France and the Baltic: A Trip Report
Jul 23rd, 2007, 04:19 AM
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France and the Baltic: A Trip Report
I am going to try to post this report in stages as time allows over the next day or so.
Please be aware that if you are a "foodie" this report is not filled with detailed "fine dining" experiences.
Since part of the trip included a cruise I will only be including some details about the various port cities.
I will be adding some general details about planning, transportation, and hotels which will hopefully be useful to others.
<b>The Overall Plan</b> was to combine about a week in France with a seven-night Baltic cruise. The travelers were two male domestic partners, myself and the "husbear."
<b>The Itinerary</b> was as follows:
Three nights in Mirambeau, France.
One night in Pau, France.
Two nights in a friend's newly-opened B+B about 12 miles north of Agen, France.
One night in Copenhagen prior to embarking on the seven-night Baltic cruise with stops in Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and termination in Stockholm (a more or less typical "short" Baltic cruise itinerary).
One night post-cruise in Stockholm
Travel in France was via rail and rental car; travel between France and Denmark was via night train.
Planning began more than a year in advance when the cruise portion was booked. Air reservations were booked at the earliest possible date (330 days out) since we had no intention of waiting for a possible seat sale that might never materialize. We booked business class open jaws tickets on USAirways from Washington (National) via Philadelphia to CDG in Paris; the return was from Stockholm (Arlanda) N/S to Philadelphia and changing there for the return to Washington.
Hotels were also booked about a year in advance. In one case (Mirambeau) the booking was made directly via telephone; all other bookings were made via hotel internet websites or by e-mail (the B+B near Agen).
Since the cruise was a whole-ship charter to an affinity group and there were no "formal nights" involved, packing was made much simpler. I will comment on clothing in the report but will say here <b>once again</b> that we saw <b>every possible</b> style of clothing to include white athletic shoes just about everywhere we went.
We departed on Thursday, 5 July in the mid-afternoon from National. Internet check-in made things pretty simple and we dropped our luggage curbside and made our way to the USAirways Club room to spend the next couple of hours (better to be there early than too late is the way we usually plan things). Fortunately, the often laborious security theatre scene at National took less than five minutes. (Note: Why <b>are</b> we still removing our shoes over here for airport security and not doing so in Europe?)
The one-hour flight to Philadelphia was smooth and uneventful and we made our way via the shuttle bus from Terminal F to Terminal A where we hunkered down in the Envoy Lounge for some snacks, sandwiches, etc., prior to departure for Paris.
I had been watching the flight from PHL to CDG for two weeks prior; every single day it left Philadelphia late...sometimes as much as two hours late. I was concerned about this because we had non-changeable/non-refundable PREMS rail tickets from Paris to Bordeaux where we were to pick up the rental car.
I had booked the rail tickets on the SNCF site (3 calendar months in advance) and printed them out at home (thank you, MorganB for that excellent guide for doing so).
I did not want any hassle with changing planes at CDG and I also didn't want to drive from Paris to Mirambeau. The flight was supposed to arrive in Paris at 7:15 AM so I booked the PREMS on an 11:25 AM TGV which I thought would give us plenty of wiggle room in case the flight arrived late. More on that in a moment.
The flight actually departed PHL only ten minutes late. The Envoy Class service was the usual I've gotten from USAIrways (and I more firmly believe than ever that the Business First service on Continental is superior) in the past although the Envoy section has been reduced from nine rows of seats to five on A330 aircraft.
Our seats looked a little threadbare; the aircraft was fairly clean inside; one of the electrical connections on my seat console was on the end of dangling wires. Minor points, perhaps, but obviously noticeable and they add to the overall impression.
We arrived in Paris on time and were through with Immigration, baggage claim, and Customs by a little after 8:00 AM. With this much time we debated how to get to Gare Montparnasse for the TGV.
We had too much (rolling) luggage for the RER and possible stairs). Taxi would have been fine but we wondered about the cost if there was a lot of traffic at this time on a Friday morning. We figured with "this much time" we might as well take the Air France bus so we caught the next one (about 8:20 AM).
Didn't change any money since we had Euro from a recent trip and thought it would be easier to find an ATM at the train station (it was).
<b>Two hours and ten minutes later</b> we arrived at Montparnasse! Traffic going into the city was slowed to a crawl a few miles from CDG; once in Paris there were sections when it was just as bad and after dropping off folks at Gare de Lyon the driver continued to use the bus lanes (perhaps he had to) and we seemed to be behind one RATP bus after another...watching it stop in front of us to pick up and drop off passengers.
