France October 2022

Days 12 and 13

There has been a bit of break in the blog, brought on by illness and travel.

On the night of Day 11, both Kirsty and I succumbed to what we think was food poisoning or a bout of gastro. We were up and down all night, little sleep and tag teaming to the loo. Being tired and feeling still a bit off, we cancelled breakfast and headed to the chemist for some Imodium.

Then we began to pack for our drive north to Kerry and KT’s place (La Jagee). As the morning progressed Kirsty was just about back to 1005 but I wasn’t all that flash. We said our goodbyes to Estelle, who had been a wonderful host.

Kirsty agreed that we should still attempt the route I had devised, sorry, plotted, the day before but on the proviso that if we got lost we would retreat to the nearest motorway. All went well for a time, but apparently it would have been good if I had given her distances to work with before we needed to refer to the directions for the next tur. Apparently, my description “go for a long way” wasn’t clear enough.

Needless to say, we started back tracking before we reached Poitiers trying to recover our route, so as agreed, it was time to find the N10 motorway. Luckily, as we began to look for it, it appeared above us. No hesitation and up we went……but were we heading south or north ? Good question. After watching our “blip” on goggle maps we determined that we were in fact heading north. Phew !!

A quick break for petrol and a sandwich (first food for the day) and back on track. We did head off the N10 again after Poitiers and resumed my planned route, this time backed up by the GPS. We had left Saint-Emilion at 10.30am and arrived at Ker and KT’s at about 3.30pm. We were pretty tired. It had been a big day.

It was so good to see Ker and KT, and their wonderful home. It takes a bit to get your head around the interior without getting lost. It is at the same time cosy, comfortable and welcoming. They kindly obliged with a light meal of omelette and salad to accommodate our unsettled tummies. Then, we were off to bed where we collapsed and had a terrific sleep.

Nothing happens early in France, and the same at La Jagee. We breakfasted at 9.30ish and then headed to Tours for a tour (I bet that is the first time someone has made that joke!). Ker had said that a lot of Tours had suffered badly from the bombing during WW2, so we didn’t expect a great deal. What we found was a lovely medieval city centre with cafes, shops and a pedestrian mall.

We had a good look around and then took the scenic route home, a route that Ker and KT had clearly never taken before. The almost single track road through many farms was charming. They did manage to find a flour mill, well it was a lady with a grinder, where Ker gets his flour to make his sourdough. Yum, we can hardly wait. As a bonus, the lady and 2 friends were in the process of picking the stamens from Crocus flowers, to be dried as saffron and no doubt sold for a good sum.

Back home, lunch was at 5pm, a quick sandwich. A play with the dogs, cuppa tea and chats. Dinner will be later, sometime, but now a must go as the champagne is being opened.

Day 10

10 October 2022

A slow start as our first appointment is at 10am. Another great breakfast courtesy of Estelle who has given us homemade yoghurt each day and this morning some stewed apples, plus all the usual cheese, ham, bread, croissant and the home made lemon cake as well.

The first winery today is in Pomeral, about a 10 minute drive away, provided you don’t miss any turnings, so we took about 20 minutes but arrived on time. The winery was called Chateau Bonalgue, one of 4 owned by the owners in the area and all making different wines although it is the same wine maker and production team. It is simply the different soils that produce different wines. They are about 80% Merlot and 20% Cabinet Franc, which is a pretty standard split around here.

They are also bio-dynamic and organic, although our tour guide was also a bit sceptical about the use of the phases of the moon in the production and vineyard processes. She was very informative, and took us through the vineyard, production areas, storage areas and finally a tasting of 3 wines from 4 of the properties. We liked the one from the winery we were at the best.

The tours are great, and very personal. There was just Kirsty and I, at it took about 1 hour, so you get a lot out of it. I think it was 20 Euros, irrespective of whether you buy a bottle or not.

We had only planned 2 visits today, given how long each takes, and once you know the processes it is a bit tedious each time they run through the whole blurb. So, we set off instead on a driving adventure, not a fixed route, just a general idea of doing a very large circle with Saint-Emilion as the epicentre.

