April 21, 2024 • 56 mins
Join us on "Exploring the Charentes-Maritimes," where host Annie and her sister-in-law, Katy, recount their recent adventure exploring the Charente-Maritimes along France's Atlantic coast. From the artistic allure of Cordes sur Ciel to the vibrant scenes of Bordeaux and the serene beaches of Arcachon, this episode dives deep into the diverse experiences and perspectives that only close family can share. Tune in to discover the charm of these French locales through their eyes, filled with engaging discussions and insightful reflections on travel, culture, and the bonds that travel can strengthen. Perfect for travelers and Francophiles alike!
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Table of Contents for this Episode
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Annie Sargent (00:15):
This is Join Us in France, episode 490, quatre cent quatre-vingt-dix.
Bonjour, I'm Annie Sargent, and Join Usin France is the podcast where we take
a conversational journey through thebeauty, culture, and flavors of France.
Today, I bring you a trip reportwith Catherine Russell, which I've
known as Katy Sargent for most of herlife, because she's my sister in law.
(00:40):
We went on a trip together last Octoberexploring the Atlantic coast between
Arcachon and Rochefort, so mostly in thebeautiful Charente-Maritime department.
It was a great trip to a part of FranceI didn't know very well and that we
haven't discuss very much on the podcast.
And traveling with Katyis always a pleasure.
(01:01):
So I hope you enjoyed this episodeas much as I enjoyed that trip.
This podcast is supported by donors andlisteners who buy my tours and services,
including my Itinerary Consult Service,my GPS self-guided tours of Paris on the
VoiceMap app, or take a day trip with mearound the Southwest in my electric car.
(01:22):
You can browse all of that at myboutique: joinusinfrance.com/boutique.
Patreon supporters starting at $2a month get new episodes as soon
as they are ready and ad free.
For the magazine part of the podcast,after my chat with Katy today, I'll
discuss the Olympics, including anarticle in Le Figaro about how some
(01:44):
greedy Airbnb renters in Paris andalso some hotels are regretting their
decision to wait to charge more.
The Olympics are 100 days away as Irecord this intro, and some people are
regretting letting their greed take over.
Okay.
(02:13):
Bonjour, Katy Russell, andwelcome to Join Us in France.
Katy Russell (02:17):
Hi Annie, thanks for having me.
Annie Sargent (02:19):
Lovely to talk to you.
As a matter of fact, you are my sister inlaw, we have known each other for a long
time, and we had a wonderful trip togetherto the Atlantic coast, just recently.
So I wanted to get your impressions onit, because you and I are very different
people, you pay attention to thingsthat, you know, I'm oblivious to, so I
(02:43):
think it's going to be a good discussion.
So tell us a little bit aboutyourself and how many times you've
visited France and things like that.
Katy Russell (02:50):
I live in Utah and I've been to France, I think
this was my fifth trip, Annie.
Annie Sargent (02:57):
Mm hmm.
Katy Russell (02:58):
I work for an online university, I work from
home, I like to travel, but Idon't really travel very often.
And so, one of the perks of comingto France is that I get to see you.
And so that is always awesome.
But I also love that we do havea different style, a different
(03:20):
preference of things we see.
I'm very artsy fartsy, you know, mybackground is in music and I always love
arts and culture and even just love seeingkind of what is common to the areas where
I visit, whether it's even just plantsoutside, or food, or you know, I even
(03:43):
enjoy seeing art galleries, differentplaces where I go, just because, you know,
oftentimes you can just kind of wanderand take your time and just see what,
from place to place, things are different.
And inside a gallery, sometimes it feelslike you don't remember where you're at,
you know, you could be in your hometownor you know, in another continent.
Annie Sargent (04:05):
Somewhere else.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (04:08):
It's lovely.
I also love being in a car andjust driving around and seeing the
sights of just the city or the town.
And so that was amazing with ourdrive along the Atlantic coast.
Annie Sargent (04:20):
Yeah.
But the first thing we did a fewdays after you arrived is we went to
Cordes sur Ciel, that's in Occitanie,not that far from where I live.
And I was so sure that I had beenthere, and then when we got there, I'm
like, no, I've never been here, thisis so different, I wouldn't remember.
I mean, I'd remember.
(04:41):
So tell us what you likedabout Cordes sur Ciel.
Katy Russell (04:44):
I thought it was really a lovely city.
Would you call it a city?
Annie Sargent (04:49):
It's...
I mean, it's a big village.
There's probably like 2-3000, no,it's a village, I think, still, yeah.
Katy Russell (04:56):
Okay.
I liked it.
I hadn't looked up anythingabout the village before we went.
I just knew that there were a coupleof places that might be fun to see
while we were there, but I didn'tlook up any history of the village.
I didn't look up what itwas, what it would look like.
So it was an absolute surprise.
The walking was mostly all uphill untilwe were coming back down to our car.
(05:20):
So if you don't like walking onan incline or have issues walking,
it's not a village for you, butI thought it was lovely, Annie.
It was interesting to see how it, youknow, this time of year, we went the end
of the first week of October, and so alot of things in that village were closed
because it was no longer a tourist season.
(05:40):
And so there were lots of shops thatlooked like they could be really
interesting to see, but weren't open.
We stopped and had lunch first, Ithink, once we found a place to eat, it
took a while to get to the restaurant,but the restaurant was lovely.
The food was so good, the viewall around was incredible to see.
It was such a lovely day.
Annie Sargent (06:02):
Yeah, this restaurant is right up against kind of a
cliffside of the village and so youhave this view on the landscape.
It's no fun going up that hill, but onceyou're up there, it's really nice, right?
(06:22):
Right.
They need to offer a little carthat takes you up to the restaurant.
That would be nice.
Katy Russell (06:24):
Right?
But it was very cool because wesat, where we sat was right next
to the edge where you could see,you know, the cliff and beyond.
And then you could also seepart of the village as well.
And so lots of like art sculpturesand things in that area.
The food was delicious.
It was beautiful weather, the bathroomswere impressively clean, there were
(06:47):
seats on the toilet, and they had,remember they had, like, superheroes
on them, and it was hilarious.
It was, like, the most bizarrebathroom I've ever seen.
Annie Sargent (06:57):
Yes, both you and your brother, David, took photos of the potty.
Katy Russell (07:04):
Yeah, we're easily amused.
Annie Sargent (07:05):
Yeah, you were amused by this.
Yes, and you're right in a lot of placesin France there is no toilet seat.
So you're sitting, if you want to sit,you're sitting on the porcelain and
that's a little bit strange to people.
Yes, yes.
And, you know, one thing I didn'tthink of, had I been alone, I wouldn't
have known that I would have neededto find food first when I got there
(07:29):
because of the time, you know.
Here in the US you can find food any timeof day, anywhere, you know, basically.
And so, I was glad thatI had you there for that.
Yeah, was like, okay, we gotto get to the restaurant now or
they're not going to serve us.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (07:46):
Right.
And then we walked around more.
Annie Sargent (07:49):
Took a lot of photos.
Katy Russell (07:51):
So many photos.
Annie Sargent (07:52):
We didn't go into anything, did we?
There was a museum there, but youknow, those really scenic places,
sometimes I don't care about the museum.
I just want to walk around the townbecause it's so cute, you know,
Katy Russell (08:05):
It was very cute.
And we, I think by the time, youknow, because we didn't have a map
of the area, we were just walkingaround, seeing what we could see.
And then when we decided we were ready togo home, or get our car, I think that's
when we saw where the art gallery was.
And then we went down, when wewalked down the hill, it was a little
different than the way we'd come up.
(08:27):
And then there was the map andthe entrance to the village,
which was not where we parked.
Annie Sargent (08:32):
Right.
Yeah, that's the blessing and the curseof being a local is you think you've
been there, so I just, I figured,Oh, I'm just going to go drive as far
up the hill as I can, and that's it.
And I really shouldn't have.
Now I know if I ever go back withother people, I will know not to
park there, but to park before that.
(08:53):
First of all, becausethere's a car charger.
Ha!
And second of all, because you'reon the main drag and we walked, and
walked, and walked around in areasthat were not, I mean, it was very
nice, but you know, medieval houses.
So yeah, we were off the beatentrack in a village, I guess.
Katy Russell (09:10):
Right.
But I do think, you know, if I evercome back, I would first check to see
when the places I want to see are open.
Like one of the things I wanted tosee before I, when I first talked to
you about going to, going here was,they had a paradise garden, and I
didn't see any sign for that the wholetime we were there until we left, and
then it was on the map, but I don'tknow that I could have understood
(09:33):
how to find it, but that's just me.
Annie Sargent (09:35):
Yeah, it's always good to have a list and I guess I was derelict, I
was not a very good trip planner, I didn'tlook up all the things that we could do.
I just, because I figured I hadbeen, I thought I had been, so I was
like, Oh, I'll just recognize it.
Oh no.
Katy Russell (09:51):
I still had a great time just walking around.
And I love, you know, it's fun, like thedoors are always amusing to me, and...
and it was just a beautiful area too.
The drive was lovely.
But they have like a sugar andchocolate museum, which sounded
interesting, but I don't thinkit was open when we were there.
And then they had theContemporary Art Museum.
(10:12):
And so I do feel like it's avillage I would visit again, if I
were to ever come back, it couldbe fun a different time of year.
Annie Sargent (10:19):
You could spend two, three hours there, or most of a
day anyway, if you're going to gointo the museums and stuff, yeah.
What I was very impressed by was thewell, so underneath the covered market
area, they had a very deep well,113 meters deep, so that's, I don't
know in feet, but it's very deep.
(10:41):
And so it's one of the things that helpedthem stay alive, because they had water.
So even if they were under siege, theyhad water, which is very, very important.
Anyway, a gorgeous, a gorgeous village.
That was a very fun first stop.
And like all these villages we found,David found some funny sayings and
(11:04):
little signs and little gifts for people.
Even though it, not a lot was open,but he still found some stuff that
was, you know, very, very fun to see.
Katy Russell (11:15):
There was a store we went to that had pillows with cats on them
and like a million pillows with cats.
They all had cats on, like tapestry cats.
And it just lined the a whole rowof stairs up to another floor of the
store and I thought that was hilarious.
Annie Sargent (11:32):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And there's a very nice church inthis village, in Cordes sur Ciel,
with a blue ceiling, which is avery regional thing that we do.
And then after Cordes, we stopped at awinery Le Domaine Gayrard It was fine.
You know, I mean, Gaillac winesare not my favorite, so I didn't
(11:56):
think it was outstanding, but itwas good and it was a nice place
and, you know, it was good wine.
Katy Russell (12:02):
It was delicious wine.
I have never been to a winery before.
Annie Sargent (12:06):
Oh.
Katy Russell (12:06):
So that was my first experience at a winery, but I also
don't speak French, so the man isexplaining the different samples and
kept bringing samples, and we just spentall day walking around, I was having hot
flashes, and then I had a couple, shotsof wine, and then my mind went blank.
(12:26):
I just, I don't know, because I couldn'tunderstand what he was saying, and
then after so many, you can't tell thedifference, or I couldn't remember which
one I liked the most because of thetaste, but it was a fun thing to see.
It was a beautiful buildingwhere they had their wine.
Annie Sargent (12:44):
And that's an interesting thing about you, Katy, is that what you
zoomed in on right, right away is that wewalked by a plant that had a giant leaf.
And you got the photo of yourhand by the leaf like that.
Now, this is something that would notoccur to me, like, well, I don't care...
(13:06):
But that was something, youknow, it's really interesting to
see your perspective on stuff.
I guess perhaps because you're a pianist,your hands are important or something?
Katy Russell (13:16):
Right.
Well, and the size, well, and I havesmall hands, and so when I see things
that are large amuses me, I guess.
Annie Sargent (13:24):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (13:25):
I also love architecture and contemporary art, I guess.
And so I thought the buildingwhere this winery was, was
really beautifully designed.
And I loved the cute artwork that theyhad that they were selling there inside as
well, and of course the plants around it.
Annie Sargent (13:41):
So that was our first excursion.
But then a few days after that, we setoff to go visit the Atlantic coast.
