Limoges: Porcelain, Pocket Dumps & Packing Light
“Sometimes the best trips aren’t the ones you spend months planning… they are the ones where you throw a carefully packed bag over your shoulder, jump on a plane and see where you end up.” Coolerking circa 1985
When most people think of France, places like Paris and the Eiffel Tower, Nice or Bordeaux usually spring to mind. With images of flaky croissants, fine wines, baguettes and perhaps some rich cheeses, maybe, the Limousin cattle. Ask people about Limoges and you will probably be met with a puzzled look. That is a shame really, because, tucked away in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France, it’s one of the most charming cities that quietly gets on with being itself, blissfully unconcerned with Instagram hotspots or influencers queueing for photographs.
For me, well, for us, it was the perfect destination for a short family trip. Better still, it became a great opportunity to test what I’d packed as my travel EDC… again.
Flying Light
The journey began with nothing more than Ryanair’s free under seat bag allowance.
I like a challenge. The biggest challenge to this has been a gradual wearing down of my travelling companions over the years, to get them into the mindset that we don’t need EVERYTHING we have at home. We can have a trimmed down wardrobe and still be clean, presentable and even, fashionable… It took time, but after a few trial runs some time ago, they are hooked, as hooked as I am.
Now, I can finish work, drive to the airport and be in another country in a matter of hours, exploring places, having fun and making memories and friends.
There is something strangely satisfying about fitting everything that you need for a few days abroad into a bag that slides beneath the seat in front of you. It forces you to think about what you actually use rather than what you might use… those that know me (and view the accompanying YouTube video) will see that you can even have nonsense, multiple pieces of nonsense that don’t get used and still have room for some gifts to bring home.
That’s everyday carry in a nutshell.
Every item has to earn its place… even the items that don’t have a place, still have a place.
Now, I will say, the cheap flight thing, it isn't because I am a cheapskate, far from it... I shall tell you a story... within a story... You know I can't just stay on track with the task in hand by now... Anyway, early in the week, a while back, we were discussing what we were going to do that coming weekend, we decided that we were going to go to Leeds for a bit of an adventure, a friend had opened a restaurant, I wanted to go for a coffee at a certain place and, well, buy a French chore jacket, which only dawned on me as I was typing it... anyway... I decided that I was going to have a beer whilst there, so, train was to be our mode of transport, until, that was, I looked at the times and we would be paying £33 per person... a shade less than £100, to go less than 40 miles. I drove, it probably cost a few quid in diesel, I paid for the top... TOP parking in the NCP carpark and didn't have a beer... we still had a good day, but, it left us questioning... life.
A few weeks later, an opportunity arose to go to London, one that I couldn't really say no to, special invites and such, but, I looked at the train again and, well, £160, again, per person, just made me laugh... I booked a hotel, that had parking and drove down, using less than a tank of fuel for the trip there and back. We weren't tied to anything, times or point failures and whatever else they blame on the rail network these days... but... again... we were left, contemplating... life.
Now, after that first trip to Leeds, we had already had the conversation 'I bet we could go away for that'... which, was sort of a bit of an exaggeration... but, well... we soon found out that it wasn't. A few weeks after that London trip, we ended up in Norway, we had spent around £40 for a return flight and about £90 for two nights in an air b and b, that was actually in an old post office building with a grand marble staircase... now, yes, it may have cost more than the Leeds trip, but the London trip.. no. So then, cheap flights were the thing, going anywhere and everywhere because you can. We went to Belfast, there and back in a day, had an amazing day, and that was less than the Leeds trip at seventeen pounds and ninety nine pence for the return journey!!! You may be thinking that either I am smoking some funky stuff, or, you have bene roofied and should seek medical attention, but, no, it was less than £20, to go for a flat white at a coffee shop that is ran by two of the most amazing and helpful people I have ever had the chance to chew the ear off... and have a look round the city of course.
