Travel to France, Buis-les-Baronnies.

It seems crazy to be thinking so far ahead when you’re on holidays but today we had to work out our Sydney Theatre Co subscription requirements for 2014. Our group has now expanded to six people so Liz Jessop has done a good job getting everyone organised early so that we have a chance of the best seats. We had trouble downloading the brochure which made the task a bit tricky for us.

The day was cooler than any day we’ve experienced so far. This afternoon we headed for a village we’d admired in the distance on our way to Nyons. We planned to have a late sit-down lunch there but by the time we arrived, all the chefs in Buis-les-Baronnies had downed tools for the day. After a bit of a search we found an excellent boulangerie where we were able to purchase a range of delicious items which we then sat in the sun & ate. Most of the small towns in this area are pretty dead now that the school holidays are over but they all have something to offer.

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Travel to France, Valencay.

It looks like the days of warm summery weather may be over as there is a distinct coolness in the air this morning and shorts and t-shirt are no longer options when we are out sightseeing.

With only one more stay of 4 nights before we get to Paris and hand the car back we need to start thinking seriously about compacting our travelling grocery box into a much smaller container and stop buying any food that we don’t consume the same day.

Before we left Briguieul we took a walk around the fortified part of the village,through the arched entranceway and into the roman style church built in the 12th century and modified in the 15th century that is one of the oldest remaining buildings.

It is a fairly straight run north to what is virtually the centre of the country and we are looking forward to what is described as a French country cottage with the nearest town some 7km away.

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Travel to France, Lower Normandy, Mont Saint-Michel.

We solved partly the hard bed last night by putting the two deck chair pads under the bottom sheet to provide some softness and also to stop the ‘roll together’ in what was just a standard size double bed.It worked pretty well and our sleep was better than the night before.

Today we had planned to take a scenic road along the coast towards Mont-St-Michel(hereafter called MSM) which is essentially an island a kilometre off the coast but connected to the mainland by a causeway which in 1879 was upgraded so that access could be achieved no matter the level of the tide.

We arrived on the coast at the very French named town of Meloir-des-Ondes and started the 37km run along the coast.

Part way along we took a stop at a small tourist shop after noticing a number of round stone towers dotted along the road.Eventually we came to one that had what had been missing from the rest of them that we had passed,a windmill.It made for a good photo opportunity.

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Travel to France, Le Mans.

We all woke up to a rather dull French morning. For me the night had been a quiet one but then when you have a bit of a hearing problem all nights are quiet. Glenn on the other hand who has the hearing of Superman said that it had been a touch noisy but nothing to keep you awake all night. That is one of the problems of having the hearing of Superman. You hear every little squeak and noise in the night.

We breakfasted overlooking the sea. England lost in the mist. And it was cold too. Far colder than we expected for late August. Have we been spoiled by the lovely unusually hot summer we have experienced this year at home?

Reception opened at 8 so we packed up very quickly to leave and get on our way. It doesn’t take long to unhook the electric, the close the gas valves and fire up the GPS tracker and within ten minutes we were paying for our nights stay and were heading out of Bologne.

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Travel to France, Rhône-Alpes, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.

11th of June: packed our things, went for a walk around Passy lake, shopped for food, went to Peter's friend, purchased rain coat-big expence for me, but together visited nice place, exciting driving and getting ideas of more hikes around. Arrived at the chalet - our new stay for the remaining time in Alps. We said warm good bye with all appreciation to Peter. Settled in and decided to go to the closest hike towards Mont Joly. Nice hike through small villages, more cow herds with the bells, Walking on the road through big forest. Took wrong turn, got back, headed other direction and then signs appeared. We heading to bare mountains with kind of new path on the slope, which had few snow tongues still hanging. after crossing few, Jovita decides to go back, I continue on my own. Got to the top - so dry, sunny, vast spaces, people repairing the lift, i turned to the chalet and then i saw entire path on the slope of Mt. Geroux (2288m) towards the mountain Joly is completely in snow and small dot of a person, which soon disappeared around the mountain.

