Category Archives: Loire Valley

Meeting the Neighbours in Blois

April 16, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

Relationnel has devised this radical way of meeting the neighbours in Blois. I would have gone for something softer myself. The first time, we were coming back from our celebratory dinner at L’Embarcadère after spending our first day in the new house. Before I go any further, I’d just like to point out that we had both had only two glasses of wine to accompany our meal. Not being used to our new address, Relationnel sailed past the house and we found ourselves at the end of the street and had to do a U-turn.

“Hey, I just want to read what this sign’s all about”, says Relationnel, backing up to get a closer look. Crruunch! That’s the problem with a country road – there aren’t any street lights and people have this tendency to park their dark grey cars in unsuspecting places. The front door of the other car was nicely bashed in while we had a broken tail light and a few scratches. No sign of who the car might belong to so Relationnel left a note with his mobile phone number (not his name, which is Avril because it happened to be April Fool’s Day and they might have thought it was a bad joke!).

Next day, we got a call from a very friendly man who kept repeating that it was highly unusual for anyone to leave their number in such circumstances. His poor wife hadn’t been able to open the door from the outside next morning but fortunately could do so from the inside, making it less dangerous. We organised a meeting and filled in the forms together. They turned out to be middle-aged bikies (Harley Davidson) and their house is like an American museum from the 1930s. Very friendly and understanding. We’ve noticed though that they keep parking the car in the same spot!

The next “meet the neighbours” episode occurred after we’d been to Argenton sur Creuse, a two-hour drive south, to pick up a Henri II glass-doored bookcase whose weight proved it was made of solid oak. I found it on leboncoin.com about a month ago and sent a cheque to the owner, a professional brocanteur. He turned out to be the real thing. I’ve never seen a shop like it – everything thrown higgledy-pickledy with not even the faintest semblance of order and all covered in layers of dust although it all looks surprisingly spruce in the photo!

We followed him in his van up and down country lanes for about 20 minutes until we finally came to a warehouse in a village which was as messy as the shop, only bigger. While he and Relationnel looked after the bookcase, I rooted around and came up with a tall bronze lamp. The shade’s a bit broken unfortunately, but it can easily be replaced. After they had put the bookcase on the trailer and I had protected the glass doors with bubble wrap so they could be put safely on the roof rack (less chance of breakage), the brocanteur went off to deliver some other goods.

We then spent the next hour protecting it all against the rain (and rain it did, several times). When we got home, the idea was to take it up the front steps, then lift it on to the top of the railing so that it could be taken in through the door. We started, going one step at a time, but soon realised that there was absolutely no way that I could get a ten-tonne bookcase up the steps. By then it was too late to backtrack so Relationnel went off to “find a neighbour”. He came back a few minutes later with a man who couldn’t possibly be the neighbour (wrong age to start with) and they continued the operation. He turned out to be stronger than he looked.

The neighbour (right age) then arrived and proceeded to direct operations. I took him upstairs and he soon saw that the hoisting-onto-the-railing solution wasn’t going to work. The three of them finally managed to lift it high enough to get it into the living room and then onto the mezzanine. There’s no way around it – men are stronger than women! I later found out who the first man was – he was simply picking up his son from a birthday party. I didn’t get the impression the neighbour was too impressed …

France, Loire Valley, Renovation

Dividing the House in Two

April 16, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

We’ve now furnished most of our new house in Blois and Relationnel is onto the second-last major operation – dividing the top floor from the bottom floor. Downstairs, there are now three rooms: the kitchen, the living room and the bedroom (with its en-suite bathroom). There is both an internal and external staircase leading up to the top floor so we had to find a way of closing off the internal staircase which currently leads into the downstairs bedroom.

Relationnel came up with the idea of adding French doors and was able to recuperate some beautiful solid oak panelled doors from a renovation site. However, he had to completely strip them and then adapt the height and frames to the doorway which, being very old, is not quite straight! It all turned out to be much more complicated than expected but the first set is now in place.

Above one end of the downstairs living room, there is a mezzanine, which means that it also has to be divided off so that we can go can through the back door and up the stairs without disturbing our gîte guests. We can’t use the external staircase on the front façade because the door only opens from the inside! So there will be a second set of French doors to close off the mezzanine.

