Cycle Touring in France: Julienas to Cluny

We left Julienas, and the Beaujolais region in general, and cycled down through the vineyards and small villages into Macon, a huge town by comparison. The small roads and green fields changed into busy roads and grey factories as we approached. It seemed strange after so long in the countryside and we felt out of place and uninterested in looking around the centre, which was full of shoppers on a typical Saturday morning. After a brief visit to the tourist office to find the safest way out to the Voie Verte we headed off to Cluny. This town has the remains of one of the oldest and largest abbeys in Christendom and a medieval village and ramparts to go with it. It was more of a tourist attraction than we thought and the centre was thronging with day-trippers. This also meant that there were plenty of cafes and tourist shops so we had a tea break and some delicious cakes before entering the abbey. It was sold off in the late 1700's during the period of religious intolerance to four buyers who dismantled most of the buildings and removed the statues. One owner left a part untouched and this is what you can see today. They French government commissioned a 3D version of what the abbey would have looked like and you can view this through special rotating screens at various points on the visit. These old reconstructions align with what you actually see to give you a feel of the whole. It was a pretty special place and very awe inspiring in it's size and complexity.

Typical house front in the village. The number of windows indicated the wealth and position of the owner.