France part 3
Well, It was time to escape the election blather. Where better than in a country where I do not speak a word of the language? I got to the airport plenty early. The flight was showing a tad late. I was in line to board 2nd when they called my name. They were putting me on a different flight, PDX to AMS to CDG instead of PDX to JFK to CDG. The first leg, to Amsterdam, was fine, but on the second leg, they put me in the back of the plane. It was so tight, my feet went to sleep and I almost couldn’t walk by the time we landed. I was so far back in the plane, it was 20 minutes before I had to walk and then I stumbled off to baggage claim.
Auto Europe picked me up promptly and took me to my brand new Renault Clio, the same kind of car I had in the spring. It was about an hour’s drive to Campiegne, a town highly recommended in the Michelin guide. The Hotel du Nord was a block from the train station and right on the river with a lovely view from my room. The guy who checked me in spoke less English than I do French. My room was mostly renovated but a far stretch to call it 3-star. I was beat so I ate at the hotel. Dinner started with some kind of savory mousse, then a crepe with ham and a mushroom cream sauce, topped with melted cheese. The main was duck breast and the dessert was a raspberry parfait, with wine and coffee, 29€. Yum!
I slept for 12 ½ hours and almost missed breakfast. It took a while after breakfast before I was ready to go out. Eventually, I crossed the river and headed for the main square. The Hotel d’Ville (city hall) is a magnificent baroque building and I sat in front of it waiting for the ancient clock to bong. It was a perfect early fall day for people-watching. I collected a couple of bi-lingual maps at the tourist office and headed out. There were several old churches, the ruins of a medieval tower, and the ruins of the original bridge over the river. It was built in the 13th century and is where Joan of Arc was captured in 1430. It was replaced in 1735 and the ruins are now part of the foundation of a house. Dinner was at a place with good reviews but I can’t say anything good about it, I left a one-star review. I barely slept that night.
Saturday I went to see the Chateau Compiegne, a royal residence in the summer and fall from Louis XV thru Napoleon III. There was a small car show in the courtyard, they even had a 1958 Edsel. The Chateau also has a nice museum of pre-1900 motor vehicles. I sent a couple of pictures of very early motorcycles to my friend John Heinrich who collects old bikes. Lunch was outside at Cafe L’Atelier 14; smoked salmon wrapped around herb-seasoned cheese topped with caviar, duck breast with fries, and creme brulee. It must have been the young waiter’s first day. When he cleared my entree he took my knife and fork, but when he brought my main he never brought back a knife and fork and went to serve other tables. My duck was getting cold and I finally had to yell for him. By late afternoon, I needed a nap. After the nap, I skipped dinner and slept another 12 hours that night.
I almost missed breakfast, worst jet lag I ever had. The closest “very interesting” site (per the Michelin guide) was Chateau Pierrefronds, about a 25-minute drive. The castle was originally built in the 12th century, demolished in the 17th century (so it didn’t fall into the wrong hands), and restored in the 19th century by Napoleon III. It is picture postcard-perfect and has been used as the backdrop for several movies and TV shows. Shockingly, there was free parking in the village close to the entry. After a moderate climb, I got to the ticket office and was told “Free entry for the disabled” (another great reason to use a cane). The upper floors were accessible via broad stone steps with no handrails. so I passed. It was a beautiful day, so after checking out the ground-floor rooms, I sat in the courtyard and soaked up the ambiance. I was going to have lunch in the village, but I dwindled too long in the Chateau, and by 2ish, most places were closing. On Sunday, most restaurants are either closed or only open for lunch. Back in Compeigne, I opted for some snacks from an Indian restaurant and picked up a bottle of wine to take back to the room.
