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Category: Barging Through France

Tags: France, French, cruise, Travel, Frencei, television series, educational, tourism, episode, food, adventure, culture, nature, destination, Monts, Lyonnais, Ro

In this episode of the video series about barging through France, host Richard Goodwin visits the rolling hills of the Monts Lyonnais where just to the South of Lyon, lives the remarkable Mr. Roland Dams. Mr Dams, a veterinarian, is known as the man who saved the 'coq Francais'.

"He has devoted his life to saving the ancient strains of French of poultry," Richard tell us. "Holding a sick looking hen with a pale comb in his arms , he explains that there is nothing wrong with the bird and in fact it is the best sort of chicken that you can get. Roland explained that these two bachelor geese had taken charge of these orphaned goslings. He then showed me the various eggs from the different species and I was amazed by the different sizes of the eggs of the ancient strains. Genetically it can't be explained he tells me. He shows me a Le Mans chicken that he has been developing for 20 years. A huge bird and he says with a great future. I believe he tells me over a glass of the very best Bordeaux red wine that there is movement towards quality food. The work that Roland Dams does will one day stand us all in good stead."

Richard moves on and describes his experiences:

Andre Sablier told me why St. Etienne was famous for cycles and guns. St. Etienne was a mining down which produced very fine coal which was used for smelting to produce very high quality steel. I started in 1964 and I think that I am considered one of the best cycle makers in the world. I lifted the bike he had brought and it seemed feather light for a bike. He told me that at 6.5 kilos it is one of the lightest bikes in the world and that he had made it 20 years before. I made that for my wife, Michelle and I make bikes for special people, professional cyclists like Raymond Polidor and Bernard Hinault. They don't have my name on them though, I am only a small man.

Marie-Pierre Vincent is a fine photographer of people. Marie --Pierre rents an allotment and has over the years taken some wonderful pictures of her fellow gardeners, so I thought I would go and have a look. The gardeners were very chatty and immensely proud of what they were growing. Each allotment takes on the character and nationality of its owner. This fig tree grew from a cutting that I brought from my home town in Syracuse in Sicily. This gentleman was a retired miner and he explains about the device the miners had for drying their clothes after a days work. He produced a big bunch of a herb called oregano which he says is very useful for people who suffer from constipation. A good tomato with olive oil and oregano and all will pass.

Next I went to a factory that makes guns. The boss showed me his collection of fine woods for the stocks of his rifle collection. A good rifle from this factory would cost over $2000. he showed me how the rifles were made.

I then went to see one of the best gun engravers in France. He started life as a jeweller and he still engraves jewellery but I fancy his love is in engraving these guns. The design that won him the badge of being one of the best workers in France his particular field took him 900 hours to complete. He tries to explain the details of his art.

When he finishes his engraving, his work goes for a process called bronzing and I went to see how this was done in a gloomy workshop nearby. Anyway it turned out to be a secret process which you could watch but not understand.

I went next to a really cheap restaurant that produces amazingly good food for little money. I had always thought that Paella was a Spanish dish but he told me that paella means the rests in Arabic.

Because of the very powerful coal in the St. Etienne area all the stoves are made with mostly sheet steel rather than cast iron which makes them a great deal easier to repair. This gentleman repairs the old stoves which are beautifully decorated and he sells them on. He shows us his masterpiece and huge stove that works on any kind of fuel, coal, wood, gas.

I then went to meet some ladies who make all kinds of embroidery for prestigious societies in France. Some of the front panels take 200 hours of work.

Next I went to see one of the best examples of Romanesque Art in France, in a neighbouring church, which has been there for a 1000 years.

Then I went to see a pencil factory. If you have ever wondered how they get the lead into the pencil you will find out here.

Then we see a beautiful chateau with a sculpture of the first artichoke in France.

Lastly I went to have a pair of wooden clogs made by a man who really knows his trade. They were wonderfully comfortable and warm but not much fun for those live under you.

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