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View Full Version : Our recent holiday in France, Oct 2011



Marco
03-11-2011, 20:13
We recently had a holiday in lower Normandy in France, so here are some piccies:

The little Auberge where we stayed called L'Auberge d'Andaine (http://reservation-hotel.logishotels.com/reservit/fiche_htl.bandeautop.php?lang=EN&hotelid=454&id=12&cookieName=Partid_12_2_454&cookieValue=24&url=http://www.aubergeandaines.com), in between the villages of La Ferté-Macé and Bagnoles de L'Orne - very quiet and peaceful (highly recommended - 45E per ROOM per night for two people, spotlessly clean, comfortable, and with very friendly staff. Breakfast is 8E per person, per day):

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Church in La Ferté-Macé:

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Bagnoles de L'Orne:


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A quaint little house in Bagnoles de L'Orne:


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'Cafe Gourmand' and Crème Brûlée, rounding off Sunday lunch at 'Le Lido':


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One of the many superb 'Les Routiers' lorry driver's cafes, where we enjoyed amazing 4 and 5-course lunches of top-notch home-cooked food, for as little a 9E 50, INCLUDING a litre of Normandy cider and a bottle of very good red wine (!!):

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2379/img0977m.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/843/img0977m.jpg/)


And the inside - here you can see the bottles of cider and wine!

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Trust me, the food in these places is superb, and far better than in the poncy, so-called 'gourmet' restaurants... We were so hungry, we got in there before everyone else, but within 15 mins it was packed!!


The beautiful and ancient village of Rochefort-en-Terre, where we visited for the day, on the way to see the standing stones in Carnac (a 400-mile round trip from the hotel!!):

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A lovely old pub in Rochefort-en-Terre, where we sampled some local ales:

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Ancient standing stones in Carnac (lots of Celtic history in this area):


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Another of our favourite lorry driver cafes, in the tiny little village of Joue de Bois, but here the food was near-gourmet standard at cafe prices:


http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8519/img1010b.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/511/img1010b.jpg/)


The quality of food lorry drivers eat in France is quite amazing. Check out this 'Creme Coco' we had for dessert (creme caramel topped with a fresh coconut cream in a caramel sauce):


http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8784/img1009i.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/img1009i.jpg/)


:eek: :drool: :drool:

In total we ate there three times (well it would be rude not to at the price and with 'free' cider and wine!!)


http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5145/img1041zj.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/403/img1041zj.jpg/)


On the last day we were able to have lunch, I had the chocolate fondant cake with creme anglaise, to keep Del company with her 'Creme Coco', which was equally as stunning:


http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6447/img1043s.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/543/img1043s.jpg/)


YUM YUM!! :)

And to think that after that (bearing in mind that before it we'd already had a starter of a selection of hors d'oeuvres, from a huge self-service buffet, and a main course with vegetables (that day I had roast loin of pork in a mushroom and Calvados sauce), there's a huge self-service cheeseboard, where you can eat as much as you like, followed by espresso coffee, in this instance all for 11E 50.....!! :eyebrows:


Another little place, this time in Carrouges, where we had a superb and inexpensive lunch, and it catered for locals:


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The ancient and picturesque town of Domfront, at night:

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Where we had a snack that night (we could only manage one big meal a day, for obvious reasons!):


http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/5648/img1022ac.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/828/img1022ac.jpg/)


And Domfront, in the early evening, while it was still light:


http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/7535/img1011h.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/img1011h.jpg/)


Auberge de la Mine, in the little hamlet of le Gué Plat, where we had our 'farewell dinner' before returning to Wales, so we decided to splash out and go to a renowned Michelin-starred restaurant in the French countryside (for those interested, website here: http://www.aubergedelamine.com/page3.html):


http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1870/img1050ln.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/img1050ln.jpg/)


The food was truly epic, although expensive, but we forgot to take pictures :doh: It was certainly a different experience, though, from eating in the lorry driver's cafes.... It might look poncy, but the atmosphere inside was relaxed and cosy, and the head chef, a true master of the cullinary art.

