Inauguration of the Gabarre

It has been a busy month so far, and it all started with a little ceremony on the quai. This village has a long history as a river port and because the Dordogne can be shallow in parts and fast flowing, a flat-bottomed boat called a ‘gabarre’ was used for this. I have heard it explained that , as the boats could only travel in one direction , the current being too strong for sailing back upstream, they were sold on arrival in Bordeaux and the crew had to walk back home and build another boat for the next trip.  Hard work !

the 'Montravel"

  

We have a small museum overlooking the river , the Maison du Fleuve, with lots of interesting exhibits explaining the history and importance of the river to the development of the village. What does ‘fleuve’ mean ? Well, in french, ‘fleuve ‘ is the word for a river that flows into the sea (eg, the Dordogne, the Seine). “Rivière” is the word for all those waterways that flow into the fleuve. What would be referred to , in english, as a tributary.

on the quai

The management of the museum decided to commission a replica gabarre (admittedly a small one) to sit at the quai beside the museum. Naturally, the arrival of the exhibit required a party in celebration. The craft is called "Montravel" in honour of the wine appellation here.

Montravel AOC

The Confrerie de Montravel - brotherhood of
Montravel connaisseurs

The maiden voyage of the Montravel was taken by monsieur le maire and other dignitaries accompanied by a jazz band , as one does. There was a little cheating as the boat was powered by an outboard motor for this event so that it could manoeuvre against the current, but all on board appeared to have a grand time.

Monsieur le Maire, etc, having fun

After the speeches and official photos, the bands played, the wine flowed, and a small luncheon was served under the marquee.

even the local rowing club turned up

The local car enthusiasts club was invited to procession through the town and then parked their wonderful vehicles on the bridge for all to inspect and admire.

we finished up on the terrace of the bar on the corner -
joined by any friends who happened to pass by

It was a very entertaining day.

The things you see…..

Opened the front door this morning and there they were enjoying a coffee at the bar on the corner…

no speeding problems here

For those who don’t know about these pilgrims, there are dozens of trails starting from various places in europe and all finishing at the cathedral in Compostela in northern Spain. They are known as the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of Saint James.

The story is that the remains of Saint James were taken from Jerusalem to northern Spain and a cathedral was later built over their burial place. Apparently, there have been pilgrims travelling there since 812AD .

Sainte Foy la Grande is on one of these pilgrim ways and we have a hostel in Port Sainte Foy especially for them. This is the second time this year that we have seen a pilgrim with a donkey travelling through town. Some are doing the walk alone and some are in groups, all carrying their backpacks, a walking stick in hand and a scallop shell ( the symbol of the walk) on display to show their purpose. There are brass scallop shells set in the footpath showing the way through the town. We are on the route between Vezelay  Cathedral in northeastern France and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port near the Spanish border.

showing 'the way'

Some pilgrims do a section of a route just for a few days, some travel for weeks or even months. I’ve heard of some who return every year to complete another section with the goal of eventually doing a whole route.

Hope these two are enjoying the journey.

bon voyage

The summer arrivals have begun…

you have to watch your step on the steep,
 cobblestoned streets of St Emilion

Last weekend, we enjoyed the first of our visitors from Australia for the year. This time  they came from Canberra , a place where we also lived for a time, long ago. They brought with them glorious weather and the intention of enjoying every moment of their holiday.

always popular for lunch in the shade in the square in St Emilion

After an early start by them in Paris, we collected them from Bordeaux station and set off for St Emilion, as one does. Lots of tourists already, though this may have been because May is the month of public holidays in France. If you’ve heard of  “le pont” then you will know what I mean. Tuesday and thursday are holidays this week, so many people are taking monday and friday off (le pont to les week-ends ) and then why turn up for work for just one day , so take wednesday as well. A neat little extra petites vacances  which explains the crowds everywhere we went . 

just smell them !

Next day we took our usual stroll around the saturday morning  market at Sainte Foy la Grande since it’s just a five minute walk away.  The perfume of fresh strawberries now in season is heady and mounds of artichokes and green and white asparagus remind us it is spring. A few more English voices amongst the crowds tell us that the ‘summer people’  have also started to arrive.

a performance at the Récollets Cloisters

someone is not really interested in the show

there is a variety of architectural styles in the old town centre

An afternoon discovering the old town centre in Bergerac, which was hosting a music festival, and then the Chateau of Monbazillac for the fabulous view of the Dordogne valley.

new leaves on the vines

doesn't this roof decoration remind you of a 'fascinator" ?

and the vines go on for miles around

Sunday, a leisurely drive  along the riverside through lovely villages like Lalinde and St Cyprien to Beynac et Cazenac where the houses are piled up between the river and the cliff and the chateau watches over all in the curve of the river. A few people already out canoeing for that unique view of the countryside and others taking the easy way on a gabarre, the traditional boat used for transporting goods by water all the way to Bordeaux.

the chateau of La Roque-Gageac has stood guard over
 the river since the 12th century

one of the many cute little restaurants

just look at those stairs leading up the cliff behind the restaurant

taking a cruise in a gabarre

 Then on to the Vezere valley, famous for it’s prehistory. La Roque St Christophe  is the longest troglodyte settlement in Europe. It is one kilometre long and has been inhabited since prehistoric times, an estimated 55,000 years. At one time a thousand people lived here and, in medieval times, it was also a fort.

what the town would have looked like in medieval times

glorious view of the Vezere valley

the 'shelf' as it looks now without the house facades

what a fabulous setting it is

only one way to bring everything up to this level 

a peaceful little spot to rest from all that paddling

Next day , as our visitors were flying off to their next stop, we took them in to Bordeaux to finish off their visit. Another glorious day and the ‘fountain’ at le miroir d’eau  was working so lots of people splashing about.  Those cafes that were open (remember le pont) were busy with holidaymakers and rue Ste Catherine was heaving with the usual mixture of tourists and students.

Thank you to our wonderful guests. You are always welcome back.

Now we prepare for the next arrivals.   

the roses from our garden are already proving to be amazing this year
 - and the perfume !

 jours heureux à vous tous

I love 'just looking'....don't you ?

It's that time of year again. The spring brocante fair at Quinconce in Bordeaux has arrived and will entice many for the next two weeks.   As so often happens for us, it was a cool cloudy day but that just makes it perfect for wandering the allées of the fair without being overwhelmed by the heat that can so often come with spring. 

does your bird need a new house...something a little more unique ?

definitely a bit of a bird house theme going this year

for the larger bird...

I’m not usually looking for anything in particular, I just like to search out the unusual, quirky, the “atypique” as they say in french.  There is such a big variety here, from “chateau chic”  to just plain junk.

toys for boys small....

...and big

Yes, I do find things that I would love to own, but then where do you put a three metre high bibliothèque , or  the iron balustrading from the external staircase of a chateau ? Gorgeous…..but !

your very own lifesize madonna

...or a domestic goddess

something musical

caretaker of the walking sticks

"les nains de jardin" in french

a little something for the stairs to your chateau

friends

?????

wouldn't this look good in your garden ? the pigeons would love it..

this old darling even brings the comforts of home
 when he works the fair 

bonne chasse mes amis