So now it is Monday, my fourth morning in France, and I still feel jet lagged. Eventually, I got the car loaded and headed out. I needed gas but the first station I stopped at took 8 credit cards I have never heard of. There was no attendant (or even a place for one) so I tried my Visa but it was rejected. The next place said to take your card inside before pumping gas, but the guy inside kept saying: Maximum, Maximum, and I didn’t know what he wanted, so I left. At the third place, I just pumped the gas, went inside, and paid, no problem. I enjoy driving thru rural France. It is mostly tidy farmland and very green. I grew up in New Mexico which has its
own kind of beauty but is very brown. I had lots of time, so I tried to see some sites along the way. My first stop was Beauvais which promised a stunning, gravity-defying, cathedral. It will probably be, in 10+ years, when they take down the scaffolding for the renovation. The next stop was Gerberoy, “One of the most charming villages in France.” It was certainly one of the most charming places I ever visited. I drove thru and back, stopping several times to marvel at the unique and simple beauty. If I were a painter, I could spend weeks there.
My destination was Berck sur Mer, on the channel, southwest of Calais. The Hotel Littoral(18 rooms) may be the nicest 2-star hotel I have stayed at. My room was simple, with subtle wallpaper that would have been at home at the Ritz, a vinyl floor that looked like old wood, and a nice sea view. The parking was street parking and a one-week pass was 20€. That evening I wandered down the beachfront. There were few people and almost everything was closed, the good and bad of the off-season. I settled on a place called Reunion which looked interesting. My entree was a tartare of herring with strawberries which was wonderful. My main was an Italian steak tartare with pesto, it sounded better than it tasted. I opted for cider instead of wine, which was a nice balance.
The next day I went thru the Valee de l’Authie, with its Chateau and bucolic drive. There is a famous Abbey but you can only see it on a guided tour, in French. Even if I understood French, my hearing is so bad, I would not have a clue what they were saying. So I just admired the exterior. It was pretty breezy and cloudy so I skipped the gardens too. I wasn’t very hungry that evening, so I just stopped by the grocery store. I got 4 oz of Roquefort, 4 oz of duck liver pate, and a big package of nice crackers for 5€, plus a good bottle of Bordeaux, which made a perfect light supper. Probably would have cost $50 in the US and I saved half for the next night..
Wednesday I drove to Boulgone-sur-Mer. This is a town founded by the Romans and from where Julius Caesar launched his invasion of England. The medieval town still has its walls and 4 gates. Driving inside the walls was …interesting. There was a car park next to the cathedral. In France, 52% of the people profess no religion, and there are 40,000 churches. All the churches built before 1905 belong to the government and are maintained by the government, and religious organizations can use them for free. This cathedral wasn’t that impressive from the outside but the inside was different and very nice. I checked out 3 of the gates but did not walk the walls. The museum in the chateau was very well done. In the basement, you could see part of the old Roman walls and several Roman artifacts they had excavated. It was raining when I left the museum but I had already scoped out a place for lunch. My entree was fish busque, my main was a huge pot of mussels and a bowl of fires. I could barely finish the mussels and barely touched the fries. Dessert was mousse au chocolate, dark semi-sweet chocolate, oh yes! With 2 glasses of wine and an espresso, it was a tad under 30€. Why didn’t I retire here?
Thursday the sun came out, but it was too windy to sit on the beach. I headed out to visit another of my namesake villages; St Valery sur Somme. It sits on the estuary where the Somme empties into the channel. There was a settlement of Gauls here before the Romans came and this is where William the Conqueror assembled his fleet to invade England in 1066. The town is very medieval and I visited the restored church and ramparts. The next day was rainy and blustery but I had “miles to go before I sleep” (R Frost) I got lost in Dieppe (just like in April) because there was a bridge being replaced that the GPS didn’t know about. I hugged the coast and had lunch at Les Frigates in Veulettes sur Mer. It is a lovely place looking out over the sea, I had the seafood platter; oysters, cockles, Whelks, big pink shrimp, teensy gray shrimp, and Langosteens, Yum. My destination was the Hotel St Christophe, just outside of Etretat. They looked at my cane and asked if I would like the accessible room on the ground floor. Since they don’t have a lift, I accepted. It is another attractive, friendly 2-star hotel. So far, the 2-star hotels have been much nicer than the 3-star in Compiegne.
