The end is Nigh

On sunday morning we did the final cull of our extensive collection of possessions and left quite a pile of goodies, and not-so-goodies, in the hotel room. Valerie advised the cleaners who were on the job next door that the stuff was for them. We had decided, reluctantly, that we could not get to our terminal by the shuttle train as we still had a lot of baggage and trolleys were not permitted on the train. So taxi it was.
The driver informed us that 80,000 people worked on the CDG airport - astonishing maybe but it sure is huge and confusing.
We got our lot through checkin without any hassles/extra charges and proceeded to the Air France Business Class Lounge (Malaysia have an agreement with them)  This was very unimpressive compared to others we have used, with a very small array of food. Luckily we don't eat a big breakfast normally.
Our 12 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur went mostly smoothly, with interesting glimpses of countries such as Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan (actually I think I missed that cos I was trying to sleep- without success) India and the Andaman Islands before reaching Malaysia. There was quite a lot of turbulence between India and Malaysia, but nothing too severe.
At KL Airport most International flights arrive/depart from a large satellite terminal after which one takes another of those driverless trains to the main terminal for Immigration and Customs processes. As is normal for us we had difficulty finding our Hotel, which was supposed to be "in the Terminal" Well actually it turned out to be a long walk through terminal, extensive walkways to a quite separate complex. Our stay for the day was being paid for by the airline, after a bit of lobbying by Valerie. The Intercontinental Hotel was quite grand, obviously 5 star, and just what we needed. After settling into our room, we took a nap. Some nap! we woke about 4 and a half hours later.
We had time to take a trip or tour into/ around KL but decided it was better to just take it easy and relax.
Don decided to take a walk in the vicinity but soon found that, even though the humidity was not too bad, he was overdressed for it. Shorts and sandals would have been better.
It was, too soon, time to leave for the Terminal for processing and then to the satellite for dinner in another Airline Lounge. This one was much better than the CDG one.
Around 10 30 PM our second flight departed. The 7 hour flight was very smooth and Don enjoyed watching the lights on the ground as we passed over more of Malaysia, Bali and eventually Australia.
There were very few lights to be seen as we flew across from Derby, Uluru, Coober Pedy etc.
Our flight arrived on time at 7 15 AM on tuesday morning. We were finally, and happily, home.

Malaysia Airlines had looked after us well, too well when it came to food and drink. Let the dieting commence.
And, amazingly, Don had not lost, or had stolen, anything of consequence. And Valerie had not broken anything!

PS - After driving 5,425kms sitting on the LH side of the car, Don had difficulty adapting to being on the other side. We thought that was a fair mileage in the 7 or so weeks but met a fellow Aussie who had done over 11,000kms in 8 weeks.

PPS - eventually we aim to attach some of the approximately 1,500 photos taken on this trip.

Last days in France

On Friday we had a lazy morning. After lunch Don went to the super marche in Epernay for a couple of things then stopped over in the hillside village of Hautvillers on the way back. This village, like the one were we are staying is a Village Fleurie, meaning it has been beautified with lots of flower beds, trees etc. I nearly forgot to say that we managed to catch the traveling Boulanger today , just in time for fresh bread for lunch. The day was clear and by afternoon almost hot. Don explored Hautvillers, where the GPS had got us lost on a couple of occasions. There are a number of Champagne houses there and he dropped into Tattingers but without money, could not even sample the wares! He then went for a walk to the Abbaye, famous for a certain Dom Perignon, who is supposed to have discovered the "Method Champagnoise". Back at the cottage we packed as much as we could for an early start on the morrow. We had been invited by the cottage owners, a delightful couple, Delphine and Cedric, to sample some Champagne before dinner. We had a great time - they started with a dash of homemade blueberry liqueur before adding the champagne - delicious! I am afraid it put the Rose Champagne we had brought in the shade. They also introduced us to a delicacy from Reims, "Biscuits Rose de Reims". We so enjoyed their company and son Estaban and their French bulldog too. We have been so lucky to meet friendly and interesting people at our various stopovers. We had been concerned that our luggage would be overweight, so asked Delphine for the loan of some bathroom scales. They had none, but volunteered to borrow some from a friend. Sure enough in the morning some were available. They revealed that we needed to discard some of our stuff. Some foodstuffs and would you believe a casserole which we bought in France, and even our Lonely Planet were left behind. Saying goodbye in the morning we were presented with a package of the Reims biscuits. We got away right on time for once at 8 30. After a nice drive though undulating country with vineyards and lush fields of cereal crops we eventually joined the Autoroute to Paris, a total distance of about 150 kms. Traffic was quite heavy, for it was day one of another long weekend, but not many trucks were around. The GPS brought us to an older suburb of Paris. Don had discovered a place selling parts for DS Citroens and had to check it out. He managed to buy everything that he dared buy, given the weight restrictions we had. We had trouble setting up the GPS for our hotel at CDG airport as it could not recognize the address. So we set it for a spot on the airport peripherique road, hoping that there would be good signage. There wasn't. It took an hour before we got to the Novotel, which itself was poorly marked. We got the impression that they were trying to keep it a secret! Anyway, our room is good and we had an excellent dinner in their restaurant. We took a trip on the driverless airport shuttle train to the terminal, one of about a dozen, where our flight would be leaving from. Tomorrow our Malaysia Airline flight leaves at mid-day. We aim to be on it.

