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Tuesday 12 June 2012

Saturday in France

It was our wedding anniversary last month and we threw caution to the wind and escaped to France for a very short weekend.

On Friday evening we checked in here.....

Les Remparts - Montreuil-sur-Mer
We woke up to see the market being set up in the square.

View from  hotel window


We tend to avoid breakfasts in hotels so we went to the local cafe and had warm croissants, fresh bread and homemade jam.

Sorry - too hungry for the before shot!


Then over to the market for a mooch.


Instant gardening


Maybe another pain au chocolat?


For all your D.I.Y needs


We then drove over to Le Touquet, one of my favourite places for a weekend stay. The sun came out and it was buzzing. I just loved these...

Just gorgeous



We resisted this shop.....


I put on pounds just looking

but not this one


Two strawberry tarts for the afternoon

To work up an appetite we walked around Le Touquet market which is huge. This chap was doing a roaring trade in fruit & vegetable juices.

Fresh juice



It's at this point that I always wish I was self-catering, even just for a week-end.

And it smelt divine!


Andrew's favourite stall.

Didn't smell quite so divine to me! 


Appetite restored we had lunch. Now I confess I get embarrassed taking photographs of my lunch so you'll have to make do with these, courtesy of the wonderful BBC food site. Andrew's French favourite - Moules Mariniere.

Moules


For me, goats cheese salad (sans lardons).

Goats cheese salad


After a stroll on the beach we headed for the supermarket for the obligatory wine buying. The Auchan near Boulogne was having a wine festival and we met Pascale, a charming  producer from Cahors who sold us several cases of her wares.

Laid down for a couple of years

Back to Montreuil for a well deserved beer.

And people wonder why I want to live in France.


Until next time,


Sharon






6 comments:

  1. It looks as though you had a great - and well deserved - time away. Wonderful market shots. I really wonder why anybody with any choice in the matter would shop any other way.

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  2. Ooh - you just 'did' one of our old favourite weekends! (Well, weekmiddles in the resto days). We used to come over to shop for all the goodies we couldn't get in Norfolk! I like Montreuil - we used to stay at Les Remparts too - and Le Touquet. Sounds like you had a great time - love the photos. And really love the cups and saucers (Did you??????????????).

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    1. Kalba - not sure what it was like when you were there but Les Remparts is certainly quirky! You have to be a certain kind of traveller to enjoy its charms - but we loved it. Yes I did resist the cups & saucers but for how long....great invention the internet! Sharon

      P.S now fantasising about triple chocolate brownies!!!

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  3. Margaret - I couldn't agree more. We don't have a decent market near here (unless you covet polyester track suits!) but we do have a couple of good farm shops which I try and use. Number one on my French house wish list is that it has to be in a market town. And thanks so much for the additional photographs - that was very kind. Sharon

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  4. It looks like you had a wonderful time. Is there anything better than a goat cheese salad? Seriously. They are the absolutely perfect summer's lunch. And they're one of those things, like sandwiches, that always taste better when someone else makes them for you.
    Aidan x

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  5. Hi Aidan - I'm with you in loving G.C.S and can never make them quite like the French. I'm also partial to a blue cheese, pear & walnut combo on a bed of watercress. It makes me feel decadent in a healthy sort of way! Sx

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