Technical challenges
Sep 21–23 in France ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Monday got off to a good start until I decided to try and 'heal the rift' between the laptop and the old Sony Bravia TV screen that we'd been using to watch some good SBS scandi noir series. After 2 hours of restarts, holding buttons in, flicking through non responsive buttons on a very old remote, I had to give up, and IYKYK, giving up is not in my vocabulary.
I retreated to the hills and dales of the farmlands, past the milking cows and in an hour did not see another human, or a car or even a tractor, harvester, or similar! But I at least felt better for my 6kms of exercise.
Then I was confronted by the next tech challenge - the WIFI gave up. Its been erratic for the past 6 weeks and all the modem lights had failed, but finally last night it died.
So today, armed with a letter of authorisation from Emma Lou, we set off for Saintes, 30 mins down the A10 with the goal to come home with a new modem. We arrived at the 'Orange' (telecom equivalent), shop at 10.05am, along with all the other pensioners and were relieved when the 'greeter', a mature woman at the door spoke excellent english. She arranged for a modem test and we watched as all the green ticks appeared, but we had evidence of the failed lights on the front so without too much hesitation, she offered us a new modem! Finally a win. It did take a while to connect so there were a few tense moments but as of tonight, we are looking pretty set.
And in a complete contrast to modern day technology, I am sitting out on la terasse when I hear the sound of gunshots. Hunting season has opened and low and behold I look up to the hill behind us and see a large deer leaping across the top paddock. The French don't cook alot of venison, so we think the deer was safe, but we've seen pheasant and foxes around on many occasions so this may be the target. I'll be keeping to the laneways on my walks - no shortcuts across the paddocks for a while.Read more
Just another 'out of the box', surprise!
September 20 in France ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Saturday is Market day. There's a change in the air as some of the market stalls are absent and one of the cafe's is closed. We're not sure why, but we will keep you posted.
Sunday is a cool morning-single digits, 9 degrees but the sky is bright blue and it's a perfect washing day. Voila! A big breakfast follows and some reviewing of the autumn/winter wardrobe which has been 'in storage' - a big black bag, for the past 4 months. After all, we have a trip to Paris next weekend and 10 days in the UK the following weekend. By the time we return it will be well and truly autumnal.
By midday, our jobs done, we are ready for a Sunday arvo soiree. The Australians Living in France (FB) group has alerted me to the France Patrionmoine weekend. A weekend of history and culture across France, where icons of history and local importance (over 28,000) are open to the public for free or reduced rates. I have researched our local area and 25 minutes drive away is Château Mornay, which mentions a reduced entry and a snacks on sale. It sounded like the perfect destination so that's where we head, with no particular expectations.
So you can imagine our surprise, when we are greeted at the Imperial tower, just over the moat by a charming Frenchman, appropriately dressed in 18th century attire, with a large old dog, called Soeil (sun) who really looked more like a bear! He speaks no English, but easily convinces us to enjoy dejeuner (€15 each) before joining a tour around the Chateau and grounds. We are amazed. Here is a Château, built in the 17th century with a history going back to the medieval ages sitting in the middle of a paddock not 15 minutes away from our local Intermarche at St Jean D’Angeley. Just another moment for the memories.
Lunch is simple, sweet potato soup, followed by jambon, ham and white beans, then some crepes. Wine was €3 a glass and there were some non alcoholic options for the driver. The Château was not huge, but the history was fascinating and there were two trees registered on the 'Remarkable Tree of France' list in 2019 that were 400 years old! There were more than a dozen locals who had donned their 'historical attire' to act as guides and they did an excellent and most passionate job.
We soaked up the history, ambled around the beautiful old grounds and gardens before heading home across the paddocks on the backroads, because that's the way our 'new car' took us. Some pool cleaning, the last summer Aperol Spritz and a very pleasant relaxing evening in the garden before the sun set around 8pm.Read more
Harvesting our backyard bounty
Sep 12–18 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Courtesy chef Roger......... Our wild grapes that cover the laundry have deep purple berries and a plan is hatched to pick them, despite the wasps, hornets, bees and yellow jackets that buzz about. Four huge stock pots are filled to overflowing and the plan is to make grape and pear chutney and some grape juice that can be mixed with something alcoholic to make cocktails. Never a dull moment here at LPR.
We collect pears from our pear tree, bay leaf from our bay tree and with a mix of spices, onion, garlic and ginger, the boiling, mashing, straining and reducing produces 700 mls of sticky sweet juice that make three jars of delicious black grape chutney.
There is also about 1.5 litres of grape juice, ready for a slight reduction to cordial consistency and then it can be bottled and grace our little bar. It is delicious.
I'm back on track now, all caught up. The weekend is generally relaxing, and a much enjoyed rest. It was a busy week. We stocked up with fresh fruit and veg eggs cheese, bread and delicious home made kibbeh from le marche. There was some incidental gardening to be done but not much else
On Monday, as predicted, the building site was humming; the electrician, the plumber the carpenter and the renderer were all onsite. Most exciting was the removal of the old render from the back wall of the existing maison and as predicted, there is beautiful creamy coloured charente stonework. Suddenly we've stepped back 50 or more years. It is spectacular.
Not to be outdone by all the tradesman, we decide its time to get the chainsaw out again and tackle the one remaining outdoor project, the removal of a cluster of regrowth trees, already 50 feet high, that will become large problem trees in a few years. Two hours later, the trees are felled with no loss of limbs and we are feeling very satisfied for a job well done. I secretly think the tradies were quite impressed, especially as I was trundling across the lawn with wheel barrow loads of 30cm logs, destined for the new woodshed.
The renderers have now covered the 'orange blob' of construction bricks, with a soft grey undercoat render and suddenly the new extension looks like its always been there. Everyone is very happy
I got the mower out and trimmed the parts of the lawn that were green and lush - notably the knee high wild mint growing on top of the fosse (septic tank). And we even managed a couple of swims as the daytime temperatures have been over 25 degrees.
Today we celebrated our arrival in France, 6 months ago, with lunch at Emma Lou and Johnny's favourite restaurant in St Jean D'Angely. Tucked away in the old Abbey precinct, it was a delightful meal and we wondered why it had taken us so long (three years) to visit! Planning is underway for the next 6 months as we realise the building project will continue until at least November and we still haven't ticked off our Mediterranean Island list. We've made plans to meet Jo in Sicily for New Years Eve, so this should set the scene for early 2027.Read more
A busy week, a new car
Sep 7–11 in France ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
It was a busy week, as the electrician arrived so there was plenty of 'google translate' and sign language as we interpreted my lighting plans in conjunction with several panicked phone calls from the UK regarding changes in light fittings, reduction of downlights etc. My brain was fried! Then there was the delivery of the tiles, advised for Tuesday AM , but not eventuating till 3pm! It was a long day.
Feeling optimistic that everything was in order, on Wednesday morning we headed to Bordeaux to drop of our current Peugeot 308 and replace it with a new 180 day lease Peugeot 2008. The former is a fire engine red, sporty 5-door just like we had in 2024. Unfortunately, despite all the bells and whistles, it’s very low to the ground and uncomfortable to get in and out of. Our new 2008 is still a 5-door but narrower and shorter and much higher off the ground. Bliss for us! But there is one drawback. It is ' battleship grey' - Roger's description and pretty accurate too!
The delightful Irish lady, Diedra welcomed us like old friends and was up for a long chat. Their office was literally 200 metres from fire front at Bordeaux airport, and sadly this was where the two pompieres lost their lives. Diedra and her French husband, Brien continued to have clients arriving to collect lease cars throughout the fires, as the airport was not closed, so they spent hours taking the long route round the fires, negotiating with Hotels providing airport transfers, and staying 'undercover' - lights out etc to avoid being evacuated. She would be one of those staff members you wouldn't want to lose.
We returned to our Bordeaux Cosy BnB for the night and enjoyed a tram ride into the old town, a couple of pre dinner drinks and dinner at Frida. Great tapas and nice wine. Next morning our BnB provided a cooked breakfast, then we slowly headed home. We took the tourist route out to the coast, stopping at Mescheurs-sur-Gironde, another 'star' on my google maps, where there are some very unique fishermen's cabins known as carralettes hanging from the side of the limestone cliffs. Sadly 90% of the cabins were destroyed in a wild storm in December 1999 and a further 70 % in storm Xanthia in February 2010. Our final stop was at Royan, a large seaside town at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, where we had oysters and a cold seafood platter. A very early night followed.