It was great fun, and just about wherever you look there are vines. Even in the small amount of time we have been here the autumn colours have come out.

Back in Saint-Emilion we searched out the post office for a couple of post cards to the Grandies, and had simple lunch of Panini and a Sandwich (ham and cheese baguette, of course). We have eaten sooooo much, you just can’t put the bread down.

A bit of drizzle today, but nothing you needed an umbrella for. Our next appointment was at 4pm at Chateau Guadet, in the heart of Saint-Emilion. It is a Grand Cru Classe winery. It is on the main street, if you could call it that, being Rue Guadet. So, there is a lot of history to the place. You access the winery through the owner’s home and out the back is the winery and below are the extensive cellars.

Our host, the owner, Guy Petrus Lignac was delightful and cheeky. The part of his name “Petrus” is a direct link to the wine “Petrus”, which the cheapest bottle you can buy is about 2,000.00 Euro. His cousins, I think, ended up with the Petrus vineyard in Pomeral, and his side of the family with Saint-Emilion. Anyway, he has strong connections to the whole wine making area.

There were 8 of us on this tour, and the cellars were amazing, running under his house and who knows where under Saint-Emilion. We tasted 2 wines, one from 2011 and one from 2014, and the 2011 won easily. So, more bottles to our little collection.

So, our last night in Saint-Emilion. We have loved our time here and learnt so much not just about the wines, but the general history of the place. Not too sad to leave, as we have done well and done the town justice. We have certainly walked every inch of the place!!

Tomorrow, I have mapped out a route to Kerry and KT’s that avoids anything other than D roads, that is, no express ways, tollways and freeways. The usual 3 hour trip may take about 5-6 hours, time will tell. It will test the navigator’s skills and the patience of the driver, but life should be an adventure.

Day 10

9 October 2022

Another clear sunny day ahead, with a top of 26 degrees predicted. We have little in the way on summer clothes, having expected a cool French autumn, so it is a struggle.

Today we are off in the car to explore Blays and Bourg, both towns on the banks of La Gironde. They are on the right bank, whereas the Medoc is on the left. No wineries today as it is Sunday, and everything is closed.

Blays has a fort that was built during the reign of Louis XIV, and what a fort it is. The intention was to stop attackers from using the Gironde to invade. The fort, plus fortifications on an island and on the the Medoc side ensured that no one could get down the river.

The fort is extensive and well preserved. It is freely open to the public and when were there a fun run was being conducted through the grounds. We did go into the museum there, and again had notes in English whilst the French only tour progressed, but we got the gist of it.

Blays itself was shut down. Only one café doing any trade. It was a ghost town. Luckily, we had prepared a picnic in advance, but we did need some wine (of course). A nearby Chateau was open, but as we arrived so did about 30 other people who were there for a lunch. I think you could call it a “Tourist Trap”. We said we just want to buy some wine, not taste, so that was agreed. A rose style bottle (merlot) and some water were purchased and we were under way.

Having no idea where we were going we headed north as it looked like the road went towards the water. We picked a single lane road at random and turned left. This ended in a small bridge with posts 2.3 metres apart and a load bearing warning……we inched our way over, another left and the road ended at the river. We had stumbled upon fisherman’s huts, perched high above the river on stilts and used at high tide. We now know these are called Carrelets.

We reckoned that from the time when we were there the tide must come back in by about 4 metres given the high tide mark on the huts. We presumed they were catching prawns and small fish, but given the colour of the river, I wouldn’t fancy either prawns or fish from the Gironde (and you thought the Yarra was bad !!).

There was a clear area and a fixed table and seats, with a BBQ type arrangement. No doubt this was used by the fisherman to “check” their catch and have a few beers. So, we settled in for a fantastic picnic in a unique spot.

With the tide still running out the mud banks were all exposed. I threw a rock into the mud, and with noticeable sucking sound it disappeared. Scary stuff if you happened to slip in. We gave the banks a wide berth.

