where art collides philosoperontap

So ze cvestion of ze moment is vill ze invasion happen to day. Ze veather is terrible and zose Allies vould be stupid to get out of bed zis morning.

Well yes some of us are a bit stupid. THG is off out blackberry picking, and I am in no way suggesting she is stupid. We spotted some berries on the short walk to Chez Roger last night and the lass is determined to have some with her granola. We brought some of THG’s very fine home made granola on the trip. She will have the umbrella for protection and is going to stop at the campsite bar on the way back to pick up bread and croissants.

We had planned to use the pool this am. Still might though le jury is still out on that one. I have a pair of budgie smugglers with me that are the regulation attire for the pool. Bought them for our rugby world cup trip a few years back only to find that that campsite wasn’t bothered about sticking to the regs. This one is. Nae bother.

Then we have a bit of car repacking to do. We emptied everything out when we arrived yesterday (in blazing sunshine), particularly as there was a pong emitting from somewhere in the back. Turned out to be a lettuce that was no longer fresh and now barely recognisable as a lettuce.

We will probs stay here until after lunch and then meander our way up the coast checking on the situation on the landing beaches. Our destination this evening is Ouistreham ferry port where, at 23:30 the Mont St Michel is due to ship us back to Portsmouth from where we can drive home. The ferry timings are a bit unfortunate. They let you on about 45 mins before departure by which time it’s time for kip. Too late to have dinner on board. May grab a quick beer.

Before the ferry we have the obligatory stop at Carrefour to load up on local delicacies such as tinned fish and apple tarts. Not totes decided on dinner plans yet. There is a caff at the port but it is pretty crappy. Last time we came we got to the port early to make sure we were near the front. Unfortunately we got pulled aside in a random car search which blew that plan out of the water, so to speak. This time it won’t matter as we have priority boarding/disembarkation. Was sold out the last time.

Pics are from last night’s sortie to Chez Roger. They’ve done it up over the winter and it looks great.

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Seeing as we had a bit of time to kill this morning and the weather is inclement we went on a jaunt to Utah Beach. The caff there, Le Roosevelt, if v atmospheric with lots of D Day memorabilia and autographs of men who had been there that day. The kitchen was not open to do me a crepe but we sat down and had a thé vert menthe and a café creme. Hit the jackpot really. All the tables were covered in veterans autographs and ours had Shifty Powers, Wild Bill Guarniere and Babe Heffron amongst them. Wowsers. I mentioned this to the kid behind the bar but not only had he not heard of them but he hadn’t even heard of Band of Brothers. He turned out to be only 17 years old.

We strolled to the beach. Tide was right in. Now back in the campsite chillin before we set off for Pegasus Bridge. Bugger all internet access. It’s a bit like the conditions in June 1944, ish.

En route to the beach we saw some horses being trained. A car was pulling what looked like four starting gates each of which contained a horse. Novel. I’ve previously seen horses on the beach here being driven by what I can only describe as little racing chariots.

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All packed up and ready to leave Camping La Baie des Vaies when a gremlin struck. Flat rear passenger tyre. Bugger. I called International Rescue and they sent their best operative, one Mickael Beltrame based out of St Marie du Mont. Mick arrivéed with in an our of receiving the distress signal and soon fixed the problem by installing the spare. Couldn’t see what was causing the problem so wanted to take it back to base to troubleshoot and fix but we declined what would have been a significant chunk of our remaining budgeted time in la belle France.

We had planned to visit the Pegasus Bridge memorial/museum but were later getting there than expected due to the puncture so we opted to just go to cafe Gondrée, famous for being the first French property to be freed from Nazzi oppression on J Jour. Trouble is the caff didn’t have a loo and theone down the street the woman pointed us towards was closed. Moreover they didn’t have crepes which had been one of our “last things to do before leaving for home” aaand only took hard cash, something that was by now in v short supply. I had ordered a coffee and an Orangina and paid for it with ten of King Charles’ finest notes but when THG returned from the abortive mission to the loo we drank up and went over the road to a much better gaff that served us crepes and took payment by credit card.

Before leaving the spot we took a look at the monuments marking the landing position of the gliders after they had landed. Blimming eck they didn’t have much space to get down.

Claude recommended Le Goeland for dinner before checking in for the ferry. A last steak frites later we have now checked in and are first in the lane with just under 4 hours before we sail. Il fait beau.

Writing this morning from bed. Doesn’t look nice enough to sit out on the balcony though I haven’t been out to try it. THG reports the furniture might be a bit damp anyway. More rain forecast this morning for this side of the Cotentin peninsula but none around Utah beach which is this morning’s destination. Our last stop before life returns to normal, if there is such a thing as normal.

,,,

Breakfast done by 9:15. Packed and ready to load up the Silver Bullet, However our fave fabric shop in Granville, Un peu de ci, Un peu de ca, doesn’t open until ten so we have a bit of chill time. Handily it is on the way to Carentan beyond which is the Dead Man’s Corner Museum and our second destination of the day.

Still chucking it down ere, off and on, so I am definitely not sat out on the balcony. It isn’t that the balcony gets wet. It’s the not quite sitting out on a balcony temperature that is the issue. I could put on my stripey long sleeved Breton shirt but it wouldn’t feel right without a beret.

We have had our last hotel breakfast for the trip. Our next accommodation is Camping la Baie des Veys campsite. You have to order bread and croissants in. Will see how it goze. Otherwise on Sunday we are stopping off at the Castle Hotel in Windsor for a meeting, believe it or not, en route home from Portsmouth ferry port. We might get fed there as it’ll be around 8:30 in the morning.

More when we get to the campsite, I daresay.

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Bit of excitement as we  (tried to) left the hotel ce matin. The hotel is on a complicated one way street and lo an ambulance was blocking the road. A local car had the same issue but he reveresed up one of the one ways. I didn’t have enough local knowledge to do that so decided to go back to the hotel and sit it out. As I was making the manouvre the hotel receptionist rang and said something in French that i couldn’t understand as I was doinga three point turn on a narrow street so I just said I was on my way back and I’d speak ot her in a minute.

