Getting ready for Christmas in Manchester

It was lovely having time to get ready for Christmas without work getting in the way though the weather did make getting around something of a challenge. We had a lovely couple of weeks in Manchester and it was nice to be home for a bit and enjoy our warm and cosy apartment. John got round to putting the pictures up so everything that came back from Abu Dhabi now has a permanent home in Manchester and I was able to put up the blue Christmas tree which spent last Christmas in its box. My polar bear which came with us back from France had pride of place on the table and I opened my Barclaycard advent calendar every day, kindly donated by Rachel, though John banned me from reading out the Barclaycard facts in each window!
I managed a good run each morning though it was sometimes challenging trying not to fall over and at the weekend dodging groups of young chaps who had clearly been celebrating all night. The ice on the canal never really got melted in the thaw before the cold weather descended again and I bought a new black hat in order to look less comical whilst keeping my head warm – only £1 from the shop on Piccadilly which is quite amazing.
As well as shopping, wrapping, card writing and generally getting involved in the festive season, we also spent a lot of time preparing for our big trip. Finding hotels, planning excursions and reading Trip Advisor, until we had the whole thing planned with military precision. The 2 berth camper van for New Zealand wasn’t available but I did have my heart set on this way of seeing the two islands so we opted for the 4 berth so we’ve a spare bed if anyone fancies joining us! We’ve been reading Lonely Planet and planning the best routes to maximum penguin spotting, whale watching and glacier trips. It’s the only leg of the trip where we haven’t got each night booked and sorted as we fancy the idea of keeping an element of footloose and unplanned travelling. Everything else is pretty much organised and we managed to rearrange our flights to include Argentinean wine country at Mendoza. We’ve found a boutique hotel in Santiago in Chile run by a British and Australian and I’m in email conversation with Will and Pablo to organise day trips to the wine growing valleys there too. All we have to work out now is how little luggage we can get away with (rather harder for me than for John owing to the shoe requirement); well we are combining beaches, cities and outdoor pursuits so it’s quite a challenge! We had our injections without any major difficulties and the Australians issued visas overnight so we must be OK to come in. In Waterstones the guy behind the counter was very jealous of our trip and wanted to know which extreme sports we were planning for NZ. Not sure that he counted food, wine or walking. However, even Debbie, our Trailfinders consultant and her colleagues seem pretty impressed with the imaginative nature of the trip.
Without work we didn’t find ourselves at endless social events and drinks parties but we did enjoy a convivial lunch with John and Pat Garside which also allowed John a taste of Christmas dinner and pudding ahead of the big day. I had chance to have a drink and catch up with Charlotte from Riley and Alan from Manchester which was really nice.
Having made the trip to Leysdown through some fairly tricky traffic we have to make the trip back to Manchester, dropping Isobel at John’s brother’s and then on to Skipton. Hopefully the weather will not be causing Heathrow the current problems on January 6th when we set off on the first leg of our 3 month adventure.
I hope everyone reading has a wonderful Christmas without too many plans disrupted by the weather and all the very best for the new year.

London in winter

Well the weather took a turn for the worst but we did make it from Leysdown to London, a distance of only 40 miles, not far in comparison to the 600 or so miles across France but a challenge nonetheless. John drove us brilliantly along the snowy, icy roads of the island and then up the uncleared M2 and the snowbound environs of Ebbsfleet station. We abandoned the car in a white out car park in the hope it wouldn’t be completely buried when we got back and struggled across to the station. Miraculously the high speed trains to St Pancras were not only running but on time and we were in central London in less than 20 minutes. Quite amazing when you consider that none of the other trains into and out of Kent were running.
The Centre for Process Systems Engineering had put us up in a small and delightful hotel, The Pelham, in the heart of South Ken and it was very luxurious. After fun and quirky French hotels it was rather a treat to stay in a grand London one where everything worked and there was a bath AND a shower! Though I’d left the travel kettle in Kent to save on luggage and forgot that swanky London hotels expect you to ring for tea at huge expense!
We wandered into Knightsbridge to have a light lunch and stock up on some toiletries not readily available in Moncrabeau and buy a gift for Ollie, Katie and Scott’s new baby in Abu Dhabi, at Harrods. It felt very Christmassy with a sprinkling of snow and all the shops so beautifully decorated. John’s son Matthew came by for a cup of tea and a catch up. He seems to be enjoying his final year though he still has to find a house close to the university rather than in the wilds of south west London. We’d booked dinner at Launceston Place which I’d always wanted to try and it certainly lived up to its reputation. We had a lovely dinner and walked back through the snow.
Next day I went with John to say hello to everyone at the centre before leaving them to their special conference in honour of John’s 60th birthday. I could have stayed but since I didn’t even understand the titles of the seminars I thought it might be a little bit over my head! I went over to Clerkenwell to meet Matt from Wordsearch and deliver Ollie’s present for him to take to Abu Dhabi next time he goes out there. I went back in time for the Roger Sargent lecture which was given by Professor Mike Docherty, who was John’s very first PhD supervision so an appropriate speaker for his birthday event. Process Systems Engineering is totally out of my league but Mike is such a brilliant speaker that I was fascinated throughout. The opening pictures of John and his mum at Cambridge were especially interesting. Sir Roger Sargent (now in his late 80’s and John’s PhD supervisor) was actually able to come along with is wife Shirley which was amazing, especially considering the weather. We had a reception and dinner in the Rector’s house where I was amazed to see actual Sisley’s and Cezanne’s on the walls. It was a really lovely event with so many of John’s former colleagues; it must have felt like coming home for John. Nilay had organized it all beautifully, Stratos and his wife Maria were as dazzling as ever and it was lovely to see David Bogle and his wife Jenny. We thoroughly enjoyed it all, despite John’s embarrassment at being lauded and praised by everyone all the time.
On Friday John went back to do clever things with the centre and I had an enjoyable time wandering about London. I spent an hour at the IOD doing email and web work and then walked up to Piccadilly Circus, Regent St and Oxford St. I love walking around London, even in the extreme cold and at this time of year it is so enjoyable with all the Christmas decorations. After a relaxing day for me and a working one for John we met up with Chantal for a drink and then on to the Oxford and Cambridge Club where we had an extremely enjoyable and convivial evening with Mike Docherty and his super wife Peggy. They showed us round the club, which is their preferred London stopover. Although Mike comes from Manchester they have made their home in Santa Barbara so they had flown in for the event and had fewer travel problems than many others. They were heading off for a conference in Hawaii the next day so they had an interesting combination of luggage! We had a wonderful dinner in the club dining room which was delightfully unstuffy with some excellent wines – a Chateauneuf reminding us of a sunny lunch and a sauternes and some great conversation. John was on top form remembering Cambridge and Imperial with old friends. After such a quiet time just the two of us it was a very sociable three days and we enjoyed the change.

Pictures of Moncrabeau

Some beautiful views of the idyllic spot where we've spent the last month and the house itself at Place du Fort. Plus just how many chemical engineering doctorates do you need to put up a kitchen cupboard!