And this is a part of France thatI had been to, but I was so young.
Again, I didn't reallyremember much of it.
We drove to Bordeaux and we had, I hadfound an apartment through booking.com.
(14:07):
Okay, you have to tell us how that wentbecause that was really funny, actually.
Katy Russell (14:12):
I think the apartment itself was really cute.
I haven't ever rented an apartment before.
And so I didn't know what thisprocess would be like, but the thing
I didn't think about beforehandwas if you were staying in a hotel
you can come and check in whenever.
With this apartment, we had to meetsomebody for the key at a specific time.
And so that impacted how we wantedto arrange the rest of our day to
(14:37):
be able to get there in time toget the key, and if we had time
to do something afterwards or not.
We got to the apartment and thekitchen table was gigantic, and
so if someone was sitting at thetable, you couldn't also cook.
And so there was like a littleshimmying around every time someone
was in the kitchen eating orsitting, but it was also very warm.
(14:58):
I didn't expect it to be 80s in October.
And so we had one bedroom, andthen the front room had a cot
that I used, and there was no AC.
Annie Sargent (15:11):
Right, it was very hot.
Katy Russell (15:13):
It was hot, and then I'm Hot Flash Central right now, and
so, that was challenging too, andso I'd sleep with my head next to
the doorway outside to the balcony.
But it was Mosquito Village andthere was a tram right there.
Annie Sargent (15:30):
Yes, and the noise.
Yes.
Katy Russell (15:32):
But it was okay, you know, I felt like my bed was comfortable.
Annie Sargent (15:35):
Yes.
The problem there is that middleof October, I didn't think it
was that important to have airconditioning and I was wrong.
Yes.
We needed air conditioning.
So this is somethingthat I tell people about.
I usually say, you know,between June and September, you
really need air conditioning.
(15:55):
Well, it turns out that in Octoberwe needed air conditioning as well.
And yeah, that's, that's just anunfortunate, and neither that first
accommodation nor the second one had it,and it would have been way better, both of
them would have been way better with AC.
It was hot.
Katy Russell (16:15):
Yes.
And one other thing about the hot.
So there was a fan that I didn'teven notice the first day that we
were there and I set my bags rightnext to it, didn't even see the fan.
And then the second day Irealized there was a fan there.
Annie Sargent (16:29):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (16:30):
When I was in my head thinking like, maybe
we can go buy one somewhere.
So if you're driving to a place, youmight, and you don't mind packing
a little fan, it might be worth it.
Annie Sargent (16:39):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (16:40):
This fan that was in the room where I was staying
was so loud I couldn't sleep.
Annie Sargent (16:46):
Right, because in October, sure, it cools off at night, but then
you have to sleep with the windowopen and then you have the bugs and
then you have the noise, potentially.
Because with the windows closed, thiswas not a particularly noisy area, but
if you have to sleep with the windowsopen because it's so dang hot, and you
attract mosquitoes like nobody's business.
Katy Russell (17:09):
I was like their BFF.
Annie Sargent (17:10):
Yes.
Katy Russell (17:12):
Is it typical for it to be 80s in October?
Annie Sargent (17:15):
No, it's not.
It's not.
This year was very different.
Typically by October, it's more like60s, 70s, but this year, the summer
went on, and on, and on, and on.
It didn't really cooloff until early November.
November 2nd was a holiday and I remembersaying to Marianne, my daughter, that
(17:38):
this is normal weather for All Saints Day.
It was cool, you know,finally it was cool.
So listeners, don't assume thatit's going to be cool enough and
that you won't need AC in Octoberbecause, yeah, you might, you might.
All right, so then wedropped off our stuff.
The lady was very nice though.
(17:58):
And the area was fine.
It's just that it was too hot.
Then we dropped off our stuffand we headed out to Arcachon.
Now Arcachon, I had been toobviously because that's where
I took my first steps, but yes,but you can probably understand
that I have no memories of that.
(18:19):
And it's adorable.
It's a cute little town, isn't it?
Katy Russell (18:22):
Yes.
I thought it was reallydelightful and it's a place I
would go back to if I came back.
Annie Sargent (18:29):
So, sandy beach, large sandy beach, lots of cute
little stores, restaurants,we found nice pizza somewhere.
Again, some of them were closing,so we had to kind of hurry up
and get some food, because eventhere, some things were closing.
Katy Russell (18:46):
And we were there also on a Monday.
And so they had, and wasn'tthat area closed on Monday?
They were open on theweekend and closed on Monday?
Annie Sargent (18:55):
Well, a lot of places do that.
When they're open Saturday, Sunday,on Monday, a lot of places don't open.
They just, that's their day off.
But the architecturewas really, really cute.
The stores that we foundwere really, really cute.
I don't know, I liked it.
Katy Russell (19:09):
I thought it was delightful.
And there were some very stunningbuildings, you know, stunning apartments
and shops and so fun to walk around andhave an area where you can just shop and
sit, and eat, and you don't even knowthat the beach is just five minutes away.
Like, I didn't evenknow it was right there.
Annie Sargent (19:28):
Yeah, it's right there.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (19:29):
And then the water was so blue and it was definitely
an area where you could hangout at the beach all day long.
You could bring your family,you could sit and play.
And in October, I wasn'tprepared to play at a beach.
I didn't assume it would bewarm enough outside to want
to sit at the beach all day.
And I got there and thought, well,maybe we could make this work.
I don't know.
(19:50):
but we weren't ready for water.
Annie Sargent (19:51):
Another thing that we ran into that's, it's worth warning people
about is that there are a lot of boattrips that you can take in that area.
The problem is because it's summer,it's not summer season anymore, a
lot of the boats, they only do their,like, I wanted to go to Cap Ferret
(20:12):
on the boat from Arcachon, but wehad to be there, the last one was at
2:15 and we missed it the first day.
So I thought, oh, perhaps wecan go back the next day for
the 10:30 one or something.
There was only two in the day.
And then the next day, for somereason we got delayed and we couldn't.
We just couldn't make it on time.
(20:34):
So that was frustrating because youknow that there's a fun activity, but
it's only twice a day and if you'renot there on time, can't do it.
Katy Russell (20:43):
There was an accident on the freeway.
Annie Sargent (20:45):
Oh, that's what it was.
Okay.
Yeah.
That was crazy.
So next time, I wouldjust stay in Arcachon.
That was a mistake.
Okay?
Because I thought we wanted to visitBordeaux as well, and so I thought,
oh, if we get an Airbnb, well, anapartment not too far from the center
of Bordeaux, I can park my car easily,which this apartment had a parking
(21:09):
area for my car, so that was great.
And then we can get onto publictransportation into Bordeaux,
which was also very good, andvery easy, that was the third day.
That's what we did.
But then to get into Arcachon, well,you know, Monday morning traffic
and we didn't make it on time andthen we wanted to go the next day
(21:31):
and that, it didn't work out either.
So, yeah.
Katy Russell (21:34):
It's all good.
I think it's a place to come back to and,you know, depending on the time of year
will depend on what is available therefor you to do, but I think it's definitely
a place you could spend all day.
Annie Sargent (21:45):
Yeah, it really had a vibe to me, like the kind of place
where I could go and just sit therefor three days and not do much besides
read, walk, bike ride, a littlebathing, take a boat ride, you know.
But you'd need more time.
Like, we were trying to gothrough too many things.
Yeah, we were trying to do a lot.
(22:06):
I wanted to cover a lot of groundand I tell people not to do that.
And then what do I do?
Katy Russell (22:12):
But we also didn't know ahead of time what time the boat ride was.
If we had, that could have changed things.
But it's okay, we still had a blast.
Annie Sargent (22:20):
Oh, Oh, we had a great time.
But you know, it's good topoint out the things that
worked out and didn't work out.
And there are so many boat rides and a lotof these websites, it's hard to tell if,
you know, when they start service, whenthey end service, like, it's not like they
want to have a sexy looking website thattells you, you know, oh, we're going to
(22:42):
take you to this island, blah, blah, blah.
And then when you want to go seethe details, okay, what time and
do you do this year round or not?
And it's really hard to findthe information until you get
there and then you're like, oh,that's how it's going to be.
So the next day we went to,oh no, we went to the Dune du
Pilat as well, that day, yes.
(23:02):
So Dune du Pilat is gorgeous.
Katy Russell (23:05):
It is.
Annie Sargent (23:06):
But my bum knees were telling me, I mean, just to
get, so when we got there, theyhadn't removed the stairs yet.
They don't leave the stairs on yearround, they were going to remove the
stairs at the end of the school vacation,which was probably November 3rd or
(23:29):
4th or something like that this year.
And so, we still had the stairs,but just to get from the parking
lot to the bottom of the stairs,you sink into the sand a lot.
Katy Russell (23:40):
Yes, that was really tough, even for me.
And I thought it was reallyinteresting when we pulled up, it
literally looked like a campsite.
Like, there's, you know, pine trees andthe road wasn't, I don't know, it just
reminded me of going somewhere to camp,and you're like parking in a campsite.
And then you walk and then I don'tknow where there's this massive dune,
but even just getting to the dune,you know, once you start feeling
(24:02):
where the sand is, it's challenging tonavigate, challenging to walk through.
And so glad we made it when therewere steps, I wouldn't have, there
were people climbing up and down thesand, which I wouldn't have done.
It was, and it was also a very, youknow, very warm, here we're still in
October, it's still in the 80s, andhaving hot flashes, I get to the top.
(24:25):
And it was awesome to be able to walkup those stairs and be at the top, but
it was so bright to take a picture.
Like, I couldn't even see what,I was just clicking on my camera.
I had no idea what was goingto turn out of my pictures.
Annie Sargent (24:37):
But it was nice.
It did great.
Yeah, it looked great.
Katy Russell (24:39):
Some people were on the dune, like, taking off their shirts
and, you know, because they were so hotand sweating and posing for pictures.
Annie Sargent (24:48):
Yeah, it was really interesting.
And there were several little cafes, westopped for a drink on the way back down.
But one thing that's important to knowis that they want you to walk on the
sand and not on the dirt off to the side.
So there are lots of signs thatsay, don't walk on the dirt.
It would have been a hundred timeseasier to walk on the dirt, but they
(25:11):
want you to go to the stairs in the sand.
And that is like, oh...
Katy Russell (25:16):
Right.
And they're steep stairs too.
And one thing I did really love isthat at the top of the dune, you
know, from one view you can see, youknow, the forest of trees, and then
on the other side, you turn aroundand you see the Atlantic Ocean.
And so you have this very differentperspective of just, you know,
(25:37):
how the, of of a view and...
anyway, it was awesome to see.
I've never been to a sanddune anywhere and so it was
very cool to just to be there.
Definitely recommendhydrating before and after.
Annie Sargent (25:51):
Yes.
So that was the end of our Arcachon day.
And the Dune du Pilat and Arcachonare very, very close to one another.
In the car, it's like, what,eight kilometers or something.
I know people do it on a bike aswell, there's a bike path that you can
take if you want to do it that way.
And Arcachon is an interestingtown because it's one that you
(26:11):
can go on the train from Bordeaux.
And so, if you wanted to take more time,you could take the train to Arcachon,
stay there for, you know, howeverlong, and also ride a bike to the Dune
du Pilat, and that would be a veryhearty day of expending your energies.
Katy Russell (26:32):
For sure, yes.
Annie Sargent (26:36):
The following day, we spent in Bordeaux, which you had never seen.
So I want to know whatyou thought of Bordeaux.
Katy Russell (26:43):
I thought it was amazing.
You know, it's so nice to beable to see something different.
And again, I hadn't looked up anythingabout Bordeaux, what it looked like.
I had no expectation cominginto it and was just delighted.
We went to this lovely public garden andI don't know if there was a specific name
(27:03):
for it, but it was right off the train.
Annie Sargent (27:06):
Yes.
So I, why did I stop there?
I saw something, oh, I saw a beautifulkind of gate, you know, like a gilded
gate, and I was like, oh, that's probablya very nice park, and so we went in.
And it's called Jardin Public,I'm not sure if it has a specific
(27:26):
name, but that Jardin Publicwas very, very nice, I thought.
