France Melle

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • Day 38

    Day 3-6 Retreat

    May 8 in France ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    So I followed the same schedule basically every day.

    I forgot to mention that they have a lazy day every Monday.
    Now this isn't to be used to do laundry etc but to do nothing. Rest, read, journal, walk, sleep....meditate and so on if you catch my drift it actually is difficult to not do things....I learned I do like structure and following a schedule. Very interesting....

    I forgot to mention that they would ring the bell all day long and it was for us to stop what we were doing and breathe and be present in our body..... There were also signs everywhere as a reminder to get out of our heads and into our body🤗

    The first service meditation was in the kitchen. The chef was hilarious!! The first thing she said was: " No Cooking....No Chopping...Just Scrubbing!!!!"
    She gave us 3 carts filled with large service pans that were very laden with grease......the fix was vinegar, baking soda, steel wool and elbow grease. We were having so much fun until one of the Sisters told us to be quiet and work in a meditative fashion.....

    That same day I was chatting with Anna and a Sister reminded me of the Noble Silence and ralso to wash my dishes as if it were a baby Buddha.....

    I also should mention that every night I had to get up to use the outhouse.....But....it was thrilling because not only did I see the beautiful stars 😍 I heard the Owl.

    I continued to hear the Owl every night but it's call was not loud enough to be picked up on Merlin....until one night👏🥰

    I identified it as a Tawny Owl. There were several in the area calling to one another......such a thrill!!!
    I also heard the Nightengale as well😍 I think my next trip should be a bird call ID trip😉 It is so gratifying identifying their calls.
    Read more

  • Day 11–12

    28.05 Day 11 . . . Abrupt Finish

    May 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    An entire night of coughing was Teresa’s night - and mine . . . Loup however slept like a log!! 🙄
    The morning revealed Tre to be even worse than last night and it’s not something I would ever dare say to Tre under normal circumstances, but she looked well rough!! 🤮
    After some discussion and consideration that Tre could possibly have Covid we decided we should head for home rather than push on south to Switzerland and Italy. The thought of getting further away from home and Tre getting worse, coupled with her having to sleep in the van (although it is well comfy and warm) seemed stupid. I know Tre was also worried that as I had started coughing, I may get unwell and she would be left with the van and Loup to contend with feeling rubbish herself.
    All advice indicated if Covid to rest, drink lots of fluid and take paracetamol.
    So decision made, we cleared the room and packed Rox . . . Loup into his travel bed.
    From Sunshine to rain and back to sunshine was the weather pattern for the journey. . . With three brief 10 minute stops for Loup and visits to the facilities we drove for 8.5hrs - Tre sleeping on and off throughout and repeatedly apologising to me for ruining our holiday 🙄🙄.
    Arriving home Loup ran the garden to check all was well, I unpacked a few things from Rox while Tre headed off to bed, rattling from the numerous tablets she’d taken all day.
    So that was it our three week plan cut to 12 days. That being said we have had the most brilliant time visiting family and friends and then spending time with Simon Jax Jonathan and Emma at Stone Valley - always a thoroughly enjoyable experience if not a little boozy at times.

    Italy will have to wait - but we will get there 😎

    The lyrics of today’s song are not apt, but the title did make me chuckle as Tre coughed sniffed and snoozed throughout the journey home.

    Ferocious Dog - Broken Soldier
    Read more

  • Day 17

    Have a little faith in me

    May 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Ja dat bijzondere woordje faith, had ik wel nodig. Voor 8 uur op de fiete ri. Saintes. Prima route met de nodige heuveltjes en tegenwind. Alleen Melle was lastig door te komen. Veel(vracht)verkeer en
    heuvelachtig. Probeerde natuurlijk wel de landweggetjes, maar Google was ook nit in vorm. De camping van 2017 was fermee vanwege wateroverlast. Camping verderop(8 km)ik, goedgelovig, na 100 km daar heen, fermee aussi. Nog 1 optie...gite achter de kerk, nog 'un lit...libre.' inchecken, stempelen en douchen en met de 5 Johnny Walkers uut eetn, pelgrimsmenu veur 12 Euri. Morgen doe ik echt rustig an, geen geintje....have a little faith in me😘🙏
    Read more

  • Day 16

    Take it easy

    May 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Bietje lastig op gang komen vandaag
    Om 8 uur stond iemand van de gemeente voor de tent...pour payer. Grapjas...ik kom zo.Qua fietsen ging het niet zo geweldig. Klim,klim, klimmetje en tegenwind. Die combi heb ik 75 km volgehouden, toen waa't kloar! Zag dat er in Velay nog een kampong was, was niet ferme :) Maar ik moest me melden bij de mairie. 2 ambtenaren hebben me ingeschreven als ingezetene voor 1 jour, voor 3 euri en 70 cent. Vive le bureaucratie, eerst douchen en dan aan het bier. Weinig foto's zie maar en oordeel zelf. Ik ben mooi Portiers en die heuveltjes voorbij en die boord is van 15 dagen:)Read more

