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Escape to USA, France and UK

luglio - dicembre 2021
  • Rosie Marzouk
Un’avventura di 139 giorni di Rosie Leggi altro
  • Rosie Marzouk

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Eiffel bridge
    1Entrées1MainsLeaving La RéoleGrassy path beside the river1

    At Auros - a rainy walk

    3 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Today was the first truly rainy day, and we wore our ponchos from start to finish. Not bad being our 31st day of walking! But first last night’s dinner at a real restaurant…Les Perles de Pimpin. A great little place and we had a terrific meal…Amr had the star entrée, a tomato crumble with basil ice cream, and we both had cod with leek cream sauce. Yum. We booked for 7.30 when they opened, and more people didn’t come till almost 8…but we get hungry and tired and don’t feel like waiting! One couple who came we noticed were speaking in English, and they appeared this morning at breakfast at our BandB. And there was also another French couple staying…quite busy, but guess it was Saturday night.

    Rain had been predicted all day today and it was raining as we left, but gentle and in fact it never poured really hard thank goodness. But it was persistent, and at times more heavy, and occasionally almost stopped, but by the time we arrived I was damp through…drips had seeped in, and into my shoes too and I felt quite cold…it has been 15-17° I think….and kept dreaming of a hot shower as we walked! But it is amazing how much energy you have when you are cold…we walked quite powerfully without getting tired - I guess just keeping warm! It was about 22 kms, and on arrival I felt I could set off again (as long as I was dry)…

    Maybe the fact that is was a basically flat walk contributed to our energy and lack of tiredness. It was beautiful leaving La Réole, crossing the Eiffel bridge and then walking beside the Garonne on the dike - the south bank is built up with quite a wall, presumably to protect from flooding, as the land on this side is flat which was such a delight to walk through. After we left the river we wound along little roads and paths, none too slippery and muddy, and grass paths were actually good! The scenery was lovely but not one of those breathtaking days which was handy as it wasn’t a day for photos. Amr had his phone handy and took a few, but mine was hiding in my backpack. We ran into the French couple of a few days ago - had seen them in La Réole and again on and off today. At the peak of the persistent rain we found a covered place in a school yard, or some institution, and stopped there to eat, and just as we finished they bounded in with the same plan…all of us soaking. Maybe Amr not so much so…I think his poncho didn’t let as many drips in as mine. He has a new one that he bought on the Hurtigruten boat in Norway, but hadn’t yet worn. We found it has “connect with your inner explorer” on the back!!! He is doing that!

    Auros is another very small town, and we are at a lovely BandB run by an American from Minnesota. She is married to a French man and they have 2 small children. Very warm and it was relaxing to be greeted in English. We are drying our clothes in the dryer, and have moved into a cosy room for guests in the house (our room is in a separate building) to sit and write and read. In our room the wifi was almost non existent with the stone walls (we find we often have to go to windows or doors to get good reception) and we were sitting in the doorway of our room, but it was cold, and sprinkling a bit, so this is perfect. And the wifi here is exceptionally good Amr says! Tonight we have been booked into a restaurant, l’Absolu, up the road by our chemin organisers, which we passed on our way here and looks fabulous…another official restaurant! And we are booked for 8pm. Will report on that tomorrow - and it is predicted to be fine weather!    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Entrées
    Mains3DessertsLeaving our BandB this morningEarly morning over the valleyXI century church

    Dinner at Auros

    4 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    I am making 2 entries today, as too many photos for one…only 6 allowed per footprint. So will make this one about our dinner last night at the restaurant. It was so good. Classy, beautiful food, beautiful wine. This is probably THE dinner of Amr’s birth week! The dinner was included in our walking package, and we were allowed the €28 menu, but we “splurged” and went for the €34, paying the extra €12, plus wine. We have always found the value in restaurants here amazing - you couldn’t get a 3 course meal of this calibre in Oz for $55.

    So we started with chiperons in parsley (Amr) and salmon marinated in dill (me), then Amr had a sword fish main and I had another version of chiperons in a sauce. For dessert Amr had an ice cream tiramisu, and I had a sort of deconstructed pavlova….it presented as a little portion of cream, and a portion of fruit in what looked like a little pot, till I realised that this was the meringue…glad I didn’t leave it! Both were amazing. And we had a bottle of a great local red.
    A great night.

