Monday, February 10, 2020

10/02/2020 Join us on a drive through the country and lunch at Bouton D'Or.

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 15C, minimum 10C. Rain measured this morning 6mm.  Total this year to date 117mm.  31km/h south-westerly wind with gusts up to 75 km/h.

Leaving home we headed out on an empty road towards Saint Claud...

Saint Claud.This road used to be the main N141 trunk road before the bypass came!

Soon all these trees will be sprouting; the only green at present is the ivy which is taking over.

Through the village of Grand Madieu.

The narrow roads of Champagne Mouton.

We crossed over the L'Or (gold) river.

Through the village of Benest where we saw this 2CV minus a wheel...

and at the war memorial, we turned here towards Chatain on the D4

Hmmm, somewhat narrow streets in Chatain; we just managed to get out of the way for the truck to come through...

To drive past the church of Saint-Pierre.

Over the 17th century vaulted arch bridge called Pont de Chatain that crosses the Charente river..

The beautiful avenue of trees that should have taken us to Charroux; somehow the satnav missed the village going this way, but we discovered it on our way back home!

Finally the sign to Saint Romain, our destination. There is another of the same name 4 miles away, so it's confusing!

 The church in Saint Romain...

and the restaurant - Bouton D'Or, with its baguette machine outside for the convenience of local residents.

Inside the restaurant.  We were early, so I managed this photo before any more arrivals.  We actually had a bit of a floor show later with a gentleman on the piano, and presumably, it was his wife singing along!

We started out with soup, not a very interesting photo, followed by this charcuterie, and of course French bread...

The main course was sausage, meatballs and haricot casserole; it was very tasty but did not make a very good photo.  Then came the famous French cheese board with dried fruit, nuts, chutney and jam. Delicious.

Dessert was a crepe with some fruit, flavoured with cognac.  Not forgetting the bottle of red wine that came with the meal.  All followed by an espresso coffee.
A bargain at only €16.50 each for the lot!

Returning home, we went through the town of Charroux which we somehow missed on the route going !!
The colour of this photo was very odd so I decided that black and white would be better.
You can see part of the ancient covered market on the right, and beyond it is the Charlemagne tower, the remains of the ruined Charroux abbey. You can read about it HERE.

The beautiful covered market. 

and finally you can see just how much rain we have had, by this shot of flooded fields.


See also my



28 comments:

  1. A baguette dispenser is handy. The meal we economical and delicious looking.

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    1. Most of these small restaurants are reasonable for lunch during the week, we are lucky. Have a good day, Diane

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  2. A baguette dispenser sounds awful! i want to go into the bakery and smell it baking and chat to the people working there. As for all that cheese, my saliva glands are working overtime. I could be bought off with such a feast! I have to say, considering all that you ate, with a bottle of wine, it was very reasonable.

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    1. I presume the bread is put in fresh every morning, the locals must use it or it would not be there. It is the first one I have ever seen. The meals at lunch time during the week are fairly reasonable in most of the small cafes. That is one of the best cheese platters though I must say. Hope all as well. Diane

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  3. You took us on a wonderful ride. Beautiful countryside and towns, also a nice restaurant with yummy food :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Denise. Have a good day Diane

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  4. Thank you..I love riding through that town with you. Love seeing your country side. The baguette dispenser is something different for us in the states. Our dispensers usually just hold soft drinks.

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    1. Pam I have never seen a baguette dispenser before,it is new to me as well!! Hope all is well, Diane

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  5. Nice drive and lunch looks yummy.

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    1. Thanks Gaelyn, it was a nice day out. Hope all is well, Diane

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  6. A nice and wonderful ride and I enjoy the photos showing your side of the world. A nice restaurant to enjoy your meal.

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    1. It was a really nice day out and the only one for weeks that we could get out in the dry!! Keep well Diane

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  7. Lovely to see the French countryside through your lens and the nice clear skies. Where I live we've had record rainfall and in 2020 it is about over 300 mm to date (Feb. 11/20). Thankfully we had some nice sunshine over the weekend. Have a lovely week ahead.

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    1. Wow 300mm is a lot, the world weather has gone mad. Today the 15th is like a true spring day, unbelievable for February!! Keep well Diane

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  8. Thanks for the beautiful drive through your district. All the villages look so ancient but the meal looked exquisite. We have had lots of rain too but at least it has put out the bushfires.

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    1. I am not sure which is worse the fires or the flooding. At least the flooding will not spread like the fires have or kill as many animals! Keep well t'other Diane

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  9. What a lovely trip in France, Diane! Thank you so much for the lovely photo you share with us. The photo in black and white is amazing. And I have never seen a baguette machine! This sounds interesting! I haven't been in France but I am going to visit Paris soon, maybe this year. Hugs, my dear friend.

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    1. Mia that is the first baguette machine I have seen as well, but I guess it is a good idea for a small town with no boulangerie and they can get fresh bread delivered there daily. Paris is lovely, but I am not fond of big cities I prefer the country. Have a good day Diane

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  10. I always enjoy your 'travelogues', Diane, and this blog post is no exception.

    That cheese board did not disappoint. Do you know what all the various cheeses were? I used to visit France quite often, and got quite hooked on French cheese. I used to cary the Dorling Kindersley "French Cheeses" book with me - a very informative book which describes itself as "The visual guide to more than 350 cheeses from every region of France". If you don't have it, I thoroughly recommend it.

    My best wishes to you both - - - Richard

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    1. Richard we knew probably about 1/2 of the cheeses and yes we do have a book but there seem to be s lot of new cheeses on the market now that are not in the book.

      Keep well and have a great weekend Diane

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  11. What a lovely drive Diane, the tall winter trees along the way are gorgeous! I can just imagine what the market place would look like on market day. The baguette machine made me smile, I had heard of them but just didn't imagine they would go down well there considering how the French feel about le pain 😊 Scrumptious looking lunch, right down to the biscuit for your coffee, it's the little details xox

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    1. Grace it is the first baguette machine I have seen as well, but I guess it is a good idea for a small town with no boulangerie and they can get fresh bread delivered there daily. Lunch in that restaurant has never failed us yet, and the owner/chef is the friendliest guy ever. Apart from being in the kitchen he always comes to each table and has a chat. Keep well Diane xx

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  12. Replies
    1. The food there is always good but the trip is worth it just for the cheese platter 😊 Hope you have a good day, Diane

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  13. Replies
    1. It was a lovely drive. Thanks for the comment Diane

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  14. Hello, Lovely views from the road and of the pretty village. The food looks delicious, especially the cheese platter. I would be in heaven, yum. Your trip looks fabulous, great photos. Enjoy your day, wishing you a great new week! PS, thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Hi Eileen,thanks for the comment. It is a great restaurant, one we always enjoy and yes the cheese platter is always very special. You have a good week also. Diane

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