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How many pretty villages are there in France!!

Our home exchange is another Wow! A lovely ex farmhouse with a pool and walnut trees by fields of maize and sunflowers, located north east of Bordeaux and on the border of the lower Dordogne Valley.

Guaranteed to make you smile... hectares of fields full of blooming sunflowers!

We are in a very rural area with cereal harvest mostly finished, straw baling and carting underway and lots of sunflowers that are in early to full bloom. We have seen some beef cattle outside, small mobs still with the most we have seen is our neighbours here with a mob of maybe 30-40.

The area is dotted with terracotta tiled villages, most at least 16^th century or older. Our closest small village is Bonnes which has a boulangerie (bakery) and a restaurant. 

After arriving and unpacking, we went to the next village of Aubeterre-Sur-Dronne which is to become our ‘go to’ village during our week long stay. The village is full of UK accents (our home exchanger's are Welsh owners, although absent at the time of our stay) and UK registered, right hand drive, cars etc. Lots of rustic cheap (relatively) houses and reliable summer we guess is appealing for the Brits.

The village is built on a hill overlooking the river Dronne with 2 churches dating back to the 12^th century, one carved into a cave. Narrow winding streets and some rickety 2-3 storied buildings. Very pretty, and it is classified (along with many others!) as one of the prettiest villages in France. The village has a busy market on Sunday morning, is reasonably popular but certainly not overcrowded, and we have a few meals there during our week. Our final night dining in the village square there was a British band playing cover hits to a nearly all British audience.

Some of our week was spent on mundane chores, things like laundry, blog and trip planning but we fitted in a few day trips further afield.

Sunday 14^th July was Bastille day, our hosts had left a note recommending seeing fireworks at a nearby village .. so of course we did! This was beside the "Beach", adjoining the river in another lovely setting. Arriving at 9:45 pm there was a big crowd and excitement building with music and dancing until 11 pm when the fireworks lit up the sky. A very professional display, a bonus for us.

Some of our day trips included visits to;

Brantome-en-Perigord, a chateaux and abbey built along and into limestone cliff beside the Dronne River. The Benedictine abbey of Brantome was founded in 769 AD.

Montignac, a 2 hour drive away, the town near Lascaux Caves where there are replica Neolithic Caves. The original caves are in that area but have been closed off to public entry for many years due to the risk of damage (human, light, moisture etc).

Sarlat-la-Caneda, the biggest town visited with Tudor buildings and winding streets and said to be prosperous from the 8^th century and it still looks so today. However in the late 1800’s it stagnated and it wasn’t until 1968 it was re-discovered with better road access also triggering restoration. This is why the old buildings and cobbled streets remain largely intact.

  

Foie Gras anyone?... these seem unaware of the force feeding controversy and looking forward to their next meal!

Domme, a hilltop stronghold dating back to 1281 AD.

La Raoue-Gageac, a village built in and under a limestone cliff

Beynac, which included an impressive walled chateaux on above the cute riverside village

All these villages are in gorgeous settings, beside the Dronne River in the scenic Dordogne region. If you felt so inclined you could cycle in this region for miles, or even canoe/kayak the river as far as you wished. Many people were doing just that with canoe rental outfits very visible and providing a shuttle service with trailers full of canoes.

A sombre day...

Our hosts warned a visit to this village could be harrowing, an apt description.

Oradour-su-Glane, is a village of ruins that has been preserved (decreed by Charles de Gaulle at the end of WWII) in order to be a “witness to the future of mankind as a testament to the barbarity of war”

This had been an ordinary, wartime, French country village until on the 10^th of June 1944 the 2^nd SS Panzer division were ordered to destroy the village and all it’s inhabitants. There were mass executions of all the men whilst the women and children were locked in the church. The Church was set on fire and any attempting escape were shot. 642 civilians were killed, with 1 escapee, over a 3 hour period and the town set alight and bombed by tank. A senseless act. The Nazi's gave no reason, but it is thought it was done as a reprisal to the French resistance.

On to exchange #3...

We left Bonnes and had a 4 hour drive to Vannes, our next home exchange for 3 nights. A lovely family of 4 who had stayed with us in January. On our arrival they cooked a meal for us featuring the specialties of the region, Gallettes and crepes along with feeding us homemade cider!! YUM.

