A Tale of Two Abbeys

It was the best of times....

We put our faith in the weather forecast which was for rain and thunderstorms coming later at 5:00 and went on an outing to visit an abbey - then decided to visit two abbeys..(extra)...sort of a "make hay while the sun shines" decision! Not that the sun was shining...but at least it was not raining...yet. 

We started with Beaulieu-en-Rouergue Abbey, which we had visited on our last trip to France, and were amazed at the renovations that have taken place since then. The abbey now houses a gallery of modern art on two floors and usually an art installation in the nave. 

Why was this the best of times? Well, it did not rain, the sun actually appeared and the awe-inspiring installation, after two months of exhibiting, was to be taken down the next day! Our timing was impeccable! We were SO fortunate to get a chance to see it. 

The installation was a huge cross made from wrought iron panels with a rose theme - perfect for this abbey and its garden of a thousand roses - and then covered in wax and lit with candles which created an ever-changing web of melted wax..As we saw it on its last day, the panels were mostly bare again...(extra) 

As we were on a high, and the weather was holding, we drove on to another amazing abbey..Loc Dieu. 

The best of times again! 

We were the only visitors and although the guided tour is offered only in French, a kind young man working in the ticket booth switched with the regular guide as he could speak some English and gave us a private tour - en anglais! He was amazing! He was a very entertaining story teller even in his second language and because of that, we had a better understanding of the back story of the abbey than we ever would have been able to decipher en français!

The story of Loc Dieu that will stick with us is that in 1940, the Louvre moved over 3000 works of art from their Renaissance collection including the Mona Lisa, to Loc Dieu to hide them from the Germans. The paintings stayed there over the summer, but were then transferred to Montauban, supposedly because the humidity at Loc Dieu was becoming a problem. How fascinating is that? 

By the time our tour ended, the clouds were darkening so we headed home, arriving just after 4PM, and..believe it or not, the rain began at 5! How often does that happen? 

Can it get any better than that?