We've been treated to the pontifications about how great surface transport is in some European cities compared to the "black hole" of the subway in numerous posts and how wonderful it is to "see where you are going."
Fine, folks...you keep doing that and if you like looking at the same section of street for what seems like eons at a time then have at it. The next time I'll take my chances with the train and the stairs and fantasize about all sorts of sexual and other "adventures" in the "black hole" to pass the time!
Montparnasse was the usual whammo/jammo of folks and many were undoubtedly headed out of town for the weekend. We watched the board with everyone else for the track location of our train...those wonderful cascading numbers and letters as everone stares and waits...and waits...and stares. Fortunately, someone's dog (on a leash) was sitting in front of us so I fooled with him (much to the owner's apparent delight) to pass the time. We then joined in the the mad dash to the cars and we managed to get our larger luggage items stored in the racks at the end of the car (while there was still room) and threw our carry-ons up on the rack over the seats.
The train left and arrived on time; three hours to Bordeaux non-stop and I was again glad we had opted for this as opposed to driving from Paris.
More coming...
Please be aware that if you are a "foodie" this report is not filled with detailed "fine dining" experiences.
Since part of the trip included a cruise I will only be including some details about the various port cities.
I will be adding some general details about planning, transportation, and hotels which will hopefully be useful to others.
<b>The Overall Plan</b> was to combine about a week in France with a seven-night Baltic cruise. The travelers were two male domestic partners, myself and the "husbear."
<b>The Itinerary</b> was as follows:
Three nights in Mirambeau, France.
One night in Pau, France.
Two nights in a friend's newly-opened B+B about 12 miles north of Agen, France.
One night in Copenhagen prior to embarking on the seven-night Baltic cruise with stops in Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and termination in Stockholm (a more or less typical "short" Baltic cruise itinerary).
One night post-cruise in Stockholm
Travel in France was via rail and rental car; travel between France and Denmark was via night train.
Planning began more than a year in advance when the cruise portion was booked. Air reservations were booked at the earliest possible date (330 days out) since we had no intention of waiting for a possible seat sale that might never materialize. We booked business class open jaws tickets on USAirways from Washington (National) via Philadelphia to CDG in Paris; the return was from Stockholm (Arlanda) N/S to Philadelphia and changing there for the return to Washington.
Hotels were also booked about a year in advance. In one case (Mirambeau) the booking was made directly via telephone; all other bookings were made via hotel internet websites or by e-mail (the B+B near Agen).
Since the cruise was a whole-ship charter to an affinity group and there were no "formal nights" involved, packing was made much simpler. I will comment on clothing in the report but will say here <b>once again</b> that we saw <b>every possible</b> style of clothing to include white athletic shoes just about everywhere we went.
We departed on Thursday, 5 July in the mid-afternoon from National. Internet check-in made things pretty simple and we dropped our luggage curbside and made our way to the USAirways Club room to spend the next couple of hours (better to be there early than too late is the way we usually plan things). Fortunately, the often laborious security theatre scene at National took less than five minutes. (Note: Why <b>are</b> we still removing our shoes over here for airport security and not doing so in Europe?)
The one-hour flight to Philadelphia was smooth and uneventful and we made our way via the shuttle bus from Terminal F to Terminal A where we hunkered down in the Envoy Lounge for some snacks, sandwiches, etc., prior to departure for Paris.
I had been watching the flight from PHL to CDG for two weeks prior; every single day it left Philadelphia late...sometimes as much as two hours late. I was concerned about this because we had non-changeable/non-refundable PREMS rail tickets from Paris to Bordeaux where we were to pick up the rental car.
I had booked the rail tickets on the SNCF site (3 calendar months in advance) and printed them out at home (thank you, MorganB for that excellent guide for doing so).
I did not want any hassle with changing planes at CDG and I also didn't want to drive from Paris to Mirambeau. The flight was supposed to arrive in Paris at 7:15 AM so I booked the PREMS on an 11:25 AM TGV which I thought would give us plenty of wiggle room in case the flight arrived late. More on that in a moment.
The flight actually departed PHL only ten minutes late. The Envoy Class service was the usual I've gotten from USAIrways (and I more firmly believe than ever that the Business First service on Continental is superior) in the past although the Envoy section has been reduced from nine rows of seats to five on A330 aircraft.
Our seats looked a little threadbare; the aircraft was fairly clean inside; one of the electrical connections on my seat console was on the end of dangling wires. Minor points, perhaps, but obviously noticeable and they add to the overall impression.
