THURSDAY 24TH MAY2012

Today was Rocomadour day, a 200km drive east into the Lot. We filled the car for the first time to discover that we had travelled 557 kilometres on just 28 litres of fuel, an insane 62 miles per gallon fuel. Tres bien. The sun blessed us with its warmth and the drive took us to towns we have never visited before. The Lot is drier, rockier country but still beautiful. We drove through Sarlat, Gourdin, Carsac and afew other 'acs on the way, Le Vigan and Cales with the last part of the trip through enormous valleys of rock carved out by ancient glaciers. The first sighting of Rocomadour confirmed why we had to be there. It was the place of many miracles after its contruction in the 13th century onwards.

Having lunch first was essential so we parked ourselves at the Hotel opposite the valley with a stunning view and very good prices. Guy had the menu du Roc which included entree which Caroline ate, a huge porterhouse steak and fries and a nut cake which Caroline couldn't fit in. Replensihed we walked down a winding path to the entry in the valley. Along the way a French group commented on Guy's hat and how they could see it coming from the top of the hill. The reply was so typical in French " There are people who can see it travelling from all over the region". The whole meditation complex just hangs on the side of a cliff hundred of feet above the valley floor. It was built as a place for meditation and prayer. People used to come here to climb the stairs of penance on their knees. The centre section consisted of several churches of varying sizes, including a stunning restoration of Our lady of Notre-Dame. Whatever was there was extremely calming and peaceful. Upon entering one of the Churches we noted that the Pope is praying all month for Rocomadour and its significance for miracles and peace. The bazaar was a great place full of bargains for the crowd and we each purchased French made belts of very good quality for what you have to pay for imitation leather from Chinese slave factories. So unfair on the people whowork in those situations. We also bought some real chocolate to get in training for Bayonne next week. As we started at the top and ended up at the bottom we took the road less travelled and walked back to the top on a road, towards St Hospitale, that no one else seemed to want to use and it wasnt that difficult. But pilgims are determined to crawl up the hundreds of steps to the Notre-Dame cathedral.

On our return trip we stopped at a fortified Flour mill along a remote river valley. It took Cistercian monks 60 years to build in the 13th century, to keep out armies and hungry locals who were after flour. We enjoyed local rocket fuel in the way of Walnut liquer dished out aplenty by an enthusiastic owner. Now we understood why the lady at the gate wanted us to go upstairs after touring the workings of the mill which was still in use.  

After that enjoyable episode came back though , Cenac and St Julien to Domme, a medieval Templars bastitde (walled city) high on a high overlooking the Dordogne river. A couple of hours exploring this and it was really time to get home before dark. The trip ended up at La Roque Gageac, another village built into the side of cliffs alongside the river and then to Beynac where more photos were taking in the fading light. We also saw some hot air balloons that were landing after drifting past the Beynac fortress above. Lovely sight.

Finally home after 9pm to get the bubby chickens into their pen which they did after a couple of training attempts on their own. So cute.

FRIDAY 25TH MAY

We needed a quiet morning to do some stuff like cleaning the mud splattered car interior, some washing and general tidying up and a sadly needed visit to the Artisan Boulangerie in the village. The Poste did not encash our AMEX travellers cheques so we thought that we could do it in Sarlat in the afternoon. So it was off to Montignac in the bright sunlight, but via St Leon, a medieval (they all seem to be) village on the Vezere river. Steve had told us about the secret way to get there and the stunning chateau perched above the river along the way. 

We did manage to find a secret foie gras place with about 10,000 geese happily feeding themselves or sunning themeselves in the sun. Our noses told us that we we had taken the wrong secret turn at an badly signed unknown intersection 5 minutes back. Nevertheless we arrived at the riverside abode of some aristocrat. It was a very peaceful place and we spent some time filming the river and surrounds. Next to St Leon where we were greeted with a delightful little village completely as described. We walked past the small number of restaurants down to the river where we found a 5th Century Church of St Jean the Baptiste. There are not that many 5th Century churches around the world and this one is on the tour of the Campostille which made it a very special place. After some time there we spotted a riverside eatery that smelt appetising. 

We had a nice salad and mushroom quiche lunch and spoke to some Scottish ladies who had been coming to this area for 30 years because of family connections. 

Rested we walked around the village lanes and mostly alley ways, as there were no streets except for the perimeter roads. The lanes were sometimes wide enough for two horses and we took photos of many interesting features.

Next stop was Montignac with it most of its high side street built around the escalating remparts of its 15th Centruy fortress. It was getting very hot now and when we got to the summit it was time to find a cool something to drink or eat. Crossing the river we found the bestest and yummiest glacery, Les Glaces de Lascaux, You would think it was all fruit and no colours, flavours or other junk, pure delight. After finishing our walk we parted for Sarlat to cash the AMEX TTs. It was a fruitless exercise as La Poste said the arrangement had fini. 

French banks would only accept them if we had an account. rotten Australia Post got it wrong again but we later discovered that Bureau du Change in Bordeaux et Paris would change them. No problem. We needed something to calm us down so a diversion to a working nut mill somewhere north-east was in order. We found it without discovering any more smelly foie gras farms. We arrived at Moulin de la Tour in time for the last tour and luckily we were the only ones left to visit and the working guide spoke quite good english. They were processing the last batch of walnut oil pressing and so we got to see the final roasting and pressing. This was the last of the 25 mills along the river that produced oil and flour for the local nut producers. OUr guide explained that the grinding stone lasted for 100 years and was only 10 years into its life. The wheel that took the water flow from the mill pond lasted 80 years and the gears that drove the whole pulley and grinding system were beyond people's memory. We finished with a tasting of all the different nut oils, peanut butter and vinegar.

