Category: France

We packed up the next morning at Biarritz. I had been watching several homeless cats here too which i left fresh water for. We checked to see what was doing with the roadworks but they were about to dig up the road the next night so better we leave now. We decided to head back to the quiet location we knew at Vieux Boucau Les Bains just until the hot weather went which was a couple of days and also make sure the teeth settled ok.

We drove in and stayed away from coughingman. We stayed here until the Monday. On the Friday we stopped on the way for supplies and cat food for the homeless cats there. We had some great swims in the couple of days we were there, but there were some dumpers of waves so i kept to the shallows. We found out that on the Saturday the community were having a Fete de la mer to celebrate the sea. This place used to have a large port 600 years ago but the sea changed it all and Bayonne became the port and Vieux Boucau’s port ceased to exist. At lunchtime we went up to check it out and they had Moules and Frites (mussels and fries) and wine for 1euro a glass or 5 for a bottle. So we joined in and everyone just sat at long tables chatting to each other. We got chatting to some lovely people next to us and they explained the reason for the fete to us.

That night they put on tuna steaks and frites again with wine and music. We went for a wee while but went home to eat a bit later. It was really enjoyable. Sunday was spent carching up on the blog and emails and spending time with the pussycats, so a quiet day.

We left mid Monday morning as we needed to drive halfway across France to a place called Albi as we have friends near there we were visiting.

We drove through Biarritz 7 years ago but neither of us can remember what we saw and what it was like but remember we really loved it. The little aire that we are at is too far from the old town to go in. Scot has a walk down to the beach before it gets dark and comes back saying it is lovely. Again the heat gets to us overnight as it doesnt go below about 26 all night. All our windows are open and the light from lamp posts come in since we cant close blinds either. Im feeling rather drained by this stage. We get up and go for a morning swim to cool down. I have found another aire in Biarritz that is closer to the old town so we pack up and head down there still in swimmers.

We get to this aire and the barrier wont let us in. It doesnt like our English debit card which is a pain. We know that card service stations dont like it either but we havent had a problem yet at aires. We have 2 vans behind us who come to see what the problem is and they pay for us and i give them the cash. There arent a lot of people here, but there is a slight amount of shade under trees by the road so we park there. (Actually an incredibly dumb move we learn later)

We change and head into Biarritz on our bikes, but it is all uphill and i just cant manage it in the heat. So I walk the bike up. At least that part is all downhill on the way back. As we get around the seaward side our memories come flooding back. The water looks to die for, crystal clear and beautiful. This area has always been the playgound of the rich and famous on this side if France. Looking at the people swimming in the sea, its like salivating at a nice meal, but we didnt bring our togs.

What a lovely place this is. We think we will stay another day and come back for a swim tomorrow. As we walk around the northern side of the beaches, an elderly lady is knocked down on a crossing by a fellow on a bike. My first reaction was to get an umbrella over her as in that heat she could die with shock and dehydration, but how do you steal someones beach umbrella and explain what its for when you havent learnt those words yet. I felt helpless, but several people were taking care of her and it was about 5mins later a slsc person grabbed an umbrella off the beach. The fellow who hit her just got on his bike and took off. After i wished id had my camera ready to get his licence plate, what a bastard. It was quite some time before we heard the ambulance as well even though i knew they had been called.

We had a cold beer and picked up our bikes and went home. We changed and went to the beach for a swim. Half of Spain is at this little beach as you couldnt even swim without someone being in your way, but it was refreshing.

Still hot we left all our windows open. 30deg at 10pm is no joke. Then at 11pm the f**ken bastards starting doing roadworks right behind us. They had a concrete roadcutter that was a constant very loud grinding noise all night. We tried to close the windows but it was unbearably hot. Scot wanted to pack up and leave but by this time after midnight neither of us was in any shape to drive safely. These guys went on until about 4am at which point it had cooled to about 26deg which, with wet facecloths and closed windows we managed an hour or two of sleep.

So the plan to stay was aborted as we realised the digging was to start the next night. Such a shame as we loved Biarritz, but this left a bad taste in our mouth. We didnt want to leave the area as we want to make sure both our dental jobs settle nicely before moving on. The only safe decision is to go back to Vieux Boucau Les Bains where we know it will be quiet and the weather will be cooler so we can get some desperately needed sleep!