By the end of the week, the doors are installed and the sidelight windows are in; plaster sheets are up on the ceiling and the scaffolding has been erected ready for the external rendering. We figure next week will be busy.Read more
Les Courances, Gourmande Marche
Sep 5–6 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
With thanks to Roger.......... So, to set the scene a bit before I tell you about our soiree last night. LPR is a group of eight houses surrounded by paddocks. Every few kilometres, there is another little village, some a little bigger and some a little smaller. These dot the landscape all the way, 10 kms up the road to St Jean D’Angeley, which is quite a large town.
Driving or walking around these little villages, you see almost no one, as the French love to hide behind two metre high concrete walls and closed shutters. We see lots of very big tractors and harvesters though. The occasional hare, deer, pheasant and quail as well.
Lady P spots a hand painted sign propped up against a farmer’s fence announcing a soiree with gourmet food and music, at Les Courances (this tiny collection of houses and cow sheds, two kms up the hill from us). Well, it’s a Saturday night, worth a look.
We wander up the hill and arrive to find a paddock full of cars and a large clearing behind a cow shed. The outside of the clearing contains all manner of food and produce tents. Pork, lamb and beef on spits and BBQ’s, rabbit sausages and rillettes and a seafood tent and baker. There is even a crepe stand and vegetable brochettes cooking on a hot plate. Importantly, there is a very large bar selling very inexpensive and delicious local beer and wine by the bottle and glass.
There are lines of trestle tables in the middle and a bandstand for the six piece Celtic band - well known from Brittany it seems.
There are about 2,000 people in attendance! A mix of ages but probably mostly middle aged. Lady P amuses herself by testing the teenagers’ English, which they shyly enjoy.
As we stand there with mouths agape, we wonder if we haven’t fallen through a wormhole to middle Earth.
A cooling beer calms us and then we meet our builder Willy, who is there with his family. After a circuit of the tents and a few not needed purchases, we decide on some raw salmon, cod and tender cooked octopus. These come with blinis and a little pot of delicious sardine rillettes. A bottle of Pays DOC Rose and a baguette help things along. The line up for the crepes is very long, so dessert is two lovely little cakes from the baker and a pot of yoghurt.
Sitting next to us is a young lady, originally from Reunion, who spent eight years in Perth and was delighted to practice her English with us and translate the obvious curious attention from our other elderly French diners. Her partner Sam, spoke no English at all but did pick up on some of the foodie references as he runs a food truck at the St Jean D'Angely market on Saturdays.
We had an entertaining night with good food and wine and after wishing bonne soiree to our new friends, wandered the two kms down the road to home by the light of the stars and Lady P’s phone-torch.
Sometimes the best adventures just come out of the blue.Read more
Back at the building site - a tornado has visited
Sep 2–4 in France ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
We drive home to Les Petites Rivieres, via Aigre where we stop for lunch at our favourite, Nana's Epicure Cafe. It's pumping, but Nana still has room for us and makes us a most welcome salad. Next stop is the car wash where we successfully remove all the orange Sahara desert that has landed on the car in Corsica and then we pickup a few groceries at Intermarche.
We finally arrive home in the late afternoon, to find that a mini tornado, the one that in 10 minutes brought 120 kph winds, rain and hail to Fouras (on the coast nearby), had passed through LPR. A big tree branch missed the Palais de Bois by inches, well centimetres at least. And another branch almost took out the country clothesline (a bit of rope between two trees but artistically propped with a forked stick). Leaves everywhere but thankfully no damage.
The builders are back and the 200mm natural wood insulation days is fitted in the gable roof. The windows and door frame are also fitted. Its begining to look like a real 'house' now. We're also surprised at how quickly the grass is greening up and guess there must have been some significant rain.
Washing, some pool maintenance due to the storm and two days of chainsawing kept us busy and by Saturday it was Marche time again.Read more
Let the adventure continue
Aug 31–Sep 1 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
We depart Bonifacio with some intrepidation. We're not sure if the scan of our 'free hotel pass' would have actually registered since we'd already taken a car park entry card. There were some optimists and some pessimists in our party of two! Well, I'm pleased to say the optimists won and a swipe of the 'free card' saw us exit the carpark at no cost.
However, in our excitement I took the wrong road at the roundabout so we ended up having to do a full circuit through the tunnel and back around to the hotel to drop of the carpark swipe card.
Finally we were on the road
to Ajaccio which is on the western coast of Corsica and the departure point for our return overnight ferry to the mainland. Located an average coffee stop/boulangerie at Propriano before tackling the coastal road to Ajaccio. Luckily as a Kiwi from wayback, I had good experience with hairpin bends and steep turns, because this road was a combination of the Kuranda range and Gillies range on steroids but it went for 62kms! It was sealed and in good condition with the occasional new bridge thrown in, but there was barely a straight stretch to be seen. Two hours later, we rolled into Ajaccio somewhat shattered but still smiling, just very thirsty. We had 4 hrs to kill before boarding the ferry so we found a carpark, right beside the marina with another confusing system. It was a one way road with two gates at either end so only one car could enter at a time! We parked right beside La terrasse la port restaurant, overlooking the Marina and Port where a large Jolland America cruise ship, was docked. And the aperol spritz was one of the best. The middle aged waitress had Roger sussed as well. He had a white wine and rose so then she asked if he'd like a red. LOL. She'd obviously met him before.
Ajaccio was a much larger town than we were expecting and it has all the hallmarks of Mediterranean seaside architecture the creamy yellow buildings with bright blue external blinds. We had a long stroll along the foreshore and through the town which was humming with the influx of cruise ship passengers and featured more tourist shops than anything else, but it had a nice feel about it and in the off season would probably be quite a nice vibe. Ajaccio was the birthplace of Napoleon, and his house still remains, not far from the port. It has been restored as a museum and we'd looked forward to a visit, but typically, it was closed on Monday's. So we settled on a crepe suzette instead and watched the cruise crowd all rushing back to board before their 5pm departure. Then we similarly joined the queue waiting to drive onto our ferry for Toulon.
Another smooth crossing in a noisy cabin right at the back of the ferry but we did enjoy a GnT at the front bar and witnessed a couple of fiery Italian women having a heated discussion about the younger women's desire to secure her 'free bed' for the night, by leaving her sleeping bag strewn across the 4 seater banquette. Intervention from a couple of mature males, saw the situation somewhat resolved, and the 'entitled' young lady storm off to sulk.
We docked in Toulon at sunrise, and hit the motorway heading for our overnight stop at Cahors. A coffee stop provided the chance to review the map as there were a couple of options and we opted for the A75 from Montpelier, which took us across the multispan cable-stayed bridge Millau Viaduct. Another of the 2024 'stars' crossed of the map list and every bit as spectacular as promised. It was designed by French engineer, Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster and built in three years by a team of 3000 workers. Completed ahead of schedule in 2004, it spans a length of 2460m across the across the Tarn river gorge. Not without it's dissenters initially, the French government issued a 75 year contract to the private company Effiage and the bridge was underway.
We drove through the Lot valley, and arrived at the quaint Terminus Hotel in the late afternoon. Naturally the small boutique hotel was near the railway station and indeed to get to the river, we had to cross under the railway lines through a well decorated subway. The graffiti was one element but the odour was next level. Luckily it was daylight the subway was short and in no time, we were standing beside the historic Pont Valentre, a medieval cobbled stone pedestrian bridge which crosses the Lot River. We took the essential photos, but not nearly as many as the 'influencer' who was there with her very patient partner. In fact we'd found a nearby wine bar and enjoyed a glass of wine, and a plate of smoked salmon - on the house- because the charming owner had some leftovers, and 45 minutes later, the 'influencer' was still chasing her ultimate shot.
We meandered into the old town, found a square and a strange bar that eventually served us a GnT, before finally settling on a nearby restaurant for something light for dinner. We chatted to a delightful woman from Germany who spoke excellent English, and also discovered that the tall goodlooking waiter, Ran was in fact a Kiwi who went to Dilworth College in Auckland. We are reminded of just how small the world is. Sleep came quickly in our large almost opulent bedroom up the red carpeted timber staircase with brass rods on each stair tread.Read more
A weekend with the tourists in Bonifacio
Aug 29–30 in France ⋅ 🌬 32 °C
So we've been pretty chilled for the past week and its been a great rest and recharge. But we're keen for the next adventure and head down the coast to Bonifacio via a coffee stop of course at a pretty little beachside cafe where the water was crystal clear and turqoiuse and the umbrellas were all up. Had planned the photo for when I'd consumed the cafe but mother nature had other ideas. All of a sudden on this picture perfect scene, a wild squall came out of nowhere and the sea was no longer calm and serene. The umbrellas started to blow away, people were racing to rescue their beach towels and clothes - it was like a movie but you couldn't script it. So I didnt get the photo! Lesson learned- snap that shot when you see it! Its only a moment!
