Lorgues to Home

Day two based in Lorgues started with a stop in Nice. It is a very big city of over 300,000 people and I cant understand why people come here on holiday.  It is very busy and the beach has massive stones on it - not my idea of a holiday!  We did not spend too long in Nice (partly because we were dressed for summer and the weather was quite cool) and left at midday for our next destination of Eze. 

Eze is the complete opposite of Nice - quiet and tranquil and very few tourists.  Eze had beautiful little narrow streets that wound their way through the town.  It didn't take to long to circumnavigate the town as it was rather small. 

Our next stop was Saint-Paul-de-Vence  - very much a tourist trap. We did not like this town as it was over run with tourists and expensive shops! We stayed for about an hour, eating a crepe for lunch as we walked around the town.

The last stop of the day was Tourtour (& a chateau stop to buy wine) which our B&B owner had recommended.  It is on the list of the most beautiful villages in France. One stipulation for making the list is that the villages population must be less than 2000 people - so as you can imagine the village was very cute and tiny.  We had a lovely dinner here to end our day.

The next day we made our way across to Avignon.  Along the way we stopped at Verdon Gorge which had such beautiful blue water.  If we had more time we would have liked to have hired a pedal boat and explore deep into the gorge.

 We then stopped at Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, perhaps my equal top favourite village with Eze.  We spent quite a lot of time at Moustiers - we walked up to the church on top of a hill that looks down on the village.  We had lunch here before moving on. I must mention Moustiers is on the list of most beautiful villages.

Roussillon was the next stop. Again this village made the list for the most beautiful villages of France.  The buildings here are made from the red clay that is found in the surrounding cliffs.  The buildings are painted in very bright colours.  We had an ice cream stop before moving on.

As we had visited so many villages we could not be bothered to get out of the car and visit Gordes.  We went to a scenic stop and took photos of the village.  It looked amazing carved into the rock face.

The last stop before reaching Avignon was Abbaye de Senanque.  In the summer when the lavender is in bloom it makes for a famous photo - but we were there at the wrong time of the year unfortunately. 

I was rather man down for our only day in Avignon.  I should have learnt by now not to eat pizza that had been sitting in a hot car all day.  I was up vomiting during the night so wasn't up to doing much in Avignon.  Our only plan was to visit the Papal Palace which I just managed to make my way through before having to head back to our apartment for rest and recuperation.  I must say chocolate éclairs are magic at making you feel better though. 

On Saturday we spent the day in the car travelling from Avignon all the way up to Epernay, the heart of the Champagne region of France.  We left Avignon 10:00am and arrived in Epernay at 4:30pm.  We went straight to the information centre and they recommended booking cellar tours with the champagne houses. 



















So Easter Sunday was spent tasting champagne and learning how champagne is made.  I am happy as Nathan has decided he likes champagne more than still wine so I hope that means we will be drinking a lot more champagne in our house from now on.

Sadly, the last day of our holiday is upon us.  We had a 3.5hr drive up to Calais to catch our ferry at 6pm.  To draw out the day we made stops along the Somme at WW1 battle sites and at memorials and cemeteries to NZ and Australian soldiers.  Quite fitting that we started our holiday with WW2 sites and finished with WW1 sites. 

 

 

Blois to Lorgues

We had a long 7.5hr drive from Blois to Carcassonne.  Along the way to break up the drive we went to Oradour-sur-Glane.  On 10th June 1944 SS Officers came through this town and for some unknown reason killed 642 people.  Only 100 or so people managed to escape or hide from the SS officers.  After the people were killed the town was set alight and razed to the ground and has been left that way ever since.  It is a very eerie place to visit. 
On arrival in Carcassonne we checked into our hotel and went out to explore the UNESCO protected walled city & castle of the old town.  It seemed very similar to Mt St Michel in terms of little narrow streets.

We had a very full on day on Monday with the first stop being the Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct.  It is another UNESCO protected sight. The bridge spans 55m, but is part of the Nimes aqueduct which is 50km long!! The bridge is really huge and it is mazing to think how it was built without modern technology. 

We had a lunch stop in a gorgeous town called Les Baux-de-Provence where we scoured shops for lavender products and olive oils.  We spent the night in Arles which is another old Roman town.  There is a big amphitheatre and forum which we looked at, and we ate our dinner under the forum ruins.  Van Gough lived in Arles and did lots of paintings of the country side, plus a painting in Arles itself, so we saw the actual garden he painted.
Today we spent the day in the car but only covered 200 miles (340km approx.).  We have been driving little country roads and getting stuck behind tractors and trucks.  In fairness we spent 30min just trying to drive into St Tropez this morning.  The buildings there were nice, but there was no beach close to the town and I cannot see what all the fuss is about.  In summer it would be madness trying to drive anywhere and why would you be bothered with that when you are on holiday!

