The Last Post

We spent our 35^th anniversary, travelling from Chartres to our airport hotel and then making a quick trip from our hotel at Charles de Gaulle airport into Paris for a lovely walkabout and dinner.  This all sounds very easy in print, but believe me, it included a hotel search that was a bit of a gong show.

Paris is lovely.  Today is Fetes de Meres (Mother's Day) and everyone is walking around with bouquets of flowers (for their mothers, presumably).  It is warm and sunny and the city sings.

We have been very fortunate to make this holiday and it has been memorable.  Going home is always sad, but I am looking forward to eating vegetables, grilling hamburgers, facecloths, clothes in drawers, automatic transmission, English television , public bathrooms with toilet paper, Dean and Nellie.

See y’all soon.

Riding the Rails again

We have swapped our wheels for tracks and taken the high speed train to Paris, then connecting to Chartres.  I am re-discovering the joys of this mode of travel.  Once one is past the hassle and burden of dragging luggage and backpacks (I look like an eccentric troll bent under the weight of my pack), there is the dreamy freedom from fretting over traffic, waysigns and parking. Our seats, although second-class, feel like first-class- spacious, with cool electronic adjustment, and a plug-in for the netbook.  There is only us and one other in our car (I’m sure others will join us in time) as we hurtle along towards Paris at 300km per hour.  Maybe someone will come by with a coffee cart.  We grabbed a cappachino from the machine at the station and a bread stick at a bakery for our breakfast.  Walking down the street, munching on a baguette is very French.

Much later:  We arrived at Chartres, a busy market town around 3 and checked into our matter-of-fact hotel.  This is a busy place, with tons of shoppers, buskers and of course the cathedral.  Doug and I agree that this is the most extraordinary and astounding cathedral we have ever been in and that includes St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, St. Joseph’s etc.  It is huge.  And, as it happened, when we entered, Mass was taking place.  Unlike other cathedrals, where there are tons of tourists gawking and a handful of the faithful in the pews, this place was packed – over a thousand people, in seats participating in Worship.  It was truly moving – even if I couldn’t understand a word (except “celebration mystere”)and being a person steeped in Protestantism.

On the road again

We are back in Arles for the third time!  (It’s a central point in our trip)  And this is the third room we have had at the Hotel du Musee.  This one is roomy, with a bath and huge windows in the bathroom and bedroom, with shutters to keep out the sun. 

The drive was on a highway of big vistas, where we noted the distinctive red stone in the rolling hills.  After we dropped off our car at Avis and unpacked, Doug and I had a glass of wine in the garden courtyard of the hotel.  We are wearing sun glasses again.  The clouds have cleared away.

Tomorrow, we must rise early and catch the 7:30am train to Paris, then transfer to Chartres.  We have picked up a pastry and still have some cherries from Albi.  I’ve scouted out the coffee machine in the train station, so we are good to go.

Albi

Today we drove from Sarlat to Albi. For once the weather was a bit dull. Overcast and warm (instead of sunny and hot).

En route we stopped at a variety of interesting towns: Carennac, Villefranche de Rourgue, St-Martin de (something), Castlenaud-Bretenoux etc. Lots of beautiful scenery... historic old buildings, ruined castles, rolling hills.

We arrived in Albi just ahead of the rush hour. Strolled through old town and walked over the Tarn River (teeming with large carp and catfish) on a 900 year-old bridge. Also visited Albi’s famous cathedral. Then had dinner on a lively square near our hotel.

********************************************************************************

“If I see one more Romanesque chapel, I’m going to....”  These were the words uttered by Doug as we peered into the interior of a small house of worship built in the year 700.  Just kidding of course!  We have been bewitched by the romance of these towns, once at the heart of the Hundred Years War.  Lots of plundering went on, but lots left as well.  (I wonder if the people living in these ancient buildings dream of having a split-level with a brand-new deck?)