Relationnel didn’t think the second operation would be as complicated but the 4 cm thick solid oak proved to be temperamental. From time to time, I was called upon to help move the doors and panels and I peoved to be especially useful when it came to putting the incredibly heavy doors on their hinges. This is a very delicate operation and none of the usual nifty solutions seemed to work. In the end, Relationnel just had to use brute force.

The top floor has now been successfully separated from the bottom though the whole process took a full day more than expected. Meanwhile, I put the Ikea garden table, bench and chairs together. I followed the instructions carefully but the first chair was missing a step so to my disappointment, I had to call on Relationnel’s greater experience. When I began the second chair, I discovered that they had changed the instructions and the pre-mounting operation and the missing step was no longer missing! If you’ve ever put Ikea furniture together, you know that they have a little L-shaped piece that you use to screw the different parts together. Well, Relationnel has the greatest little screw driver with a lever system that makes screwing a breeze and is far better than that L-thing. You can even change the setting to make it unscrew.

Relationnel has gone back to Paris tonight but I have to be here for the electricity company tomorrow morning so that they can increase the wattage we can use simultaneously. At the moment, I can’t use the oven and the hot plate at the same time or the power cuts out completely. So I will be taking the bus and train home tomorrow afternoon. I checked out the bus this morning. It’s a 15 minute walk, then a 15-minute ride to the station. I made sure I booked early and chose a cheaper time slot. This time, I’m paying 26 euros for a direct trip. Who knows, I might even get good at this commuting business!

Australia, France, Loire Valley, Paris

Taking the Train to Paris Like A Real Provincial

April 12, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

This is my first experience of commuting to Paris from Blois. I have to go up to teach a double class at uni today. I’ve discovered I can take two types of trains – TER and TGV. The first is quite cheap – 26 euros – while the second is a lot more expensive. I’m meeting up with Relationnel in Tours on the way back so we can buy a Henri II desk we saw in leboncoin.com and since my class doesn’t finish until 5 pm, I’m travelling in peak hour, which is costing me a wacking 59 euros. I could take a later train but that would mean waiting around in Paris and it would be too late to get the desk.

You can’t reserve a seat on the TER (I have to change in Orléans anyway) but since I didn’t leave until 10.42 (I love the way the times are so precise), there were plenty of places. I do have a reservation on the TGV though – it’s compulsory. I bought both tickets over the Internet on www.sncf.fr. For the TER, I had to put my VISA card in the ticket machine at the station to have the ticket issued. I immediately put it in the puncher because I often forget and suddenly realise in the train that it isn’t « composté » as they say in French.

The TGV reservation is quite different. I have to print out an e-ticket and show it to the inspector on the train when he comes around. I have a new printer back in Blois that I haven’t set up yet. I started to look into it this morning but I couldn’t follow what the little drawings were telling me to do. I’ll have to get Relationnel onto it during the weekend. I much prefer written instructions that I can understand. So I’ll ask the nice secretary at my uni to print it out for me. I just mustn’t forget! You’d think I could have it on my iPhone the way they do for boarding passes but I couldn’t see any options indicating that on the Internet.

The problem is that I don’t really like trains. I don’t know why. I’m always afraid I’m going to miss it or get out at the wrong place or something. The first time I took a train, I was about 20. A friend and I took the Sunlander from Townsville to Brisbane, then from Brisbane to Sydney on our way to Noumea. I think it took about 48 hours in all. The first train was a steam engine if I remember correctly. Maureen’s mother had made boiled fruit cake and all sorts of goodies so we did a lot of eating on that trip.

The train from Brisbane to Sydney was far more chic and we had a compartment of our own with a toilet and shower. Not like the Sunlander with its open toilets that you couldn’t use in the station! Trains are far more popular in France and, on the whole, are efficient and on time (except when there are strikes of course, but that’s almost a national hobby). Having said that, we left Orléans 10 minutes late but I had plenty of time to take a photo of the rape fields. At least today I don’t have any luggage, just my trusty laptop, even though it’s a bit heavy to lug around.

