We're Back!

Sorry about last few days either Epernay had no wifi available or mummy and daddy overindulged in champagne.

Despite a mad scotsman signing abusive football like chants at Moet et Chandon building, we have all made it safely to Brugges in Belgium, our last port of call. We are checked into hotel and just heading for the Chocolate shops and the clock tower where Gleeson jumped.

So far no dwarves in school uniforms and Farrell/Gleeson definitely undersold the town (In Bruges references).

R

Champagne Delight (Robert’s Day)

After breakfast headed east in search of some of the various champagne villages in the area. There are hundreds of small/medium/large allotments either producing champagne or producing grapes for the major Champagne houses.

We came across a small village of Oger where we visited a small producer who also had an interesting wedding museum. They opened up for us and after the museum visit we were invited to their cellar to taste their champagne. A girl who spoke very good English, explained the process and then poured both Karla and I a flute of Champagne made solely from Chardonnay grape. Think this is Champagne Blanc, but Sommellier Hamilton will correct me if I am wrong. We purchased.

Karla then suggested we head back via a number of producing villages and vineyards to be at one with the champagne production. We stopped at another pretty village. Pierry where once again we had a degustation and purchased.( Just as well Gendarmes don’t exist. Well actually they do, the Australian newly weds did not physically stop at a stop sign, despite there being no traffic coming and were fined €90 on the spot….can pick up some good restaurant wine for that).

Got back to Epernay and headed for a Chocalaterie where we had a pastry and heavenly hot chocolate. We then headed for a Champagne Emporium where we sampled another 3 champagnes and purchased. I then headed for Moet et Chandon for a tour, but Monsieur Snooty Moet advised only space for English in 2 hour time, I declined and did not purchase. I contacted Karla and we headed for Castellane which as well as having a champagne tour had a wonderful tower that overlooked the wine fields which cover the landscape. This was a great tour and took you round a fully working champagne production, we saw everything from the fermentation to the spectacular removal of the ice sediment and bottling unit. This was a brilliant tour at a fraction of Messr Snooty Moet and champers also tasted great…not surprising after the number of glasses in the day so far (16.00). Again we purchased.

We are currently drying out and plan to head for a nice restaurant this evening and no doubt some more shampoo.

Early start for Brugges tomorrow for our final stop before returning home. Looks like a day of chocolate, beer and moules et frites.

Lots of Love

R, K & K

Disney Delight (Kiera’s Day)

Woke at huit hours, as we had advised Mdme Thernardier that we would have petit dejeuner at that time (wouldn’t like to get wrong side of her). Lovely continental breakfast where we met another 2 couples from Oz and New Zealand who were also staying at Maison de Thernardier.

After breakfast, set all culture aside and headed west to Disneyland Paris as a surprise for Kiera. When we turned off the junction and she saw the signs her eyes sparkled until she asked ‘but will there be any characters’, Kiera hates characters. We assured her that anyone we saw were real people and not characters. As we headed for gate, we noticed a large amount of cars with NL registrations. Appears that every year the Dutch celebrate the wonders of Disney by abandoning Holland and travelling en masse to France….it was like Sauchiehall Street on the last Saturday before Xmas! After circa 1 hour of arriving we finally got ticket and into park and Kiera jumped into mummy’s arms as she saw…..a character, Minnie the Man Eating rat. We headed for Fantasyland as it was Kiera’s day and straight to small world, on the way we wasted fast pass tickets on Peter Pan ride. Kiera loved small world and I knew it would not be our last visit. After a few more rides in Fantasyland we headed for Adventureland, but my favourite ride Big Thunder Mountain had a 75 minute wait and all fast passes for day were long gone. With a tear in my eye and a droop of my mouth I headed for Gloomy Manor to visit my relatives (GGG come out to socialise).

After a barbecue lunch at Woody’s place we watched a parade, spilt some popcorn and let mum go on Space Mountain before heading for Disney Village for some basic scran.

We returned home and were greeted by the usual smiles from our hosts and I was first to sleep within 27 seconds of entering the room.

Kiera had a great time and was respledant in her pink Minnie the man eating rat’s ears and her Minnie balloon.

Lots of Love

R, K & K

Gastronomic Delight (Karla’s Day)

Have been having such a good time that my previous brief blog did not do Epernay justice. So to recap, a pleasant 3.5 hour drive through wonderful countryside from Bourignon with green and yellow fields disappearing into the distance.

