After a long day in Chinon, which involved a lot of walking, we arrived in Poitiers. Unfortunately we missed the elevator from the train station to the center, the station is a good twenty minutes away on foot. But if you keep going left on the side of the station, you can’t miss it. We, of course, crossed the street and took an extra hundreds steps to get to the top (we did a better job on the way down). It took about twenty minutes to walk to the center, with extra time for picture taking and marveling at this new place. Finally we arrived at our apartment, which had two separate bedrooms (this is now my favorite sleeping arrangement for trips with friends).
City Hall @Poitiers
Leaving our luggage in the apartment, we headed back outside. It was only a short walk to the Église Notre-Dame la Grande, which is surrounded by a lot of terraced bars. The church is from the 11th century, built on the site of an even older one.
Église Notre-Dame la Grande @Poitiers
Take a closer look at the West front and its magnificent details, so much better looking with clear blue sky as backdrop.
west front of the Église Notre-Dame la Grande @Poitiers
The interior of the Église Notre-Dame la Grande has been renovated in the 19th century and are wild mix of “Romano-Byzantine’ motifs. Personally I liked it, even tough the painting have been criticized since the first brush strokes. But the interior is so unique, I have never seen anything like it. So the Église Notre-Dame la Grande is definitely not a church you will easily forget.
every pillar looks different @Église Notre-Dame la Grande
grave inside the Église Notre-Dame la Grande @Poitiers
After our church visit we made our way around the square in search of getting something to drink. The light goes on forever in late spring, so you have ample time to explore the city in the evening. But for us it seemed enough for the day, especially after all the walking in Chinon already. So we just got some drinks before we headed for dinner. Yours, Pollybert
Place Charles de Gaulle @Poitiers
