BORDEAUX OR BUST

Having rested a while in Lascazares we set off on the next part of our “Tour de France”. Now in possession of our trusty steed and “Helpful Helene” we programmed in Bordeaux and headed north to her dulcet tones. Keeping off the motorways we trundled through the beautiful French countryside and quaint towns. A stop for some picnic provisions at a large supermarket in beautiful Bazas and lunch was catered for! A scenic spot outside a Chateau in the Sauterne region was perfect for our first picnic!

 Where did I put the cheese?

Vineyard versatility!

Of interest to our viticultural friends was this amazing “contraption” that passed by at lunch. He couldn’t keep it moving - he tried everything, and the traffic was mounting up – when he finally moved off we gave him the thumbs up and he laughed back at us. It looked like it did just about everything you wanted in one amazing machine. Hedge pruned, herbicided and tilled the undervine weeds!!! We saw more modern versions later.

Chateau after Chateau, vineyard after vineyard became the scenery stealers.

Our accommodation in Bordeaux is not quite what we expected. I thought it would be nice to be a little out of town to be handy to the vineyards, well, we’re certainly out of town, not really handy to the vineyards and in a rather strange place, Macau. No TV, none of the river views promised and apparently the last occupant stole the fridge! It’s all a little weird. No wifi in the room either. The owner is a little eccentric, not unexpected I guess, he and his wife are artists, she’s a cook and he’s been a wine maker and is an author and wine judge!

We escaped the accommodation disappointment and headed into town – a good 20 minute trip away. Helene was great, she got us through a maze of expressways and city streets straight to the car park we wanted! Phew!, at least something was going well! It just happened that the annual wine festival is on – wine and food stalls all over the place. Bordeaux is a very beautiful city and we can’t wait to explore it fully later.

Ancient gatehouse 

Thirsty anyone?

More my size!

Back to Macau and a very pleasant dinner by the river in a restaurant down the road. It looked a little shabby but the food was fantastic and later full of locals out for Friday night dinner. It was fun and we had a good laugh about our situation.

Happy now, great dinner

LAST DAYS IN LASCAZERES

Well, for a few weeks anyway, as we return for Bob’s party on the 27^th July. A great break, some fabulous food, some interesting friends to go and visit, and some that visited Al and Cheryl here. We were able to lie back and watch some of Wimbledon and the final few matches of the European cup. Some work in the garden too made us feel like we were home. Very hot, it rose to 37 one day!

Dinner with Jeremy and Day, visitors from UK

 Dinner at Vivvy's nearby

Vivvy's house

Anita, Al's sister's house

Setting off

We went into Pau on Thursday to pick up our car and have lunch. Will not go into all the details, but we had a disaster trying to get the promised car (a VW Golf), we ended up with a different deal at Avis. A smallish Fiat Punto diesel. Pretty basic, quite comfortable, and I’m sure it will do the job. Thankfully, we have Tim’s Garmin (Helpful Helene) to help us navigate the French roads, we are hoping to avoid the motorways and travel the more scenic roads that lead through the villages, they are so lovely.

LAZY LASCAZERES

After  six or so weeks on the road it's great to have a break at Alan and Cheryl's home, here in Lascazeres, South West France. We've unpacked our cases, had a HUGE wash and been able to lie back and rest, not just physically but also from any time-table we might have had from planes, trains etc. It's nice also, to have some wonderful "simple"(?) meals, after eating out pretty constantly since we left home. Al and Cheryl are the perfect hosts, they conjure up local delicacies in both food and wine - it's just wonderful, and we are just so relaxed (if a trifle fat!).


The party's over in the village, we can hear Claude's rooster happily crowing next door, and the hustle and bustle of farming life in the fields around us is punctuated by the hourly church bells nearby.

Beautiful one day ...

Perfect Pyrenees the next. 

 The house, built in the 1600's still going strong.

 From the garden

One happy chappy!

A couple of quiet days ahead of us, some casual socialising, trips to town for supplies and some help in the garden. A check up on my emergency Greek dental work, pick up our car on Thursday and off to Bordeaux on Friday.

LASCAZERES AT LAST!

We have been travelling to some fabulous places, always moving westwards, so we could meet up with Alan and Cheryl before setting off on our own again to do more of France and then return here for Bob's party.


Our time together with them and Tony and Judy and a surprise addition of their friends Vivvy and John in Bilbao was great. Nice to hear English spoken, and some enjoyable times. We said goodbye to Tony and Judy in Bilbao and with Vivvy and John drove through to Lascazeres via Gernika and Pasaia up the French coast. Beautiful scenery as the countryside greened and became more mountainous.

 A lofty view of the coast on the border of Spain and France

Nearly there, shadows and vines

Arriving here late in the day we paused briefly and sat down for a well deserved (aren't they all?) drink to take in the renovations made since we were last here eight years ago. WOW! What a magnificent place they have in the french country. Anne and I would love to have an extended stay here sometime!