We arrived at Epernay, Champagne kingdom and despite a detour arrived at the doorstep 27 Avenue de Champagne. We were greeted by Messr & Mdme Thernardier, who spoke no English but made us feel so welcome. We interrupted a family Sunday meal for circa 12 and the smells that wafted throughout their large house was unbelievable. Their grandson was ordered to take our suitcase upstairs to our suite.

Having arrived on a Sunday most of the town was shut or around Mdme Thernardier’s dining table. We were advised to visit Mercier’s Champagne House, which was opened. After a brief movie, we travelled by lift down to the caves. The lift was similar to an Alton Towers experience and gave you a brief history on the 100 feet down to the caves. The caves measured in excess of 10km and at times you could not see to the end of a tunnel. The laser guided train took us around the chalky tunnels which contained millions bottles of champagne from 1923. The guide explained the process of fermenting and producing champagne and then we were invited to a degustation where we sampled 4 flutes of champers between us…tres bon. Kiera really enjoyed the train journey and the special champagne van.

At night we visited a local restaurant, where I have previously mentioned the price of wine. We were treated like royalty and our princess was looked after by the staff who gave her ‘Kiera’ champagne when we had our Moet aperitif. The initial appetiser was crab with avocado and of course Kiera was given a portion, no chicken nuggets or burger at this joint. Karla had sole and I had a monumental piece of beef with ravioli and foie gras (Ravioli definitely not of Heinz Variety!). The matre de suugested the chef make Kiera a dish with beef and potato, so she was presented with a lovely piece of fillet steak with a wonderful potato dish. We both declined the fromage for fear of offending or making fools of ourselves, but were still given another 3 tasters of passion fruit jelly with pure chocolate. This set me up nicely for my desert which consisted of 3 elements; a soft chocolate mouse, a cream like desert that contained something pink with alcohol and a mega coffee brulee. On receiving the bill we also were given a plate of homemade chocolates and brandy snaps, which certainly made the final bill sweeter.

Crawling up the road after dinner in the rain we passed the Champagne Houses, each had their emblem adorning the pavement from overhead lights, was a fantastic sight.

A wonderful first day, particularly as it was Karla’s birthday.


Lots of Love

R, K & K

Sparkling Birthday

Arrived safely at Epernay and staying in a wonderful B&B. The hosts do not speak any English, but karla's frenglish and some gestures doing fine. Spent first day, Karla's birthday, sampling one of the Champagne houses. It had 18km of underground tunnels and we went on a train ride 100ft underground showing us the vaults and some of the production. Kiera loved the rain ride, mum and dad enjoyed the champagne.

Later at night we went to a fantastic and posh restaurant for Ks birthday. Wonderful food and so many tasters from chef, commenced with champagne and then moved onto a Grand Chablis Cru that was one of the cheapest bottles at €71. The budget and my belly is well burst.

Am currently at Disneyland Paris where we have had a great day, but MacDonalds only wifi available.

Hope all well. More Champagne Houses tomorrow!

Bourgignon Suppers For All

Another lovely peaceful day.
Had a longer lie in this morning then visited local village for provisions. Pate & Camembert with baguette again for lunch, then off to support the Buddies. 70 seconds into game and my beer fell flat, game looked pretty uninspiring and the 2 quick goals in second half certainly killed off the game. The girls went to pool and then playpark. Watched Man Utd game and at half-time went to restaurant for 2 portions of Beef Bourgignon et frites, that were delivered into 2 pans that we provided. Took them home and it was heaven with a little bottle of white (no smaller than any other bottle, but glasses smaller!).
We are now at bar having a nightcap before bed, we are only residents in bar, the camp has been taken over by Dutch, but clearly they prefer their own company.
Off to Epernay tomorrow, as well as celebrating Karla's birthday, so would fully expect champagne tomorrow night. Going to treat Kiera to a surprise visit to Disney Paris on Monday. Weather not scheduled to be brilliant, but I have had enough sun in last week.
Hope all well
RjL

Sun, Saone & Cycling

Woke up to another beautiful morning and today was chill from first moment. After picking up the baguette and pan au chocolate, we headed for the indoor pool which was the size of a large bath but really hit the mark.

After a lunch of baguette with pate and camembert we hired a couple of bicycles and headed out into open country. The river Saone is 500m from camp-site and we spent some time there watching the boats go by. Karla took ownership of securing Kiera’s safety which was no bad thing.

We returned safely and spent time with Kiera at the playpark where she met her dutch boyfriend.

A dinner of steak, potato and onions followed washed down with some harmless Macon Rose. I am about to head to photograph some sunset shots and then return for crepes with ice cream and strawberries.


