Weekend on the Atlantic Coast

Hi everyone. I will try typing this on a word document and saving it on to my memory stick and then adding it to my blog when I’m on line. Of course, I’ve almost forgotten which keys are which on my laptop! Lol.
First of all, I’ve just got home from an appointment at uni having thought that I was getting my carte de sejour, which is like an entry permit I guess, but I found that my appointment was just to get a student card. I now have to get even more identity photos taken and go somewhere in the city to get the carte de sejour. I am upset because a) I got a pile of photos taken in Auckland at some expense and I’m sure I brought them with me, but I can’t find them, and b) the very first I ever heard of a carte de sejour was a few days before we flew out from Aucklqnd. It had never been mentioned before and I still don’t actually know what it is. All that had ever been mentioned was a visa and I thought that was it. I also need to go to the tabac and get some more bus tickets, and go to the supermarket and get some ingredients to make a dessert to take out tomorrow night. I am nervous about that as I got growled at by the checkout lady last time I went there. (Do you know that I am mixing my a’s and q’s in reverse??) And I have discovered that just about all the desserts I like to make require whippable cream. My honeycomb cheesecake is a bit of a legend in Papatoetoe, but whipped cream? Cream cheese? I am going to have a go at Brownies and see how that works out. Toby, oh famous dessert maker – where are you when I need you? Actually, anybody…. please comment or email me if you have any foolproof-in-France recipes which reflect New Zealand! How’s that for a challenge? 
Anway. Le weekend. I got home at lunchtime on Friday and soon after we headed off in la voiture (little French lessons tossed in here for nuffink!) towards the coast. We stayed in a holiday house in a little village called Grues, which isn’t actually on the coast but not far away. A peaceful and idyllic setting really> it sort of reminded me of Taranaki, but I guess it was nothing like it really – not a mountain or even a mound to be seen. It’s probably just that when I’m in the country I’m invariably staying at Ruth and Murray’s farm out of Stratford. So the peace and quiet made that connection> Oh, btw, on the way to Grues there were quite a few of those power generating windmills. I guess they’re a great way to get electricity, but I have to say that I tend to agree with Brian Turner, Anton Oliver et al…. they are rather obtrusive and I would hate to see them spoil Central Otago.
Oh, I’m digressing again. We then drove to the sea and walked along the beach. It wasn’t beautiful in a pretty way, but unspoilt, and hey, it was the Atlantic Ocean if I’d swum out and kept going I would have roughly made New York. That really had the wow factor for me.
On Saturday morning we went to a large village/small town called Tranche sur la Mer. Which is on the coast as the name implies. Lots of shops and markets and people. I could have stayed there all day! Happy as a sandboy in shops, me. We went back home for lunch then wended our way to another village and a chateau called Talmont St Hilaire. It was originally built by William the Great, Duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou in 1018, and then various other rulers made it theirs. Richard the Lionheart has a strong connection with this castle. Did you know that Richard the Lionheart was king of England and could only ever speak French? Fancy that. Anyway, this was a special weekend and all historical things had free entry which was not to be sneezed at. The Talmont St Hilaire chateau was just fantastic. I know I do go on about castles. We had a guided tour, and although it was in French – rats! – the young man spoke clearly and not too quickly and I picked up bits and pieces. It is just so amazing and even haunting to be in places that people were living in so many many years ago. J’aime l’histoire.
After the chateau visit we went for a brisk walk in a forêt which somewhat resembled New Zealand bush. Certainly there were lots of ferns around. We also walked along craggy outcrops above the beach and I did fear that I might fall! (John T, I have discovered that I have got accents in the insert thingee. Whoopee!) It did occur to me when we were tramping along that we should have been dropping breadcrumbs, as it was all pretty similar, and sure enough we took the wrong track on the way back. It was OK and we retraced our steps. But getting lost is a biggie for me. I feel like I'm pretty much lost most of the time, so to actually get physically lost would be just awful.
It was quite late and I was exhausted when we got home. But a good day.
The next morning we packed up the house and set off again. We went to a church which had also in the past served as a fort, and we clambered up a long spiral staircase right to the top. That’s not usually allowed but it was because of it being the special weekend. I kept away from the edge of the ramparts - no need for being silly I thought - but still got to see some great views.
We then went on to La Rochelle. Well, what a beautiful city. Just lovely. Some of the architecture reminded me of Paris. We walked though the town and gazed upon the GORGEOUS shops which were CLOSED!!!! Everything everywhere is closed on Sundays. Tragic! We then came out on to the harbour and it was fairly humming. People everywhere. A wonderful atmosphere. And quite beautiful. Not unlike the Auckland viaduct in some ways.
Later. I have just returned from the supermarché. There was a photo booth there like the one where we had photos taken at the Wellington railway station in 19-something or other, Ruth.  So I had my photos taken there which is a load off my mind. They are incredibly horrible, but hopefully the authorities won’t send me back to New Zealand because I’m ugly.
Back to Sunday. We spent most of the day hanging out at La Rochelle which was great. We looked through the wonderful old town hall, had a wee boat trip on the harbour and toured through a fortified tower. We joined the queue as they only let a few people in at a time. Congestion would cause all sorts of problems as the passageways are so narrow. We were about third in the queue and when we got out it was stretching about 10 metres down the street, so we did quite well really! La Rochelle is a real tourist spot and I even stopped getting excited when I heard English spoken as I heard it quite a lot. Actually, I didn’t stop getting excited. I just got excited quite a lot more often.
I’m sure we did other things but you have probably stopped reading already and I am tired recalling it all! I was absolutely exhausted by the time we got home. Tired but happy, as they say. And kids say,(well, write in their stories)“And then I woke up and found it was all a dream.” But so far it aint!
The photos, by the way, are of me contemplating the Atlantic, and St Hilary's castle. More photos to come, but the camera battery needs recharging. It's been working overtime.
Bisous,
Alison.