星期五黃昏時分從 Carcassonne 駕車返抵 Portet-sur-Garonne ; 避開了翌日即八月首個週末在法國公路滿是渡假人潮的大塞車。
週末這兩天除了到超市買鎹外，就是行行企企地渡過，亦有到離開栢文不遠的 river Garonne 看看這兒比較寬濶的河景。途中經過村鎮大街的一家越南餐廳卻是沒有吃到 pho 河粉的福份，蓋因餐廳東主像法國一半的人一樣已經開始亨受一整個月的假期。
回家後交了另一個眀友，名字叫 Margaux，就是數天前在陽台吃早餐時遇到的屋主的小狗。
Back to our rental apartment in Portet-sur-Garonne on Friday night, before France’s summer holiday heavy traffic packs the freeways during the first weekend of August.
Relaxing time at Portet-sur-Garonne with leisurely walk along the river Garonne. Came across a Vietnamese restaurant yet no luck for pho ; owner has started summer vacation like half of France !
Back at the apartment, made a new friend called Margaux, the housekeeper’s doggie whom I’ve first encountered a few days ago. Very French, love to rollover to get attention !
既然之前提過這週末是買餸和行行企企，那麼總不能沒有食飯幾味啊...
炆牛煵 ...... 8 歐羅
水煑魷魚 ...... 10 歐羅
炒豬柳 ...... 6 歐羅
龍蝦湯 ...... 3.8 歐羅
2012 Givry (Beaune) ...... 11 歐羅
食得超開心 ..... 無價 !!!
In lieu of Vietnamese pho, we went for 三餸一湯 (three meats and one soup) prepared at home. Here is what I’ve to say :
Braised beef brisket with veg : 8 euros
Pre-cooked cattle fish with herbs : 10 euros
Wok-fried pork with veg : 6 euros
Pre-cooked lobster bisque : 3.8 euros
2012 Givry, Beaune (35cl) : 11 euros
Joy & happiness : priceless
在法國接近西班牙邊界的 Ariege 區域亦即是 Pyrenees 山脈地帶，佈滿不少人類史前年代已有人跡的山洞；而 Mas d’Azil cave 是歐洲最大亦是唯一可以駕車穿過的。
這兒雖然沒有像附近的 Niaux cave 那般保存了一萬多至三萬年前的原始動物壁畫，但 Mas d’Azil cave 當中有不少偌大平坦的地勢，曾經於歴史不同年代替包括早期基督教、十二世紀的 Cathar 信徒、和十四世紀的 Huguenot 基督徒等提供了受宗教壓迫的避難所；當然亦少不了人類在公元前三萬年的祖先，以及比他們還要早期的黑灰熊，不少後者的屍骨曾經被發現而現時在附近的博物館展出。
我們在官方導遊帶領下到達山洞其中一處地勢平坦地方，以前曾經是河邊並提供魚獲給在此生活的人類；在一遍只有微光的漆黑中，感覺像回到很久很久之前....
Of the many Pyrenean prehistoric caves in the Ariege region near the Spanish border, the Mas d’Azil cave is the largest and Europe’s only drive-through cave. Although without the marvellous crayon wall paintings of horses and bisons of the Niaux cave, the expansive flat surfaces of Mas d’Azil cave has provided sanctuary for early Christians, Cathars and Huguenots arising from religious suppression, not to mention our human ancestors of some 30,000 years ago and before that, flocks of cave bears whose skeletons can be seen at the cave and the museum.
In the semi-darkness, the vast empty cave is eerily moving. Unfortunately, no photography allowed during the guided tour of the cave.
這天我們選擇駕車到 Mas d’Azil cave 而非 Niaux cave ，主要是因為前者距離較為接近 Toulouse ，可以即日來回。
但我們卻不知道因為是前往山洞區域，後半段路程連接 Mas d’Azil 的道路有部份是頗為崎嶇曲折的單程山路，所以都有些微吃力，但亦因而路經幾個十三世紀時的 Cathar 山城和小鎮，像是停留在數百年前的法國南部一樣。
回程時我們在想，將來我們不一定會記得這一批名叫 Sabarat, Lanoux, Carla-Bayle, Saint-Suzanne 和 Saint-Suplice-Sur-Lece 的小鎮和村落的名字，但是我們一定會記起這些滿是牛群的山路、在路旁流連的雞鴨、高低起伏的山岥、帶點殘舊的磚木屋.... 和滿山花朵盛放的向日葵田野... 使我想起披頭四的歌名；Strawberry 又或者 Sunflower Fields Forever!
The reason we went to the Mas-d’Azil cave, instead of the Niaux cave, was the former was much closer distance-wise from our place, and could be done as a day trip.
What we didn’t know was we had to travel through rather hilly terrain with narrow country roads, some single lane only.... thus we struggled a little to drive through the Ariege countryside of Cathar towns and fortresses of the 12th Century, as well as rustic villages that would make the Cotswolds feel contemporary !
In time, I may forget names of villages and towns such as Sabarat, Lanoux, Carla-Bayle, Sainte-Suzanne and Saint-Sulpice-sur-Lece, but I’ll remember the cows, ducks and chickens by the road, the rolling hills, the half-timbered row houses and the spectacular sunflower fields... sunflower fields forever!
