Monday, 29 May
The very changeable weather of the Loire-Atlantique brought steady rain as we drove south from Jane and Alban's home en route to the town of Salies-de-Bearn which is almost on the border with Spain. Rising up behind Sallies are the towering peaks of the Pyrenees but they spent most of the few days we were there hiding behind the clouds.
As we made our way south the rain cleared so we took a bit of a detour through the back roads of the
Marais Poitevin, an area of farms, villages and canals, inland from La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast.
The Marais (swamp) is a low lying area which has been drained into dozens of little waterways overhung with huge trees. We enjoyed driving alongside the canals, admiring the pretty houses and the flower gardens that sweep down to the water. Annoyingly it began to rain as we reached Coulon, the main village of the area, so we carried on to Saintes for a lunch stop.
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| Coulon - looking dreary today in the rain. |
Donie found the restaurant she remembered from a previous visit, and astonishingly there, dining with her new husband, was a Texan lady ("I'm in oil honey"), an acquaintance from that earlier visit. Too silly! She and Donie had a chat - she lives in Saintes for some of the year - then we set off again on the rather monotonous route past Bordeaux to Salies. There is not a lot to see along the autoroute through the Landes department, not even a glimpse of the ocean, just flat country with farms and lots of pine forest.
Salies is an old town of surprising contrasts - rickety medieval houses, tiny lanes and a meandering river in the centre, a very grand Victorian casino and thermal baths just beyond and elaborate but rather worn looking mansions on the lofty heights above the town. Our lovely apartment is located in the vicinity of the casino - the top floor of a candy pink house but very spacious and elegant inside.
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| Gracious living in Salies-de-Bearn |
There are a multitude of places to visit within easy reach of Salies and having seen much of the coast and the Spanish city, San Sebastian, previously, our daily excursions focused on the villages and countryside of the Basque foothills.
Although quite warm, the skies were cloudy, with frequent showers for the stunning drive through green hills and small villages to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a popular starting point for pilgrims setting off on the Camino Way to Santiago-de-Compostela -some 780 km of hiking. St Jean is a pretty little town nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees and just a few kilometres from the Spanish border. Today it was rather dreary in the pouring rain so we had a quick look around the historic centre with its narrow streets and ancient stone buildings before seeking refuge in a cosy cafe for coffee. The weather seemed to have deterred the usual crowds of tourists and there were just a few hardy, raincoat clad pilgrims wandering about. Nevertheless, great to visit a town that is synonymous with the Camino.
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| Watery St Jean-Pied-de-Port |
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| St Jean-Pied-de-Port
After St Jean we meandered through the lush hills and valleys calling at several Basque villages and admiring the striking combination of red, white and green, the Basque colours, which feature on almost every building in the area. Almost all the houses are painted white and the choice of colour for shutters appears to be either red or green. A very homogeneous landscape but after a while one village does tend to look like another. Among the most picturesque villages are Sare, Ainhoa, Espelette (famous for red peppers) and La Bastide-Clairance. Back home to enjoy our lovely apartment and feast on some local produce - tomatoes, cheese, wine, baguette, peaches, melon - yum.
Ainhoa - land of the red shutters
For a rather different experience, next day we drove to Pau, a city famous for its spectacular views of the Pyrenees and about an hour east of Salies. Despite the improvement in the weather to sunny and warm on the lowlands, the elusive mountain range stayed hidden behind a layer of cloud. Pau is a pleasant city with shady narrow streets and tree lined squares in the old quarter. The main attraction, the promenade overlooking the river and the mountains, was of course not at its splendid best today with nothing to view except some distant clouds. Never mind, we enjoyed browsing in the shops, eating delicious French ice cream and getting some exercise up and down the hilly streets.
Just a few kilometres from Salies is another charming village, Sauveterre-de-Bearn, so we dropped in briefly to view the river which flows below the town, taking a very narrow road which, whoopsie daisy, was the private entrance to a rather ĵgrand mansion. Fortunately the owner, a young English man, was amiable and we were able to admire the view before beating a retreat. Of course we spotted the"Property Privee" sign as we departed! 
Sauveterre-de-Bearn
After all our driving it was time for a rest day - wandering around the local market, visiting an acquaintance from Donie's three month sojourn in Salies (5 years ago), exploring the old town and enjoying our lovely apartment. The clouds still hung over the Pyrenees but we were enjoying a sunshiny day. Restaurants in Salies were "complet" (fully booked) being market day, so we drove a short distance to the old walled village of Navarrenx for lunch in the square. Pleasant, well cared for village, gorgeous countryside all around, typical of the Bearn/Basque area -very relaxing.  
Old town, Salies-de-Bearn
Pyrenees Mts from St Lizier
We decided on a brief stop at the pretty village of St Lizier and were greeted by a large group of small black horses, accompanied by a few riders, drinking from the village fountain. What a delight! They were beautiful Merens horses, a breed unique to the Ariege department of France, being taken from the lowlands to graze freely in the mountains during the summer months as they have done for centuries. It is amazing what one happens upon unexpectedly when travelling. 
Donie making friends with a lovley Merens pony, St Lizier
Lunch in Foix, scenically located at the based of the mountains and then a pretty drive through rolling countryside to Mirepoix, a lovely town which we were very taken with. In the centre in a square enclosed by colourful buildings and a shady arcade.  
The beautiful arcaded town square in Mirepoix
Finally we hit the autoroute again and found our way to our next destination, Aumes, a small hilltop village in the Herault wine region a little south of Montpellier. Looking forward to being settled in a lovely retored wine growers house for the next week. 
Aumes
Our house in Aumes
View from our terrace - very tranquil!
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Beautiful, thanks Ann
ReplyDeleteGreat read. Keep 'em coming! Maxine
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