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Deux-Sèvres

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    • Day 73

      Von Käse und Cognac

      April 14, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

      Durch das Gourmet-Land Frankreich juckeln, das tun wir gerne! Wir lassen uns Zeit, fahren aber jeden Tag die vorher geplanten Kilometer. Mautfrei versteht sich. Das so eingesparte Geld setzen wir gleich in Naturalien um; kaufen Käse in Roquefort und in Cognac trinken wir guten Kognak, frischen dabei unsere Kenntnisse in der Herstellung dieses Getränks wieder auf! Beim renommierten Kognak Produzenten Hennessy erfahren wir, welche weißen Traubensorten verarbeitet werden und wie viele Jahre die einzelnen Kognac-Sorten in den Eichenfässern gelagert werden. Ein kleines Tasting rundet unseren Besuch ab.
      Vorher sind wir noch im >Château de Cognac<. Dort gab es dicke Eichenfässer und eine stylische Vinothek zu bestaunen, aber nichts zu trinken!
      Nur der Weinbrand, der aus der französischen Stadt Cognac und dem umliegenden Weinanbaugebiet stammt, darf Cognac heißen.
      Wir fahren bei einem Mix aus Sonne, Wind und viel Regen durch die Champagne mit ihren endlosen Weinbergen und kleinen und großen Cognac- Destillen. Wunderbar!
      Übernachten wollten wir nicht in der Stadt, fahren in den Sonnenuntergang bis nach Loulay und stehen hier auf dem kleinen Gemeindestellplatz wunderbar ruhig hinter dem örtlichen Schwimmbad.

      Kurz vor dem Ziel gab es plötzlich eine tricky Umleitung. Oh nein, so weit gefahren und jetzt das! Mein Fahrer ignoriert das Umleitungsschild, (es kommen uns auch vereinzelt PKWs entgegen) und fährt weiter. „Irgendwie kommen wir da durch“ sagt er gerade, als hinter uns, wie aus dem Nichts, mit Tatütata die französische Polizei auftaucht! 😲
      Freundlich, aber bestimmt fordern sie uns auf, zurück zu fahren und der Umleitung zu folgen! Na, das ist ja ohne Strafzettel nochmal gut gegangen! 😅
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    • Day 35

      21.10 Day 35 . . . It’s Happened Again

      October 21, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

      So today was a viewing day - two lined up, one in Hanc (pronounced Honk) and the other Clussais-La-Ponneraie (a lot more difficult to spell).
      Up and out we were in Hanc at 1030 to meet Natalie. Wd seen this place by photo and a video so had a good idea, or so we thought, of what was on offer. I had liked this place. On arrival the house was on a small hill, last house up a road which ended as you drove into the garden.
      First thoughts - still liked it, big barn still looking good, house with garage with some renovations - but needs a good deal of work, still looking good, lovely sized plot of land/garden with fruit trees and the most amazing unspoilt views for miles - loved it!
      The house was three bed with a lounge and kitchen effectively - all good size, but nothing grand. The work needed inside would primarily be tidying up certain bits and decor, plus install of kitchen units etc. Nothing that phased us.
      One neighbour with the most lovely dog ‘Charlie’ (pronounced shar’lee - sounds so much better especially if you add an outlandish French accent) and two horses in an adjoining field.
      Natalie left and said we could stay looking at the outside of the property if we wished. We then suddenly realised the time and did mercy dash to Clussais-La-Ponneraie to meet Karine and her partner Jason (Jason being as British as you like). The property was two houses joined together which had been renovated and done really quite well although not to mine or Tre’s style. We both want something we can do up - not move into something already finished to someone’s else’s ideas.
      The property was lovely but it was a no from us.
      Jason then suggested we look at a Longère they were also acting as agents for. The building was really quite large with lots of possibilities on room use and converting a loft. That said it really was a lot of work, more than we would want and so again it was a no from us.
      If nothing more we found out Jason works with/on renovations - so handy to know.
      We drove to Chef Boutonne and popped into the little SuperU to buy a sandwich and a drink. The cash till lady on realising we were English, decided to tell me how the credit card machine worked - then realised, probably quite rightly, that I was that stupid that I couldn’t put a card against the top of a reader! Smiles and laughter ensued and we left - walking across the road to one of our now favoured coffee shops.
      Whilst having a coffee we decided to pop back to Hanc, to have another nosey at the house and the hamlet itself.
      On arrival we met the neighbour and had a chat, a lovely old fella who spoke no English, so Tre had to rescue me I. Parts of the conversation, also we said hello to Shar’lee again . . . Love this dog already!
      We spent about 15 mins looking at the outside of the house just to see if there was anything we had missed and that cause us concerns.
      We then had a spin around Hanc which has a church but not much else. It is however really well kept and a pretty little place.
      We then returned to Chef Boutonne and back to the SuperU. We had earlier decided to go to Melle for a ‘Big Shop’ but now couldn’t face it so had decided to go back to Chef and grab some bits to make a home made soup.
      On exiting the SuperU our favourite newly befriended cash till lady was still on point. I asked her politely how the card reader worked - I think she got the idea of the polite joke.
      We then trundled home in Roxvanne, and I started on the home made soup - which according to Tre was the best I’d made and I agreed. To be fair there have been a few disasters in the past.
      We decided to have an early-ish night, as an early start in the morning to collect Lissy from Bordeaux Airport.
      Soup Recipe below!