Katy Russell (27:32):
Yeah, it was beautiful and massive.
We walked around, and there's so manydifferent areas within that park.
You know, there was a play area for youngkids, a play area for older kids, there
was places where you could just sit andenjoy your lunch, or you can sit by a
pond, or under a tree, or by a building.
(27:54):
Like they just had, it was just reallylovely in its design, and a great
place if you were in Bordeaux and youneed a day to just kick back and play
or just have young kids, like, it's agreat place to just spend some time.
Annie Sargent (28:08):
Absolutely.
The Natural HistoryMuseum was there, I think.
Katy Russell (28:12):
Oh, that's right.
Annie Sargent (28:13):
Yeah, and so we didn't go in, but we could have.
Katy Russell (28:17):
We had other plans.
Annie Sargent (28:18):
We had other plans.
And then we went into the city,the Place des Quinconces, with a
big fountain, massive, beautifulfountain and the obelisk and all that.
Katy Russell (28:31):
Yes, that fountain was impressive.
And again, another day whereit was so warm and bright out.
So I remember taking a picture of Annie,trying to take a picture of Annie in
front of the fountain, and I couldn'tever get her with her eyes open,
and I couldn't see as I was clickingmy camera because it was so bright.
Annie Sargent (28:48):
We were both blinded.
Katy Russell (28:49):
And the horses have those crazy feet on that statue,
they're like claws, like dinosaurfeet, and men with these, you know,
funny expressions on their face.
I don't know if it's a man.
I don't know who's on that fountain, butit was very impressive and fun to see.
Annie Sargent (29:08):
It's a beautiful, at Place des Quinconces, you have to go,
if you're in Bordeaux, you have to go.
The other place, well, we hadlunch at L'Entrecôte, which
you had done before, I'm sure.
Katy Russell (29:18):
Yes, I've had it in Toulouse.
Annie Sargent (29:21):
It was very much the same, right?
Katy Russell (29:23):
It was, it was very much the same, and we didn't tell David, so don't
Annie Sargent (29:26):
tell David.
No, don't tell David.
Because that day he had to do taxes.
Can you believe the guy?
He's like, I got to turn inour taxes by a certain date.
And the accountant wanted this and that.
So he spent the wholeday preparing our taxes.
I'm glad someone doesthis because I wouldn't.
Katy Russell (29:49):
So we enjoyed a lovely steak, and fries, and salad.
Annie Sargent (29:52):
Yes, yes.
And then we walked somemore around the city.
We went to the big theater.
We went to the Wine Museum.
Now the Wine Museum wasvery cool, I thought.
Katy Russell (30:04):
Very impressive.
I think it's one of thebest museums I've ever seen.
Annie Sargent (30:10):
Mm hmm.
Why?
Katy Russell (30:11):
Well, the setup, I think, you know, they had all these
little stations throughout themuseum and the way that they were
set up didn't seem crowded at all.
Nothing took a very long time.
Each station was just a few minutes,and so it was easy to just flow.
The flow was really easy andI loved, especially that it
(30:33):
catered to all of your senses.
And so there was some, you know, part ofthe exhibit you literally just listened
to the effervescence of wine and theyhad the visual stimulation of the
different interactive pictures and sounds.
And then they had one whereyou could physically smash
virtual grapes with your feet.
Annie Sargent (30:51):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (30:52):
And they would track, you know, you had the picture of when
it was a grape and when it was wine.
And so you, or when it was smashed, and soit would track how many grapes you smashed
in the amount of time that you weredoing it, and who smashed more grapes.
And, you know, so you had thatphysical aspect of it, and
then you had different places.
Oh, what was the exhibit called?
(31:12):
The part of the exhibit where youcould smell the infusions in the wine?
Annie Sargent (31:16):
So you would put your nose in things and they would, and
you had a little pump that you couldpush on and it just blew a little
bit of that scent into your nose.
It was to teach you to recognize the waypeople describe wine that it has, you
know, like berries or whatever flavors.
Katy Russell (31:37):
Yeah, so that was really fun and I think interesting for a variety
of ages too, you know, it wasn't justcatered to adults or catered to kids,
like it just, it would work for anyone.
And they had a really, just beautiful,I think it was beautifully designed
on the inside too, with the largewooden carved, like half open,
(31:59):
like a half of a wine barrel.
Annie Sargent (32:01):
Barrel, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it's not the sort of museumwhere you just stand and read, you
know, you have all sorts of things,you have video, different types.
You sit and watch something happen.
You sit at a table and there'slike holograms that appear.
(32:22):
There was one video where you sit backalmost, you're almost lying down...
Anyway, lots of things.
And they also had this really good,concise history of wine in the area,
which I thought was very well donebecause in three minutes, they gave
you the gist of it and I thoughtthey hit all the important points.
(32:43):
It was really good.
Katy Russell (32:44):
Yes, and so nice because I sometimes, especially if
you've been out and walking aroundall day and then you have to sit for
a long time, sometimes I get tired.
And so it was nice to just, you know,to know that the, you know, sitting down
and watching this video was only goingto take me five minutes, but I was going
to get a lot of information or just bevery interesting in how it was presented.
(33:06):
And I love that they showed thevideos with all the different
vineyards throughout the world, inplaces where I'd never even think
that there would be a vineyard.
And so it was justphotography, it was beautiful.
And then they had the one where you, itwould give you three options of, you know,
if you wanted to know about the history,or how it was made, or about the grape,
(33:27):
and you could choose what you wanted, andit was, and it would show you a little
clock, almost, of how long, you know, andthey were like a minute and a half, that
they would tell you the information, butyou could also see visually, how long
is this going to take me, and oh, I'malmost done, so I can either move, or
I'm still interested, and I'm going tostay here and see what else I can learn.
Annie Sargent (33:46):
Yeah.
So I think we spent perhaps90 minutes in that museum.
At the end, you get a glass ofwine and you get to choose between
all sorts of different wines.
I thought it was also one of the bestmuseums I've ever seen really, because it
was so engaging that I really liked it.
I think that's not to be missed.
(34:07):
We're chatting a long time, so we gotto move on to what we saw in Royan.
So we stayed at Royan also a B&B, well,not a B&B, but, it was a booking.com gîte.
Gîte, yes.
And it was quite good.
Lots and lots of bugs.
(34:27):
They had the most gorgeousswimming pool I've ever seen.
Really, the swimming pool was outstanding.
You and David went to swim,and I didn't want to swim.
I was covered from head totoe, and they still got me.
I had so many bug bites, ah, yeah.
So, yes, a very warm October,beautiful place with a pool and a pond.
(34:53):
I didn't think it through.
Yeah, probably, it was very nice, it wasvery nice, but it would have been better
with AC, close the windows, you know,don't have the bugs come in, all of that.
Katy Russell (35:04):
Right.
Right.
But it was lovely.
Annie Sargent (35:06):
Yes, it was lovely.
Royan was very interesting, we went tothe Corderie, or was that in Rochefort?
No, that was in Rochefort, I think.
Corderie Royale, where wesaw how they make ropes.
Katy Russell (35:17):
And that was on my list because I can't remember,
I have a question mark by it.
I can't remember where.
I think we saw that in, oh, I think wesaw that before we drove to the church.
Didn't we?
Annie Sargent (35:28):
Oh, that's right.
I remember.
Royan was just a townwith the cement basilica.
Katy Russell (35:32):
Mm hmm.
Annie Sargent (35:33):
Lovely.
So while we were charging the car, aguy said, if you're going to Royan, you
have to stop at the cement basilica.
And I was like, what?
It was awesome.
It was really interesting, wasn't it?
So Royan was cool.
Katy Russell (35:47):
It was, and it was such a beautiful building, like I
would love to hear a concert there.
I think that organ was incredible,just gorgeous, and I'm sure
the acoustics are amazing.
But definitely go see whetherthere's a performance there or not.
Annie Sargent (36:01):
Yes, Royan, we also ate at a restaurant, I can't remember
what it was called, but it was verygood, the seafood was very, very good,
and it was right by the port, I'llput it in the show notes, because I
know my seafood, that one was good.
Katy Russell (36:13):
It was delicious.
Annie Sargent (36:14):
Yes, you had oysters, you had never had oysters before.
Katy Russell (36:17):
Never.
Yeah.
So that was an interestingexperience, great to branch out, try
something new, and just go for it.
Annie Sargent (36:24):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Rochefort, we went to the Corderie,which was an interesting place, a bit
of a dusty museum, you know, comparedto the museum, The Wine Museum, it
was less interactive, it was more likelook at pictures, read the information.
We had a tour guide that was...
yeah, no, I moved on.
(36:45):
I was like, no, this guy isgoing to put me to sleep.
So we moved on from him.
The tour guide right before, becauseI could overhear the previous
tour guide, he was way better,he was way more interesting.
So that was just bad luck.
The Hermione boat, that you cannormally see in Rochefort was not there.
It was being refurbished somewhere.
(37:07):
So that was too bad.
Let's talk briefly about the Îled'Oléron, you know, when we drove
over that big bridge and we wereon this island for a long time.
That was so strange.
I'm not sure what I think about it.
Katy Russell (37:21):
About the bridge?
Annie Sargent (37:22):
About the island, about the whole island.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (37:24):
The island itself, I mean, I don't remember there
being many places where youcould really spend a lot of time.
Annie Sargent (37:31):
Mm hmm.
Katy Russell (37:32):
Like the water, the tide was really low.
Annie Sargent (37:34):
Yes, it was muddy.
So when the tide is low in theAtlantic, it's mud, like...
not for me.
Katy Russell (37:43):
Well, and that seemed to also be one of the
days where it was no longer 80s.
It was windy.
It was rainy too.
So that may have impacted part of it.
Annie Sargent (37:53):
But from there, we took a boat ride finally, because
there was one that was going at theright time, and we went to the...
what's it called?
Fort Boyard.
So this is something French peopleknow, because they've been shooting a
TV series, a very painful TV series,for years there, so it was cool, I
(38:15):
finally got my boat ride, I was happy.
Katy Russell (38:17):
Me too.
I was happy too, and it was so cool to beable to, you know, another time that I've
been on a boat, there was nothing historicaround it, you were just on water.
And so this was very cool to be ableto go, you know, see past something
that was, you know, built so longago and that's still being used for
these, these hilarious, painful TVseries that you're talking about.
Annie Sargent (38:42):
So when we got home, we showed her one of the episodes and
we were all like, okay, give me morewine because this is like, not good.
Okay, we really need to wrap it up.
But one place that I really loved wasFouras, no, I shouldn't say the S,
they don't say the S, it's Fouras,there is an S, but don't say it.
I thought that was a cool little town.
Katy Russell (39:03):
It was lovely.
It was a day that was still rainywhen we were there, so it was a
little cold, but yeah, I lovedthat medieval castle or chateau.
Annie Sargent (39:14):
Yeah, it was, it was a fortification, a Vauban fortification.
Katy Russell (39:18):
And there was that wild bronze sculpture that looked like an evil
demon from a superhero movie or something.
I don't know what it was, but maybethat's where people were tortured.
I don't know.
Annie Sargent (39:30):
And then there was the little covered market with the food.
That's where you got some scarves.
Katy Russell (39:37):
I got a scarf, I bought a wallet, we bought those
delicious oranges or tangerines.
Annie Sargent (39:44):
Oh yeah, the tangerines were very good.
Katy Russell (39:46):
The food there was just looked remarkable in that market.
I had these beautiful pictures ofjust vibrant colors of tomatoes.
And potatoes, and squash, andoysters, oysters, oysters,
oysters, like just so many oysters.
I've never seen that before.
And then outside along the market, I waswhere I thought it was funny where there
was, you know, people selling clothesand purses and then there was underwear.
(40:10):
And I'd never seen underwearsold in a covered market before.
I thought that was so bizarre.
But it turns out, you know, Anniewas saying it's, that was where
the locals buy their underwear.
Annie Sargent (40:22):
Yeah.
Okay.
So if you're a French granny,because I know Americans have this
idea that all French women are sexyand always done up and all of that.
Well, think again.
French women are not all like that.