We arrived in Paris on time and were through with Immigration, baggage claim, and Customs by a little after 8:00 AM. With this much time we debated how to get to Gare Montparnasse for the TGV.
We had too much (rolling) luggage for the RER and possible stairs). Taxi would have been fine but we wondered about the cost if there was a lot of traffic at this time on a Friday morning. We figured with "this much time" we might as well take the Air France bus so we caught the next one (about 8:20 AM).
Didn't change any money since we had Euro from a recent trip and thought it would be easier to find an ATM at the train station (it was).
<b>Two hours and ten minutes later</b> we arrived at Montparnasse! Traffic going into the city was slowed to a crawl a few miles from CDG; once in Paris there were sections when it was just as bad and after dropping off folks at Gare de Lyon the driver continued to use the bus lanes (perhaps he had to) and we seemed to be behind one RATP bus after another...watching it stop in front of us to pick up and drop off passengers.
We've been treated to the pontifications about how great surface transport is in some European cities compared to the "black hole" of the subway in numerous posts and how wonderful it is to "see where you are going."
Fine, folks...you keep doing that and if you like looking at the same section of street for what seems like eons at a time then have at it. The next time I'll take my chances with the train and the stairs and fantasize about all sorts of sexual and other "adventures" in the "black hole" to pass the time!
Montparnasse was the usual whammo/jammo of folks and many were undoubtedly headed out of town for the weekend. We watched the board with everyone else for the track location of our train...those wonderful cascading numbers and letters as everone stares and waits...and waits...and stares. Fortunately, someone's dog (on a leash) was sitting in front of us so I fooled with him (much to the owner's apparent delight) to pass the time. We then joined in the the mad dash to the cars and we managed to get our larger luggage items stored in the racks at the end of the car (while there was still room) and threw our carry-ons up on the rack over the seats.
The train left and arrived on time; three hours to Bordeaux non-stop and I was again glad we had opted for this as opposed to driving from Paris.
More coming...
Jul 23rd, 2007, 07:07 AM
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Continuing...
A word about TGV travel. We were happy to pay the additional amount for First Class PREMS fares for this segment. The train was full (at least our car was) and we appreciated the 2+1 seating which afforded a little extra room.
Our car was one of those in which mobile phone use is discouraged and everyone who received or made phone calls respected that by leaving to carry on conversations.
The skies in Paris had been overcast and the temps were in the high 50's when we departed. People there were wearing jackets and coats. In Bordeaux the temps were in the 70's and the skies nicely sunny with seemingly low humidity. Many were wearing much lighter attire. I noticed that many of the younger men were in below-the-knee "shorts" which seem to have acquired a variety of names over the years. Again, men and women in every imaginable sort of clothing and footwear with the usual preponderance of denim.
The train arrived at the Gare St. Jean in Bordeaux on time. I had once again used AutoEurope to book the rental car and it was (for us again) a Europcar vehicle.
All the rental car agency offices at the train station are in a section of the building a few steps from the train shed/platforms.
The EuropCar office is relatively small and three clerks were working and there were at least eight people ahead of us so we could hardly fit into the room. The wait turned out to be about 35 minutes. The clerk spoke English so I wasn't forced to rely on my very rusty French.
Our car was located in a large lot (used by all the agencies) and to access it we had to go back through the station and under all the platforms and up and down some stairs.
The car was a Renault "Scenic" (Megane) 6-speed diesel, 4 doors with A/C and a hatchback. Big enough to accommodate all the luggage completely out of sight in the back.
As I have often advised others, we made certain we know how everything worked <b>before</b> driving away and this included how to get the car into reverse. I know that sounds stupid to some but when you have a driver's manual and it is in a totally "foreign" language...well, you get the picture.
Since I drive a stick every day at home driving one in Europe has never been a problem and this car was a fun drive. Plenty of power and acceleration and great fuel mileage. It was easy to "speed" it from 4th to 6th and the air conditioning came in handy on more than one occasion despite the relatively low humidity.
I set up my Magellan 760 Roadmate GPS which I had brought along and using the external antenna it took less than one minute for the unit to acquire the satellites..and we were off to Mirambeau.
The driving distance using the main autoroute is about 50 miles or a little less. Drivers were very good...exceptionally so...about staying out of the passing lane except when overtaking and also using their turn signals when making moves.
We found all the roads we traveled in France to be in excellent repair and despite traffic in the many towns we passed through over the next few days we only heard a horn sounded once.