All facilities in camp due to open tomorrow when the official season starts, so it may get busier. We are planning a beef bourgignon et frites take-away tomorrow night. Then a quiet night before we head for Epernay on Karla’s birthday.


Lots of Love

R, K & K

Burgundy

Just a quick note to say we have safely reached Burgundy country. Campsite 5km from nearest town and set between fields of yellow and rivers....beautiful. Kiera has already made a new Dutch boyfriend!
Dined tonight in the camp restaurant which was brill, I had my first beef bourgignon and Karla had lamb in garlic and thyme, I finished off with creme brulee and we had a bottle of local white. I could see myself having a hat-trick of bourgignon, but Karla has bought steak for tomorrow, she declined the horse steak. Think if I had the hat-trick I get to keep rest of cow.
Camp really quiet and a relaxing day tomorrow, it picks up on saturday and most of the facilities also open, I am assuming the French must be heading this way to watch the Buddies semi-final clash with Rangers, I will certainly be vocal in the bar watching this one. Come on the buddies!

On Top of the World

Woke up yesterday to a clear blue sky and the promise of some sunshine. Up early and headed straight to Chamonix en route myself and RJL oohd and ahd at the views of lush valleys and snow capped mountains while Kiera snored her way through them – but nothing prepared us for the first breathtaking views of Mount Blanc or, as re-named by Kiera , Snowy Mountain.

After breakfast in a thermal spa park at foot of Mt Blanc we discovered that the cog wheel railway was not starting until June so we bravely set off for Chamonix town centre and the cable car station – there was no way that I was coming this far and not getting some way up to a glacier.

Tried to convince Robert that the two cable car rides up to the highest viewing platform in Europe (3842m) would be a walk in the park and that if he wanted to be taken seriously as a photographer he would need to suffer for his art – neither argument washed and I purchased tickets for myself and Kiera and armed with Robert’s camera and arms full of fleeces and winter jackets we set off on our somewhat wobbly ascent up the side of Mt Blanc. (Someone had to watch the car and its valuables and I didn’t want to deny Kiera and Karla their big chance!)

At the top it was -7c (Chamonix was 24c) and unbelievable - we really were on top of the world. With 360 degree panoramic views of Mt Blanc, the Swiss and Italian Alps, myself and Kiera enjoyed the sunshine sipping hot chocolate and throwing snowballs!

When we decended we met up with Robert who had received his obligatory holiday scorching – burnt napper, panda eyes etc etc the usual.

We headed back to Annecy for a lovely dinner sitting by the banks of the canal after watching the sun set over the Lac – a perfect end to an unforgettable day.

Lots of Love K, K & R xxxx

PS I am so proud of the girls yesterday, I cannot believe the journey they took. One of the attached pictures shows the platform/tower they visited and it was taken with my main zoom lens. They travelled 2.7 miles upwards. hats off to Larry

PPS Thanks for the directions Mr H

Cuckoo Clocks & Chocolate

Today started very sedately with a visit to a tea room for cafe au lait, croissants and chanson de pomme. After a visit to market where we picked up a punnet of strawberries, it was off on an hour sail around Lake Annecy. Views were spectacular, but sun right above us, restricting photos. After return visited a Chocolaterie for a couple of mugs of hot chocolate and cake. The 2 visits to tea rooms cost us €45. Coffee at €3.80 and any soft drink €3.50. Bottles of coke/sprite/orangina have ranged from €3.20 to €4.50, France certainly not a cheap place to stay.
After a brief chill we headed for the Money in Geneva. 1/2 mile into journey and we had to pay €6 for travelling a couple of minutes, worse was to follow. On reaching the Swiss border, we discovered that we had to buy an annual Swiss road tax to enable us to drive on Swiss roads, this cost €30 but is valid for a year...yippeedee what a bargain! On reaching Geneva, without Tom Tom, we spent 40 minutes trying to find something that looked remotely like a city centre, as signs conspicuous by there absence. Eventually park circa 1/2 mile from lake and then explore for next hour discovering that Geneva is just Private Banks, Chocolateries and shops selling watches and cuckoo clocks. Then decide we need something to drink but finding an ATM in Geneva is like a proverbial needle in a haystack. I suppose with all that money and gold they dont carry mere notes and coins. Eventually we find one in a dept store, but requesting 100 of their Monopoly notes, I get 1 note equivalent to £70. We decide we cannot break on a drink and cut our losses by going for another pizza. We then head for car pretty disappointed with G, but no doubt there are good areas we never saw. We still have 30 units of Monopoly money as we could not find anywhere to buy anything less than £1000. The way out of G was even more frustrating with road signs distinctly missing.
Got back safe and sound and headed to bar for usual €4 soft drink, I am well bankrupt with my €5 daily allowance.
Just watched Liverpool game that was very exciting and am again greeted by a chorus of snores when I return to room.
Well tomorrow Chamonix is scheduled and the big question is whether anyone will be bold enough to take the cable car.
R

