Moving south.

Friday night’s visit to the Fiddler’s Rest was interesting with its clientele of English expats and local French. The food was very good if a little pricey however, I could not fault the fish and chips, it was quite amusing seeing Frenchmen drinking Guinness but the chiller had been turned down to cater to their tastes.

Saturday saw us leave Le Moulin Neuf and make a zigzag journey through the countryside to our new home for the next seven days near Savignac de Miremont. We stopped off at Sarlat to explore and visit the market which is huge, so much bigger than the reputed ‘largest in the Dordogne’ at Riberac. Again there was a high proportion of English vices and I mean English not British, in fact I have not met or heard an Irish, Scottish or Welsh person or accent over here. I am going to go back again when the market isn’t on to explore some more.

The accommodation seems to get better and better, I am now the only guest in a barn conversion, my cottage has a downstairs comprising a lounge kitchen with French windows leading onto my patio overlooking the swimming pool and extensive countryside views, upstairs there is a large bedroom with en-suite bathroom and the property is at the end of a country lane so the only things I heard last night were the local wildlife. I have just had dinner on the patio but it is getting cool so time to come in for dessert.

Today I went on a search for Vide-Greniers or what we call boot sales, I found two of the three I was looking for, they are very similar to the UK variety and not from what I could see as sites to pick up bargains as touted by BBC antiques programmes in fact their prices were more expensive the British boot sales and the dealers nowhere near as gullible as we would be lead to believe.

Grub and Hoorays.

When in France you have to try the local regional delicacies which in the Dordogne are foie gras and truffles, I have had truffles before and they are good, so yesterday after a cycle ride I carried on to the Le Temps Des Mets restaurant in the lovely village of  Saint Jean de Cote, the setting is everyone’s ideal of a French village but I am afraid the foie gras and the following duck breast were a bit too nouvelle cuisine for me and a little over complicated flavour wise, as an antidote to this I am going to an Irish pub tonight for Guinness and pub grub.

We were out today exploring the town of Riberac which reputedly has the largest market in the area but which according to the guidebook despite being very popular with the British has little else to offer, I must agree with that statement, I seemed to be dogged on my stroll around the market by this Hooray Henry with a loud braying voice, everywhere I went he was there telling everyone that he had bought some incredibly smelly cheese and that he had now moved here with his American wife. The trip only got worse from there I had planned on lunching in the village of Aubeterre sur Drone but the   experience was ruined by loud Home Counties accents, I guess these are the remainers thinking that they are abandoning the sinking ship, we are better off without them.

more of the same.

The Voie Vert cycle ride turned into a 20 plus mile day out with a picnic as well. The route was a disused railway track so relatively level and only lightly used but I did meet a Dutch couple who I accompanied for a while, they were going to a restaurant in the village of St. Jean de Côle which I recced yesterday it is a lovely little place of old houses and winding narrow streets, I plan on cycling there tomorrow for lunch. I have googled Voie Vert in this area and found a couple of appealing rides further south for next week.

High twenties yesterday ideal for that afternoon beer after visiting the Chateau at Jumilhac and the Gallo-Roman site at Perigueux.

This is a lovely part of the world and the ex pats I have met are very happy to be living here but is it for me? We shall have to see, if the right house in the right location at the right price came along then maybe.

Moving east

I am waiting for the washing machine to finish, it has been on over two hours and at this rate I can’t see it finishing anytime before Xmas.

The wine I picked up at Intermarche on the way down threw up an excellent Bordeaux Rose and a very good Beaujolais Nouveau, something I had not tasted before so on Saturday morning I went back and cleared the shelves of both wines, unfortunately they only had two bottles of the Beaujolais,   I will call in again before I leave this area to see if they have restocked.

The last gite was OK, a little grubby and musty but it’s saving grace was the patio with a lovely view across fields and woods to the local town of Miallet I ate all my meals there except for my last breakfast when a Hoolie was blowing outside. The new gite is amazing, it is the annexe of a secluded old windmill and has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an indoor and an outdoor kitchen, games room and gym and outside there is a swimming pool and hot tub. I am rattling around like the last pill in the box but I again spend as much time as I can in the garden.