    It was cold and I even wore my down jacket for the first time walking to and from the restaurant , but the heaters were on in our room and happily my shoes completely dried by the morning. We actually had to turn off the heaters in the middle of the night as it got too hot. Woke to a beautiful cloudless day, perfect for walking, and set off soon after 8.30, after breakfast cooked by Julien the French husband. He made little pancakes which was a change, but I must say I missed the usual croissants and baguette. It was probably the American influence! Now we are here at Bazas and I will make another entry for our walk today.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Scary noticesPigeon huntingOur château

    A night at Bazas in a château

    4 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    This is the second episode for today, about our walk to Bazas, which turns out to quite a bustling small city. It was cool but lovely when we set off, and immediately found ourselves on a ridge looking over a valley, and quite beautiful. We wound down and found ourselves walking through forests, past a little hamlet with the old church, and finally ending up near a lake. And we have sorted out the nut question Sam!! We saw an orchard of new (to us) trees, and on examination they had clusters of small nuts, and I thought hazelnuts…and this was confirmed by the French couple who we met yet again several times today! So we had the walnuts in great quantity in the Dordogne area, and now hazelnuts. Confusing as the word for walnuts is noix, and hazelnuts are noisettes. I thought noix was a general term for all nuts…very satisfying to sort it out.

    We walked round the gorgeous lake, and up into more forest. Here we encountered more strange shelters/huts that we had noticed before, and also strange ropes hanging from trees with pulleys and crossbars. Then we came upon notices about the hunting season! We had read that it starts on October 1 and ends 20 November, right now…so we hoped we wouldn’t be shot and wondered if we should loudly sing the Marseillaise. The notices warned danger to enter, but all was quiet so we weren’t too worried, and then came across 2 men sitting near one of the shelters, which we realised are disguised as undergrowth where hunters can hide inside and shoot from. And the ropes and pulleys had pigeons tied to them, with blindfolds on. It seems they would be elevated and attract their friends so that they can be shot…all rather brutal, but interesting to see, and we survived! The men were friendly, as is everyone, and let me take a photo. They had quite a few walkers coming through, as we saw 2 other female couples as well as the French one.

    After that excitement it was more mundane - that is to say just the normal countryside along quiet country roads to Bazas. Just an easy 16.5 km walk. I didn’t even feel hot and have postponed my shower till before bed which I prefer. We knew our guesthouse today was called Château St Vincent, but as we approached Bazas along a cycle path we saw a high grand château and of course it turned out to be our place!! Turned into chambres d’hôtes , and we have a very nice room overlooking the expansive front garden.

    It was quite early when we arrived so after Amr showered we went down into the city and found it is quite delightful. With an enormous XIII century cathedral. Walked round, bought some lunch supplies, found a boulangerie for bread tomorrow and had a drink in the square. Now back and will have dinner here in half an hour.. probably not like the restaurant, but am sure will be good.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Dining room last night
    3Buying lunch1

    At Captieux, another poncho day

    5 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    An easy 18.5 km walk today, and the rain was so light and intermittent that we didn’t get wet inside - dry shoes and feet and clothes. And now the sun is shining and there is promise of no rain for the next few days.

    This will not be a long report because there is not a lot to say….our walk was flat and along an ex railway line for about 15kms! This was easy walking, and very pretty but it did get a bit mesmerising and even monotonous! But we were lucky that today was the rainy one, as yesterday by the lake would not have been as beautiful today, and ascending muddy paths would not have been fun. We have started the three day trek through the largest pine forest in Europe. It is in the Landes department which we officially enter tomorrow, and is the centre of a big timber industry, though parts are left natural…but we see plantations of very ordered trees in lines, as well as young ones growing up. We imagined we’d just be going through lines of pines on both sides for ever.

    The ex train line is a great path, and is a cycle path - easy to walk on, no blackberry branches to fight, and it goes on for ever and ever. I think the next 2 days we continue on it which is a bit daunting - but at least not physically challenging. And we don’t have barking dogs! We have discovered that so many dogs bark frantically when you pass their territory (not just Norman and Nico!!) and luckily they are behind fences or tied up, as some sound really fierce…(and some just do the token bark as you pass).

    But twice we have had dogs follow us which was a worry. The first one came along and was enjoying the walk and couldn’t be persuaded to go back till there was another bigger dog standing in the middle of the road…another loose one …we got past happily, but our companion decided it was time to turn back. Then the other day another friendly dog bounded out and joined us, and also did not understand our French, and came for what seemed ages even crossing a busy road…finally I yelled really fiercely at him and he looked crestfallen and stopped…I really yelled loudly - Amr said he would be frightened! - just hope he found his way back.

