FRANCE 2015 Chapter 19

Our last week in France and still so much that we want to do! But we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that this is supposedly a holiday for us. I’m not really sure why it should be as we are always on holiday, being retirees. However, after another exhausting weekend, we gave ourselves the day off on Monday, to recover. On Tuesday though, packing up started in earnest. How is it possible for two people to accumulate so much in such a short time? In no time at all we had five boxes of assorted sizes all packed to the brim and put into the boot of the car. Meanwhile, Neels washed and polished the car and generally prepared it for its long hibernation.

The following morning, as we went through town we stopped at the station to buy our tickets to Toulouse and were delighted to discover that for some reason , there is a ‘special’ on for Saturday and the tickets were half price. Then it was on again , to the estate agent, to say ‘Good bye’ and ‘Thank you’ until we see him again next year, then finally on to the house to offload all the boxes. This just leaves another three still to go which we will fill with last minute items to take when we go to leave the car there on Friday. Oh dear! It now really feels as if we are leaving.

Wednesday and Thursday also found us fielding several phone calls from various friends and family wishing us a safe trip home, which we were pleased to get. It’s always nice to know that we are in people’s hearts and minds , and, much as we regret having to leave all our new friends (and a few that we already knew), we are really looking forward to getting back to all our ‘old’ friends and catching up on all their news.

On Friday, our host had very kindly said that he would drive out to Ols to fetch us after we had delivered the last few boxes; parked Goldie in her little hidey-hole under the veranda and covered her in her new car cover. As the cover is camouflage green, and about a third of the car is under the veranda, it is almost invisible and hopefully, not in anyone’s way. Our hosts arrived a little while later and admired the house all over again, as well as all our new acquisitions piled in various heaps. We are so bucked that everyone who has seen the house so far has admired it, because we just love it and can’t wait to get back and start putting things in their places and filling up the empty spaces. Friday evening was idyllic – still and peaceful and quiet, with a wonderful golden glow over all the surrounding countryside. We had been invited to have dinner with our hosts as it was our final night with them and we both had to admit to a feeling of genuine sadness at having to leave. I think we have made some very good friends here, and we hope the friendship goes on and on.

All too soon it was Saturday morning and time to squeeze the last things into the suitcases. We were whisked down to the station by our ever-accommodating host, and then in seemingly no time at all, we had ‘done’ the train ride (one and a half hours) and finished the bus ride from the station to the airport (twenty-five minutes) and were sitting in the departure lounge waiting for our flight from Toulouse to Istanbul (four hours). As we sat in Istanbul airport waiting for our flight home we wondered what had happened to the day. We had only spent six hours in actual travel but we had dragged ourselves out of bed at six o’clock in the morning and by the time we were sitting calculating, it was eight o’clock at night – fourteen hours later. What a waste of time travel is!!

After a lengthy and tedious five hour stop-over in Istanbul we boarded a packed plane to Johannesburg at one-thirty a.m. and were served a meal at two thirty. Having already had breakfast at 6.30 a.m., lunch at twelve then a snack at about six p.m., we wondered what this midnight meal could be called. After that we managed to sleep for about four hours before they gave us breakfast again at seven a.m.. It is no wonder that one’s body clock gets so totally out of kilter when travelling. To finish off the day, our Cape Town family were at the airport to greet us and had brought lunch and supper with them. Having lunch at 3 o’clock was beginning to feel quite normal but I’m afraid we faded before we could enjoy the supper they had left here for us, but how we had enjoyed the afternoon with them all. We have missed our children and grandchildren so much over the past four months.

What we were not expecting though, was our re-acquaintance with load-shedding on the power supply. We were about to make some coffee, tea and hot chocolate when we discovered that neither the kettle nor the microwave were working. Having checked all the switches on the circuit board and found none faulty, someone suddenly had the bright idea of trying the lights, which of course also didn’t work and it was then that we realised that we were back in South Africa.

FRANCE 2015 Chapter 18

After our exertions of the previous week, I awoke on Sunday so stiff that I could barely get myself out of bed. Apart from being completely unfit, we had done a lot of walking on cobbles in unsuitable shoes and I was now paying the price. Fortunately the stiffness wore off quite soon and I was quickly back to normal.