Farewell to an old Friend

On the road home and very sorry to say good bye to the Cote D’Azur which was very different to how I remember but to be fair my 16 year old mind was more focused on Bruno and Sebastian the Belgian boys than the wonders of Menton, Monacho, Cannes, Grasse and Port Grimaud which were all stunning this time around.
Have arrived safely in Annecy, after a marathon 5 hours (sans Tom Tom – Robert killed it early doors and am sure will provide the gory detail if he ever makes it off their website – next 10 days could be interesting without it!). Annecy is beautiful - a real cultural/culinary intersection close enough to Switzerland, Germany and Italy to be heavily influenced – cheese fondues everywhere! Will be passing on that particular culinary experience but looking forward to a boat trip on Lac Annecy, visits to Geneva and Chamonix and of course a few of the many, many Chocolaterie.
Love & Hugs K, K & R

Cheese with Everything

Made it....just
30 minutes into journey we stopped to refuel on our 5 hour journey. As we were about to leave I went to put traffic monitor into Tom-Tom and unfortunately placed it in reset hole. Tom Tom died and so did my hopes of ever getting home again. He has been a great buddy and has ensured we arrive at doorstep of every destination. I was really annoyed with myself, not the greatest frame of mind for journey ahead. Karla used her orienteering skills, the position of the stars and the direction of migrating birds to ensure we finally reached Annecy...ahead of schedule. When we reached Annecy it was hit and miss and I didnt help by travelling in bus only lanes around the 1 way streets. Eventually found the hotel and got parking space. Kiera liked the last hour of journey when we travelled through the mountains by tunnel.
Annecy is absolutely gorgeous, sitting by a lake that is surrounded by mountains, the water is so clear and so inviting for a quick dip, but the snow on the mountain tops suggests it may be quite cold. The waters from the lake meander through the town Venice like and it has a real Swiss/German feel to it.
Tonight we dined overlooking the canal and whilst fondue and other cheese related main courses were order of day, I went for duck with mandarin sauce and Karla went for Womble served with almond butter. Not sure if they import the Womble from Wimbledon Common, but we were assured it was a fresh water white fish (Orinoco Flows).
The girls are already well into their sleeping and their snores keeping me awake.
Tomorrow we are planning a trip around Annecy Lake and then a trip to Geneva and Wednesday we plan to visit Chamonix and Mount Blanc.
Messr Hamilton, directions from Annecy to Dijon welcome!
Fondue to you to.
RjL

Inward Half

Well we've passed the Dormie House stocked up on cheeseburger and liquid and have only 4 holes left to play.

15th (Annecy) - A long dog leg right par 5 to a green surrounded by lakes and undulations
16th (Dijon) - Spicy little par three that will keep us on our toes and looks fairly appetizing
17th (Epernay) - Nice little par 4 that will hopefully have us reaching for the champagne corks
18th (Bruges) - Sinister finishing hole, just aim for the clock tower and you should be ok

19th - There will be no drinking at 19th this time for fear of a repeat of the boat on the way over

Been a great round so far some great holes and we've all played pretty well. There have been some good caddies out there giving us tips and advice which have been gratefully received.

If you can't drive the car try the boat

Currently at Port Grimaud, following Liam & Karla's recommendation. Like Ferguslie Park in Paisley during the floods everyone gets around the streets on boats. Despite Karla's attempts to guide us out to open seas we made it back and are currently devouring our 53rd pizza of the trip (prefer if my dearest sister did not make comments re the pies, she doesnt know how close she is to the truth. Hope there is no weight restriction on boat on return).
Messr Hamilton, I apologise for not taking your expert guidance, but the stressful journeys have probably helped reduce weight slightly. I must say that the sight of bouquets of flowers on the treachorous mountain passes does little to comfort a paranoid vertigist.
R

Hi from Kiera

Kiera has felt left out of the blog, so wanted to send everyone a message. I am missing everyone but having a great time. I have met many animals and really liked the billy goats, cats and donkey but still prefers Toby and Zara. I have eaten lots of ice cream, but not as much as Daddy, I have had all different flavours (meringue, mallow, orange).
Mummy took me to the perfume factory yesterday and it was really a nice smelly place, mummy bought me some rose soap and the ladies gave me some rose perfume. I have drawn a picture of my visit for everyone.
I was in the outside pool yesterday and swam really well.
I am looking forward to coming home, but best of all I am looking forward to going on the big ship and sleeping in my princess bunk bed.
Kiera xxx

