Sérempuy Return

On the way to the Pyranees we stayed for a few days at Sérempuy. This is the village where my family have a little house. We have sold the house but we are still waiting for the sale to complete. A sad thing was witnessing the decline of the house since it had not been visited for almost a year. The garden said it all, overgrown and one of the trees has grown so big, 3 broken branches were descending into the garden, blocking the front path. I decided not to go inside, thinking it would be better to remember it pretty and full of life. Last September we cleared the house out so we could not use it this time, but instead parked a hundred metres up the road under a tree. Sérempuy like it’s name suggests, is a serene village on a hill., and it truly is the most peaceful place. The population including outlying farms is just 60 people. The single, beautiful street is about 100 metres long.

We went for a run following an old route we have done many times before. We were trying to get out before the temperatures rose too high, as it seems even hotter in Sérempuy. We did little else because this was a place to rest, visit old friends and eat some very good food.

Here I must apologise to anyone finding themselves insulted by my terrible spelling of French words or grammer. I'm doing what I can to get it right!

A note on the Tour de Pain au Raisin, France

The best Pain au Raisin are to be found in a town called Mont-Dore. They were also the cheapest. My criteria were:

Large size

Not too sweet

Cheap price

Lovely custardy stuff

Additional little chunks of sugar on top

Correct amount of raisins to custardy stuff.

Not too much sugary glaze

In the past I thought that the best were to be found in Mauvezin, but that crown has reluctantly been passed to Mont-Dore.

A close third is Laruns. From a lovely Boulangerie across from the park as you enter the town from the hilly side. This nice town also features in the Tour De France this year. I think the Pyrenees TdF stage concludes in Laruns.