A la campagne

Another great thing about living here in Paris is that it is possible to reach some quite magical places in the French countryside - all that's required is a train ticket and a restless spirit.


View over the Massif Central

I was delighted when Mike suggested that I join him and the family for a few days while they were staying at a friend's house near Lamastre in the northern part of Ardèche province. And knowing that Mike and Jenni (and their kids!) share a serious interest in food and wine, mingled with some historical and archaeological interests, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

So I jumped on the TGV and two hours later I was in a beautiful part of France, nestled between the Alps and the Massif Central - mountains and rivers in the lush, green spring - perfect!


The farmhouse

What a lovely way to pass the early hours of the evening, sitting on the terrasse, looking over the hills with a plate of fromages et saucissons and a tall pastis or a kir in hand.


Apero time

Being keen to get out and about, we put on our tourist shoes and headed west over the volcanic peaks into the Haute-Loire (the next departement) ...


Volcanic ranges
Photo by Jenni C.

... to visit Puy-en-Velay.


Strolling around Puy-en-Velay

Which we all know is famous for its ...


Lentilles vertes

Yes? But did you know also that the cathedral in Puy-en-Velay marks one of the starting points for the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, and has done so since the middle ages?


Looking up to the cathédrale


Looking down the hill from the cathédrale

The Cathédrale de Notre-Dame de Puy is a beautiful example of early 12th century religious architecture, is beautifully maintained and much visited, and one of UNESCO's world heritage sites.


Fresco


The dome


The Black Madonna
Photo by Jenni C.

Black Madonna statues, like the one here, are a reasonably common feature of medieval churches in Europe, and there are a whole host of ideas about their cultural and spiritual significance - not simply that they are a reference to the Egyptian goddess Isis, as emphatically suggested by our guidebook!


Entrée des esprits

I'm afraid my photography really doesn't do it justice.


La Madonna de Puy-en-Velay

And being a place of pilgrimage, and being in central France, the town of Puy-en-Velay also hosts a rather large reminder that the cult of Mary is alive and well!


Making lace

It's a gentle sort of town, where the gentler arts are still pursued, although there are now machines to do this sort of thing. Look how many bobbins it takes!

The most exciting thing to discover in Puy-en-Velay for me though, was the Chapel of ...


Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe

I remember seeing this amazing building in one of Dad's Time-Life books as a small girl and vowing that someday I'd go and see it for myself. And to think - I managed it purely by chance!


Windows in the chapel

The chapel was built about two centuries before the cathedral, and the monks made their daily pilgrimages to the top of the hill to worship in the tiny chapel - the signage as you commence the climb reassures visitors that it's "a very easy 6-8 minute journey to the top!" Easy? Sure, perhaps, but as it is a very steep climb, you certainly don't want to have vertigo problems!

And after bathing in all that ecclesiastical history, it was everyone's favourite time of the day!


Dejeuner!

The following day we headed out in another direction, this time south towards Valence, to visit the 13th century ruins of the Château de Crussol, built on a site that has been occupied and fortified since Roman times.


Crussol ruins


Famille Christie

The Crussol family abandoned the château and moved up river in the late 15th century, and I think that the move was prompted by the lady of the château ...


SuperHair

... for obvious reasons!

Leaving Crussol, we were perfectly positioned to take a meandering tour around some of the Rhône Valley's vignobles - on a day when the landscape was bathed in warm sunlight and the vines were green and lush and full.

So Mike showed me the very famous bend in the river - the only place along the whole length of the Rhône where the hillside faces in the right direction (south), and the soils are the correct composition and consistency to produce some of the finest wines in the world - yes people ...


Hermitage Hill

And we indulged in a tasting at the cave of Monsieur Jaboulet - which excitingly enough, is a cave in an actual cave!


From M Jaboulet


Inside the cave

The wines were lovely, we also stopped in to taste some of Monsieur Chapoutier's offerings, including their latest vintage from their vinyard in Heathcote, Victoria! Nice, an Aussie wine from the French winemaker in a tiny corner of France.

And a final stop on the tour ....?


Hmmmmmmm, Valrhona factory


Ooooooooo, yes please!

I am going to have to see what my palate can define amongst the grands crus from Valrhona - what a pleasant challenge!

