Come stroll with me...

...through the town of Bar-sur-Seine. You might be surprised by what we can find...

If you look at a map of the département of Aude (region of Le Grand Est), you will find a number of places that use the word 'bar', or a derivative, in their names. Bar-sur-Seine, which is where I am today, is one of them. The word 'bar' may come from the latin 'barra' meaning barrier or it could have it's root in Old French 'barre' meaning rod to secure a door or some form of gate. Either way, the intention appears that it is something to do with getting in the way! Which makes sense when you consider that back in Medieval times, the County of Bar and Bar-sur-Seine were territory to be fought over - and the remains of the original château are on the edge of town. Sitting close to the border with Champagne, the town was strategically placed to repell potential usurpers from Bourgogne and Champagne.

The original Gallish settlement was ransacked by the English in the 14th century and suffered again during the Religious Wars of the 16th century. By the time we get to the late 18th century the town was prospering and subsequently became a sub-prefecture.

I'm stood at the end of Grand Rue de la Résistance and the importance of the town can be seen in the length of the street and the many handsome timbered buildings. The street is cobbled which adds to the charm. Take away Monsieur's white delivery van, shut out the noise of the 21st century and I can imagine myself strolling along here in the latest outfit that 18th century fashion had to offer. But there's more to come.

I make my way back to the junction with Place de le Republique and take a left. Note the timbered house on the corner. A few steps along this street on the left is a small shrine. The flowers have seen better days, but it was early October when I was last here. The plaque on the wall is in remembrance of a much more recent piece of history. Towards the end of August 1944, Bar-sur-Seine was on the frontline between the hastily retreating forces of Hitler and the rapidly advancing forces of the Allies.

As we continue along we come to an intersection with rue Victor-Hugo. Just stand for a moment and examine the the stunning carving of the 16th century timbered house on your right. I had to wait for the sun to move out from behind a cloud - but I didn't mind. And there's plenty of detail to see, too.  But I will let you make that little discovery for yourselves when you are next in the area.

Continuing towards the river there is one other thing that I want to show you. The Moulin Charrier was built in the mid-19th century and was a working flour mill right up to 1925. The remains of the building that we can see represent the latest mill on this spot. According to the archives there was an earlier mill here in the 11th century. As I wait for the sun to be kind to me again I wonder what will happen to such a large chunk of this town's history. Will it be preserved? I certainly hope so. It may be derelict now, but even in that, with the right light, it has an empty magnificence about it that is hard to deny…

I will be back with more little discoveries from my travels in France next month - watch this space!