Touring about Aquitaine

An old stone structure renovated for a home!

Today we visited several interesting sites. Traveling along the waterway, we came to the seaside town of Royan and looked around there. I understand it's a favorite summer vacation spot for mostly European tourists. Shh! Don't tell the Americans about it! This tower pictured above has an interesting history that I learned from the locals:
The  mill (moulin) is near the home where I'm staying; with a good view of the sea coast, it was filled up with concrete by the Germans during the Second War (WWII)  so they could mount a machine gun at its top. Apparently the Germans stationed at the Moulin  were very nice Germans and would play with some of the village children. When the war ended they didn't have any fuel for their trucks, so they left on bicycles. Sadly, they were all killed by French Resistance fighters in nearby Royan.

An interesting church at the village of
Mourtagne from the pre-revolution period.

The entry to the church

A lone pigeon roosting in an early,
rear part of the church

The Romans occupied this area at one time and their monuments are still standing; some good as new while others are ruins. From what I gather, people have lived around here for eons.
I hear they appreciate pigeons here. They call them Squab and they're tasty, like little Cornish game hens.

Click onto any photo 
for a larger view!