Reims and Verdun

On Wednesday I phoned Renault Eurodrive ( well, their CDG airport rep) to confirm that we would be returning the Scenic as scheduled après-midi on Saturday. We were very concerned that the low fuel warning light was flashing (had started the day before at the next village, about 5 kms away) and the trip computer was was showing a range expected of zero. Although I suspected that we could probably get to the closest fuel station,10 kms away at Epernay, the project of running out on the road had to be considered. Eventually I decided to call the Eurodrive hotline. They rang the Renault dealer in Epernay who advised that we should be able to go another 60 kms, so I went and filled up without a problem. Now we were ready to go to Reims. The locals pronounce it something like "Rance" ! As we turned into the street leading to the famous Cathedral Valerie was surprised to see this large edifice looming ahead. Part of the building has been recently cleaned and renovated and the contrast with parts yet to be done is striking. Don had been here in 1998 but arrived at the entrance just as they were closing for the day. So the interior was new to both of us and very impressive. Especially so was the stained glass, from various eras including late 20thC. Once again we opted to take the Petit Train tour. It was a good choice - this one travelled slower than most so didn't jolt the old bones so much over the usual cobblestoned roads. Near the Cathedral we were charged nearly 9 euros ( about 12 dollars) for 2 cafes au lait, virtually Paris tourist spot prices. We walked a long back down some major shopping streets to our car. It had been another interesting afternoon. On Thursday we got away fairly early to drive to Verdun, about 150 kms east and mostly via autoroutes. We parked in Verdun where the GPS said was "Centre Ville" expecting to find the Office de Tourisme nearby, despite having not seen the usual signs. We did find a very attractive riverside area, with canal boats at mooring and lots of quayside eating places. We decided on which restaurant to grace with our presence. It was busy and and had a long wait before ordering, with a longer wait before our food arrived. Don's was excellent, Valerie's less so. By this time it was getting hotter and more humid, a bit like Sydney can be and a bit of a shock to people from dry old Adelaide. We had asked some other tourists ( you can usually tell ) whether they had found the tourist office. They had not yet but the man played with his mobile and found a vague map of its location. They were from Denmark and staying like us outside Reims. We were surprised to note that most of the moored boats were from the Netherlands, a couple from the UK, with one each from Denmark and France. After lunch Don found the tourist office, with some difficulty and got the usual town map and brochures. By now it was high time to visit the WW one battlefields. Most of the area is heavily forested now, a huge contrast to the wartime photos of a countryside covered in shell craters, barbed wire and a few blackened remnants of trees. We got a village marked as a "village detroyed" but we're surprised to see a number of houses, church etc. It seems that this was the only one of the 9 destroyed villages which has been re-occupied. Next was the Memorial de Verdun, a museum with lots of displays and a 20 minute film. Then we found one of the totally destroyed villages, with a memorial chapel the only building, but with signs showing where the streets were and listing the occupations of the inhabitants. Lastly we got to a major cemetery, overlooked by a huge unusual buildings with a tall tower. This was the Ossuary, built in the 1920s and housing the remains of about 130,000 French and German soldiers. Apparently if you climb the 200 steps to the tower platform there is a great view of the battlefield area. Even Don didn't feel up to it. On the way home we stopped off at one the autoroute service areas and had an evening meal of sorts. Dare I say, again, that it had been a good day? Apart from the sudden hot weather that is.

Into the Moët and Chandon cellars

Today dawned like yesterday - misty and overcast, with the likelihood of rain. What to do on such a day? Let's go underground - the weather won't matter. So we booked a tour with the Moët mob in Epernay, easily found the nearby car park, and were soon waiting in a very elegant room for our guide. She turned out to be Japanese (of course) and we had a bit of trouble with her pronunciation of English inititially. We had been told to wear warm clothing so the cool temperature underground ( about 10C ) was not a problem. After a promotional film about the company we descended into a labyrinth of tunnels. Don had vague recollections of touring the Great Western cellars many years ago. The company have about 28 kms of the tunnels and our guide had been lost 3 times! She explained the whole process, from the picking (always by hand) of the 3 varieties of grapes in the the adjacent vineyards through the stages of blending and maturation to the final bottling. Their champagnes take longer to produce than other companies, which would explain why they are the most expensive. Their Imperial range take about 3 years and their vintage ones (those with the year on the label) 7 years. It was all very interesting and finished with us getting a flute of their Imperial type (or if you had paid extra, a vintage drop) Valerie voted it the best she had tasted. Despite that we resisted buying any in their Boutique. We don't know how many million bottles they hold in their cellars,which are the largest, but our Lonely Planet book says there are about 200 million in all of the districts 110kms of cellars. After all this it was time for another of our main meals of the day - lunch. We found a nearby Brasserie ( a bar which serves full meals, usually a bit faster than the restaurants) Again we ate well! With map in hand we thought we would walk to the Cathedral ( or was it a Church?) those spire we could see. We found it, much closer than expected, then opted to walk on to another church and the adjacent Synagogue. After we found ourselves back almost to where we started Don had to admit that he was losing/had lost his excellent sense of direction. Not being able to see the sun doesn't help of course. One of the features of our cottage is that we are able to phone to anywhere we like - I think it comes as a package with the Internet TV etc. So this morning Don phoned his Doctor in Adelaide and Valerie phoned a friend and also tried to call her daughter in Victoria, who is on a school camp with her pupils. Tomorrow we hope to go to Reims and the following day, when the weather should be improved, to Verdun.

To the Champagne country

On Sunday morning we said goodbye to our hosts of the last 8 days, Jean, Beatrice and daughter Marie-Adrienne. We had been made so welcome, with a large brioche on arrival, a delicious rhubarb tart a bit later and now a departure present of chocolates. Jean had taken me to a doctor in the next village then to get a blood test in Altkirch. Marie-A had phoned the dr.twice, etc. Nothing was too much trouble - a delightful family and it was almost tearful to say goodbye. We got on the road fairly early (for us!) as we had a lot of the slow N and D roads to cover. After about 80kms we arrived at the Chappelle en Haut, on a hill high above the town of Ronchamps. Don had seen this in 1998 and had to show Valerie. The design by the famous French architect Le Corbusier is in stark contrast to the complex detailing of the usual Catholic churches, chapels and Cathedrals. Well,it was built in the early 1950s. It was looking a little the worse for wear. Don still admires it - Valerie wasn't so sure. The views of the countryside are panoramic. Then it was onward, ever onward. At one stage Don was sure that the GPS was leading us astray but it eventually took us across some lovely rural country on minor roads to an Autoroute. After that we were on them for well over 200kms before some more minor roads led to the small village of Nueilly la Foret, our destination,between Reims and Epernay. This is the heart of Champagne country. Unlike in 1998, most small villages no longer have any shops, not even a boulangerie. I guess the supermarches have killed them off. This trip was our first long-distance one on a Sunday. Traffic on the minor roads was very light, and of course nothing was open, except the Autoroute stops, and they were crowded. It had been a good day, with fine sunny weather, but after 430kms of driving we were tired and finally able to relax in a cute little cottage. More of that later. Today, Monday we got up late, did some washing and decided to drive into Epernay,have a good lunch and go to the tourist office. The weather was not good, misty and raining. The GPS got us into the city centre area as requested but then seemed to be taking us out again. So Don decided to go into a car park rather than follow the instructions. Then we could not find out where we were on the only map which we had, in the Lonely Planet, so we voted to have lunch in the nearby Brasserie and then try to find the Tourist Office etc. After another delicious lunch we came out and could see a column nearby with wording about 1940 - 1945. We then let the GPS take us a bit further but stopped near the town market building and decided to take a walk. Using our natural orienteering skills ( or more likely just good luck) we eventually found a large "square" with impressive looking buildings and - that same column. Across the square was the tourist office. We had been originally parked within spitting distance. This was "Centre Ville"! Score one for us, zero for the GPS. The tourist office adjoined the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) and a magnificent park area. Then we came across Rue de Champagne and the impressive headquarters of Moët and Chandon. We decided to do their cellar tour another day as we were not dressed for the underground cold. Then we drove back, via vineyards in all directions, to our new home. The views from high points along the way would be great on a clear day. Unfortunately,it seems tomorrow will be wet again.

