Once again got the timing wrong! We should have known as we’ve done this route before. So here we are in Mont de Marsan Ibis Budget carpark waiting for reception open at 5… Having already spent a couple of hours in the town walking about and having a drink. It isn’t the most thrilling of places - nice enough with a few once grand 19th century buildings in the centre like the Post Office and Hotel de Ville and the Théâtre Municipal by the bridge. But otherwise a basic provincial town despite being the Préfecture of Les Landes Département. Rather a lot of nude bronze statues ! But the fountains are jolly- gushing forth jets of pink- coloured water for Octobre Rose (breast cancer month). November is prostate month - Novembre Bleu so I wonder if they’ll change colour then.
And we have ear splitting roaring fighter jets taking off from the local air base, flocks of black kites circling above us, and just now Big Bertha (airbusT400 transporter) at rooftop level. Just like home! (we see the English one most days going back and forth to somewhere).
Last night we had a very expensive but only OK meal so didn’t indulge in cassoulet after all. Don’t think we’ll eat there again although the hotel itself was fine. There were trees outside our window under which we had street parked along with everyone else. Guess who came to roost?, Delightful twittering starlings of course and it was wonderful to hear them wake up in the light at 8 and go off about their daily business. Until we looked at the cars! First stop of the day was the car wash 🤗
Great drive across the rolling upland farmlands. Mostly along the ridge roads with long views to the Pyrenees - quite a bit of snow on the very high ones. This is a lovely part of France, clothed in sunflowers in summer, interesting little towns of Roman brick, allées of plane trees edging the roads, pretty canal banks etc. We stopped for a hot choc in Samatan but that was all. Weather still warm and sunny. We’re trying a Japanese place up the road tonight…will report back!