France – Page 16 – DJmotortouring

Cahors (Occitaine), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Cahors is cracking; even on a typical French Sunday when, except for the occasional local market, just about everything shuts. Almost enfolded by a loop of the River Lot (a bit like the Isle of Dogs in London) it is a very compact town easily explored on foot. We stopped off here for a brief look and some lunch on our way to our chill out gite in Labastide-Marnhac and we saw pretty much everything within just a few hours. Having said that, the place is worth revisiting again and again.

A confession before I carry on. Vanya is correct; I do have a thing about bridges. Not all bridges but, bridges with history and/or character and you only need a glimpse of La Pont Valentre (aker Pont du Diable – see my footnote below) with its three towers to know that Cahors has an absolute cracker of a bridge…

Built during the period 1308 to 1380 and restored in the 19th century it was the first medieval fortified bridge in France and it is a great example of medieval defensive design with its crenellated parapets, battlements and pointed arches. More photos I hear you say…

I have plenty more photos of La Pont Valentre but Cahors is not just about its bridges. It is another of those lovely French towns with an old quarter of narrow cobbled streets and timber framed buildings packed with quaint bars and restaurants. Cahors old quarter is dominated by the Cathedrale St Etienne which I’m reliably informed was the first cathedral in the country to have cupolas giving it a Romanesque – Byzantine feel…

Lunch was a shared platter – easy and very tasty…

… and I cannot forget to mention Cahors wine, where the focus is on the Malbec grape (and of course I purchased a few bottles) but, the final word goes to the town’s landmark bridge…

… how the PONT DU DIABLE gained it’s name: Le Pont du Diable took more than 70 years to be built and it is said that the builder responsible for the final stages was so far behind that he did a deal with the devil so as to complete within the terms of his contract. He traded his soul in exchange for the devil’s help but then cheated the devil. He gave the devil a sieve with which to carry water for the final batch of mortar and, as the water kept draining away, the final stone was never laid. The builder thereby saved his soul because technically the bridge was never finished.

Pujols (Lot et Garonne), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Because of impending poor weather in the west (according to the met but they’ve hardly been right since we set off) we are heading back east to an AirB&B in Labastide-Marnhac for a couple of days. This will give us a chance to catch up on some chores (i.e. Vanya’s hair and my website, both of which have been neglected of late – only joking Van).

On the way to Labastide-Marnhac we decided to overnight at a small camp site within walking distance of both Pujols and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, thus giving us the opportunity to visit both places – Pujols for lunch and Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the evening.

Pujols is a small fortified town perched on a 180 metre hill overlooking the valleys of the Lot and the Mail. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in charm and it came as no surprise to learn that it is now listed amongt ‘Les plus beaux villages de France’. It is a truly charming little village with narrow flower bedecked streets all enclosed within old castle walls which provide lovely views across the surrounding countryside. I’ll let the photos do the talking:-

As for Villeneuve-sur-Lot, even allowing for the fact that it was Sunday (and Sundays are generally quiet across France), it was awful. We walked some 3 kms into the place with the dogs, hoping to find somewhere to eat. A further 2 kms walking around the place persuaded us to settle for cheese and biscuits back at the Boomobile. Awful, truly awful.

St Emilion (Gironde), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

No surprise that we should end up near Bordeaux in the small village of Saint Emilion given Vanya’s thirst for Cremant! Actually, they don’t do Cremant in St Emilion (just very good red wine) and we are here upon the recommendation of a friend.

It took little more than an hour to drive to St Emilion from Bergerac and we arrived early enough to check into a very nice campsite (Vanya’s not quite ready for wild camps yet) and do a little wine tasting at the Chateau Champion – 5 reds and 1 rose. We came away with 3 bottles of red (mine, all mine) and a case of rose (Vanya is getting too much into this wine tasting game!).

Our campsite was great. It offered all that you would expect in this part of the world, including a private swimming lake for the dogs. The restaurant was fine although, by choosing to dine outside, we found ourselves far too close to a karaoke evening for my liking. No, all in all you couldn’t knock the campsite – it even provided a frequent shuttle service into Saint Emilion.