The Juras and the Mulhouse Auto Museum

Don had another blood test first thing and had the results by early afternoon. It was good; down to where it should be. Now to keep it there.
After that we drove south into the Alsacien Jura mountains. These are not so high but interesting. We had a late lunch in a restaurant in the small town of Ferret. Once again the meal was tres bon. Don finally got to try the local speciality - Carpe Frites. i; e. strips of carp with fries and salade. The local version of fish and chips!
Valerie had the nicest asparagus dish she has ever had, with some processed meats and salad. By the time we had had wine, dessert and coffees the bill was quite high but it was our main meal of the day.
After that we motored through pretty hilly farming and forested country to the little village of Lucelle, right on the Swiss border. It started to rain so we pressed on along the border road. Every time we crossed the small river we were in Switzerland. We came to a village famous for its storks, and soon found a stork and its huge nest on a platform on top of the local church. Valerie says it was the highlight of her day.
We got a bit lost following one of the quite common "deviations" and did a bit of backtracking. We kept finding ourselves in Switzerland but eventually got back on track and headed fior "home". The country was pretty and the traffic light but it would have been better without the rain of course.

On Sunday Don drove off early to go to the National Motor Museum, in nearby Mulhouse. By chance they were having a "bourse d'echange" on this weekend, the french equivalent of our swapmeet. Don had difficulty, along, with many others, finding the location of this event, so went for a walk and found nearby the Wallaby Australian bar, where he had a drink. Eventually he found the location; behind the Musee, and looked for some DS parts. There was very little for the DS on sale but he managed to get a couple of bits. That was probably a good thing as it all has to be brought back on our planes.
He arrived back mid afternoon and we went off to the hypermarche to stock up for the next day or two. Our next residence, in a forest near Epinay, will not be near any supermarket.

Time now to pack and get ready for an early start. We expect to do about 400kms tomorrow, and to spend a little time at Le Corbusier's famous Chapel at Ronchamp - one of Don's favorite buildings.

Strasbourg and Freiburg

On wednesday we took the train to Strasbourg. It cost a lot more than when we went on a weekend excursion rate last time. We changed trains at Mulhouse and both trains were fast and smooth. After coffees at the station, a classic old building, now enveloped in a modern glazed bubble, we walked to the old canals area. The buildings around here are the iconic half timbered variety. Many were originally built for the tanning trade. This is a popular spot for the tourists, but we found a quiet area to have lunch overlooking a canal. When it started to rain we had the waitress put up the sun umbrella. Next we walked to the famous Cathedral and admired its magnificent interior. Unfortunately it is somewhat hemmed by other buildings, many of which are quite  interesting though. Last time we were here we took a boat ride around the canals. This time we took the mini train. It gives you a tour of the older areas, which helps rest our old legs.
We took the very modern tramp back to the station and then thyen trains to where we, left the car, Altkirch.
It had been another good day with mainly fine, sunny weather.

For our next act, on the Thursday holiday we drove up past Mulhouse, across the Rhine and into Germany. There is no indication that one has crossed the border, except that the road signs are now in German and sometimes a bit hard to decypher. We went mostly by Autoroute/Autobahn. The speed limit is lower in Germany (120) but some of the cars there flew past at at least 150! Valerie was a bit spooked. She also got a bit stressed when Don drove the wrong way coming out of Freiburg at some roadworks.
We got lunch at one of the roadhouses along the Autobahn. We voted this the best yet.
After finding a parking station in the centre of Freiburg we walked to another Cathedral, as you do, There were lots of buse around,  disgorging plenty of tourists. It was a public holiday here too.
In the Cathedral square we had more coffees and cake (we do eat well) before walking around some more and finding the car again. Don was of the opinion that parking today was free, but after finding that the exit gate would not release us, eventually found where to pay the 5 euros. Just one of those little hiccups that come along when you are a stranger.
Our return was relatively uneventful. We decided not to explore the Black Forest area and perhaps get lost, not having maps of Germany.
Nearing home we were amazed to find that the streets of the nearby village of Illfurth, still had hundreds of cars lining every possible road, footpath, bridge, you name it. They had a street market on - it must have been enormous.
The car has now covered 4 300kms; I expect it will be over 5 000 by hte end of our trip.
Tomorrow Don goes for another blood test and is hoping his levels will be down. After that we may decide to head into the nearby Jura mountain area, with its pictureque villages.

Monday and Tuesday

On monday our key activity was to make an appt with a doctor so that Don could have a blood test to see if his INR level was now OK. Withn the help of our friendly host a rendezvous was made for tuesday at 1 30pm.
Then we drove about 50kms to the town of Sochaux to visit the Peugeot Museum. Don had been there in 1998 but had little time before they closed. Since then it has been expanded and modernised. it was time for lounch so we ate at their excellent restaurant. Then it was time to look at exhibits, not just cars either. Over the 200+ years of this family company they have made just about everything for the home, tools, bikes, motorbikes etc.
Valerie had a quick look around, then found a comfy chair and read her book. Don wandered around for about 2 hours, taking lots of photos. There were very few other customers so that was good.
On the return drive we did not make a wrong turn and end up going to Paris on the freeway. trying to get through the pay booths was experience, there were at least a hundred trucks ahead of us. Thankfully a couple of truckies let us through. I forgot to say that the weather was perfect.

On the tuesday rain was forecast; The morning was overcast and cool. Don took a walk up the hill behind the house to get a great view of adjoining villages, farms and the distant Vosges mountains. Later he took a walk alongside the canal to the the next lock. He was delighted to see a boat in the lock. On closer view he saw 2 boats in the lock; a 30 foot sailing craft and a 44 foot power cruiser from Dublin. He surmised that they were waiting for the lockkeeper to come back from lunch!
After lunch our host drove me to the next town to see the doctor and then into the larger town of Altkirch, to have the blood test. By then it was raining.
We got the test results by email this evening and the level is still too high. so I will reduce the dosage and will have another test, on Friday. Thursday is another holiday ; Ascencion Thursday.
We realised that we need to find accommodation on Saturday night as our next stop near Reims is not available until Sunday. Luckily we are able to stay another night here in Heidwiller.
Whilst here we are aiming to take the train to Basel, in Switzerland, the Black Forest area in Germany and possibly to Strasbourg.
 More soon