As this was their own home, they actually moved out for the duration of our stay. Not too big a hardship as Thierry's parents live over the fence, as well as it being summer holidays so they spend a lot of time at Anne-Julie's family beach house not far away.  Thierry is a sailor and has been on America's Cup campaigns (including Auckland 2000) and is currently preparing for the Sydney-Hobart race. Anne-Julie is a sports psychologist.... explaining she is currently working with an Opera singer!! Along with their 2 charming kids, they are a fun family to interact with for the evening.

The international Foosball champs begin....

Vannes is a walled town in the Brittany region of France founded over 2000 years ago by the Celtic people then the Romans, who named the region. Although the name has no connection to 'Britain' from the 5^th to 7^th century Briton’s did arrive here as they fled the Saxon invasions of Britain.

A bit of too'ing and fro'ing of armies and political powers over the years saw the region end up as part of France.

Vannes is located on the gulf of Morbihan, a lovely sheltered huge bay and a big holiday destination. On the advice of our hosts we went into the Vannes Saturday market, being there early enough to be rubbing shoulders with the locals. Lots of fruit, veg, fish of all sorts, cheeses etc.

Although a bit of light rain about first thing the weather cleared as we took a boat tour around the Gulf. A slight problem was that the commentary was in French but we saw some of the Celtic monuments and rings of stone (les rochers) etc. Also some big waterside chateaux, castles and lots of boats. A very pleasant cruise. The outer gulf is mostly accessible by road so housing all around, quite expensive real estate according to our hosts.

We spent the afternoon on the largest island in the gulf, Ile-aux-Moines, and hired bikes to bike the width and length of the island over a 3 hour period. It has Celtic rings of stone and crucifixes, along with beautiful stone houses. Mainly shingle roofed but some thatched. Lots of them obviously holiday/weekend homes.

Sunday saw us at the small local St Ave's market for a look before driving north along the coast. Stopped at Le Bono, a small fishing village with its claim to fame being a suspension bridge from 1840. Lunched and walked around the peninsula of La Trinite-sur-Mer which is a lovely rocky peninsula, small sandy beaches between. There were a couple of German WWII bunkers/observation posts, one of which was being reused as a garage.

Then onto Carnac, where our home exchange hosts were weekending, so met up and walked the coastline a little before saying our good-byes. Carnac has a huge and very safe beach area as it is protected on nearly all sides. It was a popular place the day of our visit being Sunday, holidays and low to mid 30’s. It also has a lovely old town centre with church, square. 

Nearby are the stone alignments of de Carnac, an architectural Megolithic monument .. the largest of its kind in Europe. Thousands of standing stones in lines, from around 5000 BC and onwards, extend over nearly 4 km. Erected by pre Celtic people, no one really knows why or more importantly how! A spectacular landscape. Very interesting to see and amazing that they are still there, although they are amazingly large in most cases (once again the how question!).

As protection of this site became important most of the area was purchased by the state in the early 20^th century. Interestingly whilst we were there large speakers, and lights, were being erected among the stones. Caro suggested perhaps a "rock" concert, but Noel said that was ridiculous unless it was Simon and Garfunkel as all he could hear was the Sounds of Silence.

Then back to 'our' house and a home cooked meal for a pleasant change…

Winnie the Pooh - "As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen"

Exploring our surrounds a little....

The Italian village of Monterosso al Mare is in 2 parts, so to orientate ourselves after our arrival we walked to the second part by taking the coastal path option and wound our way up to a view, finding a chapel and cemetery on the top of the hill .. really not what we were expecting and it must be quite a job getting some of the cemetery resident’s up to their final resting spot.

We then walked down to the second part of the town which is bigger with a lot of shops and restaurants. The 2 parts of the village are also linked by a pedestrian tunnel, which shares space with taxi’s, supply trolleys (3 wheeled mini truck arrangements, cute!) and the odd lost tourist car who has driven inadvertently past the movable bollard arrangement when it was open.

Back to the railway station by early evening to meet our North Otago mates Chris and Kay Dennison who had just had a week at a cooking class in Tuscany, and will travel with us for the next few days ... which will be brilliant! After they got settled in it was time for a beer and dinner and then time for an early night, a long day for everyone (Chris and Kay had been on trains for the day, including transfer via Rome).