My plan was to spend a day in Etretat, I had driven thru it in April and knew there was a lot to see. I turned into the town and stopped. The main parking lot had been turned into a festival ground and there were so many cars and pedestrians, you could barely move. Time for a new plan. About that time, I noticed that my GPS still thought I was in the Hotel parking lot. I tried turning the car off, I tried all the reset buttons, I called the service number (all garages closed on Sat and Sun). I used my phone when I could, but in a lot of places there was only 3G service (no data). Eventually, I came to Yport, occupied since neolithic times, once a major fishing port, now a beach resort. This whole area is called the Albatross Coast. I visited a couple of other hamlets where I could walk down to an isolated beach, it was very peaceful. The little village I was staying in had one restaurant and I tried to go there for dinner. They were booked, but there was also an old grease smell that I don’t like so, booked worked out. I checked at the hotel desk and they recommended a Brasserie down on the beach. The view over the ocean as the sun set was spectacular. I had rillettes of sardine (great) and a piece of grilled fish (very good).
Sunday was very cold, ~50, and overcast. Once I got going, I drove to Le Harve to visit the modern art museum. It is in a glass building right on the harbor. Unfortunately, the 20th-century photography exhibit had just closed, so all there was to see was the permanent exhibit. There were about 100 works by Boudin ( a local artist), a few other nice impressionist works, and some Renaissance works. As I looked at a painting of a young girl on her knees, staring blissfully heavenward, I could read her mind; “Dear god, there must be something more to life than this.” I don’t like driving in the dark, so dinner was just a take-out pizza that I ate at the hotel bar, washed down with a couple of local ciders.
Another driving day and another day of misty rain. I crossed the Seine on the Pont du Normandie, a stunning, very high, cable-stayed bridge. I cut thru Honfleur, one of the prettiest villages you could imagine, but I had spent time there in April, so I didn’t stop this time. I drove along the coast and thru several beach resort towns. Deauville was the most la-dee-dah, with many 4-star hotels. Eventually, I got to Caen and the castle. I had tried to see it in the spring, but could not get in. This time I got in and wandered the courtyard. The castle was in the midst of a 20-year, 8-phase, restoration. Nothing was open to see, not even the ramparts. I tried to stay close to the coast and drove thru many quaint villages with stone houses and churches. At St Vaast la Hougue, I tried to visit an old tower, but neither Google Maps nor the car GPS would get me there. I could see it at times and eventually stumbled on the right road. The road ended at a military base, so maybe that was why the GPS’s would not go there. There was a path along the outside of the base, but the rain picked up and I settled for the long distance view. I got to Barfleur at 4:30, check-in time for my hotel. The room was huge, actually a suite, but there was no heat, no WiFi, no TV, and only a 3-G phone signal (no data) They promised to fix the heat while I was out. I stopped at a small bar (called a Tabac). It was a very local place with families and tada, WiFi. I had a couple of Ricards and caught up with things. Dinner was simple; a dozen oysters, ½ dozen razor clams. And a large bottle of Cider. When I got back to the hotel, the reception was closed and nothing was fixed.
Breakfast was some stuff in a bag, so I went out. The town is darling, it is one of the few towns that the Germans didn’t destroy, as they pulled out during WWII. (On the coast of Norway, they burned every town to the ground as they left) There is a beautiful formal garden in the back of the hotel and another very nice public garden a block away. It was a nice sunny day, so I walked the south side of the harbor and visited the two old lighthouses. There were a lot of fishing boats and a few pleasure boats in the harbor and it deserved a picture. I stopped at a harborside bistro for lunch. The mussel pot was piled impossibly high and I could barely finish them, with fires, a salad, and coffee it was 26€.