The village itself is well preserved and beautiful. It is not very big which makes getting around it all very easy although there are a few ups and downs amongst the small winding streets and almost all of the streets are cobbled. I am advised it is the British who should be thanked for the cobbled streets. They have long liked the local wines and used to send boats laden with cobbled stones (used as ballast) and upon arrival in St Emilion the locals would substitute the stones with wine and use the cobbles to line the streets. Now you know.

There were a great many tourists about during our visit but during the summer months that is to be expected; the place is UNESCO listed and adjudged a “plus beau village de France”.

This whole area is all about wine and, unsurprisingly, the village is overflowing with wine shops and restaurants. There are a few other things to see (the church and its catacombs, the cloisters and the bell tower) and in this regard it is worth buying a ticket (2 Euros) from the local tourist office to go up the bell tower for the panoramic views. It is also worth taking time to walk the perimeter of the village for some fine views (usually of vineyards) but it is the town’s medieval limestone buildings, which seem almost honey coloured, that do the most for me and make the best photos.

You don’t need to spend long in Saint Emilion but it is good for a wander and a glass of wine and we enjoyed doing just that.

Bergerac (Dordogne), France August 2020 (Tour 3)

The drive from La Roque-Gageac to Bergerac was via a series of back roads through the gently rolling hills of the Dordogne countryside. It took us past a mix of vineyards and large fields of sunflowers and we arrived at Bergerac within 2 hours even allowing for a stop at a Leclerc supermarket for essentials – By ‘essentials’ I mean yet more Cremant for Vanya. She seems determined to try them all.

With a population of around 25,000 Bergerac is quite a large town by local standards but it is compact and easily explored on foot. The old town is delightful with its jumble of winding cobbled streets and timber framed houses some dating back to the 14th century.

My first thoughts as I entered Bergerac were not about the bridge (as Vanya would have you believe) but of Savinien “Cyrano de Bergerac” and I was keen to learn more about him. The fact is that while the town has adopted Cyrano (there are two statues here commemorating him), he grew up near Paris on an estate named after Bergerac and, so far as anyone can tell, he never visited Bergerac itself. The town adopted him in the late 19th century some time after Edmund Rostand’s play of the same name was run. Of his two statues, the one on Place Pelissiere is my favourite.

Also on and around Place Pelissiere is a huge selection of outdoor cafes and restaurants but the most significant building is the Church of St Jacques. Part of the church was built in 11th century but, after being damaged in the religious wars, it was largely rebuilt some 300 years later. I took a quick look inside but didn’t see anything of real interest. The most interesting part of the building is outside – a wooden perch high up on the steeple for the bell-ringers.

I cannot finish this short blog without writing a little about the local food and wine. We ate that evening at a small creperie in Bergerac, La Blanche Hermine, and it was the best galette ever. It was filled with ham, cheese, mushrooms and goodness knows what else and it was super. I would eat it again any day of the week. As for the wine, Bergerac is one of relatively few areas that produce similar quantities of red and white wines but my favourites from this area are the reds and I wasn’t disappointed on this occasion. I’ll certainly be taking a supply back to the UK (assuming Vanya leaves any room in the back of the Van).

The crepes were outstanding; so much so we had two each

We’ll stay here for a day or two but Vanya is already talking about a Cremant de Bordeaux. Any guesses as to where we’ll be heading next?

Vanya’s View (Part 2) Saint Aignan to St Emilion

Having been together for 33 years this month you would think there isn’t much that Dave and I don’t know about each other. Living in a camper van though has revealed that Dave has a deep, dark secret that he has been withholding from me. There have been hints over the years but it is proving impossible for him to hide it any longer – he is a pontist. I had no idea there was such a thing until in desperation I googled it. It is similar to being a train or plane spotter but in Dave’s case it is bridges. This may not sound a serious problem but there are literally thousands of rivers and accompanying bridges in France and when taken together with my morbid fear of heights… Well! Let’s just say that bridges and acrophobia are not good bedfellows. I patiently wait while he walks over the bridge, on both sides of the bridge and sometimes even under the bridge waxing lyrical about it’s attributes and taking copious photos. This is particularly galling when visiting a beautiful town like Cahors which has two road bridges and a railway bridge!