Many are, but not all.
And so you have yourregular 50, 60 year old.
My mother always bought herunderwear in those places because
(40:44):
she knew that she was going to getthis one brand that fit her well.
She got her bras in those places.
She didn't even have to trythem on because she's been
wearing those for years.
And that's the sort of clothes, orsocks, also, if you have these socks
that you really like, I mean, comeon, you have favorite socks, right?
Katy Russell (41:03):
Yes.
Annie Sargent (41:04):
Everybody does.
Katy Russell (41:05):
True.
That's so true.
That makes a lot of sense.
Annie Sargent (41:08):
And if you got them there, well, you're going to go back again,
and again, and again, to get more socksevery few weeks or months, perhaps.
So, yes, it's a big thing,especially in places that have,
say, older population, usually.
Katy Russell (41:22):
But it was, it was a great place to walk around.
I think there was a shopwith boatneck shirts.
You were saying that town was knownfor that boatneck style of shirt.
Annie Sargent (41:32):
Yes, the striped shirts.
Katy Russell (41:34):
And we saw that cemetery where if you die while you're
visiting, you could be buried there.
Annie Sargent (41:40):
Oh, yes.
So this was in Saint Georges de Didonne.
Yes.
Gorgeous little village.
Gorgeous, gorgeous.
The cemetery, the church, and it saidspecifically, you know, well, if you
want to be buried here, because it's agorgeous cemetery, you have to die in the
village, or be a resident of the village.
(42:02):
So I guess if that's your lastwish, you better go die over there.
But it was really gorgeous.
Anyway, we have been talking too longand so I'm going to cut it short,
but it was a delight having you.
And I want you to come again becauseit gives me an opportunity to go see
places that I wouldn't have by myself,like, you know, you don't go on a trip
(42:24):
like that for five days just becauseyou want to, like, perhaps I should.
Katy Russell (42:29):
You should.
And Annie, it was so fun to bethere, and you're an amazing host.
And I love the drive, like, Ithink just the drive in between
the cities was so picturesque.
I wish that I'd been taller to seeout the window more and had taken
more videos of the drive because itwas really just stunning, just such
a beautiful area of the country.
(42:50):
And so fun to see so many amazing thingsthat we didn't even know were out there.
Annie Sargent (42:55):
Yeah.
Oh, we need to mentionCognac, where we also stopped.
We didn't see much of the town.
We just went to see one of the housesthat makes cognac, the alcoholic
drink, which I don't really like.
It was Hennessy.
We visited Hennessy.
It was very posh.
Katy Russell (43:14):
It was very posh, and I agree, it's not necessarily
a drink that, is not my choice ofdrink, but I thought the distillery
was, I thought it was fascinating.
It was very posh.
Like you walk in and you're like, whoa.
There is money here for sure.
But it's very well designed.
I thought the information was fascinatingfor someone who knows nothing about
(43:38):
how it's made or how it's stored.
Like even the barrels are justthis incredible work of art.
And the history of it I thought wasreally, so fascinating to me that it
made me, I guess, appreciate this kindof thing even more and interested in
looking into other, you know, othermuseums and distilleries like this.
(43:58):
It just was very cool.
So if you're there, I woulddefinitely check it out.
Annie Sargent (44:02):
You got some for your husband, right?
Katy Russell (44:04):
I did.
We haven't opened it yet.
We haven't opened it yet.
But we did, well, I did get a littlebottle too, but the bottle that I
bought for my husband is one that is,it's like a collector's edition where
every year, Hennessy has, choosesan artist to design the bottle.
And then you can onlybuy the bottle in France.
Annie Sargent (44:24):
Ah.
Katy Russell (44:25):
And so this year's bottle is kind of like a chameleon green.
So it's kind of like greens and blues, sothe bottle is what's really special about
this and more so than the product inside.
But my husband likes to collect thingsand so it'll look great on our shelf.
And we'll probably try the trick ofadding, using an ice cube with it, or if
(44:46):
we drink it, or adding a little seltzerand lemon to it to make it a little
bit of a cocktail and easier to drink.
Annie Sargent (44:51):
Exactly.
I thought it was way better withice cube and seltzer and lemon
and dilute it a bit, cause it's sostrong, oh, rips your throat out.
Katy Russell (45:03):
It does.
But it was, I think, a reallyfascinating experience there at Hennessy.
Annie Sargent (45:10):
All right, Kat, this time we're done.
Thank you so much for talking to me.
Please come back.
Well, I'll drag you back soon andI'll see you for Christmas in Utah.
Katy Russell (45:20):
Yes, absolutely.
Thank you, Annie.
Annie Sargent (45:23):
Merci beaucoup.
Katy Russell (45:24):
Merci.
Annie Sargent (45:25):
Au revoir.
Again, I want to thank my patrons forgiving back and supporting the show.
Patrons get lots of perks inexchange for their support,
including getting the episode assoon as it's ready and ads free.
Some months I produceextra history content.
(45:48):
Most months, Elyse and I have acasual convo that I record and share.
I've started a new collection called'Visits with Annie', where I share
photos and thoughts about the new placesI visit in France, as it's happening.
You can see all of thoserewards at patreon.com/joinus.
And a shout out this week tonew patrons Amanda Rose, Leona
(46:08):
Hamlin, Jane and Pat Bader.
And to all my current patrons,it's wonderful to have you on board
in the community of francophileswho keep this podcast going.
And to support Elyse goto patreon.com/ElysArt.
And if you are a patron, I recommendyou install the Patreon app and
(46:30):
log into that because it gives youinstant access to a lot of stuff quite
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So if I have a thought, I can like,Oh, what are you cooking today?
Or something like that.
And it's fun to do.
Thank you, Jennifer Jerzyk forsetting up a recurring tip donation.
You can do that also by clicking onany green button on joinusinfrance.com
(46:52):
that says 'Tip your guide'.
Thank you, Jennifer.
We're planning an episode together.
Obviously, you didn't have to donate tobe on an episode, that's not how it works,
but I really appreciate your support.
This week I published a video driveover the Millau Viaduct in the Aveyron
and some photos of the beautiful,beautiful villages I visited.
(47:12):
And I would like to share somereviews that people have left
of my VoiceMap tours this week.
One person said (47:17):
"Fantastic tour, very clear directions, easy to
follow, loved going at my own pace,great information along the way."
And here's a review of my new food tourfrom Bren: we absolutely loved this tour.
I felt like I was discovering secretparts of Paris and walking down paths
tourists normally don't know about.
(47:40):
And the entire time I felt safe withAnnie in my ear, guiding my way.
Her tour is rich with historicalfacts, cultural commentary,
and even the odd macabre urbanlegend from centuries of yore.
This felt like an intimate strollwith an old friend showing you the
lovely parts of her neighborhood.
I doubt I would have gottenmore out of a live tour guide."
(48:04):
And one last one about my LatinQuarter Tour: "Recommended big time!
You explore Quartier Latin like a local.
The guide is very likable andgives small tips and anecdotes
of Paris and her own life.
We did two of her tours while in Paris!"
Well I'm very glad you find me likable.
Thank you!
(48:25):
If the podcast is leaving youwanting more, I offer two levels
of Itinerary Consultations on Zoomto help you plan for your trip.
It's all explained onJoinUsInFrance.com/boutique.
All right, the Olympics are a hundreddays away, and here's what we know
about access to the game sites.
(48:45):
For those of you who have ticketsfor an event, your ticket is
all you need, well, ID perhaps.
I would take ID definitely goingaround Paris during the Olympics.
The rest of the time, I always tellpeople, leave your ID at home, but
during the Olympics, you will need it.
What you need to know is that betweenthe opening and closing ceremonies,
there will be access restrictionsaround the Seine River, where many
(49:07):
of the events will take place.
People who live or work in therestricted areas will need to fill
out some paperwork and get a QR codeto get in and out of the area easily.
I think that's going to beopen to visitors as well, but
I still need to verify that.
But of course, like I said before,if you have tickets for an event,
yeah, they'll let you throughwithout too much difficulty.
(49:29):
The problem is with people who justhappen to be in Paris, and don't
have tickets to attend the Olympics,most of the city will be open, right?
Most of the city is going to be just fine.
I don't anticipate any problemsgoing to Montmartre, going to Saint
Germain des Prés, for instance, lotsand lots of places will be open.
Les Halles area as wellis going to be open.
(49:51):
But the banks of the river and thebridges are going to be closely guarded.
So this area goes from Pont deBercy all the way to the Trocadéro.
It encompasses 20,000 residents, but alsomuseums and the Austerlitz train station.
Typically, 200,000 people millaround this area on any given day.
(50:12):
All will have to present this precious QRcode and an ID at the police checkpoint.
So, do carry your ID if you're going to bein Paris this summer during the Olympics.
There will not be a requirement fora QR code to cross the Seine, but
for pedestrians, you'll need to go tothe Léopold Sandart Senghor Bridge,
(50:35):
so we call it the Senghor Bridge.
It's about halfway in the middleof the Tuilleries Gardens,
not far from the Orsay Museum.
At 1 pm on the day of the openingceremony, all movement of people
will be stopped around that areaso they can search and make sure
nobody's up to anything evil.
The opening ceremonies are on July 26,and the closing ceremonies August 11th.
(51:01):
The Paralympics will take placebetween August 28th and September
8th, but there are always fewerpeople for the Paralympics.
I'm going to the Paralympics, but Iknow that it's not going to be as busy.
So, some of these restrictions willprobably be eased, but I haven't
heard anything official about that.
(51:21):
Of course, there will be exceptionsto all these restrictions
depending on professions (51:23):
doctors, firefighters, emergency workers, etc.
will be able to get through the policestops with proper identification.
So, if you're visiting betweenJuly 26th and August 11th and
don't have tickets for differentevents, prepare to be frustrated.
Another group of people who arefrustrated are greedy Airbnb
(51:46):
renters and some hotels as well.
Some of them declined all bookingsthinking, well, you know, a thousand
a night was fair, even for places thatnormally rent for a hundred a night.
They got requests early on, butdeclined them, they thought that prices
would go up, that visitors would getdesperate and would pay anything.
(52:07):
Well, not really.
I think people did what Idecided to do for my week in
Lille for the basketball events.
I'm going to two events.
I'm going to Lille for basketball, that'sduring the regular Olympics, and then
a week in Paris for the Paralympics.
I've already booked my hotel, it's notreally a hotel, it's an apart hotel, so
(52:29):
it's like a tiny studio for the week I'mgoing to be in Paris for the Paralympics.
And the prices were a littlehigh, but nothing too crazy.
But for the basketball events inLille, anywhere I could find was
asking for 600 a night for a three starhotel, and I'm sorry, but you know,
a three star hotel in Lille probablycost a hundred most of the time.
(52:51):
And just because the Olympicsare on doesn't make it a $600 a
night hotel, so I decided to bookan apartment in Roubaix instead.
It's 70 kilometers away.
I have to mess with parking on theday we go into Lille for games or for
a visit, but prices were normal inRoubaix, so that's where I'm staying.
I might have gone for Lille if prices weredouble the normal price, but ten times the
(53:16):
normal price, six times the normal price?
I don't think so.
So people got greedy and there will beempty rooms in Paris during the Olympics.
There may be some good dealsto be had now, after all.
But who has tickets to theOlympics and nowhere to stay for
a hundred days before the games?
You know, not too manypeople, in my opinion.
(53:37):
Now, if you booked a super expensivething and would like to cancel it
and go somewhere cheap, make sure youhave a reservation for the cheaper
place before you cancel, okay?
People are playing games with theprices and it's just making me
crazy, but that's how it works.
You know, 300 a night for a three starhotel is fair in most arrondissements,
(54:00):
400 a night, all right, but athousand a night, I don't think so.
Yeah, I don't think so.
My thanks to podcast editors Anneand Cristian Cotovan who produced
the transcripts for this podcast.
Next week on the podcast, an episodeabout the composer Maurice Ravel,
a great parisian, as you'll hear.
(54:21):
And remember patrons get newepisodes of the podcast ads free.
Click on the link in theshow notes to be like them.
Thank you for listening, and Ihope you join me next time so we
can look around France together.