Another driving day and it was misting rain. I started on a scenic route that went thru Cherbourg, so many of the town names are familiar from the WWII movies of my childhood. Eventually, I got to a place called Goury at the end of the road. From the parking ot I took the path to the sea and a view of the loneliest lighthouse ever, on an outcropping of rock 100 meters offshore. Maybe it is telling, that I am drawn to the end of the road wherever I go. I meandered all morning and, by lunchtime, I arrived in Granville, the birthplace of Christian Dior. I found a little restaurant right on the harbor, with free parking close by. I started with 9 fat pink shrimp followed by grilled sardines. With a glass of cider and coffee, it was just under 25€. My destination was St Malo, founded by the Gauls in the 1sr century BC, controlled by to Romans for a few hundred years, independent for longer, home of French privateers (pirates to the English) in the 17th century, and then a reluctant part of France. The city motto translates as “Not Breton, not French, but Malouan. It was almost leveled in WWII and rebuilt over 12 years ending in 1960. My hotel was in the old walled part of the city. I scored a parking place right by the front door. I stumbled down to Carrefour for a bottle of wine and some pate. By the time I got back, up the hill, to the hotel, I felt 100 years old.
Thursday was sunny and a bit warmer. I decided to walk the ramparts, a little over a mile. They go clear around the city except in one place you have to come down. The views of the sea and the islets with old fortifications were delightful. This is the most visited town in Brittany but it didn’t seem that crowded. After a nap, I wandered the streets for a while and it does feel like a medieval town but with lots of boutiques. The next day I visited the aquarium, which was nice but not great, and drove to Pointe de Grouin. The view was spectacular, with some rocky islands just offshore, and the waves crashing in. A group of middle-aged, American cyclists pulled in right behind me and gabbed loudly and incessantly. My main objective was lunch at the oyster shacks in Cancale. The price had gone up since spring, they were now 8 Euros a dozen. I stopped at the Jacques Cartier Museum on the way back, but it was only by a guided tour in French. Cartier sailed to the New World three times between 1635 and 1642, exploring the Gulf of St Lawrence and the St Lawrence River. On his first trip, he learned the native word for settlement – kanata – and the name stuck. The town was much more crowded on the weekend. I walked the ramparts again, saw an exhibit of photos by Lee Miller, the only female war photographer there right after D-Day (D+29), and visited an exhibit about a French polar explorer. His ship name translated as Why Not? I also drove a short bit to see the Solidor Tower, a nice castle right on the harbor.
On Monday, it started out raining (it must have been a driving day), but it soon cleared. I saw a sign for a Roman aqueduct by Carhaix and immediately took the next exit. There wasn’t much there, but it was originally 27 km long and delivered 6,000 cubic meters of fresh water daily, 2000 years ago! My destination was Pont l’Abbe but my hotel was just on the outskirts. It was an extremely comfortable 2-star with the best breakfast so far. The next day I drove to Penmarch to see an historic lighthouse but the road was under construction and I could not quite get there. Not far away, I found a standing stone, erected about 5000 years ago. It was sitting in a marsh so you couldn’t get up close to it. Then I stumbled upon a stunning bit of coast, with the waves crashing on the rocks. The rain stopped as I pulled up, so I had it to myself for half an hour. Back close to the hotel, there was a botanical garden. I think it was just a hobby for the owner of the nursery there. It was 10 acres and I was the only visitor. It probably is fabulous in the spring, but it was peaceful and enjoyable in the fall.
Wednesday it was raining steadily. I was sticking to the 2-lane roads and detouring thru various villages. Eventually one of them looked familiar and I realized I had been there in the spring, so I had to be near Carnac. I decided to have lunch in Trinite sur Mer. They were out of the razor clams, so I had the escargot followed by a perfect piece of grilled sea bass. The skin was nicely crispy. I stopped at the Suscinio castle but it was still raining hard and I like the courtyard and ramparts better than the inside. At Pornic the main road was closed because of flooding. The detour went in a circle. Every road I tried had a barrier “Route Barree” or sometimes just water rushing across the road. I learned, at a young age, that driving thru still water is possible, but driving thru running water is a never, never. Between my Michelin atlas and Google, I finally found a way to La Barre du Monts. My hotel was a true 2-star, maybe. The first floor was a working man’s dive bar, and nobody spoke English. My room did have a sea view (across the parking lot) and was clean and comfy. The town’s main purpose seems to be the ferry to Ile d’Yeu.
