Hallelulia!  I managed all three of my tasks for the day!  The last travellers’cheques (ever in my life!) have been cashed, the umbrellas is back in safe hands and I did my tour.  I also managed to find the phone number of British Airways at Lyon (thanks to a friendly local travel agent) and confirmed my return flight.  Apparently it will take off at 13.30, and not 12.30 as previously stated, so I should arrive back in Manchester at around 2.45pm.  (Unless of course they change their mind later!)

After breakfast, I noted that nothing much was opening, (well there’s a surprise) and so I closely read some of the opening time notices and found that those places that weren’t closed for the fermeture annuelle had pretty much decided that they didn’t do Monday mornings (or Mondays at all actually) and so I realised that there was little point in being in Roanne until the afternoon. I set off via Riorges to follow the old N7 route to St Martin-des-Estréaux; home of a charming, traditional restaurant where, 30 years ago, I regularly drove in the evenings to eat snails and coeurs de palmier, which were without doubt the best in the region - well worth the 50 mile trip!  

It was a fine day, with sunshine broken by the odd light shower. I stopped off at St Haon-le-Chatel to view and photograph the mediaeval village (very nice, but less faithfully preserved than Pérouges - it gave the impression of a high class dormitory suburb).  Then I stopped again to grab a coffee and a copy of Le Progrès in a square at Ambièrle.  I finally made it to St Martin and hardly recognised it at all!

The N7 had been diverted onto a ring-road and the town was now a peaceful country village.  Gone were the heavy lorries and the constant drone of traffic.  I walked along the route of the old N7 and found a bar called “Le Relais de St Martin” which had a hideous plastic frontage on it and looked like it had been built last year.  When I peered into the door however (it was of course closed for the fermeture annuelle!)  I saw that it disappeared into a very familiar old-fashioned dining-room deep in the building.  While I was taking photographs through the door, a rather puzzled and apparently disgruntled owner came to the door to see what the hell I thought I was playing at!  I explained patiently and he affirmed that the restaurant had been there for over 50 years. At this point, it was apparent that he was also far from fascinated with the conversation and wanted to be rid of this mad foreigner, so I left him and went up the road for a sandwich saucisson and a beer at the other bar in town.

I got back to Roanne at about 3pm and the town had woken up.  There were even some shops which had opened for the first time since I had arrived, (like a large bookshop I discovered in the rue Charles de Gaulle), so I had a good rummage around and bought several books there.  In fact, my shopping spree continued for a couple of hours before I returned to the hotel, laden with bags, and phoned Sammy to tell her of the new flight arrangements.  I also tried to ring Peter, but got an unobtainable message, so I don’t know how I will wish him a Happy Birthday tomorrow.

For my last night in Roanne, I had decided that I would eat at “L’Escargot” – one of Roanne’s classier restaurants.  

I chose the 30 € menu and had:
12 Escargots de Bourgogne, followed by;
Sole Meuneière aux épinards
This was followed by a sorbet to clear my palate, but they had soaked it in lashings of eau-de-vie de marc, and the effect was a bit like filling your mouth with paraffin and swallowing a lighted match!  With my palate cleared by several layers of skin, I went on to;
Pintadeau désossé au crème de champignons
Fromages secs
Crème brulée and
Café et cognac

With 50cl of Côtes Roannaise, it was a snip at 44 €.  I left 50 € because the waitresses had made such a good effort at coping with a deaf / daft Englishman who photographed each course as it arrived! (Another advantage of holidaying without your wife, who would never permit such eccentricity! - The photographs, not the tip).

And so to bed.  Tomorrow I have to leave Roanne and drive around Lyon to find somewhere to stay that is near to Satolas and the airport, ready for my flight home on Thursday.

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