We took a couple more day trips for lunch – once going south to the town of Riberac which was quite nice.
There’s an old castle/fort above a lovely park, and some nice restaurants around a large square.
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The campground in Mansle has been as full as I’ve ever seen it, with many folks staying a week or more.
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Colin had another couple of tests and appointments and all went well – even the extremely rude urologist was fairly polite the second time. Finally we were free to return to Spain! The birdies will miss us, and I hope the jasmine, passion flower and clematis manage to survive.
I drove the new BMW while Colin and Max were in the campervan. It took a lot of will power but I managed to keep near the speed limit – at least most of the time. Getting around Bordeaux was, as usual, a big pain but we did make it. We stopped for the night a little past Zaragoza and made it to the house just after noon on the second day.
We’ve enjoyed the pool almost every day, and had lunch out at Los Cerricos – not so many cats this time.
We’ve been spared the awful fires that are affecting many parts of Spain right now, but the dust from the Sahara is covering everything – there’s no way to keep it out of the house or off of anything.
Most of the terrace plants are doing really well – we haven’t been at the house this long in past years so they’re getting tended and watered more. The jasmine especially is very lush, and the two tomato plants have sprouted up like crazy.
Colin’s hernia operation went well – he has a follow-up appointment soon to make sure all is ok. I convinced him to use my upstairs bedroom for a week while I used the spare bedroom/office/library. Thus he didn’t have to go up and downstairs as much and all he had to do was move into the lounge to get to the couch and watch tv while he recuperated.
The ‘honey man’ is at the market every Friday morning – I’ve tried several of his products and all are delicious. We also get what we can from the veggie people, and have tried scallops from the fish guy.
We took a drive to Confolens one day for fish and chips – it ended up being a bit of an ‘adventure’. First of all we went in the campervan as the fish and chip shop is quite small and in case there wasn’t room we’d be able to park somewhere nice and eat inside the campervan.
There were roadworks on the way and the main diversion included going under a bridge with fairly low clearance. We couldn’t fit under so turned around and ended up following another campervan that seemed to know where they were going, eventually getting across the river and into the town. To top it all off the cafe was closed due to ‘it being too hot to open’!
We’ve been to the little restaurant at Villognon several times now and always enjoy what we get, although I must say that the duck confit I had the first time was my favourite.
We helped out at the annual ‘kids’ races in Saint Angeau, parking the campervan at a side road near the finish line to marshall any traffic and prevent them from turning in either direction. Luckily there was a french lady on the other side of the main road doing the same thing and she took care of most of the interactions with the drivers. There was only one driver that was somewhat ornery, but at least he did as directed and didn’t try to run us over.
The following weekend we helped again at another race – the Paul Poux, which has about 300 entrants and covers three different routes of varying lengths. This time Colin and I were at different places – he was right in Goue and I was just down the road at another spot. I was very nervous about being alone and not being understood so I printed up four papers in french with phrases on them such as ‘there is a cycling race on’ and ‘you may only turn left when I tell you it’s safe’.
There ended up being many more cars than I expected entering and leaving my little side road, but every driver was extremely nice and co-operative and several laughed at my phrase pages. Luckily the races had started early as it was getting very hot by the time we left around 10:30.
On our way to Aigre one day we saw that the restaurant in Villejesus had re-opened. We were very happy to see that and stopped on the way home for a drink. There’s a nice war memorial across the road…
…we went back several days later to have lunch but they wouldn’t let the dog inside and we didn’t want to sit on the outside area as it’s right on the road so ended up getting pizza from one of the places in Aigre.
The next weekend we helped out at yet another local race – this time the regional gravel championships.
There are many ‘white roads’ around here and it was a sunny and hot day. We were assisting at the water table, handing out bottles as the riders passed. I ended up taking over the opening of the bottles and setting them out on the table for the others to ‘hand’ to the riders as they pass – not as easy as it might sound in some cases.
Colin got a new car! He’d been looking online for a Porsche Panamera but decided that the potential maintenance costs could get pretty high so we ended up at the BMW dealership in Angouleme. He’s dealt with them for many years and ended up getting a lovely sporty coupe.
I wouldn’t want to be getting in and out of the back seat as a passenger but the dog likes it, and the hatch/storage area is huge. Apparently it’s really nice to drive but I haven’t tried it out yet – I’m fairly comfortable with the ‘old’ blue one (which we have kept) but will eventually have a go with the new one.
We made another trip up to Confolens and had success this time with the ‘english’ fish and chips. The shop is quite small and there’s only sitting outside with space for about 20 people. We were lucky as we hadn’t made reservations and it was the best fish and chips I’ve had in a long time. Having delicious local french cuisine at one of the many restaurants we now frequent is one thing, but fish and chips brings fond memories from childhood.