Turns out I hadn’t paid the bill! Doh. I’m used to express checkouts where you just drop the key off and skeedadle but that did not work here, apparentement. Chilled for a bit on a sofa in the lobby. The queue started to grow. After a while the ambulance had finished doing what it was doing and cleared off leaving the road clear for us. Our first destination was a fabric shop where THG had a few bits and bobs she wanted to purchayse and we then set the guidance computer to Carentan. 

We had half a tank of fuel which was plenty to get us back to Portsmouth but decided we might as well fill up and stopped at an Eleclerc in Coutances. Worra mistake. There must have been 8 or 10 pumps but once you’d filled up you had to drive forward to pay at the kiosk. The pump was not usable until the person in front of you had paid and that person’s car had to filter into the kiosk lane competing/sharing the space with the other 9 pump users. Took us 15 – 20 frustrating mins to fill up but at least that’s out of the way. We now have enough fuel to get home.

Amusingly, despite tootling along at the speed limit, French cars did keep trying to overtake us. Of course it didn’t get them very far on the single carriageway main roads of Normandy as there were other cars in front of us tootling along at the same speeds. There was one car in particular with Swiss plates who we imagined was just ambling along enjoying the open skies. “Isn’t it great vizout mountains, and no flugelhorns, cowbells or yodelling to distract us”.

Made it to Carentan with 45 mins to spare before we were due to check in at Dead Man’s Corner Museum for the 1pm filum showing. THG sourced some lunch supplies at the Carrefour Express and I nipped to my regular cave des vins (Cave du Vert Bosquet)  for some calvados and Normandy whisky.

The museum is fantastic if you are a fan of these things. Crammed with exhibits, a C47 flight simulator in a real C47 and loads of genuine WW2 memorabilia you could buy if you were that way inclined which I wasn’t. There was a briefing before the flight simulator. We were sat next to a mother who talked incessantly with her small daughter. We decided to get away from them for the actual simulator and sat in the empty three seats that would have been an obvious place for them to sit. Unfortunately the attendant made everyone move around to create space for them and we ended up sat next to them. Fortunately the simulator was too noisy for them to chat.

We are now checked in to Camping de Baie des Vayes and chillin with a small bottle of beer. Le soleil brillait and all is well. Our last night in France.

There is internet access onsite here but you have to be practically glued to a seat in the bar to get a decent wifi signal. Mobile connectivity is also a bit dodge. After all they didn’t have mobile phones on D Day (J Jour). We are only a couple of kilometres from Utah Beach ici. I can almost hear the tanks rolling by on their way to the front line.

We (I) have now done most of the WW2 sites I want to see, at least the 101st Airborne ones. I have a map of all the Easy Company sites of interest including where some of the parachutists landed and where some of the main action happened: Brecourt Manor & Carentan. If yer interested let me know and I’ll send a link.

The cows around here have suddenly started to get noisy. Must be milking time. After all, the area is famous for its butter and fromage. During WW2 the presence of cows in a field was considered to be a good thing as it was a sign that the field was not mined.

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Great evening as usual in Chez Roger. Old Rog really tests your tastea buds with the courses and the wine pairings are v innovative, if slightly small portions. The upstair s bit was not open today but we had a nice table in the window on the veranda bit looking out at the estuary. 5 Americans came in after us and left before us. Ditto the couple on the table behind us. Was very nice to see an old couple holding hands across the table. We were greeted in English, for some reason, but soon put them right.

Had a beer in the campsite bar before going to Rog’s. The only others in there were a family of four playing a card game. This is a great spot tbh, if you wanted to bring a family.

Calm here in the Bay of Mont St Michel. Not quite comfortable sitting out on the balcony temperature without a light sweater yet. Unfortunately, and in my wisdom, I haven’t brought such a sweater on the trip and have under these circumstances been wearing my flowery linen jacket which unfortunately is starting to see some wear and tear. This particular jacket gets compliments all over the world. I recall wearing it on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz some years ago when an ageing hippy came walking towards me. He stopped, shook me firmly by the hand, and said cool threads man, cool threads. Ditto some bloke in a Range Rover at the hotel in La Rochelle. Our Peugeot 208 (the Silver Bullet) was blocking the exit to the hotel courtyard and he was having to wait whilst the valet parked another car before moving ours. Great jacket, he said.

Although I am slowly moving away from flowery shirts as they wear out, and the thinner silk ones are already doing this, this jacket is too good to not have one. Arranging another trip to Shanghai just to have one made is not on the cards but at some stage I will have to consider my options.

The other news this morning is that we were going to visit the Dior Museum but are now probably not. Turns out you have to book and there are no spaces left today. Availability starts at 12.30 tomorrow which doesn’t work for us. We want to be on our way to the Dead Man’s Corner museum by then. It’s only a small gaff so looks like they restrict numbers. You can rock up on spec but the website says there can be queues of up to an hour and tbh I ain’t that bothered about looking at women’s dresses.

Did make me think about DMC and I have now bought advanced tix for the 12.45 entry. We have the 45 min filum at 1pm and the 15 min C47 simulator at 2pm. They have the same plane used in the Band of Brothers. Shud be gud. Our campsite is just down the road at the edge of the estuary. This trip we will have gone from farmhouse in 75 acres with our own pool to 5 star hotel to 4 star hotel to 3 stars and then a campsite 🙂 It’s the only place we could stay within walking distance of Chez Roger on le Grand Vey, Utah Beach. We have paid for 2 nights as that is the min stay but it is still a lot cheaper than any of our other accommodations. Dead Man’s Corner will take us to fourish at which time we can check in to the campsite and use the pool before getting ready for Rog.

Down at breakfast we sat at a table in the window. It wasn’t the table I had my eye on but as I was filling up with freshly squeezed orange juice a family of three alighted on it. No problemo I thought. I’ll take the one next to it. Then the dad proceeded to drag my second option table to join it with the first and so bagsed the best and second best spots. Nothing much in it tbh. We were happy with ours. I had some grapefruit, cafe au lait and some breakfast breads with four squeezed oranges.

