Our trip home seemed to go on forever… around 5 hours for the ferry journey and 6 hours for the drive from Newhaven to Rhuddlan. We had a lazy start because of torrential rain… it didn’t seem worth leaving the aire in Aubin to attempt to do anything. As lunchtime approached, we headed to Dieppe... Continue Reading →
Pickleball and beach huts
Yesterday evening we made dinner for Mike and Gail, and had a brilliant evening that ended with us playing with dominoes and magnets, and laughing so much we were crying! The only bad thing was the chewy beef in the Stroganoff but I’m sure Mike and Gail’s dog, Tedi, enjoyed the bits we left. Today,... Continue Reading →
Monet’s Garden: Giverny
Today we’ve been to Giverny to visit the house and garden where the artist Claude Monet lived, painted and gardened. I didn’t have great expectations, thinking that it might be dull at the end of October. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It was stunning, with a wide variety of plants in all the colours under... Continue Reading →
Catching up with friends in Pacy-sur-Eure
Yesterday flew by. We had a delayed start because of a poor night’s sleep, problems with the gas water heater, John needing to wash his hair, and me having problems making the sat nav go where I wanted it to! In the end we were on the road, driving north to Normandy. The plan was... Continue Reading →
A castle and an unfinished church: Yèvre-le-Châtel
We’ve driven another few hours north today, stopping on the way to go to Aldi, and to fill up with diesel and gas. In between helping Sally sat nav by giving directions, I’ve managed to add the heel to both of the socks I’m knitting, without dropping any stitches. 😊 Despite driving through torrential rain... Continue Reading →
Charroux, a very beaux village
We left the campsite after an awful night’s sleep. I was too hot and my mosquito bites were annoying me, then it started raining and huge drops from the trees kept plinking on Bertie’s roof. The 5-hour journey went really well though… apart from me dropping a stitch in my knitting and having a nightmare... Continue Reading →
Jigsaw and geocaches
Today we’ve finished our Snowdonia jigsaw. I love it when the last few pieces go in! It’s so satisfying! 😃 It’s been very dull and windy but we had a 7k walk along a geocache trail on the island in the Rhône that we’re staying on. We found 13 of the 14 geocaches that we... Continue Reading →
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon is across the Rhône from Avignon, where the Pont d’Avignon once ended. We found it quieter and calmer than Avignon, and it was more pleasant to wander around, with far fewer tourists. Our city pass included a free transport pass so we took the bus to Villeneuve, although it was within walking distance for... Continue Reading →
Sur la Pont d’Avignon
The wind and rain stopped yesterday afternoon and, this morning, the sun came out… perfect for a walk into the medieval centre of Avignon. We popped to tourist information to buy passes for the places we wanted to visit, then wandered through the narrow streets and pretty squares. Our first stop was Les Halles, which... Continue Reading →
A walled town and a Roman aqueduct: Aigue-Mortes and Pont du Gard
Aigue-Mortes, which means stagnant water, is a 13th century walled town that was built on the salt marshes by Louis IX. It was an important Mediterranean port before the Rhône had deposited enough silt to landlock the town. Yesterday evening, we wandered through the town, inside the walls, before doing several geocaches around the walls.... Continue Reading →