Our hotel in Albi is roomy and  modern, with one wall covered in a wallpaper mural depicting a birch forest. Hmm ..is this so that we will feel at home?  It is the most expensive stay of our vacation - breakfast is 18 E.  No thanks  We visited the Albi Cathedral before dinner, which claims to be the largest brick building in the world.
Our non-stop sun is taking a break.  I don't mind really, being a bit of a mole at heart. 

Driving the Uber-Scenic Dordogne

(From Doug)

Today was sunny and very warm – reaching the low 30s C.

We enjoyed the hotel’s breakfast before setting off to tour our first castle, on a hilltop overlooking the Dordogne River, about 20 km south of Sarlat. “Castelnaud” dates from the Cathar era and changed hands 7 times during the 100 years’ war.

Then we drove across the river to tour an old chateau “Marqueyssac” and its gardens, famous for its century-old boxwood.

We had lunch at Limieul and then drove to Les Eyzies de Tayac to visit France’s Museum of Prehistory.

Then we meandered the scenic route back to Sarlat for supper, stopping for coffee and beer along the way.

Maureen here:  The drive through the Dordogne valley was achingly picturesque, with impossibly perfect roses tumbling over the walls of oh-so old shops and homes, built into the cliffs above the Dordogne River.  I don’t think I could ever get tired of this vista. 

I have eaten an ice cream cone (glace) just about every day of this trip and for the most part I stick to my favourite flavour, pistachio (pistache).  It could have been the makings of a culinary survey of sorts, except that I broke my record in Les Eyzie today, where I had rum raisin.  I feel quite confident ordering ice cream in French.

On a holiday of tiny bathrooms, our bathroom in Sarlat is very large.  In fact, it is sweeping.  The tub is modern and long.  I feel like a luge athlete in it (except of course, the water is warm rather than ice).

Tomorrow it’s on to Albi!

Dizzy in the Dordogne

Call me Thunder Thighs. I have climbed up and down so many staircases,  hilly paths and roads, that all my muscles are calling for attention.
 We have reached the well-preserved medieval town of Sarlat, after a very twisty ride on the narrow country roads of the Dordogne area.  GPS (hereto known as Peggy Sue) masterfully guided us into town.  It was all so easy, until we realized that we were going around and around Sarlat never  reaching our hotel. There is a nightmarish quality to this situation.  In desperation, we parked and found a gentle spirit in the Town Hall who gave us directions. No wonder Peggy Sue was stuck.  Our hotel is buried deep in a so-called street, down which no car has ever rolled . Getting our bags into this sanctuary took some imagination, but we made it and have had dinner. It is warm enought to eat outdoors, which is a treat for all Victorians.  While we dined, we were serenaded by a French wench dressed in period costume, incongruously singing Edith Piaf songs.
We have a knack for getting food we didn't order.  I asked for a strawberry frappe, only to be told that there was only raspberry (the very flavour of ice cream that I really don't care for), so I changed it to a chocolate frappe.  Our meal arrived - for me- a raspberry frappe and a hot chocolate drink!
Tomorrow, we will get up early and drive out to the beautiful Dordogne valley -there is a wealth of chateaux, and Stone Age caves to explore in the area.

Carcasonne, France

We are, again, in the land of good food, fine wine and excellent diction.  Getting out of Barcelona was surprisingly easy and the drive to Carcasonne was quite pretty.  Our hotel here is very close to the walled city and we have walked over a couple of times already.  And there is a pool!  It is quite hot, by our standards (30C) and a refreshing dip was just the ticket at the end of our journey.  We have sighted wildlife - tiny osselated lizards that like to sunbathe on the warm stones around the pool.  They are about 4 inches long and move in a scurry/glide fashion.  Something between a snake and a`spider. They bite, we are informed - usually harmless, but painful
 The BBC news has mentioned that there is another ash cloud over Iceland.  There is no point in  worrying yet, but let's all hope that it does not interrupt flights at the end of the week.
Tomorrow, we will have a swim and head for Sarlat.  Tonight, I am going to bone up on the Cathars, who populated this area in the 12th and 13th centuries.