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Out Of Mothballs

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    SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Roadtrip - Pt II

    October 26 in France ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    It's hard to think of a nicer way to spend a Sunday afternoon than driving through the French countryside and the Massif Central highlands.

    Autumn colours, quiet villages, amazing scenery 😊
    D@mn cold outside the car though.Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    First glimpse from the car
    First glimpse from under the umbrella

    Exploring - Rocamadour

    October 25 in France ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Another rainy day, another very pretty village.

    The gravity defying medieval village of Rocamadour is built on 3 levels. The village, comprising a single street, is near the bottom of the cliff, religious sanctuaries and chapels are in the middle, and the castle is at the top.

    Rocamadour became a place of religious pilgrimage as far back as the 12th century but it is now more a tourist destination than a pilgrimage centre.

    The village is on the Way of St James pilgrimage route, and devout hikers do climb the 216 steps from the village to the sanctuary on their knees. Or, there's an elevator.

    Approximately 1.5 million people visit Rocamadour every year. None of them were here today ... it's a very quiet time of year for traveling.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Exploring - Castelnaud

    October 24 in France ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Continuing our theme of "exploring lovely French villages in the rain", next on the list was Castelnaud-la-Chapelle ...

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Exploring - Cabanes du Breuil

    October 24 in France ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    The description in the tourist literature reads '15th century rural dwellings, reflecting the ancient ways of peasant life'.

    Another description reads 'former agricultural outbuildings of a farm, dating from the 19th or early 20th century'.

    Regardless of their age, these dry-stone huts were fascinating. With no mortar at all (or perhaps some earth mortar in the lower walls, depending on which account you read), the walls are up to 1m thick with a 2-layer roof. The inner layer of the roof is a corbelled vault which acts as a frame for the outer layer of stacked, flat limestone stones. This type of roofing is a hallmark of the region and can weigh up to 700kg per m2.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Cabin Fever

    October 23 in France ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    It's so nice to see the sun again after 2 days of wet weather.

    Mr Fit-Body was keen to don the hiking boots and have an active day in the great outdoors. Ms Office-Body has a cold (or possibly a dose of European Covid) and was keen to stay in her slippers and curl up in a warm spot for a very inactive day.

    So that's exactly what we each did.

    Mr Fit-Body scoped out a couple of great hiking trails, with gorgeous views and ruins to explore.
    Ms Office-Body fell asleep in the bean bag.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Exploring - La Roque-Gageac

    October 22 in France ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    The weather forecast hinted that the rain would be clearing in the afternoon so we pointed the car in the direction of La Roque-Gageac. We were hoping to squeeze in a short river cruise, weather permitting.

    The rain did let up a little but the constant drizzle didn't inspire river cruising. Hard to appreciate the views of chateaux perched on top of towering cliffs from beneath the rain awning on a boat.

    The village is described as one of the most photogenic spots in south-west France. It's easy to see why but, today, in the rain, it wasn't looking it's best.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Braving the rain to see the view (not us)A quick look around the village of Biron

    Exploring - Chateau de Biron

    October 22 in France ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    From the 11th to the 20th century, this Chateau has seen it all.

    Besieged, taken, modified, beautified, landscaped (now lost), modernised, renovated, and now being restored. There's a long list of influential people through the Ages who resided, visited, or banqueted here.

    A great place to spend half a day ducking the rain.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Market Hall Square ... we have the place to ourselves
    Place de La Rode ... we had lunch here but centuries ago, people came here to watch public tortureA lovely view, made less lovely by the weather

    Exploring - Domme

    October 21 in France ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Rain !!!!!!

    We've been lucky with the weather so far but it seems Lady Luck is done with us. Rain, fog, and constant drizzle were the order for the day. Oh, the joy of having a car 😀

    Today's exploration took us to the village of Domme, a fortified medieval town listed as one of the region's most beautiful villages. We wandered a bit, sheltered from a heavy rain burst, wandered a bit more, sheltered again ... it was the pattern for the day.Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Example of construction at the time the village was built
    Scale model of a very small part of the villageStaircase carved into the cliffLooking down on remnants of the lower terrace

    Exploring - La Roque St. Christophe

    October 20 in France ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    There is evidence of human occupation in the caves and crevices here since prehistoric times. At the end of the first millenium, the 'guys in charge of things at the time' decided to build 5 defensive forts to block the navigable river access for all invaders. One of those forts was constructed at La Roque Saint-Christophe on the Vezere River. It was a strategic location and the cliffs provided both shelter and protection.

    The natural crevices in the limestone cliff face were gradually enlarged and deepened in the Middle Ages and an entire village was built, comprising homes, workshops, staircases between levels, and a chapel. All perched high above the river and the valley floor.