Said family has now appeared on the terrace below our balcony. The kid has a thick comic book that he’s been working his way through fair play. I’d guess he is around four. His dad is playing with his phone.

We have three full days of the holiday left. Today and tomorrow are sorted and the ferry doesn’t leave until 23:00 on Saturday so we have all day to play with. We’ve done most of the good ww2 spots at least once (with DMC being the exception) so will have a think. There is the obligatory visit to Carrefour before getting on the boat. Need to stock up on various local delicacies. The serious stuff will have to be sourced from artisanal shops somewhere en route in Normandy. Camembert etc. need to see if I can buy a bottle of Le Breuil (comme les éditions Single Cask ou Finition Palo Cortado/Calvados).

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Bit of a walk up to the high town this am taking in a bit of the Atlantic wall, the lighthouse, church of Notre Dame, the Grand Porte with drawbridge, a caff called BAR la Rafale (cafe au lait and a mint tea) and then a walk around the sea walls until we descended past some more Atlantic wall fortifications to buy sandwiches for a picnic lunch which we took sitting on the prom looking out to sea. The Geermans had blown up a lot of the fortifications before retreating.

Now back in my usual seat on the balcony having some R&R from the R&R. Out to Restaurant du Port ce soir.

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Spectac thunderstorms far out to sea in the Bay of Mont St Michel. The very dark sky is touching the sea at the horizon and is being lit up occasionally as the lightning strikes. An occasional lighthouse flashes. Ya don’t want to be out in that weather. Oddly it is very calm here in Granville. No wind. We had a great dinner in Restaurant du Port (or simlar). Best foie gras I’ve ever had fair play. Walked home and had a digestif in the bar around the corner from the hotel. Bar Tender. Very gay manager/owner chatted with a couple of guys who I assumed were pals. I asked if they sold the tshirts as merch but negative. Would have regretted it in the morning anyway. Had a double calvados. Nowt special but hey… We are in Normandy. Even the sea in front of the hotel is dark. No swimming ce soir.

No sound from the storm. The lightning is probably too far away. Never seen such a dark sky as this. I guess it might get nearer but I’ll probs be asleep.

Dawn, Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. I’ve just woken up and come out onto the balcony. The coastline is shrouded in mist and it is very very easy to imagine it is the morning of D Day, or J Jour as they call it around here. Weather is going to be much nicer than in 1944.

The allies didn’t land here, they landed on the other side of the peninsula but the parachute divisions did fly over this side, a little further up the coast. On Friday we are off to Utah Beach, an 80 minute drive, but in 1944 it would only have taken minutes by air before the C47 transports started to drop their human payloads. I’m a bit of a WW2 nerd. Hardly surprising for someone born 16 years after the end of the war and whose childhood included comics filled with tales of commando raids and other such warlike activities. There was also Roy of the Rovers, the Beano and the Dandy so it wasn’t all blood and guts, though the Beano in those days was far less politically correct than it is now. Is it still going even?

One person has appeared on the prom. Brought my binocs out with me but there really isn’t anything to see. No boats, no fishermen, no swimmers. It’s all happening on the other side of the headland.

This gaff is called the Mercure Granville Le Grand Large. Hotels in France are named “Le Grand Large” because the phrase translates poetically to “the open sea” or “the great wide horizon,” highlighting an expansive ocean view. I googled it. The hotel does have a fantastic vista over the Bay of Mont St Michel and would have been an interesting place to watch the airborne troops fly over in the distance, sky lighting up with flak and tracer. Doubt it had been built in ww2. 1993. I just looked it up.

It’s notionally the best hotel in Granville. Not sure Granville can support a particularly “good” hotel. Thissun is fine. The views from the balcony are good and it has an (very tight spaces) underground car park which is one of the things I look for in hotels in town centres. A car park, not necessarily underground. Rooms are quite small and the balcony you can just about fit on. Also their beer supplies were v limited. Not complaining, just noting. Lots of Christian Dior decor around the hotel. The lad was born in Granville in 1905.

Gonna be 27 degrees here this pm and we are gonna go swimming,in the sea! The hotel has lift access to the prom. There is a sea water open air pool within stone skimming distance. THGs idea but one has to be supportive one’s chosen life partner innit. She has also entered the Lincoln 10k which I won’t be doing but I will be there to support her.

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09:44 and there is movement. A speed boat surfs its way north, there are swimmers and a helicopter has just flown over. I count 6 walkers on the prom, 3 people in the outdoor seawater pool and one just climbing down the steps into the sea.

This morning whilst lying in bed we booked a show in London. It was conveniently in the same street as our hotel in September. Family lunch. It is a Wednesday but it feels like a Saturday. We are also probably ready to go home but leave on Saturday on a 23:00 or similar boat. Friday night, which is the actual 18th birthday of philosopherontap, is a biggie as we are dining at Chez Roger, one of our fave restaurants. They only offer a 5 course menu surprise but you can add oysters and upgrade to lobster. You do get asked if you have any allergies but that’s yer only choice. Chez Rog is a couple of miles along the coast road from Utah Beach and the building would likely have been there in 1944. Not the restaurant though. Couldn’t get the ingredients and it would probably have been filled with German soldiers. Not the convivial gaff it is these days. They close for the winter but I got in touch through their facebook page which also serves as their website.

Today we are exploring Granville.

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I have just discovered something. Instead of elevator muzak they have some quite good jazz. Fair play. Discovered it upon our return from swimming in the salt water of the Bay of Mont St Michel. We are now going to have showers before heading out on the town. Living the dream.

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Went to the beach without my device. Seemed the sensible thing to do. Just had the room key and the number to get in through the hotel gate on the prom. That number is memorised now. Could have taken a credit card I guess in case we wanted a beer on the prom but there were no bars anyway so it didn’t matter.

