Lunch in Limoux

We had a lovely lunch in Limoux today. We actually braved taking a toddler to a nice restaurant when it really was her bedtime. It was a bit tricky to juggle her and the lovely food, hence there is only one photo, but we had a very nice time and she went to sleep as soon as we got in the car. Our roasted scallops were delicious. I followed it with sea bream on red cabbage while Andy had white blood sausage and potatoes then cheese for Wilson and icecream for me. You might think we are a bit strange celebrating such a normal thing but Millie switches off at 12 and no restaurant in France opens for lunch before 12 or dinner before 7 so this was a real treat for us.

St Ferriol and surrounds

Rain, rain, rain... Millie was in heaven as rain, puddles and mud are right up her alley. 3 changes of clothes today and some very wet boots to try to dry before tomorrow.

We drove up the mountains to the east of us which were as beautiful as any we've seen so far. The villages are tiny and don't have any shops, though every single one seems to have a Mairie (town hall), a mayor and a church. Although we were only a couple of kms from our own village all of these villages have their street names written in Occitan (the old language of the area) so you know you are somewhere different. We don't seem to tire of the hill and valley views from the car and the picturesque villages you come across every few miles. The windy roads are a bit of challenge but fortunately the cars come as often as the buses!

One of the biggest villages in the area, St Ferriol is where our landlords, Sophie & James, have spent the better part of the last 12 years restoring and renovating a renaissance chateau (castle). This was the first time we've seen it and is a goliath of a structure. Andy says the labours of Sisyphus seem like a walk in the park. They are to be commended but I don't envy them.

St Just et Le Bezu

Church at St Just

St Ferriol

Chateau Ferreolus - street view

Chateau Ferreolus - garden view

Valley views

It was such a beautiful day here and very warm in the sun. After some market shopping and bargain collecting at the flea market, from which Millie did very well, we took a drive through some of the smaller villages of Campagne-sur-Aude and Brenac. Brenac is in the most gorgeous location but my interest was taken by yet another loo on a bridge. It also had a kind of old fashioned laundry too. The drive culminated in the stunning views of Quillan in the valley.

Another loo on a bridge

'cheese'

Kelsie & Millie

Quillan

Mirepoix & Chalabre

Our little car took as further afield today to the little village of Chalabre and the picturesque town of Mirepoix. The poms favour this ville, apparently making up 30% of the population. It's very pretty medieval centre is covered all the way around and littered with shops of all descriptions.

Old bath house at Chalabre

Village of Camon

Mirepoix

more Mirepoix

Rouvenac et Puivert

What a busy day we've had. After an early morning bus trip to Quillan we collected our 'borrowed' car and set off... on the wrong side of the road. I'd forgotten how tricky this bit was though you soon get the hang of changing gears with your right hand and trying not swerve to the left too much. After an important stock-up at Carrefour (supermarket) we rested and made plans. First stop was Rouvenac, a sleepy little town just to the west of us. It really is very cute and has a lovely restaurant we'll certainly be returning to.

A further trek west through the hills on windy, narrow roads and we spotted the ruins of Puivert Castle. Andy took this opportunity for a photo and the best view from an outdoor urinal. Puivert was also asleep. It is so remote and tiny that the post office and local services only open in the morning. The tiny grocery store re-opened at 4pm, luckily for passing, hungry tourists.

We have our little ol' peugeot 205 for a week so expect regular updates and daring stories of driving escapades, especially as it's Andy's turn to drive tomorrow.

Rouvenac

Chateau Puivert

Puivert in the shadows of the Chateau

Toilets on a bridge?

Valley views

Rennes-le-Chateau et Rennes-les-Bains

After a quiet morning at the markets (the rain and thunderstorms kept the hordes away) and a nice sietsa our neighbour, Nicole, took us to visit the little hill top village of Rennes-le-Chateau. The road winds narrowly and daringly upward until you reach the tiny streets of the village. From here the views are incredible with a panorama of the Haute Valley and the mountains further south. Anyone who loves high drama and intrigue should take a look at Rennes-le-Chateau wikipedia to check out one of the reasons that the village is so popular. All you Dan Brown fans out there will be itching for more!

We returned to the lower grounds and detoured to Rennes-les-Bains to see where people like to take 'the cure' or enjoy the natural hotsprings. You can have a nudie bath in public if you like or put your bathers on and take a swim in the piscine. I know what I'll be doing.

Rennes-le-Chateau Church

Couiza, Haute Valley

Hot springs at Rennes-les-Bains

Couiza

After missing our bus yesterday morning (Millie keeps sleeping-in and we are not complaining) we decided that our neighbouring town couldn't take that long to walk to. It's between 2 and 3 kilometres away so surely we could get there in half an hour. Ahhh, how we long for our youth because back then we were fitter and not carrying a toddler on our backs! 40 minutes (or so) later we arrived feeling a little warm and moist but Couiza is a nice little town with some lovely bridges and streets to explore and enjoy. We poked our head into the local church where they are doing some serious renovations and were surprised by what we found. There is a little taster in the photo below. Also this whole area was once known for producing hats and what do we find in Couiza, just what we were looking for... a big hat! That's it now, we are on the hunt for the big everything. Cheese? Snails? Frogs Legs? Wine bottle? Stay tuned.

The Big Hat

Views of Espéraza

Yesterday we hiked up a hill on the edge of town in search of the vistas we'd seen in many photographs. It was well worth the effort to see the town spread along the river inbetween the hills.

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Asparagus anyone?