Oh What a Gorges Day

Decided this morning to give the girls a break and headed off to the Gorges of Verdon, despite the warnings from camp staff and France book on the perils of the journey. Decided to head for a town called Castellane that is at the start of the Gorges. Although only 50 miles, Tom-Tom gave me a journey time of 75 minutes. 10 miles into journey hit my first hint of trouble when it went back into mountain goat mode and took me through a village called Tourette. This village had 1 windy road through village and upwards and on 1 stretch I had to reverse 3 times to let locals by. 15 minutes later and having visited a few front rooms and kitchens I made it through. Then the road became very steep and narrow, not helped by Tour de France teams training and cutting width of road down to Smart car status. Then after 20 miles hit the cliff edges that I was warned about. Sheer drops with only a couple of ornamental garden pebbles to separate me from a meeting with my master. One particular stretch was so precarious I was travelling at 5 mph and crossing into left lane to negate my vertigo. I would have gladly switched to jumping from a plane with a parachute at this point, given the choice. I would have happily turned back, but there was nowhere that you could u-turn, so I fixed eyes forward, said a prayer and clutch controlled my way through the next 5 miles, the worst 5 miles of my life. 90 minutes later I finally hit Castellane which is a beautiful dramatic village surrounded by water and mountain. I can now understand why the bus only runs once a week. Having recovered my nerves, stomach et al I headed back, but decided to go a 30 mile detour to avoid the same journey, not thinking that on the other side of the mountain again I would be driving at cliff edge. This time roads wider, but still needed 10 mph and traversing into oncoming traffic, slightly better but still a struggle and it took 2 hours. I am sorry Mr L you have failed your test!
Girls relaxed by pool in the heat while I suffered.
In the afternoon we all went to Grasse which is the centre of the perfumerie business with 3 major perfumeries creating scents for most of the major perfume houses. Really interesting tour of production including the organ where the 'nose' sits and creates new scents from the various inputs including cats genitalia, goo from whales, bits of beaver, bark and musk from Tibetan goats, as well as the fragrances of lavender, orange, roses etc. Really interesting visit.
Off to Frejus to see Amphitheatre in the morning and then off to Annecy on Monday.

A Humdinger of a Boabydazzler

What a stonker of a day. The French Riviera as I imagined...but a little bit better.
Day started as always with a couple of pain au chocolat and a couple of donuts, not sure what the girls had. We then headed early doors for Monaco, within 10 minutes along motorway the horizon was of snowy mountain peaks, with the dashboard showing it was 20 degrees. fantastic sight I have only witnessed snowy peaks in that sort of heat before at Aviemore and Florida. After passing through dozens of tunnels and paying a king's ransom in tolls we reached Monaco...well almost, could see it below but missed the turning. Anyway that loss was our gain as we ended up in Menton which sits on the Italian border, it is surrounded by mountains protecting it from most inclement weather. It has an all year round supply of lemons and is very much based on lemons. The sun was shining and the streets lined with orange and lemon trees in full bloom, the town smelt of lemon and most shops had lemon wares. People drove lemon cars, restaurants served lemon pizzas and the toilet rolls were made of lemon peel....I think. Kiera found a great playpark and after a walk we ordered 2 genuine mammoth sized ice creams that lasted us the walk back to the car.
Off to Monaco and after a couple of automobile altercations arrived safely at edge of Grand Prix route. (4 horns blasted at me, 2 totally justified and the other 2 subject to 4th officials view). Had a lovely lunch at harbour where they are preparing the stands for the Grand Prix. We then travelled by boat across harbour to visit old city and palace. Boat trip free for the day courtesy of Prince Bertie as the tennis on at Monte Carlo (Come on the Murray Meister). Fantastic time sights and weather fandabidosi.
Then to Cannes which was more beautiful than I expected. Walked round the main sites and then stopped for a crepe....no lemon skins here!
We are now back at site and watching the Friday night cabaret from outside as Kiera is scared of the man with the green hair...not sure what phobia that is.
Well tomorrow more cloudy but Karla wants to visit Grasse which I believe provides the main fragrances for the main perfumeries. I note the Buddies playing at 12.30, so I should be able to pick up live on laptop. Monaco play Rennes tomorrow night, may be see if I can get a pass and a sub on my €5 for next couple of days.
Night Night
RjL, K & K xx

I Can Hear the Bells

Well, as Karls has stated we are well settled into Frejus which certainly has many happy memories for her. I am sure I saw a tear in her eye when she re-visited the Discothèque from many years ago, I am sure nothing has changed including the communal toilets clearly built by the Romans.

