The Hairdryer's behind the Chainsaw! Part 2

As usual our car was packed with lots of stuff -- In addition to the usual suitcases there were tools, food, wine, bags of sundries such as shoes, make-up and so on. When we left I had put my essentials where I could reach them -- taking care to stay clear of Neil's greasy tools. But in the course of taking out our overnight cases things got moved about. As I was about to drift off to sleep yet again in Sommieres, I suddenly realized that the bag with my hairdryer, was now behind the chainsaw. You realize, of course, that this piece of equipment is difficult to pack tidily. Not only does it hamper neat organization of a packed estate car/station wagon, but it is quite heavy, very dirty and not easily moved around -- at least by me!

in the morning, I gave up all thought of washing my hair, scrunched it up under my pink Route 66 baseball cap and we headed for Nimes, the first stop on our intinerary which had been terribly slashed as we realized that we were too short of time to be able to include either Avignon or the Grand Canyon of Verdon. And I had already given up going to Orange. In her book The Road from the Past, Ina Cato had written a wonderful account of seeing the Roman triumphal arch that had been built to commemorate the victory of Julius Caesar over the Gauls. Her poignant description on the enslaved Gauls in the carvings on the eastern wall meant that I really wanted to see them for myself. Alas! and Alack! this must wait for another day ...

I had briefly been to Nimes sometime in the mid 90's. It was in August and the traffic was so terrible that we gave up all thoughts of trying to park, let alone trying to find a hotel and slunk our way to the outskirts and one of the chain hotels found all over French outskirts -- It was a hot evening and our boys enjoyed far more the long dip in the swimming pool than they would have Roman ruins. And I learned the secret of serving Provencal Rose -- very cold and in frosted wine glasses! Now in the September of 2009 on a bright sunny Saturday we returned, sans boys! But first a quick stop in a supermarket bakery for some croissant and bread. Very good it was, too.

A quick reconnoitre around the center and we found the Maison Carre -- unfortunately trussed up in scaffolding, but nevertheless for this lover of Roman ruins a lovely sight. It was fairly early in the day and accordingly we benefited in being able to find a convenient parking place by the canal and a block or so away from our first destination. I climbed the steps onto the ancient portico thinking about the thousands of years that had passed since its construction by Agrippa in 19 BC. It is miraculous that it should have survived so intact. As magnificent as the building is in its present setting, I was disappointed to discover upon entering a modern cubicle and people selling tickets to a movie being shown inside the temple. I have since learned that the inside is very small and without decoration, so perhaps I'm happier not having paid my money to enter.

Nimes was very busy and around the temple a band was busily setting up and we got the impression that there might be some kind of festival brewing. As indeed there was ...

But our next destination was to find the Roman Ampitheatre, which I understood to be still in use. First, though we had to figure where it was and this is where navigational expertise broke down slightly. But the good thing was we had a nice tour around the old city as we wended our way away from our ultimate destination.

It became more and more apparent that there was something major going on in the city of Nimes that day. In particular I remember a kind of jazz band dressed all in pink wandering around the streets singing their hearts out. In our search for the old Roman structure we kept coming upon them entertaining the growing throngs. Finally, in desperation we looked at our plan of the city and soon figured out we'd gone in the opposite direction and headed back down the street we had been going up. Aha! The market place and the market stalls were out.

More and more people and a real celebratory air was developing around us as the Amphitheatre came into view. Wow! It is huge. On the day we could hear the cheers and shouts of the crowd coming from within. It took several minutes before wound ourselves around to the entrance. We saw some horses and assumed, wrongly, that there was a horse show going on. Then I saw a butcher's van and assumed, again wrongly, that this was in case a horse had to be put down, the butcher was there to prepare it for the local super market ...

Sometimes I cannot fathom my own stupidity. I had read about Nimes many times. I knew that it was one of the few places in Europe outside of Spain that had bullfighting. The cheers we'd heard were for the kill! We did not get to go inside. I'll just have to go back there again some day! In the meantime, I have been to Verona to the opera! We left the bullfighting arena and made our way up another avenue with lots of cafes and special tables being set up for whatever Nimes was celebrating. There were lots of bands, lots of music -- a perfect day for a French festival. But we did not linger. Now it was time to leave and to head for the Pont du Gard.

The Hairdryer's behind the Chainsaw!

In mid-September we left Aynac for an all too brief tour around Europe -- through Provence, into Italy, north to Germany via Austria, and home across Luxembourg via Boulogne-sur-Mer. In 10 days! As is usual with our travel plans we had built into the trip an immovable date, that being son Andrew's birthday on the 22nd. Therefore, we could not take an extra day or two which would have been welcome for me as we weren't really able to explore Provence as we might have otherwise done. But still I did get a second chance to explore Nimes somewhat successfully and I did walk across the Pont du Gard!