After lunch we headed south, back through Blays and towards Bourg. There is a riverside road which we found, and it has some amazing Chateaus overlooking the river. Bourg is a much more happening town than Blays, with a good number of cafes open and some life going on. We walked the old walls and down to the harbour. A very pretty place.

In heading home, we wanted a more scenic route than when we came. On the way to Blays the GPS took the fastest route which had us on freeways and major roads most of the time. Boring. So we set off across country with a vague idea of where we wanted to head. There were only a couple of missed turnings and reversals, so not too bad.

Back in Saint-Emilion, it was time for an ice cream and a small amount of shopping. Now back in our room for a relax before heading out to dinner. Tonight we are going to a place where our hostess Estelle’s son works. I have already spied that they do duck burgers, so can’t wait.

Day 9

8 October 2022

A day totally devoted to Saint-Emilion.

We didn’t rush, with breakfast at 9am, and very nice it was too. Our host, Estelle, had made yoghurt  as well as a lemon cake. Along with coffee, cheese, ham, bread, croissant and jams we were well catered for.

OK, up the hill. It can’t be avoided. This morning we found the west face of the citadel to attack. Roped up and with crampons attached we assailed the heights, and we were not disappointed. Another stunning and warm day in prospect. We found the market set up around the cloisters of a church. It was only a produce market, but the produce was excellent.

Kirsty was thrown by the mould laden salamis and prosciuttos, and was wishing for her spray bottle of anti-mould.

We settled upon some nougat, pate encroute and some cheese to purchase and a small ham and cheese baguette. It probably has a French name, but we didn’t get that. It was delicious and we couldn’t wait to tuck in.

Our next stop was more mundane, the Super Marche. It is discreetly tucked away on the edge of town where it can’t disturb the medieval ambience of the town. Basic necessities were purchased, including some fruit to balance out the baguette diet. Home time for a bit to organise some wine tasting over the next 2 days. You really need to book in advance and plan a visit, all of which usually costs. Average price is about 11 Euros each for a tour and tasting. They last about 1 hour.

That done, we were not needing lunch, so we set out for walk around the base of the village through the vines. We had a scheduled tour of the underground church at 2pm and then another tour of the underground cellars and old cloister at 3.30pm. A full schedule.

The walk was lovely, giving a completely different perspective of the town and putting into context the structure of the town on the hill. No wonder it became a focal point given how much it dominates the landscape.

The tour of the underground church of St. Emilion (not the town, but the Saint) was excellent. The church was excavated downwards to construct, with the extracted stone sold to the town to build houses. Clever St. Emilion. No photos were allowed as the church is privately owned and the owners think that my excellent camera work will undermine their exclusive distribution of photos.

The bell tower, which dominates the skyline, has subsequently been built over the church. The pillars of the church have now had to be braced to support it, also including the 5 star hotel on top of it as well.

Our next stop, Les Cordeliers, was a waste of time. It was a tour of the old cloisters of another church and then the underground cellars where they store their version of champagne. It was all in French with a sheet of paper with English for us to read instead. We did get to taste their 3 wines, but we wouldn’t rush to buy any. Proper Champagne every time !!

Feeling feet weary, we stopped halfway back at the large terrace which is the focal point of the town. There are many chairs and tables under a huge tree, with about 3 bars serving the clientele. The sun was streaming in between the branches, it was heaven, especially when Kirsty got her Kir and I had an Aperol Spritz. I did ask for Campari, but alas, no Campari. It was ironic that when my drink arrived it was in a glass with Campari written on it !

Kirsty had been hanging out for a galette, some we ordered one given that we had missed lunch. It was now about 5pm, so, yes, a late lunch. I think dinner tonight will be at about 9pm.

A great day, a busy day, and although the village was supposed to be packed, it wasn’t. So, an excellent day all round.

Day 8

7 October 2022

An easy start to the day as we had plenty of time to back up and clean up. The trip to Saint-Emilion is about an hour, our lunch is booked for 12.45, and we don’t have to be out of the Bordeaux flat until 11pm. Anyway, we were on the road by 10am !