I have spent most of my time here so far exploring especially the beautiful little villages with their winding streets and old houses, the markets are fun too for both the items for sale and for practicing my Franglais. On Saturday I took a five mile walk around a local reservoir, the paths were well kept and well marked and I saw a lot of wildlife including a snake and an unknown small black creature that with my less than 20/20 vision looked like a short legged tailess cat. I am going to seek out more walking opportunities like that and also car free bike trails, in fact when the washer eventually finishes I am off to cycle a Voie Vert of 34kms, the picnic is made up and Yahoo the washer has finished.

More soon.

Down south.

We took the toll free option on the drive down to the Northern Dordogne, 360 miles in 7 hours plus stops, the route avoiding motorways would have been too long in miles and time. The journey was a real learning experience especially understanding the French roundabout etiquette and finding out how far above the displayed speed limit you are expected to drive this is judged by how close the truck behind is to you boot.

The further south we came the more raptors I noticed and at one point I was fascinated by what I thought was a large hawk seemingly dancing on the wind, I then realised that it was a hawk shaped kite that an enterprising farmer had employed as a flying scarecrow.

I hit the supermarket en route and after unpacking the car I had a charcuterie salad with French bread and Bordeaux Rose on my gite patio in the sun, absolute bliss after the long drive and it was topped of by the sunset. My accommodation has one large lounge with a double bed in one corner and a separate kitchen and bathroom but most of my time here is spent outside.

I am staying in Mialet for four days before moving 10kms east to Saint Priest de Fougeres. Yesterday we went to the market in Perigueux, I just love all the misshapen but unbelievably tasty fruit and veg and I bought my first ever Madeleines for an afternoon coffee break, glad I bought two, one is not enough! After some more exploring and lunch I spent the afternoon planning all the places I want to visit etc before having a re-run of the previous evening on the patio but this time with Souvlaki.

I could get used to this lifestyle.

Downtown Rouen.

Breakfast this morning in the hotel was a bit of an eye opener when I realised that what I had thought to be long summer dresses on some of the residents where actually dressing gowns over their pyjamas and night dresses, if only I had brought my dressing gown and pjs I could have joined in tomorrow morning.

I forgot to mention that when Edith and I arrived in Dieppe the local council had laid on a kite festival to welcome us and some of the entries would have challenged anything that Airbus manufacture. We decided not to take the direct route to Rouen and challenged google maps to find a route without motorways, as you can imagine it was quite off piste but there were no farmers shaking their fists at us and we saw some lovely Normandy villages en route. The girl directing us on google maps is a hoot, her French pronunciation is as diabolical as Shirley’s Welsh.

As you know, I do not like cities but as cities go Rouen is OK especially on a Monday morning when everything but the cafes is closed. It is a pleasure to wander around the medieval streets while it is quiet in fact even when it got busier at lunch time it was still pleasantly not crowded, I like it, it won’t take the place of Amsterdam but I still like it. I spent the day exploring, people watching, reading in cafes and I did the touristy thing at the Cathedral of Notre Dame which is what drew me to the city in the first place when I saw its spire and towers from the motorway on my last trip to the landing beaches. The cathedral is amazing, again I cannot believe the skills of our ancestors who could design and build such a huge structure over 800 years ago, it was also quite moving to visit the grave where Richard the Lionheart’s heart is buried.

Tomorrow we head south to the Périgord Vert via as few motorways as possible.

The summer isn’t over yet.

I left home in the rain on Saturday morning and arrived in Eastbourne to autumnal sunshine, my B&B host Steve recommended the Marine pub for dinner and it was just right, enough gammon and chips for two and a well served pint or two of San Miguel meant no trouble sleeping even with the raucous seagulls. Steve also gave me a pack up for breakfast as I caught the early ferry from Newhaven that lasted both breakfast and lunch. I arrived here in Rouen by 5pm and considered just relaxing but that meant dinner would have been chain fast food so I walked into the city for a recce and I am so glad I did. The old town has an air of medieval magic about it and after finding all the sites that I will visit tomorrow I stumbled on a Belgian bar heavily patronised by young people at least forty years younger than me who all seemed to be drinking pints, after sampling a couple of their 10 draught beers I floated across the square for another pint and a home made diavolo pizza, wonderful, and to be sitting in the sun watching the world pass by. On my return to the hotel I noticed that the tattoo parlours were all open and a lot of good looking girls were waiting on the pavement for friends, I suppose that is to be expected when you book cheap hotels. I did check out the hotel menu and the offer of Plate of raw vegetables or Lukewarm herring and potatoes made the trip into town even more worthwhile.