Blogs from Poitou-Charentes, France, Europe - page 6

Riding on the French rail system is quite different from the Spanish. If it’s just an ordinary train ( not an TVE i.e. fast train) since I have a Eurail pass I don’t have to boo...k a seat but just get on and find a vacant seat, and be ready to show my pass to the inspector by completing the information for that journey on the pass. It seems strange but it seems to work! I sat in a compartment with 7 other very hot people (the AC did not work) on the train from Bordeaux. It said on the departure board that the train would be 15 minutes late leaving. That then became 25 minutes and the people in the compartment indicated that this is normal for the French train system. 45 Minutes late and ... read more

We've left Pamplona. It's hard to believe that it's only been a few days. In that time we had a 5 hour drive down to Mataro where we'll be setting up home in September. After a couple of days there and dropping off a lot of our possessions, we headed up into France. Another 5 hour drive saw us just to the north of Toulouse and a further 4 hours today brought us to Poitiers. Now Sunday evenings were never going to be very lively. Nevertheless we drove down into town and parked up near the Botanical Gardens. From there we walked into the centre which is really quite nice. It was beautiful walking around but everything was closed, except for some very expensive bars on the central square and a couple of North African restaurants. ... read more

We should have felt fully rested after a day off…..not really, the disco from one of the Chalets on the site was still rocking at 4am when Ian went to complain (along with many others), so slightly tired but with Oliver wanting to go we packed and were off in no time. We had spent the previous day doing very little but we did discover a fantastic Buffet Chinese – Hot Wok - (700 metres from the site) for 13.90 Euros each, (Approximately £11.30 GBP), eat as much as you can – and we did! Before going back into lazy mode for the rest of the day. Woolly says – I quite enjoyed the disco!!!! They played one of my favourites, all together now “I like to move it, move it”!! We were off to the ... read more

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012 - Up BRIGHT AND EARLY to drive 3 1/2 hours to Limoges to pick up a friend at the airport for a 3-day visit while we are in the Dordogne. Then we had to drive 1 1/2 hours to our swap in Villebois-Lavalette, near Angouleme. I am in the heart of Eleanor of Aquitaine country! We have found, or our friend has, that there is a very good restaurant in the town we are staying so that is where we headed to dinner. The name of the restaurant is Le Lavalette, and yes, it IS excellent. We were lucky in that we didn't have reservations, and were one of two tables served that evening. I have decided to stop eating so much (quality, not quantity you know...) so I had a lamb ... read more

We decided to expand our horizons and take a road trip to Castle De Rogeac or the Castle in the Rock. It was built in the 12th century but there have been folks living here since prehistoric times. It was a natural cliff with a cave that the builders expanded until it became a multistory castle. It is well protected with a great view of all the land around, so good for defensive action. There are two approaches labeled Steep and easy. In my opinion, both require a bit of sweat. Of course, how else would you get into a castle on a cliff? On the lowest level, the kitchen is a great picture of cooking in those times. Lots of antique utensils and a beautiful 16th century sideboard. On this same level there is a ... read more