Jane & Rog Plod to Portugal

A mere 70km hop today to the aire at the Domaine de Saint Firmin vineyard just outside Uzès (really just outside - a few hundred metres from town). It’s free as long as you buy a glass, or a bottle, of their wine.

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We had a picnic lunch by Denby, overlooking the vines and then walked into the town for a look around. Uzès really is a lovely place.


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On the way back, Flynn met a very brave cat - or foolhardy, we’ll never know. It certainly wasn’t for running away, and we didn’t fancy letting Flynn’s face get within claw distance.

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Back at the vineyard, we had a glass each of their driest white wine. Very good.

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After a long, lazy afternoon we walked back into town for dinner. But the good thing about France is that the tourist shops stay open until 7pm, right until it’s dinner time. So we had a bit of a browse and a wander…

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…and then a drink on the market square.

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Dinner was at Esprit du Samaritain, a very traditional place, where after sharing 6 oysters, we both had kidneys in mustard and cream. Perfectly pink, and very good. Rog even managed a pud - apple tart with French squirty cream.

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Flynn was very happy with his leftovers. It could only have been bettered if it had been the pussy-cat from earlier.
 
Jane And Rog said:
Wow, that’s one for the bucket list. How did you get to Liberia?
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We didn’t take the van! :rofl:

We lived there for 3 years when Cliff worked for an iron ore company from 1978 to 1981.

An absolute experience. Before we got there it was claimed to be the most stable black African country - we then lived through riots, and a bloody coup in 1980. However it was nothing compared to what happened in 1989 when civil war broke out. A beautiful country decimated by corruption and extreme violence.

I could write a book - as could many Funsters who’ve lived and worked abroad!
 
cliffanger said:
We didn’t take the van! :rofl:

We lived there for 3 years when Cliff worked for an iron ore company from 1978 to 1981.

An absolute experience. Before we got there it was claimed to be the most stable black African country - we then lived through riots, and a bloody coup in 1980. However it was nothing compared to what happened in 1989 when civil war broke out. A beautiful country decimated by corruption and extreme violence.

I could write a book - as could many Funsters who’ve lived and worked abroad!
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Wow, we’ve lived in some exciting countries but I think you’ve just won the ex-pat top trumps! Would love to meet over a bottle of wine sometime and you can tell me all about it.

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Jane And Rog said:
Wow, we’ve lived in some exciting countries but I think you’ve just won the ex-pat top trumps! Would love to meet over a bottle of wine sometime and you can tell me all about it.
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The Mousy ’s have heard a few of Cliff’s stories. They’ll probably tell you that one bottle wouldn’t be enough! :rofl:
 
My wife, although only a child at the time, lived in Nigeria during the Biafran War. Her father who had travelled the world was working there helping the cotton industry to use decommissioned UK cotton manufacturing equipment. They fled the country when slaughtered headless chickens were hung outside their door. She’s got some “great” tales to tell.
 
Barryh said:
My wife, although only a child at the time, lived in Nigeria during the Biafran War. Her father who had travelled the world was working there helping the cotton industry to use decommissioned UK cotton manufacturing equipment. They fled the country when slaughtered headless chickens were hung outside their door. She’s got some “great” tales to tell.
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Someone should compile a book of MHF travellers’ tales!
 
With a bit of time on my hands, I thought I'd check up on this "whale sperm" appetizer (surely an oxymoron ?)
It seems the procurement process is rather involved, but you actually don't need a big boat, just one capable of holding four skin divers......... :imoutahere:
 
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, side one, track 4

Uzés Aire this morning:



We walked back into town for breakfast with Flynn. The Market square was empty so we ended up on the “ring road” along the site of the old town walls at the imaginitively named Vieux Cafe (not that old from the looks of things).

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A breakfast earlier today​

The owner’s dog had recently died and Flynn came in for some extra special attention and free breakfast biscuits. I’d wanted a tartine for my breakfast but the request was treated as though we’d asked for a plate of eels and I had to settle for a croissant. We wandered round town a little more, scaring up some bread for lunch agreeing that even if the shop looked nice we probably didn’t need cakes and I was just being greedy.

Jane cracked after approximately 30 seconds in the boulangerie and came out with a baguette flanked by two exciting looking cakes.

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A cake shop in France​

Baked goods stowed we set off North via the Pont du Gard; some elevated plumbing popular with the tourists.

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The aqueduct was built in the first century CE to supply the fountains and bath houses of Roman Nîmes.​

The Pont du Gard bridge is part of a 50km aqueduct and dictated the gradient of the whole length. It is 48.77m above the riverbed - towards the limit of Roman engineering - and this means the aqueduct itself has a very short drop remaining before it flows into Nemasus (as your Roman ancestors knew Nîmes). The bridge itself drops only 2.5cm in 456m (or 1:18,241) but the winding section immediately after the aqueduct drops just 7mm in 100m (1:14MM)!