Au revoir.
The Join Us in France travelpodcast is written, hosted, and
produced by Annie Sargent andCopyright 2024 by AddictedToFrance.
(54:45):
It is released under a CreativeCommons, attribution, non-commercial,
no derivatives license.
This is Join Us in France, episode 490, quatre cent quatre-vingt-dix.
Bonjour, I'm Annie Sargent, and Join Usin France is the podcast where we take
a conversational journey through thebeauty, culture, and flavors of France.
Today, I bring you a trip reportwith Catherine Russell, which I've
known as Katy Sargent for most of herlife, because she's my sister in law.
(00:40):
We went on a trip together last Octoberexploring the Atlantic coast between
Arcachon and Rochefort, so mostly in thebeautiful Charente-Maritime department.
It was a great trip to a part of FranceI didn't know very well and that we
haven't discuss very much on the podcast.
And traveling with Katyis always a pleasure.
(01:01):
So I hope you enjoyed this episodeas much as I enjoyed that trip.
This podcast is supported by donors andlisteners who buy my tours and services,
including my Itinerary Consult Service,my GPS self-guided tours of Paris on the
VoiceMap app, or take a day trip with mearound the Southwest in my electric car.
(01:22):
You can browse all of that at myboutique: joinusinfrance.com/boutique.
Patreon supporters starting at $2a month get new episodes as soon
as they are ready and ad free.
For the magazine part of the podcast,after my chat with Katy today, I'll
discuss the Olympics, including anarticle in Le Figaro about how some
(01:44):
greedy Airbnb renters in Paris andalso some hotels are regretting their
decision to wait to charge more.
The Olympics are 100 days away as Irecord this intro, and some people are
regretting letting their greed take over.
Okay.
(02:13):
Bonjour, Katy Russell, andwelcome to Join Us in France.
Katy Russell (02:17):
Hi Annie, thanks for having me.
Annie Sargent (02:19):
Lovely to talk to you.
As a matter of fact, you are my sister inlaw, we have known each other for a long
time, and we had a wonderful trip togetherto the Atlantic coast, just recently.
So I wanted to get your impressions onit, because you and I are very different
people, you pay attention to thingsthat, you know, I'm oblivious to, so I
(02:43):
think it's going to be a good discussion.
So tell us a little bit aboutyourself and how many times you've
visited France and things like that.
Katy Russell (02:50):
I live in Utah and I've been to France, I think
this was my fifth trip, Annie.
Annie Sargent (02:57):
Mm hmm.
Katy Russell (02:58):
I work for an online university, I work from
home, I like to travel, but Idon't really travel very often.
And so, one of the perks of comingto France is that I get to see you.
And so that is always awesome.
But I also love that we do havea different style, a different
(03:20):
preference of things we see.
I'm very artsy fartsy, you know, mybackground is in music and I always love
arts and culture and even just love seeingkind of what is common to the areas where
I visit, whether it's even just plantsoutside, or food, or you know, I even
(03:43):
enjoy seeing art galleries, differentplaces where I go, just because, you know,
oftentimes you can just kind of wanderand take your time and just see what,
from place to place, things are different.
And inside a gallery, sometimes it feelslike you don't remember where you're at,
you know, you could be in your hometownor you know, in another continent.
Annie Sargent (04:05):
Somewhere else.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (04:08):
It's lovely.
I also love being in a car andjust driving around and seeing the
sights of just the city or the town.
And so that was amazing with ourdrive along the Atlantic coast.
Annie Sargent (04:20):
Yeah.
But the first thing we did a fewdays after you arrived is we went to
Cordes sur Ciel, that's in Occitanie,not that far from where I live.
And I was so sure that I had beenthere, and then when we got there, I'm
like, no, I've never been here, thisis so different, I wouldn't remember.
I mean, I'd remember.
(04:41):
So tell us what you likedabout Cordes sur Ciel.
Katy Russell (04:44):
I thought it was really a lovely city.
Would you call it a city?
Annie Sargent (04:49):
It's...
I mean, it's a big village.
There's probably like 2-3000, no,it's a village, I think, still, yeah.
Katy Russell (04:56):
Okay.
I liked it.
I hadn't looked up anythingabout the village before we went.
I just knew that there were a coupleof places that might be fun to see
while we were there, but I didn'tlook up any history of the village.
I didn't look up what itwas, what it would look like.
So it was an absolute surprise.
The walking was mostly all uphill untilwe were coming back down to our car.
(05:20):
So if you don't like walking onan incline or have issues walking,
it's not a village for you, butI thought it was lovely, Annie.
It was interesting to see how it, youknow, this time of year, we went the end
of the first week of October, and so alot of things in that village were closed
because it was no longer a tourist season.
(05:40):
And so there were lots of shops thatlooked like they could be really
interesting to see, but weren't open.
We stopped and had lunch first, Ithink, once we found a place to eat, it
took a while to get to the restaurant,but the restaurant was lovely.
The food was so good, the viewall around was incredible to see.
It was such a lovely day.
Annie Sargent (06:02):
Yeah, this restaurant is right up against kind of a
cliffside of the village and so youhave this view on the landscape.
It's no fun going up that hill, but onceyou're up there, it's really nice, right?
(06:22):
Right.
They need to offer a little carthat takes you up to the restaurant.
That would be nice.
Katy Russell (06:24):
Right?
But it was very cool because wesat, where we sat was right next
to the edge where you could see,you know, the cliff and beyond.
And then you could also seepart of the village as well.
And so lots of like art sculpturesand things in that area.
The food was delicious.
It was beautiful weather, the bathroomswere impressively clean, there were
(06:47):
seats on the toilet, and they had,remember they had, like, superheroes
on them, and it was hilarious.
It was, like, the most bizarrebathroom I've ever seen.
Annie Sargent (06:57):
Yes, both you and your brother, David, took photos of the potty.
Katy Russell (07:04):
Yeah, we're easily amused.
Annie Sargent (07:05):
Yeah, you were amused by this.
Yes, and you're right in a lot of placesin France there is no toilet seat.
So you're sitting, if you want to sit,you're sitting on the porcelain and
that's a little bit strange to people.
Yes, yes.
And, you know, one thing I didn'tthink of, had I been alone, I wouldn't
have known that I would have neededto find food first when I got there
(07:29):
because of the time, you know.
Here in the US you can find food any timeof day, anywhere, you know, basically.
And so, I was glad thatI had you there for that.
Yeah, was like, okay, we gotto get to the restaurant now or
they're not going to serve us.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (07:46):
Right.
And then we walked around more.
Annie Sargent (07:49):
Took a lot of photos.
Katy Russell (07:51):
So many photos.
Annie Sargent (07:52):
We didn't go into anything, did we?
There was a museum there, but youknow, those really scenic places,
sometimes I don't care about the museum.
I just want to walk around the townbecause it's so cute, you know,
Katy Russell (08:05):
It was very cute.
And we, I think by the time, youknow, because we didn't have a map
of the area, we were just walkingaround, seeing what we could see.
And then when we decided we were ready togo home, or get our car, I think that's
when we saw where the art gallery was.
And then we went down, when wewalked down the hill, it was a little
different than the way we'd come up.
(08:27):
And then there was the map andthe entrance to the village,
which was not where we parked.
Annie Sargent (08:32):
Right.
Yeah, that's the blessing and the curseof being a local is you think you've
been there, so I just, I figured,Oh, I'm just going to go drive as far
up the hill as I can, and that's it.
And I really shouldn't have.
Now I know if I ever go back withother people, I will know not to
park there, but to park before that.
(08:53):
First of all, becausethere's a car charger.
Ha!
And second of all, because you'reon the main drag and we walked, and
walked, and walked around in areasthat were not, I mean, it was very
nice, but you know, medieval houses.
So yeah, we were off the beatentrack in a village, I guess.
Katy Russell (09:10):
Right.
But I do think, you know, if I evercome back, I would first check to see
when the places I want to see are open.
Like one of the things I wanted tosee before I, when I first talked to
you about going to, going here was,they had a paradise garden, and I
didn't see any sign for that the wholetime we were there until we left, and
then it was on the map, but I don'tknow that I could have understood
(09:33):
how to find it, but that's just me.
Annie Sargent (09:35):
Yeah, it's always good to have a list and I guess I was derelict, I
was not a very good trip planner, I didn'tlook up all the things that we could do.
I just, because I figured I hadbeen, I thought I had been, so I was
like, Oh, I'll just recognize it.
Oh no.
Katy Russell (09:51):
I still had a great time just walking around.
And I love, you know, it's fun, like thedoors are always amusing to me, and...
and it was just a beautiful area too.
The drive was lovely.
But they have like a sugar andchocolate museum, which sounded
interesting, but I don't thinkit was open when we were there.
And then they had theContemporary Art Museum.
(10:12):
And so I do feel like it's avillage I would visit again, if I
were to ever come back, it couldbe fun a different time of year.
Annie Sargent (10:19):
You could spend two, three hours there, or most of a
day anyway, if you're going to gointo the museums and stuff, yeah.
What I was very impressed by was thewell, so underneath the covered market
area, they had a very deep well,113 meters deep, so that's, I don't
know in feet, but it's very deep.
(10:41):
And so it's one of the things that helpedthem stay alive, because they had water.
So even if they were under siege, theyhad water, which is very, very important.
Anyway, a gorgeous, a gorgeous village.
That was a very fun first stop.
And like all these villages we found,David found some funny sayings and
(11:04):
little signs and little gifts for people.
Even though it, not a lot was open,but he still found some stuff that
was, you know, very, very fun to see.
Katy Russell (11:15):
There was a store we went to that had pillows with cats on them
and like a million pillows with cats.
They all had cats on, like tapestry cats.
And it just lined the a whole rowof stairs up to another floor of the
store and I thought that was hilarious.
Annie Sargent (11:32):
Yeah.
Yeah.
And there's a very nice church inthis village, in Cordes sur Ciel,
with a blue ceiling, which is avery regional thing that we do.
And then after Cordes, we stopped at awinery Le Domaine Gayrard It was fine.
You know, I mean, Gaillac winesare not my favorite, so I didn't
(11:56):
think it was outstanding, but itwas good and it was a nice place
and, you know, it was good wine.
Katy Russell (12:02):
It was delicious wine.
I have never been to a winery before.
Annie Sargent (12:06):
Oh.
Katy Russell (12:06):
So that was my first experience at a winery, but I also
don't speak French, so the man isexplaining the different samples and
kept bringing samples, and we just spentall day walking around, I was having hot
flashes, and then I had a couple, shotsof wine, and then my mind went blank.
(12:26):
I just, I don't know, because I couldn'tunderstand what he was saying, and
then after so many, you can't tell thedifference, or I couldn't remember which
one I liked the most because of thetaste, but it was a fun thing to see.
It was a beautiful buildingwhere they had their wine.
Annie Sargent (12:44):
And that's an interesting thing about you, Katy, is that what you
zoomed in on right, right away is that wewalked by a plant that had a giant leaf.
And you got the photo of yourhand by the leaf like that.
Now, this is something that would notoccur to me, like, well, I don't care...
(13:06):
But that was something, youknow, it's really interesting to
see your perspective on stuff.
I guess perhaps because you're a pianist,your hands are important or something?
Katy Russell (13:16):
Right.
Well, and the size, well, and I havesmall hands, and so when I see things
that are large amuses me, I guess.
Annie Sargent (13:24):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (13:25):
I also love architecture and contemporary art, I guess.
And so I thought the buildingwhere this winery was, was
really beautifully designed.
And I loved the cute artwork that theyhad that they were selling there inside as
well, and of course the plants around it.
Annie Sargent (13:41):
So that was our first excursion.
But then a few days after that, we setoff to go visit the Atlantic coast.
And this is a part of France thatI had been to, but I was so young.
Again, I didn't reallyremember much of it.
We drove to Bordeaux and we had, I hadfound an apartment through booking.com.
(14:07):
Okay, you have to tell us how that wentbecause that was really funny, actually.
Katy Russell (14:12):
I think the apartment itself was really cute.
I haven't ever rented an apartment before.
