Salut,
This is the second time I am writing this post. The first one disappeared somewhere so let’s start again.
Last weekend we took Clio for a bit of a spin and also had my first attempt at driving on the wrong side of the road. I managed to get through roundabouts and park her without hitting anything, but my spatial awareness needs some work. I keep on drifting over to the right side of the lane and Lee was bracing himself for ending up in a ditch or side- swiping some parked cars. Luckily the traffic around Cherbourg is not too bad but there are some pretty narrow streets, so with on-coming traffic and parked cars you just hold your breath and be thankful you are not driving a big car.
We visited Chateau des Ravalet which is only about 10 minutes away. The gardens were open to the public, as well as a number of local nurseries selling plants etc. We particularly wanted to go there because of the painting we bought several weeks ago at Barfleur. The artist told us he painted it at the Chateau so we were on the lookout for the same scene. Here is a picture of the painting and the photo we took of what we assume is the same aspect.
The gardens were lovely and many things either in full flower or getting close. It was funny to see so many Australian Native plants for sale. They are not uncommon in Cherbourg, particularly callistemons. Here’s a few photos of the many that we took.
Last Sunday we went for a country drive and headed to Maison du Biscuit which we have heard a lot about. It’s a very touristy place that sells all sorts of over-priced biscuits and other tasty treats.
And then we headed west to Barneville-Carteret which is on the coast and easy sight of Jersey. It’s a very pretty place (although the perfect weather helps a lot).
This is one of the departure ports for the ferries to Jersey but we couldn’t understand why the timetables were so random. The departure times were all over the place, and then we realised that it might have something to do with the tides.
And then it was time for lunch. We found a nice little waterfront place that does a Sunday seafood buffet. Most of the offerings were things that used to live in shells – mussels, oysters, prawns and these things….sea snails (or whelks and winkles) and taste worse than they look. Which is not pretty. But the locals were digging in, so they are obviously popular.
Bye for now.
L & M
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