Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Monday 8th October 2012
Our journey started in the rain and the first week concludes in a similar vein.
We left Clevedon in torrential rain which stayed with us until we reached the Eurotunnel at 3.45pm. Our train left at 5.20 and we arrived in Calais at La Bien Assise by 7pm
Here for Monday and Tuesday nights, we enjoyed the site as the wooded grounds of a grand French Chateau it used to be. Just one small area set aside for the end of season travellers meant we were able to wander the paths in peace and tranquility, stripped of the hullabaloo of summer campers.
Dark trees, damp grass and row upon row of temporarily redundant power points, devoid of their garish orange cables.
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Leaving Calais in bright sunshine, we headed towards our second stop at Olivet, a little over 250 miles south.
Arrived in time for an early dinner to calm weather and 17 degrees. Quiet time now so plenty of sitting around and reading. Well, at least for Wendy. I was desperate to get my new satellite dish working and had rashly promised we'd be listening to The Archers as if we were at home. In the event, despite the help of a local monsieur, I failed totally to achieve anything from the dish other than a few far eastern channels and so we reverted to listening on Long Wave.
Thursday 11th October
Rained on and off most of the day which did nothing to inhibit my attempts
at getting the satellite dish to find a signal. Never did get connected but did
get very wet.
I don't know what the collective noun is for Nuthatches but, during one of
the breaks in the rain, we saw five, all at the same time and on the same tree, the one on the left of this picture.
Binoculars of course were stowed away in the car, as was the camera.
Friday 12th October
More rain to start the day but we have become lazy risers and so, by the
time we were ready to pack up the sun was out and the sky blue.
We left at 10.40am and pulled into the site in Limoges at 2.30pm in bright,
warm sunshine. Monsier and Madam were two of the nicest and most helpful people
and loaded us up with leaflets and brochures on the history and attractions of
Limoges. Pottered around in the afternoon and I had yet another unsuccessful
attempt at getting a signal on the satellite dish. Thinking of quietly leaving
it behind the ablutions, for the dustmen to collect.
Saturday 13th October
Bright start to the day in more ways than one. Dry and bright, both the
weather and an extremely friendly Dutchman in a camper van opposite us. He had
his satellite dish up and, I presumed, in working order whilst I was still
faffing around trying to get a signal. May I help you, he said in perfect
English, oh please I said. And so, with the aid of a decent (Dutch) compass,
within half an hour we were up and running. Hand shakes all round.
That evening it rained. We watched Dad's Army.
Sunday 14th October
The day started bright and we headed off into Limoges with a catalogue of
places to see and things to do. We went first to a flea market in the city
centre with its very French array of wrought iron, statues, stuffed animals a
variety of art deco furniture. We couldn't decide which was the most
interesting, the objects for sale or the people. We decided it was the people. A
chilly wind blew up and we quit the streets and headed off for the Cathedral.
Mass was being said to a sprinkling of Limoges residents and we stood in the
back and listed to some spine tingling choral music. They never sang like that
when we went to church.
From the Cathedral it was a short walk to the renowned railway station.
Built in the Art Deco style it was a delight of glass, steel and stonework. Half
and hour and many photographs later we decided to find somewhere for lunch. As
we walked up through the gardens leading back into the city the wind blew and it
started to rain. Most restaurants we came upon were closed so finally we decided
to head for home and a bowl of Baxters tomatoe soup.
The rain faded to a gentle drizzle and we needed to walk. Madam directed us
to a woodland trail just outside the site so, equipped with Brollys and wet
coats we set off. Very quiet except for the "white noise" of heavy rain on tall
trees.
Monday 15th October
Left Limoges in bright sunshine and found our way to Camping Les
Eychecadous, some 50 miles south of Toulouse. Hot, at last! 25 degrees and a
clear blue sky. Straight into shorts and sandals.
We are the only ones here. Although open all year it seems the winter
months can be very quiet but then they did have 40cm of snow on the site last
winter. Once again I spent several lonely hours, outside, slowly turning and
tilting and longing for Wendy to call out "YES", meaning, we've got a signal.
Never did, just got very cold.
Tuesday 16th October
Maintaining our new status as lazy risers, breakfast was hardly digested
when it was time for lunch. We needed supplies and Franz, our congenial host
suggested we go into Foix, for the nearest large supermarket. He gave us
directions saying it should take about half an hour. We immediately forgot his
directions and decided to rely on sat-nav. This took us on a switchback road
which crisscrossed the foothills of the Pyrenees. We arrived just over an hour
later.
Surprisingly we remembered some of the directions Franz gave us but still
didn't get back to the site until 7pm. After a late meal Wendy went to bed and I
continued with my obsession. My ureka moment came just after 11pm when I heard
that longed for call. YES! Tired but happy I too went to bed.
Wednesday 17th October
Lazy rising becoming the norm now. The day was warm from the start and
continued that way. We were busy between bouts of reading and sitting in the
sun, listening to the sound of the local church bells ringing out the Angelus at
12 noon and 6pm. In the gentle warmth of the afternoon we walked into the
village of Artigat, visiting the church and sitting in the square, watching
people. Later, as the sun went down, we decided to put the awning up. All went well despite a strong wind.