On Monday after a lovely refreshing swim ( we dont want to leave as it is just soooo hot) we pack up and head down towards the Spanish border. We decide to stay at St Jean De Luz, one of our favourite spots and it is only 45 mins to San Sebastian in Spain for our dentist appointments on Tuesday. We thought the aire would be packed but realise it is just too hot for most and there are only a few of us here. We do like it but we are drenched in sweat with no way of cooling down.

We have a wander through the town and could go for a swim, but it costs to use water here and we have paid to stay already so dont worry about it. We do stop for a drink in town before heading back home for tea. With all the windows in the van open it is dreadfully noisy. We didnt notice the traffic last year but it was still winter with windows and doors closed. It is so hot and noisy we hardly sleep at all. Everywhere we go we hear 2 stroke scooters and trail bikes which are revving madly and noisy. They are a pain in the arse. Scot reckons they musnt need a licence to ride them, there are so many of them, but he thinks the noise is good since you can hear them coming. We wont come back here again at this time of year if its hot.

We get up early and head off to the aire in San Sebastian where i hope we can park for at least the day. It is a 4.5km bike ride to the dentist from there so very convenient. All good and there were plenty of parks, but it is still and hot and after no sleep last night it will be unbearably hot here. It is high 30’s again and it is hot work biking into the city. I didnt realise how big San Sebastian is. The beaches are lovely and very crowded. We are wondering why so many people are at the beach on a Tuesday but realise later the Spanish school holidays have just started…buggar!

We find our dentist early and go into  the aircon to cool down and wait.  2 hours later Scot minus a large back tooth and me with my root canal done in what i think is record time and only 360euro for both. I am so glad we came to Spain. In Aus that would have cost us over $3000 to get done. Next time i am flying here to have it done plus a holiday. The owner of Sada clinica was a lovely man and came out to talk to us. He pulled Scots tooth as he is the surgeon here. He works one week a month in the UK which is good for his English. We are both feeling relieved its all out of the way.

We head back through the old town, park up our bikes and have a wander. We could spend a lot of time here. When you look down the narrow streets you just see endless little bars, each one with tapas on the bar. We stop at one for a drink and some tapas to eat. It wasnt a good choice of food, hot tapas left to go luke warm on a stinking day was a slight recipe for disaster when 4 hours later in a supermarket near the border, bad stomach pain meant having to urgently find a loo!!! So hard to choose which bar to go into as they all look amazing. We could go into a different bar every day and not go into the same one in a few months staying there.

As much as we are always reluctant to go near cities this one was great and easy parking up, although some roads were a little confusing where we needed to go. This is the silver lining to a not so good teeth event, we get to see San Sebastian. Would love to come back here for more time.

We had our few hours wandering and biked back to the aire. We decided not to stay the night even though we had paid for it as it was just far too hot. We learnt a very valuable lesson here too. A young guy came to ask us if we had a pump for his bike. I was sitting in front of the van and Scot went and got ours out. But later we realised his mate could have gone in our side van door and taken our wallets, passports etc that were sitting on the bed whilst we were distracted and we wouldnt have known about it. Lucky for us these young fellows were German and that wasnt their game, but this is what they do in some countries. We have let our guard down a little too much, back to being more watchful.

We leave the aire and head back up to France but stop at a Spanish supermarket before the border for our Spanish shopping list. Blue water bottles, raspberries, blueberries, olives, San Miguel beer and lots of it, etc. It is about 9pm before we get to an aire just north of Biarritz.

Its Friday and we leave Labastide D’Armagnac and head towards the south west coast. I have found an aire at the beach, that although costs 13euro a night everything is included and we can swim at the beach. We have to be in Spain on Tuesday so will travel closer on Monday. Being the weekend, by the sea and hot we figure the aire will be busy as it is when we get there. There are parks so we settle in and find ourselves beside a couple who are obviously living there but he is sick, perhaps cancer, but does this horrible coughing up, hoiking and spitting all the time and has his music loud. You do have to be careful who you park next door to!

