Monday 10 February 2020

10/02/2020 A day out in the Charente.

This post is also copied to my Photodairydps.

Leaving home we headed out on an empty road towards Saint Claud...

Saint Claud.This road used to be the main N141 trunk road before the bypass came!

Soon all these trees will be sprouting; the only green at present is the ivy which is taking over.

Through the village of Grand Madieu.

The narrow roads of Champagne Mouton.

We crossed over the L'Or (gold) river.

Through the village of Benest where we saw this 2CV minus a wheel...

and at the war memorial, we turned here towards Chatain on the D4

Hmmm, somewhat narrow streets in Chatain; we just managed to get out of the way for the truck to come through...

To drive past the church of Saint-Pierre.

Over the 17th century vaulted arch bridge called Pont de Chatain that crosses the Charente river..

The beautiful avenue of trees that should have taken us to Charroux; somehow the satnav missed the village going this way, but we discovered it on our way back home!

Finally the sign to Saint Romain, our destination. There is another of the same name 4 miles away, so it's confusing!

 The church in Saint Romain...

and the restaurant - Bouton D'Or, with its baguette machine outside for the convenience of local residents.

Inside the restaurant.  We were early, so I managed this photo before any more arrivals.  We actually had a bit of a floor show later with a gentleman on the piano, and presumably, it was his wife singing along!

We started out with soup, not a very interesting photo, followed by this charcuterie, and of course French bread...

The main course was sausage, meatballs and haricot casserole; it was very tasty but did not make a very good photo.  Then came the famous French cheese board with dried fruit, nuts, chutney and jam. Delicious.

Dessert was a crepe with some fruit, flavoured with cognac.  Not forgetting the bottle of red wine that came with the meal.  All followed by an espresso coffee.
A bargain at only €16.50 each for the lot!

Returning home, we went through the town of Charroux which we somehow missed on the route going !!
The colour of this photo was very odd so I decided that black and white would be better.
You can see part of the ancient covered market on the right, and beyond it is the Charlemagne tower, the remains of the ruined Charroux abbey. You can read about it HERE.

The beautiful covered market. 

and finally you can see just how much rain we have had, by this shot of flooded fields.


See also my

 Bird blog

and my Photodairy where this will also be published


12 comments:

  1. Great tour, Diane! I really enjoyed it! Love the old buildings and narrow roads, esp the one of the bridge over the Charente river. The black and white is interesting also. It amazes me that most of the towns have war memorials, that's a wonderful thing. And I bet that covered market is a sight to behold during the summer.
    I just started "Shadows Along the Zambezi" this morning, what a beginning with the family and their home and then the elephants. Very gripping, compelling read and it's just the beginning. So glad you mentioned it earlier!!!

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    1. Thanks so much Pam, I seem to have got stuck on Photodiary but as this was very much a Charente blog I though I would double blog it. I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I did though it also made me cry.

      Pam it is not most of the towns, it is all of the towns and cities. We only live in a hamlet, but we come under a town so the war memorial covers all the local places that comes under its domain. I imagine the covered market is also used in winter and I am sure they will have a weekly market. In summer there may well be a restaurant in there as well.

      Hope you are both well. Diane

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  2. That was a beautiful driving tour! I just read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the fact that cafes in France are struggling, and disappearing from so many small towns. It was really sad to read. You lunch looks delightful, and I'm certain that the gent at the piano livened up your meal!

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    1. Hi Marjie, good to hear from you. Hope all is well on your side of the world. Yes you are right, there are a number of cafe owners complaining about the lack of support. The ones that seem to do well are the Routier cafes and restaurants, they cater for the truck drivers with a very reasonable and excellent meal. We go to them very often. The piano is old and a bit tinny but he played very well. As for the voice well....
      Take care, Diane

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  3. Hi Diane - no wonder you reminded David to check out the cheese board ... I think I'd have driven that far for your meal. Looks a fun day out ... and the weather is improving - cheers Hilary

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    1. LOL the best cheese board around, cheers Diane

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  4. I am reading this while still in Covid-19 lockdown. Thank you for sharing these quaint and lovely winding roads. Fortunately, I have an active imagination and I can picture the sites, sounds and smells of your beautiful Charente. Escapism at its best :-) I hope you are well.

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    1. Hi Mary, so good to hear from you. Sadly we have not been to a restaurant again for months now and we have no idea when might go again as the situation stands. Even if a few of them do open, we would be very wary abut going to them until we know there is no problems. I suspect the remainder of this year is not going to be a good one!! Keep safe, Diane

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  5. I was surprised to see the picture of the inside of a restaurant, thinking the lockdown had not been lifted so far yet......then I noticed the date of the post - four months ago!
    Serves me right for not stopping by as often as I used to!
    I hope you and Nigel are well. Stay safe. Jx

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    1. Ha ha yes this was a long time ago. We are going to friends for an outside barbecue tomorrow, the first time we have eaten with friends for months!! I use the photodiary now for most blogs.
      Hope you can soon come over in this direction. Stay safe Diane

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  6. Belle ballade. Une grande bouffée d'air frais et une impression de vie normale après ce tsounami.
    Au plaisir de te lire de nouveau.

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    1. Salut Nadji, Merci pour le commentaire et la visite. Mieux vaut me rendre visite sur https://photodiarydps.blogspot.com/ J'y écris souvent. Bonne journée, Diane

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