There were no issues with getting out of Bordeaux, there is a great circular road that keeps you away from the city centre. It didn’t take long top get into the wine country, and when you get there every inch that is possible to cultivate is under vines.

We arrived at Saint-Emilion and secured a car park right in front of our accommodation. Given that it is such a tourist town I had visions of having to drop Kirsty and park miles away. Although we could not get into our room until 3pm, the manager, Estelle, allowed us to unpack our bags and then off we headed to explore.

At every turn there is a photo opportunity. It is no wonder this place has a UNESCO protection order. Absolutely beautiful, and the day was perfect, even a little too hot. There are steep cobble stone lined streets/allyways to the citadel, where the Cathedral is, and the tourist office. We had tried to book tours/tastings with contacts given to us on our tour of the Medoc, but everything is booked out this weekend.

At the tourist office we found out why. There is an artisan market on both Saturday and Sunday which is huge event and attracts the crowds. It is both food, wine and crafts. Luckily our accommodation is in Saint-Emilion so we can take advantage first up and then escape the crowds.

The tourism office also gave us the name of 3 wineries that are “rostered” on for tastings on Monday, so we can do some visits.

Now for lunch at Le Logis de la Cadene, a one star Michelin. It is in a lovely settling with the tables under cover on the terrace. The day was perfect for this. We enjoyed 4 courses plus 4 different maison bouche. Wonderful service, fantastic wines by the glass and coffees and petit fours. BIG lunch (big bill) but it was worth every Euro.

We finished up at about 3.30, stumbled to an outlet for baguette, pates, tomatoes, capsicum paste and tapenade, then to a bottle shop for a white wine and a whisky….ended up with a French whisky which is actually made in Scotland as a single malt, then matured in Burgundy in Oloroso and Madeira casks before being bottled and labelled: “Produce of France”. Lets call it an “Interesting” drop. I must admit to a little late arvo nap.

Not sure when and if we will eat all this, maybe at 10pm tonight if we get the urge. Still so full from lunch, and as I type it is 8pm. Back after a walk at its now 9pm, and its bread and tomatoes, that’s it.

Our room is very quaint, and seems small after having the luxury of our flat in Bordeaux. However, we will not be spending much time inside. The place has a lovely courtyard where we can picnic, and with the weather being clear, sunny and hot over the next 3 days, it will be perfect for our evening drinks and nibbles.

Day 7

6 October 2022

There was nothing of any urgency to do today, so Kirsty emerged at 9.30am.

I was up much earlier to overlap with the office for an hour or so. Things are flat out there, with a huge development having just been registered so there are over 200 settlements due within the next 3 weeks. Kate is doing a fantastic job running the office. Am I really needed ?

After breakfast we headed out for the short walk to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The weather was overcast today, and it was good to be back in clothes for a cooler climate, as that is most of what we brought over here.

The Museum is housed in an old warehouse, which is a massive space. There was a temporary exhibition from Poland documenting an avant garde movement there in the 60’s. They established their own gallery, but then protested against their own rules for the gallery……very 60’s.

The permanent exhibition, whilst not huge, was evocative, specially some of the film elements. One particular one was the artist filming a cup of ink he was holding and from time to time he would focus on the reflections in the cup. As he was on the street, you can hear the conversation he has with passers by who question what on earth he is doing. Of course, this was in French so I only have a slight understanding of the conversations !

After the Museum we ventured into the nearby gardens for a stroll and then back into the old town for a shopping expedition. We have seen some cushion covers that would suit our new home, so got those and some table matts. Very exciting.

It was getting on towards lunch time, so we headed to an area away from the tourists to find a more authentic experience at a bistro. Our luck was in and we had a typical French café lunch on the footpath watching the world go by. Mine was a pulled duck burger with a fig jam, and for Kirsty a croque monsieur (with egg), and of course, French fries which come with everything. A nice enpresse beer and it felt like time for a nap.

But no, more shopping. We walked a fair bit today for little result, which is OK. Kirsty did find a lovely jumper. Back home by 4.30, a little glass of something and time to think about our next step tomorrow being our move to Saint Emilion for 4 days.

