Adventures in France Episode 18

When the temperature soared to 33 degrees the week before last, we thought that that was very hot, but more was still to come and on Thursday of this last week we experienced our hottest day ever. Outside the pharmacy in Aignan is an illuminated sign has a large green cross on it and then underneath that, the time and temperature of the moment are displayed. We were told that at the height of the day, the temperature was reading 44 degrees, and believe me, that is really hot. A day or so later when we were out and about again, the ploughed fields were baked to a pale yellow colour whereas before the hot day they had been a lovely rich brown.
The unpleasantly hot weather has certainly put a stop to our aimless wandering along the back roads and lanes of the area, and all car journeys have been of the ‘strictly necessary’ type. We did, however, get to the market on Wednesday, and also did some shopping at the supermarket, and roused ourselves sufficiently to go and watch the Belgian Grand Prix on a friend’s television. We thought back to two years ago when Neels and Pieter made the trip from Oss to Spa to watch this same round of the World Championship, and also got rained on, just as it did this year.
During our wanderings, we have become more and more aware of the number of small shrines and crosses at the side of the road. This is a Catholic country, so one expects to see a lot of statues of the Virgin, but around here, almost every turning and cross-roads has a symbol of some sort. Sometimes they are plaster figures; sometimes carved wooden ones. Sometimes it will be a crucifix in plain wood or plaster; sometimes a painted one. But the crosses that have really caught my eye are the curly, twirly wrought iron ones that I had always thought were Templar crosses marking the routes to Santiago de Compostela, but when I looked it up, I found I was mistaken and they must just be religious symbols too, to protect the travelers on that stretch of the road. I started to look for a really ornate one to photograph, and more we looked, the more we found. A lot of them are almost hidden by trees or weeds, and many are in a sad state, but we eventually found a lovely example, and with a clear sky behind it, it made an excellent picture.
A very short blog this week, but with all the hot days we have really done nothing at all, and if we’ve done nothing, there is nothing to write about. Hopefully there will be more interesting news next week.

Adventures in France Episode 17

I can’t believe that just last week I was complaining about how cold it had become and was wondering where summer was. That’s because we have found the summer and it is here and now! On Sunday of last week it was really quite chilly, and rainy as well, but by Friday of this week the mercury had risen to 32 degrees with an extra one for luck on Saturday and not a breath of wind. Under these conditions all we can do is close all the shutters and some of the windows too, put the lights on and stay indoors. I think we may well be getting our money’s worth after all! During the week, we cut open the starnge tomoato that Ady had given us and it was, indeed, seedless. Also very delicious.
After watching me working away at my cross-stitch project for so long, Neels decided that he also needed something practical to do, so when I was surfing the ‘Net for embroidery projects we also looked for model building kits as well. He wasn’t too keen on just buying straight off the ‘net, which in this case was also very expensive, so we looked for an outlet not too far away. We found one in Tarbes, about 50 kms from here. Having never been to Tarbes, we thought it would make a pleasant outing anyway and decided to go there on Tuesday. It was a beautiful day, clear and sunny, but we had left rather later than we had wanted too, so asked ‘Jane’ to take us via the fastest route, which meant that we drove part of the way on a very nice, new, boring highway. When we got there we discovered that Tarbes is one enormous one-way system of roads, and although we actually drove right past our required shop, there was no parking and it took us about quarter of an hour to find somewhere to leave the car and another quarter of an hour to walk back to the shop itself which was, by then, of course, closed for lunch. So we bought a sandwich from a handy bakery and found a shady bench on which to sit and eat it. Then we still had an hour and a half to wait, so we went and had a cup of coffee at one of the cafes in the square, but after half an hour there we felt that we could more than easily fill the last hour with a walk around town.
The reason for the extensive one-way system was immediately obvious – Tarbes has very narrow streets and widening them to accommodate two vehicles would have completely destroyed the character of the town. Instead, the pavements have been made quite wide and beautiful hanging baskets decorate the lamp posts. In comparison with our local rural villages, Tarbes is very sophisticated and many of the clothing shops bear the names of well-known manufacturers such as Dolce and Gabbana, Tommy Hilfigger, Lafayette Gallery and so on. I was secretly pleased to notice a Marks and Spencer’s clothing shop squeezed in between two other larger shops. We also noticed several examples of 'trompe-l'oeil' paintings. A flat wall or surface is painted with a scene in perfect perspective so that it decieves the eye and one thinks the surface is not flat.Eventually we made our way round a big circular route back to the model shop only to find that this particular place only opened at 2.30 pm! But it had taken us more than an hour to walk around so we didn’t have too long to wait. Eventually the proprietor arrived with the key and let himself in. From their website we had expected a vast emporium, but when we finally got inside, the shop was about the size of a small garage and was jammed with goods. There was a young couple with a toddler in a push-chair ahead of us, which pretty well filled up the whole shop, but we squeezed around them and had a good look around but could see no sign of the model which Neels had set his heart on. Eventually it was our turn to be served. The man was so apologetic; there were no more of that particular model in stock. Oh dear! There would be new stock coming in September when the factories reopened, but that was not much consolation. We promised to return when he had his new stock, only this time we will phone first. On the way home we set ‘Jane’ to take us the shortest route, which is always fun as she gets us to twist and turn through almost impossible back roads and lanes in order to save perhaps one or two kilometers.
The rest of the week passed quickly. Wednesday was Market Day at Marciac again and we went to wander around there, and then came home via Plaisance which is our chosen shopping village. On Thursday, Neels painted the shutters in our bedroom – a chore he has been threatening to do since we arrived. Some time in the past, the shutters had sagged and had been taken off and re-braced but not re-painted, which had left an unsightly bare strip across each shutter. Now the repair is no longer obvious and the shutters look much better. On Friday we had promised to do some ‘man-about-the-house’ chores for Nicky, in return for a yummy cold lunch and a bottle of wine, and Saturday and today have been too hot for words, never mind deeds! The weather forecast says we might have a thunder storm tonight and if it is anything like the last one, it could be spectacular.