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Travel to France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Nice.

These are my last couple of days working here in Pietra Ligure! Working here at the camping was a nice experience itself, I learned new things and improved my Italian. But working a second time here, I don’t think so. I don't like to say "never", but it wouldn't be an option I'd easily choose again. It’s a family-run camping and it has its annoyances sometimes because there are many things that could be improved here, but it seems those who should care do not care at all so I don't care either, since I’m leaving anyway. I must say that my boss, Daniele, is a very friendly guy and likes to make jokes all the time. I have absolutely nothing to complain about the way I was treated here! Patrizia was also a great colleague to work with, an Italian woman who also speaks fluent Dutch! This week a friend and his girlfriend from Germany will be visiting and also two Italian friends will visit me the last two days....which is great!

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Travel to France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Arles.

Sorry if this is sounding repetitive but as the dawn arrived we could already tell it was going to be another hot day.So it was breakfast indoors again which is a bit of a shame but actually afternoon shade when its pre dinner drinks time is really a more enjoyable time to be outdoors on the balcony.

We were up a bit earlier today than yesterday as we discovered that cruising around taking in the sights and spending time walking to soak up the laid back atmosphere,time can pass by very quickly.
An area of interest to us is the Camargue,a wetland west of AeP where the Rhone River flows into the Mediterranean Sea.It is well known for bird watching and there are flamingos in the area.It is also the area where bulls are raised for the bull fighting rings of Spain and there is a breed of white horse only found in the wetlands.Access to the area is limited by road and because the road to one of the few towns in the middle of the area was a fair distance away we have opted to head for Port-StLouis-du-Rhone...

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Travel to France, Nord-Pas de Calais, Calais.

We decided to make it an early start so that there were no worries about catching the ferry and we should also have some time for some shopping when we got to Calais. We left on time, which is very, very unusual for us, despite the fact that we had a check-list of things to sort-out in the apartment before we left; each of which had a designated fine, which would be taken out of our deposit if they were not completed. It was a fantastic apartment, with what must be one of the best views in Europe (and I don't think I'm exaggerating), but that took the shine off it a bit.

There what just one final photo opportunity as we passed a lake on the way out of Chamonix. Another photo of Mont Blanc to add to the vast collection that I'll be boring all my friends and family with when we get back.

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Travel to France, Rhône-Alpes, Annecy.

When we visited the Gorges de la Diosaz (Where Have All The Mountains Gone?) they had some leaflets on a number of other things to do and one of those was a Segway tour of a nearby place called Annecy, so we thought we would give that go today. For anyone who doesn't know, they are basically motorised, self-balancing one-man, two-wheeled vehicles that control by leaning forward or backward, and steer by pushing the handlebar to the left or right. They were easier to get to grips with than we were expecting, so after a short practice we were ready to go.

We had booked a sixty minute tour, but when we got there, there was a problem with one of the vehicles, so we had to wait a couple of hours for a later tour that had some spaces. That was however a 90 minute tour. It also gave us time to have a look around Annecy, as touring it on the Segway was unlikely to give us time to look around and take photographs, so it was actually a double bonus.

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Travel to France, Brittany, Quimper.

Our original plan had been to sail across the Bay of Biscay and arrive southeast of where we are currently located. Unfortunately we had spent so much time waiting for good weather in Spain that we decided we needed to move along if we were ever going to make it to Holland this season. We decided if we could not sail to these areas we would grab a bus and do some overland traveling. Our first trip was to a town called Quimper. Not sure what to expect, we took the approximately one hour bus ride and got off at the top of the town. We arrived there quite early, 8 AM (we found the French are not what one would call morning people) and the town was very quiet. Thinking we’d stop for a coffee we are amazed to find all the shops closed. It turned out to be an excellent time to get there because none of the tourists had arrived so the streets were almost completely deserted – a nice time to walk through the historic area of town.

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Travel to France, Beaugency.