Driveing to Alsace and a visit to Altkirch

Saturday, as expected, started  off wet, not my favorite type of driving weather. We had decided to travel via France rather than cutting across Switzerland. It was a bit further, with about the same amount of Autoroutes.
Once we got clear of Annecy the traffic was not too heavy. We only missed one turnoff - not bad for us On most of the Autoroutes most of the traffic was Trucks. Most were not French ; they were from Germany, Spain, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Italy, Portugal etc. They usually have a special lane where they move at about 100 km/hr, so no real problems. The rain stopped after a couple of hours and we stopped for less than the usual time. The GPS got us to the door of our new apartment in the small village of Heidwiller, not far from the large city of Mulhouse. Most of the places around here have German names, as it has been part of Germany a few times, depending on who had won the latest war. And the buildings have a different, Germanic look.
We have been lucky again; the owners, Jean and Beatrice, were most welcoming and the apartment is luxurious and quite new. We had covered 435 kms over about 7 hours. The village borders the Rhine to Rhone canal, with a lock nearby with a cute old lock keepers cottage.
We got up late on Sunday and drove to an adjoining village where we were told there would be a Rhubarb Festival. And indeed there was, but there was a distinct lack of rhubarb!  It seems it was just an excuse to have a large "Flea Market". We bought only food, but if we lived here we would have got all sorts of stuff. There was a display of older modified/customed cars,trucks and m/bikes, including a 403 and a Renault Fregate.
We did find a restaurant selling rhubarb tart so ordered that and also a serve of, icecream with a delicious meringue covering.
Then we took off for Altkirch to visit a museum of the history and culture of the district, which is only open on Sunday arvo. It was excellent, housed in a very old building with very steep winding stairs. So Valerie was restricted to the ground floor. We saw only one other customer.
We are about to work out what we will do for the next 5 days and watch a little French or German TV.

A quiet day

We took it easy today. This morning we did some washing, Valerie packed her bags, and was surprised to see how much she had bought since we got here ( France that is ) Don did a little French study, a much neglected activity. After lunch Don went to a famous foundry near Annecy where they have been making bells for hundreds of years. It was interesting - the same processes have been used all along - it is a very low tech industry. Any O H and S inspector from Aust would close the place down! However they make bells of all sizes and send them all over the world. I saw some beeing processed for Vietnam. They made the largest bell ever, the 33 tonne Liberty bell for the USA. You could buy bells from tiny to large. I was surprised how expensive even the small ones were. Hence I did not buy. In the evening we had a magnificent dinner outside with the owners of the place. We ate too much and drank too much, but it was great fun. We ended up upstairs in their house for dessert. We thought our apartment was something special - the house is very modern and luxurious, with sweeping views of the mountains. Actually Don thinks that he prefers the decor of the apartment. The weather today was very hot - the car thermo was showing 37 degrees at one stage. Tomorrow will be cool and wet we are told. Don wore shorts for the first, ( and possibly thr last ) time. We have enjoyed our time here and would recommend it to anyone.

Mont Blanc

Today we went to Chamonix-Mont Blanc. It's about 60 kms from our apartment, if you take the right roads. The weather was perfect for this destination - sunny with no cloud. The drive there was uneventful. The road went through the Gorges of the Arly and was, as expected very winding and narrow. We got much needed diesel at the the small town of Megeves. Already we were surrounded by snow topped peaks. Nearer Chamonix the road became almost an Autoroute. Chamonix is an attractive quite modern town. We needed a drink and a toilet and sat outside in the already hot sun. The temperature was around 26 degrees and the highest since we got to France. We walked to the Tourist office and got some maps, of the town and a good relief map of the area. To the south the mountains reared up - we were not sure which was Mont Blanc but could see, using binoculars a building right on the peak of one of the highest. How could anyone possibly get up there? We were aware that there various Telepheriques which operated from the town, so, of course one had to take at least one. We chose the one that went to the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842 metres. Whilst waiting for our gondola I worked out that we were going to that building on top of the peak! About 60 people, mostly a group of Japanese, squeezed into the standing room only gondola. What a ride. Squeals from the Japs as the car pivoted going over towers and the views just kept getting more breathtaking. There was a changeover partway up and the last section was almost vertical up the rockface. On getting out at the top Valerie was feeling giddy and Don felt odd. We had just risen 2,800metres and it was suggested that we were probably suffering from the effects of the altitude. We were looking forward to having a leisurely lunch at the restaurant. However it was closed ( a cafe was open) and Valerie could not cope with the many flights of steps needed to get to the cafe and viewing platform. So Don went up and bought some food down to V. This was not quite what we had expected. It is noticeable still in France that consideration for the less able is often absent. The facility was built between 1946 and 1953 and was considered an engineering marvel in its day. Needless to say the panoramas are breathtaking ( now there is an appropriate word). So, we are glad we went but sorry that we could not fully appreciate it all. After getting back to terra-firma we had a drink in the shop and bought some goods. The return journey involved a few extra kms because we thought we knew better then the GPS lady and were on our way to Geneva. For many kms coming back, including the tortuous road through the gorge, there was a bus going very slowly, and gathering a convoy of frustrated drivers behind. 2 powerful cars managed to pass. There were plenty of opportunities for the bus to pull over, as I often do, to let the others through - a very selfish driver. After we got home, the owners came and offered us drinks and nibbles. It was good sitting in the garden and relaxing with them. So, a day we won't easily forget. We certainly won't be driving far tomorrow. On Saturday our route will take us through Switzerland for a while, past Geneva and Lausanne, mostly on Autoroutes.

Market day in Faverges and boat trip on the Lake

Today was an easy day. The weather was cool and overcast in the morning. It was market day in Faverges. We got there quite late but it was still going strong. The market is held mostly in centre of town in the main street, which is blocked off for the morning. We didn't buy much but it was interesting. After lunch and after Don had a little siesta we drove to Annecy and had a stroll in the old town area. It was nowhere near as busy as it had been on Monday (I guess people had to go back to work on Wednesday)
We struggled up a steep roadway to reach the Chateau on high, only to find that it was not open for inspection until June 1. We also found that you could drive up - if you knew what road to take!
It was time to take a boat trip on the lake. We got the last trip for the day (5 30) and were surprised to find we were the only takers, on a 200 passenger boat. There was no wind and the voyage was ultra smooth. The one hour trip was excellent, with a commentary in English (how did they pick that I was not a native French speaker? Maybe my accent is not perfect yet)
Tomorrow we aim to go to Chamonix, and if the weather is as good as forecast maybe get a good look at Mont Blanc.

Keep tuned for the next thrilling instalment.