Gastronomic journey north

So we said our fond farewells to our surrogate home in Moncrabeau and set off (twice) to head north. Our first stop was a small place just outside Bordeaux which was a bit like living in the family home. We were the only guests and were met personally by Dominique and then met her husband and two children. Le Clos du Prince had a lovely pool with a little terrace but it wasn’t pool weather on this visit. The room was beautifully decorated though the tiled floor was rather chilly and there wasn’t a TV. Dominique prepared a delicious meal of scallop salad, magret with endives and field mushrooms followed by a local apple pie – a sort of thin batter filled with apples which was lovely. We ate in solitary splendour in the ‘wine museum’ which had all the machinery for pressing grapes and preparing the wine, punctuated by occasional visits from various members of the family. We had a bottle of red wine from a place close to Cadillac and towards the end of the meal the power went off for a while so we finished by candlelight. Next morning we were off and away early in order to do the rather longer journey from Bordeaux to Normandy via Moncrabeau.
The journey was made more annoying by pretty heavy snow between Tours and Le Mans including one fairly hairy stretch where it hadn’t been cleared. However, as we headed into Normandy the skies cleared and it was a lovely late afternoon. We discovered that our friends at the Villeray were fully functioning, even on a Sunday in late November so it was a real treat to go back there. They had shut up the Moulin for the winter so we stayed in the Chateau this time. I think they gave us the best suite in the place though we’d only booked a standard room and greeted us like long lost friends. We had a dressing room, a four poster bed and a bathroom, complete with a Jacuzzi bath in the turret. We also had a fabulous view across the valley. Sitting in the lounge by a roaring fire, which John hadn’t had to light, sipping the house aperitif of mure, calvados and champagne we relaxed after such a long trip. Dinner was great as usual, pumpkin soup with foie gras, scallops, guinea fowl, venison, their signature cheese trolley and baked pears and figs. It really is a fabulous place and we always feel well looked after.
The next morning we set out for Mr Bumblebees in freezing cold but delightful sunshine. The countryside looked amazing with ice and snow clinging to the trees and not too much snow on the road itself. We arrived at Escalles in good time just as the snow was beginning to fall. By the time we went across the road for dinner there was a good 5 cm on the car and it looked really pretty as they had just put all of their sumptuous Christmas decorations up, including some great coloured twigs which I would have liked to sneak into the car. We were a little anxious about the drive back up the hill in the morning but settled down to another good dinner and a nice burgundy!
Fortunately it hadn’t snowed too heavily overnight and John did a great job of getting the car up some pretty grim roads and to the tunnel terminal. The Eurotunnel was having some problems (don’t know why since it doesn’t snow under the channel) so we had to hang around for a while as one train after another got cancelled but eventually we were on our way. The M20 was not very good but after that it got easier. We arrived in Leysdown and hunkered down for the night hoping that the snow would not get in the way of getting to London the next day.

Last few days in Moncrabeau

We felt the weight of responsibility on us, having to put the house to bed, knowing that no-one would be visiting till the spring. Keith had left us with a list but then he’d also given us other careful instructions which we’d failed to follow. Like only putting the rubbish bags out on the morning of the dustbin men – I got blasé one time and thought it was pretty late and the bags were well wrapped up. However, in the morning a charming chap was knocking on the door to tell me that the dogs had ripped the bags open so there I was in my gloves with my bucket of eau de javel tidying it up!
I was also on a mission to finish up all the food since I can’t bear to throw anything away so we ended up with hot lunches and dinners every day to be sure that it all got used up. It was very cold indeed but some days the freezing fog lifted and we were able to go out walking in the beautiful countryside – I went running anyway whatever the weather though it’s not as much fun when you can’t see the view for the fog.
We were also struggling to find somewhere to stay on the Sunday night on our journey back. I had two attempts with the chateaux and hotels and the relais du silence web sites, both of which allowed us to make a booking for dinner, bed and breakfast. The first hotel emailed to say they were shut as they had a problem with their heating and the second one couldn’t offer dinner as the restaurant was shut! I got a refund from chateaux and hotels with no problem but relais du silence were trying to charge a cancellation till I pointed out that they needed to rethink! However, we got sorted in the end and completed all of our jobs.
We managed to forget one item on Keith’s list and didn’t turn off the water heater, which we only remembered as we settled down in our pit stop hotel near Bordeaux – 90 miles or so from Moncrabeau. So we had to turn round the next morning and head back – adding over 3 ½ hours to a long day’s driving. Still it meant I could put the towels away which had been left drying. We checked on the mouse poison but it hadn’t been touched – they probably don’t like that flavour but I expect they’ll make themselves scarce once Albi and Charlie are back in residence!

A short break in the Pyrenees

We decided to take a trip out from our domestic idyll in Moncrabeau and head as far south west as we could go without ending up in Spain. It’s tricky finding places open at this time of year and the hotel we’d picked closed their restaurant on Friday and Saturday night (strange nights to choose even at this time of year) but they offered us the weekend special for Sunday and Monday night instead.
We drove south in pouring rain and went through Pau but on a cold and wet Sunday it didn’t look very inviting so we pressed on. The Hotel Alysson promised stunning views of the Pyrenees but apart from a brooding presence somewhere in the low cloud it was impossible to see anything. Oleron was a pretty town with a huge river running through it though the hotel was in a more suburban area, next to a large leisure centre and close to the main A road to Saragossa in Spain. It was very comfortable and lovely and warm and J was able to watch his favourite French TV programmes which he can’t get in Moncrabeau where we have English TV. He likes his fix of ‘Les Chiffres et les lettres’ and ‘Question pour un champion’. There seemed to be just one other guest and only a couple of diners in the restaurant.
We had a lovely dinner. The house cocktail of Jurancon wine, a local spirit and champagne was much nicer than it sounds and made a good start for at tiny turnip soup, crab and salmon salad, duck, cheese and a delicious apple pudding. Hare featured largely on the menu but we managed to avoid it! Monday we went a la carte where I had a near miss with some rather lightly cooked pigeon (been there before) and John had béarnaise sauce with h is beef since this part of the world is the Bearn, something I didn’t know but must come in handy for future quiz questions.
On Monday we were able to see the mountains, with quite a fair covering of snow as they ducked in and out of the clouds. We drove through the beautiful countryside, dotted with chalet style houses with dark red half timbered roofs, raging torrents of rivers, warnings about ‘troupeaux’ of sheep on the road and pretty villages. The rain let up to allow us to have a good walk around the medieval hill town of Sauveterre, admire the Pont des Legends and the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. We headed across the hills to St Jean de Luz, a very picturesque town with a beautiful golden beach though the sea was more great than blue. Another fabulous part of France, no doubt even lovelier in better weather though I think it’s frequently wet and windy. The sky looked much the same in November as it did in Biarritz in August a couple of years ago.
On Tuesday it was raining quite hard though again we got a pretty good view of the mountains as we headed back. By the time we got back to Moncrabeau it was a glorious sunny day though very cold. We’d enjoyed our little break within a break but it was also nice to come ‘home’ and get the fires lit and bunker down. The mouse made another appearance whilst I was cooking supper – clearly hopeful that now we were back there might be some richer pickings and I had another brush with nature when I went to put the rubbish outside away from the mouse and stepped on frog loitering on the back door step. Luckily for the frog I was wearing slippers so it just moaned at me before wandering off!

