Sean doesn't speak any French but we have been coming here regularily for 8 years so he has inevitably picked up the odd phrase or two. And, of course, many French and English words are very similar. So, we were driving from Foix, where we had been to the weekly market, to St Girons, where we were going to the Intermarche to pick up a few things for our evening meal, when we passed a sign that said 'Ferme de les Reptiles'. After a few seconds, Sean asked 'Did that just say 'Farm of Reptiles?'. I congratulated him on his perceptive translation and a few miles further on we passed a sign saying 'Parc Dinosaurs'. I had to laugh at the apparent one-upmanship! 'But', interjected a very serious husband, 'only one of them will have live exhibits.'
I do hope it is the latter but we didn't stop to find out...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Dutch Cyclists.
The area around Biert is a favourite place for walkers and cyclists. The Tour de France regularily comes through here and most of the visitors to the area come for the mountain trails and cycling opportunities. There are about 30 Dutch cyclists staying in the auberge near where we are staying and as we have been driving through the mountains around here they have been puffing and panting their way up and freewheeling down the windy mountain roads.
I do wonder, though, what practice Dutch cyclists have for the mountainous terrain in the Pyrenees. Holland is famously flat so I guess the first few days must be murder on the leg muscles and then they either get used to it or give up and succumb to the call of the wine.
I do wonder, though, what practice Dutch cyclists have for the mountainous terrain in the Pyrenees. Holland is famously flat so I guess the first few days must be murder on the leg muscles and then they either get used to it or give up and succumb to the call of the wine.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Unknown whiskeys
Tony and Sue live fairly close to the Spanish border so we decided to drive over for the day. There isn't a lot to see except for stunning mountain views but the town of Vielha is quite pretty. Unfortunately we got there in time for the siesta so everything was closed! We managed to have some lunch then went for a wander through the old narrow streets but couldn't do any shopping.
A lot of French people travel across the border for cheap goods and booze so there are many supermarkets and factory outlets dotted along the roads. On the way back we stopped in one of them, a soulless warehouse piled high with bottles of every kind of alcohol. I was particularly interested to see how many kinds of whiskey they sold, several of which I had never previously heard of. The kind called Sir Pitterson was a strange pink colour and was available in 2 litre plastic bottles! This was probably the worst offence against whiskey but was by no means the only one, unfortunately.
A lot of French people travel across the border for cheap goods and booze so there are many supermarkets and factory outlets dotted along the roads. On the way back we stopped in one of them, a soulless warehouse piled high with bottles of every kind of alcohol. I was particularly interested to see how many kinds of whiskey they sold, several of which I had never previously heard of. The kind called Sir Pitterson was a strange pink colour and was available in 2 litre plastic bottles! This was probably the worst offence against whiskey but was by no means the only one, unfortunately.
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