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France May 2024
  • Tasha Goddard
  • Tasha Goddard

France May 2024

Last-minute train trip to France with Interrailing pass bought in November sale. Read more
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  • Trip start
    May 4, 2024
  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Paris stopover

    May 5, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Arrived Gare du Nord at about ten past eleven at night. And of course immediately walked in the wrong direction to my hotel (an Ibis) . But I did get there and it was fine and comfortable and I slept perfectly well. Woke up quite early, so got my Substack post uploaded as I hadn't managed ged to schedule it from the train, though I wrote most of it on my phone on the Eurostar. In the morning I had breakfast and then packed up the few bits and pieces I had unpacked and headed off to the Gare de Lyon (via the Gare du Nord, which was a lot closer in daytime). And I was very early, so I had a try at live sketchbooking , which is definitely not one of my creative strengths (yet!) and then got on the train (with some initial confusion because carriage six was at the other end of the train, even though the carriage numbers were going up for 14. Huh? (It was because there were two trains stuck together.)Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Paris to Antibes

    May 5, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    The train journey was pleasant, if a little cramped, as myself and the three other people at a table seat all had backpacks poking out from under our seats and other bags around our feet.

    I enjoyed listening to them chatting away (in French), but did listen to music in the end. I read a fair bit (The Tenant of Wild fell Hall) and dozed a bit too.

    I got about an hour if stretching out as they got off at Toulons (think that's how you spell it) and was able to sit by the window then ams get a few pics and enjoy the view. Though I was on the wrong side for the sea.

    I can't decide if I would have preferred a TER multi-change journey to St Nazaire (the first option I was looking at) more. Changing trains can be stressful, especially if the connections are short. But you tend to see more on the regional trains - and often get a bit more of an insight into ordinary life, as it's often people nipping from one two to the next.

    But I liked this journey. If I had a smaller laptop with me, I might well have got it out and done some writing or work. It would have been a huge faff though. And taken up too much space.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Antibes Day 1

    May 5, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    And arrived in Antibes at about quarter to five. Walked to the apartment in about 15 minutes and fell in love straight away. I think this may be my French St Ives. It's smaller and feels calmer than Nice (though I appreciate that might not be the case in high season). Lots of old buildings and narrow winding streets. Lots of cafés amd restaurants. Lots of art stalls and shops and galleries. Mostly port in the town, but I believe there are a couple of nice sandy beaches quite near.

    I have had a wander and done a small stock up at a little Carrefour - baguette (hopefully I will find a proper boulangerie tomorrow, but it was still good), salty butter, a slab of Tomme cheese, some spaghetti and a jar of sauce (they did have vegetables but they were all in big bags, rather than individual and I know there is a market right outside my door in the morning, so I will get my vegetables there), a bag of plain crisps and three bottles, one of orange juice, one of beer and one of Prosecco.

    I really really love it here and definitely think it will be somewhere I visit more than once.

    I will probably get an easy night tonight, rather than go and prop up any of the many bars nearby. And then I need to decide about how to split my time between work and exploring during the week.

    But I am already very happy to have made the somewhat impetuous decision to come out here.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Lundi portes et arcs

    May 5, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I am so addicted to taking photos of doors when I'm travelling. And arches. Lots of arches. Arched doors, arches over alleyways, arched windows. Love them a lot.

    There's a big house back in Stroud that I pass on my walks out to and towards Slad and I have always coveted it, despite it being far too big of us and way outside our price range. And I really think that the main reason I covet it, is the arched windows.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Lundi promenade

    May 6, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I have a lot of photos, so will do a few posts. Slept in quite a bit. I think of myself as a morning person, but I am recognising that, when I am away (especially solo), I tend to sleep in more. I definitely need to make space for a proper, non-working solo holiday soon to see if that's definitely the default.

    I missed the market. Or possibly it wasn't on today. I will make sure to get up early tomorrow to go see. I have three meetings tomorrow - 10, 12.30 and 3 (French time), so can't sleep in.

    I really love it here. I found a little beach and dipped me feet in to feel the lap of the gentle waves. I wandered more around new narrow little streets. I bought a baguette and a couple of chocolate éclairs. I wandered past the Picasso museum, which seemed to be closed, so I can leave it another day to dig into whether I can bring myself to look at his art, which was such a huge part of my creative formation.

    And now I am back in my lovely little apartment having baguette and butter and about to do a bit of work before going out and wandering some more.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Lundi plantes

    May 6, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    And plants. I love how people decorate the spaces outside their buildings when they don't have gardens. I remember spotting a lot of that in Amsterdam.

    Antibes is giving me vibes of St Ives, Venice, Amsterdam (there are no canals, that I've spotted, but it's more a feeling), and even a bit of Ferrara.

    I think some of these may have appeared in other posts from today.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Shop fronts in the early evening

    May 6, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Only took a couple of photos while out late afternoon/early evening. There really is a very large area of old town narrow streets here. Which is probably why I like it ao much!

    I ended up having a siesta instead of working this afternoon, so I will be doing some work this evening. I'd ideally like to make it so tomorrow is just meetings, and wandering a bit in between. But it's not the end of the world if I do an early morning wander and close to a full day of work and then head out after the final meeting.