Anyway, enough about Dave’s issues for this week and back to our continuing trip around France, this time in the Dordogne area. One of the most unusual and beautiful villages we recently discovered was La Roque-Gageac where on the banks of the River there are houses built into the cliffs, a stunning bamboo garden and best of all no bridges in sight. The place was absolutely packed with tourists (obviously, we don’t count as tourists) and I would love to visit outside of the holiday season but even so it was well worth a look.

On our way to Bergerac, which was our next port of call, we completed our first 1,000 miles since leaving Brighton. Our fairly basic campsite was situated alongside the bridge into town (there’s a surprise!). We left the dogs in the van, for the first time since beginning our tour, to dine in a local creperie. The food was divine, so much so we both had a savoury and a sweet crepe for our two course meal. The old town is very pretty; full of cobbled stones and old buildings. I have fallen in love with the Dordogne area.

On the recommendation of a friend (Thanks Craig) we then headed into some serious wine country at St Emilion. The campsite was the only place around not stacked with grapevines. They are everywhere and for as far as the eye can see. It is a very well appointed site with a lovely lake which the dogs decided was their very own private swimming pool, disobeying our very strict orders to keep out. Of course, while they are normally incredibly obedient and hang on my every word, it was rather warm…

We headed to the Chateau Champion vineyard for some red wine tasting; not normally my tipple of choice (give me white any day; okay, every day) but it was palatable and I very much enjoyed the chilled Rose. Well, 80 Euros later, we may have to pump up the back tyres on the Boomobile.

The Campsite provided a free shuttle service into the village of Saint Emilion which proved to be yet another lovely cobbled stone medieval village with countless wine shops and marvellous views. I was happy to while away a couple of hours there and enjoyed lunch.

Headed west next towards Cahors as the weather was turning and in any event it is on Dave’s wish list to visit. I refer you back to my first paragraph.

La Roque-Gageac (Dordogne), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Drove from Cognac La Foret to Bergerac today and we’ll probably stay over but en route we passed through a number of very pretty and/or interesting villages including La Bugue, St Cyprien and Beyenac et Cazenac but the one that amazed us both and deserving of a special mention is La Roque-Gageac in the Dordogne department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the south west of France. Nestled in a stunning position amongst limestone cliffs on the north bank of the Dordogne it has to rank amongst France’s prettiest villages.

There’s a small troglodyte fort perched in the cliffs some 40 metres above the village (it’s an easy walk up) and while there’s not a lot left of the fort itself the views down into the small picturesque village and the panorama to the south are wonderful.

Without any doubt, the most surprising feature of the village is the Bamboo Garden created by Gerard Dorin in 1970. The cliffs protect the garden from cold winds from the north and the open view to the south ensures plenty of sunshine and the result is a thick forest of different bamboos and banana trees and I swear we also saw fig trees.

We didn’t do it but visitors are advised to take a one hour river trip down the Dordogne on a ‘gabarre’ (a flat bottomed cargo barge used in days of yore to transport goods along France’s riverways). They start from La Roque-Gageac and provide good views of numerous different attractions (including Chateau de Castelnaud, Chateau de Beynac, Chateau de Lacoste, Chateau de Marqueyssac, etc).

As mentioned earlier, the day ended in Bergerac and we’re very much looking forward to exploring the town tomorrow.

Cognac de Floret (Limousin), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Cognac de Floret is a very quiet small village (just over 1,000 people) in the Haute Vienne Department of Limousin. It comprises a post office, a small general store, a hairdressers, a boulangerie/patisserie, the inevitable pharmacy, a church, a tabac which doubles as a bar and a tractor dealership and that’s it. We came here because, after the last camp site, we wanted something quieter and Vanya found what looked like the perfect place in Camping des Alouettes.

We had a van full of wine and the camp site was no more than a 15 minute walk along an easy forest track to the village store for food. The site was clean and well tended with large secluded pitches and had all the facilities we needed; the sun was hot and we had its swimming pool to ourselves and there wasn’t a child in sight – we stayed two days and it was very nearly three.

The walk to the village through the woods gives way to a small fishing lake (free to locals) and a larger lake with a beach for swimming…

Bergerac next albeit by a slow convoluted route.

