Overnight there had been a very bad
storm, not that Noel was aware, with thunder and lightning and strong winds
which were most evident on our drive alongside the river to Cognac. There were
hoards of trees blown down, crops damaged and electric wires down and so we
started to worry a little about our caravan but nobody had called us and so we
hoped it would be fine.
We arrived in Cognac and wandered
around the town and visited the central market and also the store which shows
off the choice of cognac available in the region with some bottles being rather
expensive !!!.
We then took the country route to
Perigeaux passing many small towns which had also been affected by the bad storm
and at around lunchtime came across a new Auchan store where John and Denise
purchased a new bag and we gor some really cheap fuel, presumably because the
store was new and they wanted to attract customers. At the petrol station was a
Brit in a very old French car and we started talking and he had been the last
night in Cognac listening to a very old historic pop group of the 60’s era.
Our journey continued through fields
of sunflowers which seemed to go on for miles with lots of lovely towns and
fantastic churches and really great views, Jennifer really exceeded herself
here with her map reading skills.
We arrived in Perigaux and the Hotel
was pretty much as expected, a bit old and in need of a good upgrade but it had
nice views over the lake and was not so expensive compared to some in the town.
Rather than drive in to the centre of town and perhaps have trouble parking
whilst always being aware of drink and drive laws, we took a taxi. The old town
is really very attractive and although we could not get in the Cathedral the
old walled city is something to behold. We found a good Italian restaurant and
had an excellent meal and then continued our walking around the old town and in
to one of the many squares with restaurants reasonably busy, but not as busy as
expected for this time of year.
With a taxi back to the Hotel we all
needed a good rest.
We then took the country route to
Perigeaux passing many small towns which had also been affected by the bad storm
and at around lunchtime came across a new Auchan store where John and Denise
purchased a new bag and we gor some really cheap fuel, presumably because the
store was new and they wanted to attract customers. At the petrol station was a
Brit in a very old French car and we started talking and he had been the last
night in Cognac listening to a very old historic pop group of the 60’s era. 
