the last of ile de Ré, and then southwards

Tues 8/10/2013

It was overcast this morning and we took advantage of the dull weather to post our blog for the past couple of days, and then set off to see the villages of La Flotte, and St Martin de Ré, both billed as beautiful villages of France. We stopped to refuel the bike, all of €3 in petrol. (This is the most economical part of our travels!) Both villages are set around harbours with narrow inlets and the boats are moored onto floating jetties that rise and fall with the tide flowing in or out. The whole floating jetty system is attached on rollers to semi-vertical steel I frames, and I love the simplicity and elegance of the French engineering. It is no more than is required; the harbours are not child friendly with railings or any other nonsense, and no warnings that you could fall twenty feet into the water below at low tide.

Surrounding the harbours are restaurants where you can eat the meal of the day for about €25 each – not cheap, and there are clothing shops where a pair of jeans will set you back €120 and trainers about €140. Everyone was cycling around and doing things slowly. We strolled around. St Martin has impressive fortified walls, which plunge into the sea, and I think it has one of the prettiest harbour-towns of anywhere in France. Walking along the promenade I peered into one of the windows that was not shuttered closed and gasped at the opulent interior. Then I noticed someone was inside the house and quickly jumped backward. I guess they get used to nosey passers-by. Most of the other houses where shuttered, and look like they are summer residences.

The villages made for a memorable tour about the southern villages of the island. We did some shopping on the way home, stopping briefly at a ruined abbey. Sublime.

 Below is St Martin with the tide in and the boats floating higher.

Wed 9/10/2013

We were up and away from isle de Ré by 0930, and made good progress towards Bordeaux before turning inland to follow the Gironde river. We drove about an hour inland and stopped at a place that was highly recommended by Vicarious books’ “All the Aires – France”. This is Caumont sur Garonne, and the parking is right on the canal, with electric hook up only €1 for 2 hours and stations shared along the canal with boats.

We had time to have a cup of tea, and then get the bicycles off the back for a cycle along the canal side path. 

Autumn is coming along very slowly, perhaps we have put it into slow motion by travelling south. The sun seemed to set the autumn leaves alight, and sparkled on the water. A few canal boats went past, and then a luxurious boat full of trendy people and foliage. 

As the sun started to sink lower, a pizza van arrived, and then a van selling fresh vegetables and fruit. 

The pizza man stocked up with fresh veg for his pizzas, and so did we. We got about double the usual supermarket order for a quarter the price, €6 for the veg and then €15 for an enormous pizza with ham and chorizo, mushrooms, and an egg on top.

After supper outside on a red checked cloth, which seemed appropriate for the pizza, we went to explore the village. Our neighbours laughed and came out to compliment us on the orchids at the table!

These are our van plantlife, thanks to Enala, and Richard and Mary for the plants.

Right next to the canal on an enormous plot of land stands a derelict squat 3-storey maison de maître “A vendre”. The grass is overgrown, but we got access into the garden past a sign that read, “ Rappel -Chien guardée” or something like that. The house is in local style with thin red bricks and fat cement mortar, and some stonework around tall shuttered windows. A terrace at the back overlooks the swimming pool, and beyond is the largest and most lush bamboo thicket I have ever seen. The garden included a fruit orchard, a formal garden, and a pond area, and an area that might always have remained wild, with birds calling to each other. I was enchanted. But too isolated for us.....

Further into the village is another derelict house for sale, this one has a side veranda, and a children’s play area, and looks in worse state. The village is full of similar, but smaller street-facing village houses which have been smartened up, and look loved and lived in.

The village has a community centre with a bandstand, and some kind of official hall or registry, and further on, the Mairie, and then the church. All very pretty and clean, and the canal really adds appeal. Maize is growing in the fields around and strawberries in abundance.

Thursday 10/10/2013

Today is a travelling day, dull weather and we are on our way towards the Med. Aiming to stop inland a little nearer Carcassone by a lake.

It is a little cooler today, finally we are in jumpers!