      Sexy Soups! #01
      1x Onion
      4x Carrots
      1x Chorizo Sausage (Strong/Spicy)
      3x Cloves of Garlic
      2x teaspoons of Sea Salt
      Couple of splashes of Chilli Olive Oil
      Couple of splashes plain Olive Oil
      3x large fresh tomatoes
      1/3 tube of Tomato Purée
      Jar of Tomato Passata
      Tin of Lentils
      1x Soup Maker Machine!!

      Squash and chop the garlic.
      Peel and thinly slice the carrots.
      Thinly slice the onion.
      De-skin and chop the Chorizo into small pieces.
      All into a frying pan with the chilli olive oil and then the plain olive oil. Fry for about 15 mins until the chorizo is leaking its own oil, the onion is browned and the carrots starting to slightly char.
      Put the chopped fresh tomatoes and half the passata into the soup maker, add the contents of the frying pan and then add the remainder passata.
      Cook on high heat for 25 mins stirring once every so often.
      Pulse to a thick consultancy and then add the lentils.
      Leave to cook for a further 5 mins.
      Add a little water if constancy is too thick.
      Serve and devour with lots of French bread
      - Deeelish!
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    • Day 4

      20.09 - Day 04. First Little Explore

      September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We needed to get up this morning as the chimney sweep was visiting to clean and service the burner.
      We also decided we needed to do a ‘Big Shop’ as we couldn’t survive on crisps and snacks any longer.
      So having given Hannah a bottle of fizz for being so helpful when we needed it, we headed out in Roxvanne. We decided to head to Lezay, about 15 minutes away to visit the market.
      Lezay was busy and the market full of stalls, which took over a fair part of the village - there seemed to be more stalls around every corner. We bought a few bits and pieces, Tre making a very quick impulse buy of a jumper, probably made that quick to avoid me giving her any reason to doubt the purchase. We haggled with a basket seller and now have our ‘Market Day’ basket, fit for all purchase eventualities, including jumpers!
      After a couple of coffees in the sunshine we made tracks, me suggesting Tre could have another practice drive which she took up without hesitation. Thinking back, getting Roxvanne out of a heavily populated, road closured village was possibly not the best idea for a second stint, to be then followed by the Gendarmerie for a few roads also didn’t help matters. I think Tre was more than happy to pull up and hand brake on in the SuperU supermarket ten minutes further down the road. I only surmised this as we parked about 10 metres into the car park and about 200 metres from the front doors of the supermarket.
      We wandered around supposedly working to a list we (Tre) had devised, but actually just grabbed what we fancied, headed to the tills and then trundled home again in Roxvanne.
      Bread and cheese for lunch obviously and then the afternoon by the pool finished the day off nicely.
      A relaxed evening in the gite and a relatively early night finished off our first full day here - not so bad really 😎
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    • Day 1

      Lerisson Gourmand, Reignac

      December 8, 2019 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

      Nach 990 km sind wir in der Nähe von Angouleme, ca 81 km vor Bordeaux, um 18:30Uhr angekommen.

      Kurz vor unserer Ankunft gab es noch einen schönen Abendhimmel, während es fast die ganze Fahrt geregnet hatte.

      Hier stehen wir an einem Weingut und Walnuss-Hof und haben uns schon mit einer Flasche Weißwein eingedeckt.