In another hour we were climbing the spectacular narrow road up the cliff from the very salubrious looking marina towards the hilltop town of Bonifacio. It was easy to be distracted with the views but luckily my co driver kept me on track. Our hotel, Le Royal, was right in the middle of the old town which has a limited one way system running through it. And the parking was at the far end of the town, next to the cemetry, which just happens to have an amazing view over the Mediterranean. But first to drop of the bag, and pickup the 'carpark ticket' to enable a free psrk for our 2 day stay. Easier said than done. Bonifacio is a busy tourist town, predominately pedestrian, and its lunchtime on a Saturday! We approach the cute boutique hotel slowly and with a stream of cars behind me. Roger jumps out and disappears through the busy restaurant patrons with the bag. I pause, blinkers on, but get a mere 3 mins before Mr impatient behind me toots so I am forced into completing another whole circuit which includes a traffic light on the one way tunnel. Fortunately its red so that stretches the pickup time out and by the time I am back at the Hotel Roger has exited and is waiting with the car park entry. Phew. So back around the circuit once more and then a right turn towards the carpark. The directions for the 'free carpark entry' are unclear so we take a ticket, enter the very full carpark and luckily nab a park with shade! A bonus as its a warm 30 degrees! We meet an 'official' ticket man, who nonchalantly says ' just scan, just scan', which we duly do as we walk past the entry gate, but we're dubious of this, since our car is already through the gate and parked. Cest la vie, we're thirsty and need rehydration urgently!
Its a short 10 minute walk back to our hotel through the cobblestone streets, tourist shops and lots of people. Almost stressful infact, after our idyllic week of meandering to the beach every day. We find ourselves allocated to a newly renovated large studio apartment on the second floor, and theres good WIFI as well. There's restaurants and bars in abundance but I'm chasing a bar with a view because Bonifacio is almost an island and its elevated up above the sea on stunning white limestone cliffs. Roger would have settled on the first bar he saw, but I stretched the friendship just enough and we slotted into a table with a view, seconds before being pushed over said limestone cliffs. It was a close call. A couple of cool drinks and some pasta for lunch and all was redeemed.
The rest of our weekend is best described in the photos. Bonifaccio sits in a spectacular and strategic position which accounts for its intriguing history. Built in the 9th century, the medieval clifftop citadel has several gates and a drawbridge, and was impregnable to invasions back in the day. It is now a thriving tourist town, prices are high and the wealthy seafarers moor their yachts in the marina, or arrive on some of the many 'small' 100 person ocean liners that ply the Mediterranean. I saw it at its best on my early morning walk on Sunday. There was hardly a soul in sight and you could almost imagine the garrisons of soldiers approaching up the cobbled roadways to attack the Citadel.Read more
All things grey
Aug 27–28 in France ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
After the perfect sailing day previously, I woke early to a very grey morning, but undeterred, I decided I needed a good walk and headed off north along the beach from our local beach bar. There was no one around apart from a young lady doing yoga on the beach, an older lady sitting in her beach chair knitting! , and a young dad with his young baby, obviously giving mum a sleep in. Even the dog walkers were nowhere to be seen so I trudged the two kilometres along the beach past a couple of lagoons, and finally reached the headland of the next little seaside town. The sand is very soft and also very coarse so I scored a bonus foot massage for my efforts - think 60 grit sandpaper scale and a hill climb as I dragged my feet out of the deep soft sand.
By the time I was back to civilisation, the local camping ground was 'just waking up', the young boys were trying their luck fishing in the lagoon, and there was a queue outside the little grocery store for fresh croissants. I joined the queue and 5mins later, was home for breakfast. Luckily I did not encounter the village cow, a seemingly friendly beast who we've met on more than one occasion now, including wandering along the road as we drove home from our sailing day.
The lack of WIFI has been a blessing - we've both had much less screen time and slept really well, but after 8 days we feel a need to get back to civilisation and touch base with family so we've got a refund on our last two nights and will head to Bonifacio tomorrow.
Time to savour the sea for one last day. The ladies water aerobics team are practising with their noodles this morning. No mean feat as there's been a very big swell for the past couple of days. There's also this very cute phenomenon of the umbrella poles. I get the feeling this little holiday village has many regulars, mostly Italian families with a few Germans thrown in and they've been coming here for years. So they claim their territory and the beach umbrellas remain like security guards. The photo tells the story.
We head up to the local laundromat on the main road and while the washings on, we wander down to the weekly local market. We are blown away by the size of it. Even the road is blocked of for car parking. It is one of the better markets with plenty of variety, but since we're heading off tomorrow, and don't collect souvenirs and 'stuff' we only come away with some nectarines and peaches.Read more
Celebrating another year around the sun
August 26 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Time flys when you're having fun and low and behold, that significant day rolls around again. The Corsican escape is all part of the birthday celebration, but naturally there's a need for the icing on the cake. So, with difficulty, given the lack of WIFI, I manage to find a sailing cruise leaving from the marina 45 minutes south. We are up early and meet our Captain, Obe, as arranged in his gift shop near the departure point. Maria, his delightful wife, collects the cash while Obe lures us to purchase some of his wines and gift lines as we wait for the other passengers. Parlez vous Francais? Non. Parlez vous Anglais? Non. The two other French couples in their 40's arrive and they have three girls, 7, 11 and 13 between them and no one speaks English! So it evolves that we have actually joined a full French immersion experience!
We load the trolley with the lunch and beverages and meander down to the dock to board Lena Lisa 11, a 49 ft sailing boat. Obe is a passionate sailor, a local of several generations so he is full of the knowledge of the area, the history and all things nautical. Our first mooring is 'morning tea' and out comes the beers and biscuits, with coke for the kids. We swim in glassy clear warm water with fish splashing all around us - they too, got baguette for breakfast and the girls were squealing with excitement as Obe threw the bread out right beside them.
Another couple of hours of motoring down the coastline past some fairly significant mansions, a few large apartment blocks and lots of green hills brought us to a little bay with several nice houses amongst the trees, which Obe proudly announced was his home. His 104 year old grandmere also lives there and his mother and father, brothers, sisters etc. You get the picture. We drop the anchor into the white sand, metres below and he encourages the girls to untie the large paddle board for some more swimming fun. One of the other ladies is also celebrating a birthday, so out comes the local sparkling rose and the first platter of Maria's specialty home made 'cheese scones'. This is followed by a large platter of local Corse delicacies, cold meats, melon, fruit and some sensational cheeses. The beverages flowed and as Obe consumed another white wine, so did the French. If only we knew what he was saying!
After more swims and some paddleboarding around the yacht, we weighed anchor and set the sails for a slow sail back up the coast to our berth in the marina. Its been a while since we've felt the warm wind in our face and there was plenty of sunshine and blue sky. The perfect way to celebrate a birthday with a lovely group of French friends and barely a word of English.Read more
TravelerYou must have read our mind John. We are booked into a week long immersion course in Normandy in December - figure when its cold and dark, we may as well keep our brains active. Cheers
TravelerTime for some French language classes maybe ? I took French for 4 years at school and was hopeless but some of it has surprisingly stuck. Caroline speaks French fluently as a French Canadian but I dont even try with her as she speaks English. I know what it is like to be somewhere where very little English if any is spoken. Google translate was my saviour in Japan. No use if there is no WiFi though.
Corsica - off the grid, sunshine and saltwater
Aug 21–25 in France ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
We disembark the ferry in the dark and drive aimlessly for 15 mins looking for a cafe that is open, with parking nearby - it is raining, not a particularly inspiring start to our 'sunny island' holiday, especially after two, less than average, nights sleep. Success at last - after a long reverse up the one way street that was designated for deliveries only. Cest la vie! Coffee and petit dejeuner hit the spot by which time it was almost daylight and we got a much better sense of direction. Found some mobile service and called Jo for a catchup on her USA trip and then headed into the underground carpark at the Bastia Museum and Citadel.
This was in the old town so we killed some time with another coffee before wandering the pretty streets with artisan shops and cafes. The museum itself was interesting, and had a diverse display of artefacts and artwork with some valuable information on the history of Bastia, and indeed Corsica.
