Ken's ancestral tour through
South-West France - 2 - Biarritz to Fourcès

Wednesday 25th June 2003

Eggs & sweetened müsli for breakfast, after which we went to the store to replenish our friend's larder somewhat. We set off along side roads to Dax, observing that there was much maize being grown but also a fair amount of derelict land. Dax proved difficult to negotiate but we were soon on the boring Les Landes main road to Mont de Marsan. This was red lined on the map (suggesting there was something of interest in the town) but seemed a pretty dull place. The scenery improved on the D1 to Villeneuve & we stopped at Monguilhem (photo right) for coffee on its charming tree-lined square, the first viable coffee stop on this road.

More sunflowers & cattle appeared as we headed to Eauze (town website in French) & the road was quite pretty. Eauze was a revelation, although not red-lined. It has virtually a cathedral on a hill in the middle & we had lunch on the square there in the ancient Café de France.

This had a sign up saying:-

"Maison de Jeanne de Albret
Durant leur voyage le Roy de Navarre & la Reine Margot se journent dans cette maison le 15 Juin 1579 il y a fut pris d'une fieuv devorante e qui ne ceda aux efforts des medecins q'au dix-septième jour.
Marguerite de Valois le soigna avec un devouement anquel.
Henri fut sensible."

(More on this later). We drove on the main road to Gondrin, as there was a green road marked to Montreal. It was nice but nothing special. However, Montreal was, so see the Force scrapbook page for Montreal on this link. We drove on the Fourcès. The Chateau de Garros (link to their web site) is gorgeous & Anne Carter made us very welcome. We had the huge Gold Room & had tea. After cleaning up, I went down & was given wine while I explained our mission. They are very interested in local history & Don soon joined us. Later, the bathed Avis did, too. Anne was once with the BBC but they had had 18 years in Majorca before moving to France, first somewhere else. He had printed the Fourcès page off my web site years ago & showed it to me. I brought the computer down & showed them the history. Don said he used to have 'the Mandelson job' doing publicity for the Labour Party under Wilson but did not get on with Callaghan & saibut then, not many people did. Obviously, telling them I ran for Mayor of London was the right thing to do. It was now well after 7 & we went to the Auberge in the bastide for dinner. The villages had gradually improved as we went East today & Fourcès is staggeringly pretty (link to the Force scrapbook page for Fourcès), with its round bastide with trees on the site of the original castle. The 'new' castle is just outside on the banks of the Auzoue, which moves so slowly that it is full of water lilys. We met another English couple, Suzie & Ian, at dinner & exchanged tales.