We are now on our way home!! Hard to believe. We have had such a wonderful time here. Now we need to get caught up before getting back into life in Canada!!
After we saw Dana and Christine off at the Geneva airport, we stayed one more night in Bretigny at our former neighbors’ (Mauricio and Claudia) very lovely home. They were away on vacation but kindly let us rest and regroup there. Many washes later we finally bid farewell to La Ruelle (the street that we lived on), friends in the neighborhood and the local bakery, and headed off on our trip through France. We had spent many long hours trying to decide how to tackle France. We knew we were going to Paris, but what of the rest of the country - so diverse, big and beautiful? We got guidance from family (Iris, Dave’s sister who has spent many happy hours traveling in France) and friends, in particular Camille and Charlotte (both French and very knowledgeable about their country). Finally we settled on traveling across the country and missing the south coast to avoid heat and crowds. Our destination was a village just outside of Saintes. Given that the drive across the country was long and tiring, we elected to stop in the Massif Central for one night before heading onwards. That decision turned out to be a good one. We found ourselves out in the country at a B and B called “Chez Jallot”. The house had once belonged to the local landowner and in 1944, after the D Day landings in Normandy, had temporarily housed members of the Resistance. The Germans were tipped off about this, and although the people living there escaped into the surrounding woods, the house was burnt down. Only the impressive stone walls remained. For decades it stood as a ruin until an English couple discovered it and decided to take on a massive restoration. The restoration was actually the subject of a BBC documentatry. In fact, almost everyone who stays there does so because they saw the documentary. Not us!! We stumbled upon this lovely pensione and the two very gracious people who run it - Denise and Doug - quite by accident. We were later arriving than expected; however they delayed dinner for us and we had a fabulous four course meal along with our hosts and two other guests from the Netherlands. We learned a lot about the area and in particular, about what happened in that part of France during the Second World War. We learned that there was a village close by, called Oradour-sur-Glane, that had been virtually wiped out by the Germans as they retreated that summer of 1944. All but 9 people from the village were killed and it was then set alight. Later the town was rebuilt but on a site nearby. The original village stands as it did after it was destroyed in 1944 and is a powerful reminder of the depths that humankind can sink to. Atrocities were committed on all sides, especially toward the end of the war.
From there we continued on to Montpellier-de-Medillan - a small village in the part of France known as Poitue-Charente. It is close to Sainte, a medieval town which actually dates back to Roman times with its own colosseum and triumphal arch (Arc de Triomphe). We spent half a day visiting the market there, touring the town and exploring the Roman ruins. Later that same day, we found our way to the remarkable town of Brouage – once one of the most important royal port cities of France during the 17th century, and the home town of Samuel de Champlain. Today it is a charming fortified town, full of galleries and boutiques, and a place of pilgrimage for French Canadians exploring their roots. But it is also high and dry – the estuary on which it was situated steadily silted in so that this former port city is now several kilometers from the coast!
Montpellier-de-Medillan is also near the coast and one wonderful day was spent at the beach close to a town called St. George-de-Didonne. The water was warm and inviting and we all sustained substantial burns despite our sun block. Dinner that night was in an outdoor café where we enjoyed moules frite (yes, mussels and fries…a local favourite). The night before, our B and B hosts, Karen and Malcolm, had made a wonderful chicken dinner. We discovered that Karen in particular loves to cook and entertain and actually writes articles for a cooking magazine (just one of her many talents. It turns out she has a PhD in feminist art history!) The B and B, Auberge Fontaine, was again a renovated “manor house”. Its wartime history included making and selling large quantities of wine to the occupying Germans. Malcolm is English but has spent most of his adult life in Germany and France speaking all three languages (and more) with incredible fluency. He described some of the wartime experiences in the area including relatively peaceful and respectful relationships between the locals and their German occupiers reminding us that there were varied experiences across the country. Our final day in the Sainte area was spent on the coast visiting Isle d’Oleron and eating more moules frite in the fishing port of La Tremblade. This time we had them done in the traditional way, baked on a board in an open fire. Yummy, but messy! The area is famous for its oysters, which we finally managed to try the following day. For our final dinner, Karen dished up a superb Raclette extravaganza. Rory decided Karen was “the best cook ever”. We all agreed it would be unreasonable for me to be offended by that comment.
During our stay Karen and Malcolm invested in three chickens to supply them with fresh eggs. We were present when they were purchased at the market and cheered them on as they settled into their new home. As a result they are now called Lizzy, Holly and Heather (Heather was getting geared up to be the first to lay an egg and was somewhat broody and grumpy. Go figure). The day we bid farewell to Auberge Fontaine, we visited a small, delightful walled in village on the coast named Talmont. Quaint shops and lovely ancient church overlooking the Bay fo Biscay, with its dramatic tides and flats. We tasted and then bought wine from the winery adjacent to the town, as well as finally sampling the famous local oysters.
Next stop, Normandy.
What a lovely part of the world. Now tranquil but not so almost 70 years. Our war education continued as we visited the beaches and walked on Juno, where the Canadians had landed during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. We spent a rainy day at a superb museum in Caen whose focus is on war and on peace. Despite almost a full day there, we didn’t even see the entire museum, but we learned so much. The rain cleared as we set out for the beaches and by evening it was lovely. From Omaha Beach we saw the remains of the temporary harbour that was built to support the allied operation called Mulberry Harbour. There are still German gun installations all along the coast which, being made of concrete, have survived almost intact. Although the Germans were prepared, they had anticipated that the landing would be at the narrower part of the channel further north around Dunkirk. Despite the element of surprise however, more than 10,000 allied troops lost their lives on the first day of the operation. It is sobering to imagine the human toll that was taken on those now beautiful and tranquil beaches and seaside villages.
Our B and B in Normandy was also a real find. Again owned by Brits and a wonderful renovation, our hosts Joanne and Allen were a great source of advice and information. We spent three very restful nights there and enjoyed every minute. The weather was wet-ish but didn’t stand in our way. The cows and chickens wakened us in the morning and the lack of any street lamps for miles reminded us of what country living is like. Our one regret was our inability to truly enjoy Joanne’s garden which was a work of art. Despite big plans to do all kinds of things in Normandy we had to keep it simple and in the end, we weren’t able to see the Bayeux tapestry. We did, however, have a wonderful visit to the amazing Mont St. Michel, a stunning abbey on an island which is connected by a road along a narrow isthmus at high tide. The climb up to the Abbey is steep but well worth it. How this magnificent structure and town were built remains a mystery to us. The determination of the builders from a millennium ago (yes, it dates back to the 11th century) is unbelievable. Although it was overcast and foggy when we arrived, by the time we were preparing to leave, the fog had burned off and we were able to appreciate the views up and down the coast. While in Normandy we also visited another medieval town called Dinan, which is actually in the adjacent region of Bretagne. Joanne had recommended it and again, we were not disappointed. It is a walled in city, with narrow cobble stone streets and laneways. It also has a lovely cathedral (seems most French towns do!). We enjoyed a very talented street entertainer playing a variety of medieval instruments, and were struck by how similar the place felt to old Quebec, reflecting the common roots of their inhabitants.
As we left Normandy we vowed to return. There was so much to see and we felt we had barely made a dent. Before leaving this section on Normandy, I should add that we had a meal in the village our first night at a little place, quite out of the way, with some of the most delicious food we had on the trip. Elizabeth had duck with camembert!! Ooh la la.
Paris……what can be said. Four short nights in our cramped little apartment in Montmartre. Three days filled with the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Musee D’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, walks along the Seine and an evening boat ride… I will leave the details to our next correspondent!
Heather