      Morgen um 9:00 Uhr öffnet der kleine Laden.
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    • Day 25

      Surgères

      September 5, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      I need to do a better job of washing socks. They were drying in the top of my rucksack so that each time I turned my head, or the breeze changed direction, I would get a hit of dessicating seaweed. I'll add that to the life lessons I'm picking up, along with don't pack slugs in your rucksack.

      Last night's stay was lovely. I had the choice of paying thirty euros for a family centric camp (with Kidz Klub and karaoke) or fifty euros for a room. I fancied getting some sleep so I went for the latter. A young couple had converted their garage into a room to rent. It was all pretty new and super chic with bare stone walls and a sauna. The thing that did it for me, though, was that she had put a bowl of fresh figs in the fridge so that I had something refreshing when I arrived. I also had her homemade magdalenas. Deeelish!

      Today was a short walk as my planning was thrown up in the air when one of the sites I was planning to camp at turned out to be a naturist resort. But it's given me time to see pretty Surgères and its eleventh century Romanesque church and reconstructed castle walls. It will also give me the chance to rest a pain I have developed today in one of the muscles by the ankle. I'll see how it feels in the morning.

      Photos - Surgères church and castle walls, shady avenues are a blessing in hot weather, magdalena anyone?
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    • Day 14

      30.09 - Day 14 . . . Gournay House

      September 30, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      We had today arranged to meet an estate agent at 10am in Chef Boutonne to view a house. I had woken at about 6.30am and started to read my daily quantity of rubbish on the phone and also write up the Penguins for the day before. When Tre eventually woke and asked what the time was I obediently checked and replied ‘9.30am - it bloody can’t be!!’. Duvet thrown back with force and a whirlwind of two people from bedroom to bathroom to downstairs and finally to Roxvanne then ensued. Sticking strictly to the speed limits we arrived outside the Mairies office with three minutes to spare and waited for the estate agent. Charlotta (whose name I failed to remember during the entire time I was with her - who puts an A at the end of Charlotte?) finally arrived about 10.10am so no need to rush then!
      After a quick chat we followed her to a property outside of Chef Boutonne - Gournay, which we had visited last Sunday for the Brocante.
      I think both Tre and I initially upon arrival thought - not for us, village/hamlet house with neighbours each side and close to the road. We have a sort of idea of semi rural if we are honest.
      However we entered and were pleasantly surprised, although as we were aware the property would need quite a bit of work. Bad points - needs a re-wire and quite a bit of work, plus a bit of a box as it was a longere effectively. Good points - the work required was not excessive and it was a blank canvas. Able to be re configured room wise and extend into a large loft area. Attached barn which was large, side access from front of the property to the rear . . . . and a large garden with out buildings to die for!!
      So, a bit of a mixed bag - but we came away definitely more positive than negative. Lots to think about.
      After our goodbyes to Charlotta we drove around the area a little, we found the bread machine in the village, the church and nearby school - for little ones thankfully and some of the area we had seen on Sunday.
      Then back into Chef Boutonne to grab a coffee or two and some food for our last night before heading to the UK tomorrow.
      Then back to the gite where we sat in the very hot sunshine for the entire afternoon.
      A quick sort of Roxvanne for her trip tomorrow and then we settled in for the evening.
      Tomorrow we drive part way back to Calais as I’ve got some work still to complete. We will stay in Roxvanne somewhere tomorrow evening and then to Calais and the tunnel on Sunday.
      Really not wanting to return tomorrow - really really not wanting to.
      Hey Ho - it’s only for a short spell and then we will be back . . . We’ve left wine in the fridge chilling!! 😎
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    • Day 73

