a monastery after the French Revolution and fell to ruins. Today Jumieges is one of France's most romantic ruins.   




Purchased in the late 19th century by a businessman who wanted to quarry the stone for profit, it changed hands again to a family who turned it over to the French government to return the ruins back to the people of France.



The abbey is now a romantic ruins and well worth the stroll, a welcomed break in our long day drive from Normandy to The Sommes in northern France.

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