More days in the Alps

On Monday we needed to replenish our food supplies so went to the supermarche in Faverges. After lunch we drove up to the Col de la Forclaz, from where our hosts said we would get a great view of the lake. At the start of the usual narrow twisting road we encountered a bus coming down. Somehow we squeezed past, after retracting the external mirrors. We did wonder how the bus on it's way up behind us made it. They were not wrong - the views were fantastic. A bit higher up was a jumping off point for hang-gliders and parasailers.They were everywhere. I did wonder how some would be able to find their way back. There were hordes of cyclists plodding up the road and hurtling down, with no helmets,as usual, and oblivious to the motor traffic. We had coffees, took lots of photos and drove down a less tortuous road to the pictureque lakeside village of Talloires. The traffic and people as we drove into Annecy were very numerous. It is obviously a popular spot. It may well be that some would take the Monday off, because Tuesday is a public holiday, celebrating the end of WW2 in Europe.(VE day) We stopped to get details of various boat trips available - we will take one later. For those interested, I was delighted to see a number of postwar classic cars, obviously on one of the many rallies run these days in Europe, pass through Faverges, possibly going up to the Col de Tamie(more of that Col later) models involved were a DB2 Aston Martin, an Alfa 105 coupe, a Peugeot 203 and an early Volvo. Back home Valerie cooked up a superb Risotto for dinner. After dinner Don became very frustrated - more problems with the blog. On the Tuesday we drove up to another Col, the Col de Tamie. Just near there is the Abbaye de Tamie. We had been following another leased vehicle (identifiable by the red plates) up the hill and I asked the occupants, in my finest French, where they were from. "we're from Australia" so we compared notes on France, the French and the driving. They hailed from Ballarat, the parents and 2 school age girls. The Abbaye is still in use. At their new service centre we bought, well Valerie bought,a few more presents and some of their cheese. The Abbaye is owned by the Cisturcian order and it was originally built in the 12thC and rebuilt at the end of the 17thC. We stayed to see the monks in procession (we missed that bit) and to attend one of their 15 minute services. At the Col itself are 2 restaurants. We decided to try the posher looking one but were told they were full. It didn't appear so - maybe I should have been wearing a tie. So we ate at the other one. The food was delicious and we made friends with the only other diners, a local couple. We took a different road down the hill, to look at an old village on the hillside above Albertville (winter Olympics 1992), Conflans. Unfortunately the road in was being rebuilt and so we attempted to walk up. It was too much for Valerie but Don made it up. There were the usual sweeping views from the top (by now we are getting a bit "viewed out" Don discovered that cars were driving right to the top, via a route unknown to us. So we came home. It was drizzling a bit and had been overcast all day. We tried the cheese (no sampling had been available) and voted it superb. Another good day.

In the Alps

We have had more problems with the blog. It comes up with a French version of the headings, with no way to add a new post. So this is a test only. I will proceed anyway!

Last Sunday we drove from Grenoble, without exploring any of that large city. We decided to have a look at the smaller town of Chambery. As usual on Sunday's in France the centre was almost deserted. With difficulty we managed to find a fast food outlet open - for drinks and toilet. We walked to the nearby Cathedral and were greeted by a group of clergy and laity,mostly Africans, and obviously had been celebrating some event. It was all very colorful,with music.
Next we had any easy drive, following the river Isere, along what appeared to be the top of a levee bank. This was the longest straight road we had been on since before Nice. Not quite like the Nullarbor highway though! We stopped for lunch (from Subway) in a lovely park in the town of Albertville. Now we set the GPS for our address in the tiny village of Cons St. Colombe.
We were delighted to find that it was sited on a hillside, with snow on the peak above. The nearest shops are 3 km away in Faverges, with Annecy about 30 km away.
Our apartment is the best yet - large, well equipped and decorated, with a beautiful garden. Best of all, our hosts, Andre and Joelle, were so welcoming - a delightful, friendly couple.

I do hope this post gets on!

From the sea to the alps

We have had 2 very interesting drive days. Yesterday we drove from Nice to Grenoble. It was only 320 kms but it took 8 and a half hours, including about 1 and a half hours stopped, for various reasons. So it was slow going but the scenery was magnificent. My driving confidence was much improved because I had had an idea overnight. I stuck some pieces of paper to the dashboard which indicated the cars position to the white lines on the middle and side of the road (well when there were lines) I had been thinking that I was much closer to the centre line than I actually was. So now driving was less stressful. One of my concerns had been on the many roads where there were deep drainage ditches right on 1 or both sides of the narrow pavements. Once out of the Nice area we were soon climbing and winding our way up the sides of valleys, over cols (passes) and into the next valley of the Alps Maritime. There were no Autoroutes available in this direction, so mostly the main road went through each village. The highest col encountered was at 1150 meters. The mountains opened out after a while before we hit the Alps proper. At one stage we had torrential rain/ hail but mostly the weather was cloudy with some sunny periods. We stopped for lunch in the beautiful small town of Castellane, which sits beneath a massive rock formation. On top sat a small chapel but we had no time to go there. A couple of kms north I came across, to my surprise, a Citroen museum. This I had to see. Luckily they were about to open and on entering I soon realized that I had read about this place. The owner had spent decades buying up low km post WW2 Citroens and about 40 were on display. All were in as found condition (I e not restored, but not needed to be) and all are road usable. One 2CV had covered only 104 km from new! Then we pressed on into the Alpine area with more and more snow covered peaks and amazing views. Our GPS got us to the door of our hotel in the fairly large city of Grenoble. It is situated in a valley, surrounded by mountains, mostly snow covered. The hotel Patrick was modernized and comfortable. We ordered in pizza and apple tart for dinner and finished it off for breakfast. I will leave today's trip because I have to watch now an interesting 1961 French film on TV.

Last day in Nice

We leave for near Lake Annecy, via a night in Grenoble, tomorrow. Today we had a last look around Nice. The old town area is fascinating. We stopped for coffees in a little square, next to the Cathedral. Next we headed for the seaside and happened upon another market area. At the waterside quite a few people were reclining on the pebbly beach, some of the women had stripped off a bit, but no-one was in the water. In the semi- sunlight the water was not the incredibly azure blue color we had marvelled at earlier. Now we know why it is called Cote d'Azur. Of course Don had to see the harbor area, so we took a lengthy stroll along the esplanade. We got to the harbor as a ferry from Corsica was arriving. It was now lunch time and maybe the last chance to to try the French equivalent of fish and chips- moules and frites. We chose of the many restaurants overlooking the harbor, with their views of the boats and the ferries coming and going. Another one came in from Sardinia. We enjoyed the leisurely meal, with its vast quantity of mussels, but it all took about 2 hours. Then we wandered back to catch the tram at a pretty square - Place Garabaldi. Don had his fix of gelati here - coconut and Amarena. Now we are off to take the bus back to our apartment in the sky, to clean up and pack ready for a long day's travel tomorrow. Nearly forgot to say that we went to see the largest Russian Orthodox church outside Russia this morning. What a contrast to the local architecture! Unfortunately the inside was closed for renovations. Also have not before mentioned that on a clear day we can see planes coming and going from the airport from the front of the apartment and snow topped mountains ( in Italy) from the rear - magical.