Still walking on the wild side in France

I am conscious that reading about our ‘adventures’ in rural France might be a bit too much like watching paint dry but we are certainly enjoying ourselves! We did have a frisson of excitement this week when a mouse ran out of the kitchen bin which is not something which happens in Manchester! We are due to put mouse poison down when we leave but I am a bit loath to do it whilst we’re here as at least live mice can run away. I suggested to J that we try to get a humane trap and then take the mice somewhere further away in the car. He was sure that the French would die laughing if we tried to ask for such a thing so I’ve just blocked up all visible holes with paint tins and put the bin out every night!
Lighting the fires is J’s daily task and it can take some time, especially the one in the front room which is rather large and draughty. The wood is quite wet as we’ve had a lot of rain especially at night so even when lit they require constant vigilance in case they go out. Sometimes we get the most amazing sunny days but it is getting progressively colder and there is certainly plenty of rain. This is bringing on the winter wheat beautifully though so the fields are already starting to look pretty green.
I run every morning so my fitness levels are improving and I’m developing some good circuits of between 4 and 6 miles. The residents are getting to recognise this mad English woman in a pink woolly hat, which for some reason has little silver sequins on it though there is not way in which it could be described as glamorous! This morning I saw 3 little deer running through the fields who eyed me warily – no gun but a sparkly pink hat, before rushing off across the road.
Yesterday we went into Condom which is a really pretty little town and clearly quite affluent judging by the number of bijou shops and delicatessens. Everywhere is making a great fuss of the Beaujolais Nouveau with special evenings and tastings which I though was a peculiarly British thing but clearly not. We have bought a bottle to try as well as some Mure fortified with local Armagnac which sounds delicious.
I’ve been taking the time to do some research and planning for our big trip starting on 6th January. The round the world flight tickets are bought and paid for and all the individual flights booked but now we have to find the hotel accommodation and pre plan any activities. I downloaded the relevant sections on South America from Lonely Planet to help with the research and have been constantly on the email to Debbie at Trailfinders in Manchester who booked the flights and has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable all along. We head to Rio on January 6th for 6 nights before spending 2 nights at Iguacu Falls on the Brazil/Argentine border and then on to Buenos Aires for 13 nights and 5 nights in Santiago. I’m a bit nervous about South America so I’m taking my time to ensure we get the best places without blowing the budget – though I did draw the line at one place in Santiago where 5 nights was coming in at £72, not sure what kind of place that was! We’ve booked the hotels in Tahiti and Bora Bora, where we head to after Santiago, since accommodation is in demand so at least I can relax on that score.
It all seems a world away from this quiet corner of the world where absolutely everything stops for lunch and it’s best if you don’t run out of firelighters on a Saturday afternoon as it may be Tuesday before the relevant shop is open!

Pictures from Abu Dhabi

Enjoying our holiday with Rachel, Andrew, Ellie and Alastair in Abu Dhabi, which is particularly lovely in October - blue sky and sea and lots of warm sunshine. We took advantage with some sightseeing, brunch on the Shuja Yacht and lots of time at the beach club. Not to forget the essential camel ride for Alastair and Rachel whilst the rest of us looked on.

City folk in rural France

For people who normally live in cities, spending a few weeks in Gascony is quite an adventure and enormous fun. Of course we adore France and this is a particularly lovely corner. Autumn is beautiful with greens, golds, yellows and browns so every little walk or drive involves endless intakes of breath at the sheer beauty of it all whether the sun is shining or not. John has learnt to take control of the wood fires in the stoves and usually manages to get a nice warm glow – though sometimes it takes a few goes and a little help from his human bellows of a wife blowing on the flames!
We stocked up on some very pleasant pink and red wine in 3 litre boxes so we can enjoy a glass with meals and have had a couple of forays to Leader Price to keep the larder full of cheese, rillettes, salad and deserts. The meat is wonderful though terrifically expensive but then the pound/Euro exchange rate is not in our favour at present. It’s fun to cook meals with local ingredients and a the morning trip to the Boulanger in the village for baguettes and pain au raison is a key part of our routine – remembering that she doesn’t open on a Wednesday.
I’ve managed to run every morning in a bid to keep my current wardrobe and not have to buy too many larger sizes and it has been a joy to view the countryside on foot despite creaking knees and laboured breath. There was one day when the rain blew horizontally and it felt painful but it’s been mainly bright, woolly hat weather and the rolling hill country provides enough challenge in my current state of (not very) fitness. I keep getting lost which isn’t great during the hunting season and the fertile loam of the ploughed fields turns trainers into wellingtons very quickly but I’m slowly getting the hang of the geography. It doesn’t help that Moncrabeau church tower has a twin in another village on an identical hill which can be tricky when you’ve been using it as a landmark for a good mile or so!
We cleared all the leaves from inside the pool cover and the terrace and swept the terracotta tiles down so hopefully that will keep the pool cleaner for next summer and we feel great pride when we look at the leaf free, gleaming pool side – though we’ll have to do it all again next time there’s a windy day! It was so sunny yesterday that I actually sat outside by the pool for a good hour – in November, it was heavenly.
We’ve been into Nerac, such a pretty town just 12 km up the road with a very green river running through it (due to the limestone in the soil according to Keith), enjoyed a pleasant lunch and wandered around the market. The mushrooms, vegetables and apples are incredible and we also managed to stumble across a copy of the Radio Times for this week so we can’t be the only people with some access to English telly!
I’ve been able to indulge my washing and ironing hobby as there was quite a lot of laundry to get on top of but I’m winning that battle and can go back to dragging the clothes off John’s back in order to fill the machine very soon!
All in all it’s quite idyllic and having missed autumn last year this double dose is just wonderful.

Chez Guy

We arrived in Moncrabeau near lunchtime in pouring rain and were delighted to see Keith and Liz Guy again and their friend Roz, who had been helping Liz to get things straight again following the installation of their super new kitchen. The first 3 days in our temporary autumn home passed in a gay social whirl as is usually the way chez Guy. Maria and David, who we met in the summer, came for dinner on Sunday – Maria had clearly been warned not to frighten John too much by referring to his likeness to Michael Caine so he was rather more relaxed! Another couple, Tim and Gay, came round on Tuesday – long term friends of Liz’s, they have owned a place here for over 20 years which was how K and L came to fall in love with the place and buy the house on Place du Fort. As ever, Liz managed to dish up delicious meals, for huge numbers of people, without ever getting stressed about it. Roz and I do our best to act as skivvies but it is always Liz who does the lion’s share.
Albi and Charlie, the two dogs, seemed to enjoy this bonus autumn break, alternating between lounging around on everyone’s beds or tearing off for rainy walks or seeing off anyone bold enough to come past their garden.
On Tuesday we took everyone to a Michelin starred restaurant for lunch, as a thank you for letting us loose in their lovely house. It was a fabulous lunch – lobster medallions, perdreau (a young partridge and a new word for my food vocab) and a trio of desserts coupled with a bottle of 2004 St Emilion. The setting, in the medieval ‘Maison du Cordeliers’ was amazing, especially coupled with the modern artwork by local artists on the walls. Liz has exhibited some of her ceramics here and it was a great experience. We met the young and dishy chef and were most surprised to hear that his wife had recently run off with the insurance man – well not run far since they are still living in Condom! However, the stresses and strains of achieving a Michelin star can’t be good for a marriage but is certainly hadn’t affected his cooking.
On Wednesday Keith, Liz, Roz and the two dogs set off for the journey back to the ferry and Medstead, leaving us lords of the manor with lots of instructions which hopefully we will manage to follow – when the dustmen come, how to shut the shutters, where to put the mouse poison when we leave etc! Our first, and most exciting task, was to head for the supermarket, finally able to take full advantage of the wonderful provisions on offer, knowing that I have a kitchen to cook it in.

