Lost In Limoges

From the sheep-dotted pastures of France's underpopulated Southwest, Limoges rises in all its grey glory. The city's claim to fame: fine porcelain. The half-timbered houses of the Medieval center are surrounded by strip malls and McDo. Land-hungry Brits descend with flailing pocketbooks (thanks, RyanAir). The weather is remarkably cool year-round. Sure, I live on rue de Nice, but this is NOT the Cote d'Azur. Welcome to Limoges, "the middle of nowhere"-- or as Pierre says "everywhere"-- France.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Birthday Surprise: La Rochelle?


So I celebrated a big birthday last month. Pierre, trickster that he is, stealthily set the alarm for a Sunday morning and announced (at a dreadfully early hour) that we were going somewhere, that I needed to pack my bags. Hiking boots? Ski equipment? Bathing suit? The guy was mum so I was really at a loss.


In typical Pierre fashion, he refused to tell me where we were going, even when we were all packed away in the car, the trunk bulging with too many bags. (A girl's got to be prepared!) So began my sleuth work. We headed east. Could it be Bordeaux? I waited til we passed a few helpful road signs (the French rural routes are marked not by the cardinal direction, but by the towns passed along the way). Angouleme? Cognac? Santes? Only when we were about an hour from the coast did I have a clue.

La Rochelle!

I love La Rochelle. It is one of my favorite spots on earth. Positively baking in the sun (it's got as many hours of sunlight annually as the Mediterranean coast), the city is a historic marvel of seaside fortifications built by the famed military engineer, Vauban. I like to think that this is the spot from where the French ships sailed to help the American revolutionaries.

The harbor is packed with boats, which navigate a channel between two huge towers. Temperatures were surprisingly mild for mid October so we sipped some kirs au soleil, watching the pretty people walk by on the sea-smelling harbor promenade. I can think of no place better to eat lunch.

But La Rochelle was not our final destination.

PS. I am sporting some dreadful $10 sunglasses. After a good five years, I finally managed to smash my favorite pair (but thanks, Brookie!)

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