It is a very rare thing for me to go out without my device.  I like to take pics and vids of interesting things. I also use the stylus to write things down. In the past I’d take a notebook but I stopped doing that once I had a phone with a stylus. It is v useful.

Anyway the point is I was unable to make notes. The water, cold at first, soon became bearable and THG and I were immersed in no time. What was lacking was sun. If your shoulders were out of the water you began to shiver. It was a classic beach scene. We used the seawater pool that has eight starter boxes, if that’s what you call them, from which folk could dive in when racing. You know the sort. These were white concrete boxes with black numbers in a funky font on the side. One to eight. I really felt a photo of them would have very much been the right thing but I wouldn’t have my phone with me in the sea even if I had it with me in my shirt pocket.

Afterwards we suntered along the prom past lots of clean white beach huts. At the far end there was a sign pointing up some steps to the Christian Dior house garden. That’s for tomorrow. Funny to think that some people live a designer lifestyle. Nothing wrong with it I guess other than perhaps it doesn’t necessarily attract the right sort of person.

We discovered that the sandy beach at the end of the prom was much nicer than the stony seaweed covered stuff we had been sitting on. Tomorrow maybe. Not that we are beach types. It is quite interesting to look at some of the people around who clearly are. Very tanned. Must spend a lot of time in the sun. Not my thang. V risky tbh and I’m not a worrier.

I’m now sat in the lounge.

Sat on our balcony at Mercure Granville Le Grand Large. We’ve been out for a stroll, had a beer and ended up at The Tender Bar next to the casino for some nosh. I’m now sat on our balcony surveying the seaside scene. Load of folks who appear to know each other down on the terrace below. Nobody drinking. One woman has a piece of paper in her hand. Maybe it’s a teetotal convention. Who nose. It was too hot out here earlier when I went down to wait for THG. A few kids still in the water. It is very calm.

Seagull noises that didn’t exit in Concarneau. Big bay out there.

Watching (sort of) blackpool v the imps on the laptop. Cup game. THG has her Bose phones on and is watching summat different. Some sewing prog.

V peaceful out on the deck at seven thirty. One heavily togged up person out treasure hunting. I think it’s a bloke. He’s moved further on down the beach where I can’t see him but he did find a coin in front of the hotel. Another guy on a sitontop kayak or similar fishing about 100m off from the beach. Drifting along with the breeze. The breeze is not cold. Warm enough for me to sit out here in my pyjamas. All v calm.

I made us some tea. We picked up some fresh milk from the bar yesterday and bring our own teabags on these trips.

The hotel internet access system is totes pants. I now appear to be online but it takes more steps than it needs to be and you don’t actually know when you are online. There seems to be a significant delay between clicking to go online and actually getting there. Also it’s totes unsecured so NordVPN has come in handy.

A fishing boat has set off out of Concarneau and is already almost half way across the bay.

08:20 a swimmer has entered the water. She is now ploughing her way in parallel to the beach at about a cricket square’s length offshore. Fairplay. Kayaking fisherman has already returned to base. His craft was powered by pedals. A man walking up to his waist in the sea goes in the opposite direction to the slimmer and they have just crossed in front of me. He has a turquoise top with dark blue sides to it. She has now come out of the water. No visible signs of shivering in the breeze but a reasonably purposeful stride, considering the stones on the sand, back to her towel. She is staying at the hotel.

3 blokes walking in the water have stopped for a chat. There is a woman 100m away on here own. Then the meeting bloke up and two set off for the woman and stopped for a chat with here. A v socialbla activity walking in the sea before breakast.

Beach cleaner strolled by. Not much to pick up fair play and he didn’t seem to be covering much of the sand on his route.

Breakfast was good quality with prawns and oysters on offer. Never seen that on a breakfast buffet before. THG had some prawns. Better brekkie than the La Rochelle gaff.

We have identified Ty Cosy as a place for dinner ce soir. They don’t appear to have a website and you have to call to book. We might well be passing this morning on our route around Concarneau so will pop in.

A couple or three hundred metres out there are now some people doing what I can only describe as saiol boarding. They are on pafddleboards or simlar and carry their own sail. They don’t seem to be that good at it. Not sure I see the point.

Anyway all is well here in Les Sables Blancs. We are setting off for the walled town in around thirty mins.

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Walled town was great. In fact Concarneau is great. We walked there along the scenic coastal route and round into the harbour. There was a big open air market on the go. THG and I both bought Breton fishermen shirts for ten euros each. Unlikely to be cotton but for a tenner… Then I bought some artisanal tee shirt that went with my flowery jacket linen and had a haircut for fifteen bucks by a barber under a gazebo. Bookeda table for We strolled across to the walled town. V atmospheric and reserved a table for 7pm at Ty Cosy, a fish restaurant on the quay.

Back at the hotel by 2pm as it looked as if it was going to rain. I’ve moved the car from the carpark to just in front of the hotel. It wasn’t so much the distance that was an issue. 200m is not ideal but not the end of the world. It’s the fact that you needed ropes and crampons to get down to it even and definitely a sherpa to get back up.

I asked the hotel to get me a taxi there and back this evening. They quoted 90 Euros. Totes taking the piss. It’s 1.6 miles. The issue is whether it will be raining or not. Neither of us have brought any wet weather gear. We are in a heatwave for goodness sake. I checked uber and it is currently 14 Euros there so I guess we will take a skeet at the options at around 6pm and take it from there. If it is chucking it down we might need a plan B which might be to eat in the hotel again. Was pretty good fair play. THG mentioned the umbrella in the car. Will see innit. We have discovered the awning over the deck so will be able to sit out watching the rain when it comes. Checked the price of reserving an uber and it rises to thirty quid one way. Good business being a taxi driver round ere.

So a relaxing afternoon at the hotel in prospect. Except the buggers have just called to ask us to close the awning. Because of the weather. The weather is the only reason we’ve extended it. I dunno. The hotel is in position A fair play though the staff seem to be mostly students recruited for the season. That’s the impression I get.