May Day and Entrevaux

We know that May the first is a big holiday in France and that most places and transport is closed down, so we had a lazy day and stayed in. On Wednesday we took the narrow gauge railway to Entrevaux as planned. It runs along valleys through gorges, following the Var river upwards. The weather was good and Entrevaux is another historic village. Due to delays and works on the line we had limited time there. We met 2 English speaking couples on the train, one from Vancouver and their relatives from Israel. The train was very new but it rocked along. It reminded me of the old Ghan. We had a good day. Today we took a normal train to Menton adjacent to the Italian border - a very smooth 36 minute ride. We got a map at the Tourist office, as you do, and walked along the beach(stony)front looking for a restaurant with wi-fi. We ended up near the old harbor, in "little Italy" and had a good leisurely lunch. Then we wandered the old town area, Valerie bought a few trinkets and Don went the the very new Musee de Jean Cocteau, after scaling the heights to see 2 old churches. After a long walk back we returned via train and are back in Flunch checking/sending emails and doing this blog. Must go now to catch the last bus up the hill.

It is raining in Nice

Well my test worked! Today is very wet. We took the little (11 passengers) bus down to the main train station, got some details of the little tourist train which runs 150kms into the mountains. When the weather clears we aim to take it about halfway to a village of Entrevaux. ( 1 and a half hours ) We are about to have lunch at Flunch (good cheap food) and hope that the weather will allow us to take the tram to the beach and take the tour of the town via the Petit Train. We are well and enjoying the trip if not the narrow twisting roads, with blind hairpin bends by the dozen. C'est la vie! More about yesterday soon.

Hi all. This is a short test to see if I have finally worked out how to do a new post. It is raining in Nice

Vidauban to Nice

Hi folks. We are still in France, have had major problems accessing the web and especially adding to this blog. We left the tiny cottage in the village of Vidauban and drove to the coast at Fregus but stopped at the adjoining town of St Raphael. We preferred this to the bustle of St Tropez. The weather was fine and sunny, almost hot. We walked the waterfront, past more modest boats than at St Tropez, and had a nice lunch. I managed to get off one email at the adjoining Tourist office before they closed for lunch! The French must have their extended lunch break - to hell with the tourists. Anyway we voted this town a winner. Then it was into the traffic along the coast road. Actually the traffic was not bad and trip tres interessante. The road winds it's way around lovely bays with postcard views. The downside is that it is quite slow traveling. But we had the time. After passing through Antibes and Cannes we set the GPS for our address in Nice. And this time the lady in the dash got us to the door. As expected our apartment complex was on the side of a hill/mountain above the town and the views from our apartment are amazing. Lots of ferries come and go. Today (Sunday) we took the bus into town and are having lunch. It has been raining but the sun is now out. We will walk to the waterfront and take the Petit Train around town. Love from Don and Valerie.

France du jour

St. Remy and Les Baux in Provence

After doing some necessary washing we headed the small town of St.-Remy-de-Provence, without knowing much about it. It was on the way to the most visited village in France, Les-Baux-de-Provence. We liked St Remy- not too touristy and the sun was shining. Sitting in the sun at a cafe we even got hot! and we realized that this is what a holiday is about. We wandered the streets looking for a shop called Harley's. We never found it but the stroll was enjoyable. Then we had a short drive to Les Baux. We could see the rocky outcrops well before we got there, driving across the plains covered with olive groves and vineyards. We managed to get close buying paying for parking and soon why this place was so popular. It is a classic old mountain village, built entirely of limestone, with vehicles excluded from most of it. And towering above it is the remains of a Roman fortified Chateau. After another superb and not too dear lunch overlooking the valley we went up to the Chateau entry point. Valerie decided not try to scale the heights so Don went on alone (well, with quite a few other tourists) I was fascinated with the whole thing - the scale of it, the reproduction siege machines, some which could hurl 140kg stones which could breach thick stone walls, everything. I could have spent hours there. The views from the top were fascinating panoramas. The aluminum ore bauxite, which was first mined nearby, got it's name from here. We voted it another top day - how many more can we cope with? PS - I guess that everyone knows that Levi Strauss bought the local strong blue cloth from Nimes hence Denim from - cloth De Nimes. PPS - I believe it is now possible to make comments on this blog. Tomorrow we drive to our next cottage, via one of favorite areas, the Luberon mountains.

Nimes etc - part2

The roman Arena is the major attraction in Nimes and deservedly so. Valerie could not cope with all the steep stairs so had to wait for me across the road, listening to a trumpet performance. I managed to negotiate all the curved arched corridors and the steps. It was well worth the visit. After a nice lunch We continued walking towards the Jardins de la Fontaine. Here more water emerges from the earth and has been channelled into canals - all in a formal setting with lots of statues. But the big attraction is the remains of the Roman Temple of Diana. You just don't see 2000 year old buildings in Australia! We did not take the 140 steps up to the Tower Magne, built around 15 BC. Then it was a mad dash back to the bus station, to save waiting another hour. We made it, and the trip back. Thursday morning I went to the Renault dealer to find out about my tyre. It had been available since Wednesday and they had tried to call me. It turned out that I had been giving everyone the wrong number! I blame those European 7s. So late morning we set off for the town of Orange, up the river a bit from Avignon. This is an attractive Ville, and we arrived just as the morning market was closing down. We enjoyed a delicious lunch near the tourist office then walked to major attraction, the best preserved Roman Theatre in Europe. Valerie got free entry from a sympathetic ticket seller due to all the steep stairs but at least got into the lower space. We both got audio guides and Don got the top of this 10,000 seat theatre, partly built into the side of a convenient hill. Another fascinating piece of the long past. We drove the short distance to the Arc de Triumphe, then set our sights on Mont Ventoux, famous foe often being a gruelling stage in the Tour de France and dominating the area. Our way was firstly across very flat farming country, with lots of vineyards and orchards. Then from the pretty town of Malaucene the rod went up. A sign said that the road was closed but we pressed on. A bit later a sign added that it was open to .... Pass. The road was excellent and there was almost nil traffic, a welcome change. We watched the temperature drop steadily and the views were breathtaking. Gradients were regularly advised, presumably for the cyclists, the steepest being 11 per cent. We eventually arrived at the ... Pass amidst more and more snow. Valerie was "freezing" whereas I felt invigorated. We had coffees in a little restaurant in front of a wood fire - nice. A family of cyclists, on mountain bikes! arrived, and they were cold. I did not find out where they had come from but it seemed unlikely that they had ridden all the way up. They did ride all the way as we saw them on the way down and at the bottom. We arrived home after a satisfying day.

