On Sunday the 22 of August we went to a piano recital, given by a young Spanish pianist Carlos Apellaniz, at the Chateau de Lacquy.
http://www.armagnac-express.com/vsop.htm
We had never visited the chateau before so we were pleased to have the opportunity to see it.
The recital was advertised to start at 6pm prompt and despite the fact that we are used to things happening much later than advertised we decided that we should get there in good time. We arrived about 5.40 and there were quite a lot of people there already but we were able to get seats near the front. The recital was to take place in a marquee which had been erected on the lawn in front of the chateau.
True to form people were still arriving at 6pm but about a quarter of an hour later the comte and owner of the chateau gave a short introductory speech to introduce the pianist who then emerged from the chateau to bow and take his seat at the piano. All the pieces that he played were by Chopin. In the first half he played 2 Scherzos and a Ballade. In the second half he played Sonata no 35. The music was very pleasant although the accoustics were not good being as we were outside. It was amazing to see his hands flying over the keyboard producing such beautiful sounds and he played everything from memory.
As well as thoroughly enjoying the recital we were given, during the interval, a good opportunity to "people watch!" It was fascinating to see the different types of people there, I suspect there were more "posh" people there than we have seen in all our 3 years in les landes! Surprisingly, the comte himself looked quite unassuming and if we hadn't known it was he we wouldn't have suspected that he was indeed who he was.
After the recital we were invited to go to another marquee on the lawn to have a drink. Despite the fact that the chateau produces wine as well as a fine Armagnac the drinks on offer were orange juice, Perrier water and tonic water!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Weekend in Ariege.
We had 2 days back home after our trip to the Dordogne before we were packing up again! This time we were going back to Ariege to stay with our Dutch friends, Martin and Mieke, who had invited us over for a party they were giving on the Thursday evening. We arrived early on the Wednesday evening and found that Martins brother and wife and another couples were already there, with their caravans, on their way back to Holland after their holidays in Spain. Also there was Rafael from Barcelona and his Dutch wife all of whom we had met previously. As we were eating dinner on the terrace M and M’s daughter, Anna, and her husband Keri arrived also on their way back from Spaiin.
The party was to be held on Thursday evening and a pig had been killed for the festivities, Martin and some of the other men started a big fire in readiness for the pig to be roasted later in the day. I helped Mieke and the other ladies prepare the accompaniments for the meal, there was plenty to do as they were expecting about 30 guests!
Rafael had brought a whole leg of Serrano ham which he started to slice and we all helped ourselves to some delicious pieces of that! The butcher arrived in the afternoon and he and Martin set up the equipment for the pig roast and added the hot ashes and soon the pig was turning on the spit. People started arriving from 4pm onwards and we set up trestle tables in the barn. Then followed a very pleasant evening with lots to eat and drink in a wonderful atmosphere of bonhomie. All the guests, apart from us and Rafael, were Dutch but thankfully most of them spoke very good English. We had met many of them before so it was good to see them all again.
We were up in good time, the next morning, to say goodbye to Anna and Keri who were leaving to continue their journey back to Holland. Then N and I went to Fossat to visit Ann and Mark, a couple of Australians, who are staying at Caoutelle the house which belongs to some English friends of ours. Back then to Landry where we all spent a relatively quiet afternoon and evening after the previous days celebrations.
The 2 Dutch couples left very early on Saturday morning, well before any of us were out of bed. After breakfast Rafael and his wife left and N and I went down to Artigat and had lunch at l’Escale before going up to Carla Bayle. We had a look around the art exhibition there and then sat in the shade and had an ice cream as it was very hot. We visited the gallery of Olivier Ledoux who does some fantastic wood carvings. http://www.olivier-ledoux.com/ and had a chat with him. He has recently completed an amazing sculpture on a new roundabout by the bread factory in le Fossat.http://www.lefossat.com/spip.php?article313 . On the way back we called in to see Mike and Jik and caught up with their news.
