Feeling lost, in France...

Friday 28 March
Bonjour de Dunkirk!  We've been in France for a week now and I have to say we are feeling at a little bit of a loss.  We're missing Spain, the heat, the food, the cost of living (half of that in France) - and I'm missing the language and people.  The weather of course doesn't help but there's something more ... a certain je ne c'est pas.  It was great to meet up with Claire, Lol and their menagerie who made us feel very welcome but the north European chill and dampness is a shock to our Mediterranean-ised blood!  Even Dunkirk doesn't feel quite the same this time around - maybe its because it is a line in the sand - the point at which our adventure ends and where we have to address reality.   You're thinking, '...hang on, who are they to complain?' and you're right - so we'll harrumph instead!  

A week in France
Bonjour de Biarritz, the surprisingly quaint coastal town on France's Bay of Biscay.  For some reason we were expecting a Marbella-cum-Newquay type resort but we were pleasantly surprised.  There is big surf and dramatic coastline here, with the Spanish Pyrenees tantalisingly close.  To be fair, as lovely as Biarritz is, there isn't much to do with limited time.  Its all about the beaches, coast and surfing with a few nice restaurants thrown in for good measure.  So here's a few images - the first two are a stone's throw from our balcony:

The surf's up!  Spanish Pyrenees in the hazy distance

A lovely coastal abode, a bit further down the beach

We arrived in beautiful sunshine so we wandered around the coast:

Reminds us of Broadstairs, Kent - in its better days!

Typical Biarritz architecture

We came a cropper a couple of times around the French dejeuner (lunch) - when cafes and restaurants stop serving lunch at anything near 2pm - makes you wonder if they chose the wrong business!  We collected the hire car which was interesting as the office was shut and the 'out of hours' number was unavailable.  Fortunately the guy turned up with our car after about 15 minutes or so - just as well as the next best quote from competitors was double the price - always best to book early!

Agen
We had a good journey from sunny Biarritz and arrived in overcast Agen where we met Mick's cousin, Claire & hubbie Lol.  You wouldn't believe it but we couldn't find the rendezvous - Agen Aqueduct - you can't really miss something like that, can you?  Well, the locals can, apparently!  Despite asking several folk we were none the wiser so we parked at ... a PdP.  You may recall from the canal part of the blog that PdP is an abbreviation for Port de Plaisance, or informal mooring.  We're like moths to a flame!  We smiled when we saw a fleet of Locaboat hire barges (aka bumper boats) - but that's because we're ashore!

The pretty Agen PdP

I hadn't realised that Agen takes you on to the Canal du Midi, which we'd considered cruising through and out onto the Bay of Biscay as a route home.  From here we drove to the nearby Pont du Canal (or aqueduct) which, like that on the Canal de Briare, takes boats over a major river, this time the Garonne.  Agen's pont was built by Eiffel as well but is not quite as ornate - lacking pillars/towers at each end.  It is still beautiful and it took us back to our days in the canals of which the Pont de Canal, Briare was a major highlight.

Riverbank view of Pont de Canal crossing the Garonne

Pont de Canal, Agen close up - compare with pic below

Pont de Canal, Briare

We had a lovely time with Claire & Lol catching up on the news.  We visited at a very important time for them as the municipal elections were taking place at the weekend, the outcome of which is important to them in terms of their plans for a classic car circuit on their land.  For the first time in years there is a viable opposition party to an incumbent Mayor with a 30 year tenure - time to go - hopefully.  Good luck to the new team!  After a lovely home-cooked casserole and several bottles of wine it was time for bed and we retreated to La Cave - a converted store house/cellar which is yet another novel spot for their visitors (you may recall last year we were in the pigeonerie).


Where's the sun gone?!
Since leaving Spain we've lost about 10+ degrees of heat and more sunlight.  We awoke to the sound of rain - not great as we planned to load our stuff that we'd stored at Claire's into the hire car.  The former fruitery has been home to our worldly goods (from the boat) since last September and we'd forgotten the fruitery is big enough to drive into.  But, first, we had to traverse the orchard which went well until ... we hit a quagmire!  There is a spot at the bottom of the hill which had become waterlogged after a very rainy winter and we were well and truly stuck.  Fortunately Claire & Lol being rural landowners have a land rover and tractor so we figured one of those would do the trick.  Lol was there to save the day - what a trooper - cheers Lol! - and in no time at all he'd driven the tractor to meet us, attached the tow lines - to our hire car (ouch if that went wrong!) - and pulled us to terra firma - phew!  With our goods aboard we returned to the house for a warm cuppa.  And that was pretty much the form for the rest of the day as we were rained in, plus Claire & Lol were unwell - a cue to take it easy as we'd been on the road for a while.

All aboard the skylark!

Lol comes to the rescue!

After a few days at Les Calmes, alas it was time to move on and it was recommended that we stop at nearby Cahors, so we said our au revoirs and set off on the next leg of our journey north.

Cahors
The perfect place to stop for a coffee and leg stretch - about an hour or so from Agen and beautiful. Cahors is a medieval town located in the Midi-Pyrenees and capital of the Quercy region.  It straddles the River Lot and its centrepiece is Pont de Valentre, a 14thC fortified bridge that is, apparently, one of France's most photographed sites, and you can see why.  Thanks for the tip Claire & Lol!

