Adventures Francaise

After dropping our guests of 3 weeks up in Caen on Thursday night we stayed at a little hotel. Spent the next day checking out the chateau and normandie museum. Then we headed to Saumur. Staying at a great hotel and had dinner at the restaurant there. Such great food and a lovely white wine. Today (sat) we headed into the old town and up to the chateau after getting all excited by the saturday market that ran over the whole of the main area of the centre ville. The chateau is in renos so we only saw a bit of it but it is a beautiful chateau of 1000 years. It’s one of the ones in the Duc de Berry book of hours. The town is compact and really enjoyable to wander through.
For lunch we sat on the banks of the loire and ate our marché spoils of fresh goats cheese, onion bread, ham and tomatoes.
Next we walked to the Combier distillery and tasted triple sec, absinthe and fruit liqueurs.
Dinner was at a troglodyte cave just over the river. It’s a set menu of these little puff breads cooked in a hot wood oven called fouee. You then farcie (stuff) them with different fillings. Creamy mushrooms, haricot beans with pork belly, chèvre, rillet, herb butter, bodin noir, or fig or tomato jams. That was G’s. I had the fouee, stuffed mushrooms, snails, pork belly with some fouee and fillings. A slice of tarte aux pomme then black coffees. The carafe of vin was so tasty and local. The caves ran for 11kms. It was hearty simpl but oh so tasty. We rolled ourselves home and only now, 2hrs later can I think about it without feeling so full. It’s a great place to try. The mushys were stuffed with 2 different fillings. 1 chèvre and 2 rillet. All baked in the same oven as the fouee. I got 4 mid sized ones, 6 snails.
Verdict- we really like Saumur.

Here I sit with my shoes off in the sun and the window open for the first time in probably 5 months. I am listening to the birds sing insainly and the lambs bleating their little fluffy heads off. The kids are yelling and laughing at the school down the way and the hubby and friend/guest are drilling the new floor to the upstairs middle room. 

After almost 20 days of rain and cold grey skies in an unseasonally cold wet spring start I can not believe how happy the mild european sun is making me. Today everything seems a bit more possible, a bit clearer and much easier to do. Especially when I have my feet bare and in the sun. I can NOT believe how pale they are.

Now I hated the sun in Australia and avoided it like any good goth or sunsmart person would. After so long though, I just want to sit with my face sunflower like to it and soak it in. Ok the UV rating is about 3 so it won’t burn me.

It’s beautiful and I hope this is spring now. I really hope.

I’m up to my armpits in men’s undies. Sew sew sew. After this only much much more for the Hurra!

I’m having a bit of a crisis. Money is tight and getting tighter. Like a wool jumper in the tumble dryer tight. I can’t seem to get the balls to go and speak French to people and forget it all when I do try. G is wonderful but seems to get sick all the time and drs cost lots over here without our carte vert. Meds are even worse. The house is getting me down with all the work to do and no cash to do it. I’m lonely for my friends and family and it is like an ache in my heart. The fact I can’t seem to make friends here and have no relations close by isn’t helping. I’m in a bit of pain from the nerve problem in my feet and really need a massage.

I know this seems like “poor me” and that I’m living the French dream. It is great here. The weather is lovely. Even the snow and cold was great. The beach isn’t far and the food is lovely. I just need to get more accustomed to things here.

I’m ok. I’m great. I tell myself this and it WILL be true.

There we go. Rant over. Bed now.

Today we walked to the Portsmouth historic docks and spent a busy 5 hours looking at the wonderful ships of yor. The Warrior and Victory plus the Mary Rose museum. The Mary Rose is being built her own new museum now the PEG work has finished and will be open at the end of this year. Both the ships we could go on had many ropes and cannons which made G a VERY HAPPY MAN. I think he was about to burst when I took this picture aboard the Victory.

I was disappointed in the the costume display they had. It was from the tv show “The Tudors” What a complete piece of crap-from a costuming point of view. We were both quite loud and aussy in our derision of the so called costumes.

Anyway. Portsmouth was a hoot but grey and overcast. We headed up to Reading to visit the A-Team with a detour to an organic farm to collect…..BACON!! Hyden Farm Organics in Clanfield. We got soo much bacon and some lovely sausages. I know in a few month it will be gone but until then, Yay for bacon without nitrites and nitrates. We arrived at peak hour on a friday and boy did we have fun trying to navigate the 1 way streets of Reading. We did manage to get there safe and sound though. Then the finding of a park in the tiny UK streets. Lucky our car is a tiny thing and not a big stupid hummer. I liken our car to a Kangoo that has gone through the tumble dryer.

Had the biggest meal you could imagine with the English crew. Amanda and Aidan, Carol and Noel and Martin were all there and we stuffed ourselves stoopid on indian dosa at ChennaiDosa. It was a bit of a challenge getting our heads around the ordering process and we ordered WAAAAAY too much but it was all so tasty and spicy. I certainly got my indian flavour fill for a bit.

G and I walked back to the A-Teams house (15min) so we could work off a little of the massive meal. It’s so great that they are fitting us in at their place. The house is sweet but a bit small for 4 adults. Lucky we all get on, we didn’t bring too much over and the toilet is at the end of the house ;)

We had packed the wed night, which is amazing for me( I usually would be packed weeks ahead and with many clothes). 1 suitcase for us both and the rest of the car empty for the return haul of english booty. We were off to Inga-land!!!! Thursday we drove, Crisps and Talking Heads, nuts and Badoit (french mineral water) we were sorted and singing our way to the port.

With the 4 hour drive to La Havre behind us and a 2hr wait at the dock (yes I wanted to be there in PLENTY of time) we had our lunch and enjoyed the sunny afternoon of France.

As ferries go LD Lines was small but smooth sailing. The food was shocking- but it was catering to an English palate so we ate our nuts and dried fruit, had a beer or two and tried to ignore the rowdy Irishmen sitting next to us confirming every stereotype about the Irish. G had a nap while I read “The Mayne Inheritance”. Ironic that I had to come to France to read about Brisbane and her history.

About an hour into the journey the fog set in and the grey skies didn’t really leave until we got back on French soil 5 days later. We stayed in Portsmouth that night which was good, as driving on the left side of the road in a RH drive car was a bit freaky for us both. G did all the driving over the weekend and I’m so very glad he did. I know I could have done it but much prefer being navigator (augmenting the gps of course).

Didn’t we have a lovely time…..

We had to go out for an appointment so decided, as it was a PERFECT day we would tarry a tad and visit the medieval town of Vouvant. It’s only 20min away so is a perfect little stop. 

We had a lovely lunch at the bar with just fab wine then got the key for the Melusine Tower. It overlooks the river La Mere and gives a great, albeit windy view of the surrounding countryside.

We also walked around the village which seemed a bit dead- it is a holiday location so much busier in summer. The public garden has a cannon just lying around which the G man a bit miffed. I think if our little car could have carried it home we’d have a cannon protecting our attic right now!

There is a romanesque bridge and a medieval herbal garden plus the church with wonderful stonework.

The day was sunny and warm when you could get out of the wind but I just can’t get it into my brain that the sun is NOT going to burn the flesh off my bones within minutes like in Brisbane.

Again the frustration of not having the french language brought me down a bit. I couldn’t remember what glass of wine was. I do NOW of course but when I need it, the words just are out the back having a smoke and giving me the finger.

We bought a very pretty butter plate and cover and headed home feeling buoyed that we live so close to so much history.