I’m now in the TGV and it seems I could have clicked on “Download” on the email on my iPhone instead of printing out the ticket. I’ll know for next time!

Lifestyle, Loire Valley, Sightseeing

Easter Sunday in Blois

April 11, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 16 Comments

Sunday being a day of rest, we decided to have a late brunch then visit one of the many châteaux in the Loire Valley with Thoughtful and Brainy Pianist who had come to spend the weekend with us. In the end, we decided to go to Blois Castle, particularly as it was open between 12 and 2 pm, in order to escape the Easter weekend crowds. Once we got there, Relationnel and I were both amazed that we hardly remembered it at all from our last visit a few years ago.

The château is right in the middle of the town, overlooking the Loire River, and encompasses several different architectural styles from mediaeval times to the 17th century. I won’t go into its very complicated history. Suffice to say that it all began in about the year 1000 with a rather horrible fellow called Thibaud the Trickster. Three of the original mediaeval towers still remain. One of the main features of the period is the magnificent hall of justice or Salle des Etats built in the early 13th century.

At the end of the 14th century, the château was bought by the Orleans family and nearly a century later, Duc Louis d’Orleans became Louis XII and brought his wife, Anne de Bretagne, and his court to Blois. They modernised it all, so to speak, with stairs at each end and balconies on the first floor and decorated it with their emblems, the porcupine for Louis and the hermine for Anne.

François 1^er, whose salamander is ever-present, lived in the château after he ascended to the throne in 1515. The Duc de Guise was assassinated in the King’s Chambers on the orders of Henri III in 1588 after plotting to take over the throne and Catherine de Medicis, wife of Henri II (son of François 1^er) and mother of Henri III, died there the next year at the age of 70.

The interior is extremely rich and colourful with many fine fireplaces and majestic pieces of Renaissance furniture. We could see how they inspired the Henri II (or Neo-Renaissance) buffet, sideboard, tables and chairs now decorating our new Renaissance house ! I particularly liked the toad-foot feature on one of the buffets and the many beautiful firebacks. Any one of them would look just perfect in our upstairs fireplace.

There is also a lapidary section with gargoyles, statues, pediments and other bits and pieces taken from buildings on the site.

The grounds around the château offer wonderful views of the rooftops of the city of Blois and the Loire River and an excellent view of the city’s most interesting church – that of Saint Nicolas, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, a combinationof both Romanesque and Gothic. We couldn’t quite see our house because of the trees but we could pick out the general direction.

After our visit we discovered a brocante on the esplanade along the river which takes place on the second Sunday of every month. Relationnel was not keen because he said there were obviously only professionals. But we managed to find a walnut bedside table for our bedroom and three long-handled gardening tools. While he went off to get the car, we rooted around but didn’t find anything else worth buying.

Loire Valley

My Street in Blois

April 10, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

On Sunday, we finally found the time to take a walk down our street to the organic bakery! On the left, we went past a primary school in beautiful grounds.

Then a house built in the sixties surrounded by flowering trees and shrubs.

A fence with a lovely wisteria in front of a turn-of-the-century home.

The local church with a red, white and blue pole in front.

A house with two sundials, one on the southern façade and the other on the western façade. Which reminds me that I would like one too!

After buying the bread, we walked back in the other direction and came across a most unusual gate. Diplodoci no less!

A straight stretch of country road.

And around the next bend, he meeting of old and new.

Lifestyle, Loire Valley, Renovation

The Fireplace Operation

April 9, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 3 Comments

I’m sure you’re all waiting with bated breath to hear the results of the fireplace operation. As it turned out, Relationnel was the only performer because the polyethylene tent could only contain one person. Not that I really minded. I had other things to keep me occupied, not to mention the fact that it would have taken me hours to get the soot out of my hair. Fortunately Relationnel didn’t have to worry about that.

You might remember that we’re talking about the fireplace in the master bedroom. We were sleeping downstairs in the bedroom of the future gîte until the operation was over. So, first, Relationnel set up the tent and also protected the light-coloured carpet with plastic. Then he donned his throwaway boiler suit and gas mask at which point I breathed a sigh of relief that I was only spectator and helpmate.