As we walked round the bridge, it was quite chilly and we both agreed that this trip was over. We (as in Jane) made bookings to get Flynn his worming tablet and book a site near the vet to break the trip. That brings us about 400km to Beaune.

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Camping municipal les Cent Vines​

Compared to where we parked last night, the name of the site (Le Cent Vines) is a little optimistic. This is also the second site we’ve revisited this trip - and the second ever - not that we knew it. Jane was asked on check in if we’d been here before “err, no I don’t think so”. “oh…” she said, “…do you still live in Hamstreet, Kent?” We knew we’d been to Beaune before, a few times infact. We last visited after our trip to the source of the Rhône’s in one of Denby’s first outings. We didn’t remember the site at all.

Today is of course St Valentine’s Day and some vans on the site (actually just one, German van) were celebrating with full consumes and a van covered in spider polyester and seasonal gourds. Whilst we were sitting in the van there was a knock at the door; normally the local rossers telling you you’re parked illegally but, in this case, a small German girl offering sweeties. She was very insistent in fluent English and not at all put off by Flynn trying to take all of the sweeties. I tried to swerve the industrial sugar but in the end felt obliged to a packet of Smarties from freuline Merkel.

From there off into town. We both felt the sudden need to break out down jackets. The temperature dropped a lot over those 400km North. We poked our noses into the cheese and wine shops before settling for a drink at the Grand Bar in the middle of town.

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Oh France, I thought you were above this.​

As Jane was about to have her first sip of cremante her phone rang, with a local number. Turns out tomorrow is a public holiday of upmost importance and all the vets in France will be closed (although their booking systems will not be informed of this) so we can’t get Flynn de-wormed tomorrow. After some French too and fro Jane booked us in for 8:30am on Saturday. The requirement is 24 hours so we’re just legal but only just. Lets see.

For dinner we over analysed a bit - back and further between restaurants which were either too expensive, not interesting enough or, annoyingly when we’d finally decided: FULL.

We ended up at the Bistrot Rosette. It was far from our first choice but the decor and table cloths looked a bit like a Lyonaise bouchon so it got off to a good start. Local wine and snails we a good follow up.

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More Roman stuff!​

But the best bit was a really good andouillette in mustard sauce. Vive la France.

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There was salad too, honest.​
 
Grianan said:
Oh we went up the same boulangerie .., their financiers were delicious! But the best bread, warm from the oven was from Le Fournil du Duche, open when the others were shut.
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Ooo, I do love a financier. There’s still 48 hours left - assuming we don’t hang around here all tomorrow and then find there isn’t actually a vet’s appointment at 8:30am tomorrow, which I’m worrying about…
 
Jane And Rog said:
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, side one, track 4

Uzés Aire this morning:



We walked back into town for breakfast with Flynn. The Market square was empty so we ended up on the “ring road” along the site of the old town walls at the imaginitively named Vieux Cafe (not that old from the looks of things).

View attachment 972553
A breakfast earlier today​

The owner’s dog had recently died and Flynn came in for some extra special attention and free breakfast biscuits. I’d wanted a tartine for my breakfast but the request was treated as though we’d asked for a plate of eels and I had to settle for a croissant. We wandered round town a little more, scaring up some bread for lunch agreeing that even if the shop looked nice we probably didn’t need cakes and I was just being greedy.

Jane cracked after approximately 30 seconds in the boulangerie and came out with a baguette flanked by two exciting looking cakes.

View attachment 972554
A cake shop in France​

Baked goods stowed we set off North via the Pont du Gard; some elevated plumbing popular with the tourists.

View attachment 972556
The aqueduct was built in the first century CE to supply the fountains and bath houses of Roman Nîmes.​

The Pont du Gard bridge is part of a 50km aqueduct and dictated the gradient of the whole length. It is 48.77m above the riverbed - towards the limit of Roman engineering - and this means the aqueduct itself has a very short drop remaining before it flows into Nemasus (as your Roman ancestors knew Nîmes). The bridge itself drops only 2.5cm in 456m (or 1:18,241) but the winding section immediately after the aqueduct drops just 7mm in 100m (1:14MM)!

As we walked round the bridge, it was quite chilly and we both agreed that this trip was over. We (as in Jane) made bookings to get Flynn his worming tablet and book a site near the vet to break the trip. That brings us about 400km to Beaune.