Woke up to quite heavy rain so a relaxing morning and as the day cleared (around 11 am) we ventured out. After a lunch of Focaccia bread, a regional specialty, we left the Dennison’s to relax and enjoy the village while we walked the track to the next village of Vernazza. This was a walk through vineyards and terraces, up and down an awful lot of steps with great coastal views. There were a few other people doing it, it was very hot resulting in a fair bit of sweat being lost on that one!

 Terraced land on the hike to Vernazza

 How to move product around the vineyards... motorised roller coaster!

Vernazza is a small fishing village based around a rocky peninsula with records of the town dating back to 1080 AD. Clinging to the rocks is the remains of 15th century Doria Castle along with multi storied, very vertical but oh so pretty, housing. The town overlooks the Santa Margherita de Antiochia church, 1318 AD. 

There is no road access to the village of Vernazza. In October 2011 the town suffered massive flooding and mudslides which left part of it buried under 4 metres of mud and debris. Although tourism is now the biggest earner it has fishing, wine and olive oil income as well.

We cheated and got the train back to Monterosso… a 5 minute trip… very easy. The town and beach is not as busy today, perhaps the morning rain discouraged the out of town Italians from seeking the town and beach. Had a swim in the Mediterranean, nice sea temperature and very salty, then out for a meal with the Dennison's. Very pleasant wandering in the evening, restaurants and shops open and music buskers about.

Exploring those 5 towns...

Next morning we turned up at the ferry office, only to find out the sea was too rough for the ferries to stop at the various villages which had been our plan of attack of how to gain a sea view of the villages. An all day train pass was the answer for us instead. The train service is very good, with regular (every 30 minutes) trains passing through and stopping at each of the closely spaced villages. It was just a little perturbing standing on the train platform when a non-stopping, high speed, train went by…. Literally “hold onto your hats” with the only protection being a couple of station staff telling you to keep back as they struggled to stay standing!

First stop was Vernazza, while Chris and Kay walked the town we took the track above the town to gain some stunning views… and an education on how the hill side restaurant gets its supplies up from the train station! (there is no easy way).

Motorised crawler trolley making it's way up the many steep steps loaded with days supplies

Next train stop was Corniglia which is about 100 m above sea level and hence no direct sea access. We walked up the many zig-zag steps (Lardarina Steps) from the train station to reach the village. Three sides of the town are agricultural terracing growing grapes and olives. Thought to be the oldest of the 5 towns, it is also the smallest. The village is perched rather than clinging to rocks, a stunning view from St Mary’s terrace which is located above St Peter’s church (14^th century). 

 Kay almost at the village after climbing from the train station below

Ha... steps.... a local shows how it is done

Then we made our way through narrow winding paths between the buildings for further great views. A snack and rest in the Piazzatto Largo Taragio then dropped back down the many steps to the train station. It is starting to get very hot.

Next village was Manarola, perfect storm timing wise being lunch time and 2 way train traffic coinciding to disgorge passengers…. It was VERY busy. The second smallest of the towns dating back to the 1200’s, based on fishing and wine (Saiacchetra) tourism has now taken over. We did get lucky however and found a lunch spot with a bit of sea breeze passing through, perfect as the temps are now in the high 30’s.

There was a fortress built in the 1200’s on a point overlooking the town and sea, there is nothing left now but pathways lead up to the spot and it offers magnificent views. Beautiful tall, multi coloured, housing overlooking the harbour and the lots swimmers in the harbour here among the rocks.

Riomaggiora was last of the 5 villages we visited, by now the heat was well and truly on and we were all starting to wilt!! 

Riomaggiora is known for its historic character, early 13^th century, and its wine. Tower houses from the 1500’s overlooking the rocky harbour are once again spectacularly pretty. Some swimmers, but only for the adventurous including some cliff divers of varying confidence. A wide main street made for a pleasant wander up hill, fortified by a Gelato stop. We wound our way up by the pathways to the castle area, built in the 1200’s, to get a stunning view of the town and coast. We then accidentally found we had discovered a short cut back to the railway station… a bonus.