We took delivery of firewood for next winter – the pile seemed so large when we started…
…but it only took about 90 minutes – with a small break – to stack it neatly on the lower terrace.
Colin had a follow-up appointment with the hernia surgeon and she was quite pleased with his recovery. He also had an initial appointment with a urologist – he was one of the rudest professional people I’ve ever encountered. First of all, when we were in the waiting area a woman came out one door and muttered ‘that was very rude!’. When we’d gone in we realized why – the doctor was constantly saying very nasty things under his breath in french because Colin’s french isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to medical terms. Part of the problem was that I understood much of what the doctor was saying and it took all of my self-control not to reach out and slap him, then dramatically storm out. I really hope that Colin doesn’t need surgery as that doctor was horrible.
On a nicer note we got a small bird-bath for our feathered friends – it has a solar-powered pump that makes a little fountain so now they have a fat-ball feeder, a lovely seed feeder (made by Claire) and now a water source.
Since being back in Mansle we’ve gotten into a nice, if somewhat lazy routine. I’m usually up pretty early, then after breakfast and a cup of tea we take Max down to the campground for a run about (him, not us!). Then we go to one of the bars for a coffee/drink.
We’ve been out for some very nice lunches – my new favourite place is in Villognon. I had the duck confit the first time and it was just delicious – we’ve been back a couple of times since. Then for Colin’s birthday lunch we went to the Cheval Blanc in Luxe, and it was so good! I think my favourite course was the cheese trolley but by then I was so full I could only sample a few of the twenty or more offerings.
We’ve had to leave Max behind a couple of times, and he wasn’t happy about it – witness the destruction left in his attempt to get into the garbage can to ‘help himself’.
On Easter Sunday we went to the bar for a drink and passed an old fellow carrying a bunch of ‘greenery’ – turned out he was on his way to the church. We saw that most of the other folks were also carrying bunches – looked like weeds to us, but I think it was ‘palm Sunday’, although they certainly weren’t palm fronds.
There have been several heavy rainfalls, with the river going up and down each time. The hippodrome has been flooded and even the road down to the campground was closed for a few days due to the overflow.
The local cycling club hosted a regional race about a week ago and there was a good turnout. Colin and I manned the beverage table, and we got a delicious lunch first with all of the other helpers.
There were several motorcycle riders helping as well to lead out the various groups of riders.
It was a lovely day and we were very glad to have been able to help out.
We ended up with lots of leftover coca colas (I did not have one – never in my life), but ran out of beer (not my fault either!).
It was VE Day yesterday and it was a big deal here – far more important than ‘May Day’ last week.
There were several different groups of service people represented at the local war memorial where they layed wreaths, then all gathered at the bar for a drink afterwards.
It’s the most crowded I’ve ever seen the place!
I know that in other places in the world the end of WWII was a big thing, but over here, especially places like France, Belgium, The Netherlands, etc it is a really, really big deal. It hits you in the face at times like you can’t even imagine back in Canada.
Whether you’re seeing a large cemetery with hundreds of graves or a small roadside memorial to one unknown soldier – they are everywhere. And each and every one is immaculately kept and tended with love by the local people.
We’ve been to a restaurant just outside Ruffec a few times now – it’s an old water mill that’s been nicely redone into a lovely restaurant that has really excellent food.
There’s a little white resident dog that wanders around – very cute but could use a bath.
After the first restaurant visit we popped up to the nearby town of Civray – it was a very important town for the resistance in WWII. Since it was just past Remembrance Day there were still some beautiful flowers around the base of the war memorial.
The town also has a very old church that goes back to the 1100’s. As usual I went in for a look while Colin and Max stayed outside.
There seemed to be many different styles of decorations, some of which were quite lovely, but overall the effect was a bit of a mish-mash.
We made a couple of visits up to the charity shop in Sauze-Vaussais – mostly for jigsaw puzzles and books, although they also have hundreds of DVDs and CDs. It’s almost all Brits that volunteer there and shop there, and as it’s a charity for animals dogs are welcome. Max always gets fussed over where ever we go.
Max still loves going to the campground for his daily run-around – he ventures off on his own and runs back and forth to us from time to time as we walk too slowly for him.
The rain every few days has kept everything nice and green…
…and the town has put up their Christmas decorations.
The Penalty Bar has had two very nice lunches – the second one was my favourite as it started with Coquille St Jacques, followed by whole baby chicken, then a lovely cheese plate and dessert. I accepted a shot of cognac but Colin had to partake of it for me – he also had my dessert. The lunch was followed by karaoke – Edith has quite a good voice but the other folks that got up and sang left a bit to be desired. One lady was somewhat ‘entertaining’ as I think she had a more than a bit of wine with lunch, but she looked like she was having fun.
