Destination France 2017: Niort

Niort has a special place in my heart. Back in 1665, my ancestors, Jean Gobeil and Jeanne Guyet, left Niort with their daughters and travelled to La Rochelle to board the boat "Le Rubis" to sail to New France, now called Canada. They are the ancestors of all the Gobeil people in Canada and in the USA.

We have now discovered two previous generations to Jean: his parents and grand-parents. The grand-parents, Michel Gobeil and Vincente Benoit, did not come from far away. Michel came from St. Liguaire, which today is a suburb of Niort, and Vincente was from Che. They were married in Britanny in 1600 and both buried in Niort, Michel in 1623 and Vincente in 1620. (I cannot find a place called Che, but since the whole area is in the region of Cher, this may have been a mistake in transcribing the information.)

Their son, Pierre François Gobeil (1603 - 1659) married Catherine Chaigneau (1603 - 1670) in 1623 in Niort, France. Catherine was from Che (probably Cher) and was buried in La Rochelle.

I am trying to confirm this information from various sources and may have to go to La Rochelle to do more research.

We've visited Niort numerous times, and things change from one visit to the other. There are more one-way streets, the parking lots change locations, stores have closed and others have opened, our favourite gourmet restaurant "La Table des Saveurs" has changed hands and now serves Middle Eastern fare, but what has remained the same is the Donjon. That seems to have stood the test of time.

"The Donjon de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort in the département of Deux-Sèvres. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.

The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. From the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.

Following Henry II's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the English Crown controlled most of western France. Needing a secure base from which to maintain links with England, Niort was strategically placed as a site where Henry could maintain a garrison and supplies of personnel and weapons."

~ Wikipedia.

They do have beautiful architecture on the shopping streets. Almost like walking in Paris.

Bought cute little blue leather boots today, flat heels. Such soft leather, they feel like slippers.

The dragons that snake for an entire block.

This pink VW is actually inside a store called "Les Petits Amoureux".

Oops! It was pointed out to me that this is a Citroën, not a VW. My bad!

Found a store where they sell beautiful cotton fabric, perfect for quilts.

Hope Diane and Richard remember this restaurant! We thought we'd come back for old times' sake.

We both ordered the "magret de canard", which is duck, in a Pineau sauce with the yummiest fries that were crisp and tender, and a light salad.

Karl had a crêpe with Grand Marnier. They flamed it, but we can't see that on this photo.

I had a "moëlleux au chocolat" which is a volcano cake with caramel oozing out of the middle. Delicious!

Niort reminds me of Paris in other ways as well. We can people watch here. This beautiful young woman seems to be waiting for someone as she drinks her café.