We go for a bike ride into the small village where there are a few shops and restaurants. It is really lovely and obviously a very popular place especially when it is as hot as it currently is. They do have surf life rescue here which is good. We decide to spend until Monday lunchtime here and then go down futher to the Spanish border. We spend Sat, Sun and part Monday swimming, on the beach and enjoying a relax.

There is a small area here where someone has made a waterproof home for the homeless cats. I only see 2 of them today but there are 6 in total that i have noticed. 2 of them are very friendly and 4 very timid. People are leaving biscuits for them which is nice. I change the water bowls but havent any biscuits but i go and buy a few sachets of wet food and feed the cats. They have all been desexed which is good and they are now looked after by the campervan people.

We decide to risk dinner out and this time have a lovely pizza and salad meal at a very popular location. On our way back from the restaurant we bike over the bridge and watch the enormous flow of water making its way into the inland lake area this place has. It is a great playground for kids.

It is so hot on the weekend- high 30’s which makes it very hot at night, but here there is a slight breeze which makes it just bearable, but it is still difficult to sleep. It is safe to leave windows open here and i am not worried about intruders which helps.

We are up at 7am and away right on 8am from Montingac – a very early start for us. Wash day and i have spied a laundromat, so we take the 30min drive there and hope we dont have a long wait. The laundromat called a laverie in french opens early so we finish the chores early and get on the road. Quite often we seem to find that just as we turn up someone else turns up and beats us to the machine we want which means another hour in the carpark waiting.

We want to follow the river as this is the Dordogne area and is filled with medieval villages perched high on cliff tops. We really need to spend several days here to see it all but dont have the time at the moment. We have just been given an appointment at a dentist in San Sebastian, Spain so now need to head down there. As we travel we come to a barred road where we wanted to drive and there is an amazing village built on the hillside, but where the road has been barricaded the police are there and there is absolutely no parking for motorhomes so we cant explore but it looks spectacular. We have a major detour to go around but what a detour. We travel on this tiny road along the side of the river and really hope we dont meet anyone as it will be a tight squeeze. It is beautiful countryside indeed, worthy of taking some time to explore for sure. It is difficult to stop and take photos or even see properly from the road but we do our best. We travelled along the Dordogne river until we reached Bergerac and then head south. We have had some lovely wines from Bergerac.

We head down towards Marmande and google unfortunately in fine form sends us down a road where the bridge over the river has cross beams that are only 2.9m high. We dont know if we can get under it although we have been under a 3m supermarket barrier ok. We drive up to the jingly things that tell you if you are too high and Scot gets out to see if we are hitting them. Cars come along and we have to send them around us as we need to be sure. In the end Scot says our tv aerial just might not make it so we abort the bridge, turn around and go the long way round where we know we can get under it without a problem. It just isnt worth risking even the slightest bit of damage and once you are on theres no backing out.

We decide we will stop at a little place with an aire that is free called Labastide D’Armagnac. This is a tiny fortified village built in the 13th century. The aire is just a big field by a river with a handful of motorhomes beside the village. In the morning we explore the village and Scot is coaxed into trying some cognac made in the region but this is a light appertif for before dinner. Of course he is impressed and we buy some. I think we have more than 2 dozen bottles now so perhaps its time to stop buying wine now😁 like that will happen….lol. They will have to be drunk before we come home as there will be no room in the suitcases for them unfortunately.

The temperature is about to rise to the high 30’s as a heatwave travels through Europe and stay high at night so we need to be by the seaside where we can at least swim and get a breeze.

 

We set off towards Montingac late in the morning after saying goodbye to the 2 Brit couples and the fellow in the van next to us since he suddenly realised we were NZrs. I had a short conversation with him and he told me my French was very good, which i was chuffed at. He also made a point of telling Scot my French was very good which made me feel even better. I am enjoying learning new stuff each day and being able to get the French people i talk to, to understand me.

