We arrived in Le Neubourg and parked at the Tourist Information Office. Got directions to the market and proceeded in the direction of the church and the city center.
Only 6 Euros for a pigeon. 
We could have really fresh Chicken tonight if Sharon would prepare it. I vounteered to buy one but she refused to do her fair share and prepare it so we just left them there for someone else to buy.
Of course my favorite - FOOD!
Wonderful French cheeses!
Fresh seafood.
Mussels. 
I could fix them myself!
I could fix them myself!
Lots of pretty linens. Another of my favorite things. We looked and looked but coud not find a cow but they did sell this at the market.
Unfortunately it wasn't an automatic so I passed it up. It was a difficult decision. I could just picture myself driving around Provence wearing my French beret. So chic! While walking back to the car I stopped to take a picture of this lovely building. It had some signage on it so I took a picture and asked the girl at the tourist office what it was. They were some doing some work on it so I thought it might be a hotel.
For those who speak French, and had I looked a little more closley I could have probably figured it out, it is the place where people go to pay their taxes. The young lady said she really had never noticed that it was an attractive building. Mmmmmmmmmwonder why.
We had seen the market and so we were off again to explore the Normandy countryside to see what we could see.
Our destination - the Abbey Notre-Dame du Bec.
Not the Abbey just a little church in the town of Le Bec Hellouin, one off the designated "Most Beautiful Villages of France".
The Parish Church of Saint Andre.
The oldest house dating back to 
the 15th and 16th century.
the 15th and 16th century. 
Our trusty navigator and tour guide. Trying unsuccesfully to match the numbers on the diagram of the city in the brohure with the actual buildings. Not her fault. I think we all decided "something was amiss". We decided to just enjoy the scenry and pick up what info we could from the brochure.
Used by members of the Resistance during WWII to get across the valley and reach the woods,
Mathilda Square, named after William the Conqueror's wife. She was buried at the parish church and her remains were later transferred to the abbey she founded in Caen. I noticed they still kept a parking place for her in front of the church. A sign infront of the spot says "Mathilda's Place". Wow, some clout.
Taken on the grounds of the Abbey. The construction of the Abbey and the village began in 1060. In 1418, the middle of the Hundred Years War, the monks destroyed the village by fire in order to halt the progress of the English soldiers. The effort did not work and the troops occupied the village. The monks left the Abbey during the French Revolution and the buildings became a military depot between 1790 and 1802. During the Second World War the Germans occupied the area and transformed the buildings of the Abbey into a tank-driving school. The Germans left the village in August 1944. Allied bombings partially destoyed the center of the village. When the village was liberated by the Canadian troops they occupied the Abbey buildings for a while and than the site was abandoned. The buildings began to deteriorate. Two villagers requested the local M.P. to act and he worked tirelessly to invite monkss back to the Abbey. A community of Olivetan Benedictines moved into the Abbey in 1948.
The village itself was rebuilt from 1950 onwards.
It was a beautiful setting. The fall foliage, crisp leaves to walk through, and there was a peaceful,calm about the place.
S'AmbroiseS' Jerome
Leaving the Abbey.
Before heading home we decided to go into Saint Andre and look around.
Time to head down the road. Now I found two pictures and I had no idea where they came from.
I could not figure out what they were. Well, obviously a church but what church? Finally it came to me it was a big church in one of the villages we went through and we didn't stop. We thought maybe we had seen enough churches for awhile. You probably have too.
We were on our way - well it was early so we decided to go to Andelys and view its castle, Chateau Gaillard.
The view from the area.
"How beautiful she is my one-year old daughter!
What a "gaillard castle!..." Richard the Lion Heart, King of England and Duke of Normandy exlaims,as he is gazing at the stronhold he has built beetween 1196 and 1198.
We had had a busy day of driving and riding so we decided to eat at the restaurant within walking distance of the resort.
Le Moulin de Connelles
A charming hotel and restaurant.
We had a wonderful waiter who spoke English. Most helpful. 
I enjoyed a wonderful meal - duck foie gras that was served in a small tart dish which had been torched like a creme brulee. It was sooooooo good! My second course was oxtail served with a potatoe puree and vegetables. Of course there was a delicious sauce served with the meat. It was sooooooo good! Lastly I had a lovely apple dessert served with a vanilla cream and ice cream. It was sooo good! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you - the wine, both a white and a red was soooo good! It was definitly a satisfying meal!
What a great way to end a good day- great food, and great wine shared with great friends.
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