    Anyway, no dogs today, and we stopped at the little town and had a chocolate/beer before finding our shelter for the night - another very nice BandB where we are having dinner - and at 7 thankfully…waiting till 8 gets hard when you’ve been walking and probably had lunch round midday. Last night’s dinner in the château was nice - lovely room - and two other couples there…but when they chattered I got lost pretty quickly unless I knew the topic or where the conversation was going…good basic dinner (except that the lettuce in the salad was gritty…), but that is usual in the guest houses (not the gritty lettuce!) - just good plain home cooking.

    Tomorrow another 21 kms through the pines!    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Breakfast this morning
    2Amr in the heatherVarious sizes of pinesFrom the overpass1Tonight's guest house

    At Bourriot-Bergonce

    6 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    This is a tiny township you probably wouldn’t find on a map, but we are again at a lovely guest house in the countryside, not far from our chemin. The 2 French women who were at the château 2 nights ago, were at our place last night and here again tonight. Last night it was just the 4 of us, so better for us, but they had to tolerate our French! They are nice - one lives in the centre of France and one in the south near Marseille, and are going, like us, to St Jean Pied de Port. There is another Dutch couple here tonight who are going all the way on to Santiago.

    So today’s walk was not at all what we expected - a continuation of the same straight train track path amongst pine trees. For one thing, the path no longer was the very perfectly crushed gravel even surface - it was more like our normal, uneven stones, grassy centre with muddy tractor tracks, and it wound round a bit, didn’t feel as if it was the same thing continuing for ever. Also, I suppose it is obvious, but a pine forest doesn’t consist of rows and rows of tall trees - there were areas of trees of all different ages and sizes, and it was quite varied, and also a surprise was that till almost the end, the actual path was lined with oak trees!

    At one stage, just about half way through, we had to divert and zig zag a bit to cross an autoroute on an overpass and from there you could see the huge extent of the forest in all directions more than from the ground. Shortly after that we officially entered Les Landes, a new department. And this was another surprise - specially as the forest is the Landes Parc Naturel - we found ourselves walking beside an enormous open area of farming land - not just a few fields, but hectares and hectares, with the huge watering systems etc - which I think was just corn. They were loading huge sheds of cobs onto a truck, and another truck was collecting the leaves and stems…anyway, we weren’t overwhelmed by just pine trees.

    There is a big military base at Mont De Marsan where we arrive on Friday (and have a rest day Saturday) and we see and hear their extremely noisy mirages flying round. Amr says to report that we are behind enemy lines, but as pèlerins we can get away with it.

    So we walked about 24 kms, including from our guest house last night back to the track, and our rather shaky start on the wrong road! We went via the boulangerie for lunch supplies, and when Amr set off confidently I said I wouldn’t have thought it was there, and was glad he remembered! But for once he was wrong and after almost a kilometre he was convinced too, but we asked a man at a motor mechanic shop who directed us up a road which joined the right chemin so we didn’t have to go all the way back to the church and start again. It was funny as for once we thought it would be so easy to find the camino from the small town! And again the path was totally flat - not good practice for the Pyrénées foothills which will be coming up in the next week! But it was good for us today. Tomorrow we only walk 14 kms to Roquefort, and stay in a hotel.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    2Dinner last night
    1Art, and 1000 year old oak treeXII church at RoquefortPointy bits of our hotel

    At Roquefort

    7 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    This town is nothing to do with cheese! Fortunately we found out yesterday so we didn’t walk in expecting to have delicious Roquefort cheese on tap! It was an easy 15 km walk, still mostly flat and still in the pine forest, with many sections of young trees, and lots of heather covering the ground. Very pretty. And we came back on to another section of the ex railway track, so that continued flat on a raised path and we didn’t have to go down and up in a few valleys.

    Last night’s dinner at the chambres d’hôtes was really fun. Because Bourriot is so small everyone walking seemed to be staying there and it was full - there were 9 of us - the 2 French women (Anne and Michelle) that we had the last 2 nights with, another pair of French women that we had seen on and off for the last few days, a Dutch couple and a lone German man. And the hosts were a lovely friendly and warm couple, who made and served a delicious dinner. There was lots of camaraderie - we spoke English with the Dutch, whose French was much like ours, French with the French and the Dutch spoke German with the German man as he had been brought up in East Germany and had only been taught Russian in school! A fun dinner. The 4 French women would all be in their seventies I think, and they are all carrying full packs, not having bags sent on like us….very tough!

