In both Brussels and Noyon, we’ve happened onto the most fascinating exhibits / tours of underground spaces. We’ve been underneath a portion of a Brussels palace to see the gothic-arched cellars of a chapel that was once part of an earlier version of the palace. On that visit, we also saw and walked on a narrow, cobbled medieval street that’s been buried underground for a few hundred years.
Here in Noyon, we visited the town’s beautiful cathedral, which is considered the earliest example of the gothic style in France.
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While there, we discovered that that very evening was an installment of occasional underground tours of this cathedral. For nearly two hours that night, we and just three others learned about Noyon’s early history, visited numerous medieval and later cellars, saw an ongoing archeological dig (underneath a hotel!) of the town’s Roman and medieval market, and more. Absolutely fascinating, and it gave us a better appreciation for and understanding of what we were seeing above ground.
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The gorgeous international driving event at Cuts began yesterday and continues today. Both A.J. and I took (and will continue to take) tons of photos, but I haven’t even begun to sort through them yet, so I don’t have any to post at the moment. Stay tuned.
The Slower Road 