Welcome to Limoges…
…after a bit of a queue. Im not making this blog into a bashing of the ‘new’ EES border system, which is clearly still having a lot of teething problems. In Napoli, back in January, I landed at 2145 and was sipping an Aperol Spritz by 2225, on Via Tribunali, having already dropped my bag at my accommodation, getting through border control super speedy. Then, the same airport, a couple of months later, and… well… it was hell on earth, or at least I thought it was, taking an hour and forty five minutes for the same process, nothing had changed, it was the same process. I had no issues in Barcelona nor were there any in Madrid, but with some of the stories and the holiday season ramping up, they’re making me wince at the thought about my next Napoli trip… Anyway, slightly back on track, Limoges is a tiny airport, it is ‘modern’ but it is a small airport, blink and you’ll probably walk past half of it. It is obviously getting to grasps with this new system and yes, as a non EU traveller, the new Entry/Exit border system means fingerprints, photographs and identity checks. By the time we had worked our way through the queue, we had spent around an hour and a half waiting to enter France. To be clear, I am not complaining about the wait, or the process, I am just saying that if you want to do a trip like this, at this moment in time, please allow a bit of extra time and ensure that you have any medication to hand as well as water… we will come back to that… on with the show…
A City Built on Fire… and Clay
Limoges has been producing fine porcelain for over 250 years. The story really began in the late eighteenth century when deposits of kaolin, a particularly pure white clay, were discovered nearby. Combined with the region’s abundant forests for fuel and flowing rivers to power the mills, it proved the perfect recipe for creating some of the finest porcelain in the world. Names such as Haviland became famous internationally, exporting elegant tableware across Europe and America. Even today, you will find porcelain shops dotted throughout the city alongside museums celebrating its history. We popped into a lovely little boutique after looking in the window and seeing something that took our fancy. Now, we usually buy a fridge magnet from these types of trips, but, we had to get something porcelain from here, and, in the window of the shop, were, what we now know, were spoon rests, but, they were a popped pea pod, we had to get one with three peas in it.... We went in to investigate, and had a chat with the lovely little old lady who's shop it was… I say chat… doing French for five years, at school, over twenty five years ago, didn’t quite prepare me for the conversation we had, nor did the almost 500 day streak on Duolingo learning Italian, but, we got by. She told us that she had a studio elsewhere and she made all the things in her shop herself, but, what struck her the most was, she could not believe that we had travelled from Manchester, England, just to visit Limoges… She was amazed, honestly, I think she was elated, the city have clearly been spending money on infrastructure and tourism, I think she was genuinely happy that it was all working. She was so happy in fact, she gave us a little gift, well, she was just lovely, so... The whole experience was just, lovely, humbling in a way, to see her so happy and enthused about tourism, people wanting to see and learn about her city.
It it quite remarkable to think a material dug from the ground helped put an entire city on the map… even though it may not 100% be ‘current’, it still has its place.
Surprisingly Affordable
One thing that struck me almost immediately was just how reasonable everything felt. Coffee, Food, Restaurants, Shops… Even the airport! Airport prices are usually where your wallet goes for one final kicking before boarding, not here, a bottle of water in departures cost €1.20. For an airport, that’s practically charity.
