As described already, our first outing to Saint Florentin had us arriving late, after a long and somewhat stressful journey. Upon arrival, and with the help of the Captainiere, we raced off by cab to a hardware store to buy an electric fan, and then immediately returned to the boat, seeing only glimpses of the town out the window. Now I had scheduled a full day to relax and explore.
The approach from the canal crossed two branches of the Armance River, each crossed by bridges with ornate ornamental ironwork and baskets of flowers.
Despite the beautiful flowers there and on a hillside, where the flowers colored the regional flag below a castle tower, the town didn’t see as vibrant as others I had visited.
The town sits high on a hill, with lots of steps taking you up to the heart of the city. The highest point was a large church which, unfortunately, was not open to be toured, nor was there about its history. Still, it sat high and majestic over the city.
Behind it a bit was the center of town, marked by a fountain square and a nearby café. Narrow streets and alleys would through the town center.
Unlike most towns I’d seen, Saint Florentin seemed dominated by hair salons! I saw two boulangeries, only one small grocers, and several Tabacs.
Other than a somewhat sketchy looking pizza place, there were only two restaurants of note in town, both appearing more formal than I really wanted to experience as a party of one. The Marie was an impressive structure, and there were other businesses in town, but the large supermache had opened on the outskirts of town, and that (as it almost always does) seemed to have drained some of the energy from the town proper.
There was plenty of structures of obvious historical interest around. There was a long market building, what appeared to be a religious retreat being rehabbed, and other interesting features. I was able to peek through one open gate and see that there were still impressive estates lining the top of the hill, each with impressive views over the river and canal below.
Still, I found it to be less than I expected, something that once must have been quite a vibrant center for the area that now may have its best days behind it.
I wandered the city late morning, and took a second walk through it later in the afternoon. At the end, I dined aboard Desormais and enjoyed the evening in the very pleasant port area. Exploring is always interesting, just not always as rewarding as you might hope.