Going on an adventure! I took the train from Genval to the train station in Ottignies, waited about 40 minutes, then changed trains to head to Villers Abbey in Villers la Ville! From there, I walked the ~ 1 mile to the Abbey, had a LOVELY couple of hours there, walked back to the train station, rode to Ottignies, waited another 30 minutes or so, and took a different train back to Genval! So much fun!
The earliest buildings of the abbey no longer exist, but the abbey was completely rebuilt by the end of the 13th century. The first restoration work was done in 1893, and a larger scale restoration in 1984.
The Abbot's Palace (built in 1720-1721).
In the gardens, looking towards the church (original construction
began in 1197!)
The abbey is such a peaceful, beautiful place. There is a quiet spirit about the place, and you can almost picture the monks walking quietly around several hundred years ago! Amazing!
This was an interesting, old tablet I found... Don't really know what it says other than it appears to be in memory of someone (or something?) and has interesting dates at the bottom. :-)
The church was incredible!
I had a lovely time in the Villers Abbey!
2 comments:
Oh so beautiful. One of the places I would have loved to have been with you.
Oh, I would have LOVED to have you there with me! It really was a lovely place! That's one of the only negative things about traveling alone a lot - in one sense it is easier, but there are so many people I think of at various places I visit and think how much they would appreciate what I am seeing or experiencing, and it makes me wish they could be there too! Thank you for commenting too--- sometimes I wonder if anybody actually checks the blog :-).
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