River Life

By gum! this French trip went well. What shall I bore you with? I know, I shall write about the rivers. I stayed mostly by the river Lot, which rises in the Cévennes, flows West for 480 Ks, and eventually pours itself into to Garonne at Auguillon. You will probably know it best from the famous medieval, three towered bridge started in 1308, (Pont Valentre) at Cahors (a fabulous town full of architectural delights, including the Romanesque cathedral, the roofs of which look lovely reflected in the river.

The place I liked best on this river however was Villeneuve-sur-Lot, only a cannon shot from Fumel where I stayed for a week or more. In the afternoon there I chatted to the line-fishermen on the bank, in my hideous French, about the place and the fish. The guy with the very short legs in blue trousers (many rural Frenchmen seem to have short legs) Told me that the Emperor Charlemagne had stayed there for a while he liked it so much. He was fishing for 'Sandre' I think he said (the fisherman with the short legs, not Charlemaigne), but they seemed rather too small to me and probably full of tiny bones. He tossed them one at a time into his bucket where they swam round and round together until supper-time.

Later in the evening, after a nap in the car, and getting on for dinnertime, I went into the center to find a meal. Nothing seemed very likely but I was probably in the wrong part of town. It seemed to be the immigrant quarter with only Indian and kebab restaurants. I opted for a large, almost empty brasserie, but as I parked up, two sports cars drew up alongside, each with four young women who danced across the road to my Brasserie where they shared a table out on the terrace. I sat outside too at first but the waiter kindly suggested that I go up the stairs inside the salon if I wished to eat. The meal was incredible! The starter I chose was a salad with foix grass, smoked duck thigh and confit of chicken gizzards - fabulous but so rich and filling that I could hardly look at the over generous helping of scallop and king prawn brochettes that followed- not like me I can tell you!

By the time I had finished my meal the place was throbbing! I had hit the centre of the gay scene in the region! It really was gay too, in the old meaning of the word. There was hardly a mixed sex couple in the whole place, upstairs or down. If only I had been a fortnight younger I would have stayed for a few drinks….. They were all young and full of life and the place was jumping with music, light and chatter. I drove back to my quiet rooms grinning foolishly about the irony of aging. Just as I am beginning to understand the world a little, I find myself too old to cope with it. How refreshingly different it was from the rather dark and seedy gay clubs and bars one comes across in England! (by accident I hasten to add!) Perhaps it has something to do with the climate.

If you are really good, I might tell you something more about my encounters with the wonderful people of South West France. If you are really, REALLY good, I promis I won't

Pip pip,

The Leg