      28.11 Day 73 . . . Second Visit

      November 28, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

      Today was the day to have a second visit to the house we saw last Wednesday - just outside Nanteuil-en-Vallée.
      We left at about 10am and we’re pulling up outside just before 11am where we met with Nathalie again.
      We spent the best part of two hours subsequently crawling over this house, checking everything we could think of and asking so so many questions.
      On driving away we drove to Champagne Mouton one of the closest villages to the house, just to see what was there. As is Tre and my luck (ignorance of France) we found Champagne Mouton to be shut. Literally nothing was open in this relatively small village.
      So we spun around and drove to Nanteuil-en-Vallée which was the opposite direction from the house. We parked up to have a look around what we had been told was a lovely village. Again everything was shut including the church, Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste - much to Tre’s annoyance. We spent about half an hour before deciding to move on.
      Next we drove to Verteuil-sur-Charente - again somewhere Nathalie had recommended. As we crested a hill on the approach to the town we saw the Chateau which holds primacy high above the town - it looked truly stunning in the sunshine.
      We drove I to the centre and parked up. Again we were now not surprised to find everything shut. When I say everything is shut - it is everything, not a bank or cafe or shop - nothing!
      We did spend quite a bit of time marvelling at the chateau and river that passes below it. It was a beautiful sight - especially as no-one else was about . . . Everything being shut has its benefits.
      The Château de Verteuil is a historic building in Charente, France. It dates back to 1080 and has since been extensively rebuilt, although 12th-century walls remain. The château has always been in the property of the La Rochefoucauld family.
      During the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) the château was occupied several times by the English. It was demolished in 1442, but was soon rebuilt using the original stones. In the religious wars of 16th and 17th centuries the château was a base for Huguenot forces, and in 1650 it was partly demolished by royal troops. Another château was erected but it received extensive damage in a fire in 1793 during the French Revolution. The château was renovated in the romantic style after the Bourbon Restoration of 1815, and has been extensively modified since then. During World War II (1939–45) the château housed French troops and refugees from Alsace-Lorraine in 1940 and for several months it was partially occupied by some German units. In 1944 some members of the maquis were hidden there. The château was listed as a monument historique on 31 March 1966, and obtained full protection on 19 November 2010.
      The present château, designed on a triangular plan, has five conical towers and a watchtower capped by slate roofs. Archaeologists have uncovered traces of the older buildings on the site dating back to the 11th century. The architect Frantz Jourdain renovated the interior of the 14th-century tower as a library for the Rochefoucault family in 1893. The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries of the building, which hung in the master bedroom, were rediscovered in 1850; they were later sold to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1923.
      We drove home from Verteuil-sur-Charente stopping briefly at a patisserie to grab a light lunch and then some other food stuffs from SuperU next door.
      Home - we stoked up the pellet burner and settled I. For the afternoon and evening. The sun is still shining but there is a cold chill in the air. Think I am past wearing shorts now.
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    • Day 34

      20.10 Day 34 . . . Recovery

      October 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Well after yesterdays mega day of early start, work and then the crossing and drive down - today was always going to be a slow day.
      After getting in just before 2am a lay in was always going to be on the cards, but weirdly we were both awake by about 9am. I thought we would be sleeping late into the morning.
      Tea and reading in bed took up a couple of hours before we took advantage of the sunshine and lazed by the pool for a while.
      A few spots of rain heralded the end of the sunshine, before the light shower that had been forecast started.
      We dodged a couple of showers to unload some bits from Roxvanne and then settled in for the evening.
      Having found on our first few weeks out here that the tiled floor was a little on the chilly side in the evenings, we had ordered up some defence options for our return . . . so, out came the newly purchased, cosy as you like, fluffy and padded old gits slippers. The evening passed in newly found warmth, followed by an early night - still catching up from the journey down.
      Tomorrow we house view again!
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    • Day 40

      26.10 Day 40 . . . Bordeaux Bound

      October 26, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      I hate getting up early but once I’m up I’m fine - it’s a pity the same can’t be said for teenagers. Getting up at 2.00am was always going to be a gutter and so it proved, but as duty driver to the airport I hopped out of bed and dragged some clothes on - as did Tre. However the person that actually needed to be at the airport for her flight was less than eager to do the same and when they did open their eyes thought it best to have a ten minute muse over the content of their phone whilst still in bed.
      Anyhow - that quickly rectified, Munch was packed into Roxvanne with myself and Tre and off we set. The sky was stunning and absolutely massed with stars due to their being no ambiant light.
      Just before 5am we pulled into Bordeaux Airport and walked to the main terminal to check in. Checking the boards - yep, we had to go to the other terminal, the one we had gone to first on Saturday before being re-directed. Think Bordeaux has it in for us!
      At Billi, Munch was soon on her way through security and out of sight - after a fairly long hug from mum of course!
      We now had other plans - we had arranged as we were going to be in Bordeaux to meet with someone re taxes/enrôlement etc into French systems . . . At 9.00am. So we found a very dark corner near the airport and tried to grab an hours shut eye in Roxvanne. The later having failed we decided at about 7.00am to drive into and across Bordeaux City to the location we were to meet.
      We parked up at about 7.45am and found ourselves a pre meet cafe for a needed cup of coffee. Just before 9.00am we had changed location and found ourselves sat in the very lovely Cafe des Arts 138 Cr Victor Hugo, 33000 . . . awaiting our meeting.
      The meeting with Deo went well and lasted about an hour or so - we said our goodbyes and wandered back to Roxvanne.
      We decided to take a different route home so that we could drive a little of Bordeaux. We intend to be back here in a couple of weeks for a longer visit.
      Back on the main roads we headed home with one aim in mind - sleep!
      At about 2pm having grabbed more bread and cheese we flopped by the pool. The pool area is a real sun trap as enclosed all around - so was the perfect place to catch up on a little sleep.
      We were again visited in the evening by the neighbours pet - who now goes by the name of Pussy Chat and I am reliably informed is female!
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    • Day 78

