Madame Cholet

One of the advantages of the Womble project we undertook a few years ago was that it took  us to some parts of the world we might otherwise never have visited.  Cholet is a case in point.

Cholet is a fairly small town in western France, whose two main claims to fame are as the scene of a battle during the Vendee revolt of 1793 and as former centre for the manufacture of textiles, and handkerchiefs in particular. Whilst handkerchief production is no longer carried out on a commercial basis, the town’s heritage is celebrated in the Textile Museum, which is located in a former canvas bleaching factory (built in 1881). There are rooms dealing with the various stages of textile production: spinning, bleaching, weaving etc. and information about the Cholet handkerchief industry. The museum has revived handkerchief production in Cholet, and I understand that visitors can watch this taking place but the machines were not operating when we visited. The surrounding grounds are now a garden containing plants connected to the textile industry, such as flax, and marigolds which were used for for dyes.

One of the most striking things about Cholet was the quality of the floral displays. The flower beds outside the Hotel de Ville were quite spectacular. There are also attractive gardens, such as the Jardin du Mail, and lots of hanging baskets. We even saw a vending machine for bouquets.

As we were visiting in honour of Mme Cholet, we took a taxi from our hotel in Cholet to the nearby Ribou lake for the ‘festival of regional deliciousness’. The lake is actually a reservoir providing drinking water for the area so there are restrictions on activity in the area. By the lakeside are a hotel, a restaurant, a campsite, sailing club and tennis club.

The ‘festival of regional deliciousness’ was a sort of cross between a village fete and agricultural show. Despite an advertised start of 10.00 a.m. it was slow to get going. There were a few stalls with local produce (ice-cream; ostrich products from rillettes to painted eggs; cured sausage; caramels); some livestock including rabbits, ducks, geese, goats, pigs and a calf (no sheep); a stage with an extremely sophisticated sound system; and a pig roast (no less than 6 pigs on two spits). The pig roast meal cost €6.50 for which you got a plastic tray and helped yourself to green salad, white beans, coleslaw, pork, bread and yoghurt. We took one look and made for the lakeside restaurant where we had a delicious meal for €16.90 per head.

Returning to the event, we found that things had livened up. On stage a singer had given way to Cholet’s equivalent of Bruce Forsyth, who was circulating in the crowd with a low-rent version of ‘Play Your Cards Right’. If you correctly guessed either the colour of the next card or whether it was higher or lower you could win a rather cheap-looking card table mat.

Meanwhile, a patient donkey was being led around by a sadist with a bunch of carrots in his other hand. Affixed to the donkey’s back was a notice saying ‘My name is Katy2. Guess my weight and win’. It wasn’t clear whether you won Katy2 herself or one of the dodgy looking card mats (or even the leftover pig). We decided not to enter as Katy2 would certainly not have fitted in our ‘one item of hand baggage only’ with EasyJet.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare!

My current hobby (other than travel) is to see each of Shakespeare's plays performed, as the RSC is currently in a cycle of presenting them all. We live about an hour and a half drive away, so it makes a pleasant weekend outing to drive up on Saturday afternoon, book into a hotel, have something to eat and see the show.  

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

As an attractive and historic town I suppose that Stratford-upon-Avon would attract visitors even if it weren't for its literary connections, but the Shakespeare connection is certainly well to the fore. Even a local secondhand bookshop boasts a shelf of Shakespeare's works under the label 'local author'.

As it is a popular spot for tourists, Stratford, like Bath, York and Windsor, to name but three, has many tea rooms and gift shops aimed at the tourist market. Street entertainers are in evidence even in January. Despite that, it's definitely well worth visiting, but if you are from overseas, please don't be fooled into thinking it is typical of an English market town.

Obvious things to see whilst in Stratford include the various Shakespeare houses, but If all the Shakespearean culture gets too much, you can sit by the river and talk to the ducks, or take a boat ride. If you want to feed the ducks, you can buy duck food at the Tourist Information Centre for £1 - it's much better for the ducks than stale bread. 

If you are there on a Sunday during the summer, you may also have the opportunity to meet some owls at the Waterside Market.

For something completely different, try the MAD Museum. No, despite the name, this is not a museum about insanity. 'MAD' stands for 'Mechanical Art and Design.' The Museum was launched in 2012. Its website describes it as a showcase for 'the world’s finest pieces of Kinetic Art and Automata belonging to pioneering artists from all four corners of the globe.' That sounds rather highbrow, but the museum is actually a place full of strange gadgets and gizmos that move, light up, emit strange noises and are generally great fun to interact with. If Wallace from Wallace and Gromit were to design a museum, this would be it. One of the exhibits even uses kitchen utensils to transport small balls around. 'Garden Bear', a piece by Theo Kaccoufa, is made from steel rods and wire, brass, recycled tin cans, recycled card, nuts and bolts, MDF and an electric motor.

Visitors are able to interact with the exhibits by pressing buttons, turning handles (or even clapping), and although some of the pieces are serious works of art, it's a great place to take children who may be less enthralled with Stratford's literary connections.

Be aware though, that one or two of the exhibits are a bit creepy: there's a magician automaton doing a 'cup and ball' trick, which can be a little unnerving, and the 'Dartmoor Pony of the Apocalypse' is nightmarish.

But don't forget to go to the theatre! The experience of seeing an RSC production should not be missed. Tickets need not be all that expensive, particularly if you don't mind 'restricted view' (which means that you may not have a good view of part of the stage, but will quite possibly have a very good view of some of the action), or preview tickets. RSC tickets are much better value than London's West End.

For our weekend jaunts I’m a big fan of the Premier Inn. No frills, but the rooms are spacious and well-designed. The central one is closest the RSC. It has no on-site parking, but there is a large public multi-story a short walk away.  The Waterways branch is a longer walk through the town to the theatre, but has a pleasant setting by the canal, and on site (paid) parking, if you are lucky.  Slightly farther out, the Travelodge has reliable free parking and is close to an out of town  shopping complex, but is still within a 20-25 minute walk of the RSC. Sometimes I try other hotels.  Out of town, the New Inn at Clifford Chambers is good value.  For something slightly more upmarket, the MacDonald Swan’s Nest is just a short walk across the bridge from the RSC.

For pre-theatre dining, we like the Rooftop Restaurant at the RSC itself, or one of the numerous restaurants in nearby Sheep Street.  You really need to book for pre-theatre on a Saturday night, but if you have forgotten, Thespians (an Indian Restaurant) may be able to fit you in.