A walk in Batignolles

We went to have a look at the recent art work on the side of the indoor market in Batignolles.

Unfortunately on one side there had been a fire, burning bikes and motorbikes in the street and scorching the building.  We could still smell the burnt rubber.

 

 

We walked through Square des Batignolles on our way to Parc Martin Luther King made about ten years ago on railway shunting yards.

We found an amazing new development, Clichy Batignolles, beside the park with many different building types all aiming to be carbon neutral using geothermal heating, all apartments facing the sun, insulated ……..

Out and about to get supplies – for breakfast, for dinner, wine, baguette  - ooh that one’s a bit too crispy as he slid it into a bag “monsieur, pas bien cuit” next one “non”, then “oui”, and got the preferred baguette.  We do love the bread!

foggy Paris

We left early to walk across the Seine to catch the train to church.  The forecast was for 17˚ and drizzle.  The temperature seemed quite mild at that time.  

We had a lovely chat with an American family of three generations on the station.  After church, the temperature had dropped and fog was over the Seine. 

structures on the bridge were for Nuit Blanche - we didn't go

We walked to the Petit Palais to find the queue was out to the Champs Elysees!  The Petit Palais is free except for special exhibitions.  That line was the longest, but people in the free line were only being let in a few at a time.  We’ll find a coffee.  

After coffee caught the metro to BHV Department Store, went to the hardware section in the basement and worked our way up to the cafeteria on the 5^th floor.  We chose a table with a view over the roof of the Hôtel del Ville.  We were able to read the dates under the statues.  Who else sees the details just below the roof?

BHV pet shop

On the way back to the apartment, we stopped at Leroy Merlin, a huge hardware store.  We noted the department we wanted then followed the green line around the shop, down a half escalator, around a bit more, up a half escalator then asked for what we were looking for.  No, they didn’t have just what we wanted, so it was back along the green line.  Easier than Hansel and Gretel’s crumbs. 

Lorgues to Paris

We drove to Aix-en-Provence TGV station to drop the car off and to catch the train.  We had wanted to detour slightly to see Le Vieux Cannot, a medieval hill town, but google wanted us to take a goat track, so we had to abandon the attempt this time.  We had a coffee at the roadside stop.  It wasn't quite as atmospheric.

We had a scramble to find petrol to fill up.  The only one we could find was a Carrefour petrol station which wouldn’t take the credit card.  Europcar will have to charge us.

At the TGV station we went to find the lounge – upstairs.  We took the lift but we were at the wrong end.  Go down, walk to the other end, go up.  We think this station was designed by someone who didn’t travel with luggage.  We went to the other end and found a corner of seating and were entertained for part of the time by a pianist.  Very relaxing.

The train hurtled towards Paris at up to 298km per hour.  We passed from Provençale pale stone buildings and thin cypress trees to red tile roofs and churches with conical steeples.

Settled in Paris, with supermarket run done and flowers bought, we had dinner at a very busy café on the corner.  Five waiters [white shirts, bow ties, black waistcoats, no socks] and a manager [suit] were running. 

At nearly 8pm the garbage truck came down the side street which is tiny.  We don’t know why the Mairie de Paris doesn’t use mini-trucks.  This one filled the street and the cars had to wait.  We noted that Veolia no longer has the contract.

last day in Lorgues

We have been fascinated by the stones across the road!  Each day there is a bit more dug up.  It’s an archaeological finding opening up before us. This morning there was a different woman driving the digger and a larger team on site. 

We had a last lunch with Sue, Jean Claude away at a conference in London.

50 years of friendship

just to prove we were here!

can't go past a cafe gourmand

Taradeau

nearby roundabout

Taradeau is a small village in a wine growing area down in the valley.  Most tourist websites only say how far it is from other towns!  It is in a pretty situation with beautiful plane trees lining the streets.  The fountain and laverie/wash tubs had no water.  

We had a coffee and drove up to the side of a small hill.  We saw soldiers on some sort of exercise, walked to see the view which was quite beautiful, then up a small hill to the 12^th C la Tour Taradel and St Martins church which was locked.  There was a small walled cemetery beside the church.  There had been a mediaeval village nearby.

Then we walked up another the hill to see 2^nd C celtic-ligurian oppidum du fort ruins.  The road [fire trail?] was very wide, steep, rocky and hot.  It then got steeper.  There were recognisable ruins at the top with low stone walls.  We saw no evidence of water in either spot.  The views were stunning.  Coming back down the road we could see that side of the hill was quite dry and the vegetation sparse, but as we rounded the corner to face Taradeau the vegetation was thicker and the trees taller.

 

back in town

Our afternoon check of the diggings overs the road saw fewer people working on the stones and no council workers.  There was a much younger lady manning the digger scaping away a little dirt, dumping rocks on a pile, gently putting a few rocks up on the bank.  We saw a small pool of water and wondered how much would seep through from the spring water which rushed in a drain beneath our feet.

walk along the train line

We drove a short way north to the tiny hamlet of Sauve Clare to walk along an old train line and through the tunnels.  In 1950 the narrow-gauge railway, started in the 1880s, was closed.  The old line meanders from Nice up through the hills west for 210km.  It is roadway and cycleway near Sauve Clare and now part of a Greece to Spain cycleway.  We needed torches in the first tunnel, the longest, and could just see the light at each end when we stood in the middle.  All the tunnels are high and lined.  There is a rough track up and over each tunnel.  We walked through three tunnels.  Several cars passed us and three bikes.  The road is sealed but the tunnels are not.  On the way back we could hear a car coming through the tunnel so we waited for it to come through.  It was just as well as the car bought clouds of dust with it.  We took the track over the top.

 

Chapelle St-Augustin, Sauve Clare

 

On the other side of our narrow road is a construction site building social housing.  We have had a look each time we walk to the village.  Part of the enormous plot has paving and stone walls.  In the week we have been here people have been inspecting the stones.  Today there was a Recherches Archeologiqes team [their t-shirts said so] sweeping and carefully moving soil.  One lady was using the digger slowly, peering intently at what she was doing.

This evening we joined the Womens Club [mixed] singing group. For the first half we joined in singing 70s hits, had a break for wine and apertifs, then the serious singers stayed for singing in parts. It was a lovely evening.