Back at M and M’s we were awaiting the arrival of some friends of theirs who they knew from their time in Nicaragua. They arrived in the early evening. They were a family of four, Rene who is Chileanwho is Dutch and their children Gana (16) and Isabelle (11). Denise works for an international aid agency and had met Rene when he came to Holland as a refugee . They have lived in Ecuador and Nicaragua and are now living in Amsterdam. They had been down to Spain for a couple of weeks, a sad holiday as Rene has cancer and it will probably be their last family holiday.
M and M had told them before they came that the 4 of us would be going to the fete de Bajou later in the evening so after chatting to them for a while we got our glad rags on and left for Bajou. When we lived in Artigat the fete at Bajou was always our favourite and it seems that it is one of the most popular in the area as tickets have to be booked well in advance. It was good to see so many old friends there. Ruud and Kitty were there, we had not seen them since last year, Peter Paul and Mitzi who are now well settled and running a gite business were there, Mike and Jik and Corry and Hans were there as were Yves and Colette my old Scrabble friends. Mitzi had reserved places for a party of us and we took up 2 trestle tables. It seemed an age before the food arrived, everyone was getting really hungry but the wine helped with the waiting! It must have been close on midnight when we had finished eating and we all went outside to enjoy the dancing and the disco - young and old alike! It was very bizarre to be dancing in the shadow of the church in the small square presided over by a statue of the Virgin Mary!! What did she think?? There was a “confetti battle” where bags of confetti are thrown to the crowd and the recipients of them rush around throwing confetti over everyone they can get close to. Nigel appreciated the music and was happy to dance the night away until we left at 2am. When we got back to M and M’s we shook out as much of the confetti as we could before going in the house and to bed.
We all slept late the next morning and breakfasted on the terrace. N and I spent the morning playing cards with Gana and Isabelle. They were extremely nice children and their command of Dutch, Spanish and English was impressive. We all lazed around in the afternoon before getting ready to go for a meal at the ferme auberge in Lezat. Mieke had booked a table for us all for 7pm but when we got there it appeared that there had been a breakdown in communications as they are only open on a Sunday lunchtime1 Plan B was to go to the ferme auberge in St Ybars where, luckily, they had room for us.
So, another festive weekend was over and we waved goodbye to Rene and family as they left for Amsterdam before we too left to return home.
The party was to be held on Thursday evening and a pig had been killed for the festivities, Martin and some of the other men started a big fire in readiness for the pig to be roasted later in the day. I helped Mieke and the other ladies prepare the accompaniments for the meal, there was plenty to do as they were expecting about 30 guests!
Rafael had brought a whole leg of Serrano ham which he started to slice and we all helped ourselves to some delicious pieces of that! The butcher arrived in the afternoon and he and Martin set up the equipment for the pig roast and added the hot ashes and soon the pig was turning on the spit. People started arriving from 4pm onwards and we set up trestle tables in the barn. Then followed a very pleasant evening with lots to eat and drink in a wonderful atmosphere of bonhomie. All the guests, apart from us and Rafael, were Dutch but thankfully most of them spoke very good English. We had met many of them before so it was good to see them all again.
We were up in good time, the next morning, to say goodbye to Anna and Keri who were leaving to continue their journey back to Holland. Then N and I went to Fossat to visit Ann and Mark, a couple of Australians, who are staying at Caoutelle the house which belongs to some English friends of ours. Back then to Landry where we all spent a relatively quiet afternoon and evening after the previous days celebrations.
The 2 Dutch couples left very early on Saturday morning, well before any of us were out of bed. After breakfast Rafael and his wife left and N and I went down to Artigat and had lunch at l’Escale before going up to Carla Bayle. We had a look around the art exhibition there and then sat in the shade and had an ice cream as it was very hot. We visited the gallery of Olivier Ledoux who does some fantastic wood carvings. http://www.olivier-ledoux.com/ and had a chat with him. He has recently completed an amazing sculpture on a new roundabout by the bread factory in le Fossat.http://www.lefossat.com/spip.php?article313 . On the way back we called in to see Mike and Jik and caught up with their news.