  • Day 1–2

    Day 01 15.04 . . . Setting Off

    April 15, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    So today was our setting off day. We had a final few things to sort out - one of which being to put Loup’s normal house crate into Roxvanne, as his usual travel crate is now to small. With a few stiff pushes and a few swear words it went in, quickly followed by Loup straight into it ready for the off
    We set off around midday, grabbed fuel and hit the N10 south to Angoulême where we exited south east towards Périgueux.
    After just over a couple of hours we stopped in a layby so that Loup could have a natural. That completed and a short leg stretch for all of us we set off again, heading now generally towards Bergerac. On route we passed through Gout-Rossignol and saw by complete chance the first house we ever viewed when we were house hunting here in France.
    Bergerac looked very quaint with the river running through it and deserved a stop really, but we had places to go.
    We carried on past Bergerac and then made a very short stop for Loup once again, deciding we would have a longer stop and proper leg stretch at a services further south.
    The entire journey was scattered with picturesque villages and small towns and we lost count of how many rivers we crossed.
    We had decided to head for Moissac for no other reason than it was just over half way to Perpignan. Whilst at our final leg stretch at some services we checked our park4night app and found a small camp site at Les Grets which would see us through one night.
    Finally passing through Agen and Moissac (which again both deserved more time spent at them) we found ourselves crossing a strange little bridge and then onto the camp site.
    There were no staff and certainly no reception desk visible on site and so we found our way to what can only be described as a pay machine which we hoped would discharge a parking voucher to activate the very large barrier.
    To say Tre had some issues with the machine (whilst I sat in the van at the barrier with engine running) was an under statement. I listened to a good two or three tracks in the radio before I saw Tre heading back towards us. I gave an understanding smile of appreciation for her efforts and tried not to giggle at the frustrated expression that I got in return.
    So after a fairly long day we parked up, walked around a pretty much deserted camp site together with our very excited four legged wonder boy and then called it a night.
    We weren’t sure how well Loup would settle after some fairly lengthy periods in his crate during the day - although we don’t think he sleeps, just lays and listens to ensure we are still in Roxvanne with him and chills to our tunes on Spotify.
    We shall see!!

    Not that I will ever acknowledge that he has any good ideas, however I will concede that I have pinched this idea from Fister . . . Don’t ask!!
    So our song of the day is:
    Siouxsie & The Banshees - Arabian Knights (Andy’s choice)

    Also each day we are going to listen to an album that probably most people will have, or should have listened to at some point . . . But neither of us have!
    So todays album never heard before in its entirety is:
    Radiohead - Pablo Honey (Our Rating 7/10)
    Read more

  • Day 69–71

    33.ster Stopp La Forét-de-Tessé

    April 13 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Moin Leute,

    jetzt geht's Zack auf Zack. Knapp 270 Kilometer Richtung Nordfrankreich. Mitten im Nichts habe ich einen kleinen, privaten Campingplatz gefunden.

    https://www.campinglft.com/

    Hier gibt es 10 Plätze auf einem Privatgrundstück.
    Ca. 10 Kilometer von der Autobahn entfernt in einem Dorf mit gefühlt 12 bewohnten Häusern und 5 verfallenen. Mehr gibt es hier nicht. Am Abend hört man nur die Geräusche der Natur.

    GROßARTIG!

    wir zahlen 21,00 Euro die Nacht ohne Strom.
    Read more

  • Day 2

    Champagne aurevoire

    March 4 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Morgens geht es durch die Champagne mit einem kleinen Zwischenstopp in Epernay. Dann weiter Richtung Süden. Am Ende eines weiteren Reisetages bei bestem Wetter kommen wir schließlich in La Forêt-de-Tessé an. 18 Grad und ein wunderbarer kleiner Campingplatz in einem alten Hof. So langsam bekommen wir Urlaubsfeeling...☀️🍀Read more

  • Day 9–12

    La Crèche

    September 18, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Wir sind in La Crèche angekommen, einer kleinen Stadt, die wir als Zwischenstopp auf dem Weg nach Niort gewählt haben, wo wir Freunde zum 60. Geburtstag besuchen, bevor wir unsere Reise nach Spanien fortsetzen. La Crèche überrascht auf den ersten Blick: Der kommunale Stellplatz wirkt zunächst chaotisch, doch auf den zweiten Blick zeigt sich, dass er gut gelegen ist. Direkt neben einem kleinen Park und einem Sportzentrum, die über eine Brücke erreichbar sind, bietet der Stellplatz kostenfreies Wasser und Entsorgung – ein echter Pluspunkt.

