Yes, it's a holiday blog post! A friend of mine recently pointed out that, back in the day, we used to invite people round to our houses to show them our holiday snaps, often in the form of slides projected onto blank screens. (Most of my Dad's snaps from the 70s are in slide form. I've not seen any of them since 1985.) Now, we share them on social media. Which is progress, of a sort. So...
France. A lovely country. Visiting the Perigord and Charente regions last week was very nice - relaxing, calm and, occasionally, very surprising. Wandering the streets of La Rochefoucauld trying to work out what the tourist information signs were saying using my (very) rusty knowledge of French and the frequently stilted offerings of Google Translate on Wednesday satisfied the important impulses to (a) soak in authentic local atmosphere and (b) stimulate the mind. (Tanning was one of La Rochefoucauld's primary industries, apparently, until the late 17th century. Being a predominantly Protestant trade, Louis XIV's revoking of the Treaty of Nantes in 1685 prompted many of the tanners to leave, decimating the town's tanning industry.)
The weather was beautiful and so was the town...
Then there was the chateau, a picture of which I've already shared. Beautiful building with some stunning views. (Below is a view from the ramparts looking out towards the town across the Tardoire river.)
Friday was Angouleme where, amongst other things, we bumped into a very nice French woman (and her family) who schooled me on how to say 'dehors' properly and who told us that her English was terrible despite all the evidence to the contrary. Angouleme is a small city, famous for, amongst other things, comic art. And there's a lot of it around the place. Some of these pictures I've shared already but they're worth sharing again. This one I just love...
The puppet theatre was closed sadly. This artwork is pretty special though...
And another mural...
And finally, the Church St Martial. Beautiful building. (Sorry, but I've always had a thing for ecclesiastical architecture!)
Something that isn't shown in the pictures is just how polite and welcoming the French are as a people. Far warmer than your average Englishman, I'd say. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will go back either next year or the year after. Next time, Paris, I think! :D