Back at M and M’s we were awaiting the arrival of some friends of theirs who they knew from their time in Nicaragua. They arrived in the early evening. They were a family of four, Rene who is Chileanwho is Dutch and their children Gana (16) and Isabelle (11). Denise works for an international aid agency and had met Rene when he came to Holland as a refugee . They have lived in Ecuador and Nicaragua and are now living in Amsterdam. They had been down to Spain for a couple of weeks, a sad holiday as Rene has cancer and it will probably be their last family holiday.
M and M had told them before they came that the 4 of us would be going to the fete de Bajou later in the evening so after chatting to them for a while we got our glad rags on and left for Bajou. When we lived in Artigat the fete at Bajou was always our favourite and it seems that it is one of the most popular in the area as tickets have to be booked well in advance. It was good to see so many old friends there. Ruud and Kitty were there, we had not seen them since last year, Peter Paul and Mitzi who are now well settled and running a gite business were there, Mike and Jik and Corry and Hans were there as were Yves and Colette my old Scrabble friends. Mitzi had reserved places for a party of us and we took up 2 trestle tables. It seemed an age before the food arrived, everyone was getting really hungry but the wine helped with the waiting! It must have been close on midnight when we had finished eating and we all went outside to enjoy the dancing and the disco - young and old alike! It was very bizarre to be dancing in the shadow of the church in the small square presided over by a statue of the Virgin Mary!! What did she think?? There was a “confetti battle” where bags of confetti are thrown to the crowd and the recipients of them rush around throwing confetti over everyone they can get close to. Nigel appreciated the music and was happy to dance the night away until we left at 2am. When we got back to M and M’s we shook out as much of the confetti as we could before going in the house and to bed.
We all slept late the next morning and breakfasted on the terrace. N and I spent the morning playing cards with Gana and Isabelle. They were extremely nice children and their command of Dutch, Spanish and English was impressive. We all lazed around in the afternoon before getting ready to go for a meal at the ferme auberge in Lezat. Mieke had booked a table for us all for 7pm but when we got there it appeared that there had been a breakdown in communications as they are only open on a Sunday lunchtime1 Plan B was to go to the ferme auberge in St Ybars where, luckily, they had room for us.
So, another festive weekend was over and we waved goodbye to Rene and family as they left for Amsterdam before we too left to return home.
TFF Fest.
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| and Rambo came too. |
On Friday morning N set to work mowing grass and pruning back branches and brambles and I helped Irene with tidying up around the house and terrace.Fabrice got the keys for the village hall which we had hired for the weekend and we took some things down there in readiness for the weekend. There were 3 arrivals in the afternoon one who was camping and a couple in their camper van. Later in the afternoon Irene and I went into her neighbouring village to go to the butcher and then met up with a friend of hers who invited us back to her place for a drink where we met up with another friend. A pleasant interlude.
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| Fabrice enjoying a pastis. |
What with the luxury of the borrowed mattress and the evenings food and wine intake a very comfortable night was spent in our tent.
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| Breakfast time. |
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| Irene taking photo of me taking photo of her. |
A very pleasant evening was had by one and all. Lots of eating, drinking, chatting and dancing.
Another al fresco breakfast on Sunday morning and several people left for home whilst the rest of us prepared for yet another day of eating, drinking and chatting. Lunch was organised and set out in the village hall and the afternoons rain and thunder didn't dampen any ones spirits. Everyone helped with the clearing up so the village hall was left as we had found it and then most people took their leave. There was just N and I left along with one more couple and of course Irene and Fabrice. No one had any energy left and none of us needed any more food so we retired to the tent well before 9pm.
We were away next morning leaving irene and Fabrice with some well deserved peace and quiet!
A good weekend which left us with many memories.
Fete de Castandet
Another year, another fete! The local fete is always held on the weekend nearest the 14th July. On the Saturday evening our friend Helene invited us round for aperos before the evening's events along with Corinne, her daughter,Florian, her son, Gerry, a mutual English friend, and his daughter Eva. It was very hot so we were all able to have a swim in Helene's pool before relaxing in the garden. We then went to the village square where the evening's event was to take place. After a drink at the bar N decided that he was going to leave but I stayed as Helene woould take me back home. The highlight of the evening was an inter-village competiotion between 2 teams of young people, one from our village and one from a neighbouring village. An arena had been set up with tiers of seats around and the competiotion took place in the arena. If any of you can remember the old TV programme "It's a knockout" please try and imagine something similar but with the added attraction of "vaches landaises" - the large, horned cows that are used for the local "courses landaise" !!It was a hoot and I was sorry that I didn't have my camera with me. Try and envisage 2 teams of 4 trying to play football with a large cow trying to charge them! And that was only one of the "games" that was part of a couple of hours of the competition.
The next day there was a proper course landaise in the arena and I had intended to go along with Helene, Florian and Corinne but it was very hot (38C) and I chickened out at the thought of sitting in the sun for a couple of hours.
Monday was the last day of the fete and we were all going to the large meal which celebrates the end of the fete. Gerry and Eva called in here en route and we met up with Helene and family at the village hall. Helene had secured seats inside but we had found seats at a table outside as it was so hot in the hall. After some discussion, when we were adamant that we were staying outside, everyone decided to join us and relinquished their seats in the hall. It seemed, as the evning went on, that we would have been much better off if they had stayed inside as Gerry and Helene spent most of what should have been a pleasant relaxing evening jumping up and down searching for and screaming at their respective childres!
The next day there was a proper course landaise in the arena and I had intended to go along with Helene, Florian and Corinne but it was very hot (38C) and I chickened out at the thought of sitting in the sun for a couple of hours.
Monday was the last day of the fete and we were all going to the large meal which celebrates the end of the fete. Gerry and Eva called in here en route and we met up with Helene and family at the village hall. Helene had secured seats inside but we had found seats at a table outside as it was so hot in the hall. After some discussion, when we were adamant that we were staying outside, everyone decided to join us and relinquished their seats in the hall. It seemed, as the evning went on, that we would have been much better off if they had stayed inside as Gerry and Helene spent most of what should have been a pleasant relaxing evening jumping up and down searching for and screaming at their respective childres!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Long weekend in England.
Three days after Titch left I too was on my way to the airport at Bordeaux for a long weekend in England. As I was only going to be away for 4 days I took the car up to the airport. The purpose of the trip was to go to a party to celebrate the 50th birthday of Pam, one of my henhouse friends. The henhouse is a group of 20 or so ladies who met on line 6 years ago due to a shared interest in smallholding and horticulture. Pam, who lives in East Sussex, recently bought, with the help of Jo another henhouser, several acres of pasture and woodland to grow fruit, veg and flowers. Pam has spent a year clearing and planting and the party was to be held there.
I flew to Luton where Ali, another henhouser met me. I have met Ali before at a previous henhouse gathering at Jo’s in Yorkshire. Ali lives in Northampton and on the way to her home we stopped off at a garden centre to meet up with Ros, yet another henhouser, who I had not met before. It was good to meet her and sit and chat over a cup of tea. Then we said goodbye to Ros and drove up to Ali’s where I met her hens and had a look around her garden. I had put in a special request for fish and chips and her husband, Andy, arrived with them after he had finished work. What a treat!
Next morning Ali and Andy packed up as we were to be camping and they kindly lent me a tent. It took about 3 hours from Northampton to Pam’s via the M1 and M25. Quite a culture shock for me as I am not used to traffic jams and busy roads!
When we arrived at Smithlands there were lots of Pam’s family and friends already there as well as Jackie ( henhouse) and Phil who had come from Wales. I had never met Pam before but after all the years that we have been on the henhouse I felt that I knew her well. After a welcome cup of tea Ali and Andy put up our tents. Soon the rest of the henhousers arrived, Jo and Simon, Laura and Peter and lastly Holly with her adorable cocker spaniel puppy. We set up a table close to our tents and drank champagne and had lunch. There was just one glitch! Ali had forgotten to pack the adaptor which we needed to blow up the airbeds! Ah well, I’ve slept on hard ground before so I can again - I have plenty of padding!!