And so I didn't know what thisprocess would be like, but the thing
I didn't think about beforehandwas if you were staying in a hotel
you can come and check in whenever.
With this apartment, we had to meetsomebody for the key at a specific time.
And so that impacted how we wantedto arrange the rest of our day to
(14:37):
be able to get there in time toget the key, and if we had time
to do something afterwards or not.
We got to the apartment and thekitchen table was gigantic, and
so if someone was sitting at thetable, you couldn't also cook.
And so there was like a littleshimmying around every time someone
was in the kitchen eating orsitting, but it was also very warm.
(14:58):
I didn't expect it to be 80s in October.
And so we had one bedroom, andthen the front room had a cot
that I used, and there was no AC.
Annie Sargent (15:11):
Right, it was very hot.
Katy Russell (15:13):
It was hot, and then I'm Hot Flash Central right now, and
so, that was challenging too, andso I'd sleep with my head next to
the doorway outside to the balcony.
But it was Mosquito Village andthere was a tram right there.
Annie Sargent (15:30):
Yes, and the noise.
Yes.
Katy Russell (15:32):
But it was okay, you know, I felt like my bed was comfortable.
Annie Sargent (15:35):
Yes.
The problem there is that middleof October, I didn't think it
was that important to have airconditioning and I was wrong.
Yes.
We needed air conditioning.
So this is somethingthat I tell people about.
I usually say, you know,between June and September, you
really need air conditioning.
(15:55):
Well, it turns out that in Octoberwe needed air conditioning as well.
And yeah, that's, that's just anunfortunate, and neither that first
accommodation nor the second one had it,and it would have been way better, both of
them would have been way better with AC.
It was hot.
Katy Russell (16:15):
Yes.
And one other thing about the hot.
So there was a fan that I didn'teven notice the first day that we
were there and I set my bags rightnext to it, didn't even see the fan.
And then the second day Irealized there was a fan there.
Annie Sargent (16:29):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (16:30):
When I was in my head thinking like, maybe
we can go buy one somewhere.
So if you're driving to a place, youmight, and you don't mind packing
a little fan, it might be worth it.
Annie Sargent (16:39):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (16:40):
This fan that was in the room where I was staying
was so loud I couldn't sleep.
Annie Sargent (16:46):
Right, because in October, sure, it cools off at night, but then
you have to sleep with the windowopen and then you have the bugs and
then you have the noise, potentially.
Because with the windows closed, thiswas not a particularly noisy area, but
if you have to sleep with the windowsopen because it's so dang hot, and you
attract mosquitoes like nobody's business.
Katy Russell (17:09):
I was like their BFF.
Annie Sargent (17:10):
Yes.
Katy Russell (17:12):
Is it typical for it to be 80s in October?
Annie Sargent (17:15):
No, it's not.
It's not.
This year was very different.
Typically by October, it's more like60s, 70s, but this year, the summer
went on, and on, and on, and on.
It didn't really cooloff until early November.
November 2nd was a holiday and I remembersaying to Marianne, my daughter, that
(17:38):
this is normal weather for All Saints Day.
It was cool, you know,finally it was cool.
So listeners, don't assume thatit's going to be cool enough and
that you won't need AC in Octoberbecause, yeah, you might, you might.
All right, so then wedropped off our stuff.
The lady was very nice though.
(17:58):
And the area was fine.
It's just that it was too hot.
Then we dropped off our stuffand we headed out to Arcachon.
Now Arcachon, I had been toobviously because that's where
I took my first steps, but yes,but you can probably understand
that I have no memories of that.
(18:19):
And it's adorable.
It's a cute little town, isn't it?
Katy Russell (18:22):
Yes.
I thought it was reallydelightful and it's a place I
would go back to if I came back.
Annie Sargent (18:29):
So, sandy beach, large sandy beach, lots of cute
little stores, restaurants,we found nice pizza somewhere.
Again, some of them were closing,so we had to kind of hurry up
and get some food, because eventhere, some things were closing.
Katy Russell (18:46):
And we were there also on a Monday.
And so they had, and wasn'tthat area closed on Monday?
They were open on theweekend and closed on Monday?
Annie Sargent (18:55):
Well, a lot of places do that.
When they're open Saturday, Sunday,on Monday, a lot of places don't open.
They just, that's their day off.
But the architecturewas really, really cute.
The stores that we foundwere really, really cute.
I don't know, I liked it.
Katy Russell (19:09):
I thought it was delightful.
And there were some very stunningbuildings, you know, stunning apartments
and shops and so fun to walk around andhave an area where you can just shop and
sit, and eat, and you don't even knowthat the beach is just five minutes away.
Like, I didn't evenknow it was right there.
Annie Sargent (19:28):
Yeah, it's right there.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (19:29):
And then the water was so blue and it was definitely
an area where you could hangout at the beach all day long.
You could bring your family,you could sit and play.
And in October, I wasn'tprepared to play at a beach.
I didn't assume it would bewarm enough outside to want
to sit at the beach all day.
And I got there and thought, well,maybe we could make this work.
I don't know.
(19:50):
but we weren't ready for water.
Annie Sargent (19:51):
Another thing that we ran into that's, it's worth warning people
about is that there are a lot of boattrips that you can take in that area.
The problem is because it's summer,it's not summer season anymore, a
lot of the boats, they only do their,like, I wanted to go to Cap Ferret
(20:12):
on the boat from Arcachon, but wehad to be there, the last one was at
2:15 and we missed it the first day.
So I thought, oh, perhaps wecan go back the next day for
the 10:30 one or something.
There was only two in the day.
And then the next day, for somereason we got delayed and we couldn't.
We just couldn't make it on time.
(20:34):
So that was frustrating because youknow that there's a fun activity, but
it's only twice a day and if you'renot there on time, can't do it.
Katy Russell (20:43):
There was an accident on the freeway.
Annie Sargent (20:45):
Oh, that's what it was.
Okay.
Yeah.
That was crazy.
So next time, I wouldjust stay in Arcachon.
That was a mistake.
Okay?
Because I thought we wanted to visitBordeaux as well, and so I thought,
oh, if we get an Airbnb, well, anapartment not too far from the center
of Bordeaux, I can park my car easily,which this apartment had a parking
(21:09):
area for my car, so that was great.
And then we can get onto publictransportation into Bordeaux,
which was also very good, andvery easy, that was the third day.
That's what we did.
But then to get into Arcachon, well,you know, Monday morning traffic
and we didn't make it on time andthen we wanted to go the next day
(21:31):
and that, it didn't work out either.
So, yeah.
Katy Russell (21:34):
It's all good.
I think it's a place to come back to and,you know, depending on the time of year
will depend on what is available therefor you to do, but I think it's definitely
a place you could spend all day.
Annie Sargent (21:45):
Yeah, it really had a vibe to me, like the kind of place
where I could go and just sit therefor three days and not do much besides
read, walk, bike ride, a littlebathing, take a boat ride, you know.
But you'd need more time.
Like, we were trying to gothrough too many things.
Yeah, we were trying to do a lot.
(22:06):
I wanted to cover a lot of groundand I tell people not to do that.
And then what do I do?
Katy Russell (22:12):
But we also didn't know ahead of time what time the boat ride was.
If we had, that could have changed things.
But it's okay, we still had a blast.
Annie Sargent (22:20):
Oh, Oh, we had a great time.
But you know, it's good topoint out the things that
worked out and didn't work out.
And there are so many boat rides and a lotof these websites, it's hard to tell if,
you know, when they start service, whenthey end service, like, it's not like they
want to have a sexy looking website thattells you, you know, oh, we're going to
(22:42):
take you to this island, blah, blah, blah.
And then when you want to go seethe details, okay, what time and
do you do this year round or not?
And it's really hard to findthe information until you get
there and then you're like, oh,that's how it's going to be.
So the next day we went to,oh no, we went to the Dune du
Pilat as well, that day, yes.
(23:02):
So Dune du Pilat is gorgeous.
Katy Russell (23:05):
It is.
Annie Sargent (23:06):
But my bum knees were telling me, I mean, just to
get, so when we got there, theyhadn't removed the stairs yet.
They don't leave the stairs on yearround, they were going to remove the
stairs at the end of the school vacation,which was probably November 3rd or
(23:29):
4th or something like that this year.
And so, we still had the stairs,but just to get from the parking
lot to the bottom of the stairs,you sink into the sand a lot.
Katy Russell (23:40):
Yes, that was really tough, even for me.
And I thought it was reallyinteresting when we pulled up, it
literally looked like a campsite.
Like, there's, you know, pine trees andthe road wasn't, I don't know, it just
reminded me of going somewhere to camp,and you're like parking in a campsite.
And then you walk and then I don'tknow where there's this massive dune,
but even just getting to the dune,you know, once you start feeling
(24:02):
where the sand is, it's challenging tonavigate, challenging to walk through.
And so glad we made it when therewere steps, I wouldn't have, there
were people climbing up and down thesand, which I wouldn't have done.
It was, and it was also a very, youknow, very warm, here we're still in
October, it's still in the 80s, andhaving hot flashes, I get to the top.
(24:25):
And it was awesome to be able to walkup those stairs and be at the top, but
it was so bright to take a picture.
Like, I couldn't even see what,I was just clicking on my camera.
I had no idea what was goingto turn out of my pictures.
Annie Sargent (24:37):
But it was nice.
It did great.
Yeah, it looked great.
Katy Russell (24:39):
Some people were on the dune, like, taking off their shirts
and, you know, because they were so hotand sweating and posing for pictures.
Annie Sargent (24:48):
Yeah, it was really interesting.
And there were several little cafes, westopped for a drink on the way back down.
But one thing that's important to knowis that they want you to walk on the
sand and not on the dirt off to the side.
So there are lots of signs thatsay, don't walk on the dirt.
It would have been a hundred timeseasier to walk on the dirt, but they
(25:11):
want you to go to the stairs in the sand.
And that is like, oh...
Katy Russell (25:16):
Right.
And they're steep stairs too.
And one thing I did really love isthat at the top of the dune, you
know, from one view you can see, youknow, the forest of trees, and then
on the other side, you turn aroundand you see the Atlantic Ocean.
And so you have this very differentperspective of just, you know,
(25:37):
how the, of of a view and...
anyway, it was awesome to see.
I've never been to a sanddune anywhere and so it was
very cool to just to be there.
Definitely recommendhydrating before and after.
Annie Sargent (25:51):
Yes.
So that was the end of our Arcachon day.
And the Dune du Pilat and Arcachonare very, very close to one another.
In the car, it's like, what,eight kilometers or something.
I know people do it on a bike aswell, there's a bike path that you can
take if you want to do it that way.
And Arcachon is an interestingtown because it's one that you
(26:11):
can go on the train from Bordeaux.
And so, if you wanted to take more time,you could take the train to Arcachon,
stay there for, you know, howeverlong, and also ride a bike to the Dune
du Pilat, and that would be a veryhearty day of expending your energies.
Katy Russell (26:32):
For sure, yes.
Annie Sargent (26:36):
The following day, we spent in Bordeaux, which you had never seen.
So I want to know whatyou thought of Bordeaux.
Katy Russell (26:43):
I thought it was amazing.
You know, it's so nice to beable to see something different.
And again, I hadn't looked up anythingabout Bordeaux, what it looked like.
I had no expectation cominginto it and was just delighted.
We went to this lovely public garden andI don't know if there was a specific name
(27:03):
for it, but it was right off the train.
Annie Sargent (27:06):
Yes.
So I, why did I stop there?
I saw something, oh, I saw a beautifulkind of gate, you know, like a gilded
gate, and I was like, oh, that's probablya very nice park, and so we went in.
And it's called Jardin Public,I'm not sure if it has a specific
(27:26):
name, but that Jardin Publicwas very, very nice, I thought.
Katy Russell (27:32):
Yeah, it was beautiful and massive.
We walked around, and there's so manydifferent areas within that park.
You know, there was a play area for youngkids, a play area for older kids, there
was places where you could just sit andenjoy your lunch, or you can sit by a
pond, or under a tree, or by a building.