Bordeaux has been lovely, friendly, approachable, walkable, warm and with a personality that says: sit back, relax and enjoy me…..and we did.

Day 6

We were up bright (well, at least partially glowing) and early.

We were collected at 9am for our wine tour of the Medoc region of Bordeaux. Our guide was Margaux, who was very punctual. On the trip up we got to know each other, and we all relaxed for what was to be an exceptional day out.

Margaux had worked in Australia for a short time, and she was very natural, open and informed. Our itinerary had been booked and organized by Nicole Croft, who I had found searching tours on the internet. She is an English women, married to a Frenchman and winemaker, and a wine expert who has written books on the region. Our program which Nicole designed was:

9am 15 rue michel montaigne, Bdx  (grands hommes) collection

10.30 Chateau Talbot Grand Cru Classé St Julien special tasting one hour and half

12.30 café lavinal 3 pax incl guide (arounnd 24€ pp to be paid direct) part of Lynch Bages

2.30pm Chateau Pontet canet Grand Cru Classé Pauillac (this is not normally available to visit)

4.15 Chateau Angludet, Margaux for a grape variety tasting and then the 2012 blend at this family domain

At every stop we were the only ones in the wineries. We had private tours and tastings. We were very spoilt. We learned lots and lots about Bordeaux wines, appellations, Chateaus, Grand Crus, terroir (which includes the soil, the climate and the winemaker), Bio-dynamic production (including making tisane [herbal infusions] which are sprayed over the vines to ward off many ills); how to adjust wine production according to the phases of the moon;  how to put a Percheron horse into a trance; how to make Bio-dynamic wines without being a wanker or concerned with the phases of the moon; how barrels differ according to who the cooper is; how the mention of screw tops stops the conversation;  how expensive Grand Cru wines are because they are Grand Cru; that Grand Cru wines are not better than other wines; that Grand Cru was simply a label assigned to a vineyard  when Napoleon 3^rd in 1855 was showing off to his neighbors; you can’t gain or lose a Grand Cru rating; and much more including how to interpret wine labels.

We leant that there are exceptional years, classic years and challenging years…..there are NO bad years. We were apparently blessed with the amount we were given to taste. At Chateau Talbot we tasted a 2000; 2009 and 2016 plus their white sauvignon which is a rarity in the Medoc.

At Chateau Pontet Canet, which is not usually open to tours, we had the full bio-dynamic lecture….and got to taste 1 wine, but their passion is real.

At Chateau Angludet we tasted their 2012 Cabinet Sauvignon, their 2012 Merlot and their 2012 Petit Verdot. These were the samples they kept from 2012 which when blended made the 2012 Chateau wine for 2012. It was a rare experience to taste the component parts and then we tasted the finished product, their 2012 Margaux.

Then as an extra special treat, we did a blind tasting where we had to pick if the wine on offer was older or younger than the 2012. I said that the colour hinted at it being older, but I felt that the nose and taste made it younger, but that it was produced in a dryer year giving a greater depth of colour. Kirsty said older, Kirsty won…..but it was a dryer year !! It was a 2010.

The fact that that all the wineries we visited thought nothing of opening what we consider to be very old wines to taste was astonishing to us. Not to them. They make wines for the long haul, so they don’t really consider them old.

Unlike in Aus, they are not trying to sell you a wine at the winery. They are about education and information. Most of the Grand Cru wineries pre-sell their vintage before it is even picked. Even Chateau Angludet (not a Grand Cru) pre-sells about 70% of it’s production.

I’m getting carried away about wine, but it was such a great day. We finished up back at our place at about 6.30pm. A big day.

We are definitely adopting the French way of life. We didn’t even consider dinner until about 9pm. We went down to one of the cafes, but couldn’t get a table. So, we asked if they did take away…sure no problem….Oh, and could I possibly get a bottle of wine as well to take away…..sure, no problem.

It is now 10.45pm and still the noise of the cafes floats up to us…..just another normal work night in Bordeaux.

Day 5

4 Ocober 2022

Back in Bordeaux and a day planned out and about.

