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