We still had a couple of hours to kill before our unit was available so we stopped of for some supplies at E.Leclerc and then seeking further sustenance, since breakfast was soooo early, I headed east to the coast, where I had researched a beachfront restaurant, La Plage. It was a pretty primitive beach track to reach the restaurant which sat right on top of the sand dunes, and was remarkably well set up, with a significant staff on hand and several patrons.
There was one word of caution in the reviews, noting that either side of the restaurant were two naturist beaches so patrons should not be surprised or indeed distracted by the passing parade. Naturally, this only served to alert Roger who duly noted the beach folk walking by, but he was a little disappointed since they were all as old as him and just as portly, which in his opinion does not present the best naked human form for serious appreciation.
Our lunch was filling and flavoursome, with most attentive service from the young waitstaff and there was good WIFI. Little did we know, it was to be the last reasonable communication we would have for a week.
Our AirBnB accomodation was in a reasonably large resort but it was located right up at the end of a close, tucked up against the hillside. It was very quiet and we wondered if we might be the only ones here. A 10 minute walk to the nearby beach confirmed that all the holiday makers, were in fact, comfortably residing under a multitude of different coloured beach umbrellas or bobbing about in the beautiful warm mediterranean sea. We walked along the beach and just around the corner, we found Chez Babba, beach bar. Perched up on the hill, overlooking the long stretch of Maria Bravone beach with a good old fashioned camping ground straddling the sand, it was the perfect welcome to Corsica, or Corse as the locals say. We toasted our safe arrival with a local spritz and wine before adjourning to our apartment for a long overdue Nana nap.
The next day dawned with the realisation that the brand new modem in our apartment, was in fact useless because it had no internet connection. It also became apparent that the mobile service in the area was very hit and miss as is the case over most of the island.
So accepting the 'off the grid' status, we adjourned to the beach and staked our claim for the morning, joining the rest of the holidaymakers in and out of the water. A random mobile network enabled us to advise family and friends of our 'off line' status, hopefully alleviating any concerns.
And this set the scene for the next five days. Basically, sun, sand, salty seawater, hot coffee, wine, GnTs, Aperol Spritz and plenty of sleeping. When the wind picked up in the afternoon we adjourned to our resort pool, where we were joined by the gaggle of girls, Italian mama's in fact, who didnt draw breath for 30 mins.
You see, Corse has a very interesting history and was once held by the Italian dynasty from Genoa. When France came to the local Italians rescue, and subsequently added Corse to its Republic, it promised the Italians positions of power and authority in return. This has resulted in a very Italian influence, and we've observed alot more Italian spoken than french. There's a pizza 'pop up' on every corner, and gelati in the cafes. You could be forgiven for thinking you are actually in Italy. And just to remind us of Australia, there are huge gum trees dotted around the little seaside village we are in.Read more
On the road to Corsica
Aug 19–20 in France ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C
We are up early as its a slow process packing up, moving the poolside furniture inside and locking all the shutters securely. By 10.30am we are finally on the road but there's a couple of stops in the first hour, fuel at Intermarche because we know the pump will accept our credit card, and then coffee, of course, at the first rest stop on the motorway. Its not bad either. Then the serious journey begins and we don't stop until we're well past Toulouse - the motorway from Bordeaux is long, relatively straight and totally flat. Its a warm humid day so we're flabagasted to see some show off with the roof down on his sports car - can't have been a pleasant journey!
We meet a delightful bordercollie while we're sharing our picnique table with a French family, and he's the lucky dog, as he gets the duck skin from Rogers cold confit duck leg - rabbit terrine and baguette makes up the rest of lunch and then we hit the road for the last hour into Narbonne. We're grateful to be heading east as the three western lanes are completely stationary for a length of 10 kms due to a burnt out car transporter, and its full load of now totally destroyed new cars! The entry into Narbonne is through/over/under and around an amazing 4 leaf clover road junction - seeing is believing! but luckily we made it in one and also secured a park just a few minutes from our studio apartment on the edge of the old town.
Even though the walls were thick and it was on the ground floor, the room was stifling and the pedastal fan did little to compensate for the hot humid air. We headed out for a walk along the canal, a most necessary refreshment and then opted for an early dinner at a turkish restaurant just around the corner. A sleepless night followed but since coffee was high on the agenda, we wandered around the old town the next morning and it was very picturesque and bustling with people setting up for a 3 day music and beer festival alongside the canal. There was a good vibe, some quite classy shops and a good coffee in the town square. Lots of interesting windows in a very eclectic mix of architectural styles as well.
Apart from a brief and torrential downpour as we crossed the mountains outside Aix en Provence we arrived in Toulon with an hour to spare before boarding commenced for our boat trip to Corsica. We had no expectations and our previous experience back in January 2024, had been crossing from Helsinki to Talin through the pack ice! The drive onto car deck 5 was uneventful and then we made our way to our cabin, which was right down the back of the boat. We'd opted for a night time crossing since it was a 12 hour journey, although it seemed as if we were right over the engines which hummed loudly and periodically rattled, so once again sleep was not exactly blissful.
We found a bar on the outside top deck, good for photos but very windy and still very warm. So we adjourned to the 'front bar' where we enjoyed a very acceptable GnT in the air-conditioning. Our fellow passengers were predominantly young families, mostly Italian and there was a large group of backpackers who promptly set up 'camp', air mattresses and sleeping bags in all the random free floor space around the ship. This was instead of paying €10 for a seat and quite frankly it lowered the tone of the ship considerably, not to mention, the safety aspect of blocked access in the event of a fire etc. We did find the 'best' restaurant on the ship, and had a pleasant meal, though we suspect it came out of the same kitchen as the buffet that was feeding the masses, just outside. And so to bed, until the intercom announced we had docked at Bastia - it was pitch black through the porthole and only 5am!Read more
The 'girls' arrive
Aug 16–18 in France ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
On Sunday afternoon after all the necessary preparations have been undertaken, I took a quick trip to Surgeres station to collect Roger's sister, Jenny and her daughter, Alyssa. Jen is over from Sydney for 4 weeks holiday, and as Alyssa has just received notice of the successful completion of her barrister pupiledge at Essex Court Chambers, she now has her own office and will officially work independently under their name. A great achievement, and reward for all her hard work.
There was naturally much celebration to be had, champagne to be consumed and of course, aperol spritz by the pool. In fact we did not move from the pool, except for the occasional nana nap. Roger provided the requested sustenance, moules and frites the first night and delicious confit duck on the second night, and then on Tuesday we enjoyed quiche for lunch with homemade apple and blackberry tartin for afternoon tea before it was time to drop them of again at Surgeres, to return to Paris en route to Greece.
There's a few photos to share but Alyssa took several others which I'll add once she gets back from her holidays. A short, but sweet family catchup that met all the brief requirements- rest and relaxation.Read more
The roof goes on
Aug 5–15 in France ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
On Wednesday morning the builders are back - theyre on a mission, to get the roof on before they go on holiday at the end of the week! Patrick, the carpenter is there all day and by the end of the day the framework is done and completely clad with timber planks, ready for the tiles.
Two days later, after lots of action and long days, the roof tiles are on, apart from the final finishing of the small fiddly bay window roof. Willy is still here at 6.30pm on Friday night, going up and down the ladder with cut tiles to fit, but eventually he concedes defeat and goes home at 7pm. By 6am Saturday morning, he is back on the job and within 30 mins he's nailed the roof, dropped on the ridge line tiles and waved goodbye. The builder's holidays have begun.
We have a week of relaxation ahead of us and as the temperatures rise again to close to 40 degrees, we feel the lethargy and do lots of 'nothing'. A quick trip to the Saturday marche in St Jean D'Angely for some supplies, and plenty of swimming fills in the days and we do manage to discipline ourselves to get on top of the blackberry vine which is trying to rear its ugly head again in the nice honeysuckle hedge. I manage a few long walks before it heats up and the landscape is just crisp and brown all around. We're lucky we have not been impacted by any fires.
On Wednesday we decide a change of scenery is in order and head down to Taillebourg on the Charente River. There is a delightful guiginette (the French version of a pop up restaurant that only appears in the summer time and is usually operated out of a container). Suffice to say they are generally remarkably good and this one was no exception. We shared a delicious hamburger and chips, had a couple of refreshing beverages while watching the world of summer holiday makers enjoying themselves in the river. A perfect solution for the 38 degree day.