As we had not been in this area before we decided to uncover any minor roads via St Quentin and there were plenty. Arriving home too late for the SHOPI, we headed for the local eatery (new window had finally arrived!) on the corner and dined under their new but not covered pergola. A beach umbrella was substituted for the fun of alfresco dining. It was very funny, we had 2 locals near us having some lubircation after work; a mother with 3 girls happily playing around the yard, until the toy ended up on another roof and our host had to risk limbs to get it off! Then the black cat princess attracted their attention, as it did the dog belonging to the blokes. There was a stare - off between the 2 animals which was quite intense. Infact the dog kept up his villigence for the whole period, whilst the cat only long enough and decided that her preening (at a good distance) came first and was teasing the poor dog to distraction. At which point we headed into the village. All prepared for the carnival for the weekend, we chatted to Monsieur again in the village square on such a balmy warm evening. The sunset was superb on the way home and a spectacular cloud formation across the sky. Chickens were already in their pen and we sorted out our last night here at Rouffignac St Cernin by locking them up from the fox.

SATURDAY 26TH MAY

Steve came by this morning with some more stories and we still could not discover why our bathroom sink had a leak. Scooby was crying that we were leaving, the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. Then the trip back to bordeaux. My goodness what a lot of traffic, roundabouts, small 30km/hr limit villages not named in my road map. Just by the last second we did find our way back to the station without getting lost, got the key in and just found our train pulling in as we rushed to find where our carriage was. Luckily we did get in just in time, only a minute after we got on board did the train leave, then to find our seats. We just looked at each other and reached for the chocolates and Croquants aux noix du Perigord biscuits we collected for the nut mill yesterday. Couldn't have (not) planned it better if we tried. French trains don't wait if you run late!!! Phew............... time to wipe the perspiration off and relax.

The trip from Bordeaux was uneventful as we sped through vast forests for over an hour and then slowed considerably for the last hour once we reached Dax. Once at Biarittz we met Nathalie, a delightful local who manages some appartments for Madame Cornelius and others and also works as a press agent for the Consul General in Tourism. She drove us to the appartment pointing out many features and making suggestions for trips and places to eat. After signing and paying up, we set off for our first rece of Biarittz which is a spectacular city by the ocean. Many of the world's rich built and still build homes (big) here. We are happy with out appartment overlooking the Atlantic.


As there was no opportunity for a decent lunch we found a bistro, La Bakara Cafe that was serving before 7pm. The owner was very friendly and sanguine and the place had a view of the ocean and very reasonably priced. It was great to just sit and relax and watch the world walk by and listen to the incessant "Allors.......whatever the customer had ordered" being directed to the back of the restaurant. As the obligatory photo session came to pass, we mentioned to the owner that we had come from Australie to have this photo taken and on his second attempt his lovely wife rushed out of the bar to embellish the photo and adopt us into paradise.

Of course how can you possibly go to Biarittz and not go to a sale at Gallerie Layfayette. We checked out the swimwear and mens jackets and found out there was a 30-50 percent discount running if you have the Red card and we also get the VAT reimbursement (another 15 percent off) if we spend at least 175 Euro in one day which is very easy. Yippee we are going back tomorrow.




SUNDAY 27TH MAY

Surprisingly we slept in until 9am after an early night. The sweatin experience of getting to Bordeaux to jump on the train with 1 minute to spare was a prime factor in the need for sleep. Soon after arising we were at Place de Halles, the famous Biarrtiz food market. It is split into two halls, the first with all the non-seafood and the other with. After a quick tour by nose we returned to the beginning to eat some tortilla and hot drinks and watch the locals start to arrive in numbers. Getting up early is not a requirement of liviing in paradise. We did our fruit/veg shopping outside and then returned for some baguettes and eggs. As the queues were starting to lengthen and joining them allowed us to see what the locals choose. Lots of interesting French (mainly), Basque and Italian foods. Quality was superb and fun just to mix in and watch how this society goes about the business of socialising and choosing food. After unloading back at the Victoria Surf residence, we re-equipped for the charge to Galleries Layfayette.

First stop was to Customer service where Guy obtained a loyalty card so we could get the discounts for the week. Caroline picked us some very good bargains at -30 to-50% but Guy missed out on all the discounts as his pants and top were full price. Nevertheless they were better than the Chinese carbage cut pants from Australia and cheaper anyway. On all the items we saved 30% and got back another 15% VAT so very good shopping.The jacket was returned before payment as it was a bit pricey without the average sale discount. We we there for two hours and needed a big home made baguette. A walk for scenic photos revealed a yummy ice-cream shop and later some very nice French (stripey) tops which were quickly purchased. Thats our shopping done now for Biarritz and we have to think of what else to send home to make room in the luggage. We walked past a graufe shop (waffles) and so a mandatory trying out was needed. For E4.50 you get a large sandwich sized waffle covered in whatever you desire. We had chantilly chocolate - very good. Another walk to the lighthouse this time revealed the south side of Biarritz looking towards the port of Bayonne and Anglett which was really quite unspectacular apart from the huge sandy beach that stretched for severa kilometres. We are glad that we did not choose this part of town as there are nice sea views but not much in the way of commerces.

The sunsets over the Atlantic are quite amazing and we tried several shooting options again tonight. Tomorrow is a holiday in Spain so it might be a quiet day on the beach for us.