We will get straight on with this update as we can't think of an excuse
for being late!
Its a bit like setting off to school in good time and getting there late because
you find a load of distractions on the way.
Anyway, on with the update and apologies to any Gromit fans out there but
this time we have a Gromit free zone for a change.
Our friends Yvette and Said (who live on a Dutch Tjalk called Avesol) decided
to celebrate the end of winter with a special lunch on their back deck and
our first photo is of Yvette and their menu.
END OF WINTER
We were sure that the end of winter celebration worked as the weather over
here has been a vast improvement on last year (until the last few days that
is). Even so, we decided to take a break from the boat and headed south for
a little extra sun.
We chose Alicante in southern Spain as our destination for two reasons.
Firstly, the only train from France down through Spain goes through Alicante
and secondly, we had never been to mainland Spain before. As Brits well over
the age of consent who hadn't been to Spain before we were probably something
of a rarity. So not wanting to appear a snob, and inspired by a character
in the TV comedy "Keeping up appearances", David decided to wear
the appropriate sun wear.
ONSLOW IN HIS VEST
Of course the Spanish do seem to love bull-fighting which is a sport that
doesn't go down too well with everyone, including us. But it is a part of
their culture and cannot be overlooked so our next photo is of a very impressive
statue we came across.
FINE SPECIMEN
We arranged to meet up with our friends Jeff and Gwyneth whilst in Alicante.
Jeff's boat "Magdalena" is moored in our harbour and they were spending
some time in Gwyneth's new apartment nearby. We had a lovely tapas lunch with
them and as you can see, the weather was brilliant.
ALICANTE MARINA
Our hotel was a pleasant walk into Alicante each morning and we often saw
people sculpting in the sand. We rather liked this particular one.
BUDDHA
We made the effort to get up to "Castella Santa Barbara" (which
can be seen behind Jeff in the photo of Alicante marina). Luckily there was
a lift for the biggest part of the ascent. The views were spectacular and
well worth the visit.
THE BULL RING
We had a great week in Alicante with a mixture of walking, relaxation and
some new food experiences. So at the end of the week we were back on the train
and heading north for the south of France.
Apart from a pleasant overnight stop in Beziers, our next stop was to see
our friends David and Renate on board SUKI in the port of Carcassonne. David
loves walking and took us on some great guided tours of the old town. We are
sure he could get employment in that line of business if he wanted to! Again
the weather was very kind and eating out in one of the old squares was the
order of the day.
OLD CARCASSONNE
We hope that David (from SUKI) really doesn't mind the term "old mariner"
as this is the term he uses for himself.
OLD MARINER
We thought that the next photo should be in this update if only to prove
that we came and didn't conquer.
WE WAS 'ERE
David always enjoys the next sort of picture, showing craftsmanship of old.
WORKMANSHIP
Of course being so close to the Mediterranean means lots of fresh fish and
the next photo is of a typical fish shop.
FISH SHOP
Its not the same as back in the UK though is it? We really would love a
portion of fish and chips from the Bull fisheries in Mirfield. Oh well, dream
on ........
Next stop Castelnaudary, the home of a dish called "Cassoulet",
and with just one enquiry, we were sent to the "Maison du Cassoulet".
In a nutshell, this is a restaurant consisting of 3 large rooms which were
basically full on a Tuesday lunchtime in early February!! Now we know what
a cassoulet should taste like - wonderful!
CASSOULET
It was soon time to say goodbye to David and Renate in Carcassonne and hello
to David and Liz on their boat INGRID in Beaucaire.
Beaucaire we soon decided was a lot nicer place than some of the reports
had suggested. There are of course people who aren't impressed with Saint
Jean de Losne but then everyone is different. Places are like people - you
take them as you find them. A sunny day and a market on the doorstep, was
a very good start.
THE MARKET AT BEAUCAIRE
More sun on the back deck of INGRID and it was still only mid February,
certainly an improvement on the weather in Saint Jean de Losne.
SUN AT BEAUCAIRE
We also went to Avignon with David and Liz although of course you can't
do these places justice in a day. We didn't swallow any pamphlets but we do
know that one of the Popes lived in Avignon rather than Rome and the next
photo shows part of the Pope's palace.