That night, we glimpsed the eclipse as the day darkened prematurely, but it was nothing to write home about because it occurred about the time the sun was usually setting anyway.Read more
A 'family' gathering at Les Petites Rivieres
Jul 31–Aug 4 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
With thanks to Roger's input... Back to LPR on Friday and a reasonably easy drive. All the Cubitts are here and we settle into 2 pm lunches under the cherry tree, swims in the pool that Johnny has maintained and what could be called “gin clear” water. Some have a nap before gin and tonic time, then it is an 8 pm dinner.
Everyone takes a turn at cooking and we enjoy some hand made pizza, beautiful salads, crusty bread and cheeses, quiche and EL’s famous green puy lentils, goat's cheese and sundried tomatoes.
As a cheeky challenge, she asked Flashy to make a paella. No drama there, except she didn’t want chorizo, rabbit or chicken. Not too spicy either. Goodness me.
Lady P managed to get some succulent prawns, firm white fish, local mussels and a squid tube from the market. Juicy tomatoes the size of cricket balls and some saffron were also acquired. Prawn heads and shells made an excellent stock. And as you know, that's the secret.
We re-jig the Weber and using a large paella pan and metres of aluminium foil - we made it fit. All present were happy with the end result. Champagne and Sancerre paired well.
The only complaint was that the neighbouring farmer decided to spread ten tonnes of cow manure over the paddock at our back fence just before dinner. A day later and it still smells like a dairy on a hot day. It also brought millions of flies. There’s probably only one person other than Flashy who hates flies more than him and that’s Casper Cubitt. They both gave up counting after 50 swatted each. Nonetheless we soldiered on.
On Monday, with great fear and trepidation, we drove to Landes, a village just up the road, to the local post office, where with Google translate and head nods, we managed to post a tracked letter to Australia. For some reason to do with transit through the Middle East, France will not post parcels to Australia. So, you have to make sure it is a letter in a plain envelope. Our previous attempt at Chevilly Larue la Post failed. Our French only speaking mature lady at the Landes post office “ummed, ah’d, ‘ello, ah ha!” and stamped them. Phew!
A light shower of rain has not diminished the fragrant odour of cowshit.
Tuesday and the flies and smell remain with us. The carpenter turns up and starts to put on the roof of the extension and it’s taking shape.
The Cubitts head off for the 12 hours drive and ferry to the UK in the morning and we take stock of the remaining food and beverages. It is surprisingly peaceful.Read more
The beautiful village of Sancerre
Jul 27–30 in France ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Our hosts arrived back at midday on Monday, so we set off for Sancerre, our 4 night stopover en route to Les Petites Rivieres. We'd packed our leftovers for a picnique and found ourselves in the delightful village of Briare. We ate lunch in the park and then walked over the Pont Canal de Briare, 662 metres long and designed by none other than Gustal Eiffel. It is a very spectacular aqueduct, which crosses high above the Loire river, and until 2003, was the longest aqueduct in the world.
We arrived in Sancerre late in the afternoon, and what a surprise. Whilst most of the Ile de France region (Paris and surrounds) is flat agricultural land, suddenly out of the blue you come across a hill, surrounded by vineyards and a beautiful village, that has been here for centuries. Another quintessential French scene, narrow cobblestone streets, a Chateau, a bustling square surrounded by cafes, and to our delight every second shop was a wine tasting venue representing some of the 300 vineyards in the region. We strolled through the village to pick up some supplies for dinner, and a bottle of Sancerre and then it was time to put our feet up and relax with GnT of course.
Since we had secured a car park, almost outside the door of our little studio apartment, we decided this would be a pedestrian based adventure - car parks are a premium in these villages. We are on the ground floor of a narrow one way street, perfectly placed for people watching and listening!
We explored a bit more of Sancerre on Tuesday, including a couple of the recommended wine tastings which were remarkably good. Sancerre wine is made from Sauvignon grapes, and most people that know me, know that I will not drink Sauvignon Blanc under any circumstances- just the highly perfumed passionfruit nose is enough for me. However, the Sancerre experience is something completely different. It appears, from our research that the terroir here is quite different to NZ and Australia. They have three soil/rock types, terres blanches, silex and caillottes, and the wines from each area are quite specific. Some winemakers also put their wine in oak barrels for a period of time or even amphora's, the clay pots from Georgia. The climate here is much cooler generally, and the long and short of it is the Sancerre wine has a negligible fruit nose and a very acceptable taste. A nana nap followed the very generous tastings.
On Wednesday we ventured further afield and down a long hill (we actually got a bit lost! ) to the number one recommended vineyard, Fouassier. It was indeed lovely wine and Roger was even quite taken by the Pinot. Charles has now got Roger pretty sussed, in case you were wondering 😂 Since the climb back up the hill was hardly a challenge, I headed out late in the afternoon to climb the 193 steps up the Tour de Feifs. This is the last remaining tower of the original six towers of the 14th-century feudal Château Sancerre. A spectacular 360 degree was the reward. We also had a chance to explore more of the local shops many of them local artisans, potters, jewellery makers, a weaver and a beautiful gift warehouse, kitchenware and children's toyshop. A couple of pattiseries, Piaf a gourmet delicatessen, and a specialist grocery store were all part of the retail choices and it was obvious the village caters to the fairly affluent visitor, with lots of English and American accents passing by our window. We were also just around the corner from the Eglise Notre Dame Sancerre, and yesterday there was a wedding. It was 37 degrees, but the friends and relations had all dressed for the occasion in suits and ties, with the ladies make-up melting and hairdos drooping. The bride arrived late, by foot, running and clutching her dress to prevent her tripping up. There was lots of hurried commands to mothers, bridesmaids et al, it was hard to tell, but eventually the mayhem died down and her very composed Dad appeared to walk her down the aisle. Later we bumped into her and her new husband walking back into the village square, still clutching her dress but smiling and looking very relaxed. We offered our congratulations.
Today we woke to heavy rain showers and wind, a welcome relief from the previous day, but by lunchtime the sun was shining and we headed out for our little bus ride through the vineyards. Our vehicle was a little 6 seater 4 wheel drive ATV, necessary as we were basically off road over some steep and rocky paths. We had four English retirees for company so there was plenty of stories to tell over a tasting at EricLouis' vineyard.
Back home for a shower and GnT before we headed out to celebrate Jo's birthday albeit 8 hours behind her dinner celebrations at the Flowerdrum in Melbourne. We went to a highly rated local restaurant, La Fleur de Vigne where we enjoyed a beautiful 3 course dinner, in French Japanese fusion style. The chef was Japanese and his wife, also Japanese was the pastry chef. The two of them ran the restaurant, alone and did an excellent job.
And here's the funny ending to our night out. You'll remember we walked over a kilometre down a very steep hill to the Fouassier Vineyard ! Charles had mentioned it was only 50 metres away but we just thought he'd stuffed up. Low and behold as we walked back up our street last night, we saw the Fouassier wine shop front, right at the corner of the square. Ah well, we probably needed the exercise anyway!Read more
Au bientot Paris
Jul 24–26 in France ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
Our cat minding is coming to an end, but there's still a few things on the 'Paris to do' list and the lovely weather continues. Friday took us back to the 13th arrondisement, as there was a large marche down the main boulevard. It was fairly typical fruit and veg with several empty stalls as many of the Parisian locals have already left for their holidays. We heading to the park at the bottom of the hill, another stunning green space with a large children's playground and cafe. The adjacent street was also home to Paris' first residential skyscraper, built in 1960 with 23 floors, an impressive building in its own right, but even more interesting was our opportunity to meet one of the residents who was leaving the building just as I was taking the photograph. An absolutely charming lady who announced she was 85 years old, came to Paris from Russia, 30 years ago, and worked as a technical physicist. She spoke 5 languages, Russian, Ukrainian, French, English and a little Italian! She had a large apartment in the highrise and was a bit unhappy about paying €4000 a month for the 'body corporate' fees. Her daughter also had a small studio apartment in the same block. Just another spontaneous snapshot of Paris, a meeting we won't forget in a hurry.
We meandered up to the main street for lunch, and had to settle for a Parsian hamburger as our preferred bistro was closed for the summer holidays. It was delicious according to Roger, the French know how to cook meat well - perfectly medium rare. A quick metro ride took us back to quayside on La Seine, where we picked up an icecream and wandered along the river which was not particularly busy for a sunny Friday afternoon, apart from the swimmers at Piscine Josephine Baker and another gathering, on the opposite side, actually swimming in La Seine under the watchful eye of the surf lifeguards. It was also refreshing to observe that public displays of affection, for which the French are so well known were still around, although perhaps not quite as frequent as before. With another 18,000 steps under our belt, it was time to return to Chevilly Larue. This time we sat in the very front carriage of the driverless train, chanelling Albert and his love of trains, it was amazing whizzing through the metro at 80kmh! Coming up from the metro, we smelt a BBQ cooking, and discovered an enterprising local with a shopping trolley half full of corn cobs. Tucked at one end was an old tin converted to a home made brazier. The coals were red hot and the corn was roasting under his watchful eye. It smelt delicious.