Back to Monterosso where a swim in the sea was necessary to cool us off, then beer’s and dinner as usual…. Tough life huh?!!

We think we stayed in the pick of the towns if swimming is on the agenda, also a great range of restaurants etc (including our go to bar for pre dinner drinks where the barman almost knew our name by the end). Monterosso is not confined quite as much space wise as far as building goes, is easier (but still tricky enough) access by vehicle to then link with public transport and is a spectacular setting. 

Serenaded to sleep that evening by a band outside our hotel window, with singing and some dancing occurring on the road non-stop till midnight. Some Italian and some English songs, all well known even if some in Italian, nice!

Living the high life... budget style...

With a bit of strategic packing everything and everyone fits comfortably into the car… a bonus. First aiming for a roadside stop after an hour and a half driving, then it was Ciao to Italy and Bonjour to France.

Not long after entering France saw a quick transition off the highway into the principality of Monaco, the second smallest country in the world at 2.02 square km’s!! and a population of around 33,000. Monaco is known for its casino and described as “an international by-word for the extravagant display and reckless dispersal of wealth”…. Now does that sound like us??

Our purpose was to lunch in Monte Carlo, as you do!!

We followed signs for parking as we first spiraled downwards via a road tunnel and then again into an underground parking building and into the tiniest car park space one can imagine. So tight that after several manoeuvre's Noel got parked but it was impossible for him to get out of the car!!! It was looking like take-a-way sandwiches for him when another empty park was spotted that had slightly more space as in no solid concrete wall against the vehicle side. Once again a 10 point turn to fit but the Pug squeezed in and Noel squeezed out... with a promise not to eat too much for lunch.

We emerged from the parking building to magically come up on the waterfront and boat harbour… well done Noel! With the need for food being of upmost importance, we forgo the boat ogling, and find a sandwich bar with a table. After ordering we moved under shelter as thunder and rain were threatening.

Just a quick walk around a couple of blocks, lovely tall majestic and beautifully maintained buildings. We were then out of there, another time perhaps and a reminder to keep buying Lotto tickets.

Next stop was the city of Aix-en-Provence, a lovely university town in southern France. The town was founded 123 BC (easy to remember, would make a great password). After much plundering and ownership changes it passed to the crown of France in 1487 AD. From narrow winding streets to a wide, mainly car-less, avenue lined with a double row of Plane trees along with statues and fountains. Overlooked by grand city buildings (once houses). A very nice place for a coffee and to watch the world go by, unfortunately our time was limited in this well renowned city.

Ah yes, back to French bakeries and the delights of fresh bread and temptation of Pain au chocolat!

Our final destination of the day was the village of Bonnieux, staying in a rural AirBnB property, near the town (or perched village) which is located in the Luberon valley/region. This was an area of Roman occupation dating from 3 BC. The village sits on the edge of a plateau giving fantastic views over vineyards, fruit orchards, cereal crops and extensive Lavender fields with other terracotta roofed villages dotted around the hillsides. A very winding, narrow drive through the village led us to a restaurant located in an ideal spot for dinner.

How long it the extension cord?

With e-bikes booked for 9 am we were up and well fed, thanks to a generous breakfast provided by our hosts. With several choices of routes, all around 40 km, we picked one and we were off. It’s hot already!

First stop and coffee in the town of Lacoste, a perched village dominated by the Chateaux de Lacoste. Built in 1700 it was owned by the Marquis de Sade, who became infamous for his sexual exploits and he fled the country to avoid arrest. The word Sadism comes from this chap’s surname, so gives a hint! The castle is now owned by the fashion designer Pierre Cardin and houses a display of art work and design pieces. Time and entry fee’s were against us having a closer look, plus general consensus of our group was we are not museum people … more like coffee/drinks break people.

Kay finds a statue outside the Cardin museum.... too handy really....

In the early 1800’s the area prospered from the limestone quarries which were originally used by the Roman's. Then with the limestone resource exhausted the town fell into ruins. During WWII the French resistance had a strong presence in the area.

Next stop was the St Hilaire Abbey which dates back to 1254 AD, lovely stone (a bit like Oamaru stone) on the church, buildings and adjoining grounds.