Watched the Man Utd game last night and crowd pretty well split, certainly a great goal. We then orienteered back to the caravan in 2 groups – the 2 Ks and myself – and both of us got lost, but eventually made it back. About 11 the rain really started to pour, so we headed for bed and a decent kip, but were woken by a church bell that was ringing every minute rather than every hour, it then quickened to about every 30 seconds and I decided it was the bell behind the bar being rung for tips, despite the fact we are half a mile from bar and no-one seems to give tips. Eventually as it got worse we both investigated and found it was the rain hitting the expelair unit on the roof. As we were both struggling to get to sleep drastic action was needed, so we removed the cover from inside the caravan and packed with various towels, reduced noise by about half but probably increased the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning by 10 (alarm in caravan). Anyway we finally got to sleep, probably more exhaustion than reducing the irritance of the rings.

Woke up and it was pelting down so girls headed for inside pool and then we went to Frejus to visit Hypermarket for provisions. French still very challenging at the driving stakes and clearly in these parts, road signs and etiquette go for nothing it is every man for himself. In the evening we went back to Frejus beach and took a couple of pictures to show there are blue skies. Still to visit the Roman Amphitheatre, which I am really looking to visit.

Liam has sent Karla a list of locations/restaurants visited when they were last here, but am not sure that Karla’s excellent but frugal budgeting will allow more than a starter.

Off to grace Monaco tomorrow as it is our only day that sunshine guaranteed and then we may go on to Italy for another stamp in the passport. My daily ration of €5 is unlikely to see me hitting Monte Carlo, so will just have to use it to buy a Scottish Newspaper.

A splendid chilli nachos for dinner this evening prepared by moi and a visit to the weekly karaoke, too noisy for Kiera so the girls returned whilst I watched Man City game.

Arrivederci

RjL

Back at Last

Well since the last time I got anywhere near this blog: I have chilled out in the valleys of the Dordogne, sunned myself on the Perpignon coast, shopped in the medieval streets of Carcasconne, met up with family and friends in Barcelona and introduced my daughter to donkeys, goats, sheep, a pony, ducks and geese in Provence – every stop has been a completely unique experience and for those of you familiar with Kiera’s aversion to anything with more than two legs you will have been amazed by the transformation over the past the couple of days, she has been wandering about chatting to her NBF Minnie the baby billy goat and feeding her lunch to the ducks!
This latest stop: Frejus – Cote D’Zur and the first of our camping experiences brings back many happy memories having last stayed on this very site almost 20 years ago when I was 16!! The dodgy disco looks all too familiar and we’ll be hitting it tonight. This next few days is going to be a multitude of contrasts from campsite to Montecarlo casino – looking forward to getting back to some old haunts....
Lots of love and hugs, K, K & R

French Rainiera

Hi all, firstly we have all arrived safe in Frejus and Kiera is reminiscing all her childhood memories of hols with Liam, Vera and John. Fairly uneventful journey although final mile could have resulted in the dearest pee in history, but thats one for another day.. Weather not great and looking like getting worse tomorrow. French radar has a large rain cloud over area at moment turning to a white blob tomorrow, only time I have seen that before was in 'The Day After Tomorrow'. If it turns out that bad do not worry I will don my Jake Gyllenhaal persona and keep all safe, although plenty to do indoors. Looks like i missed a good game last night, but fortunately games available tonight.

Yesterday in Cevannes we visited the town of Florac which was beautiful alongside a raging river and below a gorgeous gorge, the journey was only 45 minutes but again the winds meant that all were green by return. Kiera got friendly with the animals and looks like we have made giant steps forward on that front. Bull steaks and Karlas version of Liam's famed sauce went down well.

Hopefully more to report tomorrow.

Steaming Again!

Woke up to the sun streaming through the forest and beautiful blue sky. Our animal neighbours in full voice particularly the killer geese who have been confined to barracks today, I fear they may have devoured one of the other gite guests for supper last night. Kiera invited to feed the donkey and pony but she declines. Karls takes up the offer and then goes into cuddle the baby billy goat.