Back to France

After a pleasant last couple of days in Abu Dhabi, where we stayed with our friends and former next door neighbours in the Arab Bank Building, we headed back to Manchester. It was strange being so close to our former home but very nice to stay with Helen and John. We enjoyed another day at the beach club and some convivial evenings. Back at the airport we had the opposite experience trying to get an upgrade – a good example of the difference between Arabic and British customer service! In the UK we’d been told ‘no’ up front though somehow they did find a seat for us. In Abu Dhabi we were told that an upgrade using our points should be fine, until the seats were suddenly unavailable and we had to stick with our economy booking! I met 3 people I knew from my days working n Abu Dhabi in the lounge which was lovely – I seemed to be forever turning round to hear someone calling my name! Michelle and Phil from Babcock and then Matt from Wordsearch, who hadn’t yet seen the new addition to the Wordsearch family but would do so in a couple of days. The flight itself was fine and we got two seats together and a nice meal, though we were near the back so they’d run out of sandwiches by the time the trolley got to us. It we’re very organized we might get to use our Etihad air miles at some stage. Good news on one front though – Mum and her friend Jo have finally received their refund from Etihad so the face to face approach clearly had some effect.
We hardly had time to draw breath before getting packed up again and heading for France. Just a full day of washing, ironing and tidying up and then we were on our way to Leysdown where we spent the night with John’s mum before getting the tunnel early on Friday morning. It was very exciting to be crossing the channel again at this time of year, though the weather on the other side of the channel was not very welcoming with rain and low cloud.
With the help of the trusty orange ‘hotels et chateaux’ guide book we hit on a ‘restaurant with rooms’ in central Le Mans for our Friday night stopover. The room was spacious and pleasant, overlooking the main square and a short walk from the pedestrian shopping streets. A modern bathroom had been tucked in though you needed to be fairly small to fit down the narrow corridor to the loo! Promised parking failed to materialise so once we’d unloaded on the cobbled space by the cathedral we took the car to the underground car park. However, the delicious supper was a real treat as well as the fresh cakes and pastries for breakfast.
After a wander around Le Mans to buy some champagne to take to Liz and Keith’s we hit the road again. For Saturday night we’d picked a place just outside Bordeaux so that we could break the journey and end up not too far from Moncrabeau. The trees in their autumn colours were simply amazing. Even in the rain and under grey skies the golds, yellows and greens were just beautiful. Having missed autumn last year I felt that I was being treated to an even more fabulous display this year in order to make up for it.
The Villa D’O, at St Loubes was a real find. Close to St Emilion and surrounded by vineyards, its hilltop location provided 360 degree views of all the different colours that each set of vines was displaying. Converted with modern style and full of fantastic artwork there are just a handful of rooms, we got the last one and had a slate floored bathroom the same size as the bedroom. There was a surprise treat of a huge Jacuzzi and sauna in a converted barn and in the summer the swimming pool terrace must be a real delight. Food came in the form of a set menu, without choices or even explanations, but thoroughly delicious – amuse bouches, crab and avocado salad, cod with wine sauce and spicy rice and a chocolate fondant milk sorbet, absolutely stunning. We’d missed the turning when looking for the hotel and had to turn around in the gateway to a vineyard so we enjoyed a bottle of their wine with our dinner so we knew it was local! All in all what was going to be purely a stopover on the journey down turned into a huge treat.
Sunday morning, after a huge breakfast we set off for Moncrabeau and since we were so close we were able to take our time and have a wander round the familiar entre deux mers countryside. We stopped in Cadillac to buy desert wine and remind ourselves of our summer holiday and this time we actually found Chateau D’Yquem which we’d looked for in vain.
It was so wonderful to be back in this part of the world so soon and, once again we reminded ourselves of what lucky people we are and how privileged to be able to spend so much time in this wonderful country.

More fun in Abu Dhabi

After a salad lunch at our favourite ‘Lips’ cafe in Marina Mall, where were greeted as long lost friends by the waitress and a trip to Carrefours we headed back to the hotel and an evening out at the yacht club with our former neighbours Paddy and Jude. One of the founding fathers of the UAE, Sheikh Faqr from Ras Al Khaimah, died on Wednesday so the flags were lowered to half mast, the radio started playing classical music and the country entered a mourning period with lots of events cancelled, including the long awaited opening of the Ferrari World theme park. He was 90 years old and had been ill for some time but everyone was still very upset. The yacht club were able to open for food and drink but without live music, which suited us old fogey’s just fine! It was also ‘ladies night’ so Jude and I were plied with free bubbly all evening whilst John and Paddy had to buy their own! We had a lovely time and it was great to see them again. Hopefully we’ll be able to stay in touch since they have relatives in the Manchester area.
On Thursday we checked out of the Oryx and headed back to the Hilton where we headed for the beach club before returning to the airport to pick Rachel and co up after their trip to Bani Yas island. Proof of the smallness of Abu Dhabi, we bumped into Jude in the Mall and my friend Liz at the beach club and less happily, the guy who runs the ad agency that I was constantly trying (and failing) to get paid whilst having an ice cream in a cafe. I had to make a speedy exit and hope he didn’t see me since we’d spoken on the phone earlier in the week and I know that he still hasn’t been paid! About the only people we haven’t managed to bump into or get to meet are Katie and Scott from Wordsearch, but since their first son, Oliver, was born on Monday night, that’s hardly surprising!
The Claringbold family seemed to have very much enjoyed the island and had been snorkelling, kayaking done archery and taken a game drive to see giraffes, cheetahs as well as more indigenous UAE species such as oryx. The sea plane sounded wonderful and the hotel itself sublime. We went down to the souq, where we’d dropped off the large piles of laundry and enjoyed dinner at the Meat company, one of John’s haunts from when he was living there. We sat outside overlooking the creek and used three more of our vouchers from the Entertainer book which is always very gratifying. Alastair reckoned his rib meat burger was one of the best he’d ever had though John was less impressed with the ribs themselves.
On Friday we popped over to fetch a key from Helen and John, who’d kindly agreed to let us stay with them for our last two nights before heading over to the Marina to catch the Shuja Yacht for their Friday brunch cruise. It was as much fun as ever – the sea seems much greener that I remember and the weather is just lovely, mid thirties with a light breeze and just the occasional cloud. We all pigged out on the buffet and enjoyed the sparkling beverages whilst admiring the scenery. Alastair has been learning the Arabic numbers and John was testing him on them, he seems to know them all which is better than me. I never got much beyond my car number plate!
The Claringbolds headed for a last afternoon at the beach club before a final buffet supper and then their return to the airport. We were slightly concerned whether the discovery of suspect packages on a cargo flight at Dubai might cause delays but everything seemed to go smoothly. They seemed to enjoy their first experience of Abu Dhabi and the Arabian peninsula.
One of the things that I’ve really noticed this time is how amazing the service is, especially in hotels. Both hotels just couldn’t do enough for you, the Hilton sorted out our complex room requirements brilliantly and looked after us so well. Requests for more coat hangers and a look at a noisy aircon unit were fulfilled immediately and when the bellboy at the Oryx saw that I’d been out to get a paper they brought one up to the room the following morning. It does rather spoil you for other parts of the world where it isn’t quite so good and the staff/guest ratio is probably not so high.