    We arrived quite early in this town, about 12.30, and had our lunch on a bench and then went to a bar for coffee/chocolate and then went to find the hotel. Got there and found a sign saying that reception was closed from 12 - 5…about to go and find somewhere to sit and wait and a car pulled up and a girl said “madame Marzouk?” and it was the hotel people come to let us in as they were expecting us!! So nice, and lovely couple. We have a gorgeous huge room, with a little circular room on one corner, and when you look at the building there are pointy bits like a fairy castle, and this is one of those bits!

    So we are very happy, and just a little while ago we had a knock at the door and there was Anne - she and Michelle had come to have an aperitif with us! So we went down and had a local aperitif - floc - and have arranged to meet them again on Saturday in Mont de Marsan to do it again. We enjoy them a lot, and practising our French…Dinner tonight at the hotel.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    15A 24 hour baguette machine

    In Mont-de-Marsan for 2 nights

    8 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Last night at Roquefort we had dinner at our sweet hotel with the pointy towers. There was only one other guest, but they provided the most beautiful dinner. For entrée we both had a sweet potato soup with cèpes which was delicious, and for mains Amr had bass and onions and vegs and I had duck with eggplant and zucchini strips. Both wonderful. And very special local wines.

    This morning we and our bags all went by taxi - we were dropped off after 10 kms, and walked the remaining 20 kms to Mont-de-Marsan, and our bags were waiting for us here when we arrived, ready in our room. This is quite a fancy hotel in the centre of town, and M de M is quite a busy and flourishing small city.

    The walk was again flat, and we still had the remnants of the pine forest, but lots of other farming going on - poultry and corn mostly. The first 10 kms we wound around till we got to Bougue, a little village, and after that we went the last almost 10 kms along another straight cycle track, which I am sure is another section of the ex railway of previous days. But it wasn’t boring - sometimes we were surrounded by corn on one side and pine plantations on the other, or we went under archways of enormous oak trees. And we didn’t have to concentrate on not missing a turnoff. Also there were benches from time to time so that provided a pleasant lunch place.

    During the morning we ran into the Dutch couple - Angelique and Herman - (am sure that is not how their names are spelt) and we are having a drink with them here at 6. And we also bumped into Norbert, the German. Getting to be quite a sociable camino after all!

    After abluting we took a stroll round the town and booked a restaurant for dinner tonight, having seen many reserved signs on tables. Quite a few restaurants open it seems, but the big market looks closed…as if it has been for a while which is sad. But other shops to buy good cheese. Tomorrow we will do a proper explore, and admire the cathedral and relax.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    5

    Mont-de-Marsan, last rest day

    9 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We’ve enjoyed wandering round this town, but it isn’t as bustling as we first thought. This is Saturday and there are so many restaurants not open, and hotels very quiet. It may partly be the season, but I guess also the plague has played a big part, as the restaurants wouldn’t have existed in the first place if people never went to them.

    But though the big market hall seemed closed, we found a flourishing market in another square and had fun there and bought cheeses for the next few days, and apples and grapes. We wandered from the outside part to the undercover area and were politely told to wear masks - hadn’t noticed as outside was fine…and in the hotels and restaurants the rule is largely ignored. And we walked along the river - this is where 2 rivers join, the Douze and Midou, and they form the Midouze.

    In the afternoon we went to a beautiful park, which has enormous trees - which are now starting to show autumn colours - and lots of sculptures. Very peaceful and we sat on a bench and read kindles, and watched the passing parade. One funny thing - we watched a photo shoot of a pregnant woman, with the father (presumably) posing with a pumpkin and a stuffed toy, and with autumn leaves thrown like confetti for the artistic effect by 2 children, ? theirs or the photographer’s…!! Life is lived through photos…And then when we were walking back, we saw another pregnant woman being immortalised!! Must be the latest thing.