Cruise ship has slipped silently into Concarneau waters. Anchored in the bay. Too big to fit into one of the yacht births in the marina I assume. Or they didn’t want to pay the extortionate mooring fees. It’s swinging on its anchor. Earlier it was side on but now I have a view of the stern.

After being quoted 90 euros return for a 1.6 mile cab journey we got an uber for £14. Uber driver said there were no taxis in Concarneau. They all had to come from Quimpere. Huh. anyway he got us there with an hour to spare so we did a couple of pubs. Second was great. Had mostly locals. Le Cabistan. We had booked a table at Ty Cosy for 7pm. We were first in and got the best spot. Soon filled up. It’s v highly rated on the Advisor of Trips and very much lived up to its billing. I had huitres, pate foie gras and moules rocquefort avec frites (obvs). Squeezed an extra starter in cos they all looked good.

Failed to hail an uber on the way back. Although Ubers showed one nearby they were obviously bullshitting as we had no takers over several attempts. Waled in the end. It’s 1.6 miles so roughly 30 mins for me. THG would have been much faster on here own. Anyway back on our deck now enjoying a bottle of water and the dulcet sounds of the waves on the beach. Reminds me a little of the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz. No seals though and no surfers. The tide is right out now. A few walkers on the beach and the murmurs of people from the bar terrace below. It’s happy hour in 5 mins – 10 till 11 but I suspect we will be happy to hit the hay. On to Granville tomorrow. We’ve enjoyed Concarneau. Oh btw the lady in charge of Ty Cosy complimented me on my French accent. What’s not to like?

Visited la rochelle cathedral yesterday. Very different construction to the one in Limoges a few days ago. Turns out it was only built between 1742 and 1784. Sat on an aisle seat at the back to take it all in. Because I was slightly off centre the symmetry didn’t feel quite right but it would have been impractical to have sat on the exact centre line. Not a biggie obvs. Just an observation. You probably know that the golden age of cathedral building took place during the High Middle Ages, roughly from 1140 to the early 14th century. This is my expectation of a cathedral tbh. Limoges met these expectations as does our own Lincoln cathedral. England was at war with France for much of the time the gaff in La Rochelle was being built and I imagine the town was likely a bit naval port. The architecture felt as if it was from that era.

Later I sat in the Jolly Sailor pub on the quayside whilst THG did some retail. Noted a guy there who moved tables three times and placed his saucer upside down on his coffee cup in between sips. I made a point of only speaking French to the waitress. Then later when we found somewhere for a bit of supper the waiter automatically spoke English to me. I said, with a smile, we don’t speak English which pleased the guy. They must be able to tell where we are from from how we dress. Must see what I can do to change that. Even if I struggle with the vocab I think it is important to try and speak the local lingo.

A young couple appeared on the table opposite. Looked very much like they were on honeymoon. She had a white tee shirt with AMOUR written on it.

Back at the hotel we felt obliged to use the bar. V classy joint and with very handy valet parking. It’s slap bang in the middle of the pedestrianised area so v handy for the town but also v inaccessible without the secret code for the moveable bollards blocking the road in. Sorry, I’d have to kill you if I told you the code…

Anyway back at the hotel the waiter also started to speak English with us. I dunno. We soon appraised him of the error of his ways. Had an ok brandy and then an early night. I find cognac a bit hit and miss. Thissun was notionally the best they had. Spanish brandy is more reliable. Brandy aside another classy feature of the hotel is that they don’t ask you to sign a chit for the bar bill. Annoys me really when they do that but I guess in big chains it’s an added security feature. We’ve all heard stories of everyone’s drinks being put on one person’s bar bill after they’ve gone to bed. Lots of good things I could say about the Maison des Ambassadeurs hotel but they will have to wait. We are heading down for breakfast.

We had almost finished breakfast before the coffee arrived. Uncharacteristic service level i thought relative to our general experience in the hotel. As soon as it came I ordered a second cup on the basis that if it took the same length of time the timing might be just right. It arrived almost straight away! Must have been waiting for a fresh batch for our first? Dunno how it works. Anyway we are now chillin in the room before heading north. Destination is Concarneau but we figure a stop in Vannes might break the journée and it is apaz a top destination in Brittany.

The hotel lobby is full of nauticalia, well a couple of model sailing ships, one of which is big but the other is just the right size for the shed. I know I already have a model yacht in the shed but this one is the dogs. I must remember to take a pic before we leave. Doubt the hotel would want to sell it to me anyway and I wouldn’t be able to slip it discretely into my overnight bag.

Right, gotta go. If you are in La Rochelle you couldn’t do much better than to stay in Maison des Ambassadeurs. It has v good wifi and a ThyssenKrupp lift, not that that bears any relevance. It’s just that normally they are Otis of Schindler. The breakfast is only 8 out of ten as I’d have expected better from a 5 star. joint but htere was nothing wrong with it per se other than the speed of the coffee service. The last time we stayed in La Rochell we were at Un Hotel en Ville. A small boutique job that didn’t have the services of Maison des Ambassadeurs but ranked 6 stars for the quality of the breakfast.

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Bit of a marathon 220 miler to Hotel Les Sables Blancs in Concarneau 4 hours plus stops. It was obviously the last day of the summer hols for a lot of French people as the roads going away from the coast were rammed. We got to an equally rammed motorway junction and decided we might as well pull in to fill up and grab un cawfee. No unleaded at the pump we were at and, it turns out, none anywhere at those services. Moreover once you had committed to one pump there was no way back anyway. We were ok as we still had half a tank and continued the journey.

Once we had turned back towards the coast the traffic eased off and we had a long straight 198 km until our next turn off. We did find a petrol station with perhaps a third of a tank left so we pulled in. Chaotic spot. I bagged a pump whilst a caravan in front of me dithered. Then I found we had to prepay so in I went. Filled up and reversed to find a parking stop so that we could fuel up on caffeine but found that it was a bring your own cup job. There was no queue. Norrasurprise really.

