Housesitting in France, Life of adventure, Neighbourhood Walks

Neighbourhood Walk – Moissac

Suzanne

Canal before Moissac - chat with a local of sorts!

It was only a few weeks ago we were in France ambling along a few canals.

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As you may like to do when the sun is shining in the countryside of France, with its many small towns with canal ways.

As we wandered down past the boats, “an old geezer“, as he liked to describe himself as our conversation progressed, popped his head from out of one of the canal boats.

Speaking in French, he inquired “Puis-Je vous aider, Monsieur?”, To which we replied, “Bonjour, we are just admiring the boats”, then he said in a broad cockney accent, “That’s alright, mate”.  After further dialogue, he proudly exclaimed that he had a couple of kiwi friends.

Must be a badge for that achievement somewhere!

Then he let us know, in between laughs, when he saw a kiwi flag another one would be brought out.  An Aussie one.  With even more glee, he chortled,  “They all hated it, I love to stir the buggers”.

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This conversation carried on to why he and his wife were still in France and apparently in the wettest region of France.  It was due to workers draining the canal.  As this required him to move his boat out further, there are far more technical reasons for this which I won’t elaborate on.  To cut a long story short, he and his wife have a motorhome parked up beside his boat which they use to head on over to a Portugal for the wintertime.  He stated his Spain experience is always a quick one as it was too expensive to loiter around in.  With commodities nearly as pricey as France, he informed us.

 

There ended our conversation, it was time for Miss Dexter and us to head onto Moissac, where there were more “old geezers and their offsiders”, down on the canal.

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Mossaic, which is a small town nestled in an epicurean fruit bowl, approximately 20kms from where we were housesitting.  Dominated by orchards and Chasselas AOC grape vines.  Where cultures mix from what appears to be from many corners of the world.

This small town is also renowned for its Romanesque Abbey, whose cloister and portal are classified as World Heritage Site.  It was also the only building that was standing after “the big flood”, in the 1930’s, which destroyed most of the town.

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From our admiration of the Abbey, we followed the signs to the canal to see what boats were there and if we were lucky enough to have another opportunity to meet a character who lives on the canal.

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All in all, our mid-winter walk around very much a summer town, was enjoyable.  Relaxing. Insightful.  Here’s to us returning to this area to see it in all it’s glory after the wine has been harvested and a tasting is required to appreciate the sun go down on another productive day.

Moissac

 

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

33 thoughts on “Neighbourhood Walk – Moissac”

  2. They built to last in the Middle Ages.

    The photographs are lovely. That’s a part of France I’d like to visit. The Black Prince led two campaigns around there in the 1350s and I’d like to see some of the places where he fought.

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    1. They certainly did build them to last as it doesn’t look a day over 100! Seriously it is hard to comprehend how old the abbey is as it is in such good condition.

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  7. Yay! It’s always nice to hear of English folks that can actually speak French while they live there…even if they soon revert to the cockney accent! 😉

    I always love following your wanders.

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    1. Josy, you are right it is brilliant than expats learn the language of their chosen new country. Most people we have housesitted for do speak the lingo. Me on the other hand has never been good at mastering new languages, though I do try my best 🙂

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    1. Oh Clare, if I had known that on the day we visited. I would have whispered “snap” 🙂 I won’t ask how old you were when you visited! Incredible frontage on the abbey and the inside was also decorative! We have seen so many churches/abbeys, that there are still ones that still make us go “wow”. 🙂

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        2. I can picture it now: a cute little girl in her Sunday best running up and down the stairs, or was that something I would do 🙂 🙂

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    1. Maybe one day you will be able to visit France. Many and myself included think that Paris is not the real France. The Parisians are in a league on their own 🙂

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      1. Yes, I hope so Suzanne and you are probably right…I am finding this where I live now in the north of Thailand vastly different to Phuket I always say this is the real Thailand. Although on our Paris trip we find a little cafe and we were able to rummage through their vinyl( yes) it was a few years ago now and we had a great night doing a bit of jive with the locals..It was lovely, a fun night and a great memory… 🙂 x

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        1. Your trip does sound wonderful. The Paris bit is similar to people now saying if you only go to Auckland you haven’t seen the “real” New Zealand 🙂 Phuket is very touristy and the area you will in would be more authentic and more relaxing!

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