DORDOGNE to PROVENCE, en route

May 15 - 16:  Ice cream for breakfast 

We always seem to give in to the temptation to buy a container of ice cream just before we move on.  We resisted the €2.50 single scoop cones but then gave in and bought one litre of coffee ice cream the last day for just a bit more.  We had some before dinner and some after but there was some left, which came in handy in our morning coffee as our milk had run out.  There was still enough to make iced coffee for the road!  Instead of bubble tea we had crunchy coffee as it had whole beans. ;-)

The long drive was broken with stops along the way in the Departement of Lot.  Rocamadour is a pilgrimage site built into 150 metres of vertical cliff beneath a 14th C. chateau and, yes, Henry Plantagenet was here too, for a cure.
He really got around, but then that isn't surprising as he was the king of England and most of France!

A short distance away we waited almost an hour to descend 103 metres to the underground caverns of Gouffre de Padirac, accessed though a chasm.  You travel in boats along an underground river and climb stairs to view the spectacular formations.

On to our Airbnb for the night near Cordes-sur-Ciel north of Albi and one of Tarn's best-preserved medieval villages.  We rewarded ourselves with dinner at the top and a bird's eye view.  The next morning Isabelle gave us a delicious breakfast and warm send off.   We made a stop in the provincial town of Albi with its huge brick Cathedrale Ste.-Cecile and view of the river near the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, which we gave a pass because of time.  There were many kilometers to travel through some very beautiful pastoral country with sheep in the meadow, cows and horses in the field.

Rocamadour 

Cathedral, Albi

River Tarn, Albi

le pique-nique 

I wish I could say the rest of our day went as smoothly.  Yesterday and today made up the fourth public holiday (yes, really!) this month, Pentecost (Whit Sunday and Monday).  So stores have been closed on May 1, May 5 (Ascension Thursday), May 8 (VE Day, 1945), and now today.  The upshot today was later in the afternoon ALL French people were on the road travelling home, except those still crowding the centre of Nimes celebrating their 5-day feria de Pentecost as we passed through, missing the bypass :-(.  We managed to finally get out of town, but headed in the wrong direction, going north instead of East and back south through Avignon.  Yes, we know GPS would have helped here but it wouldn't have helped us when we arrived at our rural destination outside Eyragues near St.-Remy-de-Provence to find there were multiple homes with the same address.  The property had been divided into four but they didn't change the numbers.  It was a matter of trying every driveway.  Here's where a functioning phone would have come in handy too.  As Lionel said on learning we were travelling without phone and GPS, "It's an adventure!" Suffice it to say it was one of our most trying days but we didn't quite lose it with ourselves or each other...close though.    Then we went to the only store open for more wine and a little food.

LIMOUSIN and the DORDOGNE

May 9:  Valleres -Solignac
Today was a 200-km journey through the centre of France, first in rain, but clearing somewhat.  We side-tracked a bit to Le Village Martyr, Oradour-sur-Glane, where 642 men, women and children were murdered by the Nazis on June 10, 1944 when they also burned the town.  No one knows exactly why this atrocity took place here, but the town has been left as it was, with blackened buildings and rusting automobiles, as a memorial.  Very sad.

We arrived at our chambre d'hote, Le Cheyrol, in Solignac, managing to follow a complicated set of directions though coming from the opposite direction.  Le pont rompu, the broken bridge, saved us as it was obvious.  After greeting us warmly, Marie said "parlez francais s'il vous plait" so we knew it was going to be hard work!  She does speak a few words of English, and Alain fewer, but we managed to communicate, mostly in French with a little English and Spanish, dictionaries and tablets to help.  They went out of their way to be helpful, showing us around the town and area, lush with fields of Limousin cattle and race horses.  The delicious  table d' hote meal prepared mostly by Alain was worth every euro.  He is a retired butcher and there were 15 hams aging, literally hanging from the rafters in their barn.  The meal started with aperitifs of local liqueurs made from fruit or walnuts, diluted with white wine, and tiny toasts with pates of rabbit pate and parsley.  This was followed by a salad plate with lettuce, potato salad and head cheese.  Yes, we did eat the head cheese.  The main course was grilled steak and potatoes gratin dauphinois, like scalloped, already a favourite with us.  All this was served with lots of red wine.  Next came the ubiquitous plat du fromage with four excellent local cheeses.  Finally the meal wrapped up with tarte tatin.  No wonder we weren't hungry the next day, though we did manage to eat the breakfast, just no lunch.  We waddled away like the famous geese of the region.

Tues. May 10:  Limoges - Les Eyzies-de-Tayac

Since we had a shorter drive of about 130 kms. there was time to explore the Historic Rue de la Boucherie in the Chateau Quartier of Limoges, named for the butchers' shops that lined the street in the Middle Ages.  There was time for a lovely riverbank stroll along the Vienne with its old stone bridges before heading on.

Rue de la Boucherie

Chapelle St-Aurelien, patron saint of butchers

Hotel de Ville where a stage of this year's Tour de France will be from July 5 -6.  

