Early spring holiday 2024, 4 March

Saint-Sulpice-de-Faleyrens, Gironde. 

If you are ever planning to visit Moissac, don't do so on a Monday. Everything, but everything is closed! Bakeries, cafés, the markets, you name it, it's closed on a Monday! 

Moissac is, however, a lovely little town. I spent a very happy fortnight there at Easter 1970, which is a very long time ago.

It was a lovely morning, though - thick fog first thing when the Swan Whisperer went for a run, but then that burned off, and we had a far more pleasant walk than yesterday - the wind had dropped and we were warmly wrapped up. We walked around the town, looking at the house where I had spent my holiday, and at the school that my hostess attended at the time, and I spent two very dull days at! We also looked at the Abbey Church, where I think - I wouldn't swear to it, but I think - I attended an Easter Vigil that year. 

i simply can't make it not rotate my photos! 

Our first port of call after that was a hypermarket just out of town - these are open seven days a week, of course, although limited hours on a Sunday - where I shopped although I forgot to buy eggs, fizzy water and mixed herbs! Actually, I did remember the mixed herbs, but was tired by then and didn't really want to go looking for them. Anyway, they are on the list for tomorrow. 

By the time I'd done my shopping, it was lunchtime, so we had that and then we drove towards Bordeaux, quite a lot of it on the motorway. I remember us going on to the motorway, and I remember the Swan Whisperer saying he was going to stop to make himself a coffee, but I don't remember leaving the services, nor do I remember coming off the motorway!

I woke up with about 50 kilometres still to go to this little village, where we are parked up outside a cemetery. It is free, and there is no electricity, but there are services that we need to pay for if we decide to use them. It is raining. Again. 

Early spring holiday 2024, 3 March

Moissac, Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitanie

It rained. All night. And it was very windy in parts, too. In fact, it may even have snowed a bit - certainly the tops of the hills were covered in a thin layer of fresh snow. I do hope that it rained at Mas Alart, too!

The Swan Whisperer went and bought croissants and Sunday patisseries (really, one between us was enough, so the other can live to fight another day) and we didn't hurry over our breakfast, so it was nearly 11 by the time we had used the services and headed on.

 Whereupon I discovered the hard way that one of the skylights leaks, and sent a gush of water nearly over my person (quite over it until I moved!) and all over the floor. We have treated the skylight with masking tape (it is the one at the front that doesn't open) and hope it will hold until we can get a proper repair job done back in the UK.

We had a long drive today - the Swan Whisperer decided we wouldn't go on the motorway, and I'm glad he did, as apart from a long and boring stretch on the outskirts of Toulouse when it was roundabout after roundabout after commercial centre after commercial centre, it was really a lovely drive.

We are still in Occitanie, but now in Moissac, where I spent a wonderful fortnight on a French exchange in (I think) 1970. We have been back since, but not for some years. 

We both needed a walk, so went into town along the canal and back along the river, but we should have worn hats and I wish I'd had a warmer coat on, as it was bitterly cold, especially going, with the wind in our faces. The Swan Whisperer said he didn't want a long walk today - I'm really not surprised!

Now we are back in the WoMo and waiting for the Lent Zoom service to start now that we actually have the details (we couldn't find them last week!). It is raining again, so I hope it won't be so heavy as to drown out the minister. There is, paradoxically, also a beautiful sunset! 

Early spring holiday 2024, 2 March

Quillan, Occitanie. 

I would absolutely hate to depend on alcohol - or anything else for that matter - to ensure a good night's sleep, but after that wine-tasting yesterday, I slept very well indeed! Not that I'd had a huge amount, at least, I don't think so, but there were rather a lot of bottles to try... Anyway, I was absolutely fine this morning, but didn't hurry out of bed.

We were in no rush, and the Swan Whisperer went for a run. I did go back into the shop just before we left, to say goodbye and to buy some olive oil, but they had run out of it.The harvest was pretty poor last year because of the drought, and they are longing for rain. 