First up though, a visit to an Artisan Boulangerie for fresh croissant and ficelle (small baguette) for brekky. Nothing could be better than fresh ficelle, lashings of butter and vegemite…..if only we had vegemite !

After brekky we plotted our course via tram and bus to Bassins de Lumieres. These are the disused submarine repair yards built by the Germans, with forced labor, in about 1942. They literally blew up the land to create craters that were shaped into pens for the subs, and were then filled with cement. They created a channel to the river and then flooded the lot. The roof is 7 metres thick, and although bombed by the Allies, they survived with little damage.

Today they remain filled with water, but have been turned into the Lumieres, being projections that reflect off both the walls, floor and water. It is hard to capture the majesty of this on film. The theme of what we saw was Venice and the painters that had captured the life of Venice through the ages. The music was also a huge part of the experience. I do have some video for those at all interested, but there is no substitute for being there.

We then ventured over the Musse de Vin on the banks of the Gironde River. A strange looking building that to us looked like a snail or slug. Apparently, it is supposed to represent a decanter. We were hoping that the Musee would give us an insight to the Bordeaux wine region, but alas, it was far more generic and, if the truth be known, a bit basic.

We did accept our free glass of wine on the 8^th floor, which had great views down the river, so it wasn’t a completely lost cause.

Back home, we chilled out for a bit and then made ready to go out to dinner. On our food tour the other day we asked our guide for a suggestion for perhaps a Michelin restaurant to try. She gave ius a couple of names, at which point one of the others on the tour (a Bordeaux local) gave us a recommendation for a new and upcoming restaurant that she was sure would soon obtain a Michelin star. So, we decided to go for it.

The trip out was by bus (I’m such a public transport convert). The building was very unpretentious, as was the neighborhood. It had the ambience of a local restaurant, but the décor gave a hint of what was to come. The Maitre’d  had great English, and he was also the wine waiter. The chef’s wife/owner was a waitress, but little English. In the kitchen were the owner/chef and 2 supports. The food was amazing. It was a degustation menu of 7 courses and I had the matching wines, which somehow got shared with my dinning partner. It was a great night out, totally unexpected, one of those magic holiday moments.

Day 4

3 October 2022

Just back from dinner out, again. The 4 cafes below our place are buzzing, once again, and it is Monday night, a work night. The French seem to have worked out a café culture to be envied, or they are simply lazy cooks. Whichever it is, we love it. The vibe that floats up through our windows is fantastic.

Today we went to the seaside.

But first an update from the drama of yesterday morning. My brother, Kerry, sent me a link to a news report. The story is that 3 people were trapped in the carpark lift…..not sure if they were arriving or leaving ? Anyway, one young guy decided to climb out the roof and then he fell 6 floors in the lift shaft. Multiple injuries, not sure what, and he is in a critical condition in hospital. At least we now know what happened.

Now the seaside. The great deserts of the world have sand dunes, and so does the Bordeaux region. We ventured out to Arcachon and climbed the largest sand dune in the world. The Dune du Pilat. I’m not actually sure that it claims to be the largest or highest, but it is 110m above sea level. Very impressive, and luckily they have installed steps to help you reach the top.

A friendly chocolate Labrador didn’t need the steps, but was looking for a drink when he reached the top. Wonderful views back across the bay, looking towards Cap Ferret, which is the up market escape beach side place for the rich and powerful.

After the climb I was keen to seek out the oyster shacks that cultivate and distribute their oysters and for which Arcachon is famous.. We drove through the Arcachon township which has very swanky places that seem mainly occupied by retirees who frequent the yacht clubs.

The oyster shacks, on the other hand, are just that: shacks. They grow their oysters on land in the shacks with filtered water from the Bay of Arcachon, and have been doing this forever. They also have traditional style oyster leases as well.

We found a shack for lunch, which included prawns, bread, terrine, wine and 6 large and 6 small oysters. Oh, that’s right, Kirsty doesn’t eat oysters so that was 12 for me !! They were delicious, although very different from a Sydney Rock. They were not as creamy, and a bit more rustic. The Bay of Biscay water is also a different taste to the Pacific. It was a great lunch.