On Saturday I left Roger in charge and headed back into the city, for some retail therapy - cheap summer dresses are not as prevalent as they were in previous years, so further research was required. I eventually picked one up at an op shop equivalent for €10. I also caught up with Karin, my favourite epilage (waxing) lady near Gare de Lyon to prepare for a return to poolside at Les Petites Rivieres and then had an adventure on my way home as line 14 had an electrical failure. As holidays were beginning for many Parisians the metro was packed - line 14 is the Orly airport line so not only were there people, but suitcases too, jammed in like sardines on line 7 the alternative route to the airport. Cest la vie. A refreshing GnT in the garden was most welcome on my return, and on Sunday we packed up in preparation for our departure the next day.Read more
A church, some culture and plenty of cheese
Jul 22–23 in France ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We had a 'stay at home' day on Tuesday, but were ready to pound the streets again on Wednesday, making the most of the beautiful summer weather in Paris. We'd booked a 'Cheese tasting with Max' which didn't start until 2.30pm so in order to justify our afternoon of indulgence, I had planned a visit to the Petit Palais, a delightful art museum with a wonderful collection of eclectic sculpture, and art from the Renaissance to the 20th century.
Our walk from the metro, is where the church came in. As we popped out of the metro, right in front of us was this very imposing, Greco Roman building, complete with towering greek columns - the Eglise de la Madeleine, designed by Napoleon as a monument to his army. You certainly couldn't miss it, and given it had very little resemblance to the more traditional church with steeples, bell towers and the like, we were drawn inside to look around. It was massive and impressive - yet another Paris surprise.
The Petit Palais was spectacular. It showcased 'bites' of art styles, plaster moulds of sculptures collected from basements around Paris, and saved from ultimate destruction, timber furniture - a complete dining room donated to the museum, and even a lesser known Monet, 'Sunset on the Seine at Lavacourt'. It was the perfect size and scale for a delightful overview of the arts in Paris, without all the crowds. Some people have described it as better than Le Louvre, but personally I think its more like a 'peoples gallery/museum' and just as an FYI, its FREE.
We crossed the Champs Elysée, which was all set up for the infamous Tour d'France arrival on Sunday afternoon, and made our way up the back streets of Montmatre to meet Max, our cheese guru. Max is a 27 year old entrepreneur type, who owned and managed a specialised Cheese shop in Montmartre for the past four years. His two hour cheese and wine gatherings (with a maximum of 12) have become so popular that he recently sold the shop to concentrate on his tasting sessions, and to be able to spend more time with his fiance and new baby daughter. There were nine of us tasting, two young travellers from Norway/Sweden, two girls from Chicago (who didnt really like cheese that much - go figure) and a mom and dad from the US who brought their 18 year old son with them, (but he didnt really like wine!) As you might have guessed we well and truly joined in, along with the Scandi girls and almost cleared our cheese platters, along with the generous pourings of complementary wine, all white, as white wine pairs better with cheese than red wine because its high acidity cuts through rich fats, and it lacks the tannins red wine has through being aged in oak barrels. These tannins can react with milk proteins in the cheese to create a bitter, metallic taste. Fascinating stuff...and we'd only just begun.
Max, was friendly, fun and full of knowledge and we learnt heaps about the production of cheese in France - the home of comte cheese, being just one small area up near the Swiss Alps, and the Tome, which is a smaller thicker wheel, from many areas in France, and named accordingly. We sampled goats, sheep and cows milk cheeses and also learnt the trick to selecting the correctly aged cheese, according to the season as the best milk production occurs when the cows are on the mountains in spring and summer, rather than in the sheds through winter. It was a brilliant afternoon, lots of fun and very educational.
We rolled down the hill back to our metro, but passing by La Terrase Hotel, decided a cleansing beverage was necessary in their rooftop bar. The view was impressive, the service nonchalant and the crowd, mostly American tourists, so we didnt stay long. And once again, Thursday was a recovery day.Read more
A day out in Paris
July 20 in France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
On Monday, we went on a mission to buy Roger a new pair of Brooks running shoes - no he hasn't taken up running but the particular style suits his feet and he's worn out his original pair after 3 years on the road. The problem we have is that French men have very normal feet, constrained by their couture brand shoes that are the daily work wear requirement. On the other hand the tropical style - barefoot, thongs and a boat shoe for special occasions, gives our feet alot of room to spread so wide fittings are the norm. I'm guessing our feet are probably better of for the fresh air and room to move, but it precludes any of the Paris shoe stores from stocking 2E wide fitting shoes. Not to be defeated, a very helpful young lady steers us to the Brooks online and the appropriate runners were purchased once we got home. Just awaiting the delivery notice. An interlude discovering Le Jardin Anne Frank, was perfect to realise that Paris is full of surprises, many of them local green community spaces.
We had built up a thirst and a
hunger by now so we're headed towards the 1st arrondisement, where Roger had booked his 'sidekick', Charles's recommendation, Bistro Richelieu. It was a gorgeous sunny day, the heat has gone and mid 20's is the order of the day. Le Marais area was remarkably free of people, including tourists up until this point, but now en route to lunch we find the workers queued outside the trending cafes, a hamburger joint and a Japanese poke bowl style cafe. The lines were long. We had also observed a number of young people 'eating on the run', croissants on the metro, baguettes while they walk. This is just so 'un French', and seems a sad inditement of the universal world we live in. The french long lunch hour, even taken by our tradies on the building site, is potentially heading for the 'memory bank'.
Our lunch however, was traditional, little round tables, wicker chairs, and the bare minimum between the tables, which made for interesting people watching and listening, as we were surrounded by tourists, a Chinese couple in the midst of a domestic, tears and the lot, and a snooty American woman, and her young daughter, who pushed their way into the table next to us and ordered a hamburger and chips with a coke. We on the other hand, enjoyed confit canard and porc roti and they were both delicious. We had some time to kill, after lunch so we wandered down to sit by La Seine and watch the passing boat parade, some of which were sailing very close to the waterline. When that view became tiresome, we sought out a couple of the infamous green chairs in Jardin des Tuileres and watched a couple of young Asian 'influencers' spend a good 15 minutes creating the perfect image. Strange thing was they were sitting by a dirty green pond - the fountains were not working, and the background was a totally un known building, with some interesting detail at best.
Oh well, each to his own. Roger had suggested exploring another arrondisement of Paris, with a Paris Greeter, and although it was short notice - we only made the request on Friday, the delightful Philippe had picked up our details and we arranged our meetup outside Corvisart metro station in the 13th arrondisement. Philippe is a mature, retired French GP, who grew up in Le Marais but now lives on the Paris outskirts. He has grandchildren similar in age to ours, but even more amazing, he's been to Cairns, and almost made it to Lockhart River to visit his daughter who was living there (her husband was a teacher there), except the flight was turned back due to bad weather. And his best friend (a Parisian) has been living in Melbourne for the past 10 years and is moving to Cairns in 2027. It really is such a small world.
Philippe took us on a wonderful walk through the Butte-aux-Cailles area a small hill in Paris, far from the tourist crowds, but with a really fascinating history. It was the landing site of the first manned hot air balloon flight in 1783 from Le Bois de Bologne only 8 miles away. The small park is still there, now a children's playground and another beautiful green oasis in Paris. There's a delightful art deco building housing a public swimming pool in the centre of the village, and the water comes up from a spring, 600 metres below the ground. Naturally, because were in Paris, the main street is lined with little bistros, including one, Le Temp de Cerise, originally run as a cooperative by the Commune de Paris movement. This movement had a significant influence in the history of Paris following France's loss to Prussia in 1871. The uprising of the peasants- 'to the baricades' - resulted in the loss of many lives, and is remembered as France's second revolution. Street art features throughout the Butte-aux-Caille and adds just one more dimension to a very Parisian 'village' on the hill. The only thing missing are the windmills which gave the village its name.