Our first port of call was Lidl, except that I forgot to buy eggs and the SW had to run back to kindly get some for me. Got various other bits and bobs, though, and a couple of things on their coupons. Still need to buy tea and mixed herbs (which I did look for in Lidl, but to no avail; I got some salad seasoning, though, which is always good). 

After we had driven to St-Cyprien and north along the coast, so pretty, and carefully avoided both the motorway and Perpignan, our drive today was mostly along the very lovely D117, which varies between good, straight, fast road, windy hairpins, and cut into the rockface! Great fun, and you don't get bored. Mind you, I did sleep for some of it after we had stopped in a random layby for lunch. 

We are parked up in a Camping-Car Park in Quillan, our first choice, which was in Limoux, where we have been to before, appears to be closed just now.

 Here is good, not too far from the town, which I expect we shall explore tomorrow, and there is WiFi, although it is rather unreliable. I watched a whole episode of Great British Menu before I realised I was on data! Oh well, I still have plenty left and it renews next Sunday. It is unlimited in the UK, but only 25 Gb when travelling. Still, that seems plenty, unless one wishes to watch television all evening, which I don't. 

Early spring holiday 2024, 1 March

Mas Alart, Pyrenees Catalanes.

Although we both love Carro, it was arguably a mistake going there this time; with hindsight, we should have gone to somewhere in the Camargue, like Aigues-Mortes or Le Grau du Roi (so impossible to pronounce if you have a non-rhotic accent, as I have), as we wanted to drive through the Camargue, but we needed to get here by 4:00 pm as we had booked a gastronomy tour. 

So we got up earlier than usual and were away by 09:00, even after using the services. We asked the sat-nav to take us to the Bac de Baccares, which is the big ferry across the mouth of the Rhone - sadly, we were one of the last machines on and couldn't see anything, but still a pleasant experience.

We drove up through the Camargue, and I cut off a fair chunk of motorway by telling it to go to a supermarket in St-Gillies - not that I wanted much, but we needed diesel and I decided to buy (rather nasty) pre-made sandwiches for lunch to save time.

We reached the motorway around Montpellier, and then it was rather dull from then on - we stopped briefly to eat our sandwiches - until we got to the outskirts of Perpignan, where the motorway was closed in one direction (we are not sure why, but we think road works) and caused a massive traffic jam and the usual very slow traffic and roundabout after roundabout to Mas Alart. M Belmas, the proprietor, says they are talking of building a fast road from Perpignan to the coast, which will improve matters. 

We have been here many times before, but this time we booked a "gastronomy tour", which was fabulous. M Belmas told us about his farm - 15 hectares of mostly vines, but also olives and almonds - which has been organic since 2022. He is the fifth generation to farm here, and hopes his son will eventually take over.

(sideways photo again, sorry; better ones on Facebook) 

He prunes the vines by hand, which he says gives better results, but the harvesting is done by machine. He misses the days when he employed a gang of students and casuals to harvest the grapes, but he says the machine paid for itself in two years.

He showed us round the pressing and storing rooms - only one of the very old storage tanks is still in use, and he and his son are trying to turn some of them into storage cupboards and things. We saw the filtration machine and the bottling machine, waiting to start bottling around the end of the month, and next door we saw the labelling machine, which is new. He had to buy a new one because the old one was beyond repair. It happens!

Then we went into the shop and tasted a great many of the wines - we had already tasted one rosé that he had not yet bottled (last year's, in bottles, was nicer, I thought), and had some snacks which included a tortilla (which he admitted that he had not made himself), local ham on toast, local goats' cheese toasted and drizzled with local honey (this was absolutely delicious), olives and various bits of sausage.

Also some local biscuity things that we haven't tried yet, but he gave us the leftovers of the feast to take away.

We also bought a dozen bottles of wine - three red for the Swan Whisperer, three each of two different whites for us both, and three of his latest offering, a sparkling white (which is scrummy!). I also bought a bottle of their red wine vinegar, which I love, and should probably have bought some olive oil as well, but didn't. 

Sadly, he won't be able to bottle nearly as much wine from last year's harvest as usual, as it has been so dry. They are desperate for rain - I see some is forecast for Sunday, and hope they get it. In other parts of France, as in the UK, they have had too much, but not here.