A very old church we looked inside, in a little village, during a day out:


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The ancient forge, near Joue de Bois:


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Auberge de Wismes, in Wismes (http://www.aubergedewismes.fr/) - a sleepy little 'one horse' town in the countryside, is where we had our last French meal before catching the boat back to the UK. This place is only 40 miles south from Calais, and serves superb food (the local chicken in a cider cream sauce with raisins is to die for!) Lunch is 12E 50, which consists of a superb 3-course meal. Wine is available at 8 Euros a bottle, for a rather nice claret, and upwards from there for something more 'serious'.

I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone hopping off the boat at Calais, en-route south, and looking for somewhere decent to eat, away from all the tourist shit near the port:

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2434/img1054su.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/img1054su.jpg/)

Marco.

Barry
03-11-2011, 20:45
Looks great Marco.

I'll even forgive the 'tacky' oil-cloth plastic tablecloths, if the vin de table is as good as the tucker. €9.50 ! :eek:

Why can't our truck stops be as good as this? :scratch:

Regards

Covenant
03-11-2011, 21:02
Of course, you didn't touch the wine or cider as you were driving Marco......

Puffin
03-11-2011, 21:10
Very Nice. Have you tried Picardy? Very pretty.

Marco
03-11-2011, 21:10
Of course, you didn't touch the wine or cider as you were driving Marco......


:lol:

Aye, of course not!!

Marco.

worthingpagan
03-11-2011, 21:31
looks very relaxed and entrenched with history and culture. There are villages very similar in the Cotswolds and other area of the UK as you probably know. reminds of a place i stayed in France many years ago ( I can't remember the name of it, I was permanently drunk and ended up getting a Police escort back to the ferry, after the gendarmes gave me a good kicking the night before, banged me up in the cells and removed £300 from my money belt) calling the Police inspector a French c*** and spitting in his face while handcuffed was not a good idea :mental:

Reid Malenfant
03-11-2011, 21:51
Beautiful looking area you stayed in Marco :) I dread to think of the heating bills in Winter though :eyebrows: All those gorgeous but uninsulated solid stone walls, & we have our lot up top stuffing insulation down our necks :scratch:

Ah, but out power utilities are now owned by foreigners who have their prices capped in their own counties....

Ok, I'll shut up :cool:


<snip> reminds of a place i stayed in France many years ago ( I can't remember the name of it, I was permanently drunk and ended up getting a Police escort back to the ferry, after the gendarmes gave me a good kicking the night before, banged me up in the cells and removed £300 from my money belt) calling the Police inspector a French c*** and spitting in his face while handcuffed was not a good idea :mental:
Of course you are much more sensible nowadays, well I hope so at least :eyebrows:

Jonboy
03-11-2011, 23:37
Very nice Marco, I've only been back a few days myself, you have just reminded me again of why i like it so much in France, its nice to get away from the ratrace we called the UK, life just slows right down and gives you chance to relax and chill out for a while over there.

Rare Bird
04-11-2011, 00:45
Wow what an great place, free Cider :eyebrows:

One of my ambitions for next summer is to stay in some obscure German areas

You can't beat a bit of sausage in a mornin :eek:

Marco
04-11-2011, 09:47
Cheers, guys, it was a really fantastic holiday, and we've come back with a ton of superb wine, beer, cider, aperitifs, and all sorts of goodies, in time for Christmas, and saved a FORTUNE in the process.

Best of all though, it's going to be fun devouring it! :eyebrows: :cheers:

Marco.

Alex_UK
04-11-2011, 10:39
Great stuff Marco - I haven't been to Normandy for at least 10 years, (used to go quite regularly with the ex wife) but might have to remedy that from seeing your photos! :thumbsup:

Welder
04-11-2011, 10:44
It looks very relaxing Marco. Some contrast in eating on route compared to the ghastly service stations and roadside cafes we get foisted off with here in England.