After 18,800 steps, the next stop was our suburban retreat, in Chevilly Larue, where the GnT was well deserved.Read more
A week in the suburbs of Paris
Jul 18–19 in France ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Its hard to believe we're only 9kms from the centre of Paris, its just so incredibly quiet in the suburbs. The most noise we've got is chirping birds and whistling builders on a building site a couple of blocks away. Its serene and even HRH, Havana the pussycat is very low maintenance and mostly justs sneaks in for a daily midnight snack. And what's more, we are just a 30minute metro ride to the right bank of Paris, Chatelet metro station.
After our busy stay in the city, we were glad to put our feet up and stay home for a few days. We did wander down to the local marche which was much quieter on the Wednesday than the Saturday, and also managed a walk around the block to check out our local boulangerie. The baguette was OK and as the days slowly cooled down, we ventured a bit further afield. At the end of our street is a tram which took us up to large shopping centre, Belle Epine. Similar to Forest Hill Chase, in Melbourne, it was pleasantly cool and had a wide range of ladies and men's clothing, including a Kiabi, much to Roger's delight. We picked up a few groceries at the huge Carrefour and then headed home on the tram for a late lunch. Came across our first grizzly french children. They didnt want to wear the hats Dad had brought them but amazingly there were no tantrums or meltdowns. Ultimately Dad was the boss and the whining was very short-lived.
On Saturday, we ventured back to our marchè as the prices were so reasonable. But first there was some people watching to be done, so we sat with our drinks outside the local restaurant and watched the world go by. A delightful young Dad rocked up with a beer and asked to share the shade. He had two gorgeous little girls with him (2yrs and 5yrs) and he just watched while they played happily in the jets of water, which was the local community splash pad. It turns out he was from Algeria and had been in Paris for 23 years. His wife worked in the bank and was doing end of year audits so he was on babysitting duties. Such a lovely guy who spoke very good English and whose daughters had such fun but were also very shy. When it was time to go, they waved and the littlest one turned around and said 'aurevoir' . Very cute.
By Sunday, we'd done the household chores and needed some serious exercise. I discovered that only 30 minutes away on the bus there was a large estate, Chateaux Seaux with gardens, a large canal and some beautiful treelined promenades. It was a spectacular small scale Chateau built in the mid 1800's, probably more of a country house for the gentry of Paris at the time, but the grounds were of an impressive scale, the water features refreshing and the long canal, similar to the one we had walked round in Fontainbleu even had rowboats for hire. We settled on sharing an icecream instead, and broke the 10,000 step barrier by the time we got home.Read more
La Fête Nationale - Bastille Day in Paris
July 13 in France ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C
We'd arranged with our hosts, to have a night away in Paris, leaving Havana to look after herself. This would allow us the chance to see the fireworks from Le Tour Eiffel on Monday 13th July and the Fête Nationale Parade down the Champs Elysée on Tuesday morning. Our delightful suburban oasis is on Metro line 14, and we're only two stops away from Orly airport, but surprisingly we've yet to hear a plane, let alone see one. However the close proximity to Paris' second most significant airport resuted in the extension of line 14 a few years ago in honour of the Olympics and this means a mere 15 minute walk and we're on a brand new air conditioned metro train, and in the centre of Paris in 35 minutes. Being close to the end of the line also guarantees us a seat.
I'd booked a room at the Mecure near Gare Montparnasse, with a balcony as there was a chance we may be high enough to see the fireworks. And if not we weren't far away from a street corner/ bar that would offer a partial view. But here's where the fun begins. We check in, take our keys and head to our room on the 6th floor, only to find that it's indeed a rooftop room but instead of a verandah, it has four fixed windows like angled skylights with the sun beating down on them behind the metal shutters, which naturally are all closed so it is almost pitch-dark. The outside temperature is 37 degrees, but even with aircon you would barely survive.
Back to reception to present my Booking.com voucher, clearly stating my room with verandah, and pleasantly seeking a solution. After some time the manager appears and offers an alternative room, but still without a verandah. My earlier thorough research had highlighted several Mecure properties on the left bank so my proposed solution was for the manager to seek us alternative accommodation with a verandah at another Mecure property. Twenty minutes elapsed when he finally returned, and the confirmation email for a room with a verandah appeared in my email box.
We had a 30 minute walk across the Jardin du Luxembourg where half of Paris was escaping the heat, before we arrived at Hotel Mecure Paris, La Sorbonne. First impressions, a classy cool lobby with a nice little bar were indeed favourable, and when Amilee welcomed us with an invitation to view two rooms with balconies, our prayers were indeed answered. We chose the verandah overlooking the Paris rooftops and the setting sun, and after a refreshing GnT in the bar, organised the verandah and opened the bottle of champagne we had carried in the backpack. Sante!
There were four hours until the fireworks, and we'd picked a viewing location in Le Jardin Luxembourg so how should we remain awake. By eating of course. Colvert was a restaurant I'd enjoyed when I was in Paris for the Olympics so Amelie kindly made a reservation for 9pm and we were able to savour some delicious and different food, and Roger some interesting wines. Our walk up the hill to Le Jardin Luxembourg was in vain as we found the gates to the gardens, firmly shut. So we walked quickly back to our hotel and joined the fireworks with a birds eye view on our TV! It was indeed spectacular with lots of drone displays and some wonderful sound and light presentations, no smell of gunpowder though, so for a pyromaniac's partner, it wasnt quite the same as the real thing. Next year maybe?
After our hotel breakfast buffet, we checked out and headed along the Seine to find the optimum viewing point for the military flypast, and the video tells the story. It was indeed spectacular and the continuing display of military aircraft and helicopters that flew in formation down the river was brilliant. We knew it would be impossible to get near the parade itself, due to the crowds and security, but instead loitered in a bar on the side streets as the military contingents dispersed. There were crowds, but not as many as we'd imagined for France's national holiday, but no doubt the high temperatures kept many people away.
A speedy trip home on the metro, to find Havana stretched out on the cool tiles in the garden shed.Read more
An oasis in the suburbs of Paris
July 10 in France ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C
We had a bit of time to kill before our departure from Barbizon, so a coffee was in order in a stunning pattiserie owned by a Japanese Michellen star pastry chef. The coffee was out of a Nespresso machine and was OK, and full credit for recognising that barista skills was not her forte. Her pastries on the other hand were out of this world - to look at, that is. With a price tag of €7.50 ($12.30), for a single chocolate eclair, I settled for my favourite pain de raison with my coffee and the total cost was less than the eclair and coffee combined.
We also witnessed, the French drivers patience at its absolute best. There was a black SUV parked in the middle of the narrow one way main street of Barbizon, and the drivers door was open with no one in sight. Two cars were politely waiting behind it for almost 5 mins, when the driver appeared with a parcel opened his boot, secured the parcel and then quietly drove off. There was no tooting of horns, yelling of abuse or road rage, patience is just a learned skill in France, and I think it starts from a very early age.
The firemen were still at the gateway to the Fontainbleu Forest, at the end of the street. Little did they know what lay ahead.
It was a very hot day and we made our way into the outskirts of Paris to our catsit in a suburb called Chevilly Larue. We are in charge of Havana, who we were warned, doesn't do much except lie around in the garden when it is so hot.
While the owners were finishing off their work commitments, and final packing we headed down to the local shops for some supplies, had a burger at Nelsons Cafe, and then returned to wave them goodbye.
Not long after this Roger hits the wall with a belly bug, and heads to bed. We have set our alarm for 3.15am, to liaise with the family who have gathered in Buderim to farewell Zena. There's only a handful of Zena's friends, not surprisingly given she had outlived most of them, but they enjoyed a chat and Jenny led a fitting and funny tribute to the 'force' that was Nana Zena. RIP. A few more hours sleep before the cleaning lady rocked up at 10.00am. Sadly, we had to cancel our planned lunch in Paris with Kevin and Robin, as Roger was feeling far too fragile, and instead hunkered down inside to escape the 37 degree heat and catchup on some sleep. We ended up having a quiet weekend, only managing a brief walk down to the local market for some fresh fruit and veges. We are only a few kilometres from the Rungis International Market which is the principal wholesale market of Paris and mainly deals in food and horticultural products. With an area of 232 hectares, it is the second largest wholesale food market in the world, and we wonder if the very low prices for our fruit and vegs, no more than €1.50 per kg on average, is due to the close proximity. Some light healthy sustenance soon improves the patient and fortunately, he is back to normal by Sunday.
