Well as you will have realised, the Fletts life is never dull and there is always something happening. This week John arrived into Carcassonne along with our great friends Suzie and Derek and 7 year old son Luca. Maya and Will were fit to burst ...and I was relieved for the company after 5 days home alone and a respite from the constant question of 'How many more sleeps before they arrived".
The Heard's had stopped in LA for a Disney experience and then into London. It was great to offer them the convenience of our house in London, and they made the most of their 48 hours, defying jetlag and taking in the sights of London, by Double decker bus around the city, and boat on the Thames River. They were very fortunate to have John as an escort and guide to Stansted for the flight to Carcassonne as he joined them on this flight back to France.
We gave them the 'Greatest Hits' tour into Montlaur, passed The Cite of Carcassonne, and through the wine region of Corbieres. That afternoon John took Suzie and Derek for a coffee at LaGrasse, and they strolled this pretty village and toured The Abbey. The plan that night was to all have a dinner out at the castle, but Will decided to have a melt down...and Mummy decided to discipline (see, I can do it!) and so it was vegemite toast for me.
Next day was a biggy, and guests got to choose one of several suggested itineraries....Itinerary one chosen: Rennes le Chateau for mystery tour, Rennes le Bain for a soak and as many antique stores as possible inbetween...right.... off we went .....stopped once again at the Brocantes into Limoux...or should I say "Broken" as these antique warehouses have bits and pieces stored indoors and outdoors, rain and shine, and I do not think one item is complete. Even so, some pretty cool large pieces, including upholstered bedheads and beautiful wardrobes...did buy a couple more Lourdes Holy water bottles ( pure kitsch).
Suzie and Derek, I think, did purchase the best piece of Jesus Junk seen whilst in France, at an antique store in Limoux. I had spotted this before with Sharon and we commented on how this crucifix was one of the best we had seen, but was 'trop cher" when asked for the price as told 30 Euro. It is a black standing crucifix about 2 feet tall, with Jesus in silver, below him is a silver skull and crossbone. Apparently this was used in Exorcisms and is from the late 1800's...very cool and quite rare, and Derek sealed the deal at 12 euros's ...way to go....was sad I had not picked this up myself as would have been very useful when dealing with my son...oh well, will just have to watch Supernanny instead!
That night had a lovely relaxing meal at home. The next day the Heards had a big day and were picking up their rental car and heading for the Italian border, from there onto Tuscany to the farm house they have rented for a week..............originally we had planned to join them on this voyage, but sadly John's leave had not been available for this time, however, John had come down with an ailment that left him unable to fly, but able to holiday...and so we decided to gatecrash their vacation.
So as a fabulose and unexpected surprise my wonderful husband was taking me to Tuscany to spend my Birthday 'Under a Tuscan Sun' .What more could a girl ask for. (All husband's reading this ...please do not send Hate Mail ). So it was a quick pack whilst the boys picked up the rental car and by lunch time we were heading East towards the Riviera again. After our previous excursion here decided to head to the quietest seafront town that was also close to the A8. That would have to be Menton.
Menton is the most Eastern town on the French Riviera and right next to Monaco and the Italian border. Corrine had taken me here when I visited her in Monaco a decade or so ago. I had loved it and so made the suggestion. It paid off big time. It was easy to find, get into, and we found a hotel, although very little left at 7pm on a Friday night for 7 people and a dog. It was a street back from the sea, and although a little more pricey than estimated...all and all very good. Walked to the seafront and had a much needed meal of wine and pizzas under a clear sky under a waning moon. The next day walked the promenade and were all stunned by the beautiful colour palette of this town. All buildings in different hues of pastel pinks, greys and apricots contrasted against the sea and the sun, craddled by the dominating rockface of mountain cliffs ...breathtaking. Found the incredible produce market and stocked up on some supplies....next stop Lucca...Tuscany
Ascended the hills back onto the A8 pay road passed the first tunnel and found ourselves in Italy, there were another 154 tunnels ( I counted! ) on this dizzying road to La Spezia on the coast. From the highway overlooking the Ligurian Coast the towns looked decidedly shabby compared to the French Riveria ...but we were to find later that this was most definitely not the case. From La Spezia headed inland into Tuscany and the beautiful region of Lucca we had left the landscape of vineyards and pastels behind and replaced this with olive trees and a pallette of ochres...BEAUTIFUL.