Return to Abu Dhabi

It seemed strange to be going back to Abu Dhabi and I was definitely looking forward to the sunshine and a chance to spend some time on the beach.
We set off from Manchester and although we couldn’t get an upgrade on our Etihad points we were thrilled to be moved into business class just as we were settling down in our seats on the plane – never has the pre take off glass of champagne tasted so good! After a pleasant flight and a delicious Margaux we arrived to a humid night and checked into the Hilton. Next day we went to fetch the hire car – nothing short of a bus so that we could fit all six of us in and then spent some time at the Hiltonia beach club before heading back to the airport to pick up Rachel, Andrew, Ellie and Alastair. Abu Dhabi is clearly a small world, since we saw my old car at Spinney’s and met Helen and John inside, then waiting at arrivals we met Maria Brown and were able to catch up with her whilst waiting for the delayed flight from Heathrow.
John must have eaten something bad or picked up a bug as he was really ill the next day and couldn’t get out of bed. He was not himself for another couple of days so we spent a lot of time resting in the hotel room. Luckily the Claringbolds were delighted with the beach club and happily spent many hours there. We took them to visit the Heritage Village where Rachel and Alastair both rode on the camel and on the Jenny bus for a bit of a tour before heading up the Burj Marina for juice and panoramic views. We ate at la Terraza buffet where Alastair managed to get through far more courses than anyone else despite being half price – most impressive. The drinks for AED 1 on a Monday night also went down well with the rest of us! After a tour of the Dhow harbour and Yas Island on Tuesday morning we dropped them at Royal Jet to catch their sea plan to the Desert Island resort on Sir Bani Yas Island. We had decided to stay in Abu Dhabi whilst they were on the island which was fortunate with John’s delicate state and checked into the Oryx Hotel. We’d not been there before but were very impressed, especially after the expedia deal of £89 per night. It’s a business hotel, clearly aimed at Arab men, but we had a huge room on the 13th Floor (no-one is superstitious about the number 13 round here!) with a superb view down the island. The staff were very helpful and friendly though the food at the top floor restaurant did not match up to the views.
Wednesday we headed to the Etihad offices to try and find out why Mum and her friend Jo have still not been credited for the flights that were cancelled back in April due to volcanic ash. Fang Fang was very helpful and promised to send another email request to the ‘online department’, who are clearly virtual people and cannot be spoken to in person! The flights were still open despite an email trail requesting refunds. She has since managed to change their status but they reckon it will still take 30 days to refund the money. However we do seem to have moved forward so you can’t beat a face to face conversation in this part of the world. My friend Liz has promised to take up the face to face cudgel if this doesn’t do the trick.

Heading home via Mr Bumblebee's

We left Paris and found our way North despite the sat nav being slightly confused by the French capital. Since it has given up working when plugged into the car to charge (for some reason it thinks it’s plugged into a computer and sits patiently waiting for an update) we have to play an elaborate game of charging it when we don’t need it and hoping the battery will last when we do!
Since we were on the A16 which follows the coast we stopped for a lunch of fresh crab at Le Touquet but the cold wind and squally rain drove us back to the car without much further exploring. We popped into Auchan in Boulogne for the all important shopping, with small lists from Mum and Rachel and some ideas of my own. John restrained me from going too mad and the wine prices are such nowadays that there isn’t much point in filling the car with stuff that we could as easily buy in Majestic. However, we did get the confit de canard and the tinned pommes dauphinoise which are not so easy to find in Sainsbury’s!
For the final night of our epic trip we’d booked a room at L’Escale owned by the Bourdon family (bumblebee in English) and just a stones throw from Cap Blanc Nez and the channel tunnel. It’s something of a Chambers family tradition, since Mum and Dad first discovered it many years ago as a VFB stopover hotel and has been revisited many times. I last went there two years ago with Mum and Isobel for my birthday and we keep coming back as the food is excellent and the hotel provides exceptional value for money. We had a room in the old building which had a separate small bedroom attached in case we wanted to invite a guest!
We went for the full gastronomic menu – a fish starter, foie gras, duck, cheese and crème brulee and I had a glass of Cadillac and we had a bottle of Tavel which was great since we’ve stayed in both places on the trip. Then we retired to watch the new series of ‘New Tricks’ on a BBC1 satellite channel.
They are clearly still doing very well as the hotel and the restaurant were both packed with returning English and Belgians as well as French.
It was a great finish to what has been the most wonderful trip. Looking back I can’t believe the number of places we’ve managed to visit and how lovely it’s all been. I don’t think we could ever buy a place in France as I don’t think I could possibly choose one place, just about everywhere we’ve been I’ve thought ‘it’d be nice to have a place here’. We have enjoyed exploring it together and, whilst it’ll be good to go home and see our families and get things organised in Manchester, I’ll never be fed up with wandering around France with John by my side.

Michelin stars for a birthday dinner

The Hotel Cambon was a super place to stay, the location was perfect and it had a modern design to the furnishing and friendly staff. We had a room up near the top of the building with an elegant bathroom which was really comfy. John asked them to recommend somewhere really special for my birthday dinner and they came up with an amazing place with two Michelin stars (plus food and prices to match)!
It was only a short walk from the hotel on the Rue Castiglione and achingly cool with a real reverence for fine food. It soon filled up, including obligatory old French couple complete with small dog (who just had a box of water to drink, even French dogs don’t get dinner at these prices!) I can’t imagine Heston Blumenthal allowing dogs into his restaurants!
We had a glass of champagne and a pre starter of poached fish with celery and red pepper pate. My starter of a huge prawn came with tiny melon balls encased in jelly and was followed by quail with Lyonnais potatoes with slices of foie gras. We didn’t have cheese which was just a well as the puddings which followed were many and sumptuous – never mind two puddings Perkins, in this instance we had five separate sweet treats! I’d ordered poached figs but before this we were given a small chocolate ‘bombe’ which they poured green tea over to melt the chocolate casing. Then we a special birthday cake as the hotel had told them it was my birthday – luckily it was the kind of place where the waiter just brought it quietly and waited till I’d discreetly blown out the candle (thankfully no singing or tambourines!) The cake was a speciality of the house made with chocolate and pistachio and we were given a leaflet explaining its history. We also had some fruit jellies on the side and chocolates with the coffee so it was with some difficulty that we waddled back to the hotel. However it was all very light and delicate so it didn’t feel too overwhelming.
We drank a bottle of very special Chablis which was enough to make anyone rekindle their love for white wine, being rounded and tasty but very smooth.
All in all it was one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever eaten and a fabulous end to a really lovely birthday.