The afternoon was spent talking but despite the fact that it was mid June - the 21st- it was quite chilly. There was a campfire going but so many people around it that we decided to despatch the men folk to collect wood and make us a fire too. That done the rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. There were a lot of non-henhousers there - Pam’s family and friends- and in the early evening we all gathered together to toast Pam’s birthday. We had a look around the garden that Pam had made, what a lot she had achieved in just a year. The most spectacular plantings were of Sweet Williams, lots of them and some stunning coulour too.
Back to our campfire and the BBQ’s and more food came out. Ali cooked us a beautiful steak that had come from a Highland cow raised by Sue another henhouser and it was delicious. Lots more talking before the evening ended. Jackie and Phil and Jo and Simon were staying in a local B and B, Laura and Peter were off to stay in Brighton and Holly back to her home.
I went to my tent and zipped myself in and crawled into my sleeping bag and soon was as warm as toast. It was good lying there listening to the other people chatting and laughing as well as the sound of someone playing a flute. I slept reasonably well despite the hard ground, the worst thing was having to disentangle myself from the sleeping bag and undo the tent zips in the middle of the night to attend to a call of nature. Luckily Jo had given Pam, for her birthday, the hire of portable toilets which were much appreciated by everyone!
I was awake by 7 the next morning and got dressed and made my way to the fire which had been kept going all night. The kettle over it was boiling so I made myself a welcome cup of coffee. Pam was there with Jack, her grandson, so it gave me the opportunity to sit and have a good natter with her before too many people appeared. Ali cooked a wonderful breakfast, bacon and eggs which was much appreciated. Jo and Simon called in to ay goodbye and Ali and Andy packed up the tents and the car and we said our goodbyes to everyone.
We drove back to Northampton and in the evening I took Ali and Andy for a meal at their local pub. They had both looked after me so well and I hope that they will come over here one day so that I can reciprocate their hospitality.
Monday morning was an early start and Ali dropped me at the airport at 8am on her way to work in Luton. I was back home by 3.30pm after a wonderful weekend with some very good friends.
I flew to Luton where Ali, another henhouser met me. I have met Ali before at a previous henhouse gathering at Jo’s in Yorkshire. Ali lives in Northampton and on the way to her home we stopped off at a garden centre to meet up with Ros, yet another henhouser, who I had not met before. It was good to meet her and sit and chat over a cup of tea. Then we said goodbye to Ros and drove up to Ali’s where I met her hens and had a look around her garden. I had put in a special request for fish and chips and her husband, Andy, arrived with them after he had finished work. What a treat!
Next morning Ali and Andy packed up as we were to be camping and they kindly lent me a tent. It took about 3 hours from Northampton to Pam’s via the M1 and M25. Quite a culture shock for me as I am not used to traffic jams and busy roads!
When we arrived at Smithlands there were lots of Pam’s family and friends already there as well as Jackie ( henhouse) and Phil who had come from Wales. I had never met Pam before but after all the years that we have been on the henhouse I felt that I knew her well. After a welcome cup of tea Ali and Andy put up our tents. Soon the rest of the henhousers arrived, Jo and Simon, Laura and Peter and lastly Holly with her adorable cocker spaniel puppy. We set up a table close to our tents and drank champagne and had lunch. There was just one glitch! Ali had forgotten to pack the adaptor which we needed to blow up the airbeds! Ah well, I’ve slept on hard ground before so I can again - I have plenty of padding!!
