We’re in the midst of Jan’s visit and it’s been an eventful week so far, so I shall get stuck right into the narrative. First off, the Smoo. Having initially bounced back in a typically Smeagly way after his injury, we noticed he seemed to be getting worse as the week went on. We finally took him to the vet on Thursday afternoon, who confirmed he was running a fever and the leg infection hadn’t gone away on its own. He was given an injection and a course of 2 different medicines. He’s now back to his usual self, to our relief and to the detriment of the local mouse population.
Matt went to collect Jan from Angouleme, whose train was due in at 5.20pm – the same train that Katherine and Jules took. As with their train, it arrived late. However, this time it was a full hour and 15 mins late! At 33 degrees, it was also the hottest day of the year that day, to which Jan can attest, having spent most of it on a train.
When they finally made it, we had a cocktail outside and then a light dinner of salad (lettuce courtesy of Lucien), followed by a bit of TV and then bed. Both Matt and I had work to do the next day, which was also a very hot one. In the afternoon, the guys came to fit our new kitchen window which all went smoothly, and we’re pleased with it. It’s certainly nice to know that it can’t be opened from the outside anymore. Once that was done, mother and son went to Nontron to get supplies for a BBQ. We had chicken, sausages (both pork and beef), salmon, and Jan’s legendary potato salad. Several people walked by as Matt cooked and commented that it smelled very tempting – and I’m happy to confirm it was indeed superb.
On Saturday, for reasons best known to himself, Louis decided we needed a mouse brought to us at a little before 6 am. So sure was he in fact that even after being thrown out with it, he came back again and insisted. That did it for me as far as sleeping, so I was up bright and early that day! We both did a bit more work in the day, and Jan did some weeding in the front garden, as well as research for our planned trip to the Auvergne (the blog title will make sense soon). Jan’s mum Marj wanted to treat us all to a meal out, so had given her some money. We decided to do this act of generosity justice and booked a table at Hotel Charbonnel in Brantôme. Matt and I had eaten there only once before (to mark our 5 year anniversary) as it’s quite expensive.
It was an incredible meal, made all the nicer for the location: on their terrace overlooking the river. My one small complaint was that, for a menu with a separate fish section, it was annoying that all but 2 of their starters were fish-based (the others being both foie gras – so you can guess my starter!). They had obviously seen Matt coming as there were scallops on the menu, and Jan had a magret that she enjoyed very much. We also did well on the wine: Jaubertie, one my parents turned us on to. We’d only had the white before, but they had it in red too and both were exquisite. We all managed to squeeze in a cheeky dessert, so left feeling very much replete. Thank you Marj for the gift!
The next day, after a long digestion-induced sleep, we headed off on our trip. We made it out of the house a little before noon, armed with Port 80 sandwiches which we stopped off to eat in the town of Uzerche in the Correze. Given how rural the Dordogne is, it amuses me greatly that the locals here refer to the Correze and its neighbouring departements as the “desolate triangle”. The area is known for being backward and very sparsely populated (think of the film Deliverance, but with nicer scenery and you’re not far off). After our lunch pit stop, we were on the motorway and made good time through the Limousin region and into the Auvergne where we arrived at our destination, the departement of Puy-de-Dome.
The Auvergne is in the foothills of the Massif Central – more or less bang in the middle of the country. “Puy” is an old French word for volcanic hill, and it is for one of these in particular that the departement got its name. We stopped in the town of Mont-Dore and checked into a very lovely hotel called, simply enough, Le Grand Hotel. If you’ve ever read “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, the description of the female lead Blanche duBois as a “faded beauty” lends itself perfectly to the place. It was oozing kitsch appeal with its red velvet curtains, marble staircase and eccentric decor. Much like the town itself, it looked like its best days were behind it, but that only added to its charm.
Checked in, we hit the town. Mont-Dore is in a deep and very steep valley, so you’re surrounded on all sides by mountains. A small stream runs through the town and I was amazed to discover it was in fact the Dordogne river! She’s of a rather more modest size at her source compared to here. Every other shop was selling or renting ski gear (well, they would have been if they were open, but it seems the Auvergne is no more lively than the Dordogne on a Sunday). After a bit of advice from the tourist office, we rode the “funiculaire” train up to the Puy de Sancy, where we were assured great views over the Massif. It turned out to be quite a hike so we left Jan to it and gamely tried to reach the top, but both of us were foolishly shod in sandals while all around us, folks wandered by equipped with boots, walking sticks and the slightly smug expression of the serious hiker. We came close to the top, but we had little time left before the last train down again, so with only 200 (albeit nearly vertical) metres to go, we headed back.
That evening, Trip Advisor led us to a restaurant called La Vieille Étable where we sampled the delights of Auvergne cuisine. We knew the region was famous for its cheeses, but I still wasn’t quite prepared for just how focused is their cuisine. It was all incredibly good, but virtually every dish on the menu was some combination of cheese and potatoes. Matt and I had their signature dish, Lou Boinchou (melted cheese and boiled potatoes) and Jan had the regional speciality Truffade (melted cheese and boiled potatoes). After years of Perigordine cuisine, it made a nice, if very stodgy change. The wine also deserves a special mention. We ordered a local rosé and were blown away by it. Here in the Dordogne, rosé is barely classed as a wine and seldom drank, but this was deliciously complex, dry, and a perfect complement for the heavy meal.
After dinner, we discovered that Mont-Dore is not exactly a night-town, well not on a Sunday at least. After a small stroll, we returned to the hotel to sleep off the cheesy feast. We had a light and mercifully potato-less breakfast at the hotel then said our goodbyes to the lovely lady at reception and headed off for a final explore. We wanted to find the actual source of the Dordogne, but were foiled by an unfortunate lack of signposts. We definitely came close, but in the end, admitted defeat and instead checked out La Cascade de Queureuilh, a gorgeous 12 metre waterfall. After that, we hit the road again to make our return journey.
At lunch time, we stopped off in the departement of Cantal and the town of Bort-les-Orgues. “Orgue” means organ, but also “basalt column” (ah, the vagaries of the French language) and indeed, it was for the latter meaning that the town got its name. A short but steep drive brought us to a stunning viewpoint over the Massif Central and the eponymous columns. We had lunch in Bort-les-Orgues, all opting for tartines (a big slice of bread topped with various ingredients) and then pressed on home to Mazeroux, which we reached by late afternoon. And that this point, I’m going to hand over the baton to Matt! More from us next week.