A plane to Paris, connection directly from the airport by train to Poitiers, a quick dump of our bags in the hotel by the train station, a run up a steep hill into the historical district of Potiers and voilà: two hungry and jet lagged Americans ready for a picnic.  Within an hour of arrival we had purchased a fine tin of walnut oil from a local specialty shop, stopped in a supermarket, and bought bread from a boulangerie, spread the Infamous Blue Traveling Poncho on a wet bench, and ate our picnic at the Église Notre-Dame la Grande in Poitiers, France.

A 12th century facade both familiar (from all the times I’ve studied reproductions) and unfamiliar (smaller than I’d imagined, more human-sized than overwhelming), with a vaguely vaginal mandorla top center.  Below that, two rows of arcades with statues, and a large window, and underneath that, two blind (empty) portals surrounding a big sculptured portal, which is often a feature of French Romanesque architecture, and on the sides two cone bra-esque towers. Covering all this is hot mess of ornamental carving with no unifying theme, not that it was any less enjoyable for that.

How we got to Poitiers: train from Paris.

Where we slept: Hotel ibis budget Poitiers Centre Gare.  Price: €43 for a double.  Recommended: yes.

Église Notre-Dame la Grande

Picnic: magret de canard (smoked duck breast), arugula, bread, and walnut oil.

Baby Jesus’ first bath, with Joseph hanging out watching.

In between the arcades, the capital pillars are carved with faces.

These little guys reminded me of my cat.

Archivolts!  I looooove the word archivolt, and I loved this particular archivolt with it’s profiles of sitting dogs.