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| Laura, Jackie and birthday girl Pam |
I went to my tent and zipped myself in and crawled into my sleeping bag and soon was as warm as toast. It was good lying there listening to the other people chatting and laughing as well as the sound of someone playing a flute. I slept reasonably well despite the hard ground, the worst thing was having to disentangle myself from the sleeping bag and undo the tent zips in the middle of the night to attend to a call of nature. Luckily Jo had given Pam, for her birthday, the hire of portable toilets which were much appreciated by everyone!
I was awake by 7 the next morning and got dressed and made my way to the fire which had been kept going all night. The kettle over it was boiling so I made myself a welcome cup of coffee. Pam was there with Jack, her grandson, so it gave me the opportunity to sit and have a good natter with her before too many people appeared. Ali cooked a wonderful breakfast, bacon and eggs which was much appreciated. Jo and Simon called in to ay goodbye and Ali and Andy packed up the tents and the car and we said our goodbyes to everyone.
We drove back to Northampton and in the evening I took Ali and Andy for a meal at their local pub. They had both looked after me so well and I hope that they will come over here one day so that I can reciprocate their hospitality.
Monday morning was an early start and Ali dropped me at the airport at 8am on her way to work in Luton. I was back home by 3.30pm after a wonderful weekend with some very good friends.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
When Titch came to stay.
My friend Titch came over for a week in early June. We are good friends having known each other for 20 years or so, so it is always good to spend time with her. She has a very busy life and I always like to try and make her relax whilst she is here, not easy! Sadly this year the weather wasn't very good so she didn't have much chance to lie in the garden and "sosk up some rays" However, I think that she found the calm and comfort of our spare room quite relaxing particularly in the afternoon around siesta time.
The plan was that I would meet her, off the airport shuttle bus, in the centre of Bordeaux as we were spending the night in Bordeaux. However, my friend Helene, had to go into Bordeaux in the morning so I got a lift in from her. We had lunch together and she dropped me off at the airport. Titch was quite surprised to find me lurking in arrivals! We csught the shuttle into the town centre and checked into our hotel. I had booked us a room at the hotel de l'opera which is right in the centre. It was not expensive but, thankfully, clean and adequate with a rather shabby charm!
We went out and had a drink at one of the many cafes in the square and then had a look around the nearby restaurants to see where we would eat later in the evening. I had done a search on the web so we were off to a good start as there are so many restaurants in the area. We decided to eat at the Mabley which was not too far from our hotel and I popped in to make a reservation. Back at our hotel we showered and changed in readiness for our night on the town!! Titch wore a dress and high heels, I hate the fact that she can still spend most of her day in heels, not something that I can do anymore.
A short stroll and we were soon seated at our table. The restaurant was empty when we arrived but it soon filled up and our waiter was very jolly and helpful. Four courses and a bottle of wine later we went back to the square and had coffee whilst watching the world go by before returning to our hotel.
Next morning we bought ourselves some patisserie and decided to walk down to the banks of the Garonne and find a place to have a coffee. Whilst we were walking down there a young woman was walking the other way and when she was almost in front of us she appeared to bend down and pick something up off the floor. She approached us and showed us what she had picked up which seemed to be a man's wedding ring. She asked us if it was gold and I took it off her and had a look, it appeared to be hall marked and I said so and handed it back to her. She then said that she hadnt time to do anything about it and started to walk off. We looked at each other and thought that we ought to hand it in somewhere and she then came back and asked us for money for food. What a scam!! I was so angry that I just threw it at her and it rolled off down the pavement. We carried on our way without a backward glance. After a welcome cup of coffee at a small cafe we went and sat by the banks of the river to eat our pain aux raisins and croissant.
We then strolled along for a while before crossing a wooden bridge over the busy main road and into the Place de Qinconces with its magnificient fountain and statue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_des_Quinconces
We spent quite some time there marvelling at the wonderful sight before walking on to the tourist office and buying cards and souvenirs before going for another coffee and watching the world go by and then back to the hotel to check out and leave our luggage to collect later
Then it was time to hit the shops in the rue Ste Catherine which is the longest pedestrianised street in Europe. We had a very pleasant break for lunch in a small restaurant situated in a small square where we were seranaded by three men of a certain age who were very entertaining. Another look around the shops on our way back to pick up our luggage and leave for the station to catch the train to Mont de Marsan.
