Back on the road again.

Lethals on Tour- Part 2

 

Well, it’s just us two again. The hordes have jetted off home; back to their real lives. The house seemed so empty when they’d gone, and it was definitely our cue to move on after this “holiday” from the trip. We were packed and ready to move on. Packing took forever; for the first time since we left home, we’d unpacked, rather than living out of suitcases. Oh, and of course, the sun was out and the pool was cool, which may have distracted us a little….

EMPTY THAT’S AN UNDERSTATEMENT……. I MISS YOU ALL!! WE HAD A CRACKING TIME AT THIS PLACE, LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER.

WELCOME HOME PARTY ANYONE???

 

 

3/6/17

 

We made an early start today; leaving Ceret after a quick breakfast, as we had a long journey ahead.

Turning West, we headed towards the Midi-Pyrennes, keeping the mountains on our left. Once again the landscape was stunning, but by now I really have run out of adjectives to describe it. Other than some torrential rain as we passed through Toulouse, the journey was fairly uneventful, and we reached our new home, a farmhouse in Faget-Abbatial, by late afternoon.

And it was gorgeous! Perched on top of a hill, overlooking acres of rolling green fields and a large lake/ reservoir. Although it was a lady who greeted us- not a word of English, so my schoolgirl French was called into use- the house obviously belongs to a bloke. It was a lovely mixture of old stone walls and high tech lighting and gadgets. Not a cushion or rug in sight, and the only kitchen utensils were either razor sharp knives or gadgety.

WOW WHAT A PLACE!! IT IS, TO SAY THE LEAST, EXTREMELY RURAL: FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF THE JOURNEY, I WAS THINKING “ THIS CAN’T BE RIGHT IT’S THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BLOODY SAT –NAV HAS GONE WRONG.” HOWEVER TOM-TOM WAS RIGHT YET AGAIN.

WHEN WE WENT OUT TO THE BACK GARDEN I GOT VERY EXCITED WHEN I SAW THE RESERVOIR, I PICTURED ME SITTING DOWN THERE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND LAST THING AT NIGHT, HAVING A FEW OF THE HUGE CARP OUT, HAPPY DAYS. I ASKED THE OWNER IF IT WAS OK TO FISH THE RESERVOIR……… NON WAS THE REPLY….. I THOUGHT NAAH SHE MISUNDERSTOOD ME.

SO IN MY BEST INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU ACCENT I SHOUTED EVER LOUDER AND MIMED CATCHING A HUGE FISH, IN CASE SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ME. HER RESPONSE WAS TO SHOUT NON EVEN LOUDER.

I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!!!!!! APPARENTLY IT WAS RENTED TO THE NEIGHBOURING FARM AND HE WOULDN’T ALLOW FISHING. GRRRRRRR.

SO JUST SAT AND LOOKED AT MY NEW FISHING ROD AND SULKED FOR THE NEXT 5 HOURS. THEN PICKED MYSELF UP AND GOT THE DRONE UP IN THE AIR AT LAST TO FILM IT. HOWEVER, THE EDITTING PROGRAMME HAS CHANGED AGAIN! THE FOOTAGE IS 4 MINUTES LONG. I WILL EDIT IT WHEN I WORK OUT HOW TO DO IT. LINK ATTACHED IF YOU’RE INTERESTED.

 

 

 

4/6/17 – 6/6/17

 

Having spent most of the last month lounging around a pool, we were determined to thoroughly explore the area, so spent the next few days doing just that. Among others, we found:

Limorre- a quaint village, where we accidentally stumbled upon a wine-tasting/ food-sampling fete in progress. Loads of friendly locals.

Auch- the largest town in the Gers area. Dominated by a high cathedral- what a surprise- Auch is a medieval town, located on the banks of a river and boasting fantastic old buildings; all best viewed from a restaurant in the main square, over a long lunch and a few beers.

Lavardens- an ancient, sleepy village at the foot of a huge chateau (closed, despite the signs saying it was open).

Larressingle- a fortified hill-top village, with stunning views and a castle (closed, despite the signs saying it was open).

Condom- a large, ugly town. Not sure why it is listed as a main tourist attraction, but we think the novelty value of a photo of the town sign is probably its main pull.

 

Of course, we didn’t want to exhaust ourselves, so we also had a couple of days chilling in the glorious sunshine in the grounds of the house.

We also attempted to go out for an evening meal a couple of times. Erm… they were shut! There seems to be a theme here!

It’s such an under-populated area that each of the villages seems to have one or two restaurants, each of whom open for only one or two evenings a week. Still, we had our trusty supplies and a good bbq, so we headed back and ate under the light of the moon.

COME ON RURAL FRANCE SORT IT OUT!!! IT’S NO WONDER YOU ARE WALKING ROUND WITH YOUR ARSES HANGING OUT OF YOUR TROUSERS. TRY OPENING UP YOU BARS AND RESTAURANTS MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK!!!!!!!

For me, there were three highlights to this part of the trip:

Watching a massive electrical storm over the Pyrennes, while lying on a sunbed in the warm night air, listening to music and drinking brandy.

EXCELLENT…….RIDERS OF THE STORM, BY THE DOORS- WHAT A TUNE.

Waking up the next morning to find that, although the Tories were still in power, our wonderful country has taken a massive swing towards Socialism. I won’t dwell on politics here, but I was very proud to be British that day.

HAHA….. HAVE THAT MRS MAY.

Visiting Michelle and Gerard, the French couple who we met in the Algarve at the beginning of our trip. They live just 2 hours away, in Gaillac, near Albi; so we drove there and spent a lovely afternoon with them at their beautiful home, on the banks of the River Tarn. Gerard is an excellent chef, so we dined in style! I have noticed, however, that my tenuous grasp of French seems to deteriorate whenever I drink wine. How strange!

GUESS WHO FELL ASLEEP FOR THE WHOLE JOURNEY HOME AND SNORED REALLY, REALLY LOUDLY!!!

Back home to pack, as we are back on the road again tomorrow.

4 thoughts on “Back on the road again.”

  1. You blogs are great. Really love reading them.
    I copied your idea and sent our kids a WhatsApp blog with pictures everyday we were on holiday. Thought it was such a good idea and really enjoyed doing them. Only away a week so not too much of an effort. Only to be informed by them both when we returned “don’t know why you bothered we didnt bother reading them ”
    Honestly !!
    Carry on enjoying your trip. Look forward to the next instalment xx

    1. Hi Michaela,
      Glad it inspired you and glad you are enjoying the blog’s.
      We saw your pictures on FACEBOOK looked like a lovely place.
      Will try to meet up with you when we get back. It’s been too long.
      Xx

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