Then finally we made it to Hotel Les Sables Blancs to find that all the parking spaces were occupied. Left THG in charge in front of a set of gates with “do not park” or similar and went in to check out the sitch. They have a private parking space 200m away. I moved THG and bags into reception and went in search of the parking. Absolutely no clue. Went round the block a couple of times and eventually had to call TG to ask her to take pic of the schematic map and send it to me. That worked. The carpark was accessed through a narrow entrance with a sign telling me it was the hotel car park pointing away from the direction of travel and set back from the road. I was the only car there. No wonder really.

Room is pretty good with large balcony and great views. I think we’ve decided to stay in tonight and enjoy the hotel facilities. One concern is the music blaring away from the terrace below. One assumes they switch off at a sensible time?!!

Finally settled in after having to go down to reception to get them to fix wifi access for my macbook. Worked ok for the droid. Login pace wouldn’t load for mac. I assumed they would know how to get it to come up. Two of them couldn’t get it to work so I took over again, deleted the DNS records as per googled instructions and finally got online.

Now back on our deck looking at yachts and other local points of interest through my binocs. Ciao.

Heard some wild animal howling in the night. Doubt it was a wolf though I have no idea whether there are any in this area. Fox maybe. Didn’t think foxes howled. I had half thought of getting up to see the starlight but two things prevented me from doing this. Firstly it had been cloudy and still is this am though there are some patches of blue to be seen. Secondly if I get up to go to the loo in the night I can’t see a thing anyway as I don’t take my specs. First world problems.

We had a nice afternoon in Rochechouart yesterday although tbh you only need 2 hours max to do the place and that would include stopping for refreshment at a caff. The meteorite museum was interesting. One did hit the area 205 million years ago. They evaporate on impact you know but cause huge amounts of damage over a big radius. They had a slice of moon rock on display that you could feel. Dunno how then know it is moon but I didn’t question it and had a feel.

Then there’s the modern art museum in the chateau and a couple of churches. I went into the main eglise, St Saviour if I remember right, I might check later, the wifi doesn’t reach the pool, but it only took a minute to take it all in.

We decided to head to Relais de la Tour near Champsac for an early dinner as it seemed to be the only place open between lunch and dinner at 19:30. Blimmin eck. Got there and it was closed for 2 weeks annual holiday, reopening next week. Typical. Back at the Bar Tabac in Cussac we came up with a plan and stocked up at Intermarché for another bbq.

Today we are off to Limoges. Joe and Lucy fly back tonight and it makes sense to be in the area so they can be dropped off in a timely manner. Limoges airport is, apparently, the smallest airport you will ever see.

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Googled it. There are wolves in the area.

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Driving back from Limoges late afternoon and a car coming in the opposite direction flashed me. Hmm. It was quite dark so I thought maybe he was saying to me to switch my lights on which I did. Then I wondered whether there were some police up ahead and lo and behold yes there were. Of course I was being a good boy anyway though it isn’t easy when speed limits are in kmh and some of these roads are long and straight where it is difficult to slow down.

We had a nice lunch in Limoges, “did” the cathedral and then the Museum of the French Resistance during WW2. Cathedral was pretty impressive. Huge organ pipes. Would probably have made a terrific sound when played. Lots of chapels dedicated to different saints. King Richard the Lion Heart had his dedication as Duke of Aquitane there in the 12th century. Wasn’t the same building then. Thissun started being built in the thirteenth century. V high ceilings.

The resistance museum was ok but the cathedral better in my mind, from a tripadvisor ranking perspective anyway. Just my own personal vote. Plenty to take in at the museum though. Ended up for a relaxing beer at an Irish bar. 

Dropped Joe and Lucy off at a patisserie before setting off back to La Broulie. Nightmare navigation due to lots of one way streets that google didn’t necessarily have a handle on.

Back at La Broulie, bbq fired up and the “kids” playing in the pool. Salmon and chicken brochettes on the menu. Using up what’s left in the fridge. May well skip the plonk. We have one bottle of red left. Chateau something or other. They all are innit.

Mostly packed for departure tomorrow. I have one bag for the single night stay in La Rochelle, a second bag for the two nighter in Concarneau and then my suitcase for the 3 nighter somewhere in Normandy. Granville je pense. Can never remember the name of the place. Lots of unused shirts in the suitcase as we’ve made much use of the washing machine here at the farm.

The pool man came whilst Hannah, George and I were out in Oradour-sur-Vayres purchaysing breakfast items from Boulangerie Belleville on Rue Louis Pasteur. Afterwards we mosied along to Champagnac La Rivière for a cafe au lait at Chez Marcel and then swung by Intermarché in Cussac to fulfil some orders issued en route. We needed eggs, milk, Nutella and banana for the pancakes I am going to make later.

Anyway the pool man checked the water, declared it to be usable and left before we got back. He was a Brit. Last night’s chefs, Emma and Karen, were also Brits. The farm, La Broulie, is owned by a Brit. A lot of expats round ere.

Oradour-sur-Vayres btw is the place where in ww2 the French resistance killed an SS officer. The allies were advancing and the Germans in retreat and the SS took revenge by murdering the whole population of Oradur Sur Glane. They got the wrong Oradur. Tragic however you want to look at it.

We had a lovely 38th anniversary meal at the outside table where we have eaten every meal since we arrived. The weather has been fab and it even had the courtesy to only rain at night. Just two nights left here before we head back to the coast for a week of meandering north.

In the meantime a jaunt to Rochechouart has been planned for this afternoon with an early dinner there before getting back for perhaps an evening of games or sitting round the firepit. I had been somewhat reticent in considering the use of the firepit due to the very dry conditions but we have had two good overnight downpours and it feels as if it might be a bit safer to do now.

Coming out to the pool area I noticed the washing machine on again. With 8 adults in the house it’s been working flat out. There is a handy washing line at the back and in this weather it has been drying quickly.