View attachment 972589
Camping municipal les Cent Vines​

Compared to where we parked last night, the name of the site (Le Cent Vines) is a little optimistic. This is also the second site we’ve revisited this trip - and the second ever - not that we knew it. Jane was asked on check in if we’d been here before “err, no I don’t think so”. “oh…” she said, “…do you still live in Hamstreet, Kent?” We knew we’d been to Beaune before, a few times infact. We last visited after our trip to the source of the Rhône’s in one of Denby’s first outings. We didn’t remember the site at all.

Today is of course St Valentine’s Day and some vans on the site (actually just one, German van) were celebrating with full consumes and a van covered in spider polyester and seasonal gourds. Whilst we were sitting in the van there was a knock at the door; normally the local rossers telling you you’re parked illegally but, in this case, a small German girl offering sweeties. She was very insistent in fluent English and not at all put off by Flynn trying to take all of the sweeties. I tried to swerve the industrial sugar but in the end felt obliged to a packet of Smarties from freuline Merkel.

From there off into town. We both felt the sudden need to break out down jackets. The temperature dropped a lot over those 400km North. We poked our noses into the cheese and wine shops before settling for a drink at the Grand Bar in the middle of town.

View attachment 972655
Oh France, I thought you were above this.​

As Jane was about to have her first sip of cremante her phone rang, with a local number. Turns out tomorrow is a public holiday of upmost importance and all the vets in France will be closed (although their booking systems will not be informed of this) so we can’t get Flynn de-wormed tomorrow. After some French too and fro Jane booked us in for 8:30am on Saturday. The requirement is 24 hours so we’re just legal but only just. Lets see.

For dinner we over analysed a bit - back and further between restaurants which were either too expensive, not interesting enough or, annoyingly when we’d finally decided: FULL.

We ended up at the Bistrot Rosette. It was far from our first choice but the decor and table cloths looked a bit like a Lyonaise bouchon so it got off to a good start. Local wine and snails we a good follow up.

View attachment 972656
More Roman stuff!​

But the best bit was a really good andouillette in mustard sauce. Vive la France.

View attachment 972657
There was salad too, honest.​
Click to expand...

I now have flashback......I can now smell and taste a similar foul item of alleged food that I foolishly ordered " just to try it" , in 2019!
 
Well, we seem to have found the one thing that unifies Motorhome Fun. Massively divided on A class versus PVC and wild camping versus sites, but everyone except us hates an andouillette.
 
Friday November 1st. All Saints Day, hence a public holiday, and why we are hanging around in Beaune rather than getting some Calais kilometres under our belt. Fingers crossed that vet actually turns up at 8:30 tomorrow morning - our Chunnel train is at 9:46 so we have no leeway at at all to get Flynn a worming tablet if this doesn’t work out.

It was a very misty morning as we walked doggins in the vineyards and woods outside Beaune. Suddenly, after managing to prolong summer, we are right back in the middle of autumn.

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I was even wearing gloves - the first time since last winter.

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Back in Beaune, we parked up at the aire, which due to a barrier incident appears to be free.

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We left Flynn dozing, and went into town for some lunch. But first some wine choosing-for-later at the amazing Marché aux Vins.

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After the usual analysis paralysis, we lucked on Boucherie Resto du 16. I recommend you bring your vegan friends here, they’d love it.

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We almost gave up on the place as the only waitress seemed to having a massive strop with the owner (probably her father) and this involved not doing anything he wanted, like serving customers.

We shared a charcuterie plate to start. Rog endeared himself to the owner by spotting that the thing he dared not name to the timid Brits was tongue, and after that we were his best buddies.

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Next we both had a stuffed pig’s foot.

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Absolutely delicious, though I think I’ll never want to eat again afterwards. Nor will Rog, especially as it appears he is 50% salted pig fat.

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Despite the never wanting to eat again thing, we bought a côte du boeuf to take home. Possibly the most expensive steak we’ve ever bought, but, hey, we won’t want to eat like this when we’re 90, so may as well do it now while we can.

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Afterwards, with a nice lubrication of red wine, we did some Christmas food shopping.

Tiny bite-sized financiers and bottle of red from earlier (not pictured), plus some pain aux épices:

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After a rest and a cuppa, we were back to see round the Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices Civils de Beaune (Hospices de Beaune). Founded in 1443 by the chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin, and his wife, Guigone de Salins, the Hôtel-Dieu was built as a hospital and almshouse to help the local population who had been plundered by the ravages of the Hundred Years’ War. (Those pesky English…)

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The hospice received its first patient in 1452 and continued as a hospital until its closure in 1984. All services provided to the poor were free, but wealthy people could pay for a private room with a fire.

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The pharmacy was interesting - I loved the rows of old bottles. Spot the dragon’s blood on the top shelf!

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A fantastic visit, with good audio guides included - I highly recommend it.

As we walked back to Denby for a quiet evening, the sun was almost setting and the shops looked lovely in the half-light.

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