Birthday treat in Paris

If it hadn’t been for the fact that John had arranged an amazing trip to Paris, as a birthday treat for me, I would have been very sorry to leave our little spot of total luxury and escape at the Villeray. However, I was very excited to be going to Paris again after so many years. We’d chosen the Hotel Cambon, a small four star in a perfect location between the Rue de Rivoli and the Faubourg St Honore. With help from the sat nav we found our way into Paris and managed to unload the bags and get the car parked without causing too much trouble. After so many peaceful places it was amazing to suddenly encounter massive crowds. We’d decided to head to Paris via Giverney and pay a visit to Monet’s house and garden. It was another incredible day and the garden looked absolutely stunning with summer dahlias, gladioli and sublime autumn crocuses on the lawns. There were even some water lilies still flowering in the famous ponds. However, we had to queue (though not for long) to get in and fight our way through a great many people which just took the edge off the magic of the place. However, I was delighted to have seen it and in such amazing weather.
Paris was similarly heaving with people, predominantly Japanese tourists in great parties though a fairly large range of other nationalities as well. Still Paris full of people adds to the atmosphere and we enjoyed some huge long walks through the city, again in the most delightful sunny Indian summer. Galeries Lafayette was packed but John found a lovely birthday card and bought me some Chanel Cristalle as a present. We got to The Musee d’Orsay just after opening so the queue was negligible and it wasn’t too crowded. However, I was disappointed to fine that they were renovating the fifth floor galleries so the impressionists and post impressionists had had to be squashed into some downstairs temporary galleries. They are still fabulous paintings and it was lovely to see them again but it did lose some of its magic. There was very little Monet as they were starting a new Monet exhibition at another gallery, actually on the 22nd, so 53 of them had been moved! Still we prefer the Cezanne, Degas and Gauguin anyway. The queue for the Sainte Chappelle just looked too slow and too long – I had planned to take John to see the stained glass, which is amazing and I haven’t seen it for over 30 years but there was so much else to see and do I didn’t want to spend hours of my birthday queuing for something which doesn’t take long to look at!
We wandered off to look at Notre Dame, the Hotel de Ville and the Pompidou Centre before stopping for a fabulous and light birthday lunch at the Vaudeville brasserie in the Place de la Bourse – oysters and prawns for me, lobster for John, fresh raspberries and a bottle of champagne. It was brilliant.
The next day was pretty cloudy and the French were on a general strike. The streets did seem quieter but everything seemed to be much as normal. We walked up to Montmartre and admired the view from the steps of the Sacre Coeur, dodging the portrait painters and walked down to see the famous vines. Then we walked back through the streets of the real city, away from the tourist buses and found a little brasserie recommended by lonely planet for lunch. We enjoyed a typical French meal with a whole bottle of red wine since no-one had to drive but it did mean we spent the afternoon resting in our hotel and missed the demonstrations on the Champs Elysee! In the evening we stayed in and watched an American film dubbed into French which was quite a challenge but I think I managed the main twists of the plot once I’d got over John Travolta speaking French!

Lovely days out in Normandy

Villeray made a good base for some exploring and the weather was so beautiful we were able to make the most of it. On Saturday we headed for Honfleur, which was rather further than we’d anticipated but it was well worth the effort and the drive through the countryside was also lovely. The place was buzzing, with a large Saturday market and all the shops open. The many restaurants lining the picturesque quayside were full to bursting and there was a large wedding going on in the church, though the bride was having to wait in the car while a van carried out some unloading in the narrow streets. Mindful of a large dinner waiting for us at the Moulin we avoided the temptation to go for a huge lunch, I had some delicious oysters and John half a lobster, washed down with a couple of glasses of Muscadet.
On Sunday, another stunning day, we drove over to Alencon which was a really pretty town, dominated by a large castle and an uninspiring river. We had a good wander around before driving through exquisite countryside to St Generil, which is billed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. Hard to live up to quite such aggrandisement but it certainly was very pretty, set high up above a bend in the river and surrounded by woodland and steep limestone gorges. Many people were enjoying such a fine Sunday to picnic by the river and take in the scenery. We drove with the top down through lots of other pretty places and across rolling farm land though I was trying to use the back roads so spent rather a lot of the drive looking at the atlas rather than the scenery! The classification of the roads in the atlas – red, yellow or white, seems to bear no resemblance to the actual size and state of the road which led us more than once into tricky situations on very narrow tracks but John is such a good driver that he managed it all without a scratch.
Monday we went over to Chartres and had a really good walk around the old town and look at the cathedral. I couldn’t persuade John to climb the hundreds of steps to the North tower – he isn’t keen on heights or steps but the view from the hilltop was still pretty amazing. Monday is closing day in France – it would appear that apart from bread, cakes and flowers, no-one needs anything from Saturday lunchtime to Tuesday morning no matter how large the town. Chartres is really quite a big place but it was still amazing how much was shut and Nogent le Rotrou was almost completely closed down when we moved on there for another look round! However, we enjoyed Chartres without the need for much shopping – I managed to buy a jumper in Monoprix as my summer wardrobe has been struggling to cope, especially in the mornings where the temperature starts off around 3 degrees, despite the sunshine. In Nogent we were after a bottle of local cider to drink on our terrace, as the restaurant wanted more euros for that than the wine! We did manage to find one in Leader Price, which surprisingly was open (the one in Vertus didn’t open on Mondays), for just over one euro. It was lovely sitting in our little garden, surrounded by fruit trees drinking it.

Golden Normandy

We left Champagne and made our way across country where John coped well with a busy peripherique and headed for southern Normandy. The place we’d chosen was hardly in Normandy at all – just over the border but it was absolutely idyllic. The Moulin de Villeray is a family run hotel with a real warmth and friendliness that we very much enjoyed. In a tiny village in a converted water mill surrounded by rolling, wooded hills and lush farmland, it made a perfect spot to sit back and relax. Because we were staying for 5 days they upgraded us to a little suite in a building across the road from the mill which was delightful. We had a sitting area, a bedroom and a Jacuzzi bath as well as a little private terrace in a small garden with apple, pear and plum trees. The extra occupant of the room, a large and evil looking spider, had a wander round the first evening but I didn’t see it again which I was thankful for!
After a dismal walk round Nogent le Rotrou looking for a launderette with a very large bag of dirty washing, the son of the family said they would do it for us which was splendid. All the food was amazing so we had breakfast and dinner every day, something we’ve not done before but there was an amazing selection, even for me, with duck, pigeon and guinea fowl and a huge range of desserts with lots of lovely fruit. The wine list was a bit scary, it’s quite amazing what French restaurants charge for there own provenance, you could buy a decent Burgundy for less in The River Room at the Lowry in Manchester! However, John managed to find some very decent wines to accompany our lovely dinners without breaking the bank.
The countryside was so lovely we went on some super walks, again the helpful son of the family printed us off little maps to follow and we thoroughly enjoyed roaming the environs in the beautiful golden autumn days. Everywhere there were apple orchards, beautiful woodland with the trees just beginning to turn and pretty villages and it helped us to work up an appetite for dinner. We did feel it was a bit cold for the pool though, despite assurances that it was well heated!
The other guests were returning English couples, Belgians and a large party of work colleagues who were clearly on a team building event – a fantastic location for team building. At the weekend it was also clearly a favourite spot for Parisiennes wanting to head out of the city for some country air.