We started the new week on a high note as it was the day we went to sign all the preliminary papers for our house. A few weeks earlier we had read a report in the paper about the notaires complaining about the number of copies they have to make of everything, and we realised why. About forty pages of all the details of the house and the sale were read out to us and then we had to sign some and initial others and then we were told that a copy would be sent to us too. It arrived by post the next day, and not one, but two copies came, one in my name and another for Neels. Forty pages each of double sided copies! Ridiculous! And if a syndicate buys a house together for their mutual use, a separate copy would be sent to each of them too, even if they were husbands and wives. However, nothing could dampen our feelings at having signed such an important document -  excitement, anxiety, joy and fear all swirled around in our minds at the huge step we were taking but overall joy won.

We had discovered an enormous second hand goods shop in town which only opens once a week for sales and as that day was Wednesday, we thought it would be a good idea to visit it and see what they had on the floor, and see what the prices were like. The shop is really huge and sells everything one could possibly imagine as well as quite a few things that we couldn’t imagine a use for. There were tables and tables of glass, crockery and cutlery; racks, disappearing into the back of the shop, full of men’s, women’s and children’s clothes; toys; gardening equipment; brooms, brushes and dustpans; furniture of all sorts; elbow, knee and arm protectors for intrepid learner skateboarders, and even snow skis. And probably, as they like to say on lists of sale goods, ‘ other items too numerous to mention’. It was quite sad to see some huge solid wood , carved wardrobes or side boards, that must have come from some large mansions and been disposed of as too big for a modern house. And being sold for a nominal price. All that wonderful work being just given away!

Every now and again, perhaps once a month or so, a restaurant in Vabre Tizac does a special fish and chips lunch for the British ex-pats who live in the area. Friday was one of those days so the four of us went off at the appointed time and found quite a gathering of people already chattering in the bar. A few of them we had already met but others were new acquaintances, but everyone was friendly and by the time we sat down to eat we had spoken to most people. We all sat at a long table which made conversation a little difficult and the noise level rose in direct proportion to the amount the level of wine dropped in the carafes! Everyone seemed to have a good time and the fish was quite delicious. There was also a salad starter, cheese and dessert, followed by coffee. Far more than our normal midday meal and most people seemed a little sleepy at the end of it.

The next morning we were up at a reasonably early hour ready to hit the long road down to Peyrusse Vieille in the Gers, and beyond, to collect some furniture we had bought from a couple who were selling up and returning to the UK. On the way down we drove along one of the avenues of trees that we love so much. There has been much discussion lately about these trees and some people say that they are dangerous and should be chopped down. We say that people should be taught to drive more carefully and there would be fewer accidents. The French are not bad drivers on the whole, and respect the speed limits and things like that so if they were made to slow down for the trees, perhaps the trees could stay.

Our very good friends who have looked after our car for the last five years, during the months that we are not in France, had offered to help us with transport, so after calling in at their house we carried on in convoy. Over the next three hours, the men worked like Trojans dismantling things and collecting everything together so that we could pack the cars. Somehow, it all went in and we returned to Peyrusse Vieille for the night. The next morning we were back on the road again, still in convoy, all the way to the new house where everything was again unpacked and stacked in the house. I cannot believe that so much came out of only two cars! Because, although we had agreed to take a certain number of items,  when it actually came to the day, we found more and more bits and pieces being pressed upon us until we despaired of ever getting the doors closed in the cars! When we finally unpacked at journey’s end, we couldn’t believe the amount we had got packed in. The lady of the house kept on asking if we had ‘enough ‘padding’ around various corners of boxes and cupboards and so on, and then producing something to use for this purpose. When we sorted it all out after the trip, we found that we had been given three brand new pillows; four duvets of varying sizes; about eight lovely thick blankets and a whole bag of assorted sheets. To say nothing of the boxful of handy tools, including an electric drill, and numerous fittings and cables all of which will come in very handy in the future.

On the way home, we drove through a town called Septfonds which was having a huge ‘Vide Grenier’ which stretched up and down the pavement for quite a distance a swell as into the Community Hall. There were a lot of items going cheaply that could have been put to good use, but sadly, the cars were full to bursting. While we enjoyed a cup of coffee there, there was a sudden commotion as a car pulled up and out climbed the most extraordinary character. None of us were fluent enough to understand all the banter, but the fellow looked so strange that I had to take a picture of him. He reminded us of the students who dress up for Rag Week to collect funds from passing motorists, but this chap was the only one in fancy dress and didn’t seem to be collecting. Very odd indeed.  Vive la France!

