Au Revoir à Puy L'Eveque

Dear Friends and Family,

After a busy week, sadly, itiis time to move on. I say sadly, because of those we are leaving behind, but, of course, we are looking forward to seeing dear friends in Crete and Nafplio. And I must admit, we are looking forward to a bit more sunshine. Yesterday was beautiful. We soaked up the sun until about noon. By 4, we had raindrops and now as I write this on Friday morning, it is pouring rain after a terrific early morning lightening and thunder spectacular. The weather certainly has not been dull. However, we would like a bit more dull, undramatic sun. We are looking to Crete for that.

I said it had been a busy week. Monday we had drinks with Ann's friend, Judith. She is a fascinating lady, interested in art, history, literature, you name it

Part of our reason for going is that we had heard so much about Judith's home. And while the home is very tastefully done, it is the view that is worth the climb up the hill.

She looks rightdown inth the valley. You can see the Lot river on the right. Unfortunately, we were a bit early, but we were told that the sunsets are wonderful. Next time.

Wednesday evening Ann hosted a dinner party for us and 6 of her friends, only two of which we had met previously, Michael and Ailene. Joining us were Des, Angela, Martin, and Bobbi.

They are English transplants and each fascinating.

It was a wonderful evening with lots a great stories and nearly endless laughter. The other thing we loved was the strong commitment to their French ways of life. They are totally immersed in the world of the community. Ann is very lucky to have such friends and, believe me, they are very fortunate to have Ann. She is extraordinary.

Yesterday, I took my last walk and made my way down for one last look at the village from the river side.

As I said, it was a wonderful morning and the sun clearly reflected the town

Puy L'Eveque is a very special place and we can only hope for the opportunity to return.

So, today it is "au revoir." About noon, we will hop into our trusty Renault "Twingo" - that is the name of the car -

and drive about 2 hours south to Toulouse. We will spend tonight in Toulouse, a town we lived for 2 months back in 2007, when this whole retirement saga began. Then, Saturday morning, we begin a day and a half journey to Crete. Because these are "free" miles, we fly to Frankfirt from Toulouse. Sit and listen to German for 6 hours and then catch a flight to Athens, arriving at 10 pm and staying the night at the airport (no late flights to Crete). Sinday we catch a half hour flight to Heraklion, pick up a car and drive to our next residence, at Stuart and Angela Sturgis in the little village of Sissi. Next report, no doubt, will be Monday in the sunshine of Crete.

 

 

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La Derniere Semaine en France

Dear friends and family,

It is always the battle between books and blog. The reason for the slight delay in this latest update is the books were winning. I have lately been caught up in epic historical fiction. For the last couple of weeks it has been the first two parts in Ken Follet's trilogy on the 20th century. Each over 900 pages, but very gripping. The third part is due out September 20th. I am now reading Edward Rutherfurd's "Paris." It is a history of the city as you follow several generations of the same families. I have enjoyed two of his previous books, one on London and the other on New York. What I have come to enjoy about this genre is that you become more intimately connected to the somewhat abstract historical events through characters who are living through them. Enough for the book section of this blog.

As it always is, the last week to 10 days become busy as you try to cram all that you haven't done into the final block of time. Sunday we had a lovely lunch at a country chateau about 30 minutes away. The great thing about Ann is that she knows every restaurant, marché, fête in the valley. Sunday was sunny and the place was trés tranquil.

And the lunch was to die for. After a sies of divine "amuse bouche," We had starters of salmon paté with additional pieces of raw salmon along the top

In the upper right hand corner there was a shrimp in a delicate fennel sauce. The main course was duck in a kind of raspberry sauce with a colorful variety of cauliflower served aound the fowl.

Ann picked out a Cahors red and we finished off with a sort of chocolate brownie served with coffee ice cream. Fabulous!