Flying home offered another unexpected experience, Limoges Airport only has a single departure ‘lounge’. I say lounge, it is a room, with rows of seats, sort of underneath the airport, but adjacent to the tarmac… with a door leading to the tarmac. When two flights leave close together, (like there was on my return, of course) there simply isn’t enough room for everybody, the solution? Once one flight begins boarding, everyone waiting for the next flight is politely escorted outside into what can only be described as a rather large industrial gazebo positioned on the apron, there are. A few chairs but it is mainly standing room only. Oddly enough, it worked rather well and thankfully, there was also a free drinking water fountain available, which made my collapsible water bottle one of the handiest items I’d packed.. but then again… that is the exact reason as to why it was packed
Coffee Matters
If you have followed the EDCCooperative for any length of time, you will know that I have an unfortunate habit of planning trips around coffee. Limoges certainly did not disappoint. One of the highlights was stopping at Le Vague Notre Café, a relaxed little spot that quickly became one of my favourite discoveries of the trip. We called in for a coffee during the day and later returned for a beer, sitting outside and simply watching the city go about its business. Sometimes that’s all you need, especially on an extremely hot day. It summed up Limoges perfectly. Unpretentious, welcoming and remarkably good value. There is something rather satisfying about finding a café that feels like it’s part of the local community rather than somewhere designed purely for tourists. Good coffee, really friendly staff, they even went along with the 25 year old French lessons and no pressure to rush off after you’ve finished your drink. Sometimes the best memories of a trip aren’t famous landmarks or museums… but sat sipping a coffee/vino/beer, in the sun with your nearest and dearest with very little else to do… well… that is what I took from this trip!
Everyday Carry Abroad
Travelling with EDC is always about adapting rather than compromising. Due to the nature of this type eof trip, a suitcase is just out of the question, the noise goes throug me for a start, those crappy wheel bouncing allover the cobbles, it is just a NO! So, you need a good, solid bag, now, if I had a pound for every time I said to people, 'get yourself a Fjällräven Kanken', id possibly be able to afford the extra leg room on every RyanAir flight I take for the rest of my life... but, seriously, they are the best. They fall below the maximum underseat size, keeping those costs down, but also, they are robust and really well made, they would pay for themselves in no time. There are companies out there that make copy versions, but, well, the first thing is, 'We don't condone clones' and secondly, the time served engineer in me says, as a mantra to myself all to often, 'buy cheap, buy twice'. I have become a 'dab hand' at this packing light lark, if I do say so myself, and I opted to use the Trakke Canna on this trip, that is actually smaller than the Kanken.
I have a small, packable... Travel blanket, I think it is called, from the brand 'Matador', it is a very thin piece of ripstop material, it sits in my travel bag all the time, waiting to be used, I've thrown it over my head in the rain, I've sat on top of it on a damp bench... this trip, it was used to sit on the dusty grass, steady and dependable, takes up no room, but, is definitely worth the space that it does take up. 
Airport security, naturally means leaving certain things behind, but there’s still plenty that proves genuinely useful, I can list a load of items now, without even trying, right now… A notebook, a decent pen, a small flashlight for hotel rooms, a HeroClip, a travel towel, a collapsible water bottle, a battery pack, a passport wallet, most importantly, good organisation. It always amazes me that when I do these trips, I never find myself wishing I’d packed more, usually, quite the opposite, I have too much… stuff.
I know in another blog, I have mentioned the security queue at the airport and I don’t want to labour the point, sharing my distain for… people… the ones in the queue that can’t follow simple instructions, have you got anything in your pockets..? ’No, just this tissue’… I don’t think people understand that it is actually a YES!!!! The scanner cannot tell weather it is the remnants of your ‘three for ‘undred’ you got from that guy they call Killer Kyle who rocked up to the carpark of the Dog and Duck on his Surron, the night before, or a crusty tissue as you have had the sniffles for a few days… as I am typing this, I can feel my blood pressure rising… I need to calm down and get back on track… think about your fellow travellers, think about your own sanity... EMPTY YOUR POCKETS... and take off your belt.
An Unexpected Festival
Quite by chance, our visit happened to coincide with the ‘Festival des Ponts’ (Festival of Bridges if you didn’t do GCSE French), an annual celebration held along the banks of the Vienne. We had noticed posts on social media advertising it in the weeks leading up to our trip, but hadn’t realised quite how big an occasion that it would be, nor that we would actually spend a lot of time there and that it would pretty much make our trip. What followed was the most enjoyable evenings of the trip.