(27:54):
Like they just had, it was just reallylovely in its design, and a great
place if you were in Bordeaux and youneed a day to just kick back and play
or just have young kids, like, it's agreat place to just spend some time.
Annie Sargent (28:08):
Absolutely.
The Natural HistoryMuseum was there, I think.
Katy Russell (28:12):
Oh, that's right.
Annie Sargent (28:13):
Yeah, and so we didn't go in, but we could have.
Katy Russell (28:17):
We had other plans.
Annie Sargent (28:18):
We had other plans.
And then we went into the city,the Place des Quinconces, with a
big fountain, massive, beautifulfountain and the obelisk and all that.
Katy Russell (28:31):
Yes, that fountain was impressive.
And again, another day whereit was so warm and bright out.
So I remember taking a picture of Annie,trying to take a picture of Annie in
front of the fountain, and I couldn'tever get her with her eyes open,
and I couldn't see as I was clickingmy camera because it was so bright.
Annie Sargent (28:48):
We were both blinded.
Katy Russell (28:49):
And the horses have those crazy feet on that statue,
they're like claws, like dinosaurfeet, and men with these, you know,
funny expressions on their face.
I don't know if it's a man.
I don't know who's on that fountain, butit was very impressive and fun to see.
Annie Sargent (29:08):
It's a beautiful, at Place des Quinconces, you have to go,
if you're in Bordeaux, you have to go.
The other place, well, we hadlunch at L'Entrecôte, which
you had done before, I'm sure.
Katy Russell (29:18):
Yes, I've had it in Toulouse.
Annie Sargent (29:21):
It was very much the same, right?
Katy Russell (29:23):
It was, it was very much the same, and we didn't tell David, so don't
Annie Sargent (29:26):
tell David.
No, don't tell David.
Because that day he had to do taxes.
Can you believe the guy?
He's like, I got to turn inour taxes by a certain date.
And the accountant wanted this and that.
So he spent the wholeday preparing our taxes.
I'm glad someone doesthis because I wouldn't.
Katy Russell (29:49):
So we enjoyed a lovely steak, and fries, and salad.
Annie Sargent (29:52):
Yes, yes.
And then we walked somemore around the city.
We went to the big theater.
We went to the Wine Museum.
Now the Wine Museum wasvery cool, I thought.
Katy Russell (30:04):
Very impressive.
I think it's one of thebest museums I've ever seen.
Annie Sargent (30:10):
Mm hmm.
Why?
Katy Russell (30:11):
Well, the setup, I think, you know, they had all these
little stations throughout themuseum and the way that they were
set up didn't seem crowded at all.
Nothing took a very long time.
Each station was just a few minutes,and so it was easy to just flow.
The flow was really easy andI loved, especially that it
(30:33):
catered to all of your senses.
And so there was some, you know, part ofthe exhibit you literally just listened
to the effervescence of wine and theyhad the visual stimulation of the
different interactive pictures and sounds.
And then they had one whereyou could physically smash
virtual grapes with your feet.
Annie Sargent (30:51):
Yeah.
Katy Russell (30:52):
And they would track, you know, you had the picture of when
it was a grape and when it was wine.
And so you, or when it was smashed, and soit would track how many grapes you smashed
in the amount of time that you weredoing it, and who smashed more grapes.
And, you know, so you had thatphysical aspect of it, and
then you had different places.
Oh, what was the exhibit called?
(31:12):
The part of the exhibit where youcould smell the infusions in the wine?
Annie Sargent (31:16):
So you would put your nose in things and they would, and
you had a little pump that you couldpush on and it just blew a little
bit of that scent into your nose.
It was to teach you to recognize the waypeople describe wine that it has, you
know, like berries or whatever flavors.
Katy Russell (31:37):
Yeah, so that was really fun and I think interesting for a variety
of ages too, you know, it wasn't justcatered to adults or catered to kids,
like it just, it would work for anyone.
And they had a really, just beautiful,I think it was beautifully designed
on the inside too, with the largewooden carved, like half open,
(31:59):
like a half of a wine barrel.
Annie Sargent (32:01):
Barrel, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And it's not the sort of museumwhere you just stand and read, you
know, you have all sorts of things,you have video, different types.
You sit and watch something happen.
You sit at a table and there'slike holograms that appear.
(32:22):
There was one video where you sit backalmost, you're almost lying down...
Anyway, lots of things.
And they also had this really good,concise history of wine in the area,
which I thought was very well donebecause in three minutes, they gave
you the gist of it and I thoughtthey hit all the important points.
(32:43):
It was really good.
Katy Russell (32:44):
Yes, and so nice because I sometimes, especially if
you've been out and walking aroundall day and then you have to sit for
a long time, sometimes I get tired.
And so it was nice to just, you know,to know that the, you know, sitting down
and watching this video was only goingto take me five minutes, but I was going
to get a lot of information or just bevery interesting in how it was presented.
(33:06):
And I love that they showed thevideos with all the different
vineyards throughout the world, inplaces where I'd never even think
that there would be a vineyard.
And so it was justphotography, it was beautiful.
And then they had the one where you, itwould give you three options of, you know,
if you wanted to know about the history,or how it was made, or about the grape,
(33:27):
and you could choose what you wanted, andit was, and it would show you a little
clock, almost, of how long, you know, andthey were like a minute and a half, that
they would tell you the information, butyou could also see visually, how long
is this going to take me, and oh, I'malmost done, so I can either move, or
I'm still interested, and I'm going tostay here and see what else I can learn.
Annie Sargent (33:46):
Yeah.
So I think we spent perhaps90 minutes in that museum.
At the end, you get a glass ofwine and you get to choose between
all sorts of different wines.
I thought it was also one of the bestmuseums I've ever seen really, because it
was so engaging that I really liked it.
I think that's not to be missed.
(34:07):
We're chatting a long time, so we gotto move on to what we saw in Royan.
So we stayed at Royan also a B&B, well,not a B&B, but, it was a booking.com gîte.
Gîte, yes.
And it was quite good.
Lots and lots of bugs.
(34:27):
They had the most gorgeousswimming pool I've ever seen.
Really, the swimming pool was outstanding.
You and David went to swim,and I didn't want to swim.
I was covered from head totoe, and they still got me.
I had so many bug bites, ah, yeah.
So, yes, a very warm October,beautiful place with a pool and a pond.
(34:53):
I didn't think it through.
Yeah, probably, it was very nice, it wasvery nice, but it would have been better
with AC, close the windows, you know,don't have the bugs come in, all of that.
Katy Russell (35:04):
Right.
Right.
But it was lovely.
Annie Sargent (35:06):
Yes, it was lovely.
Royan was very interesting, we went tothe Corderie, or was that in Rochefort?
No, that was in Rochefort, I think.
Corderie Royale, where wesaw how they make ropes.
Katy Russell (35:17):
And that was on my list because I can't remember,
I have a question mark by it.
I can't remember where.
I think we saw that in, oh, I think wesaw that before we drove to the church.
Didn't we?
Annie Sargent (35:28):
Oh, that's right.
I remember.
Royan was just a townwith the cement basilica.
Katy Russell (35:32):
Mm hmm.
Annie Sargent (35:33):
Lovely.
So while we were charging the car, aguy said, if you're going to Royan, you
have to stop at the cement basilica.
And I was like, what?
It was awesome.
It was really interesting, wasn't it?
So Royan was cool.
Katy Russell (35:47):
It was, and it was such a beautiful building, like I
would love to hear a concert there.
I think that organ was incredible,just gorgeous, and I'm sure
the acoustics are amazing.
But definitely go see whetherthere's a performance there or not.
Annie Sargent (36:01):
Yes, Royan, we also ate at a restaurant, I can't remember
what it was called, but it was verygood, the seafood was very, very good,
and it was right by the port, I'llput it in the show notes, because I
know my seafood, that one was good.
Katy Russell (36:13):
It was delicious.
Annie Sargent (36:14):
Yes, you had oysters, you had never had oysters before.
Katy Russell (36:17):
Never.
Yeah.
So that was an interestingexperience, great to branch out, try
something new, and just go for it.
Annie Sargent (36:24):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Rochefort, we went to the Corderie,which was an interesting place, a bit
of a dusty museum, you know, comparedto the museum, The Wine Museum, it
was less interactive, it was more likelook at pictures, read the information.
We had a tour guide that was...
yeah, no, I moved on.
(36:45):
I was like, no, this guy isgoing to put me to sleep.
So we moved on from him.
The tour guide right before, becauseI could overhear the previous
tour guide, he was way better,he was way more interesting.
So that was just bad luck.
The Hermione boat, that you cannormally see in Rochefort was not there.
It was being refurbished somewhere.
(37:07):
So that was too bad.
Let's talk briefly about the Îled'Oléron, you know, when we drove
over that big bridge and we wereon this island for a long time.
That was so strange.
I'm not sure what I think about it.
Katy Russell (37:21):
About the bridge?
Annie Sargent (37:22):
About the island, about the whole island.
Yeah.
Katy Russell (37:24):
The island itself, I mean, I don't remember there
being many places where youcould really spend a lot of time.
Annie Sargent (37:31):
Mm hmm.
Katy Russell (37:32):
Like the water, the tide was really low.
Annie Sargent (37:34):
Yes, it was muddy.
So when the tide is low in theAtlantic, it's mud, like...
not for me.
Katy Russell (37:43):
Well, and that seemed to also be one of the
days where it was no longer 80s.
It was windy.
It was rainy too.
So that may have impacted part of it.
Annie Sargent (37:53):
But from there, we took a boat ride finally, because
there was one that was going at theright time, and we went to the...
what's it called?
Fort Boyard.
So this is something French peopleknow, because they've been shooting a
TV series, a very painful TV series,for years there, so it was cool, I
(38:15):
finally got my boat ride, I was happy.
Katy Russell (38:17):
Me too.
I was happy too, and it was so cool to beable to, you know, another time that I've
been on a boat, there was nothing historicaround it, you were just on water.
And so this was very cool to be ableto go, you know, see past something
that was, you know, built so longago and that's still being used for
these, these hilarious, painful TVseries that you're talking about.
Annie Sargent (38:42):
So when we got home, we showed her one of the episodes and
we were all like, okay, give me morewine because this is like, not good.
Okay, we really need to wrap it up.
But one place that I really loved wasFouras, no, I shouldn't say the S,
they don't say the S, it's Fouras,there is an S, but don't say it.
I thought that was a cool little town.
Katy Russell (39:03):
It was lovely.
It was a day that was still rainywhen we were there, so it was a
little cold, but yeah, I lovedthat medieval castle or chateau.
Annie Sargent (39:14):
Yeah, it was, it was a fortification, a Vauban fortification.
Katy Russell (39:18):
And there was that wild bronze sculpture that looked like an evil
demon from a superhero movie or something.
I don't know what it was, but maybethat's where people were tortured.
I don't know.
Annie Sargent (39:30):
And then there was the little covered market with the food.
That's where you got some scarves.
Katy Russell (39:37):
I got a scarf, I bought a wallet, we bought those
delicious oranges or tangerines.
Annie Sargent (39:44):
Oh yeah, the tangerines were very good.
Katy Russell (39:46):
The food there was just looked remarkable in that market.
I had these beautiful pictures ofjust vibrant colors of tomatoes.
And potatoes, and squash, andoysters, oysters, oysters,
oysters, like just so many oysters.
I've never seen that before.
And then outside along the market, I waswhere I thought it was funny where there
was, you know, people selling clothesand purses and then there was underwear.
(40:10):
And I'd never seen underwearsold in a covered market before.
I thought that was so bizarre.
But it turns out, you know, Anniewas saying it's, that was where
the locals buy their underwear.
Annie Sargent (40:22):
Yeah.
Okay.
So if you're a French granny,because I know Americans have this
idea that all French women are sexyand always done up and all of that.
Well, think again.
French women are not all like that.
Many are, but not all.
And so you have yourregular 50, 60 year old.
My mother always bought herunderwear in those places because
(40:44):
she knew that she was going to getthis one brand that fit her well.
She got her bras in those places.
She didn't even have to trythem on because she's been
wearing those for years.