The Chateau de Mirambeau where we stayed for the next three nights pretty much dominates the town of the same name from its high point location. The surrounding gently rolling countryside is mainly given over to agriculture and is very pretty IMO. The two dominant crops (besides vineyards) were corn and field after field of beautiful sunflowers....some in full bloom and others just developing heads.
The hotel building is a neo-Gothic "castle" which was built in 1820 over the remaining vaulted foundations of a medieval fortress built in the 11th century by Arthaud de Mirambel (who knew?!?!?!<G>
.
Henry III (of England) is reported to have stopped in around the year 1259. The place was nearly burned down in 1570 just after the conclusion of the so-called "Religious Wars" and was also badly damaged after several sieges, destructions, and fires.
The place was donated to the Ministry of War in August 1916 after which it was used first as a military hospital and later a convalescent home until 1936. During WW II it was briefly occupied by German forces.
In the 1970's the place was bought by the local region and then in 2002 it was purchased by an Italian hotel keeper who renovated and modernized the interior.
Now, if you like this kind of place (are all of you "charming hotel" lovers out there paying strict attention?????) then it is, in a word, magnificent.
We had one of the cheapest rooms at 275 Euro/night and all of the rooms are different. Ours measured 16 X 14 with an additional entry "hall" and large closet and a large bathroom with tub/shower and separate W/C room. The view of the countryside from our room was wonderful.
The room itself had absolutely huge and elaborate plaster crown moulding, beautiful fabric-covered walls and matching drapes, fully-opening large windows, antique furnishings, a true double bed, and great air conditioning.
The hotel has a small fitness room and both an indoor and outdoor pool (both heated) and a large whirlpool. The place sits on extensibe grounds and woods.
There is also a restaurant on site.
The whole place is full of the crown moulding, elaborately carved wooden railings, tapestries, luxurious fabrics, fresh flower arrangements everywhere, etc., etc., etc.
I was particularly jealous of the Pleyel piano (much older than my little Pleyel grand circa the 1930's) in the huge "drawing room" complete with urns, a fireplace big enough to live in, candles lit at night, crystal chandeliers, creaky wood floors, etc.
The staff was, in a word, wonderful and totally down-to-earth yet also totally helpful. When we drove up, three people came out to greet us including the manager.
The great thing about the place is that it isn't the least bit stuffy, nobody acted pretentious, and we were able to settle in and feel at home, and relaxed.
More coming...
A word about TGV travel. We were happy to pay the additional amount for First Class PREMS fares for this segment. The train was full (at least our car was) and we appreciated the 2+1 seating which afforded a little extra room.
Our car was one of those in which mobile phone use is discouraged and everyone who received or made phone calls respected that by leaving to carry on conversations.
The skies in Paris had been overcast and the temps were in the high 50's when we departed. People there were wearing jackets and coats. In Bordeaux the temps were in the 70's and the skies nicely sunny with seemingly low humidity. Many were wearing much lighter attire. I noticed that many of the younger men were in below-the-knee "shorts" which seem to have acquired a variety of names over the years. Again, men and women in every imaginable sort of clothing and footwear with the usual preponderance of denim.
The train arrived at the Gare St. Jean in Bordeaux on time. I had once again used AutoEurope to book the rental car and it was (for us again) a Europcar vehicle.
All the rental car agency offices at the train station are in a section of the building a few steps from the train shed/platforms.
The EuropCar office is relatively small and three clerks were working and there were at least eight people ahead of us so we could hardly fit into the room. The wait turned out to be about 35 minutes. The clerk spoke English so I wasn't forced to rely on my very rusty French.
Our car was located in a large lot (used by all the agencies) and to access it we had to go back through the station and under all the platforms and up and down some stairs.
The car was a Renault "Scenic" (Megane) 6-speed diesel, 4 doors with A/C and a hatchback. Big enough to accommodate all the luggage completely out of sight in the back.
As I have often advised others, we made certain we know how everything worked <b>before</b> driving away and this included how to get the car into reverse. I know that sounds stupid to some but when you have a driver's manual and it is in a totally "foreign" language...well, you get the picture.
Since I drive a stick every day at home driving one in Europe has never been a problem and this car was a fun drive. Plenty of power and acceleration and great fuel mileage. It was easy to "speed" it from 4th to 6th and the air conditioning came in handy on more than one occasion despite the relatively low humidity.
I set up my Magellan 760 Roadmate GPS which I had brought along and using the external antenna it took less than one minute for the unit to acquire the satellites..and we were off to Mirambeau.