A Sparkling few days in Champagne

The journey North from Burgundy to Champagne took us through the amazing vast plains in the East, huge prairies as far as the eye could see and lots of sky. The sat nav managed to find motorway for most of the journey so we arrived early to find the hotel abandoned apart from a lot of cats, which weren’t very good at check in! For once it was a hotel which didn’t welcome dogs, probably due to the number of cats in residence. We were victims of the French weekend in the little French town of Vertus, where the Hostellerie de la Reine Blanche was situated and everything was shut up on Saturday lunchtime. We wandered around for a bit and had to make do with some cheese biscuits for lunch until the lady arrived to welcome us. As it happened they had another guest by the name of Perkins so the first room we were shown did not seem to match the description or the price – quite a coincidence but then most of the guests were English or Belgian (with one Swedish car one day which seemed a long way to come). Eventually we got the right room, situated in an annexe building across the courtyard with a little balcony with views over the vine covered hillside and a nice seating bit to watch the TV. We had BBC 1 and 2 on the satellite so we watched Breakfast news but there didn’t seem to be much else of interest so we carried on with French TV. John has no problem with it but then his French is better than mine. However, I managed a film and an Agatha Christie and felt quite pleased with myself. I can’t do the dubbed programmes because the mouths don’t match the words but I am getting better at original French films and programmes.
We went to Reims on a couple of days and once to Epernay and enjoyed wandering around. We went on the Mercier tour. Being great marketers, they’d made a great experience out of it with a panoramic lift to descend 90 feet to the Caves and a laser guided train to take you through the passages whilst the guide explained about the manufacture and history of the brand. We enjoyed a glass at the end of it as well. We ensured that we drank a little of the local product here too, though not to excess, as it’s no cheaper than in Sainsbury’s. What was really surprising was the cost of the local red wine – we didn’t bother to find out whether it was worth it since we couldn’t see the point in paying over 40 Euros for a bottle of Vertus red when you could drink a very nice Cotes de Bourg for 19 and a Gigondas for 27! We had lunch in a very fine old brasserie in Reims, Le Brasserie de Boullingrin, which was just like you imagine a French bistro to be like and another lunch in Epernay at Le Cave de Champagne, both recommended by lonely planet and lovely. We had supper in the hotel a couple of times, avoiding the champagne menu, which delighted in cooking everything in champagne and was clearly geared for the tourist market and stuck to the more traditional things like Confit de Canard and Jambonneau which were lovely.
Mostly we walked or drove through the little hills covered in vineyards which were lovely and provided fabulous vistas. On Tuesday they began the vendange and where the hills had been pretty much deserted, they were suddenly dotted with white vans, tractors and even buses, bringing in the pickers. We had to crawl along behind tractors carrying crates of grapes to the pressing places so it was all very interesting. John thought it might be fun to pick grapes but we agreed it was probably only fun for about half an hour and then after that it would just be hard work! I was most interested by the marketing, since champagne must be a very early example of creating brands and persuading people to pay to a premium because of the label! The local news carried a daily profile of various local champagne families – nearly always a father, son and daughter, with the girl doing the marketing. Fascinating though the Taittinger family did admit that they are actually owned by the holding company which also owns Louis Vuitton!

Wine and water

On our trip to Burgundy we stayed in the delightful village of Bouilland, just across the hillside from the Hauts Cotes de Nuits and here you see it nestled in its valley. It looks from this angle as though we had this whole little house to ourselves but certainly our room, seen here, had a fantastic view up the valley and overlooked the mill stream. Finally, proof that we didn't just visit the wine producing regions, a picture of the Badoit source which was close to our hotel in St Galmier!

A fine time amongst the vines

We've been enjoying our trips around the vineyards though we've done just as much walking as drinking I promise! The first picture does show me enjoying a glass of Chateauneuf in the place itself though! John is pictured walking through the Tavel vineyards. The final pictures show Vertus, where we are staying in Champagne as seen from the hillside through the vines and finally the lovely village of Gigondas which wins our prize for the loveliest of all.

Superstars of the wine world

Another trip up the autoroute du soleil brought us to the tiny village of Bouilland, about 10km North of Savigny les Beaunes and 17km West of Nuits St Georges, so truly in the heart of Burgundy and arguably the finest wines in the world.
Naturally we had to spend some time visiting the famous vineyards and admiring the perfect Burgundian villages with the familiar names. It absolutely poured with rain on our first day so we admired them from the relatively dry inside of the car though we did make a foray into Beaune protected by umbrellas and waterproofs so that we could admire this lovely town (and find a laundry!). Despite the rain the villages were so charming, lying on the hillsides and completely surrounded by vines. Volnay, Montrachet, Pommard, Vatenay and of course Newts and Geffries (Nuits St George and Gevray Chambertin as they have long been known in the Chambers family!), were all lovely, even without the golden sunshine on the South facing slopes for which they are famous.
The next day it had mainly stopped raining but was windy and cold so we headed into Dijon for a good look round this interesting city, home to mustard and the dukes of Burgundy. We found ourselves at a quirky little hotel, which offered one of the best restaurants in Burgundy, the Hostellerie du Vieux Moulin, with prices to match, so we decided that lunch would be a good idea rather than pay their prices for dinner every night. We did enjoy a very fine meal on the first evening, as we’d booked in advance but we decided it was a special treat kind of place with a very limited menu and at 60 Euros a head would remain a one off. We therefore enjoyed discovering Oeufs Meurette (eggs cooked in red wine with bacon), Jambon Persille (ham terrine with parsley) and the obligatory boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin and snails. Naturally we also had to enjoy some local grape product to go with, including a tasting in Dijon of 3 wines (Aligote, Savigny les Beaunes and Gervray Chambertin). We also tried a local rose, which tasted OK but being the colour of tizer, was a bit off putting!
We drove up to Chablis, which was not quite a glamorous as the Southern grand crus villages but again the rolling hills covered in vines were lovely. John had done his home work with Lonely Planet though and discovered that Noyers, a small village a bit further south was worth a visit. It certainly was, almost like a mini version of Cahors, enclosed totally in a bend of the river with a castle up on the hill to protect it from the North. We walked round the town, ate another delicious lunch, then spent the afternoon climbing the hill and admiring the view from the site of the castle which is being restored.
By Friday the sun had come out again, though not nearly as warm as last week and with more of a feel of autumn in the air. We took the opportunity of fine sunshine to take a long walk around the Bouilland valley, which is steep and wooded with limestone escarpments so no vines there. It was a fabulous walk, the trees still so green and our huge climb was rewarded with a view to the west across to the Massif Central and what felt like half of France spread out before us. We rewarded ourselves with a small beer at the bar in the village, presided over by a fierce Madame who does not encourage customers to linger!

A petillant weekend in Badoit

We headed up the motorway from Avignon – the autoroute du soleil, which was pretty busy with Belgians and Germans heading home from the South but we made pretty good time and turned off just before Lyons for St Etienne. We chose St Galmier for a 2 night stopover to avoid too long a journey, mainly because it was half way between Avignon and Dijon and because we like the look of the hotel. St Galmier is far enough away from anywhere interesting to make it a good place for a completely restful weekend. Its main claim to fame is that it is the source of Badoit and, since we’ve drunk more Badoit than wine in terms of quantity, we thought it made it worthy of a visit. It was a very ordinary, but nevertheless very pretty little place built on a small hill with a real mix of both modern and medieval buildings and great views from the top of the hill. We spent both days walking up and around the hill, admiring the town and the views.
Our hotel, La Charpiniere, was clearly popular for business meetings in the week and weddings at the weekend, but it seemed as though the whole of St Galmier was getting married the Saturday we were there! On arrival we were told the restaurant was fully booked but they relented and found us a table in a room they’d set up for the few diners as the wedding party were in the main restaurant. The food was delicious (Michelin starred) so we were glad they’d managed to squeeze us in. Sunday lunchtime we headed up the hill for another fine meal in a small local restaurant which was equally lovely.
The hotel itself was well appointed for a 3 star with a great bathroom, full length windows leading onto a fine lawn with red squirrels scampering between the trees, a fridge and satellite TV. All in all it was a perfect weekend and we finished it off on Sunday night by drinking a half bottle of Mercier sitting at our window admiring the garden after really enjoying the small break in our journey.

