France

Amazingly, considering our sore feet from yesterday we managed to actually get up and get going before dawn. So so glad we did, it was beautiful, the mist rising from the open fields was glowing as if on fire as it reflected the sun rise. Not a soul to be seen until we neared the bridge to the island and then only a handful of people were about (strangely they all seemed to be Chinese people!) Bliss was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, clearly enjoying the day as much as we were. The walk there went in the blink of an eye as we were awestruck by the sights and sounds of a perfect morning. We arrived at the island and as if for the first time we could now see what we had missed the day before amongst the scrum of people. The village is amazing, how on earth was this possible, it was built like something you could only imagine ever seeing in a fantasy video game. The stone walls and cobbled streets with gift shops, cafes and restaurants that were built on such a gradient and the many quirky little narrow passages and steep stone steps leading to small clearings where trees grow and walls with death drops everywhere (I’d never want to take a child there, I’d be a nervous wreck!) for someone scared of heights it certainly triggers your vertigo. Birdsong all around you as you are now at their level high up on the rooftops as you ascend the steep winding steps. Unfortunately we could only get halfway up because we weren’t able to take Bliss into the monastery or the museum but it was still very much worth making the effort to get up and go again when it was quiet. I would have loved to have seen it at night, I imagine that lit up it would be stunning. We made the long walk back to Ivy tired but happy and set off for our next journey to our next overnight stop.Read more