Chez Anatole, Cubzac-les-Ponts

After some ghost signs from different countries last week, from today we shall move to southwest France and have a look at some of the ghost signs that can be seen when following the northern bank of the Dordogne and the Gironde estuary between Cubzac-les-Ponts and Blaye. This will not be an exhaustive list as it was not always possible for my dad to stop but it should be a good sample of what can be expected while driving through the French countryside.

Cubzac-les-Ponts owes part of its name to the three bridges over the River Dordogne. While the vast majority of drivers take the one of the A10 motorway, driving over the Eiffel Bridge, an elegant and impressive piece of engineering, is much more pleasant. Coming from Bordeaux, it also has the advantage of taking people straight into the small town of Cubzac-les-Ponts, where the first ghost sign of this series can be seen.

Located near the northern end of town, this ghost sign was painted for drivers coming from the north. Indeed the hotel and restaurant advertised on this wall were in Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, on the southern bank of the Dordogne. The building still exists, with 'Hotel-Restaurant Chez Anatole' painted across the façade, although it is no longer a hotel. Unfortunately in the absence of hard shoulder and with cars just behind us, it was impossible to stop to take a picture. Maybe I will be luckier next time I fly to Bordeaux and we take this route to go home.

The small hotel and restaurant 'Chez Anatole' was founded by Anatole Coulon. Coulon fought during the First World War and may have opened his business upon his return from the trenches. He was succeeded by his son Claude, born in 1918. The hotel and restaurant may have closed down when he retired.

Hotel Restaurant
2 km
Chez Anatole
Parking

There was another sign painted on this wall but I cannot identify it.

Location: Avenue de Paris, Cubzac-les-Ponts, Gironde / Pictures taken in May 2012