We all met after breakfast at the Le Parc Hotel for a debrief on the cycle tour. The cycling part of the tour (other than the admin, which is Hooked on Cycling) is run by GiroLibero. There would be about 30 people starting today of which 10 are Kiwis (our group). Those of us who have hired bikes have orange 28 gear bikes with a pannier each and a place to read the map on a water proof board between the handle bars. We are suppied with clear step by step directions, white on black arrows on poles or other suitable places, an overall map of the route and a book on chateaus of the Loire Valley.

Todays ride was only 30kms so we could take our time and get used to the bikes and the route. We left at around 9.45 heading out along the Loire, across the Loire Bridge then back along the other side on quiet country roads most of which are specifically for biking. We biked through small villages and grain fields on flat roads so it was easy going.

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Travel to France, Île-de-France, Paris.

It is morning, it is sunny, and we are in Paris! We decide to eat in the hotel breakfast room- a lovely subterranean cave with a dandy machine that makes lattes- to help us get an earlier start on the day. John has already been down to the front desk to assure that we are moving out of the light-less room. Getting ready for the day in the interior, no-window bathroom has been a challenge. Luckily the hotel hair dryer is hardwired in so that worked, however I am not quite sure if my make-up is on my face, at all. "Oui, oui. We will move you, just pack up your luggage and we will take care of it." Pack up. oh. The room is 10x10 with a European king bed; we have unpacked everything so we could stack and hide suitcases in order to move around. Luckily we have been using packing cubes and envelopes and the rest we just kind of throw in...We are on a mission to see the Louvre! The lady at the front desk (who is now beginning to show that she is not very fond of us) assures us that the Louvre is "very close.

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Travel to France, Brittany, Brest.

We left Falmouth and a Pigeon adopted us for the crossing, obviously too much effort to fly. Sam looked after it and fed and watered it, eventually when we were approaching Brittany and about 300 metres from land it flew off. It showed us its gratitude by leaving deposits everywhere that we are still cleaning up ! - Andy.

Sam – My addition to the blog can be summed up in one word Bleeuurraaagh! I am the she beast from Alien, even when there is nothing left to throw up I manage to produce gallons of hot stomach acidy bile ------Whhhyyyy?? Nothing can prepare you for seasickness even though I have a boat stocked with remedies. The 3 things that make me feel even more sick are cigarette smoke, diesel fumes and black coffee all of which were thick in the air on this trip. Andy was sailing pretty much nonstop due to his wife losing the use of all 4 limbs he needed flasks of black coffee, since we had no wind we had to motor.

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Travel to France, Burgundy.

Well here we are in the middle of France and chugging along on our boat, down some beautiful canals. BUT. I have to write about England first. Warwick is more than interested in wine of course seeing he was involved in this industry all his working life. Over the last few years he has watched the progress of a young winery just outside of Eastbourne in the south of England. The young man who is heading this project is from NZ. Cameron used to be in the industry in Hawkes Bay but has been in England for this project for nearly 3 years. The winery is near a very historic village and they are pouring a lot of money into it as the tourist trade around here is fantastic. They hope for their first vintage this year, although small, so it was interesting to see. I think warwick would love to be involved, if not here, then some where in Briton. Beautiful country side and in a couple of years it will be a great spot to visit with its tasting rooms and restaurants

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Travel to France, Upper Normandy, Dieppe.

Starting with a quick heads up before getting into everything. While I love that people are reading what I have to say, I’m actually more so writing everything as a way to retain the wonderful memories I’m living. So if it ever seems as if I’m ranting on about things that are either uninteresting, strange, unrelated, please just bare with me or skip a bit (it won’t hurt my feelings (unless you’re related to me!) In other words, this post is long. Enjoy!

The last time I wrote something I was being rapidly propelled across the French countryside in a T.G.V (Train à grand vitesse (a.k.a really fast train (the French are known for acronyms, not creativity))) on my way back to Dieppe from a weekend in Paris. Well I’m still traveling, though this time by a slower and somewhat less conventional method, a ferry. And I’m delighted to inform you that I’m NOT one of those people who get seasick. But before I get into why I’m on a ferry, let me catch you up to what’s been going on the last couple of weeks.

