The afternoon turned to mustard

This morning was domestic chores utilizing the local laverie (laundromat) after which a walk through town found a market in the "place" outside the information centre

It was a smallish market mainly for locals as it was dominated by food stalls but truth be told it is interesting for us tourists as we see produce and items displayed in a manner we are not used to.

Following lunch sitting on a city bench chewing though a baguette filled with "maison pesille" we found La Poste to price sending a carton of clothes that we have in the suitcases but can't see being used back home - the price quote was a little scary - €100 for 7kg - so we went to another outlet who quoted €55 for up to 7kg utilizing a box they supplied, a box that looked like it wouldn't hold that much at all.

Nevertheless we managed to squeeze around 25 items in it weighing just over 5kg and they should be in NZ in around 8-10 days - we will see if they get delivered at all.

For the rest of the afternoon we visited Musee de La Moutarderie which was a guided tour of a mustard museum situated at La Moutarderie Fallot.

This factory is the last manufacturer who grinds the seeds the old fashion way with stone grinders and has been independently owned by the Fallot family since 1840.

There was even a hands on attempt to make some mustard, which surprisingly tasted quite nice and at the end of the visit we all shared plates to taste the various flavored mustards

It was a very interesting afternoon.

Following on from yesterday's FCUK moment I have purchased some approved swimwear but alas today was not boiling hot so a swim was not necessary - temps are due to get up again later in the week so I am sure my purchase won't be wasted.

At the laverie this morning I asked a local why do they have such a rule and he smiled said he didn't know but it could be because "we are French".

C'est la vie!

 

 

 

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FCUK!,

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we walked into town to get the lie of the land

The first building we came across that attracted attention was the Notre Dame Cathedral (yes another of the same name)

And a bit further on we come to this rather delightful square with graceful buildings on most corners

Closer to the centre was the Athenaeum which has every conceivable accessory a wine connoisseur would ever want

and across the road from that was the famous Hotel Dieu or "Hospices" which we will tour on another day

I was taken with the saying on this old man's shopping trolley

It starts - Life is just a short break. The Rules....

And the FCUK!!

This afternoon as the temperatures rose into the high 30s we decided that we would go for a swim at the pool we checked out last night

Made our way to it some 1.5 kms or so from our digs, paid the entrance fee required and excitedly entered the pool area when all hell broke out in French from the pool attendant

The issue was that I was wearing board type shorts however they were a banned swimwear item and I wasn't allowed within the fenced area of the pool so all I could do was sit in whatever shade there was and watch Sherry enjoy a refreshing swim!

The walk back was achieved at a very slow pace with perspiration freely flowing!

The French certainly have their idiosyncrasies but it is their place so you cannot complain (at least too much)!

I guess tomorrow we will have to look around the shops for a pair of "proper" French approved swimwear for me.

As a matter of interest this was the temp at 4.25pm

 

 

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Gun barrel straight

Our trip today was a drive from Bourges to Beaune in beautiful clear skies with temperatures in the mid 20s through wide open countryside.

The feature of the drive was a stretch 13kms from Bourges which for the next 27kms was as straight as an arrow - set the 3008 on cruise control and sat back and didn't move the steering wheel as we drove across this undulating stretch of countryside

As we approached Vezelay the town sat high above the level of the highway and made a good sight

Arrived in Beaune around 1.30 pm and met the owner of our accommodation for the next 9 days as we put down anchor for a while in this walled city which is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Cote D'Or.

It remains stifling hot reaching the high 30s today so after checking in and finding a supermarket to get supplies for the next few days we went looking for a fan as the apartment doesn't have air conditioning though it does have a small fan.

Not easy to find as they are in short supply due to the current heat wave conditions but we are now the proud owners of...

It will be interesting to see how long it lasts as we move it around the rest of France, Italy and Istria with us and not sure what will become of it when we fly home!

A walk after dinner this evening to locate the public swimming pool which if things stay as they are we will visit in earnest tomorrow.

 

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Travel Day

It is quite something to watch Sherry try and explain to a server in a roadside cafe how she would like her coffee made and today was no exception.

On the journey Poitiers to Bourges we pulled off the A10 for mid morning coffee into an Autogrill which is basically a truck stop with petrol station and associated cafe

The woman server couldn't speak any English and was not of a mind to be helpful! The large takeaway cups were only used for "the" (tea) so instead of getting a large cup with a shot of coffee filled with water and hot milk on top it ended up as three small takeaway cups on a tray - one hot water, another a double shot of espresso and the other hot milk - and we were charged accordingly €4.50 (approx. $7.50) whereas a coffee is around €2.60

I then had to scout around the complex to find a cup or glass in which she could make her own coffee.