AVIGNON
The Pont (bridge) at Avignon is also famous (probably for not reaching the
other side) and when Pamela was at Grammar School they were taught a little
song about it which went something like...
"Sur le pont, d'Avignon, on y passe, on y danse,
Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse tous en ronde
Les Mesdames font comme ca, les messieurs font comme ca"
etc. etc. etc.
NB: IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
All inaccuracies in the reproduction of the text of this famous French child's
song are entirely due to the fact that it is some considerable time since
Pamela had to sing it and she didn't much care for it in the first place!
PONT AT AVIGNON
We always find the French habit of "trompe l'oeil" (a trick of
the eye) amusing and this one had an odd couple of people just around the
corner.
TROMPE-L'OEIL
We decided to eat out on our last night in Beaucaire and although we were
the only people in the restaurant (it being mid February) the food was first
class. No doubt David and Liz will return and try something new from the menu
at a later date.
A GOOD NIGHT OUT
All too soon we had to return north to Lea Crest and Gromit, who was staying
with Ann and Lawrence at their home in La Perrierre.
It was just a short stroll to Tarascon station with the help of David's
trusty trolley. We didn't want to ruin the wheels on our new luggage. Unfortunately,
just as we got onto the platform, a wheel came off the trusty trolley.
ONE WHEEL ON MY WAGON
Back home and Gaby, who lives on L'Alliance, had been busy organising a
trip for us and our friend Uschi to visit his friend Jacques Damy who is a
barrel maker. Mr Damy's place (Tonnellerie) is deep in the heart of the famous
Burgundy wine region, near Pommard and Meursault (2 very famous wines) and
is state of the art modern.
Gaby and Jacques have the same love of cars and little did we know that
the car Gaby drove us there in actually belongs to Jacques. It did explain
all the people waving at us from the vineyards as we drove by though. As you
can see from the next photo of David and Uschi, the car was a 1963 Cadillac
and a beautiful example of luxury that could only be American.
ARRIVE IN STYLE
We were soon watching the impressive machines that quickly and accurately
cut the oak barrel staves and it was after this that the skills of the coopers
really started. The assembly, bending and finishing operations are still very
much as skilled as they have always been. Of course everything was done by
hand in the previous premises but now they make ten times as many per day
(100 approx).
THIS ONE MIGHT LEAK
Jacques showed us how heat and water help to bend the staves to shape. He
explained that any oak off cuts are used to fuel the fires and the deliberate
charring of the inside of the barrel adds flavour to the finished wine.
ADDING FLAVOUR
One of the last operations was to make the hole for the bung which is very
precisely tapered and, as you can see, cut with laser guidance.
LASER GUIDED
To finish off, the family name of DAMY is added and we must say that each
barrel is an absolute masterpiece.
SIGNED...
Apparently there is also a trade in used barrels which we didn't really
cover in our visit. But Jacques did say that the wine coloured crystals that
build up on the insides of the barrels are used in the manufacture of lipstick!
NOTHING WASTED
The prayer on the next picture translates as...
BURGUNDIAN PRAYER
My Lord,
Give me health for a long time,
Enough money,
Love from time to time,
Work not too often,
But burgundy (wine) all the time
THE BURGUNDIAN PRAYER
We finished off the visit at the home of Jacques, where we saw some beautiful
examples of old French cars and in the next photo Pamela is sitting in one
of them. It is a 1926 Citroen and is in fabulous condition.
JACQUES VOITURE
We were invited to taste some very good bottles of Pommard wine from the
village just along the road. One was a 1989 vintage and the other was a 1983!
It was a great end to a very special day and all thanks to Gaby and his friend
Jacques.
So that brings us up to the end of March which is a very busy month with
everything happening - people returning to their boats, invites out to lunch
or dinner and still jobs to finish on the boat. Maybe we didn't get them done
soon enough !!
We are not really sure what this year's cruise plans are as yet. But the
general idea is to make smaller trips out using St. Jean de Losne as a base.
There are 4 different directions we can take from here and we think that the
final choice will be governed by the weather and the state of the river. So
watch this space..........
Of course this SHOULD mean that we will be able to update regularly throughout
the season, but where have I heard that before I hear you cry!
Anyway, all the best to everyone and there will be more soon. (oh yes ??)