I thought that I had left plenty of time and knew where to catch the tram but the best laid plans and all that!! The tram line that goes to the station was not running due to an accident, something which is almost an everyday occurence apparently. We were told to get the tram to the Place de la Victoire and then catch the bus from there to the station. The tram was crowded but we did manage to do the journey and arrived at the station with only 10 minutes to spare before our train left. We didn't have time to buy tickets and rushed to the platform where we had to find the station manager who would sort out the lack of tickets for us. One of his lackeys told us that he would be there shortly and that the train next to where we were standing was the one going to Mpnt de Marsan. What an idiot!! It was actually on the next platform and we saw it leave at that moment! Ah well, that's life. The next train was in an hour and half so we bought ourselves some sandwiches, rang Nigel to tell him of the delay, bought the tickets and went across to the cafe for a drink and to wait until the train was due.
I had a very daunting experience the next day when we played bridge together at the club in Mont de Marsan. Daunting because Titch teaches bridg and is a very good player. It was not helped by the fact that it wasn't just a normal afternoons friendly bridge but a nationwide competition. Not surprisingly we came last although Titch was kind enough to say that it wasn't all completely down to me but I didn't believe her!
On Friday Titch and I went to Dax for the day. Of course the first thing that we did was find a terrace on which to have a restorative coffee and watch the world go by. After a good look round the town we had a lazy lunch before another stroll around the town and a visit to the post office to buy stamps. Titch could not believe how long one has to wait in a French post office! A salutary experience for her. As we finally came out of the post office the heavens opened and the thunder cracked and of course our umbrellas were in the car. Luckily the downpour didn't last long and we made it to a cafe where I had a fruity, non-alcoholic cocktail and Titch had a disgustingly large ice cream confection before going back home.
On the Saturday Titch's son, Doug, wife Lucy and their 2 children called in. It was quite by coincidence that they were holidaying not far from here and I was so pleased to see them as I had not seen Doug for many years and had never met his family. After a chat and a look around the garden we all went out for lunch at a ferme auberge not far away, http://la.ferme.aux.cerfs.pagesperso-orange.fr/ where we had a very substantial meal before saying goodbye to them and returning home.
Sunday morning saw us visiting a car boot sale at Fargues and then another one on the way back home. On Monday I took Titch into Grenade to visit the museum of Rugby Titch had then hoped to have lunch at the hotel in Grenade where we had had such a memorable lunch during her last visit but sadly it was closed.
All too soon it was time for her to leave and I took her into Mont de Marsan to catch the train back to Bordeaux and thence to the airport. Thankfully we were well in time for the train this time and she already had her ticket! I was sure that she could have caught the later train but she was adamant that she wanted to get to the airport in good time. In the end it didn't matter as when she got to the airport she learned that her flight was cancelled due to a strike by air traffic control! I offered to go and get her as the next flight was 2 days later but, surprisingly, Easyjet paid for her to stay at the nearby Holiday Inn until the next flight.
There is a slideshow of our day in Bordeaux at the bottom of this page.
The plan was that I would meet her, off the airport shuttle bus, in the centre of Bordeaux as we were spending the night in Bordeaux. However, my friend Helene, had to go into Bordeaux in the morning so I got a lift in from her. We had lunch together and she dropped me off at the airport. Titch was quite surprised to find me lurking in arrivals! We csught the shuttle into the town centre and checked into our hotel. I had booked us a room at the hotel de l'opera which is right in the centre. It was not expensive but, thankfully, clean and adequate with a rather shabby charm!
We went out and had a drink at one of the many cafes in the square and then had a look around the nearby restaurants to see where we would eat later in the evening. I had done a search on the web so we were off to a good start as there are so many restaurants in the area. We decided to eat at the Mabley which was not too far from our hotel and I popped in to make a reservation. Back at our hotel we showered and changed in readiness for our night on the town!! Titch wore a dress and high heels, I hate the fact that she can still spend most of her day in heels, not something that I can do anymore.