    La Crèche ist eine kleine Stadt in der Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine im Westen Frankreichs und liegt nur wenige Kilometer östlich von Niort. Sie hat eine lange Geschichte, die bis ins Mittelalter zurückreicht, als sie eine wichtige Station auf der Handelsroute zwischen Poitiers und La Rochelle war. Der Name “La Crèche” bedeutet im Französischen „die Krippe“ und könnte darauf hindeuten, dass der Ort einst als Rastplatz oder Zufluchtsort für Reisende diente.

    In früheren Zeiten spielte La Crèche eine strategische Rolle aufgrund seiner Lage an alten Handelsstraßen, und auch heute noch ist die Stadt gut an das Verkehrsnetz angebunden, mit direktem Zugang zu Autobahnen, die in verschiedene Regionen Frankreichs führen.

    La Crèche hat sich zu einer ruhigen, aber charmanten Kleinstadt entwickelt, die von einer malerischen Landschaft umgeben ist. Man findet hier ein lebendiges Stadtzentrum mit kleinen Geschäften, Bäckereien und Cafés, die eine traditionelle französische Atmosphäre vermitteln. Das Zentrum ist gut gepflegt und lädt zu entspannten Spaziergängen ein. Obwohl La Crèche klein ist, bietet es alles, was man für das tägliche Leben braucht, einschließlich eines Wochenmarkts, der frische Produkte der Region verkauft.

    Umgeben von hügeligen Feldern und kleinen Wäldern, bietet La Crèche zudem eine reizvolle Naturkulisse, die sich perfekt für Spaziergänge und Wanderungen eignet. Besonders schön ist der Park, der an den kommunalen Stellplatz angrenzt und eine grüne Oase der Ruhe darstellt.

    Der Ort hat einen besonderen Charme, und alles ist bequem fußläufig erreichbar. Der nächste Bäcker, ein „Boulanger Artisanal“, versorgt uns mit frischem Brot. Auch wenn Bryan sich an seiner Wolfskralle verletzt hat, humpelt er tapfer auf unseren Spaziergängen mit, die er trotz allem genießt.

    Ich habe sogar einen Termin bei einem stylischen Friseursalon gemacht, den ich über seine moderne Internetpräsenz entdeckt habe. Insgesamt gefällt mir La Crèche sehr – es ist eine kleine Stadt mit großem Charakter, die sowohl ihre historische Bedeutung als auch ihren ländlichen Charme bewahrt hat, und wir genießen den Aufenthalt hier, bevor es zum 60. Geburtstag unserer Freunde nach Niort geht und wir dann weiter nach Spanien fahren.

    Français:

    Nous sommes arrivés à La Crèche, une petite ville que nous avons choisie comme étape sur notre chemin vers Niort, où nous rendrons visite à des amis pour célébrer un 60e anniversaire, avant de poursuivre notre voyage vers l’Espagne. La Crèche surprend à première vue : l’aire de stationnement communale semble désordonnée au début, mais à y regarder de plus près, elle est bien située. Juste à côté d’un petit parc et d’un centre sportif, accessibles via un pont, cette aire offre gratuitement de l’eau et des services de vidange – un véritable atout.

    La Crèche est une petite ville de la région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, dans l’ouest de la France, située à quelques kilomètres à l’est de Niort. Elle possède une longue histoire, remontant au Moyen Âge, lorsqu’elle était une étape importante sur la route commerciale entre Poitiers et La Rochelle. Le nom « La Crèche » signifie « la crèche » en français, ce qui pourrait indiquer que cet endroit servait autrefois de lieu de repos ou de refuge pour les voyageurs.

    Autrefois, La Crèche jouait un rôle stratégique en raison de sa position sur d’anciennes routes commerciales, et encore aujourd’hui, la ville est bien reliée au réseau routier, avec un accès direct aux autoroutes menant vers différentes régions de France.

    La Crèche s’est transformée en une petite ville paisible mais charmante, entourée d’un paysage pittoresque. On y trouve un centre-ville animé avec de petits commerces, boulangeries et cafés, qui dégagent une atmosphère typiquement française. Le centre est bien entretenu et invite à des balades tranquilles. Bien que La Crèche soit petite, elle offre tout ce dont on a besoin au quotidien, y compris un marché hebdomadaire où l’on peut acheter des produits frais de la région.

    Entourée de champs vallonnés et de petits bois, La Crèche offre également un cadre naturel attrayant, parfait pour les promenades et les randonnées. Le parc, adjacent à l’aire de stationnement communale, est particulièrement agréable, offrant une oasis de verdure et de calme.