 Courtyard and front of the house

Side view - our bedroom with window open, Cedar tree shading the terrace

View from our bedroom

We returned to another local fair, the Lascazarians in the middle of a three day, all night, party next door to where we are staying. The music went all night, and has started again this morning - mercifully Jazz and rock and roll rather than the oompah bands and disco dancing!

PASAIA, PARTY TOWN!

We were travelling to Lascazeres with Alan and Cheryl and another couple we had met up with in Bilbao. Foodies too, we stopped at a very small seaside town on the way, Pasaia. Not that we were hungry, the restaurant had been recommended and we needed to lunch somewhere!


Well, we just happened upon the towns annual festival, as the car came to a stop we could hear bands, fireworks and crazy drumming. Not a regular tourist stop we felt privileged to be passing, casual, observers. 

 Somewhat confronting, but glad to know it was only ceremonial, these characters had enormous bells strapped to their backs to ward 

off wild animals in the forests.

The sound was quite deafening!

Not only that but it was also the residence of Victor Hugo, for a while, and they had a very interesting museum there in his old home.

 Victor's bust!

Some of his handiwork

Lunch was great, an old family establishment, the setting by the water, and the food was just terrific. Well worth the stop.

 Live lobsters were kept in a cage suspended under the

 floor of the restaurant in the sea and hoisted up when required

 Stuffed squid

Peppers, tuna and anchovy salad

After our lunch we passed the local festivals lamb roast, hanging legs and shoulders either side of a fire and hot coals in the square!

  Unusual but effective.

Carving, Pasaia style!

Not far out of town along a windy harbour track we also visited the death place of four young Basques, murdered by Franco's henchmen as they came ashore, betrayed and  slaughtered on the craggy rocks. It is just so amazing to be in Basque country where there has been such a violent ethnic struggle. No one seems to have won here, but many young lives have been lost in a frustrating, but now thankfully ended, struggle for them.

Scene of the deaths.

GERNIKA - MORE THAN A PAINTING!

We saw Picasso's painting, Gernika, in Madrid and marvelled at the graphic representation of the massacre there. However, we were not expecting to actually go there and see first hand where it happened. A slight divert off the road on the way to lunch at Pasaia and we were there. Anne was visibly moved by being there after having read the book and had sympathy for the slaughter of the innocent villagers by German and Italian planes that, without warning, mowed people down as they sought shelter from the strafing! Thanks Alan and Cheryl for including this moving visit.

 Picasso's painting

 The Basque parliament

 The stained glass roof inside the parliament

with a representation of the tree that remained after the attack.

The tree that died some time ago now a 

monument to the people that died is in the grounds of the Parliament.

Lest we forget.

BILBAO GUGGENHEIM AND HOCKNEY

Having survived the stomach stretching activities of San Sebastion, the three Amigo couples headed south to Bilbao, a pleasant hour or so away. We had been to see the Guggenheim and the amazing architecture of Frank Gehry last visit but were keen to revisit as there was a David Hockney exhibition on. 

Stunning from any angle

What a venue for such an artist. his work was extraordinary and seeing so many of his paintings hung together was a real treat.

Best I could get with the strict security!

Dinner was essential but finding the hotel's recommended restaurant posed challenge! Many minds solved the problem and we had a terrific seafood meal, with great company - now eight of us!

Lost? Not me!

SAN SEBASTION

We were last here eight years ago with Al and Cheryl and had a wonderful time. It was our introduction to Spain and inspired us to return again this year. This time Tony and Judy are here as well, both love food and cooking as much as we do, so lots and lots of tasting and discussing the amazing food here. Mornings spent browsing around the beautiful city, meeting at lunch for Tapas grazing around the bars of SS, along with a few glasses of the most wonderful wine.

We have survived three days of Tapasing in San Sebastian – just! There’s just so much food you can fit in and still stay upright. I’ll let the pictures tell the story, well some of them anyway!

Blokes and Birds from Broke - 

our first night together! Down in the Port area, and sea food of course!

 Hake

Monk fish - not pretty but delicious!

It really is fantastic, even better, if possible, than we remembered! Beautiful food and wine, bar after bar, taste and sip after siiiiip! A snooze after lunch, a walk around the beautiful bay, meeting again for drinks before finding somewhere interesting for dinner. Spaniards don't even think of eating before 9, so it's late to bed to start all over again.... we're bearing it, just!

Relaxing on the beach nearby

 Typical bar entrance

Beef cheek (top) Stuffed peppers.

 Octopus and Jamon wrapped Scallop

Tapas selection

 Cod cooked three ways

White asparagus mousse

Cheers, a necessary accompaniment

 Late night jazz.

Jesus, looking over us!

The bay below

We did fit in a little exercise in an attempt to counter the consumption – would probably have to walk to Denmark though, to counter the food!

Another fabulous time, and we hope another before long. Memories are truly made of this.

 Tonight finds us in Bilbao, still with the Broke battalion, who knows what's for dinner?