We decide to head to Anduze where we will find a steam train that operates a 40 minute excursion to St-Jean-Du-Gard. Anduze is a lovely town with several restaurants serving the local bull, unfortunately at 10.30am it is even too early for me. Arriving at Le Gare it is hoaching with crowds expectant of the sight of Casey Jnr and the Cannonball Express. Entertainers keep us amused until the whistle and whoosh that signals the arrival of the engine. As it is celebrating its centenary there are circa 25 locals dressed in clothes of a bygone age and singing thigh slapping anthems…reminds me of a scene from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Anyway off we proceed and within 50 metres have the biggest tunnel of the day circa 1000m and a clear reason why people did not tend to travel at front, we are consumed by smoke, soot and steam and finally emerge with blackened faces. Fantastic journey, taking me back to my childhood when I travelled by Stephenson’s Rocket from Barassie to Troon (or was that just a dream). SJDG a bit of a let down, but we managed to find a Pizza Parlour which had an intermittent Wifi signal, allowing me to post previous update. Heading back we passed a hippy commune with all kinds of aromas, music and dance. Hearing a Celtic melody I showed them a fresh pair of heels only to be stopped when I bumped into an innocent French schoolgirl who was using the road appropriately for cycling, rather than Michael Flatley impersonations. Great journey back in the rear open air cabin.

Returning home our good old GPS system Tom-Tom finds a new mode, goat track and rather than the semi-decent D road that brought us here, we find ourselves heading upwards through single lane paths through the mountains. As temperatures soar both in and out of car, the Tom-Tom lead tangles and rips fascia from the dashboard. Parking next to a steep drop we finally fix and then continue the journey past Sherpas, mountain goats and locals who have clearly never seen a car before. Eventually we make it back, all feely slightly queasy. The journey has clearly impacted Karls as she proceeds to wash the interior and exterior of car.

At night we head to a local restaurant on foot and have a fantastic meal; crayfish soup, foie gras & smoked duck, beef bourgignon, duck in red wine and raspeberry jus, cheese and a lemon sorbet served in a large measure of vodka. The duck was of Billy Bunter measures and I struggled to finish, cheeseboard included the standard sheep cheese which Karls and I love. Not wanting to offend hosts, I perfect a manoeuvre seen in a Mr Bean movie and remove the sheep cheese to my rucksack (have just remembered that it still remains there). We also managed to trash 2 bottles of Languedoc white wine, which went down well. Unfortunately with the addition of Vodka in sweet and a little pre-dinner drink, my movement back home through the forest was zig-zag rather than straight and both girls found it amusing when I failed to negotiate the various speed bumps.

Got back and lit the fire I had set-up and then everything became a blur until my usual rise at 02.37 until 05.03.

Looks like another nice day today and heading for Lavender Museum and a Chateau-Neuf-De-Pape winery.

I assume from lack of texts that St Mirren lost last night, but hopefully we can find a remote wifi signal to confirm my fears.

Interesting Fact of Day - Denim was actually created/founded in Nimes (De Nimes), probably why every second person called Jean or Jeanne!

Orabest

R, K & K

April Showers......Not!

Well we have made it to Provence, just. Following the thunder storm in Barcelona we headed on our 4/5/6 hour journey to Provence. Weather not bad until we hit French border, 1 hour into journey.

Spanish roads/traffic – Firstly I could save the Spanish government billions of pesetas by suggesting when they build motorways they reduce them to dual carriageways as no Spaniard uses the inside lane, don’t know if there are regulations or they are restricted to Barcelona players only, but no-one uses them. Therefore all motorways are 2 lanes. Secondly, Spaniards are really compliant with speed limits and tend to travel slower than speed limit. Therefore when you are passing on outside lane at 85mph and Don Corleone is rushing back with the moll and 3 bambinos to Italy, you are hit with much flashing of lights and waving of arms. Despite the risk of waking the next morning with a horse’s head beside me I retaliate with a shrug of the shoulders and a gesticulation that indicates unless I am driving Chitty Chitty Bang Bang then I have nowhere to go. I was tempted to put slight pressure on break, but feared that the kids would be covered in their Cornettos. Anyway I eventually pulled in when physics would allow it and wished him well on his way.

Next incident is when we approach the frontier and circa 1 mile all lanes try to funnel into 1 lane which is all that appears open, 45 minutes later we get through the one laned frontier and note that there is no-one even manning the gates, must have been a local boules match going on! It also adds to my theory that Gendarmes are like Leprechauns, not sure either exist as have struggled to see any on our trip. (Fingers crossed that I am not tempting fate).