As I mentioned last time, I also got out for a walk in the counteyside outside of Puy L'Eveque. I drove for about 15 minutes and began my walk through the village of Grezels

It is in the heart of wine country

And, while there is still a good month until harvest, the vines are loaded

I contined along the road for about 2 1/2 miles, going through a second village, Lagardelle, and passing a number of wonderful French homes

And even got a glimpse of the Chateau de la Coste, above me on the hill

Beautiful country and so quiet with the most spectacular green shades I have ever witnessed.

The only problem is that I was gone about 2 hours, by the time you drive out, walk the 5 miles and get back in the car for the drive back. Polley was getting ready to call out the Foreign Legion! However, it was a lovely morning jaunt.

This last week we have planned a couple of dinners out and Ann is hosting a dinner party for us and some of her friends that we have met in the past. I will tey for one more repost from France. Friday we head for Toulouse for the night and they fly a very circuitous route to Athens, going from Toulouse to Frankfurt and from Franfurt to Athens, where we will, again, spend the night before flying to Crete on Sunday. Oh, the joy of free tickets! More by the end of the week.

 

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A Village Trek

Dear Friends and Family,

Strange how time gets away from you as you do little or nothing. Been a couple of days since my last report. Since that time, we had a nice morning coffee in the town of Luzech with Ann, had dinner out at a lovely outdoor farm house, Cailou, and attended a lovely duo guitar concert at the little church of Martignac. It is a tiny Romanesque church of the 13th century.

It is covered with original frescos, some inbetter shape than others.

The concert itself was wonderful. The two did a variety of South American, Spanish offerings. Their last encore was actually a Scott Joplin piece in which they doubled up on a single guitar.

Trés impressiante!

The weather has improved giving us a bit of pool time and making those outdoor repas a bit more delightful.

Last time, after taking a walk with me down the hill, I wanted to take you into the village of Puy L'Eveque.

As you come into the town and the main road from Cahors, you cross over the bridge that looks down on the River Lot and the surrounding valley

Across the road is the central square that house the marie, the mayor's hall.

From there, you turn east and begin the head down into the village itself

Puy L'Eveque is a strange village in that it is built on the side of a hill and the village itself sort of develops as you head down the river. Once you are at the bottom of this rue (street), you turn south and continue down the Grand Rue (main street),

As you no dubt guessed, by the narrowness of "main street," traffic here is one way. At the bottom, however, it is brief two way, but traffic coming up the hill is diverted into a narrow alleyway where you are surrounded by stone walls hungrily waiting to devour your side mirrors.

Once the have made it down the Grand Rue, you reach a round-about that throws you onto the bridge and out into the valley. From the bridge you have a lovely view of the village (a view often missed by tourists who don't venture to the river)

The view also serves to remind you of the hike you have back up to the car! While on the bridge, it is worth a turn east and a look down the Lot in the opposite direction.

 

As you can see, it is a charming little village with just enough activity to provide you with food, drink, bread, and meat and fish, but little enough to retain a very rural charm. It is certainly off the tourist map, but is very welcoming for those who do bother to seek it.

I think I will stop here as I am beginning to sound like the Chamber of Commerce. Next time, I will take you on a walk in the valley countryside, out among the vines.

 

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A Walk in the Woods

Dear Family and Friends,

Finally, a beautiful day! Sunday was truly lovely, perhaps one of the nicest days we have had in the south of France in our 10 years of visiting. So, it was pool day. We sat back with our Kindles and soaked in the sun. divine!

Monday was nearly as lovely, but our hostess, Ann, had friends visiting from Berlin and they had the audacity to commandeer our pool. Another German invasion! Outrageous! Actually the day had stayed cool for the major part, but when the sun did finally reveal itself, little German children were flopping about. So, Polley and I retreated to the shade of a plum try and drowned our sorrows in glasses of rosé.