明天開始，會有親朋戚友自遠方(香港) 來。我們約好在 Pyrenees-Atlantiques 區域，離開西班牙東北部邊界兩小時車程的首府城市 Pau 會合，之後一起遊覽 Bearn 和 Pyrenees 山脈區域數天。
在此之前，我們需要為這行程作好準備，既要替車子注滿汽油和替輪軩打氣，亦趁機替洗車清潔一番。在法國這個愈來愈依靠機械操作的社會，入油站和公路收費站都是全機器運作，洗車亦同樣的全自動，收費8 歐羅。我們花在了解如何操作付款機器的時間還要多於洗車服務！完成後有超級滿足感！
For rest of the week, we have planned to meet up with relatives and friends from Hong Kong in Pau and Eugenie-Les-Bains in the Bearn region, close to the Pyrenees. Before the trip, time to fill up the tank and check the tyre pressure, and give the car a bit of clean-up too. As with toll booths and petrol stations, the carwash is totally mechanised hence only 8 euros for a thorough clean job!
我們這天中午由 Toulouse 向西面向出發，兩小時左右到達在 Pyrenees-Atlantiques 區域的首府城市 Pau 。我們的計劃是與三位親朋戚友在 Pau 會合後，在未來幾天到 Pyrenees 山脈二千五百多米高點 Pic du Midi 觀看週圍風景，在 Pau 附近的一處酒莊參觀，和在 Les Pres d’Eugenie 吃一頓晚餐。
結果是除了晚餐㚈，我們的行程變成了到法國最多訪客的石洞，其他目的地則需要經過一段泥路，和一直到在海一方....
但這些都是後話。在這天晚上，我們在 Pau 舊城區一個挺舒適的噴泉廣場中吃晚飯，聴聴香港近期的八卦新聞... 🤪 🤪
Two cousins and a good friend from Hong Kong have arranged to meet with us in the city of Pau (two hours from San Sebastián in Spain) to spend a few days together in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region. Our plan was to visit Pic du Midi (at 2500M plus altitude) to catch the panoramic view of the Pyrénées, have a meal at Les Pres d’Eugénie, and perhaps visit a vineyard near Pau....
As it turned out, aside from the meal, we ended up with some rather different destinations... by the sea, through a dirt road, and at the most visited rock cave in France...
Before all that, on Day 38, the five of us had our first meal together in Pau, at the old town in front of one beautiful fountain cos it was so simple... The adventure would begin the next day...
這天我們醒來才確定 Pic du Midi 這兩天都有風雨兼且有霧，山上氣溫降至攝氏單位數字。我們唯有取消上山計劃，改為沿著西南方向到大西洋沿海尋找較好的天氣。
Biarritz 距離 Pau 約一小時半車程，是法國於十九世紀中首個在海邊的渡假城鎮之一，比 Deauville 和尼斯 (Nice) 要早近半個世紀，皆因當時喜歡到 Biarritz 溫泉的貴族階級發現海中𣈱泳對身體同樣有好處，而法國皇帝拿破倫三世更在 Biarritz 替皇后建做臨海官殿，現今是爆星級酒店和賭場。
而在這天，這個法國滑浪之都的海灘只有青少年在海中近岸處嬉戲，其他遊客包括我們都在岸邊流連，欣賞大西洋的巨浪和陰晴不定的天空，及享受近年我覺得最為美味的 Gillardeau 生蠔。
We woke up to the worst weather forecast for Pic du Midi over the next two days, so we decided to go west to look for better weather on the Atlantic coast near Spain...
Biarritz, where its spas had made bathing in open sea fashionable in mid-19th Century for upper class Europeans, nearly half a century before Deauville and Nice.
On our visit, only the youngsters would venture into the waves; rest of the summer crowd including us watched and amazed at the changing colours of the sky !... and the best Gillardeau oysters I’ve tasted in a long time.
汽車的衞星導航系統告訴我們已經抵達目的地，但環顧四周只有兩間相連的村屋在一條泥路儘頭！我們確是到達了在小城 Mont de Marsen 外圍的 L’Arberge du Grande Megnos 餐廳，在 Trip Advisor 綱頁儘是法文編寫的五星推介，英語食客久奉，難道是法國人的祕密 ？
餐廳在面積較大，具有五百多年歴史的磚木屋，店主和大廚及子女則住在相連有六間房間的村屋。餐廳菜單不大，出名的是鴨肝、烤鴨和牛喉肉 (sweet bread) ，三度菜連紅白餐酒每人約為 40 歐羅。
這天餐廳是坐無虛設，氣氛隨和及舒適，整個午餐感受是五星 ！要留意的是餐廳在夏季每星期只有四天午餐和兩天晚餐服務。
The GPS said we’ve arrived at our destination, although a large corn field separated us from a farmhouse structure whose access is through a dirt road. Yes we’ve indeed arrived at the Restaurant L’auberge du Grand Mrgnos, at the small town of Mont-de-Marsan, whose reviews at Tripadvisor.com, mostly written in French, have all scored 5 stars.
