ST SAVIN

This is the abbey at St Savin.

We visited it a couple of weeks ago with some friends.

We had returned to L'Ascenseur for lunch having enjoyed it so much the previous time (see here). Afterwards we decided to make a day of it and visit the abbey.  

It was a bank holiday but still not very busy.

I sometimes find Catholic churches a bit intimidating and unfriendly, especially if there are a lot of old paintings depicting violent scenes from the Bible.  This place is lovely, well worth a second visit (the previous time was two years ago with a different set of house guests) and a rewarding way to escape some of the heat on a very warm afternoon.

A GOOD LUNCH AT A NEW PLACE

We recently, on the spur of the moment, visited L'Ascenseur in St Savin for lunch.  It had been recommended by several people but, being nearly an hour's drive away, we somehow never made it until now.  You can see its website here.

It was worth the wait and worth the journey!  People don't take pictures of their lunch so much nowadays but this meal was so good I just had to.  The ambience is relaxed and the service excellent and unfussy.  

A salad starter for him.

A calamari starter for me.

We both had the chicken main course.

Followed by a delicious cheese course which included a small glass of port.

A fruit meringue for dessert for him.

A chocolate concoction for me.

Finally, a very good coffee.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and will be going back soon.

St Savin is also a great  place to visit, a UNESCO world heritage site with a fabulous abbey, lovely walks and a charming old town with numerous other eateries.

 Apparently, St Savin was the birth place in 1827 of the man who invented the first hydraulic elevator, Félix Léon Edoux, which is how the restaurant gets its name.