The driving distance using the main autoroute is about 50 miles or a little less. Drivers were very good...exceptionally so...about staying out of the passing lane except when overtaking and also using their turn signals when making moves.
We found all the roads we traveled in France to be in excellent repair and despite traffic in the many towns we passed through over the next few days we only heard a horn sounded once.
The Chateau de Mirambeau where we stayed for the next three nights pretty much dominates the town of the same name from its high point location. The surrounding gently rolling countryside is mainly given over to agriculture and is very pretty IMO. The two dominant crops (besides vineyards) were corn and field after field of beautiful sunflowers....some in full bloom and others just developing heads.
The hotel building is a neo-Gothic "castle" which was built in 1820 over the remaining vaulted foundations of a medieval fortress built in the 11th century by Arthaud de Mirambel (who knew?!?!?!<G>
.Henry III (of England) is reported to have stopped in around the year 1259. The place was nearly burned down in 1570 just after the conclusion of the so-called "Religious Wars" and was also badly damaged after several sieges, destructions, and fires.
The place was donated to the Ministry of War in August 1916 after which it was used first as a military hospital and later a convalescent home until 1936. During WW II it was briefly occupied by German forces.
In the 1970's the place was bought by the local region and then in 2002 it was purchased by an Italian hotel keeper who renovated and modernized the interior.
Now, if you like this kind of place (are all of you "charming hotel" lovers out there paying strict attention?????) then it is, in a word, magnificent.
We had one of the cheapest rooms at 275 Euro/night and all of the rooms are different. Ours measured 16 X 14 with an additional entry "hall" and large closet and a large bathroom with tub/shower and separate W/C room. The view of the countryside from our room was wonderful.
The room itself had absolutely huge and elaborate plaster crown moulding, beautiful fabric-covered walls and matching drapes, fully-opening large windows, antique furnishings, a true double bed, and great air conditioning.
The hotel has a small fitness room and both an indoor and outdoor pool (both heated) and a large whirlpool. The place sits on extensibe grounds and woods.
There is also a restaurant on site.
The whole place is full of the crown moulding, elaborately carved wooden railings, tapestries, luxurious fabrics, fresh flower arrangements everywhere, etc., etc., etc.
I was particularly jealous of the Pleyel piano (much older than my little Pleyel grand circa the 1930's) in the huge "drawing room" complete with urns, a fireplace big enough to live in, candles lit at night, crystal chandeliers, creaky wood floors, etc.
The staff was, in a word, wonderful and totally down-to-earth yet also totally helpful. When we drove up, three people came out to greet us including the manager.
The great thing about the place is that it isn't the least bit stuffy, nobody acted pretentious, and we were able to settle in and feel at home, and relaxed.
More coming...
Jul 23rd, 2007, 09:57 AM
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That evening the hotel restaurant was offering a fixed menu meal prior to a planned "concert" in the courtyard featuring Chinese and Russian (among others according to the posters) performers. One reason we opted out was that the entree was a fish dish featuring coriander stuffing and since the Husbear dislikes fish and has an even greater dislike for all things coriander we drove into the town itself to look for a bite to eat.
We ended up in a local bar/restaurant frequented (at least on this night) by mostly workmen (and women). There was a rather spirited game of pool going on in the back and lots of curious looks at "the tourists" (meaning us)!
We decided on croque monsieurs and foregoing beer or wine settled for plain old coke..served in "vintage" Coke glasses (we ended up seeing these in lots of other restaurants on this trip. In Stockholm they were giving them away in the local MacDonalds outlets).
We had a pleasant conversation with an ex-patriot British woman who lives in the town who was sitting with her dog at the next table outside (the interior was full of smoke) about what it was like to live in the area, etc. As usual, I fell immediately in love with the dog who remained somewhat suspicious of me despite the offering of a piece of croque monsieur.
From there we drove to the local "hypermarket" which was a "Super U" where I scoped out the fuel purchase operation having heard these were the cheapest places to buy. I figured out that these places have attendants during most "normal" hours when I wouldn't have to deal with the non-chip credit card issue at the pump.
We strolled around inside. Wheeled carts (picked up outside) required a refundable Euro deposit; hand baskets inside were free. We bought some snacks, water for touring times, and I even got a small jar of the ubiquitous Nutella. I am not sure why so many folks go on and on about this stuff since where we live it is readily available in stores. Of coirse, if you like hazelnuts the stuff is fab.
Back to the hotel in time for the "concert." Chairs (the front two rows reserved for hotel guests)had been set up along with lighting and sound equipment.