The stunning Pont de Valentre, Cahors
Image c/o Tourist Information, Cahors

And here's a more realistic view of weather conditions at the time of our visit. The weir was at full flow with snow and ice melt.  Here too was a lovely little lock which, at this time of year, is inaccessible owing to water levels and flow.

The weir at Pont de Valentre, over River Lot

Chateaudun
Then on to our midway stop of Chateaudun in the picturesque Loire Valley.  Of course, we crossed the Loire at various points during our canal trip - not least via the Pont de Canal de Briare.  We decided upon Chateaudun by simply looking at the map, choosing somewhere midway between Agen and Dunkirk et voila!  We didn't fancy Orleans being a big town but preferred a more rural spot - and you don't get much more rural than Chateaudun.  Apart from a 12thC castle (hence its name) there isn't much here but as we're passing through we figured it didn't matter this time!  It reminded us of parts of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire - miles & miles of flat agricultural land with an airbase in the midst of it all.  Still, it was quiet and the hotel was great so no complaints.  We ate at the Buffalo Grill which, whilst winning  no prizes for gastronomy, fitted the bill perfectly - sometimes you need a grilled steak! - and the service was great. 

Thursday 27 March - Chateaudun to Dunkirk
We awoke early to a thick frost and a chilly 3 degrees (sadly not the singers!) which stirred us into action.  We soon warmed up with the car heaters on full blast and had a good journey north towards Paris, around it and further north to Dunkirk.  We passed through the Loiret and Dordogne regions, home to rolling hills which flattened as we drove further north through Picardie, the Somme and Nord-Pas-de-Calais.  We passed huge slag heaps from the once massive coal mining industry in this region - we were moving too fast to get a piccie unfortunately.  But France's largest mining museum is located here - one for the 'to do' list.    http://www.chm-lewarde.com/en/index.html

Further onwards, we started to see familiar place names from the early days of our boat trip: Compiegne, Bethune, Lens, Douai, Cambrai, St Omer, Arques and Bourbourg.  We decided to stop at Bourbourg for lunch and take a walk down memory lane.  Its lovely to recall what we've experienced and achieved together in the last year - unforgettable!  We'll never forget just how wet and vulnerable we felt on this mooring.  No marina security,  no power - just us and Reward - on a village mooring - in the stillness and silence of rural France with the Eberspacher (on board heating) running to dry us out!  The next morning the VNF chap turned up in his trusty van - that was a sight for sore eyes! - to escort us through a series of bridges and locks - and we were on our way ... wondering if we'd missed some vital news, got the date wrong, or were simply the only nutters on the canals!  There wasn't a soul about for a week or so ... and then we met Alan and Carole on She's a Be in Courchelles-sur-Lens - and also glimpsed Splodge for the first time.   

Bourbourg - our first mooring with lock in background

And then onto Dunkirk, a few miles away.  We've booked into a little studio for a few days which is great - well located, clean and comfortable.  Compact and bijou in the words of the great Stephen Fry it is just as well we've become dab hands at being creative with very limited space and cooking facilities - we've learnt that from several of the apartments we've rented.  In fact Reward offers far superior cooking facilities and stowage - boat builders really are masters of design - proof of that is how much we've brought back from Claire's!  As I write we're surrounded by an assortment of bags and boxes - very attractive - well and truly filled to the gunwales! 


Bonjour á Reward!
And then it was time to check on our lovely Reward in the boatyard, where's she's been on the hard standing since last September.  You may recall Skipper flew back to check her over after she'd been transported by road and all was well and, although she was secure, the high winds and generally horrid winter here may have resulted in damage but we're glad to say that all is well.  Its good to see her again ... but maybe not for long.  As I write we're in the process of selling her and so as not to tempt fate I'll say no more! 

Friday 28 March - Dunkirk (and UK!)
Skipper is back in the UK to buy a car and bring her back to transport our stuff back to the UK.  Our tenants move out on 11 April so we'll just about get in before I fly the next day to Malaga for Semana Santa - the grass really doesn't grow under our feet!

So, while Skipjack's away, Anchovy will play and I fancied a decent coffee, heavenly fruit tart and a bit of sightseeing - particularly the beautiful Saint Eloi Belfry, a UNESCO world heritage site and 13thC watch tower, used as such until 1940.  It was once attached to St Eloi Church but a fire in 1558 destroyed the church and the Belfry was separated - officially so since 1782.  She stands at 58m in height with foundations of only 1.70m - the amazing buttresses give it the support it needs. 

St Eloi Belfry with St Eloi church in background

Dunkirk from Belfry - town hall tower and Channel (horizon)

The beautiful St Eloi Church from Belfry

Dunkirk's most famous son is Jean Bart, the privateer who, rarely for a commoner (as opposed to nobility) rose to the rank of Admiral as he was such a successful racketeer.  He is buried in St Eloi church and is commemorated in the central square bearing his name.  The bell tower also rings daily in his memory.

So that's it for now.  Skipper should be back at the weekend with our new(ish) car, after which we plan a couple of days relaxing after an eventful week - in a positive way!  I'll write again soon with a final update. Over & out for now!