    A scale model has been constructed, from archival information and studies of archaeological evidence, to show a small portion of the terraced village. The entire site was destroyed in the 16th century.

    Absolutely fascinating place.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Wherever The Bus Will Take Us

    October 19 in France ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We'll be picking up a hire car tomorrow and will be able to explore further afield but, until then, we're on shank's pony or wherever a local bus will take us.

    Today the bus took us the Saint-Genies, a small but charming rural village north of Sarlat. Very picturesque, very quiet, and our starting point for a 10 km (ish) meander after taking a peek in the chateau and ancient church in the middle of the village.Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Our 'front door', and Mr Fit-Body trying to remember the door code :-)

    Staying Awhile - Sarlat la Caneda

    October 16 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Beautifully preserved medieval and Renaissance buildings, foodie paradise, and our base for the next week or so.

    Our accommodation is in the centre of the old town, an 'attic' apartment in a 500 year old building. We're a stone's throw from the cathedral and our bedroom window is level with the 7.00am good morning church bells.

    Sarlat absolutely oozes charm ... market squares, cobbled streets, narrow lanes, inner courtyards, and very few tourists at this time of year. There are quaint restaurants and bistros offering regional gastronomic specialties, including duck, goose, foie gras, truffles, and walnut wine (consumed as an aperitif).

    Looking forward to exploring the region.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Passing Through - Chambord

    October 14 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Chateau de Chambord, the largest and most recognisable chateau in the Loire Valley.

    Built as a royal hunting lodge in the 16th century, and a symbol of wealth and power, it was rarely used by the King who commissioned it. Huge, freezing cold, completely unfurnished, and not practical for anything other than short stays. All furniture, wall coverings, household items, and foodstuffs had to be brought to the Chateau in a major logistical undertaking for every short hunting visit.

    And then the King died. The Chateau was abandoned. Finally, 80 or so years later, some restoration work was done and later a large stable was added ... the royal hunting parties were back on the agenda for a while. By the end of the 17th century, it was abandoned again.

    It was a dilapidated and deserted 'white elephant'; gifted to nobles and inherited by heirs who did nothing with it. It became the property of the French state in 1930 ... and is still huge, freezing cold, and mostly unfurnished.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Passing Through - Blois

    October 13 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After a long, lazy breakfast in Ghent, we were back on a train for our next transit leg.

    Destination: Blois

    During the Renaissance, Blois was the official residence of the King of France. The older parts of the city reflect the wealth and power that used to reside here.

    Joan of Arc also passed through here and made Blois her base of operations. She stayed at the Royal Chateau to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before heading out with her army to drive out the English.

    And Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin was born here. He was a magician and illusionist ... Erik Weisz, aka "Harry Houdini", adopted the surname when he became a professional magician in the 1890s.

    Things slowed down in Blois when the Royal court left town and headed to Fountainebleau in the 16th century, but picked up again when the railway and industrialisation arrived in the 19th century.

    We visited the Tourist Information Centre and picked up a walking tour map of the old town, then spent a few hours roaming from point to point, reading interesting stuff about each site or area as we went.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Hotel d'Hane SteenhuyseHotel d'Hane SteenhuyseHotel d'Hane SteenhuyseHotel d'Hane SteenhuyseGraffiti StGraffiti StGraffiti St

    Passing Through - Ghent

    October 12 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Breakfast, pack up, bid farewell, and a short walk to the train station ... our bike/barge adventure wrapped up quickly this morning and we were in transit by 10am.

    Destination: Ghent

    After dropping our bags at the hotel, we hit the streets to see what we could see. We only got as far as the first corner before the aroma of good coffee stopped us in our tracks.

    We squeezed a lot into today, including
    * A general roam around the old centre and the main tourist sites.
    * A tour of Hotel d'Hane Steenhuyse, an 18th century noble townhouse which is now open to the public as a 'house museum'. On the list of famous house guests (back in the day), King Louis XVIII, in exile from France, took refuge and held court here in 1815.
    * Graffiti Street, a public canvas for street artists.
    * A short tourist cruise to see the city from the water.

    And we did justice to few Belgian beers as well.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Flanders by Bike - Day 7

    October 11 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The last day of our bike/barge adventure, people were scattering in all directions. The bikes, and route maps, were available for anyone who wanted a loop ride from Bruges but a lot of people had other ideas. Some had booked walking tours of the historic centre, some had booked massages and spa treatments, others were coordinating the opening hours of various museums to work out which ones to go to first.

    Mr Fit-Body chose the bikes.
    Ms Office-Body made a list of things she wanted to see in Bruges.