This whole thing turned out to be an at times rather poignant hoot and a half affair. The performers were a troupe of mostly young people and outright children touring France and giving concerts for the local folks...and plenty of the townspeople showed up, too, as there wasn't an empty seat to be had once things got underway.
I definitely "related" to this situation having been a member of a college choir which toured Europe for 8 weeks back in 1970 doing basically the same thing (only I hope we were better). No matter, for us in those days it was a grand adventure as I am certain it was for these kids.
There were Chinese dancers and instrument players, folk dancers from the Ukraine, singing groups from various obscure (to us, anyway) "eastern" (European) countries...all in native costumes as well as <b>lots</b> of accordions.
I have decided that the accordion is definitely the offical instrument of all countries that have succeeded in giving up yoked oxen as their native mechanical power source. Some of these accordion folks were good...I mean <b>really</b> good (Lawrence Welk and Myron eat your hearts out).
And to top it all off a young but wonderful litle showman singing "Stardust" (in English!) that was at times so flat that it brought tears to my eyes...but he had the moves and stage presence so you had to love it.
Despite terrible lighting even with all that equipment (wires strewn about all over the place...I was certain some of the dancers were going to trip) and a sound man wearing a T-shirt with the word "HIGH" and marijuana leaves on the back...and the "sound" was uneven to say the least so I think he probably was living up to his T-shirt declaration....the audience was more than polite...they ate this thing up. The battle of the accordions and the "Stardust" numbers got enthusiastic "bravos" and loads of applause.
When we got back to the room the turn-down had taken place and this included candles lit in the room as well as someplaced around the rim of the bathtub.
See what staying at a charming hotel can bring...candles, accordions, and a real chateaux absolute dynamite and definitely memorable in a <b>good</b> way.
The next morning we were off early to tool around the Marais Poitevin (the so-called "Green Venice" and the Marais Mouille (the "wet marsh"...yes, we have an affinity for swampy ground in this household which undoubtedly explains my love of The Broads area of East Anglia, too.
We basically toured from Mauze-sur-le-Mignon to Epannes and onward to Coulon and Arcais to Damvix and so forth.
It was nice to simply roll along, stopping to take in the lush vegetation and water views, and get lost here and there (I turned the GPS off). Lots of pictures of beautiful villages, slow moving streams with weeping willows, people rowing in boats, etc.
We had a wonderful leisurely (about two hours with wine) lunch at a waterside place in Coulon. We had lamb with apricot and prune sauce served with the most delicious white beans (a local specialty apparently), salad, and tarts with ice cream for desert.
The place was surrounded by mounds of beautiful blue and deep purple hydrangeas and wonderful multiflora roses. Groups of what must have been swifts kept buzzing back and forth overhead like high-powered jet planes.
What a scene and what a meal to go with it. I could have stayed there for months.
Next we drove over to the Ile de Re which has received mixed reviews here. It isn't cheap to reach: 16 Euro plus tax for the toll bridge R/T but was fun to do. Lots of people on the seaweed-strewn (low tide) beaches; a few were flying kites. Plenty of little settlements geared for the "beach crowd" selling sand buckets and all that other wonderful beachy stuff. There were many, many people getting around on bicycles and a few on horses in the more outlying areas.
When we got back to the hotel we decided to eat in. The restaurant in the hotel is in two moderately sized rooms and has a very intimate atmosphere. There was a young (under 30) staff and an older woman serving as the maitre 'd or whatever you would call that "official."
Regardless, the service was refined without seeming pretentious...very warm and genuine. Our identical meals included a consomme of beef with lobster dumpling, salmon with roasted red peppers and asparagus served on permasan toast and finishing off with the greatest lime souffle you can imagine.
In between courses there were the usual "little surprises" such as a vegetable pate and other bits of this and that...all attractively presented and fun to taste.
We had coffee in the drawing room (with that massive fireplace and a real fire) and candles lit everywhere and the light reflecting off the crystals of the absolutely massive crystal chandelier in the middle of the room.
A nice way to end the day.
More coming...
We ended up in a local bar/restaurant frequented (at least on this night) by mostly workmen (and women). There was a rather spirited game of pool going on in the back and lots of curious looks at "the tourists" (meaning us)!
We decided on croque monsieurs and foregoing beer or wine settled for plain old coke..served in "vintage" Coke glasses (we ended up seeing these in lots of other restaurants on this trip. In Stockholm they were giving them away in the local MacDonalds outlets).