The drive took as north towards Paris on the A10 and after approx. 100kms east to Bourges on the A85 and then 45kms from Bourges onto the A71 all being tolled highways (€24.20 in total for about 250 kms of driving) of good quality with a speed limit of 130kmph for the majority though apart from passing the numerous trucks on the road we watched as others went passed us at some pace

125kms from Bourges on the A85 near Luzille, the speed limit is 130, the

time is 11.06, we are due to arrive at 12.15, our next intersection is 79 Kms away, we are at 105m above sea level, the temperature is 26 degrees and Sherry is the pilot!

Found the hotel in Bourges after a battle with the GPS trying to send us down no entry roads

and then we walked into the centre of the city. Sunday is very much the day of rest in France and everything, apart from some bars and restaurants are closed so the city has no atmosphere but it certainly has one of, if not the biggest Cathedral we have come across this trip - the UNESCO heritage site, Cathedrale Saint- Etienne de Bourges

It is so big it is difficult to get into one photo!

Its dimensions and some of the other relevant data is shown in the following

Note that the nave is 117m long by 41m wide and 37m high

Within the church is a clock of a bygone era as well as a Gnomon (use Google)

The Cathedral backs on to the square outside the Hotel Ville, itself a nice building...

...and a very impressive public garden made more impressive by the musicians in the band rotunda and the couples dancing to their music - very European

We stay only one night in Bourges so we only got a small taste of what it has to offer.

 

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Poitiers

Out the door just after halftime during the Super 15 final which I had been following on the NZ Herald website to start a walking tour of the historic areas of Poitiers

Were we going to regret it when the heat was turned on, time would tell!

To get to the first site we had to climb a series of stairs and by the time we stood outside Saint Hilaire Le Grand Church it was pouring off us

This church was built in 1049, having been burnt down twice before

It is an UNESCO World Heritage site and it is regarded as a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture

Onto the Hotel Ville (otherwise called the Town Hall) which sat at the head of an impressive square

Then across the city to Baptistry of Saint-Jean and the adjacent Saint-Pierre Cathedral neither of which were open.

The Baptistry dates from the 5th century and is one of Europe's few remaining examples from the Christian Era, while the Cathedral (1150) is renowned for its twelfth century stained glass windows

Nearby was the Church of Saint-Radegonde which houses the tomb of Radegund the founder of the first female monastery in the city in the sixth century

By this time the temperature was getting up and we returned to the central city to find an air conditioned shop to cool down

After hitting the beat again we only had energy to go past the Statute of Liberty Poitiers style before shuffling our way back to our digs having put over 13 kms on the clock

We will venture out again later for an evening meal

Some observations:

The world is on sale - retailers in every place we have been to are selling stock at reduced prices

The UK has embraced the E-cigarette while the French still can't resist the traditional cancer stick

If you dog does number twos on the street you are not obliged to clean up - well that is how it seems

It is interesting watching French people great each other with their kiss on each cheek tradition - it is even more interesting watching a group of them meeting with another group as they double cheek kiss each other - so the question to be answered is how many kisses are there when 10 French people meet up with another group of 10?

Congratulations to the Southern men for their S15 victory leaving the Hurricanes as the only NZ franchise never to have won the Super trophy:)

 

 

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A chance encounter

Angers to Poitiers via Loudun was today's trip arriving in Poitiers around lunchtime

Loudun was a village just off the highway we were driving on and the sole purpose we stopped was for a coffee.

There were quite a few cafes in the village and we choose Le Zenith for no good reason

As Sherry was explaining to the woman how she wanted her coffee made (this is no small task!) I was looking around the cafe and saw monogrammed berets as part of the decor

A closer look suggested they were berets of the various rugby clubs so I struck up a very awkward conversation with the lady but it was a conversation that became less awkward as we hand gestured, used small words etc and I soon understood they were berets of every rugby club in the French premiership except Stade Francais who don't have a beret

She called over her husband (I think) and rattled off something to him and he went out the back and came back with a Stade Francais flag which he offered to me

I made it known I was not after his souvenirs and he (who couldn't speak a word of English) and me ( who can't speak French apart from some basic words) had quite a conversation - names mentioned followed by thumbs ups and smiles were Carl Hayman, Byron Kelliher, Luke MacAllister, Ali Williams and others

It was obvious he thought highly of the NZers playing in France

The roads out of Loudun village were one way, narrow, cobbled (typical of an early era) and confusing even to the GPS!