What strikes me from your pictures is the lack of cars and the unsightly infrastructure that goes with them. England has some gorgeous villages which imo are largely spoilt by those ubiquitous poles with signs attached stuck in the pavement telling the motorist what they can and can’t do with their vehicles at any particular place.
Then of course you have the vehicles; usually in a long queue trying to negotiate totally unsuitable routes for modern traffic levels.
I was away the same week as you, walking, with a backpack and using public transport if and when necessary. I’m away again in a couple of weeks and after the smog fest called Bristol I expect to return suffering from an oxygen overdose.

snapper
04-11-2011, 13:04
Looks absolutely fantastic, nice and quiet and very clean.

I take it you never managed to find some record shops?

:lol:

John
04-11-2011, 13:24
Looks great It must of been so good for you both to get away from it all for awhile

Haselsh1
04-11-2011, 14:15
Very nice Marco, you are indeed a lucky bar steward. My partner Janet and I haven't been able to have a holiday since 2006 but I'm hoping that there really is such a thing as luck and that it will soon change. I guess that was the price we paid for having our own business. At the moment we are still recovering from it. Thank the lord it has all come to an end.

Marco
04-11-2011, 15:54
Looks absolutely fantastic, nice and quiet and very clean.

I take it you never managed to find some record shops?

:lol:

Lol, no, but it wasn't for the want of trying! :eyebrows:

Come with us next time, mate (I'm serious). You'd have been in your element in those lorry driver cafe's!! ;)

Marco.

Marco
04-11-2011, 16:00
Cheers for your comments, guys. It was indeed a very relaxing (needed and well-deserved) break.

Shaun, I'm glad to hear that things are on the up. I hope that continues to be the case and becomes permanent :)

We can't wait now until Del's off for two weeks at Christmas (we love it at that time of year), then it will be total shut down again, light the log fire, snuggle up in front of the tree, and devour the goodies!! :cocktail: :christmas:

Marco.

Spectral Morn
04-11-2011, 18:00
Nice photos and it looks like you had a great time :)


Regards D S D L

Jonboy
04-11-2011, 18:24
This is a little village just down the road from where we stay, claimed to be one of the prettiest in France, they also have open air music concerts held over the summer.
It is a bit of a shame now as so many English and other nationalities have bought holiday homes in the village that it becomes a a bit of a ghost town out of season to the point now that the local mayor has almost stopped any more homes being bought by non French people

http://www.vendee-vouvant.com/



The most common place to buy Records and the like are at their equivalant of a boot sale, these are called "Vide Greniers" which translates to Attic clear out, these tend to be held in the centre of a village mostly at weekends but do happen during the week during summer months, you can find all sorts of goodies old and new including antiques and not forgetting the usual "lots of plastic toys" :doh:.

We have spent many a day wondering around these places, i have also come across record stalls at local markets. shops seem to be few and far between selling just music

A trip to a supermarket or Tabac where you can find magazines and booklets listing events is a good way of finding out as well which is what i mainly do

A link to a site

http://vide-greniers.org/


if a restaurant has loads of trucks parked outside at lunch times it means its a good one, you can sit there amongst the French workers in thier steel toe cap boots and workware sipping red wine to your hearts content, :cool:

Mark Grant
04-11-2011, 19:24
Nice pictures and good looking food :)

You must have put some miles on the car with the long drive to France and then 400 mile days trips.

Rare Bird
04-11-2011, 22:54
I don't think i saw any person on the streets on those Photos which is cool as i detest being around people so i think i'll move there :eyebrows:

Tim
04-11-2011, 23:04
I don't think i saw any person on the streets on those Photos which is cool as i detest being around people so i think i'll move there :eyebrows:
You should try the South Island of New Zealand André, absolutely wonderful place, very sparsely populated with stunning scenery. I once drove for nearly 2 hours from Wanaka to Queenstown and passed 2 cars!

Thing Fish
04-11-2011, 23:45
Looks lovely Marco. Nice and quite with good food and fine wine.

So nice not to see graffiti or litter everywhere.

Mind you I didn't see any people around to drop any...:scratch:

Marco
05-11-2011, 10:01
Yup, you're right, everywhere we went was spotlessly clean and full of polite and friendly people, who weren't rushing around the place like headless chickens... Roads were largely deserted, and with fresh, clean air to breathe in and beautiful scenery to enjoy....