Susan and Derek had investigated and researched thoroughly this region, both mastering the language and discovering a wonderful house to rent.
The Ai Linchi Farmhouse. This is situated at the foot of the hills of S.Alessio, along the route of the "Road of Wine", just 4 km away from the centre of Lucca. The house has been reconstructed from an ancient cowshed with hayloft and converted into two large houses. Whilst staying we shared the house with two very pleasant German couples from Cologne who were renting the other house. Ai Linchi is situated amongst farmland and has its own enormous swimming pool, plus the added charm of local church who's tolling bells helped us to mark the passage of time. Arrived at about 4pm. The kids had been tremendous and had been promised a swim in the pool on this hot perfect day. The house was huge and everyone was very happy.
On Sunday we headed into the city of Lucca. Lucca is the largest Italian city with its medieval city wall still intact, the wall is infact wide enough to walk and cycle on and is infact a pedestrian promenade. Within the walls are houses and shops, cathedrals and the central piazza, the Piazza dell'Anfitteatro.This continues to have traces of the ancient roman amphitheatre and most of the restaurants are located here making it a great place to dine and watch people coming and going. It is an easy walk ( although you need a map) around the the city, and you can catch a bus called 'The Clap'around the town, however, having spent most of my adult life avoiding 'catching the clap' preferred to walk. Enjoyed a full day here and raced back to the house for 4pm for the Rugby World Cup. We were in holiday in Italy, from our house in France, watching the All Blacks, against Scotland, with a German commentary...very cosmopolitain. Enjoyed the slaughtering!
Next day the Heards and John headed to Pisa, I had previously been and so opted to give the kids a car free day and stay at the house with Maya and Will and enjoy the farm and pool. We all planned to have big day on Tuesday and catch the train into Florence and enjoy this incredible city, on serious consideration figured that the busy cobbled streets of Florence with its cultural galleries were no place for a 2 year old and 4 year old and a pushchair, and so decided we should play tag with this day. John, Susan, Derek and Luca caught the train to Florence
and had a 
huge day exploring the Uffuzi Gallery, Science Museum, Cathedral and the Duoma. I stayed by the pool with Maya and Will and explored the local countryside and Supermarket. Wednesday was my turn and the team had prebooked my ticket into the Uffizi, Susan joined me, and I finally was able to see the glorious Botticelli's that I had been unable to see when last in Florence. The girls headed for the San Lorenzo markets (of course) and maybe I am getting older, or maybe I have all that I need, but they seemed quite disappointing, and much to our husbands satisfaction did little retail damage. Returned home to a wonderful birthday surprise of party, balloons and cake, and a superb dinner of roasted vegetables, salmon and pesto orzo created by Suzie and Derek very pleasant. Sadly for the boys and the kids, the weather had turned and the planned day by the pool had been aborted...the weather continued to worsen, and I am not sure if this is a menacing omen for the year ahead but my Bithday arrived with a huge electrical storm. I opened the shutters and went to bed and watched natures drama unfold.
The drama however, turned into a saga and the stormed lasted some 36 hours. Our planned day in the Cinque Terre was delayed and we took an excursion into the Tuscan hills and thought a good place to avoid the storm would be to visit one of the ancient Grottos in the mountains, The Grotta Del Vento. This enormous cave was very exciting for the children and the drive through the mountains spectacular. Following this visited a nearby historical monastery called the Calomine Hermitage. The church and monk quarters underground into the shear rockface and concelled by the 18th-century facade. A real treasure, the priest and curator bonded with Susan and Derek and took them on a personal tour of the monastery. He was very impressed with Derek's Italian- so efforts paid off. John and I took the children to the adjacent restaurant and dined on trout fished from the trout farm in the gorge below us. On the way home more treasures discovered in a eagerly discovered antique store. That night John and I were keen for a night in together and Suzie and Derek headed into Lucca to a recommended restaurant that didn't disappoint.
The week was disappearing...the rain was not....the Cinque Terre delayed again, and so headed again to Lucca and enjoyed a relaxed day strolling this historical place.
Saturday, the sun looked promising, packed up and prepared for a very big day. Drove West and past the Cinque Terre into the very beautiful Italian Riveria town Santa Margherita Ligure. This town was about an hour train ride North West of the Cinque Terre. Within an hour of arrival like something from the "Amazing Race" had found a carpark, hotel, nappy changed and was on the train heading for the first of the five bays in the Cinque Terre.
The Cinque Terre is 18 kilometres of sheer rocky coastline, five little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and hills, century old footpaths and mule tracks wind about 500-1000 ft above the sea, leading between olive groves, vineyards and orchards connecting the villages. It is virtually inaccessible by car, although a short train ride can connect you between the villages, however most people walk the track which takes about 5 hours. We started at the first village Riomaggiore and walked to the second, 
Manarola...stunning...the 2 hour walk to next Corniglia proved too arduous for the pushchair so turned back and took the train directly to the last village Monterossa, here we had a hot chocolate overlooking the sea and a quick stroll on the beach. Suzie Derek and Luca completed the track, which meant a steady pace before darkness came...it was more arduous and steeper with many steps than we had predicted so pleased we had given in to reason. They were very pleased to have completed this amazing pieces of Italian coastline and rewarded themselves with a recommended restaurant at Monterossa. Met at breakfast the next day, and after a quite look around the beautiful and very affluent town of S. Margherita Ligure and its neighbouring town Portofino, the Fletts started the long journey back to France and Montlaur...a 7 hour car journey .....
The Heards made the most of every opportunity and had an extra night in Provence in a pretty town of San Remy de Provence, if your looking for a decaying chateau full of lost grandeur, and with every creepy cliche your imagination could ask for, then the hotel they stayed in, Chateau Rousson is the place to stay! They also managed to squeeze in an excursion to the Pont du Gard.
We all appreciated being able to share this time with Susie, Derek and Luca - especially Maya and Will - and thank them very much for letting us gatecrash their holiday at the last minute.
The Heards arrived back last night, to a gloomy 'Montlaur in the clouds', and we were privileged to have our new wine making friend Christain join us for dinner, he was able to add a richness of culture and knowledge to our evening - so very special.
Today John, Susan, Derek and Luca head to London, from here the Heards head to LA, then home to Auckland. John has 2 days in London doing Emergency Procedures Training then back for packing and house cleaning as we leave for London next Wednesday the 10th October via the Pyrennees, Lourdes, Bilbao and Santander, catching the carferry from here to Plymouth England. This will be our last long car journey in a very long time and as much as we have loved and relished all we have seen and every opportunity presented, we look forward to a quieter and less busy time on the roads in the UK.
Will keep you all updated with a progress report and farewell note from Montlaur.
The Heard's had stopped in LA for a Disney experience and then into London. It was great to offer them the convenience of our house in London, and they made the most of their 48 hours, defying jetlag and taking in the sights of London, by Double decker bus around the city, and boat on the Thames River. They were very fortunate to have John as an escort and guide to Stansted for the flight to Carcassonne as he joined them on this flight back to France.
We gave them the 'Greatest Hits' tour into Montlaur, passed The Cite of Carcassonne, and through the wine region of Corbieres. That afternoon John took Suzie and Derek for a coffee at LaGrasse, and they strolled this pretty village and toured The Abbey. The plan that night was to all have a dinner out at the castle, but Will decided to have a melt down...and Mummy decided to discipline (see, I can do it!) and so it was vegemite toast for me.
Next day was a biggy, and guests got to choose one of several suggested itineraries....Itinerary one chosen: Rennes le Chateau for mystery tour, Rennes le Bain for a soak and as many antique stores as possible inbetween...right.... off we went .....stopped once again at the Brocantes into Limoux...or should I say "Broken" as these antique warehouses have bits and pieces stored indoors and outdoors, rain and shine, and I do not think one item is complete. Even so, some pretty cool large pieces, including upholstered bedheads and beautiful wardrobes...did buy a couple more Lourdes Holy water bottles ( pure kitsch).
Suzie and Derek, I think, did purchase the best piece of Jesus Junk seen whilst in France, at an antique store in Limoux. I had spotted this before with Sharon and we commented on how this crucifix was one of the best we had seen, but was 'trop cher" when asked for the price as told 30 Euro. It is a black standing crucifix about 2 feet tall, with Jesus in silver, below him is a silver skull and crossbone. Apparently this was used in Exorcisms and is from the late 1800's...very cool and quite rare, and Derek sealed the deal at 12 euros's ...way to go....was sad I had not picked this up myself as would have been very useful when dealing with my son...oh well, will just have to watch Supernanny instead!
That night had a lovely relaxing meal at home. The next day the Heards had a big day and were picking up their rental car and heading for the Italian border, from there onto Tuscany to the farm house they have rented for a week..............originally we had planned to join them on this voyage, but sadly John's leave had not been available for this time, however, John had come down with an ailment that left him unable to fly, but able to holiday...and so we decided to gatecrash their vacation.
So as a fabulose and unexpected surprise my wonderful husband was taking me to Tuscany to spend my Birthday 'Under a Tuscan Sun' .What more could a girl ask for. (All husband's reading this ...please do not send Hate Mail ). So it was a quick pack whilst the boys picked up the rental car and by lunch time we were heading East towards the Riviera again. After our previous excursion here decided to head to the quietest seafront town that was also close to the A8. That would have to be Menton.
Menton is the most Eastern town on the French Riviera and right next to Monaco and the Italian border. Corrine had taken me here when I visited her in Monaco a decade or so ago. I had loved it and so made the suggestion. It paid off big time. It was easy to find, get into, and we found a hotel, although very little left at 7pm on a Friday night for 7 people and a dog. It was a street back from the sea, and although a little more pricey than estimated...all and all very good. Walked to the seafront and had a much needed meal of wine and pizzas under a clear sky under a waning moon. The next day walked the promenade and were all stunned by the beautiful colour palette of this town. All buildings in different hues of pastel pinks, greys and apricots contrasted against the sea and the sun, craddled by the dominating rockface of mountain cliffs ...breathtaking. Found the incredible produce market and stocked up on some supplies....next stop Lucca...Tuscany
Ascended the hills back onto the A8 pay road passed the first tunnel and found ourselves in Italy, there were another 154 tunnels ( I counted! ) on this dizzying road to La Spezia on the coast. From the highway overlooking the Ligurian Coast the towns looked decidedly shabby compared to the French Riveria ...but we were to find later that this was most definitely not the case. From La Spezia headed inland into Tuscany and the beautiful region of Lucca we had left the landscape of vineyards and pastels behind and replaced this with olive trees and a pallette of ochres...BEAUTIFUL.
Susan and Derek had investigated and researched thoroughly this region, both mastering the language and discovering a wonderful house to rent.
The Ai Linchi Farmhouse. This is situated at the foot of the hills of S.Alessio, along the route of the "Road of Wine", just 4 km away from the centre of Lucca. The house has been reconstructed from an ancient cowshed with hayloft and converted into two large houses. Whilst staying we shared the house with two very pleasant German couples from Cologne who were renting the other house. Ai Linchi is situated amongst farmland and has its own enormous swimming pool, plus the added charm of local church who's tolling bells helped us to mark the passage of time. Arrived at about 4pm. The kids had been tremendous and had been promised a swim in the pool on this hot perfect day. The house was huge and everyone was very happy.
On Sunday we headed into the city of Lucca. Lucca is the largest Italian city with its medieval city wall still intact, the wall is infact wide enough to walk and cycle on and is infact a pedestrian promenade. Within the walls are houses and shops, cathedrals and the central piazza, the Piazza dell'Anfitteatro.This continues to have traces of the ancient roman amphitheatre and most of the restaurants are located here making it a great place to dine and watch people coming and going. It is an easy walk ( although you need a map) around the the city, and you can catch a bus called 'The Clap'around the town, however, having spent most of my adult life avoiding 'catching the clap' preferred to walk. Enjoyed a full day here and raced back to the house for 4pm for the Rugby World Cup. We were in holiday in Italy, from our house in France, watching the All Blacks, against Scotland, with a German commentary...very cosmopolitain. Enjoyed the slaughtering!
Next day the Heards and John headed to Pisa, I had previously been and so opted to give the kids a car free day and stay at the house with Maya and Will and enjoy the farm and pool. We all planned to have big day on Tuesday and catch the train into Florence and enjoy this incredible city, on serious consideration figured that the busy cobbled streets of Florence with its cultural galleries were no place for a 2 year old and 4 year old and a pushchair, and so decided we should play tag with this day. John, Susan, Derek and Luca caught the train to Florence
and had a 
huge day exploring the Uffuzi Gallery, Science Museum, Cathedral and the Duoma. I stayed by the pool with Maya and Will and explored the local countryside and Supermarket. Wednesday was my turn and the team had prebooked my ticket into the Uffizi, Susan joined me, and I finally was able to see the glorious Botticelli's that I had been unable to see when last in Florence. The girls headed for the San Lorenzo markets (of course) and maybe I am getting older, or maybe I have all that I need, but they seemed quite disappointing, and much to our husbands satisfaction did little retail damage. Returned home to a wonderful birthday surprise of party, balloons and cake, and a superb dinner of roasted vegetables, salmon and pesto orzo created by Suzie and Derek very pleasant. Sadly for the boys and the kids, the weather had turned and the planned day by the pool had been aborted...the weather continued to worsen, and I am not sure if this is a menacing omen for the year ahead but my Bithday arrived with a huge electrical storm. I opened the shutters and went to bed and watched natures drama unfold.
The drama however, turned into a saga and the stormed lasted some 36 hours. Our planned day in the Cinque Terre was delayed and we took an excursion into the Tuscan hills and thought a good place to avoid the storm would be to visit one of the ancient Grottos in the mountains, The Grotta Del Vento. This enormous cave was very exciting for the children and the drive through the mountains spectacular. Following this visited a nearby historical monastery called the Calomine Hermitage. The church and monk quarters underground into the shear rockface and concelled by the 18th-century facade. A real treasure, the priest and curator bonded with Susan and Derek and took them on a personal tour of the monastery. He was very impressed with Derek's Italian- so efforts paid off. John and I took the children to the adjacent restaurant and dined on trout fished from the trout farm in the gorge below us. On the way home more treasures discovered in a eagerly discovered antique store. That night John and I were keen for a night in together and Suzie and Derek headed into Lucca to a recommended restaurant that didn't disappoint.
The week was disappearing...the rain was not....the Cinque Terre delayed again, and so headed again to Lucca and enjoyed a relaxed day strolling this historical place.
Saturday, the sun looked promising, packed up and prepared for a very big day. Drove West and past the Cinque Terre into the very beautiful Italian Riveria town Santa Margherita Ligure. This town was about an hour train ride North West of the Cinque Terre. Within an hour of arrival like something from the "Amazing Race" had found a carpark, hotel, nappy changed and was on the train heading for the first of the five bays in the Cinque Terre.
The Cinque Terre is 18 kilometres of sheer rocky coastline, five little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and hills, century old footpaths and mule tracks wind about 500-1000 ft above the sea, leading between olive groves, vineyards and orchards connecting the villages. It is virtually inaccessible by car, although a short train ride can connect you between the villages, however most people walk the track which takes about 5 hours. We started at the first village Riomaggiore and walked to the second, 
Manarola...stunning...the 2 hour walk to next Corniglia proved too arduous for the pushchair so turned back and took the train directly to the last village Monterossa, here we had a hot chocolate overlooking the sea and a quick stroll on the beach. Suzie Derek and Luca completed the track, which meant a steady pace before darkness came...it was more arduous and steeper with many steps than we had predicted so pleased we had given in to reason. They were very pleased to have completed this amazing pieces of Italian coastline and rewarded themselves with a recommended restaurant at Monterossa. Met at breakfast the next day, and after a quite look around the beautiful and very affluent town of S. Margherita Ligure and its neighbouring town Portofino, the Fletts started the long journey back to France and Montlaur...a 7 hour car journey .....The Heards made the most of every opportunity and had an extra night in Provence in a pretty town of San Remy de Provence, if your looking for a decaying chateau full of lost grandeur, and with every creepy cliche your imagination could ask for, then the hotel they stayed in, Chateau Rousson is the place to stay! They also managed to squeeze in an excursion to the Pont du Gard.
We all appreciated being able to share this time with Susie, Derek and Luca - especially Maya and Will - and thank them very much for letting us gatecrash their holiday at the last minute.
The Heards arrived back last night, to a gloomy 'Montlaur in the clouds', and we were privileged to have our new wine making friend Christain join us for dinner, he was able to add a richness of culture and knowledge to our evening - so very special.
Today John, Susan, Derek and Luca head to London, from here the Heards head to LA, then home to Auckland. John has 2 days in London doing Emergency Procedures Training then back for packing and house cleaning as we leave for London next Wednesday the 10th October via the Pyrennees, Lourdes, Bilbao and Santander, catching the carferry from here to Plymouth England. This will be our last long car journey in a very long time and as much as we have loved and relished all we have seen and every opportunity presented, we look forward to a quieter and less busy time on the roads in the UK.
Will keep you all updated with a progress report and farewell note from Montlaur.