Nimes, Orange and Mont Ventoux

After frustrating phone calls to the Renault dealer in Avignon, where I could get no sense from anyone about my new tyre,we decided to take the bus from Barbentane to Nimes. This saved us driving around in a car with no spare wheel. However we found that the next bus would be in 2 hours so we decided to drive the few kms to Tarascan and get one from there. The trip took about 45 minutes and dropped us next to the Nimes train station. We were impressed with the station with its stone vaulted areas and refurbished look. Out the other side was a grand avenue being rebuilt and it ended in a beautiful modern plaza with the Office de Tourisme and a famous fountain with statues of Romans who had been involved with the first Roman settlement. We walked a little further and suddenly came across the Roman temple,built in the year 2 AD. It is in good condition except that walls have been added between the columns, to form a cinema showing the history of the temple and it's people. To be continued

Avignon

Today(Tuesday) we took a bus to Avignon which took only 20 minutes. The winds had abated overnight luckily and the forecast was for 18 degrees. I doubt if it reached that but we managed to stay warm. After walking through one of the "portes" in the town walls (nearly 5km around) we went up to the Office de Tourisme for brochures and V bought some lovely calendars of Provence (which we are now in) and a fancy shopping bag. Further up the avenue was an attractive square,with the usual restaurants almost filling it. We selected one for coffees and made a lucky choice. It was all good, including the toilets, not always the case. Then it was onwards to the famous Palace of the Popes. For about 100 years a succession of Popes lived here , in a massive fortified building overlooking the Rhone river. Outside in the plaza we took the Petit Train for a 45 minute drive around, including threading it's way through the narrow lanes with centimeters to spare. For lunch we returned to the same restaurant and then wandered down some of the shopping streets where V was in a shopping mood. My shopping seemed to involve a round black rubber thing with a hole in the middle. I did not get the hoped for phone call so expect to get the tyre tomorrow. Next we wandered down to the riverside and took a 1 hour boat ride. This was smooth and very relaxing. We passed 2 cargo barges and 2 huge river cruise boats, one from Arnhem in the Netherlands. This may have crossed from the Rhine to the Rhone via the connecting canal. Avignon is a very attractive city but the long distance bus station is appalling (our bus goes on to Nimes). We were glad to be out it and were soon 'home'. Another good day out and now to decide our agenda for tomorrow. Ideas include Nimes, Arles, Orange and various little villages in the Luberon mountains. More soon and best wishes to all.

Barbentane, L'Isle de la Sorgue and the Vaucluse Fontaine

As mentioned before it was blowing a gale on Sunday, with strong gusts. We decided to drive to a couple of the nearby top tourist spots. L'Isle de la Sorgue is the Venice of Provence being situated on the Sorgue river withs a number of canals and a market on Sunday. By the time we got there the market stalls were closing but walk around showed a very attractive centre with water flowing swiftly in the canals and a number of water wheels still working to lift the water from one level to another. We discovered an area of antique shops selling the usual overpriced goods. Next it was a short drive to another tourist draw card, the Vaucluse fountain. This is quie spectacular, where a large river comes streaming out from the massive towering cliffs. Naturally there were lots of other tourist and hordes of stalls to tempt you. I climbed to the source whilst Valerie enjoyed a coffee overlooking the fast flowing river a bit lower down. We voted this a good choice to visit. The fountain area was protected from the strong winds but once we got out a bit they were as strong as ever and gusting wildly, making the car move around. Somewhere along the way back, on exiting one of the numerous roundabouts I misjudged a turn and hit the kerb hard with both RH wheels. The winds were the same overnight and on Monday and the locals confirmed that it was the Mistral, but should been gone by now. Not only is it cold but can nearly blow you over. On a visit to town centre ( not very impressive) Valerie noticed that a front tyre was damaged. A visit to a nearby tyre place confirmed that it shot - new tyre required. They could not supply but sent me to another place in Avignon. When I finally found the place it turned out to be a Renault dealer. They did not have the required type and size in stock, but fitted the spare and quoted price which was more than I had even dreaded. A moment's inattention! I await a phone call. I ventured into the old part of town later. It is old and not at all pretty. I can't remember when I was last so cold - it is like the bleakest part of an Adelaide winter - and this spring? We expect to take a bus into Avignon tomorrow and to have to rug up. More soon

Aigues Morte, St Maries de la Mere & Barbentane

First an apology - as we have not yet worked out how to edit this blog on the iPad there are lots of errors - please excuse! On the autoroute taking us to Grabels I was surprised to find how it snaked around the hilly countryside and regularly rose to 1100+ meters height. When we arrived at Grabels we were warm for the first time in France! The temperature was 16 degrees at 8PM. That was to change after our first night in Barbentane. From Grabels we decided to revisit the old walled town of Aigues Morte, in the Famous Camargues region. Last time we were there we had happened upon the weekend of the running of the bulls - tres exciting. This time it was the "running of the tourists" Well, it was a Saturday and in the school holidays. We would like have taken a boat trip on the canals which crisscross this area but time was against it. So we drove about 30km to the coastal village of St Maries de la Mer. This is/was a quaint fishing village but again on this day taken over by us tourists. We declined the opportunity to attend a bullfight at the seaside arena. I managed to get more urgently needed diesel before we drove to our next Gite at Barbentane an historic village 10km frm Avignon. At first we passed through very flat country with horses, bulls and water everywhere - this the Camargues. Then we followed the Rhone river north. The gps again failed us. It turned out that it was a block and a bit out. The house is situated on the outskirts of the village and not exotic but has everything we need. The next morning we woke to strong cold winds which have continued so far here - could this be the infamous Mistral? More tonight - time to explore the village.

into the mountains

Wednesday was not a very eventful one. The route was mostly via autoroutes but with some local roads linking the autoroutes (luckily free). It was raining and cold mostly with the temperature falling the closer we got to our destination. Unfortunately the GPS failed us at the end and left us at the end of track on the other side of the valley we managed to navigate ourselves to right spot withe help of our detailed map book. We had a gourmet dinner at the hotel/restaurant in St. Sauves D'Auvergne nearby. In the morning the rain had turned to light snow, which melted when it hit the ground. This was the first time Don had seen snow falling, We drove of in temperatures falling to 0 degrees as we got higher into the mountains. Don was worried by the warnings of ice on the roads but the locals seemed to proceed as normal i.e. fast. Eventually we came onto a free Autoroute which took us all the way to our destination of Grabels, just outside of Montpellier. The rain continued until close to our finish. We stopped twice at some excellent roadhouses for lunch toilets etc. A highlight was viewing and driving over the Millau viaduct, the highest bridge in Europe, spanning the Tarn river. Our GPS got us right to door of our Gite, where we spent 2 nights. We stayed in a little cottage in the garden of our hosts, who were most welcoming, for our dinner I managed to order in French a pizza, to be delivered. It did arrive - of course! The following day we drove to a nearby Tram station and the trip to the centre of Montpellier took about 20 minutes. This is an excellent service with trams about every 5 minutes. We were most impressed with the city, particularly the main square and the old quarter. We took a trip on the 'Petit Train" a good way to see the city and save your legs. Even so by the end of the day we were tired. We had dinner at the restaurant in the Comedie Opera house, watched the entertainment in the adjacent plaza and took the tram back. It had been a great day. To be continued!