We made an afternoon visit to the Medieval walled city of St-Yvrieix-la-Perche before crossing into the Dordogne department, our destination for the next five days.  It was so quiet because on Tuesdays all museums in France close and it was the mid-day closure too, it was almost creepy.

We reached Montignac then Sarlat-la-Caneda, a picturesque maze of honey-coloured stone buildings and definitely on the tourist trail, for a short look about before heading to our petite maisonette in the countryside near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in the Vezere Valley.  To say it was difficult to find is an understatement, but a lovely English-speaking man who lived on the road phoned Michel for directions and we finally arrived.  Michel had a co-worker from England waiting to translate.  The little house of stone is modern inside, albeit a little damp, but once we found the dehumidifier we were set.  It appears Michel is another man of many talents like Richard.  He is a realtor, also renting out various properties and building a new home.  

Sarlat-la-Caneda

May 11:  tour of the Vezere Valley, Lascaux II, Beynac

Now we have traded the chateaux of the Loire for the grottes of the Perigord.  This region is world-famed for pre-historic sites and especially cave art.  The first visit was to Lascaux II, with a 40-minute tour in English.  The original cave has been closed to the public since 1963, but the art has been faithfully reproduced in the copy.  We could not take photos but it was magnificent; coloured images of animals such as horses, cows and deer from 17,000 years ago.  Cro-Magnon man's remains were first discovered near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac.  If you Google "Lascaux II images" you will see some fantastic cave paintings.

Also in the region is the Chateau de Beynac, a 12th century fortress occupied by Richard the Lion-hearted and a defensive position during the Hundred Years War.  The town was where scenes from the movie Chocolate were filmed.  

May 12 - 13:  Around Les Eyzies

We spent most of Thursday checking out the museum for background on the"pre-history" valley, then today visited three more sites nearby to view cave art:  Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, Grotte des Combarelles and Abri de Cap-Blanc.  You can't take photos in any of them, more to keep you from posting them on the internet than anything.  All are carefully controlled as to how many can visit and visits are only by guided tour.  We had one tour in French, one in English, and the third in a mixture.  We are happy we've had a chance to see them while they are still open to the public.  

It was rainy and cool today so we haven't been in the unheated pool yet and probably won't!  Here's Jim happy to be home to our little cottage.  

Sat. May 14:

Chateau de Commarque, a 12th C. castle in the Beaune Valley, is on a site occupied for more than 15,000 years.  Abandoned about 400 years ago, it was rediscovered slowly collapsing and disappearing under vegetation in the mid 20th C.  Since then it has been restored and opened to the public.  

troglodyte cave houses

We will be off again on our journey south to Provence on Sunday, with one night in the midi-Pyrenees.

Loire Part 2

Thurs. May 5:  Chateau de Villandry

We cycled along the Loire to this Renaissance château from 1536, but which has undergone many changes, lovingly restored to the original design about 100 years ago.  It's best known for its gardens in both Italian and French styles.  The ornamental and water gardens are particularly appealing.  I will post photos after we get home.  Because this is a long weekend many people are visiting and it's busy. Tonight we went for a long walk, passing orchards, livestock and fields.  Check www.chateauvillandry.com.

Friday May 6:  driving around the Loire and Indre

Since we hadn't used the car for two days it was time to see more of the countryside:  wooden boats at Brehemont where we picnicked, Usse with its Sleeping Beauty chateau that influenced Disneyland and along the vineyard route, though we didn't find one open.  Tonight we went on a wooden boat cruise with our hosts and some American guests who are staying here.  The boats, called "toues", are 100 years old and were formerly used to transport cargo on the river.

With Richard and Roseliane in front if our cottage:

Brehemont on the Loire

Sleeping Beauty castle

Sat. May 7:  Royal Fortress of Chinon, Fontvraud Abbey and Candes-St-Martin

The fortress of Chinon consists of three castles.  Only one wing of the former Royal quarters exists from the 15th C.  Henry II Plantagenet, crowned King of England in 1154, reigned over an empire stretching from England to Aquitaine, making Chinon the centre of his continental possessions.  Joan of Arc stayed here in 1429 under the protection of Charles VII, lodged in the Coudray keep, before meeting her sad end in Reims.  We had an English-speaking guide all to ourselves.  The medieval town below is well-restored.  Later we drove along the Vienne to the Fontvraud Abbey and to Candes-St-Martin, where he died in 397.  We walked uphill past inhabited cave dwellings to view the convergence of the rivers Loire and Vienne.

Views from Chinon:

Medieval town on the Vienne

Sun. May 8:  last day in Touraine region

We took another 12-km bike ride through the countryside and along the river this morning, past fields of cattle and rows of poplars originally used for the camembert boxes.  Tonight Richard and Roseliane invited us over for drinks and quiche.  He treated us to a performance of songs in French and English while playing the keyboard.  Earlier today he released a swarm of bees, one of four he's caught since we arrived.  They have been such great hosts; we will miss them.  We drive about 200 kms. tomorrow, just south of Limoges, where we'll spend one night at a B and B.