Our house in the Paris suburbs is like an oasis, with a large garden, big shady trees and even some veges growing. Havana the pussycat rules the patch and keeps the numerous neighbourhood cats at bay. The house is large and very comfortable, and given the shutters have been down all week it is reasonably cool. Luckily our bedroom is in the basement, and its like a wine cave with only a tiny window, covered in black plastic. Its the coolest place in the house. We also brought our fan from LPR as word was out, there were no fans or aircons to be found in France and while we don't mind the heat, we are used to fans and they are not usually found in French houses.Read more
Following La Seine
Jul 7–8 in France ⋅ ☁️ 35 °C
After our spectacular and somewhat indulgent dinner, we felt the need for some slightly more serious exercise. We've been hit with another heatwave in France and since temperatures are generally sitting in the high 30's, exertion has not been top of our list. We headed into the Fontainebleau Forest at the end of the street, in the late afternoon, and the temperature immediately dropped by at least 5 degrees. As this is only 50 kms from the heart of Paris, Parisions refer to it as the lungs of Paris. The forest was indeed spectacular, a vibrant green with some very spectacular rocky outcrops. Overall Fontainebleau Forest covers 61,776 acres and is notable for its large sandstone boulders, erosive remnants from the Oligocene age, but relatively young in geological terms, that are spread throughout the park. Bouldering is a very popular activity in the park along with hiking the many forest trails. Surprisingly we didnt see another person in the hour we were walking, apart from the group of elderly French people, playing petanque in the sandy parkland near the trail entrance. Its probably just too hot for the average French person.
Wednesday was going to be just as warm so a little drive through the forest was in order with the AC to keep us cool. It was hard to map out a plan, as I had starred some villages of note, back in 2024, but now I needed to source a decent coffee at the first stop, and a reasonable lunch along the way. Being in the 'not bothered mode', I delegated the research to Roger, who in turn sought a solution from his side kick ' Charles'. And surprise, surprise within 5 minutes, Charles had mapped out a route, found a pleasant coffee shop in the town of Samois-sur-Seine, suggested a lovely walk along the banks of the Seine, and then located a very acceptable restaurant for lunch. Located in the village of Moret-sur-Loing, Le Jardin des lys was right beside Le Loing River, which is a tributary of La Seine.
It was still scorching hot, but we stoically sat outside and sipped our GnT and Aperol Spritz for rehydration purposes only. Moret-sur Loing is a truly picturesque medieval village from the 12th century. With its half timber houses, big stone arches and old flour mills dotted beside a maze of rivers, offering several bathing opportunities, the French were out in force here with their picniques and bathers. We enjoyed a walk through the village before returning to Barbizon for our GnT's and toasting the success of 'Charles's' efficient planning, thou I was assured I would not be replaced yet!
And this is where things got interesting. La Grande Rue was blocked off, just past our apartment and le gendarmes were on duty. From our window, not five minutes later, a large fire truck and water tanker went past, no lights and sirens, but anxious to get up the street past the large delivery truck that was stuck trying to turn right on the barrow deviation road. Naturally after all this excitement we needed to check out what was going on. We walked to the end of the street where we saw a small plume of smoke rising from the forest and hoses hooked up to protect the village, just in case. There was a whiff of smoke but we slept easily, although two more firetrucks went up the road in the morning.
Today, Monday 13th, as I am finally updating the blogg, we are reading that the Fontainebleau Forest is alight. Two areas, are ablaze and over 2000acres have already been burnt. The A6, major motorway into Paris has been closed and a small village evacuated. Fire bombing aircraft from Canada are filling their 'buckets' from La Seine to help control the fire.
I guess this is the year of living dangerously.Read more
Another awesome dining experience
Jul 5–6 in France ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
Sunday was a sleep in day, after all, midnight is a late night for a couple of retirees. People watching out our front window was an awesome pastime and even just listening to the french conversations, provided a very relaxing environment , punctuated only by the need for ice cream latter in the day. The cobbled street is lined with galleries, often with artists in residence and it was much busier on the weekend, as the petite bourgeoisie from Paris arrived and paraded in their very chic attire, teetering on the edge of an accident in their fashion statement wedges.
By Monday we were ready for some retail therapy at the nearby Kiabi to buy Roger a second pair of shorts an a couple of cheap polo shirts. Stopped in at the Carefour cafeteria for a coffee, only to discover they served kir royale, ready mixed in champagne flute to go with your plat de jour, for a mere €1.50! It was tempting, but there was much better to come.
Two years ago via the 'Australians Living in France' FB page, there was a glowing account of La Doyenne Restaurant, in the little village of Petit Saint-Vrain, about 25 mins from Barbizon.
Reviews had come and gone since then, but since we had struggled to find an even half decent review for our local restaurants, we decided one good foodie experience beats six average local meals, so we took a chance and booked.
Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse and farm set within the historical grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain. The Château was once the country retreat of the Countess du Barry and Borghese family and has been the home of the Mortemart family for more than two centuries. In 2017, Australian chefs and owners, James Henry and Shaun Kelly, along with the Mortemart family, commenced the restoration and conversion of Le Doyenné – the Mortemart family’s name for the centuries’ old barn – into a restaurant and guesthouse.
The talented and highly experienced chefs, developed the foragers garden and orchard based on regenerative agricultural practices and it is this garden that is the source for their menu. There is definitely a vegetarian focus but they hand make their butter and sourdough bread, too. Protein such as duck and turbot, which were on our menu is sourced locally.
There was a set menu, seven courses plus an amuse and petit fours. Roger followed the sommelier’s choice of wines, but first a special champagne toast to Zena, whose love of food and cooking no doubt influenced Rogers passion.
The hors d'oeuvres focused on the garden and included a platter of petit vegetables with pesto and emulsions from the garden. It was spectacular, as was the raw tuna tartlet with finely diced chives. The photos tell the story.
Our first entree was Ajo Blanco, a cold almond soup with a summer vegetable salad - it was amazing and the plating just perfection.
This was followed by grilled turbot with artichoke, zucchini and stock foam. A most delicious combination.
Le Plat, or main course was a grilled Kriaxcra duck breast from the Basque country, accompanied by a Camargue rice pilaf with zucchini, both cooked over the kitchen's wood fire.
We skipped the cheese, in anticipation of the two deserts. Firstly a refreshing nectarine sorbet enclosed in a figleaf icecream and then, equally delicious, a gaufrette (wafer tube) with thyme cream and red fruit.
Overall Roger enjoyed the variety of different wines presented but when the sommelier presented a 'wine based' boutique Nondegu biere - what? with the stunning desserts he was somewhat perplexed. I had to agree.
In summary, it was a delicious, well planned, beautifully executed and plated, degustation of the freshest ingredients. As we departed we chatted to the maitre de, an Adelaide girl who had worked in Port Douglas for several years. She had been with the chefs for the past three years and spoke of a very special kitchen brigade, representing seventeen different cultures. A very modern, non-traditional take on French cuisine, in a stunning and no doubt, expensive renovation.
Another 2024 'star' ticked of the bucket list.Read more
Candles and fireworks lighten up the local Chateau
July 4 in France ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
Saturday night I had booked a 'bucket list', event one I'd starred on google maps back in 2024. Being married to a pyrotechnician, and with a personal interest in candles, the discovery of the French Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was understandably exciting. Why, you may ask? Well every Saturday evening through the summer, they host a special display- illuminating the Chateau and grounds with 2000 candles, and as darkness descends, the fireworks fill the sky.
But first things first. We'd packed a picnique, with quiches and a baguette from la Patisserie, GnT in the insulated water bottles and some delicious cheeses from la Fromagerie in Barbizon. We were getting low on fuel and it took a diversion and two stops before the Intermarche fuel station accepted the credit card and we were back on the road to Le Chateau. It was a spectacular entrance, through a beautiful avenue of trees to the Chateau carpark.
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was the quintessential French Chateau on a human scale. Not as 'grand' as those we visited in La Loire Valley, but every bit as picturesque, perfectly proportioned and the 2000 candles were already alight when we arrived about 8.30pm, even though it was still broad daylight. We celebrated our arrival, finally, with GnT's and our picnique, before joining the Chateau tour along with many others. There were several hundred visitors but no tour buses and the grounds were suitably large so there was room for everyone.
Inside the Chateau we were all given headsets which allowed us to be transported back in time via a fabulous interpretative dialogue, spoken in the third person by 'one of the original family descendents'. It was brilliant and perfectly synced as you moved from room to room.
By the time we exited the Chateau, darkness had descended so we found a viewpoint on the steps overlooking the gardens.
The sparklers were handed out and right on the dot of 11pm, the fireworks began with a bang. It was an impressive display that lasted a good 15 minutes with appropriate music to match. In the magic of 2000 candles, dancing children with sparklers and some extremely large shells exploding overhead, we were definitely in our element.Read more
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