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Travel to France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Èze.

So a quick story first. While walking thru Place de Massena, I hear police sirens coming up behind me. First a police officer on a motorcycle. Then another behind him, go whizzing by. Then a police car speeds past,and just when you think the police parade is over, a van drives by, the sliding door open and there sits a police officer,facing outside, hard look on his face, bullet proof vest and an automatic rifle gripped in his hands. What is going down in Nice france to get the swat team out? Interesting

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Travel to France, Île-de-France, Paris.

I don't know how we will go past L'Orangerie as our favourite so far - this gallery is such a gem, and perfect with kids as it is so small and peaceful. We hopped on our trusty velibs and rodein the sunshine through the Tuileries gardens this morning on our way there. The avenues of trees are truly beautiful. I ignored the fact that the restaurant in the gardens is a tourist trap, and took my time enjoying a cafe-au-lait and watching the people go past.

With our Paris passes we skipped the queue at L'Orangerie and were admitted very quickly to the gallery, which only allows a small number of people to enter at a time. I had no idea that L'Orangerie had been built expressly to house Monet's paintings. The beautiful colours of the artwork and unique white curved walls, combined with magnificent natural light, captured everyone's imaginations, and we spent quite a long time just wandering, or sitting and admiring. The children were quite awed to be seeing Monet's paintings "In the flesh" rather than on notecards or coasters!

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Travel to France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Villefranche-sur-Mer.

The Voyager was scheduled to dock in Monte Carlo but due to the Grand Prix race the port was full. So instead we anchored off Villefranche-sur-Mer. This was a stroke of luck for us. While we really enjoy Monaco, Villefranche is a very special place on the French Riviera. My sister Judy’s favorite movie was filmed here. "An Affair to Remember" is a beautiful romance story and continues to lure fans to this lovely town. A prominent citadel covers one side of town and an ancient Cathedral towers over the rest of the village. Villefranche was home port for the U.S. Navy 6th Fleet for years after the end of WWII. Navy ships still call here as the bay has the deepest natural harbor in the Mediterranean. We came here in 2008 with our retired commander friend John. He took us to his favorite restaurant La Mere Germaine. It was fabulous as only French restaurants can be. This time we stumbled upon a tiny Vietnamese restaurant called Le Mekong and had a great bowl of Pho. It was a picture perfect day here on Villefranche Bay.

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Travel to France, Lower Normandy, Cherbourg.

There is no way to describe today as a fun day but it was a wonderful day nonetheless. We started our day with a visit to Mer St Englis where the 82nd airborne parachuted into town. Unfortunately there was a fire in a house next to the church and all the civilians were manning the bucket brigade. That meant that the Germans were out in force monitoring the crowd. Two unfortunate men landed on the steeple. One played dead for four hours and though wounded he survived. The other poor soul died. Today, hanging from the steeple is a parachute and soldier to simulate that horrific experience.

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Travel to France, Île-de-France, Louvres.

And so we are well installed in our Marais apartment which we’ve found to be even more charming than in its website photos (if that is possible). Our welcome was made even warmer on the cool and drizzly Paris morning we arrived when we found that our host Hans had provided us with a most generous care package of fruit, milk, juice, brioche and jams, cheese and wine, Nespresso coffee maker plus capsules and all capped off with a miniature Eiffel Tower. The apartment absolutely ticks all the boxes – light and airy, on a quiet street, with a boulangerie a few doors down, and across from that a café (Les Temps du Cerise) with a zinc topped bar, the Seine at one end of the street, and the Rue San Antoine (with fruit shops, traiteurs, bottle shops, boulangeries, supermarkets and other smart shops ) at the other, and all of this within a stone’s throw (fortunately not in the May 1968 sense) of the Place de la Bastille. There is a danger that one could very comfortably spend a long time here without ever really needing to go more than a few hundred metres from the front door; fortunately we Bienvenue a Paris arrival care package compliments of our generous host Hans.have not been seduced into that trap.

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