Day 4 - Sunday 10th August - The Beaujolais

The heat-wave continues!  Breakfast under the trees in the farm courtyard this morning, and a fairly early start.  (All right, I succumbed and went in to Beaujeu first to re-visit the museum; say the right things to “la veuve Berlioz” and her mother and to buy a book for 8 €). But then it was off and up to the north of the Beaujolais.  Once again, I had great plans.  Strike out for Juliénas first (via Morgon, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent etc.) and then cruise back in a leisurely fashion, stopping off to stroll and photograph as I went.  Phase 1 went very well and I made it to Juliénas in excellent time.  I parked up and spent a lazy hour sipping Perrier and reading a book while I listened to the jovial chatter of a group of weekend cyclists (dressed up in the full gear of course – the Tour de France only some talent away).

I then struck very lucky and discovered a garden restaurant run by a maître cuisinier and his wife.  Excellent three course meal – Jambon persillé with a home-made mustard mayonnaise.  Then gâteau de foie de vollaille au coulis de tomate, champignons en tranche and quenelles.  Finally, just for old-times sake, a fromage blanc.

After that, things descended a bit.  I got rather lost trying to find my way back to Moulin-à-Vent and did a circuit.  I passed some time at a marché aux puces which seemed to have taken up the entire centre of Jullié. (I found a pirate DVD of “A Bout de Souffle” and a large, interesting key.  It had been on display in the sun and the stall holder kindly dropped it in water so we could both handle it during the sale).   Then, going back to Juliénas again via Pruzilly, I got a puncture. ZUT!!  (Actually, as I wasn’t aware of it – rear tyre, noisy road, noisy ears etc. by the time I knew there was something badly wrong, I was driving on the wheel rim).  There followed one of the hottest forty minutes I can ever remember.  I was in the middle of nowhere on the top of a hill, surrounded by vineyards.  It was over 40°C in the shade and with nothing growing higher than 3 feet in a vineyard, there was no shade to be had.  I had studiously avoided standing in the sun for two days and now there was no alternative.  It also took a long time to fix the tyre. (Unfamiliar car; How does the jack work? Where do I put it? How can I grip the tyre spanner with fresh sun-tan lotion on my hands? How do I carry this heavy, awkward and red-hot lump of rubber and lift it into the boot?  Why did I wear pale-coloured trousers today?)  In the end, with burned hands and soaking wet clothes, I threw the rest of the bits in the boot to sort out later and dived thankfully into the car to seek the refuge of the air conditioning.  I then drove straight back to Juliénas to find a sink and a large bottle of iced water in a local bar. (Best 1 € .80 I ever spent!)

It was too late to do the leisurely stroll thing, so I just headed back to Beaujeu and had another bottle of Perrier in the main square before returning to the farm.  A phone call to Sammy to find out how things are going (dragged her dripping from the shower of course!) and then a quick wash and brush up before heading back to town for the evening.  Mme doesn’t do table d’hôte on Sundays, so I had to go in search of a restaurant. (No wine then, unfortunately – and in the Beaujolais too!)

I landed well.  The most unprepossessing bar with a Restaurant sign and several motor-bikes parked outside. Behind the bar however, was a garden terrasse, where they served me with an enormous salade perigordienne (delicious and a meal in itself), followed by escalope de veau à la crème avec morilles (they looked like prunes, tasted like meat and turned out to be wild mushrooms).  Another fromage blanc à la crème and a vacherin to finish off.  I am really going to have to do some serious dieting when I get back!

I finished off the day watching “A Bout de Souffle” in my room on the laptop, (turns out it wasn’t a pirate after all, but a good quality original.  I wish I’d known, I would have bought more!)

Tomorrow, I will have to get in touch with Avis and find out how to get the tyre replaced.  I hope it won’t mean going back to Lyon. (I also hope it won’t mean me paying anything – after all the additional insurance they screwed out of me).  Oh well, we shall see.

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