For the next 4 hours we would have been better travelling by submarine as the weather was atrocious and the rain coming sideways. We finally reached our gite after 6 hours, allowing for a couple of stops. Karls had to go out and find owners and was drenched when she finally returned. Gite in an old farmhouse/chateau and we have donkey, pony, sheep, 3 billy goats and 6 of the most raucous geese you could meet, but great intruder alarms. We settled back Karls made a splendid spag bol, trashed a bottle of local red given to us by gite owners and settled by a log fire that I created using all my boy scout skills.

Woke up at 06.43 and it is still tipping it down, but a huge sigh of relief. I feared that my gastronomic excursions in previous weeks had rid France of all rabbit, but fortunately Easter bunny had been and Kiera was well pleased with his kind gifts. She got a lot of eggs mainly chocolate and a few other surprises. Mum and Dad had mixtures of chocolate, lavender and duck entrails.

Headed off in the rain to Haribo factory and had a swell time salivating over the making of sweets with many samples given. We then headed to Pont du Gard, which is the greatest surviving Roman aqueduct in the world, by this time the rain had stopped, briefly, and we tucked into duck hot dogs, I suppose they are called Hot Ducks and crepes filled with chocolate and lavender.

Unfortunately gite does not appear to have wifi, so if you get this today (12/04) it will be courtesy of some unsecure French resident who has had their wifi hijacked.
Hope all had a good easter and the Easter Bunny was good to them and thanks to Fiona for taking my place and reporting so artisticly on the concert, which sounded great.

Well Karls on a run with the cooking and presenting a chicken in red wine dish tonight, with a local white to compliment. I will continue stoking the fire.

Tatafurnoo.

R, K & K x

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on Barcelona Plain

Woken up at 06.43 by a spectacular thunder and lightning storm with torrential rain. Not seen rain like it since I was last in Florida. Scheduled to travel to Nimes today via Lloret de Mar to see the Irish lads play football, get the feeling the match may struggle to be on and as we have 4 hours in front of us in normal conditions, we may press on as heavy rain scheduled all day. Forecast not great for next couple of days so blogs may get bigger and more frequent.
Anyway Thursday was a great day in Barcelona with temperature 24 degrees and Barcelona really coming to life. Spent the morning in Tibidabo which gave us spectacular views of Barcelona, as it is high in the hills overlooking Barcelona. Had a nice funfair and the Ks spent time on a few of he rides. In particular their trip to the Ferris wheel turned into a bit of a marathon, with a changeover of staff leading to 23 minutes on the wheel, with Karla's face turning greener by the minute. We then went into Barcelona to meet Niall, Jack and the other 32 Irish party who were fed and watered by Moira and her crew at Flaherty's. In the evening we went to a traditional Catalan restaurant with Derek and his wife Cassie. Dinner was wonderful and it was good to catch up with Derek again.
On Friday weather was cloudy, but fairly dry. We visited a Spanish village park that has 107 different Spanish style buildings representing the various styles across the country. Each building had a different craft or restaurant and was worth the visit. After a trip to the beach, where I was able to show off my climbing skills on the monkey bars, we headed for an early dinner with the highlight being a starter of Iberian ham, which cost more than the rest of the meal added together but was well worth it.
So we are all well and looking forward to resuming the rural part of the road trip, having had our 4 day city break in the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Happy Easter to all.
R, K & K

Carousels & Candyfloss

Well we are just heading out for tapas with Derek tonight, but having had such a great day wanted to put some photos out there. Tabidabo was fantastic, stories later. We then met Niall, Jack and the Dublin crew and Moira and the gang at Flaherty's killed an additional cow to feed the 34 hungry mouths. The guys who are representing Ireland in a boy's football championship were so well behaved and we wish them well.
Will update blog later.
R, K, K

The Beautiful Game

From the moment I secured my ticket and entered the stadium the smell of barbecued meat, frankfurters, patatas fritas and success wafted up to the heavens where I would be fortunate enough to witness sport at its best. Not even the great Juan Belmonte could have taunted and tormented his opponent with such skill, indeed as the 4th goal hit the back of the net that I was sitting above, the contest was well over with Massi the genius/the matador against Mrs Jones pantomime cow in red and white shirts. In truth Barca should have been 6 up at half time with a blatant penalty on Massi turned down by the referee to the disgust of the fans. The second half was a procession of skill without the killer instinct of the 1st half.

A truly memorable night and my only question would be why does one of the greatest stadiums in the world shelter circa 327 fans out of 94000 from the rain. The sight of circa 20000 umbrellas up was bizarre, whilst the rest of us kept our heads down for the 10 minute shower.

Thank you Barcelona for a night I'll never forget and I cannot see anyone capable of stopping Messrs Henry, Messi, Eto'o, Puyol in this kind of form.

RjL