Round The World and other travels

Having made the effort to include Troyes in my itinerary, and having been suitably horrified by the shocking weather on arrival, I was determined to make the most of the better conditions today. I woke up at about 0730 and had breakfast in the hotel's attractive little restaurant. I set out at around 0930 and, although it was cold, I was relieved to find that it was dry. It wasn't long before my camera was slipping into overdrive. I started by looking around the cathedral and the nearby St Nizier Church (both in the 'head' of the Champagne cork), before heading into the 'neck' of the cork. Before lunch, I saw the St Rémy, Ste Madeleine and St Pantaléon churches, the latter, along with the St Urbain basilica, named after the pope from Troyes, Jacques Pantaléon, a.k.a. Pope St Urbain IV.

After a delicious lunch in a little creperie, I visited the rather unusual Tool Museum, which contains the world's largest collection of hand tools, as used by various craftsmen through the ages. I then walked back through the main square in the direction of the Maison de Rhodes, passing St Jean-au-Marché and visiting the aforementioned St Urbain basilica en route. I seemed to time my return to the hotel rather well as it started raining soon after my arrival back at base. Not to worry - I'd managed a solid bout of sight-seeing, had taken more photographs than I dared think about and was starting to feel that I'd earned a rest! I did venture out again in the evening for something to eat but, while it was perfectly acceptable, it was a bit of a disappointment after the wonderful meal I'd eaten in the hotel the previous evening.