The local cycle club is celebrating its 130th year and had a really interesting display in the town library.
We did have one little bit of ‘excitement’ with a small visitor. Colin noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye one evening – it was a mouse! As we didn’t want to kill it we went to the garden centre the next morning and got a ‘live trap’ that we set with some of our precious cheddar. It was a very crafty little thing, however, and three times managed to get the cheese out without triggering the flap. We were finally successful in the end by baiting it with a couple of half-open hazelnuts.
Colin let him out under a bush next to the parking area in front of the house – I hope he finds a warm dry place for the winter, as long as it isn’t back in the house!
We left for Spain on Dec 24th and had two quite long days of driving, although the traffic wasn’t bad and there was no ‘border’ check entering Spain. We arrived at the house on Christmas afternoon and it was so warm on the back terrace that I ended up in shorts and flip-flops – although it is not always so nice. It does get quite cold at night, although not yet below zero. I’m still getting lettuce, chard and collard greens from the garden and look forward to planting more than just the one raised bed in the spring.
Colin had some more appointments in France so he and I headed back up in early/mid October. We stopped in Logrono as usual to pick up a few cases of Rioja.
As we were staying overnight in the large camper parking area just north of the river we took the opportunity of going across the pedestrian bridge and walking around the ‘old town’ a bit.
We stopped at a bar in one of the main squares and had a drink, then moved along to another one.
We were actually hoping to find a nice tapas bar but perhaps were on the wrong street.
In any case we had another drink, then Colin got a frozen yogurt cup from one of the many yogurt shops.
We kept seeing folks passing us carrying guitars, etc – they were buskers as that seems to be a big thing here. Also we were approached by a couple of beggars – also seems to be big here.
Logrono is an important stop along the Camino so there are lots of statues and signs along the way.
After a fairly quiet night we were on our way early in the morning, passing by Bordeaux with no problem, and arriving back in Mansle in the early evening.
After reading for the last couple of months about all the rain and crappy weather in Mansle we seem to have timed our return right as we’ve had relatively nice weather. We even got out for some bike riding which felt very good – it’s hunting season here so I did use a high-viz vest.
We spent one Sunday going to the monthly market in Rouillac – it’s a huge one and was very well attended. I actually made a purchase – some new black track pants.
On our way out of the market area we stopped and got some fresh beef sausage – excellent for lunch with new potatoes and peas.
The following weekend we returned to the same area and went to the Roman ruins ‘Les Bouchauds’…
…which has a large amphitheatre and sanctuary, and is still an active archaeological dig site.
The amphitheatre is built into a hillside and there are fabulous views from the top.
The bike ride we went on a couple of days after Nov 1 – All Saints Day in France – all of the local cemeteries had loads of new fresh flowers, mainly chrysanthemums.
As we went through the village of Monpaple on the way home that same day we heard a loud noise – it was a flock of cranes above us heading south for the winter.
The town’s ‘beautification’ project is starting to show – some of the bushes are blooming and look just lovely.
The river has risen and flooded again as the rain just keeps coming and going. The date of opening for the campground keeps changing – usually it is May 15 but with all the rain it’s been delayed – the most recent news is July 1…I guess we’ll see.
As we were both starting to get cabin fever we took a little trip to the coast for a couple of days, heading to the Ile D’Oleron (just south of Rochefort), which is accessible via a bridge.
We found a lovely place to camp that was about 100 meters from the ocean – almost all of the other campervans had dogs, and most of them also had bikes.
The island has many great walking and cycling trails.
At the north end of the island is the lighthouse.
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We went to the town of Boyardville for lunch and you could not get fresher seafood – I bet the mussels were harvested that morning.
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We spent another quiet night at the aire, then left for home around noon, taking the coastal road almost all the way to the bridge.
Colin had two very good appointments – one with his cardiologist and the other with his oncologist. So now we finally have the green light to get out of town again!
The town of Mansle is doing lots of ‘beautification’ work – putting in planters and some lovely cobbled sidewalks, etc.
It’s a bit of a pain while the work is being done but should look great when it’s finished.
The nearly constant rain has caused the local rivers to flood and the Charente is no exception.
We can’t take Max down to the campground for his run anymore as it, as well as the hippodrome next door are completely under water.
Colin goes out each Wednesday afternoon driving the ‘pickup’ car for the local cycling club and I’ve developed a habit of popping down the the kebab shop for a donair and fries to eat while he’s gone.