Mind you, I'm used to this way of life in North Wales, as the 'vibe' is very similar, but unfortunately it is far from the norm in most places in the UK! :rolleyes:

Regarding the lack of people in the pictures, Del and I were pissing ourselves laughing when we realised it ourselves when looking at the pictures, and joked that 'France must've been shut' when we we were there! :eyebrows:

What it was, was that Del always waits for, as she says, 'the dafties to get out of the way first' before she takes a photograph, so that's why in the majority of pictures (there are one or two with folk in it, if you look closely!) it seems as if there was no bugger there.... There were definitely some people floating around, but make no mistake, it was definitely very, VERY quiet where we were.

You have to realise that we were mostly right out in the sticks, MILES away from the tourist trap and cities/big towns, where most people live, which is just how we like it!

However, one night when we were in Domfront (the pic of the restaurant at night where we had a snack), we sat down to have our meal, and next minute cockney accents surrounded us. It turned out that the two tables next to us were full of English tourists, and the loud 'pain in the arse' type too, if you know what I mean, who liked the sound of their own voices, so we both looked at each other in a knowing way, as if to say 'let's fuck off out of here', and we wolfed up our food and bolted! ;)

Mark, all-in-all, throughout the holiday, we travelled 2475 miles. The 400-mile round trip to Carnac was a one-off, but worth it, mainly because, en-route, we discovered the village of Rochefort-en-Terre, which was totally unexpected. It's a really lovely little place, and we plan to go there for a holiday next year. But we will be crossing over at Caen, and driving down from there next time, which will make things much easier! :)

However, the wine buying alone was worth it. We spent approximately £800 on wine and aperitifs alone (not including beer, Champagne and cider), which here would've easily cost three times that amount! I was buying very good Haut-Médoc and St Emilion Grand Cru for 6 and 7 Euros a bottle!! I even found a 1995 Gevrey Chambertin for under 10 Euros (easily £35 a bottle here)!!! :eek:

No, it was a truly fantastic holiday - we can't wait to do it again in the spring!

Marco.

kcc123
05-11-2011, 14:07
Hi Marco,

Excellent photos , lovely and quiet little town!

DavefromDorset
05-11-2011, 15:04
Hi Marco, glad you had a great time.

Coming from Deepest Dorset, it's always been easy to get to Normandy though Poole or Weymouth, and me and the wife have spent some happy times there, usually en velo, and usually a little north of where you were. The first time we went we got lost looking for a Chambre d'Hote (B & B), asked a young couple for directions and were invited into their garden where they plied us with homemade cider until we couldn't give a toss where we slept. It's those little acts of friendliness that keep us going back to France.

The rows of tables set out for lunch (I guess it must have been Sunday if you were out in the sticks) are such an emotive sight. We once pitched up in a tiny place called Moon sur Elle on a Saturday evening and the only restaurant was shut, but after a word from the owner of our Chambre d'Hote, le patron opened up just for us and cooked a brilliant meal. We sat in the middle of those oilclothed tables, which were all set up ready for the next day.

Dave

Marco
05-11-2011, 15:58
Hi Dave,


Coming from Deepest Dorset, it's always been easy to get to Normandy though Poole or Weymouth, and me and the wife have spent some happy times there, usually en velo, and usually a little north of where you were. The first time we went we got lost looking for a Chambre d'Hote (B & B), asked a young couple for directions and were invited into their garden where they plied us with homemade cider until we couldn't give a toss where we slept. It's those little acts of friendliness that keep us going back to France.


We found lots of examples of that, too... People say that the French are dour or snooty - bullshit!

Maybe if you walk around with a 'high & mighty' attitude, expecting everyone to speak English (like most English tourists do), then yes, they'll treat you with the contempt you deserve, but otherwise they're very warm, friendly and obliging. Also, the French people in rural areas are very different from those in big towns and cities. Fortunately, as we're very much rural people, we don't bump into the arrogant buggers too often!