It is another scorching day and we have a long drive. We travel part of the non toll highway to get south quicker and the scenery is lovely. We know it is too late to get to Montingac today, so we find a supermarket and head to a small aire that is on a lake called Lake de Pardoux. The aire is full but we find a spot to park and take a walk down to the lake. Even though it is nearly 6 it is still so hot so a swim is in order. This is the nearest thing to a shower we have had since leaving England and it is so refreshing it is devine. At the lake there is a large confidence course and strangely they have a push bike up high to be ridden on a tightrope. Now that would be an interesting course to do. This whole area looks to be relatively new as they have a huge pool complex here as well, although why you would want to swim in a pool when you have a fresh water lake is beyond me.

Some of the patrons of the aire had us on when we arrived trying to tell us it cost 5 euro a night, but i know it is free. When they find out we are Kiwis we get the typical All Blacks banter and a laugh. We know the French are our nemesis so the banter is all in good spirit.

Scot is cooking us ham/turkey burgers tonight and it looks like the others are wanting to queue up at our van for theirs. It is all good humour and fun and makes for an enjoyable stay here.

Since we know it is going to be so hot the next day it would be so nice to just stay and swim in the lake but time is marching on and we have things to do.

We leave Cheverny the next morning and head towards Orleans.  There are no more castles on my list but we decide that Orleans might be a nice city to see and the aire near there is 5euro per night or 12 euro for 3 nights including everything except showers.  It is directly on the Loire and seems it will be quite nice.  It is Wednesday night when we arrive and it is a very popular aire.

I have decided that a lump I have found in my mouth at the end of a dead tooth needs to be seen by a dentist so we will stop here for a couple of nights in order to try and find one.  I believe it can be quite dangerous to have an infection in the gum with such a large lump as I have and leave it.  Although it isn’t painful, If I push up near my eye and nose, I can feel it all the way down to my tooth so time to get either antibiotics or find a dentist to do something.

This aire is really lovely and peaceful.  There are a number of nationalities here – French, Belgians, Dutch, Brits, Kiwis (of course) and Germans.  There are bikeways going alongside the Loire right into Orleans or back to the west to the previous towns.

We chat to a Brit couple who we give all our finished books to Gus and Sian. This couple have been travelling Europe for 5 years. They have a much bigger van than us and i am sure they have a washing machine on board and all. They definitely have air con which i am wishing we had as the temps are set to soar. The first day we cycle along the river into town. I have found a dentist that we will call on and hope they will see me. The ride along the river edge is quite rough so takes a little while to cycle through. Orleans have a tram which is very cool but we dont get to travel on it. We find the dentist and i have my french words all rehearsed, but that doesnt matter as they tell me they have no appointments and arent really interested even though i only want 5 minutes. We find a pharmacy to see if i can buy antibiotics over the counter like Spain, but no dice.

Orleans is a lovely town, but it was bombed during the war so a lot isnt new.

The next day i found a closer dentist with doctors so figure someone will see me. The dentist is lovely and she fits me in straight away before her next patient. She tells me my mouth is very bad and drills a hole right through the nerve which thankfully is dead so the tooth will drain and gives me a script for antibiotics. €23 later (so cheap) and i know down the track we need to get to another dentist to have a root canal done.

When we get back to the camp Scot goes for a bike ride down the river the other way and discovers there is a major French BMX competition on right near us that is on tomorrow. We are going to stay near Orleans now until Monday just in case my tooth causes major problems before we leave.

On Saturday we head along to the BMX track to take a look. It is mid 30’s and no breeze and the poor kids with all their gear on must be so hot. We have missed the main races and it is lunch time but we watch them have their trials which is interesting.

We get chatting to another Brit couple near us, Stuart and Elaine who are on the start of their 2 year journey around Europe and i almost wish it was us with the same knowledge we now have.

Scot decides the next day to head into town on his own to the museum and have more of a look around town. Joan of Arc was called the maid of Orleans as she was very close to being a saint there, so she has been immortalised there. There is a Joan of Arc house there. The small museum was amazing and he went to the Hotel Groflot that has the names of all the mayors that the town has had on its walls and tbe inside was stunning ( some photos below). The admission price for the museum also includes the Hisorique & Archilogique museum which is small but very interesting, it is great when one admission allows you to visit others.

It is a beautiful sunny day and Scot enjoys time on his own exploring the old part of town and a couple of cold ales. As much as cities are difficult to visit Orleans is easily accesible via bike and well the worth the visit. I stayed and updated the blogs since we had free wifi.

