Tag Archives: Blois

Cooking, Cycling, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

Summer Mushrooms in the Loire

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We really have had a beautiful week in the Loire. Everyone in France this year, particularly in Paris, has been complaining about the awful spring weather and it was no better in Blois. But when we came back last week, the potatoes we’d planted in the rain two weeks before were looking very happy (and so were the surrounding weeds of course!) and the vegetation, especially the roses, was flourishing.

The good weather stayed with us and as a result, we were able to go cycling several times. Our last excursion was to the nearest village, Chouzy sur Cisse, about 5 kilometers away, in the opposite direction from the centre of Blois. Being on our bikes, we were able to take a dirt road running parallel to the main highway along the Loire, thus avoiding the 70 kph road I’m not so keen on.

The entrance to the village is not particularly attractive, but in the centre there’s a butcher (very handy for barbecues), a baker, a little supermarket and a hairdresser. I had seen a sign saying “plan d’eau” which generally means a small lake so we kept going and, to our surprise, came across a lovely little stretch of water next to the Cisse. The river itself is very picturesque with yellow waterlilies and water irises.

We followed the path along the edge and found ourselves cycling along the river past lots of small market gardens. One even had a whole row of lilies-of-the-valley. Relationnel consulted the map and said we could take Rue Beaumont. I groaned inwardly because the name means “beautiful rise” which obviously means cycling uphill. We were rewarded though because it took us onto a flat though bumpy road through the forest.

Suddenly Relationnel stopped and said, “Not sure what it is but maybe … “. I continued cycling but soon realised he wasn’t following. I looked back to see him waving frantically. “You should get out the camera”, he said as I got closer. What a find! Several large fresh summer cep mushrooms. Now one of the reasons we chose Blois for our retirement is its proximity to a state forest so we can pick mushrooms in the autumn, so finding such wonderful specimens in summer is extremely promising! We cooked them in the frypan and ate them with our côte de boeuf!

Cycling, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

La Loire à Vélo – Loire by Bike #1

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Loire by Bike is part of the EuroVelo bike route from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. We’ve already covered quite a bit of the Loire route as well as a small portion in Germany, in the Rhine Valley, between Basel and Lake Constance, on our way back from Croatia last year. In another post, I talked about cycling around Angers and crossing the river on barge, which I thought was rather exciting!

Yesterday, we did a portion closer to home, setting out from Closerie Falaiseau and going as far as Menars, a 30 K round trip altogether. The first 7 kilometres are not too wonderful, as you have to take the main road that runs along the Loire Valley, with the first 3 K at 70 kph. After that, the speed limit drops to 50 kph but it probably takes the cars another couple of kilometres to  really drop speed. After that, you can take the “mail” as they call the esplanade used as a parking lot on the waterfront in Blois and Amboise.

Next, you have another couple of kilometres along a “shared bike/car route” with very little traffic, flanked by houses with climbing roses on one side and a grass verge on the other. Then once you reach the riding school, motorised traffic is prohibited and you cycle along a bitumen road mainly through a lovely shady forest. Next time, we’ll put the bikes on our Thule bike carrier on the back of the car and start at the end of the “mail”.

At one stage, we cycled under a lovely old stone railway bridge no longer in use (it’s cut off completely at one end) and many clusters of water irises in the little stream on the left of the cycle path. The path wasn’t over busy, but we still passed other cyclists, often with children and lots of joggers and strollers. There are also benches along the way to rest.

When we got to Menars, we rode into the village, which has a very large castle built in the 17th and 18th century with very dry looking grounds. Unfortunately, since it was Monday and a public holiday to boot, there were no bars open so we had to make do with our usual water and biscuits then ride all the way back to Blois for an apéritif at Le Penalty. After that, we rode home, stopping on the way at L’Embarcadère to reserve a riverside table.

When we got back, our first yellow rose was out!

France, French customs, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

Small Town Fame

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I’ve finally cleaned up the honeysuckle that’s been nagging me since we got to Closerie Falaiseau in Blois. It’s just beginning to flower and is a wonderful complement to the climbing roses on the stair rail. We’ve had our barbecue and eaten outside in the garden comfortably for the first time since we bought the house. Well, comfortably except for the mosquitos who adore me. We’re going for an after-dinner walk so that I can show Relationnel how I want our front courtyard/garden to look in the future.

It’s still light, despite the fact that it’s after nine thirty. We’re walking briskly along the road, not a car in sight. We go round the bend and a large dog rushes out behind a fence, barking madly. I dutifully say “T’es beau, t’es beau” as Relationnel has taught me.  It seems that telling dogs they are beautiful is two syllables is what you do in France to calm them down. I’m not sure it works but I have no comparison.

