Montreuil Bellay

Up until now I've been nervous of going out & about on the wrong side of the road into a world were no one speaks my language. But today I was determined to venture out a little further than La Fosse. I made a trip to Liz's favourite butcher in St George Sur Layon and managed to negotiate a kilo & a half of lamb neck fillets for tomorrow night's Navarin of lamb. The butcher's tiny little Mama that served me was sweet & tried valiantly to make small talk with me. Everyone we have met has been so lovely especially Christine, Liz's neighbour & her small cute doggy named 'Capsule.'

After the meat adventure I drove on to a nearby town called Montreuil Bellay...

Chateau heaven. I had absolutely no idea there were so many in the Loire valley. What a dummy. Montreuil is one of those story book towns with honey coloured stone towers everywhere. No wonder there was a revolution here in France. The rich must have had an incredible life; it's also no wonder they had such impregnable walls surrounding their magnificent piles of stone.

Here for you also is a picture of the one doing all the work while I swan about, (although I do cycle up to the local pattisseie every morning for Tarte aux fruits or La Religeuse au chocolat)...luckily I bought my 'Buns-of-steel' DVD with me, otherwise there would be a lot more of me coming back to the UK than when we left a few weeks ago.