      03.12 Day 78 . . . Pineau & Cognac

      December 3, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

      Another one of those lazy mornings that we are getting so good at. We were asked yesterday if we could help Hannah with a wood delivery she was expecting - to which we had said yes. So when we got a message early in the morning to say the wood man had cancelled it was all we needed to pull the duvet back up and have tea in bed.
      We kicked around for the remainder of the morning, before walking down the lane to the Relais car park to meet with Lou and Vince who were picking us up. As soon as they arrived, we drove generally south through stunning scenery and vineyard loaded fields. The vines like many of the trees have a yellow hint to them now, and in the glorious sunshine they were truly beautiful to see.
      After just short of an hour I guess, we arrived at Neuvicq-Le-Château and pulled into the most nondescript building belonging to Ballet Jean.
      Lou and Vince had been here before - more than once and from the welcome they received it was more like family visiting than customers 😂
      The building - and many others surrounding owned by the family, is a Cognac and Pineau producer. The lovely lady looking after the place when we arrived, quickly started to show us around. However when booked customers then arrived she left Lou to do the tour with us . . . I think that shows Lou has been too many times 🤔Lou mentioned a fact that she had been told - that the buildings that store the barrels all have black roofs, a form of mould and that during the war, bombers avoided buildings with black roofs because they knew what was being made within. Fact or old wives tail makes no difference - the roofs are definitely black!!
      We had a fab time walking around the various parts to the building and wondering how a premises like this makes such well regarded products. To double up on my feeling that Lou had been here too many times, it was reinforced when the lady running the place asked Lou to show further French customers around, while she greeted new ones at the door.
      Finally the time had arrived for the tasting. Firstly the Pineau, which was lovely - much better than the shop bought Tre and I had previously tasted. Then the Cognac - the initial bottle we were informed was for cooking!! Never would you put this in anything other than a glass to drink. Then the next bottle on, that had been aged in oak barrels for 20 years . . . Got to say it was blooming lovely, with a very nice warm feeling in your throat. Finally the top bottle that had been aged again in oak for 40 years . . . bloody lovely, nothing else to say. The glasses of each we had been given (apart from poor Vince who was driving) were quite heavily poured, so Lou Tre and I were all quite rosy cheeked by the finish. Lou took Teresa’s side in the purchase game and so we walked out with three 20 year old cognacs and six Pineau . . . I think the tasting had warped my thinking!
      Pineau des Charentes is a “liqueur wine produced in a specific region” at European level and a “liqueur wine with a registered designation of origin” in France. It is obtained by mixing grape must and cognac.
      This liqueur wine is produced in a region that extends over a large part of the two Charentes, that is to say the whole department of Charente except the north and north-east, and all of Charente-Maritime: on the wine estates of Borderies, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and finally Bons Bois.
      Pineau is an AOC (controlled designation of origin). Its production area extends over 1,500 hectares in the same geographical area as cognac. The maximum yield of Pineau des Charentes per hectare of vines required for its production is 45 hectolitres. The two elements making up Pineau des Charentes (cognac and must) must come from the same estate, in compliance with local customs.
      75% of Pineau des Charentes production is consumed in France; Belgium is the leading importer, followed by Canada.
      After the tasting and the purchases were made, we wound our way home, with a brief stop at the Château just a couple of streets from the distillery.
      Back at Chef Boutonne we popped into the small SuperU for a couple of bits and then stumbled into one of the bars for a coffee . . . . and beer. Lou and Vince kindly then dropped us off back at our - A really brilliant day!!
      Merguez sausages and chips for dinner was what was required in an attempt to soak up a slightly boozy body - and then an early night.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Département des Deux-Sèvres, Departement des Deux-Sevres, Deux-Sèvres, Deux Sèvres

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