France and home 25 to 28 June

Saturday 25 June

Had to say farewell to our lovely little gite.  Chatted to Chris and Marlene for a while and watched the tiny red squirrels scamper up and down the walnut trees. 

It seemed to take a long time to get to Amiens.  Our first stop was Villers Bretenneaux.  We stopped at the war memorial to the Australians who died in World War 1.  What I found so disturbing was that the memorial and cemetery were once again a battleground in World War II and there are bullet marks in the headstones and on the memorial walls.  As if being shot at once wasn’t bad enough! 

Somme countryside

Sunday 26 June

Drove through the Somme.  It was a misty morning which added to the atmosphere as we recalled the events that occurred some 95 years before.  We went to Poziers and then we went to Mont St Quentin where we saw another monument to the bravery of Australian troops.     

Monument to British Troops

Heading home......

Charles de Gaul  airport was a trial to get through.  Then it was simply a matter of persevering through four flights, all of which were delayed, with all the requisite check-ins, immigration clearances and security checks. Finally, after a number of hours which is too hard to calculate, we were happy to be home. 

France Fri 24 June

Friday 24 June

The outskirts of Dijon deceive you.  You think the average commercial district will extend all the way into the centre of town but the old historical heart of the town is quite stunning.  It has a number of old buildings with exposed beams, ones with coloured tiles, churches that are more like cathedrals and little alleyways full of restaurants and shops.  It also has a large ‘place’ or square in front of the palace. I liked Dijon even more when we found the brocante (second hand/antique) market.  Bought a few things but spent an enjoyable couple of hours browsing. 

We walked around the undercover food market which is held in a very impressive metal building. There was every conceivable type of cheese in every size, fish, prawns, oysters, meat and all sorts of wonderfully fresh fruit and vegetables.

We did the self-guided owl tour where you follow the owl symbols around the town taking in all the major sites.   There is an owl carved on the side of a building. Over the centuries, the owl has become a good luck charm for passers-by who rub it with their left hand.  So we couldn’t break with tradition and gave it a rub as well.  

It must have worked because we managed to avoid all the traffic jams due to road works on the way out of town!

My tour guide on the Owl Tour 

France Wed 22, Thu 23 June

Wednesday 22 June

Today was one of the best and most enjoyable days we have spent in France.  It was a magic day spent cycling along the Burgogne Canal taking in the peaceful scenery, various types of barges, cute lock master houses and picking cherries from along the path.  We started out from Pont D’Ouche (pronounced Doosh).  Of course after a 30km bike ride it really was a case of D’Ouche! 



Stopped for a great
lunch at a restaurant
run by an Irish lady.



The only non-magical parts were when we got caught in a storm and got saturated.  Never realised how hard it is to cycle and hold an umbrella!  The other downside of picking cherries is the battles you have do with the stinging nettle growing at the base of the tree.  The best cherries were just out of Danny’s reach no matter how high he jumped.

Thursday 23 June

Did the Circuits Touristiques, a pretty drive through vineyards and little villages. 

Marlene and Chris invited us for an aperitif.  We had nut wine, almond wine and walnuts.  Marlene makes the wine herself and the walnuts are from their own trees.  They have three ducks that have adopted Chris as their ‘mum’ and they follow him about and when he runs they follow and start to fly.  Very appropriate for an ex-pilot.

France Mon 20, Tue 21 June



Beaune





Monday 20 June

Beaune is a pretty town with lots of shops and two town squares.  We explored the ramparts, the gardens, the old quarter and the new quarter. 

        

Tuesday 21 June



Pierre-de-Bresse’s claim to fame is a chateau which is beautiful.  Unfortunately by the time we got there it was closed.  We did however get the opportunity to feed the   goats that were in the grounds.  



Found the cascade - pity about
the water



From there it was into the Jura region close to the Swiss border.  It is a really pretty part of the country with mountains, pines, babbling brooks and alpine looking houses.  We tried to find the cascades but had difficulty because, as we finally realised, the snow has already melted and there is no water to form a cascade!  We climbed up a 15^th century donkey track to the lookout.  The track was as once used to bring wheat down to the mill in the valley.



Another pretty village - this time
in the Jura



Our car is down there somewhere



At the top of the track



France 18 and 19 June

Saturday 18 June

Headed off around 10 and arrived at our gite in Pouilly-sur-Saone, Burgundy at 8.32pm.  It was a huge day of driving but we saw some spectacular mountain scenery as we passed through the high French Alps and saw the ski resorts now bare of snow.   Chris and Marlene our hosts are very nice and had coffee percolating and a bottle of Rose available for us. 

The Burgundy countryside has its own special appeal.  There are fields of sunflowers just about to burst into flower and fields of corn.  There are beautiful flowers everywhere and just like all over France, the roundabouts are a blaze of colour - lavender, roses, cosmos etc.

                                       

Sunday 19 June



Burgundy architecture



For some reason today seemed to be the day for language difficulties.   We ended up with a very helpful waitress who in desperation, when we couldn’t understand what she meant by ‘schoorree’ went to the kitchen and brought out the curry jar. In the end we think we ended up with more or less what we thought we had ordered and enjoyed it. 

Took an hour or so to take in the quiet countryside and then spent the late afternoon sitting by the canal sipping a beer and swatting the occassional midge. 

