Living in a fairy tale: Verteuil-Sur-Charente

05.05.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

Dear WordPress, you may have noticed that I haven’t been around as much lately, my words few, no photos to show. I am sorry WordPress, but I have to confess I have been unfaithful. My eye has been taken by Fotopedia Reporter. It’s not that I haven’t been happy with you dear WP, I have, and I hope we can still be friends. In fact I hope we can all exist in a happy threesome.
It’s just that FR adds something different to my life, something “Je ne sais quoi”
This may just be a fling dear WP, I’m sure it is, I will be back…….
Trishagale

We have had a fabulous week in the fairy tale village of Verteuil-sur-Charente which I want to share with everyone and I think the pictures tell the story better than my words could. As I said in my confession to WP, my eye was caught by Fotopedia Reporter, so thought I’d give it a try! Enjoy!

FR and I are still ironing out a few relationship issues so please follow the link on FB or in the email.

People, places and patience

05.03.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

I’ve been back in France for a few days,trying to adjust to saying merci instead of gracias (being ‘sort of ‘multi-lingual can be a bugger sometimes!) and getting used to the fact that I can have dinner before 9:00 pm. But before I put Spain to bed in the blogging sense, I would like to share a few final thoughts What I Iiked best about Spain I know that most of you will think I’m going to mention something about food, and yes, I did enjoy eating in Spain. But what I have enjoyed most about Spain is the people and the real sense of community I felt when I was out and about. No matter where we were, whether it was a village, a town or city, there were places for people to get together – a little square with a few seats, a beautifully laid out park, a tree-lined footpath or a large plaza. I loved watching the couples, young and old walking along arm in arm, the kids playing football or riding their scooters, the old men sitting together enjoying the sun and having a snooze. I will miss our walks in the crisp, clear Spanish evenings, stopping to have a drink and tapas and watch the world go by.

Men in Mijas

Mobile DJ in Seville

What I learnt in Spain Patience! It is no good tapping your fingers, or sighing loudly if the man in the ham shop talks at great length to the customer he is serving, even after the ham has been delicately cut and wrapped in a cute little parcel, and money has changed hands. Even if there are 5 other people waiting to be served. He will keep chatting until he is ready to move on. End of story. Similarly, don’t toot if the person driving the car in front of you stops to talk to someone on the pavement. No-one else in the line-up will toot, the driver will finish his conversation and move on, and so will everyone else, all in good time.

What I didn’t like about Spain There’s nowhere to buy a coffee at 8:00am, cafes…….closed!

8:00 am - where can I get a coffee? — 8:00 am – where can I get a coffee?

To the cathedrals and churches of France

04.30.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

I am sure that you are all very impressive with your gothic towers, sumptuous knaves and altars, your tombs of saints and kings, your stained-glass windows, and your statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
It’s not that I have anything against you. A rainy day visit to Notre Dame in Paris is one I will always remember, and Sacre Coeur in Montmatre at dawn is particularly beautiful.

But you see I have just spent 6 weeks in Spain and I have seen an awful lot of cathedrals and churches. Every tourist guide to every place we visited has an impressive list of inglesias y catedrales you must visit. It is usually quite easy to find the cathedral, the gothic spires dominate the skyline; and like plazas in Spain, you only have to turn a corner to find a church. There is no disputing they range from quaint to impressive.

I totally fell in love with the fairy tale spires of Burgos Cathedral. One of the first stops for pilgrims on the El Camino Santiago de Compestella, the plaza in front of the cathedral has many cafes advertising the Pilgrim’s menu.

The stained glass windows in the Leon Cathedral are gorgoeous and I enjoyed watching the pilgrims, now over halfway on their pilgrimage to Sandiago de Compestella, striding across the plaza to the cathedral to get their passport stamped.

The shrine on the mountainside overlooking the village of Mijas is said to only be opened on Good Friday, and I climbed there twice only to find its heavy doors firmly closed both times. Nevertheless the views of the coast were spectacular.

In León we enjoyed sitting in the square in front of a church, watching the elderly Spanish men and women sitting and chatting for a while before going to evening mass. This church is also home to a pair of storks who have built their huge nest on the belfry.

Although I do not attend church I enjoyed the peace and calm of sitting inside each one I visited, often lighting a candle to keep my loved ones safe while I am away.

Lots of churches, lots of memories……lots of photos

But to be honest, I am quite over visiting houses of worship of any shape, size or religion.

So to the churches and cathedrals of France I apologize if I don’t put you at the top of the list of Must See While I’m in France. Please don’t take it personally.

Things you need to know about Spain – Siesta

04.29.2013 by Trish // Leave a Comment

Siesta? It’s not a myth. Many shops and cafes close after lunch and open again late afternoon. In smaller towns in particular there appears to be no rhyme nor reason to opening and closing times, so my advice is, if you see something you want, buy it. Even if you have to carry it around all day…..you may never see the shop open again!