It's nice to get away isn't it? Especially if the travel can be easy and convenient. We are lucky that we live on a bus route to Southampton airport, and that means it makes sense to travel somewhere that we can fly to from Southampton. So although Limoges was not the first city on our list to visit before we die, it was cheap and handy.
Having said that, the bus journey took an hour to travel three miles; it would have been quicker to walk, but it was the hottest day of the year and so we sweltered on the top deck. Southampton is a small airport, but compared to Limoges it is a bustling metropolis. We arrived at 10 o clock in the evening and the place was completely deserted, no buses, no taxis, no nothing. Still by the power of technology we were able to phone for transport and were deposited in the city at about 11 o clock.
It was very very very hot, so we went out to sample the French night life and get a drink. We ended up in a pub called the Lord John drinking pints from plastic glasses and listening to a rock band singing a song called Long John Sliver. That's not a spelling mistake - the lyrics consisted of shouting 'Long John Sliver' over and over again. And the beer was 6 Euros a pint.
Limoges calls itself the pottery capital of France, as deposits of porcelain clay are located nearby; we were looking forward to being inspired by artisan potters and designers. Unfortunately there is not one working pottery located in Limoges. However, their two museums on the history of porcelain and enamel work are very good.
Having said that, the bus journey took an hour to travel three miles; it would have been quicker to walk, but it was the hottest day of the year and so we sweltered on the top deck. Southampton is a small airport, but compared to Limoges it is a bustling metropolis. We arrived at 10 o clock in the evening and the place was completely deserted, no buses, no taxis, no nothing. Still by the power of technology we were able to phone for transport and were deposited in the city at about 11 o clock.
It was very very very hot, so we went out to sample the French night life and get a drink. We ended up in a pub called the Lord John drinking pints from plastic glasses and listening to a rock band singing a song called Long John Sliver. That's not a spelling mistake - the lyrics consisted of shouting 'Long John Sliver' over and over again. And the beer was 6 Euros a pint.
Limoges calls itself the pottery capital of France, as deposits of porcelain clay are located nearby; we were looking forward to being inspired by artisan potters and designers. Unfortunately there is not one working pottery located in Limoges. However, their two museums on the history of porcelain and enamel work are very good.
Although I've been to France many times it still comes as a surprise that everything shuts for lunch for two hours, but it does stop the sightseer from becoming totally exhausted because you have an enforced rest.
The parks and Botanic Gardens of Limoges are delightful, with a variety of fountains.
The parks and Botanic Gardens of Limoges are delightful, with a variety of fountains.
But I think they need to do more work on their murals.
The National Porcelain museum is excellent, and kept us busy for a whole day. I got some ideas about what to do with my discarded pots:
The museum traces the history of pottery from prehistoric times right up to the present day. The commemoration plates were particularly interesting as they capture a moment in time and keep it preserved. These plates date from the French revolution.
The Butcher's quarter of Limoges is very picturesque. At one time there were 52 butchers' shops in one street, all doing their own slaughtering and allowing the blood to run down to the river. We had a lovely guided tour of the Butcher's shop museum. Our guide gave us a recipe card for clafoutis, which is a kind of cherry cake, and then she explained to us the traditional competition of spitting the cherry stones as far as you can. We were then fortunate enough to watch this competition out of the window.
Limoges is a very nice city to wander around in; it has a beautiful river, bridges and very picturesque buildings. We were there during some kind of music festival, so we even had some entertainment while we had a drink. All in all Limoges is recommended for a visit.