Adventures in France Episode 16

A very quiet, almost boring week, perhaps a reaction to the fairly active time we had had in the preceding two weeks. Also the weather is changing noticeably and there is a distinct chill in the morning and evening air. We feel quite cheated – what happened to Summer? Where are the endless days of scorching heat that everyone has spoken about in years past? Not that we really enjoy scorching heat, but if we are supposed to be having them, we want them! We want our full money’s worth! It doesn’t help to winge though, so we just put another blanket on the bed and spend longer in it! As a result our days are shortened even more and it is a real effort to get all our shopping done before the whole of France shuts down at twelve o’clock for it’s two-hour lunch break.
On Wednesday we realized that it was actually warmer in the car than in the house when we ventured out to do a bit of sight-seeing. We went in a south westerly direction to Maubourguet where we had heard about the ‘knitted’ trees over the main road through town. To achieve the effect, the plane trees on either side of the main road have the tops cut off each year, forcing long slender shoots to grow out just below the cut. These shoots are then allowed to grow longer and side shoots are trimmed off. The main shoots are carefully intertwined (knitted), and once the leaves come out, provide a dense canopy and wonderful shade. It is a popular tradition in a lot of European towns and is often done in places where people tend to congregate such as market areas or town squares. The idea is to provide welcome relief from that scorching sun that I mentioned earlier.
By the time we reached the town, it was almost lunch-time but we walked a big loop around the one half of the town before deciding to have lunch at a very pleasant café in the main road. Then we did the other half of the figure eight and walked a big loop around the other end of town. Some of the flowers were pretty but the town has little to attract tourists.
The guide book had said that another town close by was worth seeing, just as an oddity. The whole town is spread out in one long line of houses and shops along the single main road which runs through it. We found the town easily enough and it is true – the houses range from old to newer to newest the further one goes down the road. Very odd indeed. No reason was given for this but we wondered if perhaps the land on both sides was very damp or prone to flooding or something of that sort. Unlike most old towns and villages, there was no central square or market place and to tell the truth, was just a bit dismal.
We then turned back towards Riscle, where we had not visited before, and had a quick walk around town before deciding that it, too, had little to recommend it.
Earlier in the week I had finished the cross-stitch project I had been busy with for about a year, and with a sigh of relief folded it carefully and put it in my suitcase to take home. Then I spent a pleasant few hours trawling the Internet for online suppliers of embroidery kits. I finally found something that suited both my interests and my pocket, and am now anxiously awaiting it’s arrival. It will be good to have something different to occupy my time.
Also during the week, we finalized our plans for returning to France next year in order to renew our long-stay visas. Some friends who have a house here are returning to Britain indefinitely and have kindly offered us the use of their house. This is wonderful news and we look forward to returning to this area early next year.
There is currently a wonderful ‘exchange of goods’ going on in the village and beyond! Obviously everyone’s veggie patch is doing well and producing more than the gardeners can cope with. The other day we found three tomatoes balancing on the kitchen window sill, which could only have come from Ady. I quickly put some onions from our garden into a packet to give to her in return but she had gone out. That evening we went to dine with friends and came away with a giant bag of beans that resemble and taste like green beans but which are white. I added some beans to the packet for Ady and a bunch of dahlias and we took them to her this morning. But we didn’t return home empty-handed as she immediately produced two more tomatoes and an aubergine, and something I am really intrigued by. She says it is a tomato without seeds in it, if I understood correctly. It is about ten centimeters long and pointed at one end and almost looks like a red chilli, and is apparently all flesh. I can’t wait to cut it up! I will take some pictures and perhaps include them next week.