I find today that I am asking myself if, in fact, a person can eat too much bread and butter. It is the staple here and people take home armloads of the stuff from the bakery each morning but I am not sure my body is going to be able to take it for 4 months. Oh, but it is sooooo delicious. The French simply make the best butter.

The same philospohical question can be applied to asparagus. The asparagus man sells his grade one delicacies for between 3 and 5 euros a kilo. Yum, yum, yum though I am having trouble convincing Millie of this fact. I have been searching the web for inspiring asparagus recipes as I seem to have 2kg of aparagus to work with each week.

And shall I start on the cheese? At the market yesterday we bought 2 small goats cheeses,  a pelardon (another goats cheese - see link), a big slab of the most gooey and delicious looking brie and then Millie's all time favourite (not to mention ridiculously expensive) hard goats cheese. All this for 18 euros. However I accidentally left my strawberries on their counter so I guess you have to add that on.

So what's for dinner tonight? A goat's cheese and asparagus frittata of course with some bread on the side. Might be heading to the weight watchers website soon.

More on Pelardon cheese

Millie's having a go at her goat's cheese

Asparagus & goat's cheese frittata, thanks to Jamie O

Limoux, Laptops and L'Aude

Well this is my second attempt at this post as our laptop issues have caused my entire effort to disappear. Laptop dramas have prevailed this week explaining our lack of communication with the outside world. All seems to be on the mend now though.

While the internet was not at our fingertips we've had a lot of time to get around the last few days. Tuesday saw a trip to Limoux, quite a big town further down the River Aude. Wednesday was a trip to our neighbouring town Couiza (Nat and Dan: got photos of your gite - will forward them on) and then today we ventured south to Quillan.

Quillan is right at the foothills of the Pyrenees where the public transport stops and further adventuring is done in a car on on foot. You get to Andorra from here and many little French mountain villages. The village is surrounded by mountains and is simply breathtaking. Unfortunately I have no photos as the rain set in and we were confined to a cafe for the afternoon. We had a lovely time and found the proprietors to be, of all things, Australian!!!! They've hooked us up with a German guy who rents cars out cheaply and given us untold helpful information to go on with. In all it's been a lovely week of relaxing, river walks (finding local swimming spots for when the weather warms up) and getting to know our local area.

Limoux

River Aude walks

Millie checking out swimming possies

Market Day

Well, we were freed by the locksmith at 7.30am in time to check out the market out in the square. We were so surprised at how many stalls there were (probably more than a  hundred) and what you could buy. It is just lovely. We've stocked up on meat, cheese, fruit, veg and a few other nice things. Millie got a new toy and Kelsie a new bag and some flowers. I think Andy is heading out for some slippers in a minute. I don't think my photos do it justice but I have plenty more Sundays to do better.

Happy Mother's Day to all.

View of market from our front door

Just one corner of the market

Locked in!

In case anyone is getting the idea that we are leading some kind of romantic good life in France I'm here to put a stop to that. We are locked in our cottage. The key won't unlock the door and we can't get out. We also can't get hold of Sophie, our landlady, who is at her house with jet lag (and the phones turned off it seems) as she just got back from Australia. It's not all bad as Andy climbed out of the kitchen window this morning to get breakfast (croissants made the whole debacle seem slightly funny) and then we popped Millie through with him so she could have a run around in the square. At least it's a cool, cloudy day so we don't feel like we're missing anything and I have managed to get some washing done and do some cleaning. I've also nearly finished my book - bonus! Let's hope Sophie checks her messages soon otherwise it's out the window for Andy again later!!!

Dinosaur Museum

After a lovely sleep-in (8am) courtesy of Millie we trekked off to the Dinosaur Museum. It held our attention for the morning with lots of big displays and interactive activities. We all had lots of fun. Millie now also have a stuffed dinosaur and dinosaur bath toys, hmmmm.
For those heading this way to visit, it is well worth your time.

http://www.dinosauria.org/visite-au-coeur-du-musee.php

Nous arrivons a Esperaza

It was the toughest leg so far, believe it or not, but we arrived safe and sound in Esperaza yesterday afternoon. Our little 'gite' is certainly little but we are feeling nice and cosy now we've unpacked. It's just big enough for us 3 and about 10 steps from the main square so we've got lots of space if we need it. So far I've counted 3 boulangeries/patisseries in spitting distance and Andy is excited by the 2 butchers just up the road. Went and spent 12 euros on our fruit and veg for the next few days -value for money or what! And the wine - well you'd be surprised how good a 2 euro bottle can be! It's just all too good to be true. Millie is making friends and giving Andy lots of French practise as everyone talks to us with her in tow.

Here are a few pics of the view from the centre of our Esperaza. More to come of course.

Esperaza town church

River Aude flows through the centre of Esperaza

 

Finally in France

Hello from delightful Toulouse. What a surprisingly lovely city. Everything in walking distance, yummy food and really friendly people. Millie is enjoying pain au chocolat the size of her head and 2 course kids menus at restaurants. Andy is pleased that the locals understand his French but feeling a little disconcerted that he understands so little of theirs. It'll come. We've already made some friends at a playground but have had the most fun chasing pigeons in Wilson Square, or at least Millie has. We are staying at the Hotel Wilson (of course) but looking forward to being in our own place tomorrow so we can stop sharing a room with a snoring toddler.

Yum, yum, yum

Lovely strolls

Millie's first Carousel ride

More yum, yum, yum

Wilson Square

And where do the Wilsons stay?