Max is ok when he’s with me but he does look for Colin.
They’ve completed pruning back the trees around the square – it’s amazing that in a few months they’ll be shading the whole place again.
The trip back down to Spain was good – a bit of rain on the way but not too tough. Getting back to the house was great – and the weather was so much better than it had been for weeks in Mansle.
There’s still a lot to do in the garden – getting water at first was a bit of a pain, but once the local orchardists and farmers started using it again we had no problem.
The pellet burner was great – having it on for a couple of hours a day gets the radiators heated and the whole house gets warmer.
We haven’t been out on our bikes at all, and both Colin and I were struck down with covid (we think). He got sick several days before me and we both lost almost two weeks being unable to do anything.
Max has settled in very well – he just needs at little more exercise to work off some of his energy. He’s a very well behaved fellow with an extremely gentle disposition – I think Colin lucked out with him.
On Saturday there was a meal at the bar that we really enjoyed. It started with a salad that had pieces of meat in it – when I asked the english fellow that was sitting next to me what it was he said some fancy french name. When I asked again – no, what is it? – he revealed that it was chicken gizzards. I was a bit concerned that it would be like liver or kidney but it wasn’t at all – it was actually pretty tasty and reminded me a bit of pork. I ate most of it, although did have a bit of help from both Colin and Mo.
The main course was duck leg served with creamy mashed potatoes and truffle – it was absolutely delicious, and probably the best meal I’ve had at the bar. I couldn’t manage the cheese course or the dessert, although they both looked equally good. We’ve met the english fellow before and he’s quite nice – he has a big old dog that’s blind and very well behaved, even when food is around.
The next day we attended two events. The first was a sportif sponsored by the local cycling club – there were four different routes depending on how far each rider wanted to go. We helped out at the food stop that was setup at the ‘lake’ near Luxe – we made sure all of the various food plates were re-stocked as groups arrived and devoured things.
After the last riders had left we helped pack up and take things back to the hippodrome, which was the location for the start and end of the four routes. About an hour later all of the helpers regrouped for a lovely lunch of roast pork and a potato and cheese dish, along with a nice green salad and the usual crusty french bread.
The second event was very enjoyable as well but a bit more serious. We’d gotten tickets to the Kiev ballet and the place was packed – I estimate there were probably 700 or 800 people there.
It was a fund-raiser for the ballet company as they’re basically trapped and unable to return to Ukraine because of mad-dog Putin and his insane illegal invasion and attempted genocide.
They started out with a demonstration of basic warm-ups and exercises, then got into the real show – and it was thrilling.
They did a lot of different numbers, and at the end got a rousing standing ovation.
We really, really enjoyed the evening, and it seemed everyone else did as well.
We packed lightly and got away again on Wednesday morning, crossing from France to Italy through the tunnel and reaching Susa in late afternoon.
We’d booked a B&B and it was a nice little family-run affair with boys playing basketball in the courtyard and grandma and grandpa tending the backyard garden.
After settling in we went for a short walk – some nice little ponies next door and a couple of donkeys next to them.
Also back the other direction some very nice looking goats.
After breakfast at a decent time the next morning – including the best coffee we’d had in months – we were on our way again by about 8:00. We made pretty good time for the first couple of hours, then started noticing how heavy the traffic was becoming. We almost came to a standstill at some points, even though there were virtually no semi-trucks on the road.
We finally googled and found out that it’s a holiday in Italy and folks seemed to all be off to the Adriatic coast for a four-day weekend – bad timing! Luckily as soon as we turned south towards Perugia the traffic died completely – barely any, although lots of road construction.
We arrived in Papiano early evening, stopping at the bar for a quick drink and to say Hi to Antonio.
Removal of the skanky jacuzzi contraption made the terrace look a lot better.
And it’s lovely to have a garden that is well planted and laid out.
Leaving the house on a Sunday was a bit sad – we’d just started to get used to being there, but at least we’ll be back fairly soon.
We drove generally east and up the coast before turning inland just past Valencia. Originally intending to stop around Zaragoza we ended up finding an aire well short of that in the town of Teruel. The aire wasn’t too bad – right across from a guarda-civil station and next to a skateboard park. Lots of activity and noise until a certain time, then remarkably quiet.
As usual when going a long distance we passed through lots of beautiful countryside and saw many sites of interest – although also as usual we didn’t stop except to let the dogs out now and then.
We originally planned a three-day trip but the second day’s drive went so well that we made it to the border and decided to keep going all the way to Mansle – stopping of course for a few things from the cheap shops right on the Spanish side of the border.