A short stroll and we were soon seated at our table. The restaurant was empty when we arrived but it soon filled up and our waiter was very jolly and helpful. Four courses and a bottle of wine later we went back to the square and had coffee whilst watching the world go by before returning to our hotel.
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| Titch by the Garonne |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_des_Quinconces
We spent quite some time there marvelling at the wonderful sight before walking on to the tourist office and buying cards and souvenirs before going for another coffee and watching the world go by and then back to the hotel to check out and leave our luggage to collect later
Then it was time to hit the shops in the rue Ste Catherine which is the longest pedestrianised street in Europe. We had a very pleasant break for lunch in a small restaurant situated in a small square where we were seranaded by three men of a certain age who were very entertaining. Another look around the shops on our way back to pick up our luggage and leave for the station to catch the train to Mont de Marsan.
I thought that I had left plenty of time and knew where to catch the tram but the best laid plans and all that!! The tram line that goes to the station was not running due to an accident, something which is almost an everyday occurence apparently. We were told to get the tram to the Place de la Victoire and then catch the bus from there to the station. The tram was crowded but we did manage to do the journey and arrived at the station with only 10 minutes to spare before our train left. We didn't have time to buy tickets and rushed to the platform where we had to find the station manager who would sort out the lack of tickets for us. One of his lackeys told us that he would be there shortly and that the train next to where we were standing was the one going to Mpnt de Marsan. What an idiot!! It was actually on the next platform and we saw it leave at that moment! Ah well, that's life. The next train was in an hour and half so we bought ourselves some sandwiches, rang Nigel to tell him of the delay, bought the tickets and went across to the cafe for a drink and to wait until the train was due.
I had a very daunting experience the next day when we played bridge together at the club in Mont de Marsan. Daunting because Titch teaches bridg and is a very good player. It was not helped by the fact that it wasn't just a normal afternoons friendly bridge but a nationwide competition. Not surprisingly we came last although Titch was kind enough to say that it wasn't all completely down to me but I didn't believe her!
On Friday Titch and I went to Dax for the day. Of course the first thing that we did was find a terrace on which to have a restorative coffee and watch the world go by. After a good look round the town we had a lazy lunch before another stroll around the town and a visit to the post office to buy stamps. Titch could not believe how long one has to wait in a French post office! A salutary experience for her. As we finally came out of the post office the heavens opened and the thunder cracked and of course our umbrellas were in the car. Luckily the downpour didn't last long and we made it to a cafe where I had a fruity, non-alcoholic cocktail and Titch had a disgustingly large ice cream confection before going back home.
On the Saturday Titch's son, Doug, wife Lucy and their 2 children called in. It was quite by coincidence that they were holidaying not far from here and I was so pleased to see them as I had not seen Doug for many years and had never met his family. After a chat and a look around the garden we all went out for lunch at a ferme auberge not far away, http://la.ferme.aux.cerfs.pagesperso-orange.fr/ where we had a very substantial meal before saying goodbye to them and returning home.
Sunday morning saw us visiting a car boot sale at Fargues and then another one on the way back home. On Monday I took Titch into Grenade to visit the museum of Rugby Titch had then hoped to have lunch at the hotel in Grenade where we had had such a memorable lunch during her last visit but sadly it was closed.
All too soon it was time for her to leave and I took her into Mont de Marsan to catch the train back to Bordeaux and thence to the airport. Thankfully we were well in time for the train this time and she already had her ticket! I was sure that she could have caught the later train but she was adamant that she wanted to get to the airport in good time. In the end it didn't matter as when she got to the airport she learned that her flight was cancelled due to a strike by air traffic control! I offered to go and get her as the next flight was 2 days later but, surprisingly, Easyjet paid for her to stay at the nearby Holiday Inn until the next flight.
There is a slideshow of our day in Bordeaux at the bottom of this page.
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