Last Saturday we went on a ralleye touristique, a kind of treasure hunt in the the car with cryptic clues identifying the route and the sites. We had to fill in a questionaire and take digital photos of the things we were supposed to find. (Some of our photos are available at Facebook.) It was an exhausting day, starting a 8.30, with a surprising amount of walking involved. And it was a real family day, with most teams having young'uns of various ages along. We saw many sites that we hadn't seen before, fairly close to home, including two churches with original frescoes. (We're planning on going to one a concert at one of these in June.) We overfilled ourselves with a picnic lunch along the way. In the afternoon, we were admitted to Cassinomagus, the Roman baths at Chassenon. By this time we weren't feeling much like walking to the distant temple to answer the question. Our team was wiped out at the end of the day, and none of us felt like attending the prize-giving and apéro (aperitif) or the omelet dinner. But we were quite proud that we'd managed to do the route and answer many of the questions, all in French.
Today we went on a randonnée sponsored by several local schools. There was a choice of a 6- or 11-kilometer route; we opted for the shorter, of course. The weather was very unpromising, drippy very much like Dutch rain. Pogo was disappointed not to go along, but we were quite glad he didn't on one steep, muddy bit where we wished we'd worn our wellies.
The walk included a complete meal at stops along the way. We started with an apéro at the starting point. The entrée (starter), main, cheese, and dessert courses were planned at stops along the way. Because of the weather, the stops were moved to covered locations and cheese and dessert where served together at the end.
The map showed the shorter route as red and the longer as blue. Arrows along the way directed the shorter route as blue and the longer as red. They neglected to tell us this at the start, but news spread along the way. Not feeling especially hungry at the start, we passed by the entrée which had been moved very close to the beginning of the route. The main course was moved to a shelter earlier in the route than originally planned, close to where the longer and shorter routes came back together, rather than near to the point where they would diverge again.
We were served a delicious slice of grilled ham on a length of baguette, garnished with lettuce and tomatoes. (That's a stack of individual-size potato chips sacks at the end of the table.) We were all a bit damp at this point, but enjoyed our meal.
Where we walked along regular roads, there were signs warning motorists of the hikers: Attention marcheurs. Where we walked along dirt roads, there were signs warning the hikers when crossing a road: Attention carrefour. At the one busy relatively intersection where we crossed, there was someone waiting in his car to slow down any approaching traffic. All remarkably well organized, if you don't worry about the red/blue mix-up.
Here's a slightly damp Kaye enjoying cheese and wine at the end. Dessert was a nice apricot tart.
Kaye has called about Ed's Carte Vitale again. We'll be called back on this coming Tuesday. We're not holding our breaths.
And one of the ovens in the new stove is not working properly so we have to negotiate getting that fixed. We went by the shop on Saturday morning, only to discover it was closed for the holiday (VE Day). Monday Kaye will try to reach them on the phone.
It's not looking good for the two remaining twayblades. A tractor seems to be using the path regularly. The one that's lower on the rut has been crushed, but still had life when we last visited. Still watching.
During a brief sunny spell yesterday afternoon, Kaye took some photos in the garden, which has, in general, been enjoying the damp weather. The camellias are almost over, and the rhododendrons just getting going, but the little azaleas are at their peak:
And here our lilies of the valley are finally showing themselves.:
Hi you two:
ReplyDeleteI LOVE reading your postings and drooling over your photos and food descriptions. I miss France (and I probably say this every time you write, n'est-ce pas?) Very impressed with your even entering in the quiz, and all your outings and activities. I truly want - and plan - to come for a visit one of these days but first have to arrange some major activities here in Toronto. We've had apparently the same weather as you: gorgeous all last week (temps around 25 degrees) but the past two has been rain and more rain (also much needed) and today it was only FIVE degrees with sun. Happy Mother's Day indeed :-) Take care, be happy. Talk soon, Karen xo