Everyone here comments on the fact the weather has been up and down, though to us it appears more down than up. The vintners are still unsure of the fall harvest. Lots of fruit, but not much sun. The pattern seems to be cool temperatures in the morning and then around noon it begins to break up and is often full sunshine by about 3:30 in the afternoon. Then the problem is that by around 5:30 the sun is going behind a lovely, large old tree and the pool is incomplete shade. Consequently, we are now setting the alarm for 3:30 (a disappointing interruption in our daily siesta, but sacrifices need to be made!) so we can fall into the pool and soak up some sun.

I have been getting some good morning walks in this week. Since in the last blog I showed you our accommodations in Poujoulou, I thought it might be fun to take you on my regular morning walk, down the hill and into the village of Puy L'Eveque.

As I leave Ann's farm I hit a small paved road and head up the hill for about a quarter of a mile where it intersects wi the main road (notice the "poubelles" - dumpsters - love that word)

From there it is about another quarter of a mile, walking past a popular campsite, L'Évasion, and turn and head down the hill

It's a series of twists and turns, but every so often there is a spectacular view of the valley below

At about the 1 mile mark, I turn south from the intersection with a road that leads to a very small village, Martignac, which I will feature in another blog, as it has an interesting church. As I continue down the road, I begin to pass some homes. These are more modern than Ann's farmhouse, mostly built in the last 10 years that Polley and I have been coming here. But, they too, have fantastic views that look down on the town.

Then, finally, I come into the village. This is a view from just west of the village, looking into the valley and the vineyards beyond

The walk is about 2 1/4 miles down into the village, and, not surprisingly, about the same going back, but steeply up hill. And for the most part, if I go early enough (anytime before 8:45), the road is quiet. Most of the French, except for bakers, tobacconists and farmers, go to work around 9. I love that I can walk for nearly 5 miles in the middle of the road because it is so quiet that you can hear a car approaching half a mile away. Mornings are so silent. Just the roosters, a few owls and other birds; as they say in Hamlet, "the rest is silence." Next blog we will actually go into the village of Puy L'Eveque.

 

 

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Poujoulou - our Home

Dear Friends and Family,

When we were first talking with the doctors, after Polley’s accident, he told us that he felt confident that we could still take the August vacation, however, he told us, "We might have to redefine our idea of vacation." That has been true. The result is that it does not make for the most fascinating blogs! I am sure that as Polley gains strength and endurance, that we will be involved in more and more. For now, trips to the wine bar, the grocery store and the outdoor marchés are small victories. Hopefully, you will allow us to share our simple days in the southwest of France.

Some of you have seen pictures of the place we are staying. A few of you have even stayed with our hostess, Ann Craig. It is a 12 acre farm about 32 kilometers west of the larger city of Cahors, in the village of Puy L’Eveque. It is called "Poujoulou."

Ann and her husband bought the run down farm in 1991 and lovingly restored the 3 main buildings.

The main building, but certainly not the largest, is the living quarters for Ann (Malcom, sadly, passed away in 2003). This main house has kitchen, dining and living room, with 2 upstairs bedrooms.

The best part of the house and the most used, however is the old carriage barn, just on the south end of the house. This really is Ann’s outdoor living room and she dines there nearly every summer evening.

The second and the largest building is the old barn.

From the front

And from the back. It has been completely renovated into what Ann calls the barn "for family and friends." I am pleased to say that in the last few years, Polley and I have moved into this category and now regularly stay in the barn. It is a huge space with a bedroom, bath and kitchen located at the east end. On the other side of two enormous sliding doors (these were part of the original barn) is a great family room, with convertible sofas, a couple of cots for kids or others to stay in as well. The room is also filled with books, CDs and DVDs. It is perfect for entertaining the whole family.

The smallest building is the "bakery."

Originally, this was the common oven for the surrounding houses. Each day, women (I assume) would bring their bread dough to the bakery and bake it. This space, complete with preserved bread oven, has been made into a holiday cottage, ideal for a couple or a couple and young child. It is lovingly furnished, yet retains the cozy feel of its past. It all sits in a peaceful meadow

We have enjoyed each of the spaces and come back again because of Ann’s wonderful hospitality. She also knows every good restaurant, marché, and village fête in the valley of the Lot (The Lot is the specific department within France). Thursday, we enjoyed a very nice dinner at the Hotel Henry. It is very French, both in terms of its atmosphere and its menu. Polley had a gizzard salad and I have a delicious omelette of chanterelles. A very nice evening and, believe it or not, our first dinner out since arriving.