St Aignan (Loire Valley), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

It is just 33 kms from Amboise to St Aignan where we had booked into a small campsite no more than a few minutes walk from the town. We approached from the north and the view as we crossed the River Cher into the town was of the Chateau de St Aignan. It towered over a line of riverfront properties and filled the van’s windscreen. That would be somewhere to visit in the morning.

Our first view of Saint Aignan as we approached from the north

We’d done very little research into St Aignan. We simply wanted somewhere to stay overnight that took us further south and was not too much of a drive from Amboise and Vanya reported that the local camp site read well. Having said all that and in hindsight, I think Vanya knew the ZooParc de Beauval, Europe’s fifth largest zoo with more than 35,000 animals, is close by and that will have influenced her thinking as she searched for somewhere to park up for the night. Ever been had?

St Aignan is a small town in the Loir et Cher Department of the Centre-Val de Loire with a population of less than 3,000 and we weren’t expecting great things of the place; well, I wasn’t. The next two days saw us disappointed on two counts and well pleased on one. The disappointments: (a) we couldn’t visit the zoo because we had the dogs with us (and we weren’t going to leave them for the time it would take to properly explore the place) and (b) it was the final weekend of the school holidays in France and the camp site was packed with kids and far too busy for us. The one positive was that the beauty and character of St Aignan, and especially the Chateau, more than compensated for both disappointments. We each enjoyed St Aignan as much as Amboise.

My initial thoughts as we approached the Chateau early the next morning were that it looked a little tired and somewhat average (especially after Chenonceau) but when you get up close it oozes elegance and style and looks and feels so full of history – I was wholly thrilled by the place and I wanted to know everything about it. Unfortunately, this was not to be. The place is owned and lived in by the de la Roche Aymon family and for that reason we were allowed access only to the main courtyard and terraces but, hey, bless them for allowing that. The place blew me away.

I can’t tell you much about the Chateau except that there are three aspects to it. There’s the derelict Hagard Tower which is all that remains of the original 9th century fortress. Then there’s the Renaissance Chateau decorated with scallop shells and the salamander device of Francis I and it is this part of the Chateau which is most visible from the north and which towers over the town. This was home to the Dukes of Beauvilliers. The third aspect, which sits at the end of the stables, is the Octagonal Tower erected around 1830 by the Prince de Chalais.

*Such a wonderful entrance* to the chateau…

*To the left is the Octagonal Tower added to the stables.*

*Looking chic with the obligatory face mask*

Alongside the Chateau is an 11th/12th century Romanesque collegiate church dedicated to St Aignan. I am told it has a magnificent crypt containing 10th century murals but I was unable to gain access because the Sunday morning service was in full swing – next time.

Actually, Vanya and I had forgotten it was Sunday. This is a bad mistake to make in France because most cafes and restaurants seem to shut on Sundays and you generally need to book in advance; this is especially true in August. We could sit outside a bar and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine (which we did) but it would have been something like a two hour wait for food. We made do with cheese and biscuits back at the Boomobile.

*It was just a short walk from the Van alongside the Cher* to Saint Aignan

On to Cognac-la-Foret…

Amboise (Loire Valley), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

We both like Amboise. It is a bit touristy and it was quite busy while we were there but it is steeped in history and well worth a few hours of anyone’s time. Because of the Chateau Royal d’Amboise and what remains of the old town it retains, I think, something of a medieval feel.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see as much of the town as we would have liked. I have long wanted to explore the Chateau Royal and what with doing that and then taking lunch at a small bistro alongside the Loire the time just flew.

People have been living on the site that is now Amboise for well over 2,000 years and there has been a fortress of some sort there for most of that time – certainly, there has been one since Roman times. It was in 1498, however, after fighting his wars in Italy and returning with a love of all things Italian, that the French King Charles VIII began to transform the typically dark defensive medieval fortress where he had been raised into a Renaissance masterpiece. This start was continued by others (notably Louis II and Francis I with Francis excelling as he brought in various Renaissance Masters including Leonardo da Vinci to build on the earlier works) until the Chateau became a worthy palace for numerous Vallois and Bourbon kings. It is hard to believe but, magnificent as it is, the Chateau is but a shadow of what it once was (because of destruction caused during the French Revolution and then again under German occupation in the Second World War).