A long drive later we arrived at Cap Ferret, to explore this “select” place. It is literally opposite Arcachon, but you have to drive all the way around the Bay to get there. Well worth it. It is hard to see the houses as they are well back on large blocks and protected by large walls and remote controlled gates. At the beach/water level you can see back on the water front places, which look amazing. A modest 4 bedroom timber place, on 1000m2, will set you aback about $7 million Aussie dollars, and I also saw one for $20 million (address and pictures withheld !!).

The trip back as tedious as we hit peak hour, and I may have misheard the GPS at one point, but Kirsty also misheard it as well. The driving has been OK, but it is frustratingly slow off the freeways/ expressways.  The French, well at least the Bordelaise, follow the speed limits to the number, if not below the number. They give way to everything, even when they don’t have to. Bikes and pedestrians rule this place.

Another wonderful day, and back to city life tomorrow.

Day 3

2 October 2022

Well, what a day.

It started early with sirens waking us, but we were basically dozing as it was not a great night. We had the 3am jet lag awakening.

I came out at 7am to make a coffee for us, and looked down in the street to see a fire truck, police and ambulance. There were distraught older teens/young adults comforting each other and being questioned. The police were guarding the steps down into the underground car park of the shopping centre opposite to us. It was clear that something very serious had taken place.

It was hard to watch. So, we didn’t. We closed the shutters and left them to it. A little later we heard shouting and upon looking out, it looked like a parent had arrived and was consoling her daughter. We have no real idea what happened, and probably never will.

I set off on my own to pick up the hire car at about 9am. I caught the tram down to the station, all very easy and efficient. There was a lovely chocolate Labrador on the tram, with an Assistance Dog coat on. He may have been in training. I was busting to give him a cuddle, but refrained.

The car pick up was so easy….”the car is over in that garage and here are the keys, bye.” No paperwork, no viewing of the International Licence we were warned we would need and no credit card swipe. OK, I’m off !!

I even managed to convert the GPS to English, put in the address and not hit anything coming out of the garage. I had a pretty good idea how to get back to our place, so when the GPS wanted to take me, what I thought, was a weird way, I simply ignored it. It went into a melt down instructing me to turn around, go back, but I pushed on. When I entered the aforesaid car park opposite our place, it had the good grace to say: “you have reached your destination”. Thanks.

By the time I had returned there was no sign on the police etc. It is strange how life simply moves on after such events that if you didn’t witness would never even register on your radar. All would seem normal. Anyway, enough philosophy.

Food tour time. We head out for the 11.30am meeting place at the Marche des Capricins. This is the Market we visited yesterday. Our guide is Sara, a local and there are 10 of us. 2 French girls; 2 Germans (couple); 3 Americans (1 couple and 1 bloke) and 1 English girl. We were (apart from the American bloke in his fifties), of course, the oldest ones. The rest were all 30 somethings, and a good group. The 2 French girls were especially friendly and helpful, and the English girl was also great.

First stop was in the markets at a moule place where we had 3 different variations on a bowl of moules, plus frittes and a bottle of white. Then we headed off walking the streets and getting information on the way.

Next we stopped at an Italian place who make their own focaccia. We tried the focaccia with three different toppings. Delicious, oh, and another bottle of white wine. More walking via another outdoor market. By now the crowds out and about had increased dramatically. It is the done thing to head out for a long Sunday lunch at one of the numerous cafes. The place was buzzing.

We then went to a small shop that specialised in Caneles, the genuine article. You must close your eyes and bite into them, and they must “crunch” to be the real deal. More walking and then a specialist icecream place, more walking and then a Basque shop for a biscuity/cake thingy, and finally to a sit down Bordeaux café for cheese and cold meats, and a bottle of red. We finished up at 4pm, so a big day out.

We decided to not eat in, as had been our plan. We were going to shop at the markets for all the local produce and create a wonderful home cooked French inspired meal, bugger that, so the café downstairs it is !!