This past Saturday we got a nice tour from a new friend named Peter. He is an Englishman who moved to France many years ago because he really enjoyed his 'vacances' here.
He knows the area very well, and thought it a pity that we hadn't been able to check out things locally.
Neither Tom or I drive stick, which is the only kind of rental cars you can get around here.
The
post title refers to the area that we explored is very near where Brittany, Normandy and Mayenne meet, which were ruled by different dukes before France was completely united under one king. The land which a duke looked after and protected was a duchy. Duke, I learned was derived from the latin word duc, which means leader. For the record, Tom remembers history much better than I, so if you have questions about our history lessons during the trip, ask him.
The first part of our tour was visiting a small cider making operation called Ferme du Theil near the village called Andouille. The owner was in a bit of a rush, but took time to show us the machine that presses the apples, and the room where they let the juice ferment. Apparently the yeast is already on the apple, so they don't need to add any additional yeast. They make their cider with 12 different varieties of apple. Wow. They grab the apples in three shifts. They go and pick(possibly vaccuum, Peter said) the apples that have fallen to the ground. Go back a second time for ground apples. The third time, they shake the trees, so any remaining apples will fall to the ground to be picked up.
We bought some bottles of their apple and pear cider and a special mix called Pommeau du Maine.
The next stop was the oldest tree in France. Here is a picture of it. Of course it is nearing winter, so there were no leaves at the present moment.
There was a village nearby which in its past history there is a story of an apparition of Mary to some schoolchildren. There is an enormous church dedicated to this, and she is always seen as wearing a blue cloak with gold stars and a red cross in her hands. I have not had a chance to translate the pamphlet to really understand the story.
Lastly, we went to Fougeres which is a village that has the largest castle in Europe. It was amazing from the outside, and the town center was really picturesque. Apparently in the summer they have people dress up in period costume for shows.
