1st - 4th Octover, 2021
Maison La grâce cachée, Lagrasse, France
We rented a large house with private courtyard for our last stop at Lagrasse in France and were looking forward to a rural retreat for a few days. We'd cut down the journey time from 6 to 4 hours because of our earlier decision and anticipated arriving mid afternoon. Along the route and not far from our first stop in France at Saintes-Maries however, traffic began to slow and then stop because of an earlier traffic accident. Delays were given as between 30-45 mins so we thought we'd stick with it rather than re-route.
I searched for more information online whilst we waited and was horrified to find out that one driver had been killed and another two injured as well as two out of three horses involved being dead. We later found out that the accident had happed at 05.30, some 9 hours previously and a large stretch of the motorway had been involved. Apparently, the driver of the vehicle containing the horses had hit a roadside sign, the vehicle overturned and the horses had escaped. Another vehicle was unable to avoid one of the horses and both horse and driver were killed, another horse was also hit by another car which resulted in injuries to the occupants and the subsquent death of the horse. It was a sombre group which arrived at our destination.
The house was one which wasn't quite what we expected. In some respects it was downright dangerous and so we set to and ensured we reduced the risk of accidents. The walled garden area however, was better than anticipated and provided a quiet place in which to enjoy the sun and peacefulness of the area. The house was also located next to a river which created a lovely ambience.
Stars twinkled brightly and I made the most of the night sky because cloudy weather was forecast. The next morning we explored the village and found the local market. One enterprising stall holder had spit roast chickens on the go as well as roast potatoes - evening meal sorted!
Later in the day we walked alongside the river as far as we could go, then found some rocks on which to sit, watch and listen. Although the river was very shallow, there seemed to be plenty of river trout racing around. Dragonflies flitted to and fro and there were plenty of butterflies too. A very peaceful day.
I searched for more information online whilst we waited and was horrified to find out that one driver had been killed and another two injured as well as two out of three horses involved being dead. We later found out that the accident had happed at 05.30, some 9 hours previously and a large stretch of the motorway had been involved. Apparently, the driver of the vehicle containing the horses had hit a roadside sign, the vehicle overturned and the horses had escaped. Another vehicle was unable to avoid one of the horses and both horse and driver were killed, another horse was also hit by another car which resulted in injuries to the occupants and the subsquent death of the horse. It was a sombre group which arrived at our destination.
The house was one which wasn't quite what we expected. In some respects it was downright dangerous and so we set to and ensured we reduced the risk of accidents. The walled garden area however, was better than anticipated and provided a quiet place in which to enjoy the sun and peacefulness of the area. The house was also located next to a river which created a lovely ambience.
Stars twinkled brightly and I made the most of the night sky because cloudy weather was forecast. The next morning we explored the village and found the local market. One enterprising stall holder had spit roast chickens on the go as well as roast potatoes - evening meal sorted!
Later in the day we walked alongside the river as far as we could go, then found some rocks on which to sit, watch and listen. Although the river was very shallow, there seemed to be plenty of river trout racing around. Dragonflies flitted to and fro and there were plenty of butterflies too. A very peaceful day.
The forecast for thefollowing day was for rain. It looked as if we still had time for another walk without getting wet and so set forth in the opposite direction to the previous day. None of us seemed to have much "get up and go". It could have been for a multitude of reasons, however we just decided to go with the flow, walk if we felt like it and stop when we didn't! We still managed to cover quite a lot of ground though and even did some investigation when we saw a gated section of land which appeared to be separate from the main village cemetery. We entered and looked for clues as to why, however nothing was obvious.
We headed back to the apartment as the rain came in together with high winds. We'd seen much of what the village had to offer and were ready to move back into the hustle and bustle of city life in our next stop.
We headed back to the apartment as the rain came in together with high winds. We'd seen much of what the village had to offer and were ready to move back into the hustle and bustle of city life in our next stop.