Yesterday afternoon saw the inaugural Davies family boules tourney which saw Hannah narrowly defeat yours truly in the final. There was a magnificent prize in the form of a mug we bought from a bloke in the market at Piegut-Pluviers. I also bought a small ceramic carrot, as you do. 3 euros.

Anyway the story goes this ceramic seller, whose name was Joff, had lived near Machynllech in a place called Corris where he had done his apprenticeship in pottery. Corris as I recall is a bit of a dump (may be wrong here but that is my memory of the place) and my only ever stop there was en route from Bangor to the Eisteddfod ryng golegol in Aberystwyth. We had all started drinking early and by Dolgellau everyone needed a pee stop. The loos on the Marian in Dolgellau were however closed and the open public nature of the place meant there were no suitable hedges to use instead. The bus continued to Corris, the location of the next known public loos. Unfortunately those too were closed. By this time everyone was desperate. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen a bus full of people, blokes and girls, just drop their trousers and wee wherever they stood. It was dark, and secluded, but that is what happened.

Joff mentioned he had moved to the area with his dad to renovate a hotel that had been burned down in what he claimed had been an insurance job. Obvs I can’t confirm or deny the allegation. However the point is that this hotel was situated on a 4 mile stretch of salmon fishing. My dad had a story from our days living in Dolgellau. He had been called up for jury service and the last case on the Friday was one involving poaching. The accused had been stupid enough to try and sell the poached salmon to the hotel who owned the fishing rights. He was knobbled. Now the whole jury knew that the person in front of them was the local poacher and that he was almost certainly guilty. The judge however threw a spanner in the works by saying if the jury found him guilty they would return the next morning, a Saturday, to pronounce sentence. None of the jury liked this idea. Dad was refereeing a school rugby match, one woman had a hairdressers appointment etc. They found the defendant not guilty.

So when I related this story to Joff he totally understood. They had offered wild salmon on the hotel menu, as opposed to the farmed stuff. The only source of wild salmon locally was from the aforementioned river. His dad regularly paid cash for salmon at the back door. Whether the hotel had lost the fishing rights after the fire or not I have no idea. Must have to make the story work. I’m sure I’ve told this story before but it does merit repetition especially in the context of the trip to the market.

At around eleven a car load set off to see the market in the square in Cussac. There were three mobile stalls there. Took less than 30 seconds to walk around. We decided to head for the Bar Tabac and had some drinks out the back before returning to the farm whereupon I made everyone proper British pancakes. None of this thin French stuff. All good. I bought a paper at the bar tabac. Le Canard enchaîné. All good.

Eight thirty am. Clear blue sky though the water on the garden furniture tells me it rained overnight. Did in Lincoln too. I listened in on the sound of it on the greenhouse roof. I’m sat out by the pool having breakfasted royally on two halves of grapefruit. We decided last night that we would head out early for a market which is about a 20 min drive away. Only Hannah and THG have been spotted thus far so the 9am departure is looking at risk. Could be wrong. Won’t have to wait long to find out.

On this day 38 year ago THG and I woke up excitedly in separate locations. It was our wedding day. Actually I was not fully compos mentis having been drinking Stella with my Uncle Mick until about 2am. Hey ho. Adrenaline saw me through. That and a walk in the rain. The gods were smiling that day though and the actual wedding celebrations took place in brilliant sunshine. Four great kids later with a grandchild on the way I think we can look back with some satisfaction as to how it has gone.

The word on the street is that folk are showering so 9am might be a goer. I’m told that this market is the biggest one in the region. No idea what that means but will find out soon enough. We will be back home for the afternoon as we have a couple of chefs coming to save us having to prepare dinner.

Didn’t end up going to the source of the Charentes yesterday as the mood amongst those left at the farm was to chill out. Instead Tom and I took the recycling into Cussac. Paper, plastic and glass. It was only after I’d done the paper and started on the plastic that I discovered that orange juice cartons are considered to be plastic. Ah well. A shrug of the Gallic shoulder. Cooked pommes sarladaises to go with the spatchcock chicken, ribs and sausages done by Tom on the bbq. My fave spud recipe. I think I did a reasonable job of it but maybe not quite Michelin standard, or even the local caff.

We are about halfway through our trip. The location for this middle week has been fab. There is bugger all around us really (we did the place where Richard The Lionheart died on our first full day here) but the farmhouse is very secluded with nothing but the sound of cows and birds and we have a large pool to ourselves. Cussac itself is a 20 – 30 min walk, dependent on your speed or a 3 minute drive. There are two hairdressers, a bar tabac and an Intermarché. I probably missed one or two shops but basically there isn’t much here. The Intermarché is handy enough. You have to drive 5 mins to another village to get artisanal breads. 

Maybe I should think about getting my hair cut. Which place to choose? Decisions decisions. Might wait until I get to La Rochelle or even Concarneau. It’s not like when we were in Seville and I had a short back and sides done by a barber of Seville.

Anyway. Gotta go. Everyone is up and ready apaz. Ciao bebes.

A morning of sloth. Nipped out to fetch breakfast stuff at around 9am and returned with a bagful that included bacon. Upon examination in the kitchen we discovered that it was bacon with garlic. Hey, when in France… We stuck it on the bbq and had bacon baguettes.

Then strolled down to the lake and failed to get video footage of the fish jumping up and eating the waterboatmen or similar walking across the surface. Nicely shaded around the lake.

Four of the fam have set off for lunch in St Junien followed by a visit to the ruined village of Oradour sur Glane. Didn’t want to go meself. Once is enough and I went there with the boys during our rugby world cup trip. Instead we are going to take stuff to the recycling point then off to view the source of the Charentes. What’s not to like?

A grey morning but still early twenties celsius and rising through the day to thirty. Nipped out with John to Intermaché for the croissants. Got the last of the croissants and the pans au choc. Breakfast time been and gone some time earlier for the locals. Breakfast out by the pool again with a discussion as to the itinerary for the week ahead.

It was observed by THG that La Brouile experienced a huge thunderstorm last night. Chucked it down apaz. Never eard a thing. I spent all night doing a log impression that lasted until just before 8am.