The riverside came alive with food stalls, live entertainment and families enjoying the warm summer evening together. The prices were refreshingly sensible too, not that it would have changed it, but, I think that I was surprised as, if this was at home, you’d have your trollies round your ankles and wonder why the guy handing you a portion of chips wasn’t wearing a mask, akin to a highwayman. A baguette, the size of your arm, filled with sausages, generous portions of frites for around €2, local draught beer for €3, the festival’s own ‘Ponty Punch’ for €3, and even a glass of local wine for the same price, or an entire bottle for €9. Then came the fireworks.
I have seen plenty of displays over the years, but this one genuinely stood out. It just kept going.,Twenty minutes or more of almost continuous fireworks over the river, all set against the backdrop of Limoges’ bridges. It was one of those moments where everyone simply stopped to watch., and wondered if it was over yet… it just kept going… What struck me even more than the fireworks, though, was the atmosphere.
There were grandparents, parents and children all enjoying the evening together. Some had clearly made a whole weekend of it. Others had wandered down with a picnic or a folding chair. Anglers packed away their rods as the crowds gathered, while others simply sat by the river with a drink in hand. There had been angling competitions on throughout the weekend, there was a bit of a funfair as well as a live band, who were actually quite good! It felt… wonderfully normal. Whilst being special at the same time.
There was no sense of tension, no groups looking for trouble, no shouting or drunken behaviour, just thousands of people enjoying a community event together. It was relaxed, friendly and genuinely pleasant to be part of.
I’ll admit something else that probably won’t make many travel guides…
At one point I nipped into the local McDonald’s for nothing more glamorous than a large fizzy drink and to make use of the facilities. Even with a major festival taking place, it was spotless. Staff were busy, customers were polite, families were eating together and there wasn’t the slightest hint of the sort of chaos you sometimes expect in a fast food restaurant during a large public event... lets put it this way, it was a far cry from the McDonalds at Piccadilly gardens in Manchester on any given evening.
It’s hardly the most exciting recommendation you’ll ever read in a travel blog, not that I’m sure that is what this actually is… but I came away thinking exactly the same thing I thought about Limoges as a whole, it was clean, welcoming, well looked after and pleasantly unhurried. I guess what I am trying to say is, sometimes it’s those ordinary little moments that tell you more about a place than any guidebook ever could.
Would I Go Back?
Absolutely, 100%, try and stop me! Limoges isn’t loud, It isn’t trying to be fashionable, It simply feels authentic. Friendly people, lovely people in fact, excellent value, fascinating history and enough charm to reward anyone prepared to wander a little beyond the obvious tourist routes.
Sometimes those are exactly the places worth discovering.
At the beginning of this blog, I spoke about costs, I purposely didn't say how much we spent to get to Limoges, well, I will answer that question right now! The flights were £29 per person, return, that is there AND back. The air b and b was £55 for two nights!!! FOR TWO NIGHTS!!! Lets call it £150, for a weekend away, for three people, in another country, one where it was hot and sunny and I came back with a tan from... I know that's not everyone's bag, heck, I don't think it is mine, but come on... you cannot beat that!
Regardless of how good the place actually was, and I am so glad that it was lovely, but, for that cost, it is cheap to go, to explore and experience these things and make your own mind up.
Final Thoughts
The funny thing about everyday carry is that, when you’ve packed well, you stop thinking about your gear altogether. Your bag quietly hangs from a HeroClip whilst you drink coffee. Your notebook waits patiently until inspiration strikes, well, mine was anyway. Your passport wallet disappears back into your pocket, well, Porter and Yoshida Sacoche in my case, without fuss. That is probably the highest compliment you can pay your equipment, and, well, yourself I guess! It is like your gear just simply gets out of the way and lets you enjoy the journey.
And if that journey happens to involve porcelain, unexpectedly affordable airport water and waiting for your flight home in what looks suspiciously like an industrial marquee… well, all the better.
If you fancy watching the YouTube Video, it can be found here: https://youtu.be/iPJOt0Apwpg
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