I picked this place off the map because there were some islands and a lot of coastline that I hoped would be interesting. I went off to see Ile de Noirmoutier which is connected by a road that is only accessible at low tide. The 21st century brought a bridge and that is what I took. The island had a 100-year-old castle, many closed-up la-de-dah houses, and almost no way to get down to the shore. I drove back to the mainland and found some beach to walk. Then I went to Sr Jean du Monts for lunch. I don’t know why these places are called “du Monts” there are no mountains anywhere. The next day I visited Commequiers, a lovely ruined castle surrounded by a moat. There was no one else, so I just sat in the sun and enjoyed the ambiance. Close by was a nice Dolmen (5000-year-old group tomb) and still not a soul around. People in the US think the 1930’s are historic! I looked for oysters for lunch but all the oyster shacks were closed They were still closed for dinner so I wandered around town, looking for an open restaurant. I had a dozen oysters and a perfectly poached piece of sea bass served over risotto.
Saturday I went to Pornic which has a quaint harbor. It was a great place to sit and watch the world go by or roam the boutiques. The sun was warm and life was good. When I returned to La Barre du Monts, the oyster shacks were open, yay! You just walk thru the shack and the tables are old cable reels with chairs sitting in the sand with a view of the oyster beds. Oysters were 12€ a dozen 3€ for wine, so I had 2. And they comped me an espresso. The next day, I headed out, in the rain as usual. I try to hug the coast, but there are not pretty coastal drives. They keep the coast for people I wanted to have lunch in Rochefort, but the first place I tried was full, the second was closed, and the 3rd was full. As I neared the town of cognac, I saw a sign for “Paleo-site” and immediately turned off. It was a very well-done exhibit with spiffy videos and multiple rooms. It was aimed at middle school kids, but I still learned a few things. In the 1970’s they discovered both Neanderthal and homo sapian fossils there. The outside exhibits were recreations of villages. My hotel, Le Valois in Cognac, was close to the center and a lovely 3-star place. The first night I was one of two guests.
I picked Cognac because it was a small town in an area I had not visited. I’m not wild about their brandy but 50 years ago I did like Hennessy Paradis which is now over $1000 a bottle. By the time I got here, I had been driving for almost a month and was completely out of steam. I stayed for a week and did not do much. I had some lovely meals, including a pizzeria with a lovely decor. After two visits, I will swear, it was the best pizza I ever had. Every day, I would frequent a little bar that served Ricard for 3€ a shot. I spent a week in Cognac, not doing much. It was often raining a bit in the mornings so I would wait to go out. If it was nice, I would walk down to the river where the cognac firms were. I really did not need to go on a tour of them. The old section was very interesting with houses from the 15th century, still occupied. On Sunday there was a tent on the main square and a very nice man shucking oysters for 8€ a dozen. Who knew France was such an oyster country? I tried a bottle of the local aperitif called Pineau, 3 parts grape juice and one part cognac, then aged in barrels. It was quite nice but sweet.
After a week of doing nothing, I was feeling much more energetic (for me). I got back in the car, it was raining of course, and headed back to the coast. My hotel allowed check-in after 4pm, so I needed a stop for lunch. I went to Cap Ferret which promised some of the best oysters in France. For some unknown reason, I have a thing for finding the end of the road. I don’t need to linger there but I love seeing it. Cap Ferret is an upscale beach resort, with very nice houses. After walking out to the point, I asked Google for “oyster bars” and picked one. It looked out over the bay, the oysters were very good, and I had some pink shrimp, wine, and espresso. As I drove into Mimizan, it looked like a typical cheesy beach town, not usually my thing. My 2-star hotel, Hotel de France, was almost on the water. You could see it from the bar but not from my room. I walked around for a bit and the town seemed nice enough. For dinner, I found A Noste, right on the beach. When the weather is nice it is mostly open air, but they closed it off for the season though you could still watch the sunset in the west. I, conservatively, ordered the beef tartare, and it was excellent. The mousse au chocolate for dessert was the best. I decided I liked this town.
