Pardon My French, Chapter 7: Bathing With Romans
It is our final full day in France, so we decided to spend it doing our last bit of shopping followed by a tour of the Roman Baths at Chassenon.
We headed for Limoges where we enjoyed a decent meal in the smokiest restaurant in all of France. That is a thing one has to get used to in France. The French smoke. And they do not apologize for it. Despite the EU laws that now require smoking and non-smoking sections of restaurants to be blocked off by actual physical walls, French restaurants are still heavy on the smoking side and contain no physical partitions. For the most part, it wasn't bad and I viewed it simply as a French quirk, but this particular restaurant was so busy, they stuck us in the smoking section next to a couple of chimneys. It was bad. We bolted our food and ran for the door.
After airing out, we head for the main shopping area. I found a boulangerie (surprise, surprise) and tried a lemon tart. Beyond delightful! The buttery crust crumbled in my mouth, while the tangy sweet filling tangoed across my tongue. YUMMY!
Jimbo picked up goodies at the local chocolaterie for the girls at his work, while I picked up a few chocolates for Paul and Mish. Another chocolaterie proved a source of the most delicious violet bonbons. A box just jumped into my bag and begged me to take it home with me. I could not refuse!
A few doors down was a delightful little shop crammed with soaps and lotions and potions and all sorts of girlie things. Feeling like the proverbial bull in a china shop, Jimbo bowed out. I found a gorgeous little white soap that smelled like heaven. Another goodie for Mish.
For myself, I found a little teacup and saucer made right there in Limoges. It was painted with those same flowers we found growing all around the area. It seemed a perfect little souvenir to take home and a nice addition to my collection (of which nearly all are sadly languishing at mom and dad's).
We finally stumbled upon an outdoor food market. One of the stalls was selling an apple tart. I bought a piece for us to share and it was so delicious, we bought a whole one to take home for supper. I must say it was quite the hit!
On our way home we stopped in Chassenon at the Gallo-Roman Baths of Cassinomagus. The Baths date back to the end of the 1st century, but were only rediscovered in the 1950s. Since then, the site has been slowly excavated bit by bit, with more excavation happening in 2008. With each bit discovered, the archaeologists are able to learn more about life in France during Roman times. Though not as well restored as the baths in Bath, it was still a fascinating step back in time. I felt well satisfied. My journey was complete.
And so, the following day we headed back to England’s chilly shores and our ordinary, everyday lives. For now, our grand adventures behind us.
But not for long! Next week, I’m off to Northern Ireland….
We headed for Limoges where we enjoyed a decent meal in the smokiest restaurant in all of France. That is a thing one has to get used to in France. The French smoke. And they do not apologize for it. Despite the EU laws that now require smoking and non-smoking sections of restaurants to be blocked off by actual physical walls, French restaurants are still heavy on the smoking side and contain no physical partitions. For the most part, it wasn't bad and I viewed it simply as a French quirk, but this particular restaurant was so busy, they stuck us in the smoking section next to a couple of chimneys. It was bad. We bolted our food and ran for the door.
After airing out, we head for the main shopping area. I found a boulangerie (surprise, surprise) and tried a lemon tart. Beyond delightful! The buttery crust crumbled in my mouth, while the tangy sweet filling tangoed across my tongue. YUMMY!
Jimbo picked up goodies at the local chocolaterie for the girls at his work, while I picked up a few chocolates for Paul and Mish. Another chocolaterie proved a source of the most delicious violet bonbons. A box just jumped into my bag and begged me to take it home with me. I could not refuse!
A few doors down was a delightful little shop crammed with soaps and lotions and potions and all sorts of girlie things. Feeling like the proverbial bull in a china shop, Jimbo bowed out. I found a gorgeous little white soap that smelled like heaven. Another goodie for Mish.
For myself, I found a little teacup and saucer made right there in Limoges. It was painted with those same flowers we found growing all around the area. It seemed a perfect little souvenir to take home and a nice addition to my collection (of which nearly all are sadly languishing at mom and dad's).
We finally stumbled upon an outdoor food market. One of the stalls was selling an apple tart. I bought a piece for us to share and it was so delicious, we bought a whole one to take home for supper. I must say it was quite the hit!
On our way home we stopped in Chassenon at the Gallo-Roman Baths of Cassinomagus. The Baths date back to the end of the 1st century, but were only rediscovered in the 1950s. Since then, the site has been slowly excavated bit by bit, with more excavation happening in 2008. With each bit discovered, the archaeologists are able to learn more about life in France during Roman times. Though not as well restored as the baths in Bath, it was still a fascinating step back in time. I felt well satisfied. My journey was complete.
And so, the following day we headed back to England’s chilly shores and our ordinary, everyday lives. For now, our grand adventures behind us.But not for long! Next week, I’m off to Northern Ireland….
posted by SheaLuna | 11:42 AM
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