FRANCE 2015 Chapter 17

What a week! Monday was a blur of shopping, cleaning and getting ready for our guest who arrived the next day. We had to move the furniture around a bit to make a little corner of privacy and we think it worked fairly well. So bright and early next morning we were again on the way to Rodez airport, feeling that, as we had done that route twice there and back already in the not too distant past, we would get there in double quick time. However, not listening to ‘Jane’ often proves to be the wrong course of action, and once again we took a scenic route but luckily still managed to arrive before the plane did.. How excited I was at the thought of seeing my sister again after so much time. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally appeared through the ‘Arrivals’ door and we flung ourselves at each other hugging madly. Then it was back to the ‘gite’ to dump her luggage etc, have a quick lunch and go off to visit and show off ‘our house’. She was suitably impressed and immediately started imagining various pieces of furniture in their places. All in all we spent a couple of hours there wandering back and forth through the five rooms that it consists of, talking all the time!

The talking continued until quite late at night but we eventually got to bed  not too late which was good as we had decided that the following day would be a picnic day at Belcastel, one of our favourite villages. The day turned out sunny if a bit gusty  at times but we still had an excellent day out. This time all the flowers were out and there were a lot of other visitors to the village so it seemed more ‘alive’. Carol was entranced with the whole place and was sorry that she had not got a small pocket-sized camera that she could have brought with her, but she made up for the lack by taking a mass of pictures on her phone. After enjoying our picnic lunch eaten under a willow tree on the banks of the river, we went up to the top of the hill and found that the chateau was now open for visitors. We were a bit dubious about going in, thinking that it was really quite expensive, but Carol was very keen and ended up by treating us to the tour. We had no guide, but we were given a folder in English which led one from area to area in the chateau, following the numbers shown on the walls. What we might have missed!!! The interior of the chateau is not lavishly furnished, in fact there is very little furniture in it, but what there is, is quite magnificent. As one ambles around following the guide book, one proceeds through room after room; up and down spiral staircases, and across terrifying wooden planked walkways. As the current owners of the chateau are also the owners of a large art gallery in New York, it is not surprising that there are three galleries devoted to exhibitions of art. Two large rooms make up the armoury with a number of suits of armour on display, together with two life-sized statues of horses in armour complete with armoured riders. One suit of armour, which is kept behind glass looks as if it is gilded or made of highly polished brass, and is covered in wonderful light relief carvings. It was obviously a ‘dress suit’ as no-one would wear such a highly decorated suit into battle.

All in all we must have spent about two hours in the castle and had to hurry back as we had invited our hosts down to have drinks and snacks with us. One way and another, it turned into another late night, so it was just as well that we could have a lie-in the next morning, while we waited for our hairdresser lady to show up and give us much needed haircuts. As we had had an early lunch before  she arrived, we could dash off as soon as she left to go into Villefranche de Rouergue. Carol wanted to get a few things to take back with her and then we took her into the centre of town and showed her the medieval part around the cathedral and the Town Square. Once again we took our time about it and then had to scurry before going upstairs to have dinner with our hosts. Oh dear! Another late night!

Friday, and Carol’s last day with us and the weather just wasn’t playing fair. After several bright but cloudy days, this last day started off cool and rainy, but we had planned to take quite a long drive north to the town of Conques. Started as a Benedictine monastery, around which a small town grew, Conques has now become a major stop-over point on one of the many Routes to Santiago de  Compostela . We have a friend who works in the accommodation section of the Abbey who tells us that at the height of the season, they can have as many as 1800 people per night in the dormitories. There are still monks who live there and who carry on their normal monastic life and duties while a  number of lay people work with, and around them, seeing to the needs of the pilgrims.

By the time we arrived there, the weather had cleared a little, so leaving all our wet-weather gear in the car, we strolled down to the town where we decided to have lunch straight away as we knew that going around the cathedral alone, would take quite some time. By now it was quite hot in the sun and the kind restaurateur lowered the canopy over the outside tables to afford some shade. As we ate, we watched the people passing, many of whom were displaying the scallop shell of St. Jacques, or striding along with the help of pointed steel walking sticks and sturdy hiking boots which identified them as possible pilgrims.