Yesterday, we did the outdoor marché at the larger village of Prayssac, just about 5 kilometers east of Puy L’Eveque. It is, by far, a bigger market and the place was packed. However, I will give Polley credit for remaining upright in the jammed aisles. We did get some wonderful cheese, some very flavorful peaches, a roasted chicken along with the potatoes and mushrooms completely sopped with "jus de poulet." Last night I deboned the chicken and boiled stock for some chicken soup which will doubtless be lunch today.

The weather has been less than ideal. WE feel a bit like we are in Oregon. Mornings have been consistently grey. Around noon, the clouds begin the break up and by 4 there usually a good deal of blue sky. Unfortunately, what with the time change and an irregular sleeping schedule, we have napped through the sunshine and missed out time in the pool. We are adjusting, but it seems that each year, as we get older, the adjustment seems to take longer and longer. But who can complain. As we remind ourselves, with grey skies, some rain and a too few sun breaks, "Nous sommes en France - We are in France! More later.

 

 

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Settling In

Dear Friends and Family,

 

For those of you who have followed these blogs previously, you know the routine. Now we discuss "settling in." It is happening, even as we speak! "Settling in" addresses issues of unpacking, rearranging and stocking up. It also refers to getting into a routine. Obviously, we have not. That is why the Blog is late.

It has been a busy weekend, in fact, now that I think about it, today marks a week since we left Portland. It has flown by and I actually have little report.

Friday evening, our first full day at Poujoulou (the name of hostess’s little 12 acre French estate.) We arrived around noon and Ann, our hostess, was actually taking former guests to the airport in Toulouse. Ann arrived back about 6 and provided dinner for Polley and I, plus two lovely people, Mario and Carine, who are from Belgium. The amazing thing is their last name is nearly the same as ours: we are Bowen; they are Bauwens, pronounced exactly the same, but with the added "s." They are great people and, of course, are fluent in English. We had met them 4 years ago and it was so nice to see them again. They are serious bicyclers, but Carine had a bike accident in July and broke her shoulder. So, like these Bowens, theirs is a bit of a different vacation this year.

Friday we also did a bit of grocery shopping with the intent of going back again on Sunday. We did and it was a madhouse. The phrase "Never on Sunday" took on new meaning. We have now been told that lunch time on weekdays is best. Now we know.

Saturday night we visited the old wine bar, The Astrolab, that was a popular spot with us when we were here two years ago. We met a very nice English couple that live in the area, Chris and Edwina. Talk about world travelers, they have been everywhere: Borneo, Oman (their favorite) and they own a sailboat, docked in Marseilles! We were obviously in a different class. It was a lovely evening.

The weather has been variable, at best. While dining in the carriage house of the main house on Friday (area located to left of main living quarters)

we were treated to a most magnificent thunderstorm. Saturday night at the Astrolab, the weather was lovely. Sunday continued relatively pleasant, and Monday night was nearly perfect. Mario and Carine had us to dinner that night. He is quite the cook. We had a delicious breast of duck in a pepper sauce, with courgettes and perfectly roasted potatoes. Excellent wine accompanied every course. Mario is a bit of a perfectionist and I think he achieved his standards on Monday evening.

Tuesday is open market day in Puy L’Eveque, so we were there. Polley may have pushed herself a bit, as with the "Bonne Fête" underway, parking was a disaster. She did make it, however, and got around to all the vendors. It did take its toll however and we did little other than eat on Tuesday evening. So far the primary regret is my fogetting to take photos. They will be coming shortly.

