Work Hard, Explore Harder. : SW France

Making The Most of a Weekend Off... Royan, France

Out of the thirteen weeks I spent working over in the Southwestern part of France between July and October, at six days a week, we only managed to squeeze one whole weekend off all courtesy of a wedding cancellation 'Thank You'. This was great news on our behalf so we spent a while trying to decide where to go, somewhere worth our while and somewhere where we could relax and enjoy our own mini break (you have to treat yourself from time to time). The 'close to the sea' option was definitely on the cards and I was keen to find a spa hotel where I could stay, enjoy the surroundings and be pampered at the same time, well not literally at the same time but you know what I mean. Eventually Royan kept popping up and it looked like a suitable enough destination compared to the other options, it only being an hour and a half away by train meaning we wouldn't be wasting half a day on travelling alone but only a few hours instead... RESULT.

Royan is a gorgeous seaside resort, market town and a perfect getaway destination with stretches of sandy beaches at the mouth of the Gironde Estuary, the largest estuary in Europe. It is a perfect place for a spot of shopping with its many market and high street shops whether your looking to buy fresh produce, natty gifts or thinking of a new outfit, it has it all and at a reasonable affordable price.

We went all out and booked ourselves into the four star spa hotel Hôtel Cordouan for three nights in a triple room with a balcony overlooking the sea, included in the package was the three night stay (of course), continental breakfast each morning, a hydro-massage bath 20 minute session, free use of robes and slippers, full use of the facilities at the Thalazur Thalassotherapy & Spa along with a spa bag with goodies to take home. No, it was not cheap in any way, shape or form but it was well worth the experience and we had a fantastic mini break.

The stunning views from our balcony, day and night. Imagine waking up in the morning to this...

A figure of Victor Billaud is located in the centre of Royan, a former typographer and printer. The Mayor of Royan Frédéric Garnier gave Billaud the opportunity to install the printing Royan and to influence him with the tourist and cultural life of the city and to ensure its influence.

Fishing platforms overlooking the ocean alongside the sea front and en route to our hotel.

Royans big wheel, La Grande Roue close to Royans main port and easily visible from anywhere along the beach front. It stands at 40 meters high and offers great views over Royan town and the beaches at just 4 euros a go, times by 4 goes.

The Artistic Town of Angoulême

After the wedding season was over it was time to return back to the UK for a short while but beforehand I decided to spend a few days and nights with a friend in Angoulême to enjoy a well deserved mini break and to experience the night life of course, we sure made good use of our tip money. We opted for and stayed three nights in a budget hotel (Ibis budget) at only 30 euros per night for a standard twin room between the two of us located in easy walking distance to the train station and the centre of the main town.

Angoulême Cathedral

Angoulême is situated between La Rochelle and Bordeaux and has long been associated with animation, illustration and the graphic arts as well as being internationally known for The Angoulême International Comics Festival. You can admire and see classic French comic book characters in there humourous forms brightly painted on walls down the side streets and alleyways, covering majority of the sides of tall buildings (don't forget to look up) and in the comic book museum itself. You will also see other works of art around the town like in The Contemporary Art Museum situated near the Charente river. Angoulême is also the capital of the Charente region and is nicknamed the 'balcony of the southwest' because it overlooks the Charente river from high up on a rocky outcrop. You will also come across a giant head located in the centre of the town, this giant head will be of Hergé, the creator and author of TinTin.

Aaand then came the food... It would be rude not to go out and experience the night life Angoulême has to offer along with its fine food choice and not only from the French cuisine. If your looking for something a little spicy to warm you up then I would highly recommend paying a visit to The Garden of Kashmir, they offer yummy authentic Indian cuisine in a beautifully traditional Indian style setting. But beforehand make sure you drop into Le Café Chaud en route to the Indian for an enjoyable selection of cocktails, I can't resist a good old Mojito to start the night with.

A few doors down you will discover a Japanese restaurant (I don't remember the name of the place and can't seem to find any info), we went for the Caramel Pork option accompanied with rice, side salad and samosas, I know, it sounds very unappetising but believe me when I say it was absolutely divine. I'm always up for trying new food being the big foody I am, the pork literally melted in your mouth and every bite was bursting with flavours, the ingredients definitely worked well together to deliver such satisfaction.

The last evening meal consisted of Salmon, rice and seaweed... SUSHI Time!!! I've always been a big fan of Sushi even though I'm probably the only person amongst my family and friends back home that actually eats and likes fish. The only ingredient when it came to sushi that I've never tried is the all famous Wasabi, it pleasantly complemented the sushi very well giving it that extra kick and if I remember rightly, it was of similar taste to hot mustard.

The Joys of Jarnac and It's Canoeing

Visiting the quaint town of Jarnac situated between Cognac and Angouleme via a twenty minute train journey from Chateauneuf for a half days worth of canoeing, something I've always wanted to try but never got round to doing. We visited a local canoe and kayak hire shop alongside the River Charente which runs straight through Jarnac and hired canoes at 11 euros per person for half a day which sounds like a right bargain and it so was. We were taught the basics for example... The routes and what we needed to do at certain points like get out and walk up a ledge (with canoe) to access the other side. Very confusing if you don't speak the countries mother tongue so we ended up communicating via sign language and a few basic french words. That was another thing to get used to, hardly anyone spoke English over in this part of France and if they did it was very minimal, which of course isn't a bad thing seeing as I was living and working in France after all. It definitely helped with my language skills French wise which has improved over the past few months, personally I find it easier, better and cheaper learning more practically rather than theoretical (sat reading in a classroom is not for all).

So with a very non descriptive map in hand or shall I say in lap as both hands were fully occupied trying to figure out how to row straight, it was a lot harder than it looked but once we got the hang of it, all was well. OK OK so we got lost, stuck and ended up plunging ourselves into and through stinging nettles as the current was quite strong, and that was at the very beginning but eventually we managed to get 'en route' after carrying our canoes over a ledge and dragging it over to the other side. Even though it was hard work rowing through currents in 30 degree heat and feeling like we were doing a full body workout, it was very relaxing at the same time and fun going through the rapids (until the canoe filled up with water and started to sink on one side).

Oh the joys.

Jarnac is also home to the Cognac maker Courvoisier which was awarded many prizes internationally for its making of Cognac, we could see the Courvoisier Cognac museum as we rowed down the river on the left hand side and of course if you walk over the bridge on foot you would see this. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to visit the museum due to the lack of public transport.

Playing The Role Of Marquee Girl...

My main responsibility when it came to working in and for a wedding venue was to work closely with the wedding file to ensure all needs and requirements were met when it came to setting up for the wedding marquee. A bit different from what I've been used to over the years in the hospitality industry but it made a nice change to do something different work wise and gave me the chance to bring out my creative side which was a lot of fun and after all, variety is the spice of life. Ohhh yes, indeed I had to deal with a lot of fussy people along with a fair few demanding souls but that was all part of the fun and to see the outcome was all worth while, challenging to say the least.

I decided from the day I started to document via photography a series of wedding set ups to get a feel of peoples tastes and personalities including fun themes, different layouts and designs, table plans, napkin folding and 3 or 4 course wedding breakfast set ups for the celebratory meal.

Simple but elegant...