My working holiday has ended and I am left with indelible memories, hundreds of photographs, and pages and pages of notes to decipher, collate and write up, including convent and monastery accommodation, tourist information, details of local restaurants and cafes, along with some funny and unusual stories and some interesting tid-bits, some passed on by a nun or a monk met along the way. An Irish priest told me (the not too significant story) that each year in Croke Park Stadium, Dublin, the Archbishop of Cashel starts off the final of the All Ireland Hurling Championships with a throw. The tradition dates back to the early 1800s when Croke Park was named after Archbishop Croke of Cashel, a founder of the stadium. The honour was once bestowed on Irish Patriot, Michael Collins. It seems that both managed to keep their digits intact!

A highlight of the trip was a visit to the beautiful town of Solesmes, as mentioned in my last blog. It was a 2½hr train trip from Paris Montparnasse station to Le Mans, (1 hour by TGV) stopping at familiar villages and towns such as Versailles, Chartres and Rambouillet, followed by a short, local train journey to the tiny riverside town of Sable (pronounced ‘Sab-blee,’ as I discovered when the French ticket seller couldn’t fathom my true blue Aussie accent, requesting a ticket to ‘Say-bill’).

 Potted plants and multicoloured hanging flower baskets lined the leafy, stone streets around the two grand Solesmes abbeys, and in contrast to Paris, the peace and the quiet were a welcome change. The St Peter’s abbey church was more crowded than the village streets! I came to Solesmes to hear the monks and nuns chanting and was not disappointed. It was an awesome and uplifting experience and there were enough surprises here to keep me inspired and motivated all day. Mid afternoon the activity in the town picked up, as cafes and shops opened and well-dressed locals strolled to a village café for an afternoon aperitif or café-au-lait.

Unfortunately the guesthouse run by the Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St-Cecile has closed and now stands empty and abandoned - something to do with local council regulations. However, there is other accommodation available here. During the summer months, Solesmes could be visited in a day trip from Paris – the long, lingering, light-filled evenings working in favour.

‘Til next time….