Blogs from Limousin, France, Europe - page 8

Today I woke up early and went took a walk to the boulangerie, épicerie and patisserie. We needed some bread (I bought a baguette and 2 pains aux raisins...mmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMM!), some staples (mainly cheese!) and a pâté de pomme de terre for dinner (on Jean-François's advice! - I had forgotten about it!). I also dropped into the butcher's to say Hi to Chantal and to get a bit of jambon. After a nice breakfast we decided we'd go to Guéret and see if we could catch the market there today and to have lunch at La Belle Epoque. Mom left me some Euros so that I would take Ken there was we were all so impressed with it the first time we went! Thanks, Mom! We truly enjoyed it!! Ken had moules et frites (mussels and fries) ... read more

Today I just laid low for most of the day. Still feeling a bit under the weather but I think I'm on the mend as I could eat today :) Yesterday I slept from 9 am to 5 pm with my stomach pains waking me up every hour but last night I slept through the night. I liked that! I had to drive into Guéret today to get the rental car checked because it had a pesky message telling me "le niveau de l'huile à réajuster". That lasted for a bit and then it said "niveau de l'huile correct" and then back and forth for the last 2 weeks. So, today I decided I'd better get it looked at before I make the 4 hour drive to Bordeaux tomorrow. Thank heavens for Google maps :) I ... read more

From Tours to Brantome (northern part of the Perigord region) we will pass through Limoges which has a beautiful porcelain museum ( www.musee-adriendubouche.fr ). In Brantome we will stay at Maison Fleurie (B&B) (www.maison-fleurie.net ). The owner is Carol Robinson, one of the many British expats living in this part of France. Brantome's river-meadow location earns it the regional title 'the Venice of the Perigord' .The Perigord is divided into four regions, the Périgord(s) Noir, Blanc, Vert and Pourpre; its geography and natural resources make it one of the untouched regions of Europe. The area is noted for its cuisine, more particularly its products related to ducks and geese, such as foie gras. It is one of the truffle areas of France, historically the most famous. Périgourdine wines include the famed Bergerac (rouges and blancs) and ... read more

Today we woke up to sunshine and blue skies and so we decided to drive east to the next region called le Puy de Dome. This region is known for the many volcanoes in the western part of the region. Puy de Dome itself is an inactive volcano which tourists can visit by 'navette'(shuttle bus) to the top during July in August. Between 2500 and 5000 visitors a day come in the summer and the parking lot at the top has spaces for 150 cars so they use the shuttles. Approaching the area from the west is beautiful. The volcanoes themselves become evident almost as soon as you cross into the region. The panoramas are stunning and continue to be so until you leave the region! Of course, the panoramas are breath-taking in Creuse, too, but ... read more

Today I woke up and walked up to the boulangerie to buy their special "pain feuilleté" (Jean-François - help!??) which is a cross between a croissant and a baguette and they only make it on the weekends. Mom made sure I went out and got some! It's delicious! After we gobbled that down, we jumped in the car and headed out on our day's adventure. We drove to the south west towards a large lake called Lac Vassivière. It's a lovely lake in the south west corner of the Creuse region and a part of it is also in the adjoining, Haute-Vienne region. The first stop of the day was Felletin to buy gas. The little rental car I have seems to be able to get about 900 km/tank (if you run it dry - when ... read more