Arrived Pau 9.20 where our taxi driver awaited with a large Range Rover for the easy drive to Nogaro via Aire. Disconcerted by his tendency to take his hand off the steering wheel at speed while he described the finer points of local bull fighting. We stopped briefly at Luppé Violles to drop off our bags at tonight's hotel, the Relais d'Armagnac and put on boots etc. And very quickly we reached Nogaro, which seemed strangely familiar after twelve months absence!
So we gathered ourselves together in the old routine and
set off confidently in the direction indicated by the map. It was a lovely morning as we walked through dappled light beneath the trees. But there were no balises. We came to the conclusion that the local Syndicat d'Initiative had, despite what the guide-books say about avoiding the town, re-routed the route back through the town to capitalize on the picnic trade. We eventually met up with some women who had followed the balises through the town and the route was clearly marked for us all from then on. The route simply took us in a semicircular loop north of the D124 and then in a similar loop to the south. Confirmation that it would have been much quicker, but much less pleasant, to go straight along the road came when we saw a sign to our hotel "3k" as we passed over the road by Pont sur l'Izaute while we were choosing the 7k alternative. But it was a lovely walk through undulating countryside along minor roads and tracks. The flowers are out and the fresh air is scented. The redundant church at Lanne Soubiran is a charming little gem.New words; "colombages": wooden framework to old houses (like Tudor) in the Landes region. "miradores": platforms with ladders high into trees in the woods used by hunters for game spotting.
The hotel, while modest enough, turns out to be warm and friendly. Supper in the dining room with the green Van Gogh chairs was enjoyed with some nostalgia as we were proudly informed that we would (yet again!) be enjoying the local specialities of gesiers salad and confit de canard. What a difference a year makes, as
a) we were starving after a long day, and
b) following the horrors of the raw Lebanese liver in Paris in March, gesiers, even if they LOOK raw are purportedly "lightly cooked and warm".
We also enjoyed our familiar Basque tart and naturally a glass of the house Armagnac as a "somnifiere".
Note: If you sleep at the front of the Relais d'Armagnac at Luppé Violles you need to make full use of the (good) double glazing and shutters as fast traffic passes mere metres away.