Easy Days

On Easter Monday we had a very lazy day, after the full on day before.  I found the supermarche was shut (so it really was a holiday)  but we had enough food to get by. The day was like all but one since we have been in France - cool to cold with fresh breezes.
So we just stayed inside and read, studied a little French, and watched TV when we could find a movie in english that was not the usual rubbish. I went for a walk along the river late in the day. I can't remember when I last had such a quiet day - there is always something to do when at home.

Then today we decided to take a short 15km drive to a Chateau which sounded worth a look.  It was reputedly the Chateau with the most original interior of them all. The grounds were immense and the exterior very classic and in immaculate order.
But the interior was amazing - It was fully furnished, just the way it would have been long ago. We voted it the best Chateau we have seen.  We had an early lunch in the adjacent Orangerie and I (Don) was fascinated by the centuries old roof structure.
This Chateau Cheverny is still privately owned and been in the same family for many centuries, on and off.

The afternoon was spent cleaning the house and packing, getting ready for a 360km drive South tomorrow to the village of St Sauves D' Auvergne near the Massif Centrale. We over-night there before driving to Montpellier on the Mediterranean.

that's it for now, hoping that everyone is happy and well - we are.

Don and Valerie

Tours and Le Mans

We had an interesting day yesterday, Easter sunday.  We drove off early (for us) along the river about 60 kms to Tours,also on the Loire. We eventually found the city centre and stopped for coffee and to study our Lonely planet.
The sun was shining weakly as we walked quite a way to the old town. It was worth it and we had a nice lunch there.
We had passed a large basilica with dome and were surprised to find out that it was built in the early 1900s. The remains of a 5thC church adjoined.
After lunch we were disappointed to find, nearby, a beautiful plaza where we could have had lunch and glorious views of the old timbered buildings.
Time was passing so we decided to take the autoroute about 60kms North to Le Mans and pay the tolls. We were really going to the circuit for the 24 hour sports car race and the adjacent museum which are before you get to Le Mans itself. We found a marked turnoff to the circuit but then - no more signs!  The GPS would not tell us anything or take us there ( if it had not been fixed in the car I think I would have tossed it) - total frustration!  So we drove further and into the city looking for signs. Eventually we thought that we were now heading south from the city centre but the lack of sun meant we did not know where South was. We were slowing regularly trying to read signs and noticed a car had been following us for a while but had no chance to pass. Then they pulled alongside at a stop and asked in French if we were lost. Oui!
After telling this young couple in an older car where we wanted to be they said "follow us". We were soon there and our thanks felt quite inadequate - we had been rescued by strangers. We had lost an hour but at least now could enter the Musee de 24 heures.
This was excellent - lots of sports racing cars, including French ones but also plenty of other, mostly French, voitures starting from 1885.
I should now have plenty of photos for the car club magazine.
It was around 6 45 so we decided to take the autoroutes back. Along the way we stopped for dinner at one of the roadhouses and had an adequate but certainly not gourmet meal. It was now getting dark and I had my first experience of 135km/hr in the dark. Luckily the traffic was mostly quite light.
Arriving home at 9 30 we both felt quite tired. Valerie reckons her hair is now a shade grayer!  We voted for a quiet day tomorrow.

Easter Saturday in Blois

Today we decided to catch the local bus into Centre Ville. Valerie was eager to check out the Saturday Open Market and she wasn't disappointed!  Fresh fruit and vegetables galore, also bread, meat, smallgoods, cheese, flowers to name a few.We couldn't resist the Patisserie so much choice but we settled for Pomme Tartine and Citron Tarte. Other goodies in our basket included Quiche Lorraine, a Vegetable Tart (for Don) Sheep's Cheese, Strawberries, Green Beans and crusty bread. Yummy!!
The township of Blois sits above the Loire River,  it is an attractive town especially the old quarter where we found the St Louis Cathedral. The streets are narrow and winding with some houses dating back to the 15th century.Don has managed to find a french version of ice coffee so he is happy, he also found a hat at the market and I didn't have to twist his arm to buy it!  The weather is quite cool for spring, we are glad we have warm clothes, hats, gloves and scarves.
Tomorrow we will take a trip to Tours and Le Mans so keep posted!

PS - Don was excited yesterday because he finally saw an early Renault 5 like his, parked near the Chateau! In the 5 weeks we had in Paris in 2009 he saw none.  Cars older than 10 years are rarely seen except in rural areas.

Blois

This font size is better?

Hi all - this is the first of many I hope.  I am currently using the French keyboard so have to use care.

After 4 and a half days in Paris we are now in the Loire valley for a week in the historic town of Blois.

Our Paris stay was most enjoyable but too short.  We had an excellent (if expensive) hotel in the left bank, close to the river, Notre Dame, the Pantheon and hundreds of eating places.  Hordes of tourists took over the nearby streets of restaurants in the evenings. We went on a river hop- on hop-off cruise, stopped at the Jardin de Plantes, where we had an excellent and leisurely lunch in the restaurant.  This was initiated by a need for toilets, the only one we could find in the Jardin itself was out of order.  This reminded us from previous trips that we have 2 main probems in France - finding public toilets and the lack of disabled access - many places are only accessable by lots of stairs.
I had not been to the Pantheon before, so made sure that I did.  It was so impressive - the dome, the pendulum hanging from the top of the dome which apparently (not so apparent for me) shows the rotation of the earth. Then there is the crypt, where hundreds of eminent French persons, almost excusively men, have been interred and honored.
And no, we did not go to the Eiffel or Sacre Coeur this time but did see the Tower illuminated, albeit briefly.

On Wednesday morning we took a taxi to the TT depot at the Porte de St. Cloud (exit from the Peripherique ring road) to pick up our Renault Scenic automatique with GPS. We were soon on our way, with some trepidation. The young man at TT had set the GPS for our detination, Giverny, famous for Claude Monet's house and Garden.

Luckily Giverny was not too crowded and we loved the experience. After a quick snack nearby for lunch we set the GPS for Blois. this was tricky - it took about 4 goes to get it right. We opted to go via Autoroutes, longer and more expensive but an hour quicker.  We were surprised to find ourselves returning almost to Paris before joining another freeway which took us direct to Blois. Thankfully  the traffic was not too heavy as I got used to travelling at 130k/hr and up.

Our house for the stay is a bit ordinary on the outside but magnificent inside and centrally heated - mornings are quite cold.

that's it for now - to be continued! Don and Valerie