St Tropez

We then visited many small towns and sights including Abbaye Thoronet, and the towns of Carces and Cotignac.  We walked to Sillans-la-Cacade (a waterfall) before ending up our ridiculously cute b&b in Lorgues for the night.  We are loving Provence.  It has a very Italian feel to it (obviously as it is so close to the boarder).  We have been having excellent weather and have had our white legs on show in our shorts! Tomorrow we are going to see more of the French Riviera.
We were real gutted to discover a black mark has appeared in all our photos from today.  We are not sure if its a hair or dust or even a crack in the lens, but we cant wipe it away and it seems to be there for good.  Looks like we will be buying a new camera when we return to London.

I love the shutters on all the buildings!

Chateau'd Out

1st stop - Cheverny

Today we visited 3 chateau's in the Loire Valley region.  They are magnificent!  Chambord was not even lived in because it was too cold as it was too large to heat! Even a Polish King in exile didn't live there very long. 

2nd stop - Chambord

Last stop - Chateau Royal De Blois

Tomorrow we are leaving Blois and have a really long 6.5hr drive to the next town of Carcassonne.  After tomorrow we will only have long drive left at the end of our trip to get us back to England.  We are breaking up the car trip tomorrow with a stop in Oradour-sur-Glane - a town that was heavily bombed in the war and has been left as it was at the end of the war.

Mont Saint Michel

 

Today we visited Mont Saint Michel.  It was an awesome site on approach and it did not disappoint.  We wandered little narrow streets that made their way to the main Abbey.  We spent an hour looking around the abbey before making our way back down to the car park.
We then had a 4.5hr drive ahead of us to reach our next stop of Blois.  Along the way we pulled into a rest area where we ate our lunch.  The drive in some parts was quite beautiful - passing through cute villages and fields of canola.

Chocolate éclair - no cream - choc mousse

Upon arriving in Blois we struck it lucky with getting a car park right out front of the hotel.  We then walked around Blois Chateau and the old town.  We had some beers and dinner before returning to the hotel for an early start tomorrow to explore the Chateau's in the region.

From Portsmouth to Normandy

On Tuesday night we had the lovely experience of spending the night sitting upright in a sleeper seat whilst on the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre.  On arrival in Le Havre at 8am we drove to the ruins of Jumieges Abbey.  We could see the ruins from the road side so did not pay the €6 entry fee.  From here we carried on to Bayeux where we saw the famous Tapestry that was woven 1000 ago.  The tapestry is 70m long and depicts the Norman conquest of England, hence William the Conqueror became King of England.  We then went to the Normandy Museum which gave a good history lesson into the D Day landings.  The video at the museum put me to sleep! We decided to check into our hotel for Nana naps, but alas it was 4pm and we couldn't check in til 5pm - so I had a sleep in the back seat of the car.

Today we drove around the beaches of the D Day landings.  The beaches are beautiful white sand and it is hard to imagine them stained red with blood.  We enjoyed climbing through gun batteries and exploring bunkers.  The American cemetery was amazing - perfectly manicured lawns and white marble crosses.
We are spending the night in a tiny town called Beauvoir.  Tomorrow morning we are going to see Mt St Michel, before a long 4.5hr drive to Blois - in the heart of the Loire Valley.
Highlights so far are stopping in Patisseries to buy fresh croissants and ham & cheese baguettes.  YUM.

Beer trip to Brussels

We embarked on a weekend trip to Brussels to purely drink beer.  Nath & Si are rather fond of a good tasting beer so Brussels seemed like an excellent place to visit in order to sample their beers.  Our favourite hangout is Dilirium Cafe which holds the world record for the most varieties of beer offered in one pub - over 2000!
There is not a lot to write other than we tried some interesting beers like cookie dough, raspberry, lambic beers (which we don't like) and chocolate beer!  We also, between us, consumed waffles with melted chocolate, fries with curry sauce, and churros.  A very healthy weekend indeed.  It was pretty full on with an early Eurostar departure on Saturday morning at 6:57am, and a return trip at 6pm on Sunday night.  We did have Nana naps on Saturday afternoon after doing a brewery tour and following it up with more drinks and lunch. I can tell we are getting old as we decided the pub on Saturday night was a bit too loud and it would be better if we returned the next day during the afternoon as we would find it less busy.  With that it was home to bed.

Christmas 2013

It was with great excitement that I embarked on yet another winter Christmas trip - this trip I was accompanied by parents who were about to have their first ever winter Christmas.  We met at Heathrow where Mum & Dad had just flown in from NZ for our early morning flight to Budapest where the trip was to start from.
Mum & Dad weren't too jet lagged so we were able to make the most of our first day in Budapest.  After checking into our apartment we headed straight to the Christmas markets for some goulash in a cob loaf.  Our next mission of the day was to find the international train station and buy tickets to Prague.  On arrival a the station we had to print out a ticket number and wait for an hour until our number was called.  It was ridiculous as only two windows were open selling international tickets.  The wait was worth it as the cost was only €19 each for a 6hr journey.   We headed back to the markets to find dinner and mulled wine.