France - 15 to 17 June

Wednesday 15 June

Hello from the tortoise sanctuary

Today was a trip to Gonfaron to the Le Villages Des Tortues which is a sanctuary and rehabilitation centre for the endangered Provence tortoise.  It might not be the usual tourist attraction but it very interesting.  They also care for a number of exotic species from Africa and South America that have either been surrendered or seized by customs. 

There were lots of people out having picnics and a lot of places were closed so we assumed that once again it was a public holiday.  Only one restaurant “La Petite Fontain” was open for dinner with a set menu dinner for 26 euro.  I selected the terrine for entrée which had a strange, rich flavour which I could only drown with lots of bread and lettuce with lots of dressing.  I was full by the end of it even with Danny’s help.  He ordered onion tarte which came as a huge slice and was also quite rich.  Danny ordered the beef which had a beautiful flavour but he was served a huge dish.  I had Provencale stuffed vegetables which were very nice but once again it was like there was a huge rissole inside each vegetable.  We were then given a tray of cheese to select from.  We were both so full we couldn’t do it a true justice.  We nibbled a bit of goat’s cheese and a bit of the cheddar.  Danny tried the house speciality cheese made with garlic and cognac which came in its own jar.  It made me gag.  He only just managed to get the smallest amount down.  It must be an acquired taste for locals.  We choose sorbets for dessert with were nice and sweet and then we were given complimentary after dinner aperitif of some kind of fire water that took your breath away.  You can’t complain about the value but there is way too much food.

Thursday 16 June – Honk! 

We decided on a long drive, which turned into an even longer drive, to St Paul De Vence. 

The GPS directed us along some extremely narrow mountain roads.  At one point we came around a tight bend to see another car coming head on toward us.  We hit the brakes and lurched to a stop inches from going over the precipice into the valley hundreds of feet below.  That is my version.  Danny’s version is that some idiot in a big car came around the bend too fast and gave us a fright, but it over in a second.  The truth is somewhere in between.  The roads are a lot busier in Provence and not as well maintained as they are in the north.   

Surprising as it may sound, St Paul de Vence does not appear on the GPS even though it is supposedly one of the most popular villages in the whole of Provence.  We searched and searched and drove and drove and by following a map in the guide book we went up the D36 because that is what the map showed.  But the village isn’t on the D36 it is on its own separate road.  We could see the village we just couldn’t find out how to get there.  In the end we back tracked and after an extra hour or so we arrived. 

St Paul de Vence

We explored the village which is a maze of narrow cobblestones alleyways with lots of artist studios and souvenir shops and lots of tourists.  It is the quintessential French village down to the flower boxes, fountains and restaurants but it has a bit of a false feel to it; it seems to be there just for the tourists.

  

Friday 17 June

Le Revest-les-Eaux was our lunch stop.  It is a quiet village with a few restaurants and is perched on the top of a hill.  The most prominent feature is the tower on the very top, the origins of which are unknown but it is thought that it used to be a prison.



An intersting mix of business



Walked around Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer and saw some decommissioned navy boats.  From there it was to Six-Fours-les-Plages and La Coudouliere beach there which was pebbly with crystal clear water. 

Sat soaking up the sunshine, sitting in the sun and generally relaxing after going through umpteen roundabouts and a couple of traffic jams. 

France 13 and 14 June

Monday 13 June



On the Chateau walls - Grimaud



Headed to Grimaud, a village recommended in the guide book.  It is a lovely village with masses of brilliant purple bougainvillea everywhere.  We walked up the hill and explored the ruins of a chateau.  It gave us great views down the valley.



Stunning Hydrangers - Grimaud



We headed home via Bormes-les-Mimosas.  It is an extremely pretty village festooned with flower beds and it has spectacular views down to the sea.  It was the day of the Fair so we were lucky enough to see a performance of traditional French dancing.   The ladies were done up in big skirts and white shirts with scarves, white stockings and black shoes tied with black ribbons up their calves. They wore fine lace bonnets and hats.  The music was very pleasant although it seemed to be coming from only two recorders and a couple of drums. 



Traditional dancing - Bormes les Mimosa



        

We came home via the dreaded D41 which Bruce had told us had caused previous guests to burst into tears (the females I presume).  There were some hairy moments as we passed other cars that were going way too fast.  

Tuesday 14 June

Left early, for our trip to Ile de Porquerolles a 15 minute ferry ride across the bay.  It was a beautiful day and the water had a slight greenish tinge to it. 

Arrived at Porquerolles and like the other hundred tourists, we hired our mountain bikes.  With our map in hand, and following all the other bikes, we headed for Plage Notre-Dame. The roads were unsealed and quite rocky which made the riding a bit more challenging. I only rode into one tree which I thought was pretty good.  Now I am ready for the Tour de France??

We sat on the beach for an hour and a half just soaking up the scenery.  The water was a shallow green and blue, the quintessential Mediterranean colours.  

Headed back into the village for lunch where we had a relaxed lunch of moules and frites (mussels and French fries).  Worked it off by riding across the island to Calangue de L’Oustaou de Diou which is a tiny little bay with a pebble bottom and ragged cliffs on either side.  A little haven away from the dust. 

We returned to the village via some dubious signage and thank goodness we could give the bikes back.  Made sure we were on the 6pm ferry home and got home sunburnt, tired and with a sore bottom.