LOIRE VALLEY

Sun. May 1:  Tours 
At last, warming sunshine for our walk to the station.  No terrorists car-bombed the police station.  As Jim pointed out, if they had we would not have survived despite sleeping just metres from all that armed security.

Jean Philippe, our host in Tours, and his kitten Loli welcomed us before we set off for the Vieille Ville with its associations with St. Martin and Charlemagne. After touring mediaeval buildings, ruins and old artists' quarters in narrow streets we enjoyed a very late lunch on Place Plumereau along with many locals celebrating La Fete du Travail.  We later followed the Riverside path by the fast-moving Loire.

Gare de Tours and Gare d'Austerlitz

Hotel de Ville, Tours

medieval building

 Place Plumereau

Mon. May 2:  Valleres

On to the chateaux in our rented Opel car, driving along narrow country roads.  Now this is relaxing (other than when I told Jim to turn onto what turned out to be an exit for buses...oops!). 

The first of at least seven castle visits (yes we bought the tickets already) was Azay-le-Rideau near where we're staying, then stocking up at Carrefour and getting into our cottage.  It feels good to spread ourselves out.  Hosts Richard and Roseliane welcomed us with sparkling wine from a neighboring village over which we shared travel stories.  They are former teachers and he's also a former sculptor.  Their home and yard are decorated with some of his work in wood and marble.  Nowadays he's a bee keeper.

Now to manage our visits to the castles, vineyards and gardens and go cycling.

Tues. May 3:  touring chateaux Amboise and Chenonceau

Unfortunately we had to navigate our way through Tours to these castles so inevitably we got lost but eventually followed the scenic right bank of the Loire to Amboise.  Originally it was a Celtic settlement from the 4th C.  The castle dates from the Renaissance the king made a palace out of the chateau.  Most famously Leonardo da Vinci is buried here.

Amboise

Gothic trapezoid hood

Flemish tapistry

chapel where da Vinci is buried

Chenonceau:  built in 16 C, but most famously occupied by Henri II's mistress Diane de Poitiers.  After Henri's death, his widow, Catherine de' Medici, kicked her out and moved in.  She knew a good castle when she saw it!  Situated on the River Cher, the demarcation line between the Vichy government and free France during WWII, part of the castle was used as a hospital.  It was possible to smuggle people to freedom through the South door.  The gardens are the work of both Diane and Catherine.

Chenonceau

the five queens's  bedroom 

copper pot portrait

Catherine's garden

Catherine herself

Wed. May 4:  Having a lazy day around the cottage, where the loudest sounds are birds chirping, lawn mowers mowing, and frogs croaking.  This morning we rode bikes along a quiet road to a winery in the next village where we tasted and purchased two bottles, one to share with Richard and Roseliane this evening.  Tomorrow is yet another French holiday, Ascension Thursday, with stores closed so we had to shop again.

FRANCE: PARIS

Friday, April 29, 2016

We arrived this morning after 24 hours of travel Vancouver-Toronto-Paris.  Our flight landed about 8:45 a.m. local time to sun and 8• C.  The RER train from Charles de Gaulle airport and Metro four stops took about an hour.  Our hotel, Coypel, is a short walk from Place d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement on the left bank near Gare d'Austerlitz where we'll catch our train to Tours in two short days, just enough time to get over the flight.

Spiralling out from the hub at The Place are the spokes which give this district its charm, old streets with funky bistros and shops.  The area has undergone a Renaissance lately, including ongoing work at the station.  When we stayed in the area 14 years ago it had a more run-down, working class feel.  We're right next to a police station with an armada of vehicles and coterie of gendarmes at the ready, some with sub-machine guns.

After a necessary refreshing nap, we found Chez Gladines (www.chezgladines.com) in our neighborhood, known for its Basque specialties, chicken dishes and large salads.  The wait was about 20 minutes during which time we chatted with Alex from Boston who told us it's the best restaurant in France, high praise.  We share a cozy table with Mary and Len from Oxford and Patricia, a local friend of theirs.  Jim had steak in green peppercorn sauce and Lynne had salt cod in a red sauce, both served with copious helpings of sliced fried potatoes, the French version of home fries.  Patricia explained that service was include on most bills even if it's not stated and the diner is expected to leave just an additional small tip of 5% or so.

Sat. 30 April:  Cool and drizzly today.  Walked to Gare d'Austerlitz to buy our train tickets.  Jim said we should have rented the car in Paris and saved €130 return fare but it's better not to drive in Paris we think.  We didn't wear enough layers but still walked to the Place de la Bastille and then the Jardin des Plantes, probably at least seven kms.

We're catching up on lost sleep by napping but then we're good to go again.  Walked another six or so kms. to Chinatown tonight for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant then caught late sun on buildings around the place.  Moving on to Tours tomorrow.

Just a thought... Paris is a series of villages and you see such diverse cultures and degrees of gentrification in close proximity.

old building Av. de l'Hopital

The Bastille

Bastille from boat basin

The last two are oopses while learning how to use this tablet's camera that I turned into "Art"