So that he wouldn’t be asphyxiated, he had added a flexible tube to take fresh air from the window into the airtight tent and up the chimney. First, he removed the polystyrene that had been used to plug up the chimney duct. As it came off, down came two huge hornets’ nests (empty thank goodness). After cleaning it all up, he used a power mill with a metal brush attachment to get rid of the initial caked soot and other debris then finished off with a finer abrasive disk. Once he had achieved the required result, he got out the vacuum cleaner.

And that’s when the fun began. As we all know, vacuum cleaners suck up dirt at one end while expelling air through a filter at the other. The problem is, the filter on our industrial vacuum (a gift from the owner of a flat I once bought which had a closed parking space that the said owner neglected to empty) was no good and as Relationnel vacuumed up the debris, fine red and black dust went charging out the other end, leaving a nice thick layer not only over the entire bedroom, bathroom and built-in wardrobe (fortunately empty), but also flying up the stairs to the mezzanine above the bedroom and out through open bedroom door onto the other mezzanine which gives onto all the other rooms below.

So the entire house had to be vacuumed from head to foot with the other vacuum cleaner which understandably got overheated and sulky and eventually gave up altogether. Relationnel had to wait until it cooled down to use it again. Meanwhile, I was off at Carrefour Market and then Le Penalty drinking cappuccino and using the Internet as the little dashed line is still running madly around the display window on the Freebox showing no sign of indicating the time, which is a necessary prelude to it working.

All traces of the vacuum episode had disappeared by the time I got back I’m happy to say. Before we could move into the bedroom however, a second operation was needed – sweeping the chimney. We had bought some very neat chimney sweeping equipment in Leroy Merlin that looked like something out of Mary Poppins. Relationnel set up a rubbish bag and funnel system to catch the debris (I helped to cut the packing tape to seal the joins) with a hole to poke the broom through.

After it was all swept clean, Relationnel plugged it up again with suitable material to stop the cold air getting into the room as the fireplace will continue to be purely decorative.

We are very happy with the results and have now moved into the upstairs bedroom.

France, Lifestyle, Loire Valley, Renovation

The Henri II Buffet Finds its Place

April 5, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

With the kitchen and bedroom more or less completed, except for the decorative elements, the next room on the list was the living room starring the Henri II buffet I mentioned in a previous post. For transport purposes, it had to be separated in two so Relationnel and I were able to wheel each half down the road from our “little house” next door (which he will be renovating after his retirement) on two little trolley affairs that can each take 200 kg and are very practical. You just have to strap them onto each end of the furniture properly so they don’t escape when you go over the rough bits.

Relationnel then repaired all the bits and pieces that had gradually come loose over the years. We decided where it would go (very easy because there is only one wall wide enough) then put the lower half in place. That was the easy bit. The top half (which is excessively heavy solid oak I might add) sits on top of a backboard and two little columns. I put my lumbar belt on and some anti-skid gloves and we hoisted it up onto the edge of the bottom part. Then we started lifting it up on top of the columns which promptly fell over (of course). We quickly realised however that there was not actually enough ceiling height under the beams. Back down onto the floor.

So Relationnel said we’d take the top curlicue bit off. Even then there was not enough room to raise the upper half high enough to slide it onto the columns. There seemed to be no solution until I suddenly had a brilliant idea. If we turned the whole thing lengthways and used the space between the beams to lift it high enough, we could then turn it the right way afterwards. I got a « bravo » for that! However I then didn’t have enough strength to lift the top half high enough to get it on top of the columns. But Relationnel managed to hoist his side up and while I steadied it, he came and lifted my side.

Now that it’s there, I can tell you, it won’t be going any further and I’m sure I can turn the curlicue into something very decorative.

France, Lifestyle, Loire Valley, Renovation

Our Favourite Barbecue is Back!