And that's the sort of clothes, orsocks, also, if you have these socks
that you really like, I mean, comeon, you have favorite socks, right?
Katy Russell (41:03):
Yes.
Annie Sargent (41:04):
Everybody does.
Katy Russell (41:05):
True.
That's so true.
That makes a lot of sense.
Annie Sargent (41:08):
And if you got them there, well, you're going to go back again,
and again, and again, to get more socksevery few weeks or months, perhaps.
So, yes, it's a big thing,especially in places that have,
say, older population, usually.
Katy Russell (41:22):
But it was, it was a great place to walk around.
I think there was a shopwith boatneck shirts.
You were saying that town was knownfor that boatneck style of shirt.
Annie Sargent (41:32):
Yes, the striped shirts.
Katy Russell (41:34):
And we saw that cemetery where if you die while you're
visiting, you could be buried there.
Annie Sargent (41:40):
Oh, yes.
So this was in Saint Georges de Didonne.
Yes.
Gorgeous little village.
Gorgeous, gorgeous.
The cemetery, the church, and it saidspecifically, you know, well, if you
want to be buried here, because it's agorgeous cemetery, you have to die in the
village, or be a resident of the village.
(42:02):
So I guess if that's your lastwish, you better go die over there.
But it was really gorgeous.
Anyway, we have been talking too longand so I'm going to cut it short,
but it was a delight having you.
And I want you to come again becauseit gives me an opportunity to go see
places that I wouldn't have by myself,like, you know, you don't go on a trip
(42:24):
like that for five days just becauseyou want to, like, perhaps I should.
Katy Russell (42:29):
You should.
And Annie, it was so fun to bethere, and you're an amazing host.
And I love the drive, like, Ithink just the drive in between
the cities was so picturesque.
I wish that I'd been taller to seeout the window more and had taken
more videos of the drive because itwas really just stunning, just such
a beautiful area of the country.
(42:50):
And so fun to see so many amazing thingsthat we didn't even know were out there.
Annie Sargent (42:55):
Yeah.
Oh, we need to mentionCognac, where we also stopped.
We didn't see much of the town.
We just went to see one of the housesthat makes cognac, the alcoholic
drink, which I don't really like.
It was Hennessy.
We visited Hennessy.
It was very posh.
Katy Russell (43:14):
It was very posh, and I agree, it's not necessarily
a drink that, is not my choice ofdrink, but I thought the distillery
was, I thought it was fascinating.
It was very posh.
Like you walk in and you're like, whoa.
There is money here for sure.
But it's very well designed.
I thought the information was fascinatingfor someone who knows nothing about
(43:38):
how it's made or how it's stored.
Like even the barrels are justthis incredible work of art.
And the history of it I thought wasreally, so fascinating to me that it
made me, I guess, appreciate this kindof thing even more and interested in
looking into other, you know, othermuseums and distilleries like this.
(43:58):
It just was very cool.
So if you're there, I woulddefinitely check it out.
Annie Sargent (44:02):
You got some for your husband, right?
Katy Russell (44:04):
I did.
We haven't opened it yet.
We haven't opened it yet.
But we did, well, I did get a littlebottle too, but the bottle that I
bought for my husband is one that is,it's like a collector's edition where
every year, Hennessy has, choosesan artist to design the bottle.
And then you can onlybuy the bottle in France.
Annie Sargent (44:24):
Ah.
Katy Russell (44:25):
And so this year's bottle is kind of like a chameleon green.
So it's kind of like greens and blues, sothe bottle is what's really special about
this and more so than the product inside.
But my husband likes to collect thingsand so it'll look great on our shelf.
And we'll probably try the trick ofadding, using an ice cube with it, or if
(44:46):
we drink it, or adding a little seltzerand lemon to it to make it a little
bit of a cocktail and easier to drink.
Annie Sargent (44:51):
Exactly.
I thought it was way better withice cube and seltzer and lemon
and dilute it a bit, cause it's sostrong, oh, rips your throat out.
Katy Russell (45:03):
It does.
But it was, I think, a reallyfascinating experience there at Hennessy.
Annie Sargent (45:10):
All right, Kat, this time we're done.
Thank you so much for talking to me.
Please come back.
Well, I'll drag you back soon andI'll see you for Christmas in Utah.
Katy Russell (45:20):
Yes, absolutely.
Thank you, Annie.
Annie Sargent (45:23):
Merci beaucoup.
Katy Russell (45:24):
Merci.
Annie Sargent (45:25):
Au revoir.
Again, I want to thank my patrons forgiving back and supporting the show.
Patrons get lots of perks inexchange for their support,
including getting the episode assoon as it's ready and ads free.
Some months I produceextra history content.
(45:48):
Most months, Elyse and I have acasual convo that I record and share.
I've started a new collection called'Visits with Annie', where I share
photos and thoughts about the new placesI visit in France, as it's happening.
You can see all of thoserewards at patreon.com/joinus.
And a shout out this week tonew patrons Amanda Rose, Leona
(46:08):
Hamlin, Jane and Pat Bader.
And to all my current patrons,it's wonderful to have you on board
in the community of francophileswho keep this podcast going.
And to support Elyse goto patreon.com/ElysArt.
And if you are a patron, I recommendyou install the Patreon app and
(46:30):
log into that because it gives youinstant access to a lot of stuff quite
easily, including some messaging.
So if I have a thought, I can like,Oh, what are you cooking today?
Or something like that.
And it's fun to do.
Thank you, Jennifer Jerzyk forsetting up a recurring tip donation.
You can do that also by clicking onany green button on joinusinfrance.com
(46:52):
that says 'Tip your guide'.
Thank you, Jennifer.
We're planning an episode together.
Obviously, you didn't have to donate tobe on an episode, that's not how it works,
but I really appreciate your support.
This week I published a video driveover the Millau Viaduct in the Aveyron
and some photos of the beautiful,beautiful villages I visited.
(47:12):
And I would like to share somereviews that people have left
of my VoiceMap tours this week.
One person said (47:17):
"Fantastic tour, very clear directions, easy to
follow, loved going at my own pace,great information along the way."
And here's a review of my new food tourfrom Bren: we absolutely loved this tour.
I felt like I was discovering secretparts of Paris and walking down paths
tourists normally don't know about.
(47:40):
And the entire time I felt safe withAnnie in my ear, guiding my way.
Her tour is rich with historicalfacts, cultural commentary,
and even the odd macabre urbanlegend from centuries of yore.
This felt like an intimate strollwith an old friend showing you the
lovely parts of her neighborhood.
I doubt I would have gottenmore out of a live tour guide."
(48:04):
And one last one about my LatinQuarter Tour: "Recommended big time!
You explore Quartier Latin like a local.
The guide is very likable andgives small tips and anecdotes
of Paris and her own life.
We did two of her tours while in Paris!"
Well I'm very glad you find me likable.
Thank you!
(48:25):
If the podcast is leaving youwanting more, I offer two levels
of Itinerary Consultations on Zoomto help you plan for your trip.
It's all explained onJoinUsInFrance.com/boutique.
All right, the Olympics are a hundreddays away, and here's what we know
about access to the game sites.
(48:45):
For those of you who have ticketsfor an event, your ticket is
all you need, well, ID perhaps.
I would take ID definitely goingaround Paris during the Olympics.
The rest of the time, I always tellpeople, leave your ID at home, but
during the Olympics, you will need it.
What you need to know is that betweenthe opening and closing ceremonies,
there will be access restrictionsaround the Seine River, where many
(49:07):
of the events will take place.
People who live or work in therestricted areas will need to fill
out some paperwork and get a QR codeto get in and out of the area easily.
I think that's going to beopen to visitors as well, but
I still need to verify that.
But of course, like I said before,if you have tickets for an event,
yeah, they'll let you throughwithout too much difficulty.
(49:29):
The problem is with people who justhappen to be in Paris, and don't
have tickets to attend the Olympics,most of the city will be open, right?
Most of the city is going to be just fine.
I don't anticipate any problemsgoing to Montmartre, going to Saint
Germain des Prés, for instance, lotsand lots of places will be open.
Les Halles area as wellis going to be open.
(49:51):
But the banks of the river and thebridges are going to be closely guarded.
So this area goes from Pont deBercy all the way to the Trocadéro.
It encompasses 20,000 residents, but alsomuseums and the Austerlitz train station.
Typically, 200,000 people millaround this area on any given day.
(50:12):
All will have to present this precious QRcode and an ID at the police checkpoint.
So, do carry your ID if you're going to bein Paris this summer during the Olympics.
There will not be a requirement fora QR code to cross the Seine, but
for pedestrians, you'll need to go tothe Léopold Sandart Senghor Bridge,
(50:35):
so we call it the Senghor Bridge.
It's about halfway in the middleof the Tuilleries Gardens,
not far from the Orsay Museum.
At 1 pm on the day of the openingceremony, all movement of people
will be stopped around that areaso they can search and make sure
nobody's up to anything evil.
The opening ceremonies are on July 26,and the closing ceremonies August 11th.
(51:01):
The Paralympics will take placebetween August 28th and September
8th, but there are always fewerpeople for the Paralympics.
I'm going to the Paralympics, but Iknow that it's not going to be as busy.
So, some of these restrictions willprobably be eased, but I haven't
heard anything official about that.
(51:21):
Of course, there will be exceptionsto all these restrictions
depending on professions (51:23):
doctors, firefighters, emergency workers, etc.
will be able to get through the policestops with proper identification.
So, if you're visiting betweenJuly 26th and August 11th and
don't have tickets for differentevents, prepare to be frustrated.
Another group of people who arefrustrated are greedy Airbnb
(51:46):
renters and some hotels as well.
Some of them declined all bookingsthinking, well, you know, a thousand
a night was fair, even for places thatnormally rent for a hundred a night.
They got requests early on, butdeclined them, they thought that prices
would go up, that visitors would getdesperate and would pay anything.
(52:07):
Well, not really.
I think people did what Idecided to do for my week in
Lille for the basketball events.
I'm going to two events.
I'm going to Lille for basketball, that'sduring the regular Olympics, and then
a week in Paris for the Paralympics.
I've already booked my hotel, it's notreally a hotel, it's an apart hotel, so
(52:29):
it's like a tiny studio for the week I'mgoing to be in Paris for the Paralympics.
And the prices were a littlehigh, but nothing too crazy.
But for the basketball events inLille, anywhere I could find was
asking for 600 a night for a three starhotel, and I'm sorry, but you know,
a three star hotel in Lille probablycost a hundred most of the time.
(52:51):
And just because the Olympicsare on doesn't make it a $600 a
night hotel, so I decided to bookan apartment in Roubaix instead.
It's 70 kilometers away.
I have to mess with parking on theday we go into Lille for games or for
a visit, but prices were normal inRoubaix, so that's where I'm staying.
I might have gone for Lille if prices weredouble the normal price, but ten times the
(53:16):
normal price, six times the normal price?
I don't think so.
So people got greedy and there will beempty rooms in Paris during the Olympics.
There may be some good dealsto be had now, after all.
But who has tickets to theOlympics and nowhere to stay for
a hundred days before the games?
You know, not too manypeople, in my opinion.
(53:37):
Now, if you booked a super expensivething and would like to cancel it
and go somewhere cheap, make sure youhave a reservation for the cheaper
place before you cancel, okay?
People are playing games with theprices and it's just making me
crazy, but that's how it works.
You know, 300 a night for a three starhotel is fair in most arrondissements,
(54:00):
400 a night, all right, but athousand a night, I don't think so.
Yeah, I don't think so.
My thanks to podcast editors Anneand Cristian Cotovan who produced
the transcripts for this podcast.
Next week on the podcast, an episodeabout the composer Maurice Ravel,
a great parisian, as you'll hear.
(54:21):
And remember patrons get newepisodes of the podcast ads free.
Click on the link in theshow notes to be like them.
Thank you for listening, and Ihope you join me next time so we
can look around France together.
Au revoir.
The Join Us in France travelpodcast is written, hosted, and
produced by Annie Sargent andCopyright 2024 by AddictedToFrance.
(54:45):
It is released under a CreativeCommons, attribution, non-commercial,
no derivatives license.
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