Hot sunny day. A few high-altitude clouds about. Becoming very close in the late evening (the humidity not the clouds).
A day of travel and tourism. Paul had to get back to Limoges to catch the plane to England. Originally he thought this was going to be an early start and I’d offered him a lift all the way rather than the complicated train/taxi alternative from Brive. However, it transpired his plane wasn’t until the afternoon, but by then I’d already committed to a day of driving.
Before we set off I had to take a petanque team photo, and of course a jumping shot. Well in Paul’s case it’s more gravity-defying than most and it’s the best we could get after a few attempts.
Dropped him off at Limoges airport about midday, said our au-revoirs , and then I started back. I thought I’d take in some of the towns I wanted to visit on the way back and make some tourist stops.
I first stopped at Uzerche for lunch. Had a little ride around to find a nice place to eat and settled for an unassuming little place by the river. They only had a plat-du-jour on (like everywhere), so I unassumingly ate my way through a 4-course meal consisting of rather too much meat for the average vegetarian. Walked-off my lunch with a little tour around the town – very pretty as expected – and then drove on to Tulle.
At Tulle I parked in the only non-paying car-park I could find. I walked down into the town and went to the tourist offices to ask them if they’ve heard of an invention called the internet in these parts. They ummed & ahhed a bit and suggested I try the newsagent. I managed to get connected there just long enough to check my emails, but it was so hot and cramped in there that I didn’t want to stay longer than a 2 euro session.
Then I repaired to a bar in the town square to take in the atmosphere. I always find that sitting outside with a little light refreshment on a hot day is an ideal way to introduce oneself to the pace of life in a strange town. It’s always interesting watching the locals and the tourists and the traffic and the workmen and the world go by as you decide your next course of action. I noticed that people do move slowly in this town.
So I wandered around slowly for a bit and took in some of the history, but before long it was time to get back. I went back via a tile superstore where I was able to get some tiles for my worktop at a reasonable price at last, so I was pleased that I’d come back this way from Limoges rather than taking the motorway all the way.
Got back home, and the 4 course lunch was still sitting heavy in my stomach so I didn’t want to eat. By about 8 o’clock though I was feeling peckish but I didn’t know what to eat. Fortunately Madame Tronche shouted up at me at that precise moment to offer me another punnet of strawberries. What a bit of luck.
Rounded off the day with a delicious bowl of freshly-picked strawberries (“They’ll only spoil” she said but they were perfect).