April 4, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 10 Comments

On our third night in Blois, we finally had a barbecue with our Barbecook, which is a story in itself. When we were married nearly 14 years ago, it was a second marriage for both of us and we each had two children so finding an appropriate date was not easy, let alone having a honeymoon as well! We did manage an overnight stay in Honfleur though and visited Bayeux next day. And we found our barbecue! Not very romantic you might say, but it’s a wonderful barbecue (and don’t forget I’m Australian). It operates on a really neat system. You put newspaper in the cyclindrical part, then the charcoal on the fire grille, on top of which there is another grill for the meat. You light the barbecue with a match through a hole near the red knob halfway down the cylinder which is used to adjust the air flow (and therefore the heat). It’s really very clever and you don’t need any « starters ». Even I can light it (not that I ever do!).

You may remember that to send my last post, we intended to go to Le Penalty, which turned out to be closed on Mondays as luck would have it. But Relationnel had the wonderful idea of parking outside and seeing if there was a connection. It worked! Unfortunately, Le Penalty is located on one side of a roundabout where you obviously aren’t supposed to park so he had to keep a watch-out for the police. Then of course, my battery was running low but Relationnel has a transformer in the car so I was able to recharge the laptop provided we kept the engine running. Not very environment-friendly I’m afraid.

But apart from the Internet connection, we are slowly getting things up and running. The kitchen furniture is all in place and part of the decoration is finished. When we have breakfast, we can watch all the birds that come to eat the seeds left by the previous owners. I’m a newcomer to bird feeding/watching. It seems you should only put out seeds and fat during the cold months. Otherwise the birds get lazy. There is a pair of blue tits who have built a nest in the tree just outside the window that we love watching.

The next room that is almost finished is the downstairs bedroom where we’re sleeping at the moment because we haven’t attacked the fireplace in the upstairs bedroom yet. I thought I had found a miracle product but unfortunately it doesn’t work. Relationnel put up the wardrobe today but initially found he couldn’t finish it because the hinge things were missing. Fortunately he realised later that he just wasn’t familiar with the system. We also cleaned the rug. Obviously one spray can was not enough so I had to go back to Carrefour and get some more.

I didn’t really mind because, although it’s about 6 km away, you drive through a lovely forest mysteriously called Route du Rain de la Forêt to get there. The leaves are all tender green. And the people in Carrefour are unbelievably friendly. While I was waiting for the butcher to come, the fishmonger came and asked me if I was being served then went off and found the butcher. When I was searching the shelves for the carpet shampoo, a shelf stacker actually asked me if he could help! At the checkout, when I said I hadn’t found the nutcrackers, the lady went and looked for them. They didn’t have any after all, but she came back with a smile. This is definitely not the service I’m used to in Monoprix on avenue de l’Opéra.

I can tell already that I’m going to love living in Blois.

France, Loire Valley

The Keys at Last!

April 2, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 11 Comments

Well, we’ve now spent our first night in the new house in Blois. We finished packing the two cars and the (now reinforced) trailer at 2 am on Saturday morning, then added the bikes (which we had forgotten) and all the last-minute stuff, all of which took much longer than expected (isn’t that always the way?). We arrived in Blois at 3 pm, a bit later than planned. The real estate agent and former owners were waiting for us and it was with great emotion that I turned the key in the lock for the first time!

It was marvellous to discover the house at last, empty of all its previous furniture and decorative elements (well, almost). The rooms looked much bigger of course and not quite the same shape. The previous owners then took us on a tour of the house and garden, explaining various things, showing us what they had left for us – many little details that are much appreciated, in addition to a huge collection of clay pots of all shapes and sizes that I haven’t decided what I’ll do with yet!

After the agent left, we broke out the champagne and the four of us talked and joked until we suddenly realised it was nearly 6 pm. Relationnel wanted to find a special slow-acting product to sanitize the house before we unpacked everything, particularly as it had been inhabited by a large number of dogs over the years. On the way to Bricorama, I suggested that, given how late it was, it might be a good idea to find a B&B for the night. Relationnel immediately agreed. On a Saturday night, of course, there was nothing vacant within cooee of Blois so I rang the Mercure. They happened to have a weekend special so I emptied out my swimming bag and used it to pack a change of clothes rather than lug along our large suitcase.