But our first great sighting was not the old bridge in Remoulins, but the new viaduct in Millau! What a brillian wonderful beautiful bridge! It's a great huge sailing ship across the Tarn Valley, it really is. First we stopped by the special Aire created for the crowds to stop and take pictures. I really was a boob, but the wind was blowing fiercely and I really didn't feel like trudging up the wind blown path to be bowled over by nature, thank you very much -- and besides it was nippy outside and I'd gotten very cozy and comfortable. As I do feel rather an idiot to have been so inclined, nevertheless it is absolutely a wonderful site and I live in hope there will be a 'next time'.

Languedoc is very beautiful and although we travelled on the motorway there were many tempting old towns and villages along the way -- La Couvertoirade, par example: "This mediaeval village, located at the confines of the Larzac plateau, reflects the military power of the Templar Knights and the daily activity of the Hospitaliers (Knights of

Saint John of Jerusalem), through its exceptional state of conservation. Classed as a Most Beautiful French Village, La Couvertoirade constitutes a veritable "miniature" of the mediaeval city. Few mediaeval sites in France ..." Right up my street, but we travelled on determined to get to Provence and to find a place for the night before dark.

And so we did ... a look at the map and Neil headed for the town of Sommieres, which looked enough off the beaten track to be interesting and so it was. We stayed in a hotel that had been the railroad station in days gone by and which had an authentic feel to it. The room was small and rather disappointing and there was no elevator, but the place itself was pleasant and the staff friendly enough. The owner, I believe, recommended a restaurant, which was very good, in the middle of the walled city. This medieval town was on a river and the bridge we drove over had been around since Roman times. We had to leave early the next morning, which was a shame as it was market day.

The restaurant was practically empty when we entered -- we have found it a good idea to get to French restaurants before 8.00 as we tend to get our orders in well before the rush. And indeed there was a rush as the tables were suddenly gone. A lovely Italian couple who lived in Switzerland sat next to us and we had a fun conversation -- but they were very patient with our stilted French and it was fun to talk to some fellow travellers.

We left the restaurant well fed and well cheered, a quick drive to our hotel and one of us was soon snoring and the other periodically getting up and discovering the stars were bigger than I'd ever seen them -- kind of like Van Gogh painted them in Arles!

Auberge du Bon Laboureur

Jane and Chris Coleman and their son Alexander are newly arrived in France hoping for a better, more meaningful life than what was there for them near Cambridge. They are bringing back to life an old-fashioned hotel-restaurant in Graçay, France. We tend to stay in the area when en route to our place in the Lot and since our usual hotel is closed on Tuesday we trawled the Internet to see what we could find. It isn’t that easy to find small family-run places in that part of the country – at least we haven’t found it so. But some hunting and pecking yielded a small list of places to try and this place was on the list and only a few kilometres away from our hotel in Vatan.

The place was just ready for over-night guests, but the restaurant was wonderful. And yes, the cook is English! And yes, we did stay the night in a room which promises to be outstanding value in the not too distant future and a bed that made up for any finishing touches the room at that time lacked. Also the room is very large, airy and bright and has nice views over the rooftops of the village and church. There was still work to do on the bathroom, but the essential equipment was in place and we both enjoyed a great shower. The hotel is tucked away a bit in the corner of the market square. An old-fashioned coach gate opens into a courtyard full of promise. In time there will be terraces for eating outside and a walled garden – the wall, by the way is the original Roman wall!

Our meal was fine by any standards. Our first course was a home-made paté served with an excellent local bread. For the main course I selected a salmon en croute with a cream sauce that was generous and delicious. And the vegetables were perfectly prepared – unlike in many a French restaurant! For dessert – and Chris makes all the desserts himself – I chose the yummy apricot tarte. UPDATE: On our return visit I had chicken wrapped in ham that was succulent, tender and a perfect blend of flavours. The pear poached in spiced red wine was a heavenly ambrosian concoction of the cook!

We were able to stay there on our return journey, and were happy to discover that they have had a good summer and their reputation continues to grow! There is a lot of work to do, but the villagers a thrilled to have them and have been very welcoming. Alexander speaks remarkable French and is even making himself useful in the kitchen. Both Jane and Chris radiate enthusiasm for their new life. The pressure of life in England, of running around in circles and never getting there is to them, not what life should be about. And so they work toward their dream of a new kind of family life. One that is not about becoming monetarily wealthy, but a life that is rich.

Contact Information:
Telephone: 0033 248 514 219
jane.coleman@wanadoo.fr