The cathedral, as is so common, is colossal, and sturdy, built as much for defence as for worship. From front to back it measures 56 metres with the dome above the nave soaring to 21 metres. Why should  such an out-of-the-way village have such a huge church, one might ask. It is all due to a little girl called Faith. As a fifteen year old, she was martyred for her Christian beliefs along with her sister and a handful other adults. Up until that time she had become renowned for her miraculous powers  and her beheading caused some discontent among the locals. Soon after, she was declared a saint and the original chapel that had stood on the site was demolished to make way for the grand building we see today, dedicated to St Foy. ( Foi in French, is Faith) Relics of St Faith, or St Foy if you like, can be seen in the crypt of the cathedral. There is little interior decoration to be seen, although according to Benedictine rules, there is nothing to prevent it, and there are no stained glass windows.  The windows which had been put in place after WWII, which were mostly diamond shaped pastel coloured glass were replaced in 1994 by a renowned artist Pierre Soulages. who designed all 104 windows.  Not to everyone’s taste, the windows are composed of stripes going in different directions, of pale shades of blue to grey. From outside, it appears as if the glass Venetian blinds are drawn, and I personally, would prefer traditional Medieval style windows in glorious colour.

When we came out of the cathedral, it was just starting to drizzle a bit but we persisted in our walk around town until the rain became too heavy and we had to head back to the car and home. We will definitely go back again.

We finally got home again at about 7 pm but none of us felt like a meal due to our large lunch, but it didn’t stop us from talking. We still had SO much to talk about and in the end, guess what? Yes………it was another late night! Not a good idea when the alarm clocks had to be set for 6.30 the following morning, but we managed to rouse ourselves at the appointed hour and get Carol to the airport in time for her flight back to the UK. It has been such a special few days and we will treasure the memories of them.

FRANCE 2015 Chapter 16

I just cannot believe that it is weekend again! How this week has flown!  Let me see just what we have been doing to make it fly. Not very much really but it has been unbelievably hot – even by South African standards. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were well up, even into the 30’s, but happily by Saturday morning it had cooled off a bit and for the next week at least, there will be nothing higher than about 28 degrees.

On Tuesday we had a fairly early start as we had to be at the Rodez airport at 10.30 to fetch our hosts from their holiday in Scotland. There was no real need to ask how the weather had been – they arrived bundled up in warm gear and started stripping off almost at once. It was a bit like a practise run for the following day when we set off for Auch – again – to fetch our new permits. The office is only open until midday every day, so we didn’t want to be late and planned to leave at 8 am. However, so nervous of being late, we were ready to go at 7.30 and three hours later were at our destination. As we had a lunch appointment with my cousin for midday we were way too early but managed to while away the time drinking coffee and ambling up and down the old streets. It was extraordinarily hot and we drove back ‘home’ again with the windows wide open blowing us to bits. Some people may ask whether it was worth a six-hour drive and four hundred and fifty kilometres to fetch two little plastic cards the size of a driving licence, but our answer is ‘Quite definitely’. We didn’t stop anywhere along the way as most of the trip was on highways which go well clear of the picturesque areas and photo opportunities were minimal.

The next day though, we were shattered and with the temperature soaring again we decided that enough was enough and stayed at home, and indoors where it is relatively cool. We had planned to go into town and hunt for some cool blouses for me to wear, but just couldn’t face the thought of fitting rooms, so that plan was delayed until the next day. When Friday turned out to be almost as hot again, we waited until after lunch before we ventured into town hoping that it would be a bit cooler. It wasn’t really, but since I found two blouses, I considered the afternoon a great success. Then I had to spend most of Saturday shortening the one………….by hand! Goodness! How long is it since I had to do that! Just as well though, because I wore that blouse on Sunday and was thrilled to feel cool again.

While I was busy sewing, the two men were out in the hot sunshine setting up the heating apparatus for the pool. When it was uncovered for the first time on Wednesday, the water temperature was 15 degrees and by Friday the top layer had gone up to 21 but underneath that it was still very cold. So they have a cunning method of circulating the water through black pipes laid on the ground to warm the whole pool. The ground where the pool is had to be built up on the far side  to make a big enough level area for the pool and this steep bank conveniently faces south, and gets sun pretty much all day, so large sheets of continuous piping are laid on the bank and fastened in place. Then, at the end of the summer, it is all disassembled again and put away carefully in the barn. Neither of us brought costumes which is a shame, as the pool looks really inviting.