Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
15.10.11. Now at Thiers, capital of the French knife-making industry. Some wonderful, highly desirable - to me at any rate, D being somewhat less enthused - pocket knives but nothing worth looking at under 30€. I've resisted temptation, however, remembering that I rarely use my Opinel (also made here together with L'Aguiole et al) other than to open plastic packaging or the odd sellotaped box. Having said that I do recall portioning a sausage and cutting a piece of string.
We've reached the low-point, geographically speaking, in that St.Etienne was as far south as we got and we're now northward bound back to the ferry. Since I last blogged we've stopped at: 29.09.11. Angé, where we met and enjoyed the company of Peter and Jackie Thomas from Exmouth. Peter introduced me to the delights of The Executioner, a particularly high quality electric flying insect killer racket which is now high on my shopping list. 01.10.11. Reuilly, a France Passion and the Domaine Gérard Cordier. We bought a couple of bottles for 14€ and were surprised to learn that it is also sold in the UK, imported and distributed by a M. Yapp. We've often bought at vineyards but never see their wines in French supermarkets, never mind English ones. After there came 02.10.11 Sancoins, 04.10.11 Decize where we celebrated D's birthday (again) with a really nice lunch at a logis. It was at Decize that we met Sue and Stuart Thomson on their way back from Italy to their Lincolnshire home who kindly warned us that whilst we were out workmen had been round requiring people to move off the aire prior to a forthcoming canoe marathon. A few hours later after a lot of chatting by the river, we said our goodbyes. 4.10.11 Luzy, 07.10.11 Digoin (where it rained a lot of the time and we watched DVD's of Upstairs, Downstairs and The Sopranos as we couldn't get a tv signal), 09.10.11 Roanne - a nice town where we parked looking out over the Marina instead of the 6€ per night excluding services aire, 10.10.11 Chambost-Longessaigne (on our own, for a change, in the mountains), 11.10.11 Planfoy. A strange place, Planfoy. The aire is seemingly well away from all habitation but an extremely rough, steep path - more like a dried up river bed - leads to a nice little village. Supposedly 1km but felt like 3!. Four huge motorhomes were there when we arrived and still there when we left. They all had separate vehicles - motorbike, car, 4x4s - and we suspect they all lived close-by, probably in St. Etienne. We drove off next day and, after a row and a lot of stress, managed to park in St.E, but quite a walk to the centre. Big town.
13.10.11 Thiers, which is where this bit of blog grinds mercifully ? to a halt. Now all we need is a McDonalds where, for the price of deux café allongée it can be posted.
And that McD's amongst all these French people sat in the sun with their Sunday lunch burgers is at Vichy.
À bientôt.
- comments
Angela Hounam Glad you are both o.k. We have just returned home from a holiday on the Baltic sea. Where are you going next?