Thursday 18th October
Today we took the awning down, bundled it up and put it in the boot of the car. The wind blew hard during the night, so much so that we were in danger of taking off. Despite the wind the temperature was steady at 24˚ and in the afternoon we walked into the village of Artigat. Here we found the church with the bells we can hear ringing out across the fields of maize between us and the village.
Friday 19th October
Up a little earlier as we planned to spend the day in Toulouse. You wouldn't believe how difficult we made it just getting into a multi-storey car park. Desperately trying to avoid trams, bus's and of course other cars we finally managed to park and made our way down to the Metro. Our French being minimal it took us some time to fathom out the ticket purchasing arrangements but finally bought the equivalent of a Rover ticket giving us all day travel on the Metro.
The early start was wiped out by the time it took us to park and getting into the Capitole (city centre) so by the time we stepped off the Metro it was time for lunch. Fortunately we found a restaurant almost immediately and enjoyed a delightful meal. Although still quite windy it was warm and we set off to explore the streets of Toulouse.
Saturday 20th October
There is a small shop in Artigat which opens for two hours in the morning and two in the evening but it is just a small village shop so to replenish our food stocks we needed to go into Foix, some 12 miles from here.
We go to Intermarche, a hypermarket far larger than any we've seen at home and has a fruit and veg section the size of Clevedon Tesco. French supermarkets have a unique and distinct odour on entering. It's mostly cheese, a staggering choice of packaged and fresh, plus it's "la viande", the meat. There are cuts of meat from animals we've never heard of. Blend the two odours, 70/30 and there is that evocative smell that for us will always be France. Well at least its supermarkets!
We hasten to the fruit and veg where we stock up on grapes, pears, plums of varying size and colour, aubergines, fennel, etc., oh and strings of garlic. Mostly French grown it all has a flavour that delights.
Our host Franz suggested we make a slight detour and take in Grotte du Mas-D'azil. A cave with a history of prehistoric inhabitance and a geologists delight with its numerous visible layers of rock. For us as for many, the thrill was simply driving through it.
Intermarche as with supermarkets at home is the place to buy your petrol or diesel as the case may be. With a price of €1.38 for diesel it works out at about £1.11 per litre.
Sunday 21st October
It rained heavily during the night and the day remained overcast although not cold at 24˚. We relaxed.
Monday 22nd October
Cloudy start but by mid afternoon it was 37˚. We relaxed again.
Tuesday and Wednesday 23rd, 24th October
Warm but often overcast, we did very little other than some long walks along the la Leze, a small but interesting little river, into the hills, some reading and lots of just pottering about.
Thursday 25th October
Out for the day to Mirepoix, a 14th Century town with some remarkable architecture.
Friday 26th October
We decided to have a quiet day today, then Franz came over and said he was going to Andorra this afternoon and would we like to go with him. It took us about 10 seconds to decide we would.
I had this naive thought that we drove to Foix, then through the tunnel beneath the Pyrenees and low and behold there we are in Andorra. How wrong could I be. It took us two hours along a twisting turning road through the foothills of the Pyrenees, rising over 3,000 feet, then through a 2 kilometre tunnel before arriving in the ancient Principality of Andorra. And we're going to do this with our caravan in 3 days time.
Franz was to get some new tyres then collect his daughter from college and bring her home to Argitat. He arranged to meet us at a bar within a supermarket at 5pm.
It was now 3pm and we were famished so we quickly found a restaurant where we had a fortifying meal. We felt a little shell shocked. Franz had driven the whole two hours as Frenchmen drive, fast. All the time he talked, telling us the history of Andorra (he worked there for 5 years as a tour guide and VIP chauffeur and was proud of the fact that he had chauffeured Tony Blair) and which roads to take and which tunnels to ovoid when we made the same journey with the caravan. I promised to remember everything he said! What little hair I have stood on end as we lurched round yet another 270˚ hairpin bend with a 2,000 feet drop on my side. Although we saw a few camper vans on the trip I was a little discouraged not to see another caravan.
Franz duly arrived at 5pm and we went off to collect his daughter, Lisa. Lisa is 15 and lives with her mother in Andorra. She is a bright but shy girl and said little on the journey home although I suspect Dad explained how he came to have two crazy English oldies as passengers. I'm glad my understanding of the language is poor.
We arrived back at the site at 8pm, 7pm in old money so we collapsed and listened to the Archers, too dazed to even consider the implications of our making the same journey ourselves, and there is snow forecast.
Oddly enough we both slept right through the night, the first time since coming away.
Saturday 27th October
Heavy rain for most of the day so we stayed in.
Sunday 28th October
A cold night, got down to 4˚. Thank goodness we've got a good heater in the caravan. Bright and sunny today but cold, just 12˚ This is our last day here and in fact last day in France. Tomorrow we head off to Andorra and the next chapter in our adventure.
