Jeudi, 15 au mardi 20 septembre

Encore une visite et la Fete de la Patrimoine 

Judy managed to get to Valenciennes without major incident on Thursday and was happy to

take it fairly easy so we spent Friday seeing the sights, which left us plenty of time for coffee and cake though that’s surprisingly difficult over here. We managed to find a place which had cakes we fancied but were careful to eat early as I’d booked in at La Cantine de Josephine, which provides training for people who might find it difficult to get employment.. Wilf and I had enjoyed it when we went in June and the food was as good this time round.

For me, though, the best part was that we were served by the same young woman as on our first visit. Then she had been just an observer, very much a trainee, having everything explained and demonstrated. Josephine had done most of the work and, with thirty-five clients, must have gone home exhausted. This time the young woman was working independently: pleasant, confident and so much more self-assured. I’m sorry I didn’t have a picture of our dessert, café gourmand, coffee served with apple tart, chocolate mousse, crème caramel and strawberries and cream. There is an answer to that, of course. It’s not for nothing that some people know me as Jan “Two Puds” Burke.

Saturday was, of course, market day. Off to buy veg before breakfast when my estimated (but very accurate) time for hitting the front of the queue was fifty minutes. The few of us queuing round the corner were quite sociable and discussed the produce, weather, the UK, learning foreign languages at school and how easy it is to forget them, while various members of our respective families went to other stalls to buy other necessities. It seems quite a good plan and two of the women gave us a very cheery greeting a couple of days later.

It was also the weekend of the Fête de la Patrimoine, Doors Open Day. We set off to have a look at one place but got side-tracked in the Place d’Armes by a cycling event. There were

“odd” bikes to try: a three-seater, and off-set bike, a “kangaroo” bike, among many others. I tried out a scooter with big wheels and it felt quite fast, though I noticed in time that there was only a front brake.

We went from there to look at a maison scaldienne, (a house from the area of the river Scheldt). There are only seven left, three in Valenciennes, and one is being restored so we could visit the ground floor and cellar. Their scarcity is due to them being made mostly of wood so fires in the towns easily put an end to them. It had been home to a linen weaver, the dampness in the cellar being good for keeping the fibre pliable and a bonus as the cloth was sold by weight.

We went next door on Sunday. It turns out it’s the oldest building in Valenciennes built as living accommodation. Again, it’s being restored but it was interesting to see and add a little more to our local knowledge. The guide was very upset about the "monstrosity" next door and I felt quite guilty that we were living there.

We’d had enough of buildings so went for a more open-air event in the afternoon: a walk across town to Le Vignoble, so called because there used to be a vineyard here. It fell into disuse but has recently been restarted and is now tended by adults who might find it difficult to find employment. We were shown the vines, felt sad that rabbits only seemed to like the grapes for white wine, then went to the “cave” where we could have a talk, given by one of the trainees and a glass each of red and white to try. Five of the trainees have now got a diploma in wine-making and were very enthusiastic. Unfortunately, because the north or France is not recognised as a wine-growing area, they are not allowed to sell the wine. You can, though, become a sponsor and as a thank you they will give you some wine. Luckily, it comes in 50cl bottles or Wilf might not have managed to carry it all home. We might have been forced to drink some on the way. Sponsors are invited to help with the harvest and pruning, so we’ll be looking forward to that.

Monday was another meander around town, with the aim of getting to Le Camel à Leon by lunchtime. It had been recommended by a friend but only serves food at lunchtime in the week. The food was lovely: a real “home-made” feel to it and the Petit-beurre aux prunes (a plum tart with a biscuit base) was great. I remarked to the woman (cook, waitress, barista) that my husband would like the tart and that he couldn’t join us because he was at work (after working all night – long story!). She offered a piece for me to bring back for him. He was here when we got back and the tart didn’t last long.

Judy got the train back the next day and I spent the next two days recovering. We now have a non-visitor gap in the diary until Christmas. It will feel very quiet.