Upon entering the Chateau one of the first sights to be seen is the Chapel of Saint Hubert which sits almost directly above the main entrance and has been described as “an absolute jewel” – it is! This is supposedly the final resting place of Leonardo da Vinci who spent the last years of his life in Amboise until his death in 1519.

Put me on the walls of a castle and I am normally looking outwards for the best views. Not so in this case. The views along and inside the Chateau walls are truly superb and the restored gardens certainly do the place justice…

But this is not to say that there aren’t some views outside the castle wall that are not also worth taking in…

I did a quick run around inside the Chateau (and I could talk for ages about some of the rooms which are fitted and furnished in a mix of late Gothic and Renaissance styles and; of course, I have made no mention yet of Francis II and his time at the Chateau with Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots – Vanya and I are almost obsessed with the Tudors & Stuarts) but I had to drag myself away to rejoin Vanya who was patiently waiting outside with our dogs.

There was just time left for us to take a short stroll around the pedestrianised old town (well worth visiting with plenty of fine old houses and lovely cafes) and stop for lunch in a small bistro along the banks of the River Loire (which in case you don’t know officially separates the north and south of France and also marks the furthest point north reached by the Moors as they pushed up from Morocco into Europe) before we set off for our next port of call – Saint Aignan.

Montrichard sur Cher (Centre Val de Loire), France – August 2020 (Tour 3)

Drove south today, passing through Tours, to the small town of Montrichard sur Cher in the Centre-Val de Loire. We weren’t aiming for Montrichard; it was just that Vanya found a reasonable looking stopover in “Camping Couleurs du Monde” (next to a fair sized Carrefours, which provided an opportunity to stock up on a few luxury items such as basic foodstuffs and essentials such as Vanya’s newly found Cremont wine) and we elected to settle there for a couple of days and “just chill'”. What a great find!

Okay, Tours has some impressive monuments and buildings…

I went exploring that first afternoon in Montrichard and two of the first places I stumbled upon were wineries, Domaine Merleau and Domaine Monmousseau. Time for some wine tasting but which to choose? Because it was 10 metres closer I did what any thirsty Englishman would do and chose the Domaine Merleau and… I did okay. Vanya would get her turn the next day.

It was so lovely and cool in those cellars

That first evening in Montrichard was lazy. I ambled back to the Van – sorry the Boomobile – where Vanya had produced just the right meal to follow white wine tasting – a prawn starter with a chicken salad to follow. Then we sat and drank wine and put the world back into perspective.

The following morning was about properly checking out Montrichard and, especially, the local market which was in full swing that day. It isn’t a big market but you can get just about anything you want up to and including a double bed. The charcuterie stall was particularly appealing – loads of pork and boar! We took the dogs with us (the French seem to love dogs; witness the Michelin experience back in Normandy) and this time even Beanie was sufficiently well behaved that we were able to sit and enjoy coffee at the edge of the market and just watch the world go by.

Music & dancing on the market place in 2020 fashion

One thing worth mentioning – As we sat down to enjoy the morning coffee in the market place, I ordered a cafe au lait while Vanya (forgetting that she is in France and not Italy) ordered a Latte and yet; when the waitress returns with our drinks, Vanya swears blind that the cafe au lait is hers and that it was me who ordered La The! To make matters worse La The was Earl Grey and I cannot stand the stuff!!

Vanya went for a short sleep that afternoon and I took the time to walk to and from the Chateau de Chenonceau (that’s about a 20 kilometre round trip) but because we had more wine tasting scheduled for that evening I didn’t have time to enter the Chateau itself.

The wine tasting was fun (we returned to the place I had visited the previous afternoon) and we came away with another couple of cases of white wine. Then it was off to find a restaurant in the centre of the town for dinner. Sod’s law, the wine served with our dinner that evening was a Monmousseau and Vanya hasn’t yet stopped telling me how much more she prefers it than the stuff I made her try earlier in the day at the Domaine Merleau. No matter, we had a great time sitting outside on a warm summer’s evening, eating huge buckets of Moules and listening to old music covers by a local combo (and, yes, drinking the finest wine I have experienced on the tour so far including the Pouilly Fume).

Montrichard in the evening is enchanting…

… and it was dark as we headed back to the Boomobile

Amboise tomorrow.