Nipped out with Hannah to buy bread and croissants from Festival Des Pains Boulangerie Pâtisserie in Champagnac-La-Rivière. We pretty much cleaned them out of croissants and bought their last pain au choc. It’s only a small gaff and presumably make just enough to service their regulars. There will probably have been one or two disappointed citoyens who wished they hadn’t had a bit of a lie in after yesterday’s Assumption Day feasting. Ze bluddy British!

We then went in the opposite direction to check out Cussac and spotted another boulangerie option to try. There were also a couple of bars that we will almost certainly want to check out including a classic Bar Tabac gaff.

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Weroff to Châlus-Chabrol Estate this pm. The place where King Richard the Lionheart was killed by a crossbow bolt fired from the tower. He probably said ouch, what on earth was that and then keeled over to the dismay and distress of all those with him on his, presumably, holiday. Unless he was warring against ze fiendish French. Could have been. Probs. Didn’t read the blurb. Just know he demised there. Archaic use of language there. Presumablement.

Not all the party is coming. Others have opted for a relaxed day of it around the pool and the covered patio where we eat most days, based on a sample of last night’s dinner and this morning’s breakfast. I didn’t want any lunch.

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Coeur de Lion news. He was there to take retribution on the Vicompte de Limoges (or similar) who was a vassal of his and wh didn’t contribute to the ransom demanded by the Austrians for his release after being captured en route home from the 3rd crusade. Laid siege to the chateau and was struck in the shoulder/collarbone by a crossbow bolt. That didn’t kill him but grangrene set in and he died six days later.

Nice stroll around les Sables D’Olonne. This place seems to exist for two purposes. Fishing and tourists. The great thing about the fishing is the fact that you can buy fantastic fresh seafood. We stopped by the fishmongers at the back of the place where we had lunch yesterday. They were selling fish just landed. Live lobsters, still in their natural blue colour. THG bought a few locally caught tinned sardines. Obvs they weren’t in the tins when they were caught. They probably shipped the catch to Chjna or Canada to be tinned (jokes). Nice wander around the big church. These edifices were built to impose themselves on the “flock”. A show of power to let you know who was in charge. The market hall was closed for renovation but its traders had been moved to a temporary building to which we strolled and enjoyed a drink. The waiter had a spinning trick with his tray. See vid. The beach at Les Sables is a v long crescent shape. We didn’t attempt to walk the whole prom.

Back at the hotel the room aircon wasn’t working and they were performing sound checks. Blimmin loud. Call me an old fart. Trouble is you’ve never heard of any of the bands. They are all French. We didn’t recognise any of the tunes used in the sound checks. 

As a bit of experiment how many French “pop stars” can you name? I’ll start it off in the comments. Anyway the engineer came back from his lunch eventually and fixed the aircon, phue. We are now chillin out before going to the rooftop for a dip and drink later and then heading out to the port for a bit of a night out.

V pleasant evening at Ian and Michelle’s on Tuesday followed by a full on Wednesday. We visited the Historic Royal Dockyard for the first time. Truly impressive. HMS Victory was stunning and the Mary Rose v interesting. Even bumped into @Sue Black having a day out with one of her many grandchildren. Afterwards to Gunwharf Quay for a Nandos then hung around to see the eclipse before getting into the queue for the 23:00 Brittany Ferries boat to Caen. Time passed quickly enough and were one of the first on, having paid for the privilege. Our cabin was also ready and we were straight in despite many announcements asking people to wait in the public lounges as their cabins weren’t ready. They did ours first obvs. Queued for ages for a pint of Lagunitas. Longer than it took me to drink it. Everyone waiting for their cabins were in the queue. Bed by the time the ship set sail at eleven.

The wake up call this morning was a brutal 04:45. We had breakfast delivered to the cabin and were one of the first off the boat and through passport control by seven. This is when we found that if THG brings our marriage cert next time she could stay indefinitely despite being a Brit. Irish passports ftw. Lucky girl. We are unlikely to want to go to Europe for over 3 months in a year which is the current allowance.

We made good progress on a fairly empty French motorway system. 267 or so miles from Ouistreham to Les Sables. Couple of pit stops to fuel up on caffeine. Was quite tired after the overnight voyage. Arrived in Les Sables D’Olonne by twelve thirty ish. The room was not ready, natch but we sat in the “Club” for some time whilst I did some admin and THG caught up on the Archers or similar.

After a while we set out onto the hot streets of Les Sables. The hotel, the Vertime, is directly opposite the port and we strolled to a small bar at the back of a fishmongers. I had fish and chips and THG had a crab roll. The fish and chips, with tartare sauce but a salad instead of mushy peas, was just right fair play. Washed it down with some fruity beer that was ok.

Bit if drama as we were sat there. There was a loud bang and I turned around to see that a black SUV of some sort had hit something, very loudly. THe front was caved in, the passenger wing mirror demolished and the front bumper had fallen off. “Fortunately” a local cop was on the scene in seconds and was able to direct the traffic down a road they hadn’t planned on using but the main drag to the port was blocked by the aforementioned UV. By the time we had finished lunch (3ish) and headed home the road was still blocked.

The walk back was hot and sweaty. It’s around 34 degrees here in Les Sables. However the place we had intended to stop at, Loches is pushing 40. Would have been unbearable. I only changed it on Tuesday when I saw the weather forecast. The Vertime was one of the few decent hotels with availability on this part of the west coast and I think we got the last room. It’s a good enough hotel with a great rooftop bar with a wonderful view over the port. Unfortunately the space below it, over the road, has been converted to a concert venue for the weekend and during our time here it is going to be very noisy. They didn’t mention this until after I’d booked. The last thing we need after a very short night’s kip last night is a couple more nights of disruption. It is what it is. From Saturday onwards we are staying at a farmhouse in 75 acres of land near a village called Cussac. The only noise will be coos. We can catch up on sleep then. We also have a great pool to ourselves. The whole fam is coming. Shud be gud.