    La ville a un charme particulier, et tout est facilement accessible à pied. La boulangerie la plus proche, un « Boulanger Artisanal », nous fournit du pain frais. Même si Bryan s’est blessé à l’ergot, il m’accompagne courageusement lors de nos promenades, qu’il apprécie malgré tout.

    J’ai même pris rendez-vous dans un salon de coiffure branché, que j’ai découvert grâce à son site Internet moderne. Dans l’ensemble, j’aime beaucoup La Crèche – c’est une petite ville avec un grand caractère, qui a su préserver à la fois son importance historique et son charme rural. Nous profitons de notre séjour ici avant de nous rendre à Niort pour le 60e anniversaire de nos amis, puis de reprendre la route vers l’Espagne.

    English:

    We have arrived in La Crèche, a small town we chose as a stopover on our way to Niort, where we will visit friends for their 60th birthday before continuing our journey to Spain. La Crèche surprises at first glance: the municipal parking area initially seems chaotic, but on closer inspection, it is well located. Situated next to a small park and a sports center, which are accessible via a bridge, the parking area offers free water and waste disposal services – a real bonus.

    La Crèche is a small town in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France, located just a few kilometers east of Niort. It has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages when it was an important stop on the trade route between Poitiers and La Rochelle. The name “La Crèche” means “the manger” in French, which could suggest that the town once served as a rest or refuge for travelers.

    In earlier times, La Crèche played a strategic role due to its location on ancient trade routes, and even today, the town is well-connected to the road network, with direct access to highways leading to various regions of France.

    La Crèche has evolved into a quiet but charming small town, surrounded by picturesque countryside. The lively town center is home to small shops, bakeries, and cafés, all exuding a traditional French atmosphere. The well-maintained center is perfect for leisurely strolls. Although La Crèche is small, it offers everything one needs for daily life, including a weekly market where fresh regional products are sold.

    Surrounded by rolling fields and small woods, La Crèche also boasts a scenic natural backdrop, ideal for walks and hikes. The park, adjacent to the municipal parking area, is especially lovely, providing a green oasis of calm.

    The town has a special charm, and everything is within walking distance. The nearest bakery, a “Boulanger Artisanal,” provides us with fresh bread. Despite Bryan injuring his dewclaw, he bravely hobbles along with me on our walks, which he still enjoys.

    I even booked an appointment at a stylish hair salon, which I found through its modern online presence. Overall, I really like La Crèche – it’s a small town with big character, retaining both its historical significance and rural charm. We’re enjoying our stay here before heading to Niort for our friends’ 60th birthday and then continuing on to Spain.
    Read more

  • Day 10–11

    27.05 Day 10 . . . Italy Bound

    May 27, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Loup is like an accurate alarm clock waking us spot on 7am - again. Up and walked - today was pack up day as our Festival Mayhem had come to an end for another year.
    We are now bound for Italy!
    The pack up went swimmingly although worryingly Teresa’s cough/cold thing had got worse. Ashe has had this for about three days but this morning it has gone up a notch. Maybe last night chilly weather with The Stranglers just finished her off.
    We left the site about 9.30am and headed for our usual post festival MacDonalds just up the road. Tre was not overly bothered about eating but I managed to get her to eat a sausage and egg McMuffin (I had two) and a cold strawberry milk shake to soothe her throat. My eyes were bigger than my belly and so one McMuffin got put by for later.
    On the road in the sunshine we headed south to the coast and the Chunnel. We decided after their performance last night to give The Stranglers a play on route.
    Apart from some initial queuing and a bloke who couldn’t control his dog in the pet passport area, our check in at Le Shuttle went smoothly. A nice little bottle of Lemon Gin acquired for our Italy adventure we headed outside to await our train departure.
    Loup had a session in the pet playground and helped me finish the second McMuffin - his first ever! Tre was still rough and dozing when possible.
    The crossing concluded with a broken down vehicle on the train when arriving at Coquelles, but that was sorted fairly promptly and we departed for our overnight hotel - both of us in need of a proper room and decent shower.
    We drove for an hour and a bit to the our accommodation B&B Béthune Bruay-la-
    Buissière, stopping briefly at Lidl to grab some supplies. The hotel was one of the very low staffed but very office like modern places. Loads of parking, charming member of staff and a modern, very clean, tidy and comfortable room - if not the biggest in the world.
    We took Loup for a last long walk and play with his fairly new ball, which he took joy in puncturing. We then avoided a woman with a very large white mountain ‘attack’ dog which was trying with every sinew in his body to get off his double harness lead to run over and eat the three of us.
    Tre had now got even worse than this morning and so went straight to bed - coughing non stop. It wasn’t long before I hopped off to bed also and thankfully Loup crashed at the same time.
    Tomorrow we journey south on our way to Switzerland and then Italy to rendezvous with Simon and Jax again!! More Mayhem to come.

    The Stranglers - Hanging Around
    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android