Suddenly, we hear frantic yapping and a tiny ball of fur comes hurtling down the open sloping garden opposite and onto the road. A man about our age appears  lumbering after the dog, telling it to come back, to no avail. He explains that it’s a pup, only 6 months old.

“Oh, so that’s its problem”, I say. Relationnel introduces us as his new neighbours.

“Then you’re the people who’ve bought the big house around the bend.”

“Yes, do you know Mr and Mrs Previous Owner?”

“No, I only moved here two years ago myself. I only know the neighbours on each side of the house and across the road.”

“We’re not living here permanently yet. Relationnel isn’t retiring for another two years”, I explain.

“Yes, you’re going to turn it into a gîte or a chambre d’hôte or something”, he says to Relationnel.

“That’s right.”

And turning to me, “And you’re Australian”.

My fame has gone before me.

Australia, France, Loire Valley, Paris

Taking the Train to Paris Like A Real Provincial

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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!

Loire Valley

My Street in Blois

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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.

 

 

France, Loire Valley

The Keys at Last!

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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!!

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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.

Australia, France, Loire Valley, Paris

Gardens I Have Known

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I spent my first 9 years in France living in a flat and biding my time until I could have a house and a garden again. It finally became a reality when I was pregnant with Black Cat and Leonardo was nearly 2 1/2. It was a funny sort of a garden, 10 metres wide by 30 metres long, but typical of the area which used to have a lot of orchards with espalier pear trees. I was into organic food then and we grew apples, hazelnuts, black currants, red currants, tomatoes, strawberries and, best of all, raspberries which the kids loved to pick for dessert. We also had the most wonderful old style rose bushes with the most divine scent.

Before I had my own roses, I didn’t particularly like them but the garden had an enormous variety and I took immense pleasure in picking them to give to my friends who didn’t have gardens. There was a lovely yellow one which started out pink and a red rose whose petals felt like velvet. I was so sad when we grew a hedge of thuya bushes for privacy and it crowded out most of the roses. We realised the damage too late.

 

When I divorced, I had to give up my garden but I was lucky enough to find a ground floor flat with a small garden that we gradually turned into a mass of flowers. We had trumpet creepers and clematis, hollyhocks and azaleas, columbines and delphiniums, irises and forsythias and even a lilac bush, all of which would all suddenly appear after winter. Every year in November we’d plant lots of tulips, jonquils and hyacinths, tiny pansies and cyclamens. We had lilies of the valley for May Day as well.

In the summer, we’d plant masses of busy lizzies, geraniums and nastursiums. Our hanging pots were filled with petunias and begonias. Just thinking about it makes me nostalgic! Then we moved to our apartment in Paris overlooking the Palais Royal gardens. We couldn’t even have window boxes at first because it’s a listed monument. But I finally convinced Relationnel into letting me have planters on the sills of the French windows that you can’t see from the other side.

So you can imagine how much I’m looking forward to our new house in Blois. I can’t wait to see the shrubs come into flower and discover all the different species in the garden. The little wood at the back is full of daffodils and primroses and even tiny ground orchids. I know there are hollyhocks because I’ve seen the leaves but no one has mentioned any columbines or delphiniums. There’s a climbing rose on the front stairs but it looks a little lonely so I’ll have to see what company I can find. And I can’t wait for the wisteria to bloom in April!

Loire Valley, Restaurants

A Celebratory Lunch in Blois

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To celebrate  this truly momentous day in the life of our couple – the purchase of Closerie Falaiseau, our beautiful Renaissance home in the Loire Valley built in 1584 – we chose L’Embarcadère in Blois , with its lovely view of the Loire. It was a perfect spring day, with bright sun and blue sky.

View from L'Embarcadère

Embarcadère means landing stage, from the word “barque” or boat used to ferry people across the river. L’Embarcadère thus has a nautical theme. We’ve known it for many years and return each time we’re in the area. It will definitely be one of our regular haunts. Good view, good food, good service, good value for money. What more could your ask?

We started with champagne, of course, and some delicious nibbles – salmon rillettes, tomato tartare, little grey shrimp and prawns. Relationnel then had fillet of cod while I had salmon tartare. We both had a glass of white cheverny and finished off with a café gourmand on a green theme.

We’re looking forward to returning in two weeks’ time to collect the keys and spend our first night in our new home – we’ve already bought the bed!

 
 
 
L’Embarcadère, 16 quai Ulysse Besnard, 41000 Blois, 02.54.78.31.41 contact@lembarcadere.fr