
audiobook
by Angus B. (Angus Bethune) Reach
CLARET AND OLIVES,
CHAPTER I. The Diligence—Old Guienne and the English in France—Bordeaux and a Suburban Vintaging.
CHAPTER II. Claret—and the Claret Country.
CHAPTER III. The Vintage and the Vintagers.
CHAPTER IV. The Landes—The Bordeaux and Teste Railway—Niniche—The Landscape of the Landes—The People Of the Landes—How they walk on Stilts, and Gamble.
CHAPTER V. The Landes—The Bay of Arcachon and its Fishers—The Legend of Chatel-Morant—The Pine-woods—The Resin-gatherer—The Wild Horses—The Surf of the Bay of Biscay—The Witches of the Landes—Popular Beliefs, and Popular Customs.
CHAPTER VI. Up the Garonne—The old Wars on its Banks—Its Boats and its Scenery—Agen—Jasmin, the last of the Troubadours—Southern Cookery and Garlic—The Black Prince in a New Light—A Dreary Pilgrimage to Pau.
CHAPTER VII. Pau—The English in Pau—English and Russians—The View of the Pyrenees—The Castle—The Statue of Henri Quatre—His Birth—A Vision of his Life—Rochelle—St. Bartholemew—Ivry—Henri and Sully—Henri and Gabrielle—Henri and Henriette D'Entragues—Ravaillac.
CHAPTER VIII. The Val d'Ossau—The Vin de Jurancon—The old Bearne Costume—The Devil and the Basque Language—Pyrenean Scenery—The Wolf—The Bear—A Pyrenean Auberge—The Fountain of Laruns, and the Evening Song.
CHAPTER IX. Rainy Weather in the Pyrenees—Eaux Chaudes out of Season, and in the Rain—Plucking the Indian Corn at the Auberge at Laruns—The Legend of the Wehrwolf, and the Baron who was changed into a Bear.
The narrator drifts aboard a massive French diligence, its rattling wheels and clanging bells creating a soothing rhythm that makes the long trek from Paris feel almost lazy. Plush straw‑filled benches and a curious white poodle perched on the hood give the ride a strangely comfortable, almost Victorian charm. As the coach rolls across endless chestnut‑lined avenues, the writer watches the countryside blur into a single, straight line of fields, scattered barns and solitary shepherds.
In the distance Bordeaux rises like a painted tableau, its broad river glittering with ships and its skyline pierced by towering Gothic spires. The narrator notes the bustling quays, the golden sunrise on the rooftops, and fleeting encounters with a witch‑like old woman herding a cow or soldiers on furlough trudging home. Through keen, lyrical observation the story becomes a portrait of 19th‑century French life, inviting listeners to travel the road themselves.
Full title
Claret and Olives, from the Garonne to the Rhone Notes, social, picturesque, and legendary, by the way. Notes, social, picturesque, and legendary, by the way.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (393K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Matthias Grammel, Ann Jury and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2013-09-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1821–1856
A lively Victorian writer who moved easily between journalism, fiction, and the stage, bringing a sharp eye for everyday life to all three. Though he died young, he left behind work that captures the energy and texture of mid-19th-century Britain.
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