We hit the Hope Charity shop for more books and jigsaw puzzles, and the next day had a lovely fish-and-chip lunch with Tony and Joyce. The owners of the restaurant have several dogs, and are caring for several others that were rescued from Ukraine – I believe they have 9 now!
We have, of course, visited the bar a few times and it’s so nice to see Edith and Sylvain again, as well as many of the other regulars.
There’s a fund-raising ballet in town tomorrow for Ukraine, and their flag is flying along the side of the church right across from the bar.
Snoopy is doing well – getting a little bit plump from all of the treats they give to all of the doggies. Mo and Henry like going to the bar at least as much as we do!
Walking home the other afternoon after coffee I noticed a door-knocker on one of the houses.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve walked along the street and never noticed but interesting door-knockers are everywhere…
The hands are actually a bit creepy – reminded me of Thing in the Addams Family.
We’ve had some rain but also some lovely days and the spring blossoms are beautiful.
The birds in the neighbourhood are ravenous – we’re not sure how many fat-balls they’ve eaten, and the seeds in the blue ball feeder go down super quick. I guess the birds are feeding their little ones right now so need all the extra food they can get.
The Giro d’Italia is on right now and for the first time in six years we’re not going to see any stages live so we’re compensating as best we can by watching GCN-plus on tv (via Colin’s phone). Hopefully next year…
We got on the way from Mansle at a decent time in the morning, heading east through pouring rain. The sky cleared a bit from time to time but it was generally a grey day.
We arrived in Chambery after a fairly long drive and checked into the hotel before taking the dogs for a short walk. They are such good little travellers, and we make sure we stop regularly so they can have a little walk (ie: pee).
Since we’re in the car this time the seats in the back are down and Henry has his bed behind my seat so he can see Colin because then he doesn’t bark. We tried putting Mo in the back also but she didn’t look comfortable perched on her blanket atop some luggage so she now lays on my lap on the blanket with her harness clipped to my seatbelt.
The next morning we continued east – it was still a bit grey out but not as much rain.
Passing through Bramans Val Cenis I finally realized we’d been through this pass before – albeit from the other direction – when we saw one of the Hannibal statues.
I’m not sure it’s been proven that Hannibal took this route over and through the Alps but it’s certainly possible.
We stopped just before noon at a cafe at the top of the pass – it was fiercely windy and had actually started snowing!
The proprietor of the cafe was a very old lady – when she spoke it sounded like every second word was Italian, although when I tried to converse with her she said in French that she didn’t speak it.
A few miles down the road we stopped again so I could take some photos – Lac du Mont-Cenis was looking spectacular with a bit of mist rising and whitecaps from the wind making the water look extra dark. The place is half-way between Paris and Rome.
Only a few miles later and we were in Italy – again, just as passing from Spain to France, there was no border stop or covid check. We only knew we were in Italy by the road signs and potholes.
A few miles outside Susa we saw a large message on the side of a mountain – ‘TAV = MAFIE’.
I googled it later to find out what it meant – there is/was a lot of opposition to the plans to build a long tunnel to accommodate a new high speed rail line. Apparently there’s a lot of mafia infiltration in the construction industry, as well as many corrupt politicians – well, it is Italy!
We checked into a nice hotel in the village of Fornaci, not too far from Bergamo – we’re spending a few days on a little vacation before the race on Saturday. The hotel has a nice restaurant and we enjoyed a lovely, although quite late dinner.
The next day we took a drive to re-con the race route, planning to pick a spot somewhere on the last climb of the day – the Passo di Ganda.
As we followed the route up through Orezzo, over the top and down into Selvino we remarked more than once how fortunate it was that we were in the BMW rather than the campervan. The road was extremely narrow in spots and very winding and it’s possible the campervan wouldn’t have been able to negotiate parts of it.
Since we hadn’t passed many likely spots to park on race day we decided to watch from somewhere in the town of Selvino. Another consideration was access to a cafe – and toilets, which is one of many perks of having a campervan that weren’t available in a car.
The drive down to Nembro was interesting, including twenty hairpin turns, each with a sign showing the name of an Italian cyclist. Also included was the usual last-minute road works on the race route.
The next day we took a lovely drive up to the north end of Lago d’Iseo and down the east side, stopping along the way in the town of Marone.
It’s a nice little place, and being right on the lake it has lovely views, as well as some interesting architecture.
We left Marone and continued south along the lake to the town of Iseo, where we stopped for lunch.
Iseo is a beautiful place – we’ve used the campground more than once before, including on my first trip four years ago.
Returning to the hotel we were both so full from our excellent lunch that we didn’t bother with dinner, planning to get up nice and early so we could get to Selvino before the roads were closed in the morning.
Sally McKenzie's European Adventures 