Found our accommodation in Poitiers as well as some melting roads from the 35+ heat which is getting to these oldies - by mid to late afternoon we are down to a shuffle as it is the hottest time of the day

Also the restaurants don't start serving evening meals until 7pm so if we have come out at around 2pm we are 5 hours plus in the heat unless we find an air conditioned shop to go into to cool down.

Poitiers is dominated by the Notre Dame la Grande a cathedral that sits on the cities highest point and everything then drops away to the La Boivre and Le Clain the two rivers that encircle the central area of Poitiers which has 2000 years of history - the 80 plus listed buildings bear witness to that

There are four historic walks listed on the tourism map so I can see what we might do tomorrow when I will also have the camera at the ready!

By the time we get back "home" tonight (I am writing this in a cafe which has some air conditioning operating) we will have shuffled approx 10kms keeping up our average of 10+kms walked each day - I think I need a holiday!!!

 

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Relief

We were woken this morning by a thunderstorm that was clearing the air following yesterday's high temperature but which itself had passed by 8.30ish and for about another hour we had a slight drizzle - it was a welcome relief from yesterday's 35 degrees. However it is only a slight reprieve as tomorrow is due to be back around 37 in Poitiers where we head to.

Today we did the recommended tourist walk which was said to take 2hr30min but took us 6hr30min with stops at various locations and for lunch - I guess we also don't walk as fast as we used to!

Angers has a very well maintained historic area dominated by the Chateau D'Angers which houses the Apocalypse Tapestry.

The Chateau is a fortress built on a rocky promontory overlooking the River Maine a promontory which has been occupied by man since the Neolithic period i.e from 2500BC.

Over the many years it has been added to, rebuilt, destroyed and built again. The perimeter is nearly a half a kilometre long and there are 17 towers standing 30 metres high

A castle within a castle

The tapestry housed within the fortress is the oldest surviving set of tapestries. It is a highly prestigious work commissioned in 1375 by Louis I and took seven years to make.

The dimensions are staggering - it consists of six pieces each measuring 6 metres by 23 metres i.e. 828 square metres of work. Also it is made entirely of wool and there is not a knot visible in the backing of the tapestry

These two photos when joined together form the bulk of the tapestry!

There were many other grand sites on the walk but they really are too many to mention or provide photos of.

 

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Snap

Another mid 30's day today which by day's end had us down to a very slow amble!

Back to Landivy - we enjoyed a meal with Dave and Jane the owners of Belle Madeleine B and B last night.

It was very nice to be in the company of other English speakers.

They were originally from Southampton and have lived in France for 10 years running the B&B for the last three years.

Dave is a sports fanatic while Jane has little or no interest.

She has learnt to speak French he has no interest!

We plied them with questions comparing various aspects of French life versus English life and I guess the fact they have been in Landivy which is no more than a town with a population of 150 but which has its own mayor, for 10 years suggests that taken overall they clearly prefer the French style

Jane said that if they sold the B&B and took the money back to Southampton it would only buy them a 1 bedroom unit!

After leaving Landivy we had a leisurely drive through to Angers.

On the outskirts of Angers we saw a shopping centre by the name of L'Atoll and being around lunchtime we pulled in not leaving for approx. 3 hours

The design of the centre is superb - it is a circular shape with a centre of greenery with the shops contained in the outside circular structure.

It is so big there is a small shuttle driving around dropping shoppers off in front of the shop they wish to visit

If I were to estimate it would hold the equivalent shopping area as all the shops at Albany mega centre and the adjacent shopping centre

It was completed in 2012 and in 2013 won the award for being the best European Shopping Centre

The following was taken from a website:

A shopping complex in Angers, France, combines an arched elliptical form with a skeleton of perforated aluminum.

The brief was to create a commercial mall with a refreshing architectural appearance, which could act as a gateway into the city. Antonio Virga Architecte and AAVP Architecture joined forces to design the amorphous structure, defined by four main poles and entry porches.

The entire mall is covered in an envelope of mother-of-pearl white aluminium, which rests 8 to 12m from the main structure to create a secure delivery area in between retail units and the exterior wall. From the ground to 3m high, small perforations conceal views from the outside; from 3 to 12m high, diamond-shaped perforations are highlighted by a system of back-lit lighting.

The project was designed with sustainable development in mind; special waste management systems, thermal dynamics, renewable energy and natural lights have been employed.

It is a very impressive site!

We will explore Angers tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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