    I would also quite like to take a late evening wander to see the sea at night. So I may make myself a deal to help me get through the work quicker!

    But first I am going to cook some dinner.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Tuesday evening

    May 7, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Busy busy working day today. I slept in later than I planned, so had a super quick jump under the shower, and then nipped out to get coffee and a croissant, before the first meeting (which was actually pushed to tomorrow). Lots of stuff to get through, even though the meetings were reduced to two, so I ended up working about nine hours in total. So I was quite wiped. I did consider eating out for dinner, but I was pretty full from finishing off last night's dinner for a late lunch (during meeting number 2 where I was mostly just listening and watching and making a few notes). So I decided to just head out and see what I decides. I did a lot of wandering, ate an ice cream, went to the supermarket for a couple of bits and bobs and then explored some more and found myself walking along a wonderful wall, with crashing waves on one side and beautiful clusters of little old buildings, in a gorgeous colour palette (that I am going to have to steal for some art), on the other side and lots of beautiful plants all the way along. And then that brought me back to opposite my apartment. Where I am settling down to an evening (or possibly one episode, because it's already 10pm) of Artful Dodger o Disney and baguette and butter and cheese. And maybe a glass of something (currently that something is fizzy water, but there is a choice of beer and prosecco in the fridge).

    I realised that walks like that are what I do this for and why it's not a waste to go travelling while I have work to do. Because even after a nine-hour working day, I can still go and find that hour or so beauty and wonder.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Mardi plantes

    May 7, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Multiple posts today as well. I just want to keep the whole of Antibes forever in my brain (and photos help me with that, even if they shouldn't). I especially love the cactuses and similar plants you get in warmer climates like here.Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Heavy work days

    May 9, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Wednesday was a big work day and I barely got out at all. I think all I managed was nipping to the shop to buy some loo roll! Didn't even manage to pop to see the sea, because I was so exhausted.

    Thursday I got some work and a meeting out of the way and then spent the day shopping for gifts for Chris and the girls and then did go to look at the Picasso museum. And I didn't feel good about it but did enjoy the other peoples work they had, especially these sculptures out on the terrace. (And I am not normally a sculpture person, to be honest. But maybe Indo like the more modern ones and just not the old white men with or without horses which are so common everywhere.)

    Then I did more work on the evening but felt wiped by 9, watched an episode of The Artful Dodger and then went to bed (though turned out I was actually reading until 11.30, so it wasn't actually an early night). Ah well.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Paris in the sunshine

    May 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Got up super early, to shower, pack and make sure I left the flat clean. I looked a bit like a donkey, with all my bags - one tote on each shoulder (plus my cross-body handbag) and then the VERY full backpack holding them on. Waled to the train station and got there in time. No problem with the train, and I love how they tell you where to stand (happens a bit now with UK trains, too) for your carriage.

    I had a window non-table seat, which was so much easier than the route up. I could get easy access to everything I needed and wasn't cramped and the TGV fold down tables are massive, so I was able to set up my laptop and connect to the WiFi and get a chunk of work done. And I finished and sent something out before the battery ran out. Then sat and enjoyed watching the views out the window and reading my book a bit.

    Easily found the hotel (a different Ibis, this time, by the Gare de Lyon). And did a few bits of work then went and wandered. I walked down to the Seine and then walked along a lovely bit where there lots of plants and statues in little bits by the river where people were dancing (there was one bit where were dancing salsa and another where people were dancing go 1950s music, I think.

    Did some more wandering. Took photos of lots of doors. Sat and had a beer and read my book and a bit later I stopped for a meal - goats cheese salad and fries, which was quite nice. And then wandered slowly back to the hotel. There's a whole bunch of interesting little galleries and funky shops under some what look like railway arches and I noticed trees and plants above, and it turns out to be a green walkway, so I'm hoping to have a little walk up there tomorrow before my train.

    Ans so... almost home. This time tomorrow I will be.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    La Cuvée Verte, Paris (1)

    May 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I am clearly on the lookout for nature right now. Beautiful gardens along the Seine yesterday and today, these wonderful sky-high green walk (on a disused railway route, it seems). It was wonderful. Beautiful. Calm. You could hear the birds singing louder than the traffic below. There were people walking on their own, walking with friends, jogging, walking dogs and there was even a large speed walking group! But it wasn't too busy. There are lots of benches, so you could take a book up there and have a peaceful read. And loads of beautiful plants and flowers. And I actually spotted a couple of pieces of art while walking along.

    I will split this into two posts - one with the views, etc. and one with the plants and flowers.    Read more

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Cuvée Verte, Paris (2)

    May 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    And here are the plants and flowers that grabbed my eye while walking along the Cuvée Verte. Such a beautiful space. So glad to have found it.

    (I may have doubled up some if the photos, sorry.)

  • Tasha GoddardFrance May 2024Traveler

    Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes

    September 19, 2025 in France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    The Museum of Printing on Fabrics in Mulhouse. I did like it, though it was not as impressive as I thought it would be. I think I may have been spoiled by the V&A! But I did like seeing the plates and rollers and other machinery and appreciated learning a bit about the industry side of all the beautiful fabrics that I love.Read more

    Trip end
    May 11, 2024
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