Well not to disappoint it has been another very busy few weeks here in France. After a quiet week around Carcasssone with just 'The Fletts' whilst John was on leave, Kayleanne arrived back from London, full of enthusiasm for this great city. She had certainly mastered the tube and defied all rain reports and seen an incredible amount of this great city ( I think a big city girl at heart).
Maya's response to Kayleanne's return was that it was much nicer just having 'one" customer staying.....'from the mouths of babes'.
As it was Kayleanne's last week in France it was an absolute necessity that Provence and the Cote D'Azure be visited......only about 4 hours away..so we packed up the people mover, armed with map and 'The Lonely Planet' and headed for the coast..In typical Kiwi fashion it was a 'wing it' 'she'll be right approach' to the excursion with no reservations for 3 adults 2 children and a dog made in advance. The locals had said that we would have no trouble at this time, and we were ready for another adventure.
Our first agenda...The Romans...We had to see what all the fuss in the Asterix books was all about, and worth the effort as the Pont du Gard aqueduct is a magnificent landmark and piece of history, from there headed to Arles as wanted to explore the 2000 year old Amphitheatre and the Roman baths. 15 minutes from Arles Will fell asleep in the car...and as I would rather throw myself to the Lions than wake him, we decided to keep driving for a little longer before stopping. We were close to the National Park Wetlands called the Camargue and Corrine and Richard had told me this was well worth a visit and so headed for this. We stumbled upon a tourist attraction in the Park that had a train and horse riding, Will was rousing....perfect....it was great, Maya rode a pony and then John took them on the train which went through the park and covered all the wildlife highlights, flamingoes, white horses and black bulls.
From there headed to Arles.....later than had hoped..this town was bigger than I remembered. Checked out the Tourist Information and my desperate pleeing and good luck got the last 2 beds in town, in a very charming and well priced hotel very close to all the sights. It was bags down and straight to dinner as ugliness imminent.
We went to a very average looking nearby restaurant and decided to go local with the cuisine...John missed out on the Frog legs(not surprising as I have only seen tadpoles in the local river)...I went for the Bull casserole, straight from the local arena....(always keen on recycling)...John and Kayleanne opted for seafood and we had the most devine meals....kids went ethnic also, with Pomme Frites. Crashed....I did not sleep well however, as shared the double bed with husband, four year old and dog...!
Mummy a little tired and grumpy the next day....so all on tour kept a low profile and offered lots of caffeine...wine o'clock seemed a long way away..
Explored the Amphitheatre... also bigger than I remembered...and in very good nick ..it is always moving to think of what entertainment went on here 2 milleniums ago.. Then to the Roman baths.... then it was time to leave Arles. A very pretty town.
Headed for Marseille and the coastal road of the Cote A'zure, our very loose objective being to stay close to St Tropez.....After we left the pay roads, and found the coastal route was a much, much slower journey than we had anticipated....we crawled bumper to bumper along the road, and kept thinking that there MUST have been an accident , or some event in each town we passed...but were informed "c'est normal'............we were keen to lunch in the very pretty seaside town Cassis..(the thought of it reminding me of the two cassis and wine drinks that got me very blurry eyed at a Montlaur event...I was ready for this! ) but the traffic and parking was impossible...so headed further. As if by mirage the next town had those magical golden arches ( is this the grail?) which were met by cheers by all. Dogs are allowed in Mac D's in France!
After a not so tradtitional french lunch, but a very satisfiying one...we plodded up the coast. By late afternoon we arrived at our destination La Lavandou. The tourist information regretted that there was nothing available here, but could find us a large family room at the next beach 8 km up the coast...sweet. The place was large clean and had a large balcony overlooking the sea...I was happy. We had a late afternoon swim in the beach across from the hotel called " Pramousquier' which got John all excited...but actually a very family beach...no nudists here. Had a very simply dinner and to bed with the doors open and the sound of the sea. I slept very well!
Up early the next day ( c'est normal) and had a french breakfast on the balcony, said au revoir, and within two hours we were lying on the beach at St Tropez. Very busy, and very buzzy...and the beach ' Tahiti Beach' which we were on was very pleasant. Will was fascinated by the helicopter pad 50 metres from us and the comings and goings of the yellow copper ( a good idea considering the roads), Kayleanne was fascinated by the super yachts and the lifestyles of the rich and famous. I was more fascinated why any woman over 40 thinks her breasts look better topless than in lovely supportive swimwear...not a lot of boob jobs here...and plenty of work available in the 'lift' department. Our agenda, and the factor rating on our sunscreen said it was time to go...so packed up again..and moved further up the coast for Cannes...the red carpet was awaiting us.
Cannes was chaos. Found a carpark, the tourist information and a very reasonable hotel....way to go.....hit the town, the Boulevard de la Croisette, the beaches and of course the red carpet at the Palais des Festivals...this was very exciting for film loving John, and we were even more excited to think the next time we stand on the red carpet will be for our Palme d'Or nomination.
Our experience so far and helpful tourist office changed our agenda for the next day. We left the 'people mover' at the train station and bought an 'Isobel pass' for the Train. Twelve euro for the day for an adult and you can get on or off at any of the towns on the Cote d' Azure. The tracks are right on the searoad so you do not miss any of the sights...a great way to see this coastline. They also allow dogs! Vive la France! Went directly to Monaco....as gorgeous as when I last stayed some 15 years ago. Saw Corrine and Richards appartment building, the casino, the palace and the changing of the guards. Then boarded for one of my all time favourite places...VilleFranche sur Mer...Corrine and Richard used to take me here for lunch when I visited them on Frankfurt layovers....those were the days...................It is still heavenly with most wonderful memories for me. Mat I believe you did your french course here and also think it is a very beautiful place.
Day disappearing and trained back to Cannes ( tempted to squeeze in Antibes...but thought better of it)....loaded all aboard and left at 5 o'clock for the 5 hour drive directly home to Montlaur. Those on tour passed on more french villages...as we have A LOT in Corbieres..although I think John will have to visit the villages of Provence in the future as I remember them to very spectacular.
A few very quiet days at home...Kayleanne packed up her 3 month stay, and it was a drive to Toulouse to say goodbye. It was great to share this wonderful experience and we all hope you loved the places and sights we shared as much as we did. We hope living with the Fletts has not scarred you too much...and that you have some fantastic memories ...it was great having you to make them with.... A Bientot...
Back to semi-reality with John away for 2 weeks albiet 2 nights. He is excited to be staying in our new house in London and getting this all underway. I will not see it until October...but I am looking forward to this.
Next Chapter, my bon amie Sharon arrives mid August...can't wait!
Bye for now Denise
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment