beaupré abbey, not castle

imagine living next door to a castle, that isn't a castle after all, but a 13th century abbey. {fyi, i do not!}

imagine next you've been wanting to enter the castle abbey for two decades, and that hasn't happened yet. not to this date it hasn't. 

so. join an ethnographic society walk, and slide past the abbey. 

wait a minute! slide past? no-ho! 

slip over the mossy drive way through the big navy blue grilles. walk right in. 

genteel home owner allowing an eagre group of curiosity cats {including moi} free access to the abbey's wards for a bit.

{wards that are, in reality, big open spaces on three imposing levels}

{in fact blank canvased for future artistic application}

after a 1991 horrendous fire just four outside walls were left standing. 

the place was roughly renovated after the 1991 fire by stichting jules de bruycker, collecting the artist's works by a family heir.

to stand inside these former castle abbey walls was a bit of a dream-come-true for yours truly. 

i snuffed and sniffled, {persistently wet and moss down here, you know}. 

and didn't make it to the upper floors either, because of a fearsome vertigo. 

i did stroll happily to my heart's content over that ground floor, believe me. 

and felt deflated to leave the place again so soon...

last week i attended a workshop in a nearby nature preservation centre. something interesting will flow from it into a new year's project. for now however, you will find more impressions on my walks here. i also ordered more fall sun for this week! you're welcome.☺