Blogs from Midi-Pyrénées, France, Europe - page 47

This has been a week of achievement. The 2 back windows, tatty in the extreme, have been replaced and not only look better, but give more light, more I the way of views. Back door renewed, garage/front door replaced. Our house, like many down here, has no glamorous front door giving onto a spacious and gracious hall with a welcoming carpet, a few well-chosen pictures and an umbrella stand. You quite simply go in through the garage, with all the clutter you might expect there, and troop through to reach the rest of the house. However, the blinds that accompany the windows, ordered with them since last October, simply have not yet arrived. No explanation. Oh well, tough, we’ll hang onto our money, and they won’t get paid till it’s all complete. Curtains have been made ... read more

At the invitation of our neighbour Lulu, we went on another organised walk yesterday, with some rather older citizens of Lavalanet and Laroque. Dun , the village we started from, is a pretty community set among the rolling hills between us and Pamiers and Mirerpoix- a little more distant from the Pyrenees than us, but quite 'English' in its gentle appeal. We walked along country tracks, through ancient hamlets, and near the ruined castle of Dun, enjoying the comapny of quite a varied group of people. We have learnt nothing about hiking in France. We really should have known by now..... Abiout 2 and a half hours into the walk, our leader suddenly said 'This place'll do', and sat us down in a tree-lined spot, for...well, we supposed a rest. But no! There were a dozen ... read more

Yesterday was Mal’s birthday, so we celebrated by joining our walking group in a healthy walk. It should have been walking with raquettes in the snow, and a new experience for us-, but …… no snow. So an alternative meant driving over to nearby Foix and taking it from there. The Walking Club is a fun group. About 25 or so regularly turn up for the Sunday walks - not always the same people, but you can count on Roger the President, a likeable and jolly retired fireman: Nicolas, who likes to yodel and whoop on mountain walks in such a way that his voice echoes and reverberates round the surrounding slopes - we met him in Lavelanet market last Friday as he is one of the council road sweepers: Andrée is a retired teacher, with ... read more

by Austin Girl http://www.austingirlblog.blogspot.com In the quaint village of Castelnaudary, France there are polite, charming people who don't speak English. This is an important travel tip for those visiting who haven't mastered the French-At-A-Glance Phrase Book and Dictionary for Travelers on the long-ass flight over there. Our hapless adventure begins with Austin Girl, the non-speaking-French blonde Baptist traveler who visited the south of France for a few weeks while writing her screenplay. Armed with only the knowledge of two words: 'Bonjour' and 'Merci' -- she quickly surmised that she may be mired in deep doggie doo doo shit. Each morning, Austin Girl visited "The Caffe' Bar" located in the town square. And each morning, using a drunken form of sign language, she described her coffee drink of choice to the French-speaking Waiter Boy who had a ... read more

A day in the high Pyrenees with our new Rando de l’Aubo friends near Tarascon. What a pity the day has dawned so misty and grey. Never mind. We arrive at the ALDI car park which is our rendez-vous point, and don’t recognise any of the walkers arriving at the same time, but it’s probably old fogue memory loss, so rush round shaking hands anyway. One of the group says ‘We know you’re walkers, but you’re not from our group. We’re from Toulouse’. Oops. They depart, and in due course, so does our group, in convoy. We’re last. The car immediately ahead of us loses sight of the ones in front, and soon shows signs of being lost….. Up a side road in Vicdessos, some 15 km out of Tarascon, the passengers spend a long time ... read more