daily thoughts, life and stuff

Just been out for the day to Poitiers, the nearest big town - 50 mins or so away. Nice old medieval quarter and I found a shopping centre.... HURRAY..... Shame I don't need anything and indeed can't buy anything. Where am I going to put it?? Alan v. happy as it means I don't spend.

Had an ok meal on a really nice bistro. We are almost convinced that French cooking is not much cop. We are coming to the conclusion that Brazilian and Portuguese cuisine are the best in the world. Sorry Claudia, but even Italy loses out sometimes.

The trip is fulfilling exactly what we needed and wanted. We want to find out where else in the world we could live if not Brasil or England. I am loving the experience, but so far, I would find rural France too provincial and restrictive. I need to see people about and food is big for me. I must love it too.

I realised that I have not said much about the places I have visited so far and somebody asked for impressions. We think that the Loire region is brilliant. Lots to see. We were blessed with wonderful weather which helped a lot and the people very, very friendly. Forgot to say that the roads are absolutely brilliant too. Alan is loving the driving.

We visited some wonderful chateaux and each and everyone really nice in completely different ways. Villandry has absolutely amazing gardens, Usse is picture perfect. No wonder, it apparently was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty. Angers, was just so impressive. It was built as a fortress and that is what it looks like from the outside. Huge and not that attractive, until you go in. It still has the drawbridge and inside is like what a fortified town must have looked like then. Really amazing. The moat is just enormous and was never filled with water. It was used for grazing animals and growing crops. Loved it.
Then, there is Chenonceau, the only castle I have ever seen that actually strides a river. Really impressive.And Breze, which has another castle below it in the shape of tunnels, where you can still see the ovens, the wine storage, the places where the guards stood to shoot arrows at the enemies. I really thing that they are fantastic and we still didn't see them all.

We are now in Poitou Charent region and it does not have any major points of interest. The weather has been poor for the last 2 days, so not done much. But I think the only thing to really do round here is walks. There are quite a few and we will try and do some when the weather is better. If I knew how it was, I would have chosen somewhere nearer the coast. We will go to the coast though for a couple of days. We just need to spend less round here, which is not difficult really....

I thing this is enough. Regards and vive la France.....