We had a pleasant conversation with an ex-patriot British woman who lives in the town who was sitting with her dog at the next table outside (the interior was full of smoke) about what it was like to live in the area, etc. As usual, I fell immediately in love with the dog who remained somewhat suspicious of me despite the offering of a piece of croque monsieur.
From there we drove to the local "hypermarket" which was a "Super U" where I scoped out the fuel purchase operation having heard these were the cheapest places to buy. I figured out that these places have attendants during most "normal" hours when I wouldn't have to deal with the non-chip credit card issue at the pump.
We strolled around inside. Wheeled carts (picked up outside) required a refundable Euro deposit; hand baskets inside were free. We bought some snacks, water for touring times, and I even got a small jar of the ubiquitous Nutella. I am not sure why so many folks go on and on about this stuff since where we live it is readily available in stores. Of coirse, if you like hazelnuts the stuff is fab.
Back to the hotel in time for the "concert." Chairs (the front two rows reserved for hotel guests)had been set up along with lighting and sound equipment.
This whole thing turned out to be an at times rather poignant hoot and a half affair. The performers were a troupe of mostly young people and outright children touring France and giving concerts for the local folks...and plenty of the townspeople showed up, too, as there wasn't an empty seat to be had once things got underway.
I definitely "related" to this situation having been a member of a college choir which toured Europe for 8 weeks back in 1970 doing basically the same thing (only I hope we were better). No matter, for us in those days it was a grand adventure as I am certain it was for these kids.
There were Chinese dancers and instrument players, folk dancers from the Ukraine, singing groups from various obscure (to us, anyway) "eastern" (European) countries...all in native costumes as well as <b>lots</b> of accordions.
I have decided that the accordion is definitely the offical instrument of all countries that have succeeded in giving up yoked oxen as their native mechanical power source. Some of these accordion folks were good...I mean <b>really</b> good (Lawrence Welk and Myron eat your hearts out).
And to top it all off a young but wonderful litle showman singing "Stardust" (in English!) that was at times so flat that it brought tears to my eyes...but he had the moves and stage presence so you had to love it.
Despite terrible lighting even with all that equipment (wires strewn about all over the place...I was certain some of the dancers were going to trip) and a sound man wearing a T-shirt with the word "HIGH" and marijuana leaves on the back...and the "sound" was uneven to say the least so I think he probably was living up to his T-shirt declaration....the audience was more than polite...they ate this thing up. The battle of the accordions and the "Stardust" numbers got enthusiastic "bravos" and loads of applause.
When we got back to the room the turn-down had taken place and this included candles lit in the room as well as someplaced around the rim of the bathtub.
See what staying at a charming hotel can bring...candles, accordions, and a real chateaux absolute dynamite and definitely memorable in a <b>good</b> way.
The next morning we were off early to tool around the Marais Poitevin (the so-called "Green Venice"
and the Marais Mouille (the "wet marsh"...yes, we have an affinity for swampy ground in this household which undoubtedly explains my love of The Broads area of East Anglia, too.We basically toured from Mauze-sur-le-Mignon to Epannes and onward to Coulon and Arcais to Damvix and so forth.
It was nice to simply roll along, stopping to take in the lush vegetation and water views, and get lost here and there (I turned the GPS off). Lots of pictures of beautiful villages, slow moving streams with weeping willows, people rowing in boats, etc.
We had a wonderful leisurely (about two hours with wine) lunch at a waterside place in Coulon. We had lamb with apricot and prune sauce served with the most delicious white beans (a local specialty apparently), salad, and tarts with ice cream for desert.
The place was surrounded by mounds of beautiful blue and deep purple hydrangeas and wonderful multiflora roses. Groups of what must have been swifts kept buzzing back and forth overhead like high-powered jet planes.
What a scene and what a meal to go with it. I could have stayed there for months.
Next we drove over to the Ile de Re which has received mixed reviews here. It isn't cheap to reach: 16 Euro plus tax for the toll bridge R/T but was fun to do. Lots of people on the seaweed-strewn (low tide) beaches; a few were flying kites. Plenty of little settlements geared for the "beach crowd" selling sand buckets and all that other wonderful beachy stuff. There were many, many people getting around on bicycles and a few on horses in the more outlying areas.
When we got back to the hotel we decided to eat in. The restaurant in the hotel is in two moderately sized rooms and has a very intimate atmosphere. There was a young (under 30) staff and an older woman serving as the maitre 'd or whatever you would call that "official."
Regardless, the service was refined without seeming pretentious...very warm and genuine. Our identical meals included a consomme of beef with lobster dumpling, salmon with roasted red peppers and asparagus served on permasan toast and finishing off with the greatest lime souffle you can imagine.