 

 

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Smooth, Safe, But Not Perfect

Dear Friends and Family,

WE have arrived! Sorry for the delay, but locating a wifi station has not been easy. To that in a few minutes.

The flights all went well. We left about 10:45 from PDX for SF

With just a bit more than an hour to catch a bit of breakfast, we were on our United Airlines 10 ½ flight to Frankfurt, Germany. It was long, but relatively uneventful (just the way we like it). We were impressed with the staff on the flight as there seemed to several on duty for the whole time. With our arrival, we were faced with a 5 ½ hour layover! Not fun, but, with books and some active people-watching the time crept by.

All was still going well. We caught our flight to Toulouse, France, picked up the rental car with barely a hitch and started toward the little village of Puy L’Eveque, a drive we have done a number of times. No problem. Wrong! At a major freeway interchange, we took the wrong motorway and for an hour or more, headed toward Bourdeaux., to the west. We were supposed to be going north. Finally, we caught on to our error and needed to backtrack and cobbled together an alternate route to our destination, however, we were an hour and a half late to our hotel. Their restaurant was just closing down, but they did manage to get us a half litre of red wine before turning in. From the time we first arose, in PDX, until we settled into our hotel bed, it had been a 36 hour trip!

We rose quite early on Friday, getting just 4 hours sleep, what with the jet lag, time difference, etc. I got a nice walk in and was pleased to find that Puy L’Eveque had changed very little. We had a couple of "petit cafés" at the hotel and turned to more practical matters – getting some supplies in. We visited the local Carrefour Super Marché, grabbing the important staples: coffee, cheese, pate and wine. We then stopped at a local hotel, the Hotel Bellevue, for some more substantial coffees. While there, by coincidence, our hostess, Ann, stopped in with some friends who were just checking out of her place. She was running them down to Toulouse to catch their flight back to England. We chatted briefly before they were on their way as we headed up to our new accommodations (pictures in the next couple of days).

We enjoyed a very traditional French lunch and then found ourselves wearing down. A good 3 hour nap helped us to continue to catch up on some valuable lost sleep. Following that we settled in by the pool (a mere half a dozen steps from our apartment)

and enjoyed a lovely late afternoon in the water and on the deck.

Ann, back from Toulouse, was kind enough to have us to dinner Friday evening. We were joined by a Belgium couple, Mario and Carine, who we had met 4 years ago. They are very nice and we had a lovely time, catching up. Unfortunately, Carine (she and Mario are serious bicyclers) had taken a tumble on her bike in the south of France in July and had broken her left shoulder and right wrist. She was hampered by a cast on her wrist and a shoulder harness. Adding Polley to the mix and it looked liked the canteen of a hospital ward!

During our dinner, we were entertained by a terrific thunderstorm. Quite spectacular. However, after running about grabbing umbrellas and stray towels, it had passed through and was gone, nearly literally, in flash. Good show!

So, it is now Saturday morning. Polley had a good night’s sleep, finally getting up about 8:30. I awaked around 5, but was content to just lie-in and read. Ann’s is so comfortable, it is like coming home, but without the yard work! More later.

 

 

 

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The Day Has Arrived

Dear Friends and Family,

 

It has been 15 weeks since we rolled Polley into surgery to mend a broken hip. It has been a long, slow process to reach today. Polley is still using a cane, but often motors about the house without any assistance. We did a long weekend in Ashland and survived. Tomorrow, we head for France and Greece with new challenges. However, I am convinced we will survive there as well. We are staying with good friends in each placeand I know they will make our time with them as comfortable as he can.

We also want to thank each of you for your support of us during the past weeks. Food, wine and most of all your presence has been the best prescription for healing. Thanks to all. In the coming weeks I will do my best to keep you up to date on our travels. Understandably, things may be scaled back a bit (as the surgeon told us, "You may just need to redefine 'vacation' for this trip.") No doubt! But we will still do our best to make you a part of the adventures. Thanks again and more soon to come to a computer, ipad or phone near you.

 

Ed and Polley

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