Having looked at many properties for sale near Castelnaudary, and not found anything suitable, we decided to look further afield. Again we trawled the internet many times and arranged viewings on several houses in Brittany, Normandy and near LaRochelle. After driving many miles, and stopping near Poitiers for an overnight break with Geoff and Jill, we reached an excellent B&B in Glomel, as it seemed to be a good central point. During these 10 days away we made an offer on a typical Breton house near Saint Brieuc, the other side of the estuary from Saint Malo.
One Sunday we drove to Saint Malo for several days, and then across to Saint Brieuc to get a feel for the area. There we found a nice little restaurant to have lunch, and were lucky to find a free table as it was very busy. Afer this we strolled the quay side, and were relieved to see that we didn't have such tidal waters where we are moored!
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| Tidal drop at Saint Brieuc! |
We later had time to wander around the village in which 'our' house is situated.
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| Market square of Gouarec. |
It seems to be a typical small market village, still having a boulangerie, butcher, snack bar, tabac selling newspapers and magazines in ENGLISH(!), a post office, small grocery, banks and cash point. So all the basic needs.
Then it was time to head home, again stopping at Le Petit Manoir with Geoff and Jill. The traffic on the motorway was horrendous, particularly approaching Bordeaux, with lorries nose to tale for miles and miles. It was a welcoming sight when we first saw the sign by the roadside bearing a familiar name!
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| Mas d'Argenais - it felt like we were nearly home! |
This is an unusual sight on the canal -
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| Legionaires in dingies, rowing their way home! |
In all the four winters mooring here we've NEVER seen them on the water before. We've seen them running along the canal paths, exercising in their gym kit, running in camouflage with guns at the ready, smartly dressed with their sparkling white hats. But never before on the water. What do they know that we don't?
On Christmas day we had another jolly good feast, with various dishes being provided from all the boaters.
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| Christmas lunch at Quai 10, Castelnaudary 2019 |
Two days later followed by a cocktail party onboard Steve's boat,
Porthos, to celebrate his and neighbour Elaine's joint 70th birthdays.
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| Great fun opening all their presents! |