    We’ve just come back from meeting the French women Anne and Michelle and having an aperitif. Fun, but it taxes my French when I can’t find the right words. We will hopefully run into them in the next 2 days as we stay at the same towns, then they are finished and go home. I found out the spelling of the Dutch woman - Angeliek - but sadly we won’t see them again, but so enjoyed meeting them yesterday and having an aperitif with them! Dinner yesterday also was lovely, I had a delicious soup which almost totally filled me up and Amr had carpaccio of sturgeon, and for mains I had trout and he had beef tartare - just delicious. Tonight we could go to the same place, but think we will try the place next door for a change…will see what happens. Maybe we’ll get a shock and the places will be filled with diners and we’ll have trouble finding anywhere!

    Tomorrow we start walking, the first of 6 days to the end…it is very cold in the mornings and I think I’ll wear my long pants and put another layer on top as it takes a while to warm up, even walking, when it’s 5 or 6 degrees. And it is getting light later and later…sunrise is after 8 now, so we don’t start till about 9. Plenty of light at the end of the day though.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Along the Adour
    Art on the bridgeTonight's guesthouseUNESCO heritage church1

    Saint-Sever and a bull fight!

    10 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    This was a quiet and normal day until we arrived at Saint Sever. We walked 21 kms, first in the fog for an hour or 2, and then through the countryside- pretty but not spectacular, lots of corn, some pine plantations, we didn’t see poultry farms that had been mentioned…and on arrival here we first walked along the Adour river, very pretty lined with plain trees and then you climb up to this town which is high up above the river.

    We stopped for a drink on the way up, and easily found our charming chambres d’hôtes, and a very nice room, bags here. We knew there was something afoot, and we heard there was a fête of some sort, but our hostess told us it was a bullfight…it was such a new and unexpected experience, and we decided we should take the opportunity…she said it was a great atmosphere, even though they kill the bulls…anyway, we decided to go! On the way we visited the world heritage church and cloisters, very beautiful.

    And it was rather ghastly, but so weird, and I have to admit that by the end I was a bit hardened to the whole spectacle…it is theatre, and a bit hair raising. And something neither would have imagined in a small French town! Everyone was there - the elderly and infirm, children and all in between. There was a band playing um-pah-pah music with people clapping in time etc…anyway, an unusual day!

    Now off to dinner. ….back from dinner, and it was wonderful, as usual. We are not the only people staying here, but the only ones having dinner…and we were served first a chestnut soup with foie gras, then eggplant rounds surrounding an œuf parfait (which I had had before and thought it just meant a perfect egg, which it was)…but have found it is an egg cooked in its shell for an hour at exactly 65°, then gently tipped out of the shell…, then a Basque meat dish axoa de veau (that spelling is wrong, but it was a basque word with an x) with potatoes, and à tarte tartin…she said she loves cooking, and all the vegetables are from the garden. So now am going to bed very full…but very content! Just also have to mention that this house is sort of a museum…it was build in 1780, and all the furniture and decorations are old and beautiful. Amr particularly lusts after a beautiful Jordanian tapestry. Anyway, now off to bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Rosie MarzoukViaggiatoreEscape to USA, France and UK
    Setting off in the fog
    Piles of corn

    Hagetmau - a peaceful walk

    11 ottobre 2021, Francia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Today was an easy 17 km walk, through now undulating country, and tomorrow we leave Les Landes and arrive in Pyrénées-Atlantique, our last department. And tomorrow we may start glimpsing mountains! This morning was cold (5°) and foggy. It was fine walking, but you wouldn’t have seen views, but I don’t think we missed a lot in the beginning. And I wore my down jacket till almost midday, when it eases up to very comfortable temperatures. But I still prefer to wear shorts..as long as the trunk is warm, the legs are fine and feel better.

    This is very much corn country and we saw one farm where there were piles of kernels ready to transport…the corn gets left to die and dry before it is harvested it seems, then they get all the kernels and mush up the leaves and stalks.

    Once the fog lifted it was beautiful, and we climbed high with lovely views, and through small hamlets. This town where we are is very pleasant and we stopped for a coffee/chocolate as our hotel is about a km further than the town, and we won’t be returning for exploration. While there one of the pairs of French women we’ve encountered arrived too and sat down with us which was nice as we won’t be seeing them again. The other pair, Anne and Michele, we will see as they left a car here at this very hotel, by coincidence, and will call in and say goodbye when they arrive.

    So we are having a quiet afternoon at this modest but very perfect hotel, and have dinner here, and I expect it will be good as it is a restaurant also, and the hotel is full tonight! That is a change!    Leggi altro

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