The temps here are getting high and we are not enjoying the sweltering heat. We have to go south so its only going to get worse before it gets better.

Come Monday morning and on Gus and Sians recommendation we are heading down to the Dordogne region and to Montingac.

After Chambord we headed straight for Chateau Cheverny.  There is a free aire there and we will stay the night.  We decided that since there weren’t a lot of people we will see this castle today and finish the last one.  We  park up in the aire and head over to the castle.  A huge storm is on its way and I want to get into the castle before it hits, but in true form the small queue in front of us takes forever to go through.  We have a bit of a walk to get there, but we make it just before the rain hits. This seems to be  bit habit forming – having thunderstorms.  I hope we don’t encounter any hail.  I have read that this castle is the best furnished in the Loire because they opened it to the public in the 1920’s.  It has also been in the one family for over 6 centuries and is still privately owned by them.  They have obviously kept the castle in pristine condition through all those years.

As we wander through, the rooms are beautifully decorated and they do have a lot of furniture on display.  They have opened up part of the castle and they live in the other wing not on display. Most of the rooms have hand painted ceilings and walls that were done by a painter called Pierre Monier.  The painting inside is amazing and very detailed.  This castle has to be by far the most spectacular inside, although quite a small one compared to the others. Cheverny was used as a model by Herge for the Tin Tin books.

They have large grounds here but the biggest contention I have about this place – where I would give them a zero rating is that they keep 100 hounds and go hunting twice a week with them.  The dogs are kept in a concrete enclosure that in my opinion is far too small and is quite disgusting to keep them in.  The dogs had open wounds on them from fighting each other and the poor females were being set upon by several male dogs who just wouldn’t leave them alone – a horrible stressful existence.  I was so disgusted at the end I wrote an awful comment in their guest book about animal cruelty.  This may have been ok a century ago but it isn’t ok in todays society.  Not to mention the poor foxes they hunt with 100 dogs descending on them, they don’t stand a chance.

We drove the short distance from Chenonceau to Chambord. We had detours in place all over due to public holiday markets being on and main village streets being closed. A bit of a buggar when you dont know until you get to the barriers and have to try and turn around and find another way.

Chateau de Chambord  is the largest and most grandiose of any castle we have seen and it does look impressive. It was constructed by King Francis 1 of France. The grounds are massive and you drive for a good few kms from the boundary wall until you get to the castle. The aire here is 12 euro and you get nothing for it except 24hr parking. Very expensive. We decide it is too busy this afternoon to go through, so will go again first thing in the morning. They have a few eating places and stalls so we sit and have a drink and then peruse the grounds. We did a wine tasting in a local cave and bought another 3 local wines/bubbles which are very nice.  I am impressed by the price they have on local wines in the caves.  Normally if you try wines in NZ wineries they are very expensive to buy – over $20a bottle where as here they range from 6 to 10 euro (probably cheaper in a supermarket).  I am sure once we get to the Champagne region that will not be the case and the price will hike significantly.

We hit the castle early again beating the crowds and on this Tuesday we get groups of school kids as well as the tour groups. We do manage to avoid most and get an unhindered view. This castle has rooms so large and high ceilinged that they had to build smaller ones from them and put false ceilings in so they could be heated. I image it to be freezing in winter here and quite unpleasant. In fact in past history no one really wanted to live there for any time because the land around was swampy and had midges and it was so difficult to heat because of its size. It is really quite obscene it is so big. They did a lot of hunting in their grounds because of their size. They have a 32km wall around the exterior and the forest houses deer and foxes amongst other animals.

On the outside walls there are black shapes giving it character. These are interestingly cut out pieces of slate that have been fixed onto the outside. An interesting feature but very effective from a distance. The castle houses a double spiral staircase which is very unusual but typical of this grandiose style of castle – nothing done on a small scale at all.

There is little in the way of furniture in this castle and they house a lot of art exhibitions in the top floors large rooms. The castle is owned by the state in France and has been since 1930.

Once finished at this castle we head off for Cheverny and what might be our last castle at this moment in time.