Over the next few days we did a city walking tour and soaked in the thermal hot pools.  Mum and Dad also visited the terror museum and did a late afternoon cruise along the Danube.  I visited a cat cafe where I had a cat-puccino and there were cats sitting in couches and chairs that I could pat.  There was a very cool cat with an awesome mustache.

The train journey to Prague went very quickly.  It is fun travelling by train as you can look out the windows and see lots of country side and little towns, plus there is the added benefit of being able to walk around the train if you wish.  Mum fell in love with the beautiful buildings of Prague. Dad was impressed by the hams roasting over the coal fires.  I was awed by the view from the clock tower looking out over the main square where the markets were set up.  I enjoyed re-visiting a little micro brewery that we found on our first trip.  They have lovely beer (at cheap prices) and yummy prunes wrapped in bacon that I could not resist!

We also spent some time at the Prague castle and bought decorations for the tree in the markets.  We went to a brewery recommended by Lonely Planet and we ordered a tasting tray.  We tried some very random beers including cherry, vanilla, nettle and a very tasty champagne beer which Mum and I shared in honour of Alice's birthday.

Our first meal in Germany

Another long train journey, this time from Prague to Munich.  I was excited to be back in the land of weiss beer and schnitzel.  Mum even switched from ordering wines to beer by the end of the German leg of the holiday.  Nath flew in to meet us in Munich and join us as our driver for our holiday through Germany. We embarked upon another city walking tour where I stood on the same platform that Hitler used to deliver some speeches. We climbed yet another tower to get some beautiful views of the city and enjoyed trying beers from the different brew houses.

 Mum and Dad went to Neuschwanstein castle for the day while Nath and I walked through the Olympic park and then a big city park and watched people 'surfing', and ended up at the Augustiner brewery for some very cheap beers - €2.30 for 500ml!

From here it was onto some of the smaller towns of Germany.  We had a lunch stop in a beautiful little town called Dinkelsbuhl where they had the most gorgeous buildings that looked like big scale doll houses.  We stayed in Rothenburg which has some very pretty Christmas shops that open all year.  There was even a Christmas museum but we didn't go in.  Again we climbed a tower, this time the Town Hall, to get views over the town and surrounding valley.  

We spent Christmas in Nuremberg - the home of the Christmas markets. It was here in the markets that we did secret Santa, where we had 15 minutes to spend €5 on the person we pulled from a hat.  I got Mum which was the easiest one to buy for as any decoration would do - she loved them all!  It was fun exchanging gifts on Christmas day.  We even had a tree in our hotel room as Mum grabbed some branches that were being thrown out from the markets in Rothenburg (as they were closing down).  We had Christmas dinner in a lovely old building that was built across the river. I had schnitzel for Christmas dinner - a tradition I hope continues!

We had a stop off in Bamburg on our way to Weimar.  Weimar was a good stop along the way to Berlin as there was a concentration camp close by that we went to visit.  Mum and Dad had not been to one before so it was something we had to do. We spent about three hours at Buchenwald concentration camp.  It was very exposed to the wind so I can imagine how cold it would have been for the prisoners in their thin clothing and no heating in the buildings.  

We had an epic four days in Berlin as its a cool city with so much to do. It will be quicker for me to list what we did: a tour of the Reichstag, walked through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe, had some jumping photos in front of the Brandenberg Gate, saw the murals at the East side gallery (the longest remaining part of the Berlin wall), the Pergamon museum, the German history museum, Charlottenburg Palace, and check point Charlie. Sadly Nath flew back to London from Berlin as he had to be back at work.

 

Our last stop off involved an early morning flight to get there - Copenhagen.  We could have taken a seven hour train trip, or the option of the flight for one hour and only £40 including checked baggage. Flight it was. After checking into our hotel which we were able to do very early, we went to Nyhaven where all the canals are.  Mum and Dad took a canal cruise while I wandered around finding the best lunch spots.  We had a Nana nap in the afternoon as that night was New Years eve.  We had a late dinner and then headed out the square to join in the celebrations.  Nothing official is organised with people letting off their own fire works in all sorts of directions.  We left the square as more people were cramming in and we felt it was getting a bit dangerous when we saw a guy let off a sky rocket in his hand! We walked back towards the hotel stopping at a bridge to watch the fireworks from a safe distance.

The next day we walked around Christiana which is a free state where people don't pay taxes and smoke weed.  It is really grotty and there was lots of rubbish lying around.  After, Mum wanted to see the Little Mermaid, which is perched on a rock miles out of town.  So off we all went to see this midget statue that really wasn't really worth the trek out there. Our last day of being on tour ended with a train trip (45min!) across the bridge to Malmo in Sweden! Even though the two countries are really close Malmo had a different vibe to Copenhagen.
We tried to have an early night as we had a 7:35am flight to London, which meant getting up at 5:00am! At the metro station we did not have enough coins to pay for our ticket to the airport and the machine was declining our bank cards.  So we had a nervous ride out to the airport.  However, once at the airport Mum and I were delighted to discover we had enough coins to buy a bottle of bubbles.  What a good way to end a great holiday.