The half-timbered main house is more than 500 years old; the owner and chef and the family live in the 6-room annex; the cooking is country bistro style; the specialties are duck, foie gras and sweetbread; the price is around 40 euros for three courses with wine.
The atmosphere during lunch is jovial and casual; the dining experience is... 5 stars !
離開 Mont de Marsen 約半小時車程就到達以溫泉渡假區出名的小鎮 Eugenie-les-Bains，當然還有年屆七十多歲的 Michel Guerard 賴以成名的 Les Pres d’Eugenie 餐廳。當晩他老人家傍晚仍在餐廳短暫出現，監督他與 Paul Bocose 於七零年代同期倡議的 nouveau cuisine...
對於我們來説，食物是經典質素而勝於不需為靚而靚和流於取巧，而餐廳的偌大花園空間加上別樹一格的園藝佈置，輕易地將這裏的感覺提升至另一層次。
我們在歐洲的第四十天旅程，是由中午一直吃到深夜...
Half an hour by car from Mont-de-Marsen lies the town of Eugénie-les-Bains, where 71-year old Michel Guerard runs the Les Pres d’Eugenie and continues to invent and reinvent nouveau cuisine.... His classic dishes still feel contemporary; the garden setting brings the dining ambience to another level.
Day 40 of our 2018 Summer Sojourn, we just ate and drank all day....
有些時候，一間已經是極為出色的餐廳依舊可以更勝一籌，就是那個飲食空間的設計與營造... Les Pres d’Eugenie, by Michel Guerard.
Sometimes, what makes a special restaurant special is not just the food... it is the setting... Les Pres d’Eugenie, by Michel Guerard.
我總是覺得，每一個到訪盧爾德 (Lourdes) 的訪者都是有其原因，也許亦是一種呼喚，正如少女時候的聖女 Bernadette Soubirous 於十九世紀中數次目睹聖母瑪利亞顯靈一般。
我們是在兩天前駕車前往 Pau 途中，在公路上看到往 Lourdes 的出口指示牌而察覺原來這兩個地方只是二十分鐘距離的車程。
這一天，我們到訪法國每年最多訪客的山洞，無數人祈求顯靈的山洞。在這兒，山洞石壁在手上的感覺是如斯平滑，心靈是如斯平靜....
Everyone visiting Lourdes have their reason(s) to be there... in a way it is a unique calling, ever since 1858 when Saint Bernadette Soubirous experienced the apparition of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Millions have since visited this rock cave in Lourdes....
Feeling the cool surface of the rock cave so gentle and soothing on one’s palm... in one’s mind...
我們在 Lourdes 有幸有不幸，不幸是太太的表姐意外跌倒弄至膝蓋有皮外傷，令我深感抱歉，因為來 Lourdes 是我的建議。幸運是八月十二日的星期日有重要大型彌撒舉行，所以很多天主教信徒都安排了當天才出現，反而免了我們這天需要排隊輪候長久時間才能進入聖母瑪利亞顯靈的山洞。
正因如此，我們多了點時間在返回 Toulouse 前在充滿歷史的城市 Pau 流連多一會。作為中世紀 Navarre 和 Bearn 區域的首府，法國的 「好皇帝」(the good king) 享利四世是在 Pau 出生，而現時瑞典皇室 Bernadotte 家族的首位皇帝，亦即拿破倫一世的左右手亦是一樣，所以 Pau 可謂皇氣十足。
其實 Pau 距離西班牙陸上邊界約為五十公里，離開大西洋海岸亦只是一百公里，是旅遊 Pyrenees-Atlantiques 區域的最佳基地。這兒的舊城有美輪美奐的市政廳，望向精心設計的花園廣場，之後就是一望無際的 Pyrenees 山脈。所以法國十九世紀著名詩人作家和政客 Alphonse de Lamartine 就曾經說過：「Pau 可以看到大地最佳的風景，就如拿不列斯 (Naples)有著大海最美的風光」。
After Lourdes, we drove back to Pau with two hours to spare, before heading to Toulouse for the evening. A little unfortunate since there is so much history worth exploring in Pau.
As the capital of Navarre and Bearn region since 15th Century, Pau is the birthplace of the good king Henry IV who ended the French Wars of Religion in 1598 by converting to Catholicism and becoming king of France, hence his saying “Paris is worth a Mass”. If that sounds a bit cocky, let us not forget the Wars of Religion lasted almost 35 years among the Catholic and Protestant in France, resulting in three million deaths from violence, famine and diseases, and ended by Henry IV known in France as the good king, cos he also said the peasants should be able to have chicken in their pot on Sundays !
Today, Pau enjoys its promoxity to Spain (50 km) and the Atlantic coast (100 km) hence a good base for tourists like us to explore the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region. It also has one of the prettiest Town Halls in France with a tree-lined square, beyond which holds the lovely views of the Pyrénées in the distance.
On a quiet Saturday afternoon, town folks enjoyed a street performance and rest under the shades at Boulevard du Pyrénées, so laid back, so quaint...
No items found.
