Bordeaux Bound - Day 01

Well after a late night at the cinema watching Top Gun Maverick - 5am was a tadge early to be opening eyes this morning. Anyhow Bordeaux beckons so up we got and we’re sat on the train by 5.46am. A fab sunrise with mist covered fields was our constant window view until arriving at Gatwick.
No luggage to check-in so straight through a packed ‘Central Search’ (those of you who know - will know). Apparently our flight was disrupted, but after the usual antics of Teresa getting the extra search routine (every time we travel) we entered airside.
EasyJet EJU8019 - On Time - No delays.
We grabbed a croissant and drink at Pret and a couple of bits from a shop before heading to the gate. There was literally no-one at our gate and so assumed most had boarded. We showed our boarding cards and were ushered towards the flight, as we did so we heard the tannoy announce would all remaining speedy boarders make their way to the desk - not sure how we blagged that one.
The flight scenery was stunning due to the fab sunshine, taking far to many photos out of the window. Then a little shut eye.
Arriving at Bordeaux the weather was just gorgeous - sunny and very warm. Delayed in passport control for 30 minutes was a bit of a nuisance but everything else went well - so we headed to Hertz and we’re in our little hire car leaving the airport at 12 midday France time (11am UK).
Our normal route was to get in the main drag north out of Bordeaux over the river Dordogne and north towards Angoulême but the sat nav on my phone indicated another route - we thought due to traffic.
So we found out after attempting to join the A630 twice at two different junctions that it was under repaid northbound and was closed. We spent the next hour and three quarters criss crossing Bordeaux trying to get further north. We decided at one point to try and cross the river east bound via the smaller bridges, only to find the Pont de Pierre only open to buses. So we followed the river north with it to our right and admired the stunning city that is Bordeaux all along the river side. We need to come back and spend a couple of days - it looks fantastic.
Finally we managed to get onto the A630 at the last junction before the Pont d'Aquitaine, which we then crossed and continued thankfully on our way.
We drove north on the E630 then A10, onto the E606, N10 and finally onto the N141 before turning off onto the minor roads. We only stopped once on route to grab some food and take a food shot for Simon.
We drove north east towards Civray and Savigné and to our first AirBNB booking whilst travelling to France.
After some considerable searching and more than a few text messages we found our base for the next couple of days, tucked away in a very tight hamlet of houses. Maison Chaleureuse en Pierre et Bois - actually in Marigné.
It’s fair to say at this point never team up with Tre for a treasure hunt. While I sat in the air con chilled car - Tre after eventually opening the gates went on to look for the hidden door keys. I tried my hardest to help by pointing directions to Tre for about five minutes through the windscreen, but eventually I had to get out and help. I won’t say who found the keys in about 10 seconds, but it’s fair to say Tre won’t be winning any search prizes on this showing.
The house is a typical stone house - the reason we chose it (as very similar to the place we currently like), which has probably had some small conversion work to make it the size it is. Enclosed in a gated area it was as expected beautifully quiet (apart from birds chirping which I can live with everyday quite happily) and now a stonking lovely 33 degrees in the sun.
Inside was lovely and cool due to the stone walls and floor. I’m not going to say any of the decor was to mine and Tre’s taste but it will do us fine for two days.
After another slightly stressed 15 mins trying to work out the wifi code as the welcome book hadn’t been left, and without wifi we had no phone signal of any sorts we worked out the very obvious numerical zeros were in fact letter O’s. All sorted we decided to go grab a few basic groceries.
As we exited the house, Tre was on gate duty again as I reversed out into the quite tight lane. A little old lady in a neighbouring house chirped ‘Bonjour’ to Tre - we now know that she, the little old lady lives there with her sister and has done for some time. The cherries in the tree that she was picking needed to be picked before ‘des oiseaux’ got to them. To be absolutely fair the cherries were bloody lovely!! Far too good for the birds.
For our first little trip out we head to Blanzay just north of our place. Although a pretty little village - it was Saturday late afternoon and so everything was shut and the village like a ghost town.
We decided if anything was to be open it would be in Civray, somewhere we had been on a previous trip and very much liked.
On arrival at Civray about ten minutes later, we found pretty much the same - most shops were shut but luckily a small supermarket was open together with a couple of bars.
We had a waddle around Civray, down to the river and then back to the market square and a bar. A quick drink and provisions purchased we headed home, just as a thunder storm erupted. It was still blazing with sunshine, 33 degrees, birds chirping in our little car park at home - but with a very loud thunder storm breaking the otherwise silent early evening.
Both whacked from a long week and an early start we had our obligatory first night bread and cheese, together with a cheese, onion and mushroom quiche pie . . . and a couple of drinks, before retiring to our bed.
The tour starts proper in the morning.Read more