    Mr Fit-Body rode along some canals, explored a couple of villages, and enjoyed the views.
    Ms Office-Body enjoyed quiet moments in the parks and gardens of Bruges, joined the tourists in a 12th century basilica (rebuilt in the 16th century), wandered through the Gruuthuse Museum, and ate far too many belgian waffles during the day.

    A final dinner with our fellow travellers on the barge rounded out the day. We disembark immediately after breakfast tomorrow morning and head off on the next leg of our journey.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Lovendegem Castle
    At least there aren't any cobblestonesA coffee stop for the keen cyclistsOur barge, from the cycle pathThe cycle path, from our bargeNot a cobblestone in sight :-)Chatting with Mr Fit-Body while the barge had stopped to take on waterA lazy pootle along the canal towards BrugesMr Fit-Body arriving in BrugesMs Office-Body arriving in BrugesLet loose in Bruges to forage for foodBut first, beer o'clock in a 12th century cellarOutside table at a restaurant on the main square for a spot of 'people watching'Back to the barge with full bellies

    Flanders by Bike - Day 6

    October 10 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today's route was 44 km from the mooring point near Lovendegem, 10 km NW of Ghent, to Bruges. For the most part, the route followed the canal which connects the two cities, occasionally veering off into the countryside and then coming back to the canal path.

    A couple of people, including Ms Office-Body, chose to enjoy the canal scenery from the comfort of the barge rather than from the discomfort of the bike seat. A few others went even further and just took an early train from Ghent to Bruges ... sore joints and aching bum-bones dictated the actions for many people today.

    Those who were still keen for another day on the bike (Mr Fit-Body, of course) set off after breakfast and arrived in Bruges in the early afternoon. The barge moored at 3.00pm

    Tonight is the only night we didn't have an evening meal provided onboard. We were set loose in Bruges to find our own sustenance, with a list of recommended bars and restaurants.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    A very short ferry ride to get across the river after leaving Dendermonde
    Sun !!!! Intermittent throughout the day but we basked at every opportunity.Commercial flower growingKasteel van Laarne, one of Belgium's best preserved moated castles (13th century)Enjoying our ride in the sunLunch stopSound on !!! Cobbles !!!!! Not sure if the rattling noise is from the bike, or from our teeth.Arriving in Ghent

    Flanders by Bike - Day 5

    October 9 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Sun !!! We have sun !!!!!

    The weather so far has been cool and cloudy .... good for cycling but a little drab for our photos. Today, the sun popped out from behind the clouds and we basked 😊

    We had a 9.00am start and a 46 km route to Ghent, although the barge mooring was 10 km on the other side of the city so it made for a longer day. And there were quite a few cobbled areas today. Our eyeballs were jiggling, and our bum-bones were smashed. People who ride regularly in these areas have bikes with suspension. All we could do was hang on tight and stay upright.

    Quite a relaxed ride today. A lazy coffee stop, a castle, lovely scenery ... the day whizzed by and we arrived in Ghent mid afternoon. We'll be back here in a couple of days so, instead of trying to see the sights, we found a sunny spot at an outdoor cafe in the main square, ordered a couple of beers and just watched the world go by for a while. Our tour guide, Marcel, joined us and we chatted the afternoon away until it was time to hoist our cobble-weary backsides onto the bike for the ride out of town to the barge mooring.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Riding into Antwerp
    Guild houses in Antwerp market squareKasteel Wissekerke, mostly built in the 15th centuryOne of the oldest surviving wrought iron suspension bridges in Europe, built in 1824Private fishing cabins on a private fishing lakeCatching a glimpse as we cycle past the gateAnother packed lunchSome people have gnomes in their front garden, other people have helicoptersArriving in Dendermonde ... where are all the people ???No one here except another couple from the bargeMr Fit-Body doing his best to fill the entire squareBeer o'clock !!!!

    Flanders by Bike - Day 4

    October 8 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Antwerp to Dendermonde .... 50 bum-numbing kilometres alleviated by looking at lovely scenery.

    We started the day by riding into the market square of Antwerp at 9.00am and almost having the place to ourselves. We finished the day by riding into the market square of Dendermonde at 4.30pm and absolutely having the place to ourselves. Where are all the people ????

    For today's route, we had the choice of leaving Antwerp by cycling through a tunnel under the river or staying above ground and catching a waterbus. We took the bus.

