We took a field trip out the the countryside, just 20 minutes from home, to the little village of Grez-Neuville. Really, it’s a village made up of two smaller villages: Grez and Neuville, which are separated by the Mayenne River. A lovely bridge connects the two. This photo was taken standing on the Neuville side, looking across to the 17th century Sautré Mill (the multi-story one on the right) that was built on the Grez side. This mill was built on the remains of a 12th century one and is currently utilized to make Camembert cheese.

While on the Neuville side, we checked out a beautiful old church with foundations dating back to the 12th century. It had an unusual interior; the ceiling was wood and the blocks on the wall had been embellished with paint. The colorful and extremely ornate altar area is uncommon and really beautiful. Though we didn’t see anyone in the church, there was fairly loud classical music playing inside.

We looked for a bakery, but alas, it appears the village is too tiny to have one!