And all to quickly it was time to head back to Paris again. BUT, no trip to the country is ever complete without a visit to the local market to stock up on some Archèchois saucisson sec and some fresh savoie.


Marchand des saucissons

Sahara sun and sand

I've just returned from a very short trip to Akjoujt, Mauritania - where I went for work on another database job - who said IT careers were dull!

For those of you who don't know, Akjoujt is halfway between Nouakchott and Atar .... oh, you mean 'where is Mauritania?' Let's find out shall we - Mauritania is a saharan country in West Africa. It shares borders with Senegal, Mali, Algeria and the disputed territory of Western Sahara - it also has a rather dramatic and not-so-often-travelled coastline where nearly all the birds in Europe hang out at the end of their annual migration.

So I set forth from Paris for another (west) African adventure, overnighted in Nouakchott and then headed out along the sealed road (what a luxury!) into the heart of north eastern Inchiri province.


A sand dune

And the journey was spectacular - on both sides of the highway, and sometimes encroaching onto the edges of the highway - there were dunes as far as the horizon.


Desert mansion

In fact the dunes are so arresting that a very successful Nouakchott business man has built himself a glittering white mansion amongst it all.

After about 3 hours on the highway, we arrived in Akjoujt, which occupies stony desert, rather than dune country - the landscape is very different.


The outer 'burbs
Photo by Hannah G.

On the edge of town you can see that even in this stony country, the dunes are starting to bury the abandoned houses.


2 Star?

Fortunately, I had a room in the guesthouse and wasn't required to stay at this local hotel.


Central mosque

One of the most disappointing habits I've discovered after visiting places like this, is the attitude to rubbish. New rubbish dumps just appear anywhere - a blight on the landscape. And this is the central park around the mosque, the most important place in the cultural life of the town - strewn with refuse. A great shame.


Camel milking station
Photo by Nev P.

And the camels are everywhere! They provide the local community with milk, meat and a livelihood - and to me, a dyed-in-the-wool city girl, they are an exotic reminder that I am a long way from home!


Fuel stop

But there is also a more modern way of getting about the place - if your vehicle will start of course ...


A sign ...

... of what? I really don't know, but everyone looks excited.


Sunrise from the guesthouse

A day in the life of the local community is a little different from a day in the life of an expat working on the mine. Nev and Mike discuss which of the condiments might help improve/disguise/enhance the flavour of the fare provided by minesite catering.


Can I tempt you with some buldoo?

And yet, Lee still finds he has to BYO chilli sauce!


I need some of these ...

Lee and Hannah took us to their local supermarket in Akjoujt, this store provides almost everything you want, including fresh juice - actual 100% juice (not made from concentrate) even, and ...


Super Diana

... for a girl whose hair often gets the better of her, the Super Diana styling kit!

The supermarket visit of course was a preliminary pitstop for the main event of the week.


Wine and cheese night!

I'm always so impressed when people can serve up a spread like this despite being stuck in the middle of nowhere with limited resources available to them. I even got to sample the ...


Camel's milk cheese

... which in an unfortunate turn had gone bad. Very bad. There was definitely something wrong with this batch - the smell was iffy enough, but the taste, well let me say that I am pleased no-one had the video camera turned in my direction when I sampled it, because apparently my facial expression was an award-winning performance of horror and disgust.

The great pity of it all was that in it's runny, Dali-esque state, it had polluted the rather stupendous biltong that Will had prepared, flavoured with his latest spice and vinegar combination.


Camel herd

From that point I decided that the camels were best enjoyed for their picturesque qualities, and I probably will think twice about accepting any offers of camel food products in future.


Goat with a nappy
Photo by Nev P.

The other local beast that provides for the community is the goat, and they rule the streets, just as they do in Mali. Here in Akjoujt though, to ensure that the nanny-goat's milk gets the the people rather than the kids, these lady animals are commonly seen sporting a nappy - and the one above was by far the most flamboyant of all the goats in town.


Watertank Hill
Photo by Nev P.

We were blessed with some very clear days and took the opportunity of climing watertank hill to admire, once again, that ever-expanding view to the distant horizon.


Desert approaching dusk

And before I knew it, it was time to hit the highway again and head back to the embouteillages in Paris, but not before witnessing a very saharan ...


Camel crossing

... and a final look at the edge of the desert, where the Atlantic brings in the catch of the day.


Coast in Nouakchott