I spent three lovely, sunny days in Mimizan. In the morning, I would walk the boardwalk for a couple of hours, then take a rest. In the afternoon, I would walk the boardwalk again and then have a couple of cocktails while I watched the sunset from a little place called “Kenny’s.” The second night, I had a whole grilled Dorade. On the third night, I had mixed seafood over risotto, two kinds of fish, ~15 mussels, a big octopus tentacle, and shrimp. The last night I returned to A Noste and had a whole grilled sea bass. My energy level came up a couple of notches.
The day I left, it was, of course raining. I headed to Santes which had some nice Roman remains. The highlight was the Arc de Germanius built in the year 18 and in great shape (probably because they moved it 50 meters in 1848). They also had the remnants of a Gallo-Roman amphitheater, but there was not a lot of it left. I gassed up, you really have to watch the prices, they can vary as much as 2€ a gallon. I have been trying to avoid the toll roads but from Santes to Chinon they saved about 30 MinutesHow much could it cost? 23€ !
I checked into the Hotel de France, my third stay this year. I got the same room and there was a handwritten note welcoming me, with a macaroon. I had dinner at the brassiere next door, beef tartare and mousse au chocolate. The next day, it was misting, and I headed out to see the Chateau Royal de Amboise. This is where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last three years and is buried. The car GPS took me to the back of the castle where there was no entrance. I found the front entrance and circled once before finding a parking place a minute from the entrance, 1.40€ for 3 hours. I started for the castle and promptly slipped on the wet marble stone sidewalk. Somehow, nothing got hurt. Two gentlemen stood me back up. I hiked up the ramp to the ticket office and started my visit. The rain had stopped and the grounds were beautiful. There were fantastic views over the town in every direction. I skipped the many flights of stone spiral stairs to see the Renaissance bedrooms but did visit the chapel with D’Vinci’s tombstone. The gardens were quite serene. I spent about 2 hours wandering. That afternoon I stopped at Cave de Voltaire, a lovely wine store. I tried two and will have to think about which I prefer. For dinner, I went to a very nice, highly recommended restaurant and had the worst possible Coq au Vin. I need to stick to the lowly brasseries.
On the second day, I visited a local winery, the only one open on Sunday. It wasn’t much different from any other winery, except for the guy’s accent. The wines weren’t that good, but I got a tasting and two bottles for 23€. Dinner was across the plaza from my hotel: duck medallions with a nice sauce. On the third day, I just wandered the streets of Chinon. There is no new construction, just restored old buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. The church was peaceful and had info about Joan of Arc. After the Burgundians captured her, they sold her to the British for 10,000 livres ( 12,000€ today) and they burned her at the stake. Dinner was at a little cafe that got a lot of traffic and was one of the few places open on a Monday night in the dead season.
The drive to Chantilly was long and uneventful. I had a nice hotel, right downtown, and lots of restaurants close by. I ate at a place I liked from last May, a curry pumpkin soup, which was sublime, and a version of pepper steak. The next day I walked to the Grand Stables and passed the top race track in France. There were horses in stalls, a brief show of horses doing various gaits, and a small museum. I wanted to get a combined ticket for the Chateau, but the ticket lady was on the phone the whole time. Dinner was a carrot and cauliflower soup and a main salad with chicken, gizzards, and lots of veggies. On the last day, I went to the chateau, which I missed in May because it is closed on Tuesdays. It has the largest collection of ancient paintings in France, but they are 3 and 4 high, just inches apart, and 90% are portraits. I had my usual reaction to the Renaissance opulence, off with their heads. The gardens were spectacular, but it was too cold to really enjoy them. I am checked in for my flight tomorrow and ready to go. Being out of the country for the last 6 weeks has been a true blessing (no election blather).