Menerbes for lunch, a walled (and perched) village, then took the long way (un-intentionally) to Oppede-le-Vieux which is a very small town with medieval (12^th century) ruins rising above it. The church high in the ruins is the Collegiate Notre Dame-de-Aladon. The town was abandoned in the 16^th century as people moved down to the more productive plains below. During WWII the ruins hid the likes of artists and academics, for a short period of time, from the Nazi regime.

Having biked 25+ km’s, and needing to conserve battery power on Chris’s bike (pretty sure it had a faulty battery), and energy levels for us all, we opted for a shorter loop back than intended. We made it to Bonnieux… with the dodgy bike just running out of battery on the last straight into the shop, whilst the other 3 bikes still indicated good levels. Although Noel advised the owner that we felt there was an issue you could tell they just thought “stupid tourists” … good luck to the next hirer!

We had biked about 40 km, very hot, so thought we deserved a beer. Whilst at the bar we met an excited Wellington couple, recognising our Kiwi accents, who informed us the Black Caps had just made the final of the world cup.

Dinner that night and we explored a bit further. First found a fuel stop and then up to the village of Gordes, a very popular (read touristy) and stunning perched village. First occupied by Romans in the 8^th century the abbey St Chaffret was founded by monks and in 1031 Castle Castrum Gordone was added. During WWII the village was active with the French resistance and as such it suffered some destruction which has since been rebuilt.

We didn’t have much of a look around as time was moving on, but did have a lovely meal in a classic French village setting under a verandah overlooking medieval town buildings... bliss!

Build a bridge and get over it...

Left Bonnieux and passing by Lavender fields with a slow drive via the centre of Avignon, we think due to a major delay on the highway meaning our GPS took us an alternative route. Avignon is a big city with a large walled centre and once negotiated at a snails pace through we then carried on to Pont du Gard a French ‘Grand Site’ and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.

Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct built in the 1^st century AD ( around 40 AD) to carry water over 50 km from a spring in Uzes to the town of Nimes. The aqueduct is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and one of the best preserved, and presumed to have not been used since around the 6^th century. The aqueduct crosses the Gardon River which was full of people and canoes as the day was very hot.

We walked on and across the lower bridge and around the full structure, a very spectacular sight of a 2000 year old bridge built to last! A little graffiti has been scratched on to it in the way of names and dates (1769, 1823 etc although no “JC Rulz” artwork, perhaps worn off over time). 

The other interesting fact we noted is the that the Tour de France is to ride over the (lower) bridge on 23 July!!

I think Fairy Tales must be real....

Then on to Carcassonne, a hilltop town in southern France, a World Heritage UNESCO site 1997. Carcassonne is famous for its large medieval Citadel La Cite with numerous watch towers and double walled fortifications.

Chateau Comtal is a 12^th century castle within the Cite, with 3 walls to breach invading was going to be a tough ask. It’s success was in its location on the plain of the river Aude, a major trading route linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean seas and the Massive Central to the Pyrenees. The city fell into disrepair and in 1849 the Government of the day decided it should all be demolished. But opposition from the mayor, a monument inspector and community leaders allowed the structure to be saved and renovated.

Today it is bustling, full of restaurants, souvenir shops of all sorts; sweets, clothes, alcohol, postcards etc etc…. and lots of tourists (one on the most visited tourist sites in France). However by being there late in the afternoon/evening and early the next morning we missed the throngs. For dinner that night Caro had the regional specialty La Cassolette; a casserole of duck’s sleeves (whatever they are, presume mother duck was a knitter), pork sausage and maybe bacon (?) and haricot beans…. Quite nice but filling.

The castle was also gearing up for a series of summer concerts over the next couple of weeks.

One (k)night in Carcassonne

Left Carcassonne about 11.30 am and with a 4 hour drive we concentrated on driving with just a couple of highway service area stops for a break. Driving through vineyards, sunflower and cereal crops. We left the Dennison’s to stay with some friends in the medieval town of Pons for the weekend, before they continue their trip to the UK, and we continued on to our second home exchange property near Bonnes some ¾ hour drive east.

It has been a fun few days travelling with Chris and Kay which we have enjoyed immensely. Winnie the Pooh was right!