There was a free wifi connection and even a restaurant so we ate there. There was an amusing bilingual menu – the coquilles Saint Jacques (sea scallops) had mysteriously turned into red mullet and you could have house-made pâté. We had our café gourmand next to the heated pool but couldn’t use it of course because the swimsuits were back at the house. We even had breakfast there next morning, with a view of the Loire – one of the best I have had in a French hotel as it turned out. There was even a machine that delivered fresh-pressed orange juice. Excellent choice of viennoiseries (croissants, pains au chocolat and pains aux raisins), bread, yoghurt, dried fruit, fresh fruit, etc. Also a boiled egg machine with no instructions so I didn’t take the chance …

We asked the girl at reception where we’d find a butcher open on a Sunday morning and were directed to a place called Grand Frais. We’ll have to get used to shops being closed on Sundays in the provinces ! Not much of a choice of meat but we still found something suitable for the LONG-AWAITED BARBECUE (our barbecue has been in storage for 7 years as it’s not allowed in the Palais Royal) and went “home”, opening the gate and door on our own for the first time. We were thrilled!

We spent the day unpacking and chasing after a fridge and finally got the (Ikea) bed together at 8.00 pm. By then I’d aleady booked a table at L’Embarcadère just down the road where we celebrated the signature of the final papers two weeks ago. So much for the barbecue. Maybe we’ll strike it lucky tonight. We’ve got a garden table and were able to have lunch outside for the first time. No internet however. Annoyingly, there’s some problem that may not be solved for a few days so we’re off to Le Penalty to have a coffee to use their free wifi.

Lifestyle, Loire Valley

Blois, Here We Come!!

March 29, 2012 Rosemary Kneipp 15 Comments

I feel like I’m in a sort of limbo at the moment – on the verge of a great new adventure that I can hardly believe is about to become a reality. In just two days’ time, we will have the keys to our late 16th century Renaissance home in Blois. At last we will see it without furniture (well, practically) or decoration (almost). So difficult to imagine.

The previous owners are moving to a slightly smaller and much more modern home so they unfortunately won’t be able to take all their furniture with them. So we are going to inherit (for a pittance) some original pieces such as a dresser with a built-in clock, a maie in which flour used to be kneaded, various utensils connected with our bread oven, a Henri II sideboard and an art deco bedroom suite.

In the meantime, we are making various preparations. To divide the house in two for rental, Relationnel has devised a separation consisting of a series of door panels (photos later!) and we have bought a trailer for which he has made a réhausse to increase the height of the sides. We lost the panels on the highway last time we were in Blois, nearly causing an accident, because it wasn’t secured properly. Very scary. The new system, however, can’t possibly get away!

I have been sorting through cupboards in the apartment to find anything we aren’t using here that might be useful in Blois. Need I tell you that I am amazed at what I’m finding. It’s also giving me the opportunity to throw out things I know we’ll never use again. One of the things I’m getting rid of is my Encyclopaedia Britannica, bought on credit in 1975 when I started freelancing as a translator. Who could have imagined then that those twenty or so volumes, not to mention the Year Books, would be replaced by just one CD-Rom?

All the moving and throwing out is going to give us extra space for our home exchanges as well as I won’t have to play musical shelves to provide room for our exchangers to put their belongings. I’m going to make sure I leave all the top shelves free so that I just have to move our things up from the bottom shelves before we leave each time. It’ll make them easier to find as well. After our Madrid exchange, it took me a while to remember where I’d put things!

Yesterday, we continued our purchases through the second hand site, www.boncoin.fr, with a new 44-piece porcelain dinnerware set for only 15 euros. We’re waiting until we’re in Blois to buy the rest as we’re running out of trailer space and time! We did go to Leroy Merlin though to buy an amazing array of power tools. One of our first tasks, before we move into the main bedroom, is to clean the very sooty fireplace. It seems we’ll be donning masks, hoods and boiler suits and enclosing ourselves in a PVC tent to do the job. I’ll post photos!

So, bear with me for the next few days. We’re supposed to have an internet connection but I imagine things will be quite chaotic for the first few days. I may not be posting as often.

Aussie in France