Adventures in France Episode 15

The lovely weather we had been having came to a sudden end last Sunday afternoon and by Monday morning it was still wet and grey. By lunch-tine though, we had had enough of the enforced inactivity and decided to go for a drive. We drove north along roads that we had driven before, so there wasn’t much that our guest hadn’t already seen. Not, that is, until we got to Larressingle which has the reputation of being the smallest walled town in France. The circumference is less than five hundred metres, but does have a chateau and a church surrounded by tiny houses which all back on to the ramparts. Some of the houses have been converted to small shops, although a few are still occupied. Access to the village is over a bridge that spans the moat and then though the only gate in the walls. A sudden downpour first trapped about a dozen or so visitors to the village in the gateway, all of us standing quite comfortably in the thickness of the outer walls, and then forced us to take refuge in the small café where we enjoyed some delicious crepes and coffee while we waited for the rain to stop. In fact the shower passed quite soon and we were able to wander around and even take some good pictures.
The following day, the weather-man relented and although the day started out fairly cloudy, it soon cleared up and we were glad we ad taken a chance and had set off early for Nerac, and old town some distance from here and also north of us. Nerac lies on the banks of the River Baise and was a favourite place for King Henry IV of France to visit. I think the other reason he liked it was that he was reputed to have about fifty mistresses here! It is an attractive town with more modern buildings mingling with the very old ones without detracting from their charm. The river runs through the centre, and after taking ourselves on a walking tour around the town, we went for a cruise in a large 75-seater launch. We had a delightful guide to point out everything of interest as we slowly made our way along the river and there was plenty to see. By this time the sun had come out properly and it was really beautiful, just gliding along through the sunlight and shadow.
On the way home we stopped off at a little village called Moncrabeau which calls itself the ‘Capital of Liars’.! Every year at this time they have a competition to see who can tell the tallest story, or biggest lie, if you like, and apparently people come from far and wide to listen to, and tell, the stories. We would love to go to one of the story-telling events, but our French is certainly not up to that standard by any means. As we were driving through the town, having stopped to admire the view from the centre, we passed a man with the most extraordinary hairstyle I’ve ever seen. Imagine a white man with a grey Afro and that’s what it was. Very unusual, to say the least. A few minutes later we passed a beautifully restored grain barn, in the grounds of a house, which I wanted to take a picture of, so we drove to the end of the road to turn and by the time we got back to the house, who should be walking into the grounds but Mr Afro Hairstyle! I asked him if it was his house as I wanted to take a picture, but he replied that that the owner was around the corner and his was the house beyond. While I went and asked the owner’s permission and took my picture, a strange little procession came up the road. It was a couple walking along with a dog, and pushing Junior in a pushchair. Nothing strange about that? No not really except that the man was playing the bagpipes, and not the ordinary Scottish bagpipes with the many pipes coming out of the bag. This must have been the economy version as it only appeared to have two pipes, and one of those was the one he was playing on. We left feeling that we had all experienced something just a little surreal!
Wednesday was Marciac market day again, and as Glynn hadn’t had a chance to visit one of the markets we thought Marciac was a good one to go to. At this time of year, Marciac hosts an internationally acclaimed Jazz Festival and the market gets moved out to the lake which is actually a lovely setting for it. Being holiday time in France and the Festival, everyone seemed to have made an extra effort and there were masses of stalls selling every imaginable thing. There was also a man with a pony cart giving rides up and down. Whenever they set off the man’s little fox terrier jumped on to the horse’s rump and stood balancing there while they drove. And whenever they ventured out into the road an orange flashing light was turned on that projected from the horse’s harness and stuck out above his head! What a sight.
Thursday saw us returning to Toulouse once more as it was time to say goodbye to cousin Glynn and allow him to continue on his travels. It has been a wonderful few days and we have enjoyed taking someone around to see the sights and also to have new experiences with us.
The rest of the week passed in doing normal household chores which had been shelved for some time. We have also lifted a whole lot of onions and spread them out to dry off. They look magnificent, if one can actually say that about onions. The garlic which we lifted some time ago and had hung up to dry has all been peeled and trimmed and now resembles the garlic that I am used to seeing in the supermarket. Our tomatoes are coming on beautifully and one plant has masses of fruit that should be ripening in about a week or so. Picking something that we have planted ourselves will be a first for us and we can’t wait to see what they taste like. Like tomatoes, I would say!