In between courses there were the usual "little surprises" such as a vegetable pate and other bits of this and that...all attractively presented and fun to taste.
We had coffee in the drawing room (with that massive fireplace and a real fire) and candles lit everywhere and the light reflecting off the crystals of the absolutely massive crystal chandelier in the middle of the room.
A nice way to end the day.
More coming...
Jul 28th, 2007, 02:57 AM
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Sigh... isn't that a great way to travel!? This sounds like a recharge your batteries, relax, take time out VACATION! You must have felt as if you were time-warped to an earlier, more gracious time at that Chateau (even if it was relatively "new"...
Thanks for taking the time to write.
...Thanks for taking the time to write.
Jul 28th, 2007, 05:13 AM
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I apologize for the delay in completing this report.
We obviously do not always choose to travel to the most popular Fodorite destinations but remain undeterred in our decisions.
To continue...
We spent the next two days rather slowly exploring the general area and didn't particularly feel compelled to go back to Bordeaux (having visited there several years ago).
Day trips included a stop in the market twon of Chauvigny which is about 14 miles east of Poitiers where we visited the church of St. Pierre. We had heard about the choir capitals and they did not disappoint. Monsters are depicted grabbing humans and disemboweling them as well as crunching their heads. These scenes are contrasted with Gabriel's annunciation of Jesus' birth to the shepherds as well as Archangel Michael's weighing souls using a hand-held scale while the devil tries to steal one to eat.
We ate lunch in one of the local cafes where we had some of the best simply prepared local dishes as well as wonderful wine..and we aren't even wine drinkers particularly. I think it had to be the overall ambience...taking your time and being in the midst of all this "ordinary" and unhurried" country life.
We also made visits to St. Savin to see the abbey church supposedly built on the site of an earlier church founded by Charlemagne. In particular, the interior decoration wehichconsists mainly of paintings illustrating stories from the Old Testament such as the Pharaoh being turned back by the closing Red Sea and Noah's Ark. We also enjoyed touring the nearby museum of Romanesque art history.
On our only partially-rainy day we decided to drive over to Cognac. It doesn't take long to figure out what this place is all about since the smell of maturing brandy is pretty strong in the area where the warehouses are located.
The town has a lot of charming stone and half-tinbered buildings which make for an interesting walk.
We did the Hennessy Cognac visit and found out all you ever wanted to know about this stuff including how cognac is graded according to the quality of the soil in which the grapes are grown.
Yes, we tasted (it was hard to drive back to the hotel after we tasted as much as we did!
After three nights in Mirambeau we drove south for a tour through some of the Pyrenees.
We obviously do not always choose to travel to the most popular Fodorite destinations but remain undeterred in our decisions.
To continue...
We spent the next two days rather slowly exploring the general area and didn't particularly feel compelled to go back to Bordeaux (having visited there several years ago).
Day trips included a stop in the market twon of Chauvigny which is about 14 miles east of Poitiers where we visited the church of St. Pierre. We had heard about the choir capitals and they did not disappoint. Monsters are depicted grabbing humans and disemboweling them as well as crunching their heads. These scenes are contrasted with Gabriel's annunciation of Jesus' birth to the shepherds as well as Archangel Michael's weighing souls using a hand-held scale while the devil tries to steal one to eat.
We ate lunch in one of the local cafes where we had some of the best simply prepared local dishes as well as wonderful wine..and we aren't even wine drinkers particularly. I think it had to be the overall ambience...taking your time and being in the midst of all this "ordinary" and unhurried" country life.
We also made visits to St. Savin to see the abbey church supposedly built on the site of an earlier church founded by Charlemagne. In particular, the interior decoration wehichconsists mainly of paintings illustrating stories from the Old Testament such as the Pharaoh being turned back by the closing Red Sea and Noah's Ark. We also enjoyed touring the nearby museum of Romanesque art history.
On our only partially-rainy day we decided to drive over to Cognac. It doesn't take long to figure out what this place is all about since the smell of maturing brandy is pretty strong in the area where the warehouses are located.
The town has a lot of charming stone and half-tinbered buildings which make for an interesting walk.
We did the Hennessy Cognac visit and found out all you ever wanted to know about this stuff including how cognac is graded according to the quality of the soil in which the grapes are grown.
Yes, we tasted (it was hard to drive back to the hotel after we tasted as much as we did!
After three nights in Mirambeau we drove south for a tour through some of the Pyrenees.
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clevelandbrown
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