    Lots to see as we meandered along the route, following the Schelde river for most of the day. After a coffee break in Temse, a lunch break at a picnic table on the cycle path, and a beer break in Vlassenbroek, we still got to Dendermonde with plenty of time to spare before re-boarding the barge. So we enjoyed a quiet pre-dinner drink in the very empty market square and then tackled the final 650m to the barge mooring.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Riding into Tholen
    Compulsory stop to stroke the nose of a friendly horseHorses are as bad at selfies as Ms Office-Body :-)'Moses Bridge' (built 2010) through the water @ Fort de Roovere (built 1628)Beach resort ????Did not expect rail crossings on a cycle pathCoffee stop ... an opportunity to get the aching bum-bones off the saddle3.00pm sharp, we all arrived to board the barge (@ Kreekraksluizen)Willemdok, Antwerpen

    Flanders by Bike - Day 3

    October 7 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    A leisurely start to the day as the barge pootled from Dordrecht to our starting point near Tholen. The resounding chorus at breakfast was "oooh, my aching bum-bones" !!!!
    It was unanimously agreed that the upright riding position on the bikes puts a lot of pressure in one place, despite squishy seat covers and padded cycling knickers.

    By 10.30am we were ready to go, with strict instructions to be an unpronounceable location on the map by 3.00pm to meet the barge for an afternoon cruise into Antwerp.

    We followed the route numbers for 35 km through mostly rural countryside. We stopped briefly to wander around Fort de Roovere, built at the time of the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, but stopped longer at a cafe where we could rest our aching backsides on hard, wooden benches and sip coffee whilst eating our packed lunches.

    Everyone made it to the allocated meeting point by 3.00pm and re-boarded the barge. Destination: Antwerp.

    After dinner onboard, we had our briefing for tomorrow's route and then went ashore to stretch our legs. The barge was moored near the MAS museum which has an open observation deck on the top floor so, after 10 floors of elevators, we had a birds eye view of the city lights of Antwerp.

    It was cold. We retreated to the barge for an early night. More cycling tomorrow.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    As ready as we'll ever be
    Only 3 km into the ride and we were ready to stop for coffeeNavigating by the green numbersCity of SchoonhovenMedieval gatehouse, SchoonhovenKinderdijkDordrechtMoored for the night

    Flanders by Bike - Day 2

    October 6 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Breakfast on the barge is from 7.15am to 8.30am so we set the alarm to ensure we were up 'n' showered in time. The barge was already in motion by the time we started eating, making its way to Vianen where we would start our cycle tour.

    Part of the breakfast ritual will be to make our own packed lunch each day. The breakfast buffet includes fruit, breadrolls, sliced meats and cheeses, salad items, and pastries ... plenty on offer to fill our brown paper lunch bags.

    Fortified by a big breakfast, and with our lunch supplies packed into the bike panniers, we set off to cycle through Netherlands and Belgium. Today's route covered 60.3 km, it was quite flat (not surprising) but very windy (also not surprising given this is the land of windmills).

    Navigating was quite easy once we got the hang of it. Instead of a map, we had a list of numbers. Every intersection, or connection, of the cycle paths or routes has a number, and there is a signpost at every intersection so you know which direction will take you to your next number.

    The first part of the ride took us through a couple of small towns and many kilometres of what we think were originally linear settlements along a small canal. The second part was more rural, and we battled a strong headwind as we rode through the Kinderdijk UNESCO site. Unfortunately the weather was dull and grey so our photos of this very scenic area are all the same colour.

    Our ride concluded at a ferry terminal, we very luckily arrived at the same time as the ferry was docking. This took us south to Dordrecht, where the barge was moored for the night. The ferry ride was part of the official route, we didn't just give up and catch it instead of riding the last section :-)    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler
    Step 1: Find the barge
    Step 2: Find our cabinStep 3: Welcome drinks and meeting our fellow travellers

    Flanders by Bike - Day 1

    October 5 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    After our very short visit to Amsterdam, we boarded our barge 'De Holland' and found our cabin. It's a good size, plenty of room to unpack what we need and store the suitcases under the bed.

    The barge set off mid-afternoon for a leisurely cruise to our first overnight stop near Utrecht. We indulged in the welcome drinks and met a few of our fellow passengers. We're quite a small group. The boat will take 60-70 passengers but there are only 44 people on this trip. It is the second to last trip for this barge before it hibernates for the winter when it's too d@mn cold for cycling holidays.

    Before dinner, we had a briefing for tomorrow's cycling. As well as explaining signage and road rules, our tour guide (Marcel) explained the route and how to read the directions. He made it sound so easy, let's see how we go tomorrow.    Read more

  • SQUIRREL TALESOut Of MothballsTraveler

    Amsterdam - Just Passing Through

    October 5 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    On the move this morning from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. We only had a little over an hour to kill in Amsterdam ... this passed far too quickly with a stroll around some of the gorgeous canals near the train station.

    After a quick lunch, we were on a ferry and heading to the mooring point for the barge which is going to be our home for the next 7 days.    Read more

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