Adventures in France Episode 14

My goodness! Quite a busy week which has definitely shaken us out of the rut we had fallen into! We started by going to visit the town of Montreal-du-Gers, which is supposed to have the only ‘square’ town square, but which I think is a debatable claim. While there, we went into the tourist office, which incorporates the Museum and found a lot of artifacts which had been dug up while excavating at Seviac nearby. According to the museum, the mosaic tiled floors were very well preserved, and the buiding that had been discovered dated from the 4th to the 7th century AD. One of the display items which amazed me was a beautiful glass urn about 45 cms high which had been made of thin glass. (Now pieced together of course) After spending some time there, we went out to view the actual site and wandered around there for quite some time. The archaeologists had certainly uncovered some huge areas of wonderfully colourful mosaics, and it was easy to see that they had taken the place of carpets or other floor coverings , and that it must have been a very grand house indeed. Also to see were the remains of the under-floor heating system and the water-borne sewage system. They had areas for cold, warm and hot baths, and at a later stage, even a chapel was added. Another interesting fact is that in Winter, the mosaics are kept covered with a layer of fine beach sand which is apparently why the colours are still so good.
The following day we set very early as we had a two hour drive to our destination south of Laruns in The Pyrenees. A little further into the mountains we came to Lac de Fabreges and the base station for the Little Train of Artouste. From here one is whisked 800 metres up the mountain in ten-minute cable car ride, and then waiting at the upper staion is a dear little diesel engine that looks like a child’s toy, which pulls open-sided coaches. Making sure that I was on the ‘mountain’ side of the seat, rather than the side that would have a vertical drop next to it, we fastened our seat belt and next minute the train was off. It starts by going through a tunnel, the Tunnel of the Bears, which is just over 300 metres long and into which the train just fits. Not a good start for the claustrophobics! When it emerged on the other side of the mountain, we found ourselves on contour track far above the valley floor. The journey to the far end of the track takes about an hour, during which time one has spectacular views of the mountains. We also came across short sections of double track where we occasionally had to wait to allow the trains coming in the other direction to pass. Finally we reached our destination, but there was still a 15-minute walk up to the Lac d’Artouste. This dam is the catchment dam for a hydro-electric scheme, and the whole purpose of the train was to provide transport for the men and materials to build the dam originally, but now it has been turned into a delightful tourist attraction.
On Wednesday the cousins went off together to another spot in the Pyrenees known as Pont d’Espagne which looks very beautiful with masses of waterfalls and cascades, and rivers which just appear to flow across open park-like slopes. The weather was still excellent and the water, which was probably freezing, sparkled in the sunlight.
The next day I spent most of the time preparing for a dinner party, which I always find very stressful, but which, in fact went of very well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. After that though, the cook needed a break, and the very best place to enjoy someone else’s cooking is at a traditional restaurant in a small village called Bassoues. It was again a lovely day and we were able to sit out on the verandah and enjoy watching the passing parade.
On Saturday we had planned to join up with some friends who have a car large enough to seat all five of us, and ‘do’ a few places together, and as the weather was still fine we met at their house about mid-morning and set off. First on the list was th Abbeye de Flaran, where Neels and I had been before, but the others not, and since the art exhibition inside was well worth seeing a second time, we didn’t mind going again. It is not often one gets a chance to see original Monets, Picassos and Gainsboroughs and they were just as good second time around. After a picnic lunch in the grounds, we went a bit further to the Chateau de Lavardens, a medieval castle that was never completed, but which stands imposingly on a rock and dominates the small town behind it. Luckily there are sufficient complete chambers in it to accommodate exhibitions of various sorts and it is currently hosting an art glass exhibition which we all wanted to see. Although I personally didn’t care for all the exhibits, there were enough to cater for all tastes and there were certainly plenty that were so beautiful that they took your breath away. After all this culture, we really needed something a little more lighthearted, so made our way the short distance to La Romieu. This small village with it’s triangular village square has an interesting legend attached to it. The story goes that the villagers were starving because of a series of bad harvests, stock losses and sickness etc and started eating the local cats. A young girl known as Angeline hid a couple of her pet animals in the loft of the barn and managed to keep them hidden for a number of years, during which time they produced a fair number of kittens. When the town subsequently became overrun with rats and mice, she released her cats on condition that no-one killed and ate them. The cats cleaned up the vermin problem and Angeline was declared a heroine. In honour of this act, and of her, an artist at a later date decided to decorate the village with cats, so today there are life sized sculptures of cats peeping out of windows, lying on gateposts, playing next to doorways, in fact the more one looks for them the more one sees. Delightful!
We then went on in to the Cathedral and Abbey in the town where we found a heavenly(!) aromatic herb garden with all the herbs labelled with the name and uses. Very interesting indeed.
On Sunday morning Aignan was again having a Vide Grenier, so we took Glynn to show him just how much junk people have lying around in their houses! I think he was amazed to see the whole square filled with tables, covered with every imaginable item for sale. Sadly for all the stall holders, it started drizzling in the middle of the morning and then deteriorated into fairly soaking rain. By then we had seen enough so came home and christened my new Travel Scrabble set which Glynn brought over from England as a gift for me.