Fortunately too, my French is more than adequate, so that certainly helps. However even when it wasn't, when I used to go to France 30 years ago as a kid, they always opened up when you at least tried to speak their language and embraced their way of life and realised that you were in THEIR country, where THEIR laws and customs should be respected, and were not there grudgingly 'gracing them with your presence', such is the haughty and aloof attitude of many English tourists.

Don't get me started on this subject, as I'll go into 'rant mode' and won't shut up ;) I think it's a bloody disgrace that so many of us in the UK can't speak at least ONE foreign language, and the attitude of Brits abroad, in may respects, can be appalling :rolleyes:


The rows of tables set out for lunch (I guess it must have been Sunday if you were out in the sticks)...


Nope, the first one with the oil-clothed tables and the cider and wine out on the tables, was a little restaurant at the side of a B-road in the middle of the country, on the way to Carnac (near Vannes).

We were driving past on a Wednesday, around 11.35am, and I said to Del 'Oh look, there's one of those excellent lorry driver cafes!', so we stopped and pulled over (handily, there was a lorry park across the road), looked at the map a bit, as it was still a little early to eat, took a picture of the place and then went in at 12 noon. And as we were the first ones there, it was easy to take a picture of the inside without annoying anyone :)

We prefer to have a good breakfast, fresh coffee with hot frothy milk or hot chocolate, orange juice, croissants, sliced baguette and home-made jams (usually around 8am) and then our main meal at lunch time (around midday or 12.30pm), and afterwards only a light snack at night. It's healthier that way, and it's what we're used to at home, anyway.

The meal we had inside was utterly superb. For our main courses I had braised wild rabbit in cider with green olives and strips of Jambon Cru, and Del had a selection of vegetables, salad and French fries (she a veggie, and food-wise, it can be quite difficult in France for her). And the cider and wine, as usual, were great!

The other place we took a picture of, with the wonderful desserts, only opens during the day to cater for the local workers, and we ate there three times during the week. In the end, they got to know us pretty well, and always gave Del some nice veggie stuff to eat. We were so impressed with the place that we gave them a 7 Euros tip every time, rounding up the bill to 30 Euros, instead of the 23 Euros (11E 50 per head) that it should have been.

Well, it was a small, family run business (husband and wife), and they certainly appreciated the gesture. It's nice to be nice, after all, and regardless, it was bloody worth £15 a head for the quality of the food and inclusive wine and cider!


We once pitched up in a tiny place called Moon sur Elle on a Saturday evening and the only restaurant was shut, but after a word from the owner of our Chambre d'Hote, le patron opened up just for us and cooked a brilliant meal. We sat in the middle of those oilclothed tables, which were all set up ready for the next day.


Nice one. It is experiences like that which make your holiday! :cool:

Marco.

Tim
05-11-2011, 16:44
Maybe if you walk around with a 'high & mighty' attitude, expecting everyone to speak English (like most English tourists do), then yes, they'll treat you with the contempt you deserve, but otherwise they're very warm, friendly and obliging. Also, the French people in rural areas are very different from those in big towns and cities. Fortunately, as we're very much rural people, we don't bump into the arrogant buggers too often!

:clapclapclap:

I consider myself to be fairly well travelled and I concur 100% with this Marco - Brits abroad often leave me cold :(

anthonyTD
05-11-2011, 17:42
Cracking pics Marco,
And a beautifull place!
A...

DavefromDorset
06-11-2011, 09:36
where THEIR laws and customs should be respected,

Interesting you should say that. It takes a little effort to take note of how the locals treat each other and what their day to day customs are and try to fit in with that, which is something not enough UK holidaymakers can be arsed to do. I've always thought that the French in particular aspire to the highest standards of politeness and courtesy, whereas we Brits seem to be heading the other way and, as you say, it's brought into stark relief when you hear some British oaf loudly demanding this or that.

Ye Gods, I'm starting to sound like me dad!

Dave

aquapiranha
06-11-2011, 12:36
Very nice Marco. I really like the look of the little rustic towns and villages in France, but have only visited Paris, being the philistine that I am! :lol: