22nd Jan:
On the road for 9am to head for home. Traffic was needless to say, slow around Paris but once passed Orléans the motorway emptied and at last we had
glimpses of the sun. With lunch in a (Total)motorway service station which surprisingly wasn't bad and a stop for a cuppa in the afternoon, the 600 miles sped by. The countryside, passing first through cheese country (St Nectaire, Roquefort) and then through vineyards is grandiose especially as we took the stunning viaduct at Millau. Arrived home to 15° at 7pm. How good it is to sleep in your own bed!21st Jan:
Set the gps and set off for Nono (ex-wife's cousin!) and Evelyn's in Picardie. The drive took us through the poor areas to the north of Paris and the rich, horseracing town of Chantilly with it's beautiful stone houses and daffodils in flower. Arrived in time for lunch after which we went to see Joël (Nono's brother) in the bar he's in the process of selling and then to Tante/Aunt Christiane who lives in sheltered housing. Pierre, the other brother was there and the afternoon passed quickly.
In the evening we went out to dinner in Chantilly at the 'Ferme de Condé'. None of us was able to finish our meals though we didn't have the same problem with the wine. Returned home by the château which was all lit up and looked like something out of a fairy tale.
20th Jan:
A lazy morning before we were joined for lunch and our 3rd galette by Leo and Elsa, Frank's 2 oldest they left to go back to their Mum's we went to an early evening showing of the Ken Loach film 'It's a free world'. Typically hard hitting, about the exploitation of E.European workers. Depressing to think about it.
19th Jan:
20th Jan:
A lazy morning before we were joined for lunch and our 3rd galette by Leo and Elsa, Frank's 2 oldest they left to go back to their Mum's we went to an early evening showing of the Ken Loach film 'It's a free world'. Typically hard hitting, about the exploitation of E.European workers. Depressing to think about it.
19th Jan:
A cloudy morning for a trip to the local market with the family after a walk by the canal. Lots of good looking produce and the usual bargain basement clothing. After lunch we took the metro down to the Place de la République and had a wander around. The shops were busy with the sales so we contented ourselves with a cuppa ( ouch-type prices) before heading home. In the evening we were treated to dinner in the city as our Christmas present. A typical type of bistro with the tables set closely together, the service stopped for an hour while we were entertained by Véronique Pestel, who sang, recited poetry and passed the hat around.
18th Jan:
More rain for the journey to Pantin, just at the limit of Paris, to stay with Frank and Stéphanie. The little box which allows us to pass the tolls without paying (billed at the end of the month) is a great wee gadget which means that we don't have to queue thus gaining time. Traffic wasn't too bad but the péripherique (ring road) is always a bit of a trial and it's not me driving. As there was no one home, we wandered around Pantin, a multiracial area, and had a cuppa. Many of the shops and food outlets are Turkish but there are also Vietnamese/Chinese and Africans.After the quiet of the Normandy countryside the noise of the traffic really registered. Fortunalely we managed to find a parking space just by Frank's and the rain had stopped. Frank who has a journey of 1h.15 each way to work didn't get back until 7.45pm so we ate late and went to bed early.
17th Jan:
Set off to Christian's godmother in Calvados with rain and 8°. Once passed the refineries of Le Havre we crossed the Seine by the elegant Pont de Normandie. Waterlogged fields, apple orchards and brown timbered houses marked the route. The godmother (87) and her husband (91) were in good spirits and their son was over from Bayeux with his labrador who was due to deliver pups at any moment. We had our 2nd galette and Christian was 'king'. Another fix? In the afternoon we went to visit another (2nd) cousin (86) and she brought out some old photos though sadly, the only one of Christian's mother showed only the bottom half of her face. After a cuppa we continued our journey to our B&B. Strange, rustic sort of place with a host who was 'down to earth' and his wife who was a bit 'strange'. We later learnt that she'd undergone brain surgery, so that explained things, about her anyway. The evening meal at 25€ was definitely overpriced, there wasn't any soap provided and the breakfast was skimpy. Not the best stop we've ever had!
16th Jan:
Lunch with Bernard and Lydie along with Janine, followed by a good walk from which we were back just before the heavens opened. Over a cup of tea we looked at old photos and read scraps of Lydie and Janine's father's diary written during the war. Was interesting as he wrote of the price of food, being in the trenches and waiting for the withdrawl of the Germans as the Allies bombarded. Our last night with Christophe and Valérie.
18th Jan:
More rain for the journey to Pantin, just at the limit of Paris, to stay with Frank and Stéphanie. The little box which allows us to pass the tolls without paying (billed at the end of the month) is a great wee gadget which means that we don't have to queue thus gaining time. Traffic wasn't too bad but the péripherique (ring road) is always a bit of a trial and it's not me driving. As there was no one home, we wandered around Pantin, a multiracial area, and had a cuppa. Many of the shops and food outlets are Turkish but there are also Vietnamese/Chinese and Africans.After the quiet of the Normandy countryside the noise of the traffic really registered. Fortunalely we managed to find a parking space just by Frank's and the rain had stopped. Frank who has a journey of 1h.15 each way to work didn't get back until 7.45pm so we ate late and went to bed early.
17th Jan:
Set off to Christian's godmother in Calvados with rain and 8°. Once passed the refineries of Le Havre we crossed the Seine by the elegant Pont de Normandie. Waterlogged fields, apple orchards and brown timbered houses marked the route. The godmother (87) and her husband (91) were in good spirits and their son was over from Bayeux with his labrador who was due to deliver pups at any moment. We had our 2nd galette and Christian was 'king'. Another fix? In the afternoon we went to visit another (2nd) cousin (86) and she brought out some old photos though sadly, the only one of Christian's mother showed only the bottom half of her face. After a cuppa we continued our journey to our B&B. Strange, rustic sort of place with a host who was 'down to earth' and his wife who was a bit 'strange'. We later learnt that she'd undergone brain surgery, so that explained things, about her anyway. The evening meal at 25€ was definitely overpriced, there wasn't any soap provided and the breakfast was skimpy. Not the best stop we've ever had!16th Jan:
Lunch with Bernard and Lydie along with Janine, followed by a good walk from which we were back just before the heavens opened. Over a cup of tea we looked at old photos and read scraps of Lydie and Janine's father's diary written during the war. Was interesting as he wrote of the price of food, being in the trenches and waiting for the withdrawl of the Germans as the Allies bombarded. Our last night with Christophe and Valérie. 15th Jan:
Weather even worse. Called in to see Alain and Pierette (old friends from college days) and caught up with news of their visit to Bukina Fasso. Their town is twinned with a village there and they go regularly to see how various projects are progressing. Then it was over to Valérie and Guillaume's to admire the baby again, be jumped upon by their enormous labrador, Chunky, (says it all), play with Maureen and Hugo, toast the baby's health and have dinner. 14th Jan:
Howling a gale. As we'd missed the Othon Friesz exhibition here, we caught up with it in Le Havre where he was born. Was well worth going out and braving the elements.
13th Jan:
Despite not feeling well, Valérie valiantly did Jean and Christophe's birthday lunch for 8 adults and 6 children. Fricassé de Veau and our first 'galette de roi'. Made from flaky pastry with a frangipane filling, this is a traditional dessert eaten from the 6th Jan. There is a 'fève' a little ceramic figure, hidden inside and who ever has it, is crowned king/queen. As luck would have it, it was Jean!
Weather even worse. Called in to see Alain and Pierette (old friends from college days) and caught up with news of their visit to Bukina Fasso. Their town is twinned with a village there and they go regularly to see how various projects are progressing. Then it was over to Valérie and Guillaume's to admire the baby again, be jumped upon by their enormous labrador, Chunky, (says it all), play with Maureen and Hugo, toast the baby's health and have dinner. 14th Jan:
Howling a gale. As we'd missed the Othon Friesz exhibition here, we caught up with it in Le Havre where he was born. Was well worth going out and braving the elements.
13th Jan:
Despite not feeling well, Valérie valiantly did Jean and Christophe's birthday lunch for 8 adults and 6 children. Fricassé de Veau and our first 'galette de roi'. Made from flaky pastry with a frangipane filling, this is a traditional dessert eaten from the 6th Jan. There is a 'fève' a little ceramic figure, hidden inside and who ever has it, is crowned king/queen. As luck would have it, it was Jean!
12th Jan:
Still miserable weather. Went to see Valérie's parents and then organised dinner for the evening. Seafood platter which was already prepared. Well, we are on holiday.
11th Jan:
A bit of shopping and time with Christophe, Valérie and the kids. Wet and windy!
10th Jan:
A more than leisurely start to the day meant that we were too late to go to the market so we went to see Bernard and Lydie (cousins) in their new apartement. Janine (another cousin) was there too and we ended up staying for lunch and then heading off to the sales. What a pleasure to see the benefit of the new diet when trying on clothes! Though I have to say that it's taking a bit of a battering at the moment. Another evening and another night out, this time with Sylvie and Christophe (cousins) with whom we stayed over and Irene and Alain (also cousins) with whom we all had dinner. It's raining again , by the way.
9th Jan:
A quick visit to wish Gilbert (Christian's childhood pal) 'happy birthday' and as he has a shoe shop, to buy some shoes. Being Wednesday the children were off school so we went for a walk in the afternoon, as there was no rain for a couple of hours. Then it was over to Marie Christine's and Pierre's for dinner and an overnight.
8th Jan:
Still raining and the start of eating our way around Normandy. A quick visit to Marie Christine with the photos, turned into a rendez-vous with Pierre in Fecamp for lunch. How much cheaper it is here - seafood menu for 13.50€. The evening was spent with Kathy and Sylvain (cousins) where we stayed overnight. Kathy has recently taken up painting and we came away with two of her pictures. Maybe one day....
7th Jan: Uneventful journey in the rain to Valérie's where we had our first meeting with little Emma. What a cute wee thing, lots of dark hair. Then it was over to Christophe and Valérie's to get installed for the next few days.
6th Jan:
Despite getting to bed at 3am we managed to pack and get on the road for 10am. Left with temperatures of 19° for the drive through vine country to the Pays des Cathares. For those of you who are interested in history, Simon de Montefort (links to the Midlands) did a lot of burning, pillaging and killing here during the Middle Ages. For those of you who enjoy reading, Kate Mosse's (no, not the model) "Labyrinth" is a good page turning, timeslip novel set during those troubled times, but I digress... this wasn't the most direct route north but we'd promised friends we'd photograph their new house which is being built near Limoux, where the French equivalent of cava comes from. By the time we arrived it was tipping down and even the Rav4 had difficulty in getting off the site. Lunch in Limoux and on to Limoges where we found a B & B. Had dinner in the city which had obviously a good budget for the Xmas lights. Restaurant was called 'la vache au platfond/ the cow on the ceiling' and despite the rustic agricultural decor, served creative modern food and so to bed....
Still miserable weather. Went to see Valérie's parents and then organised dinner for the evening. Seafood platter which was already prepared. Well, we are on holiday.
11th Jan:
A bit of shopping and time with Christophe, Valérie and the kids. Wet and windy!
10th Jan:
A more than leisurely start to the day meant that we were too late to go to the market so we went to see Bernard and Lydie (cousins) in their new apartement. Janine (another cousin) was there too and we ended up staying for lunch and then heading off to the sales. What a pleasure to see the benefit of the new diet when trying on clothes! Though I have to say that it's taking a bit of a battering at the moment. Another evening and another night out, this time with Sylvie and Christophe (cousins) with whom we stayed over and Irene and Alain (also cousins) with whom we all had dinner. It's raining again , by the way.
9th Jan:
A quick visit to wish Gilbert (Christian's childhood pal) 'happy birthday' and as he has a shoe shop, to buy some shoes. Being Wednesday the children were off school so we went for a walk in the afternoon, as there was no rain for a couple of hours. Then it was over to Marie Christine's and Pierre's for dinner and an overnight.
8th Jan:
Still raining and the start of eating our way around Normandy. A quick visit to Marie Christine with the photos, turned into a rendez-vous with Pierre in Fecamp for lunch. How much cheaper it is here - seafood menu for 13.50€. The evening was spent with Kathy and Sylvain (cousins) where we stayed overnight. Kathy has recently taken up painting and we came away with two of her pictures. Maybe one day.... 7th Jan: Uneventful journey in the rain to Valérie's where we had our first meeting with little Emma. What a cute wee thing, lots of dark hair. Then it was over to Christophe and Valérie's to get installed for the next few days.
6th Jan:
Despite getting to bed at 3am we managed to pack and get on the road for 10am. Left with temperatures of 19° for the drive through vine country to the Pays des Cathares. For those of you who are interested in history, Simon de Montefort (links to the Midlands) did a lot of burning, pillaging and killing here during the Middle Ages. For those of you who enjoy reading, Kate Mosse's (no, not the model) "Labyrinth" is a good page turning, timeslip novel set during those troubled times, but I digress... this wasn't the most direct route north but we'd promised friends we'd photograph their new house which is being built near Limoux, where the French equivalent of cava comes from. By the time we arrived it was tipping down and even the Rav4 had difficulty in getting off the site. Lunch in Limoux and on to Limoges where we found a B & B. Had dinner in the city which had obviously a good budget for the Xmas lights. Restaurant was called 'la vache au platfond/ the cow on the ceiling' and despite the rustic agricultural decor, served creative modern food and so to bed....
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