The wines of the lower Rhone

We couldn’t stay so close to this great river without visiting some of the stars of the wine world so we drove across the valley to Gigondas which was a really charming place. Hanging onto the hillside with the ‘Dentelles de Montmirail’ above the village and a view of vineyards as far as the eye could see, it was a wonderful place. We admired the post lady, delivering letters to all the houses up almost vertical streets but still smiling and looking like she was enjoying her job. The village was preparing for several days of festival to wish for a good harvest but it was still quiet early on the Thursday morning when we were wandering round. They’ve made a lovely garden in the grounds of the ruined castle high on the hillside with rosemary, lavender and other scented herbs and rising above the village were even more vineyards.
We drove through Beaumes de Venise, which wasn’t nearly as pretty (but then it’s never been my favourite amongst the sweet wines) and across to Chateauneuf du papes, where we had intended to stay. Another lovely town on the hill and we climbed up for the view and walked round what was left of the castle before having a delicious lunch high up on the hill with a half bottle of the 2006 vintage of the local beverage.
Friday we decided to give the car a rest and enjoy the local scenery and admire the Tavel vineyards, since we had been testing the produce. We spent the morning with boots on walking some of the route du vignobles du Tavel and also visiting the neighbouring village of Lirac and exploring the hillside in search of the troglodytic house (which we never found it was so well hidden). Lirac is not for the purists as they make red, white and rose wine with their grapes, whereas in Tavel they stick to the pink. It is the only pink wine allowed in the 2 and 3 star restaurants of France! The farmers were starting to prepare the vines for the grape picking and, when we left on Saturday morning, they had already started picking some.
I feel so privileged to visit the places where this wine comes from and I think of the pleasure to come. Every time we open a bottle of Gigondas, or Tavel, or Pauillac or any of the other fine wines, I shall have a wealth of happy memories about the charming villages on hillsides or the sunny days spent walking through vineyards and it will make them taste even better.

Roman Provence

Tavel was a good place to explore Provence and we spent a fabulous day walking round the Pont du Gard, climbing to the view points above the bridge and walking along the river. The Mistral was blowing so there weren’t many other people around so we were lucky to avoid the crowds. A handful of hardy souls were braving the river, swimming or in canoes but it was pretty cold and the water was low so it didn’t look very inviting! It’s a great site though and they’ve made it into a really good visitors centre with nice paths and displays. The bridge and the Gard River are the real stars and amazing to think how they managed to build the bridge so long ago. We went on to Uzes and had a good walk round the old town and admired the castle.
Wednesday we went to Arles, another lovely old town with the amazing Roman arena and theatre. We took a small lunch at the cafe where Van Gogh used to take his morning coffee in the main square, which is on the site of the forum. It was a very ‘real’ place which didn’t seem to have been taken over by it touristic interests. The lunch at Van Gogh’s coffee place was very reasonable and the river frontage, although full of Rhone cruise boats visiting Arles, still felt a bit edgy and dock like. We went on to visit the Camargue, which was so beautiful, with lots of white horses, some bulls (though the taureau on the menu in Arles came from Spain) though I didn’t see any flamingos. We went to St Marie de la Mere for a last swim in the Med – as freezing as ever though it was a beautiful sandy beach. I persuaded John into the water so that he could say he’d swum in the sea once but he didn’t stay in for long and I don’t blame him!
We had to fight the sat nav the whole time as it was determined to take us back to Tavel via the autoroute when I wanted to go up the Rhone and see the viaduct south of Avignon for the TGV line. Naturally I won!

The Computer finds a hotel!

After the luxury and unique comforts of St Maxime we were managing our own expectations about our next stop, L’Auberge du Tavel, especially as the computer chose it rather than us! Struggling with a dodgy wifi in Cabris, we thought we were booking a hotel in Chateauneuf du Pape but somehow we’d booked this one instead. Since it was in the right area we decided to leave it and see what the computer choice was like – and the computer chose well!
A tiny place with just a few rooms in Tavel village, famous for its rose wine, of which we managed to try several during our stay, each room was decorated differently – ours was red and orange with a large window looking over the vineyards and absolutely delightful. We had a bath and a shower, a fridge (handy for the tiny bottles of sparkling for our aperitif) and dressing gowns (in orange to match the room). Breakfast was included so we enjoyed the fresh bread in the morning and the food was quite amazing and very reasonably priced. On the last night we let them decide the menu for us and had quite a feast – a fish salad, warm parsley tart with poached snails, monkfish ‘lollipops’, guinea fowl, mandarin granite and a sort of crumble and custard made from speculoos biscuits (they knew John well) as well as 3 types of cheese (chevre, vache and brebis) each written on a small stone next to the cheese so that we knew! On Wednesday night all the staff had a night off so we ate at a little restaurant in the village itself.
The first day the Mistral was blowing so although it was incredibly bright and clear it was far too windy for the pool but by Friday it had got warm and sunny again so we spent the afternoon by the pool by ourselves so it was like having a private pool. The staff were very friendly and it was truly a delightful place. The guests were a mix of French, German and Dutch. Although it felt like the middle of nowhere we were actually only a few minutes from an autoroute interchange so it presumably makes a good stopping off point it you were driving up from Spain or the far South West.
Perhaps we’ll allow the computer to choose hotels again!

Spectacular views from our hotels

The hotels we chose in Provence and the Cote d'Azur both had absolutely amazing views. L'Horizon at Cabris was so far up in the hills that it felt like being on top of the world, though the small village was just along the road and there was room for a pool on the hillside. The Belle Aurore at St Maxime felt like being on a boat as all you could see from our terrace, the pool or the restaurant was the sea. We never got tired of enjoying these views.

Amazing bridges

Across the ages human beings are quite incredible at not letting natural obstacles get in their way. It struck me as we marvelled at three bridges - all built hundreds or thousands of years apart and all miraculous. The almost new viaduct at Millau which takes the motorway across the gorge, the medieval bridge at Cahors (which was actually built for defensive reasons to protect the city rather than to cross the river) and the Roman acqueduct at the Pont du Gard.

Our little piece of paradise

Every time we pack up and leave a place I think that we can’t possibly find anywhere nicer and yet each new place is equally lovely and so fabulous. We are so lucky to be making this trip where we don’t have to choose one place over another due to lack of time but can experience such a plethora of wonderful places and fantastic experiences.
We had decided to give ourselves a treat and go 4 star for a visit to the St Tropez region. We tend to stick to 2 and 3 stars since time is on our side and we didn’t want to blow the budget, but after consulting our trusty hotel directories and a number of websites we decided that this region really had to be done in some style. We didn’t go totally mad though and opted for St Maxime, across the gulf from St Tropez itself and picked the most basic room in the Hotel Belle Aurore. We have been absolutely wowed by the place, which was well worth the extravagance, since it is right on the sea, overlooking the bay with the most incredible views. Our room, though small, has terracotta tiled terrace, at least twice the size of the room with a full sea view, loungers and a table and chairs. The car has been left in the car park to rest as it takes just a few minutes to walk into St Maxime and apart from eating and drinking we prefer to chill on our terrace or swim in the infinity pool, immediately above the waves. We have both ventured into the sea below the pool but it’s a bit rocky and decidedly cold (John says it’s freezing but he is exaggerating!)
We have a beautiful Labrador staying next door and I got quite a surprise when I was moving the sun beds into the shade to be greeted by a furry face poking through the divider from next door to see what was going on! Dogs are very much the in thing wherever you go though it makes a change to see one of a regular size which doesn’t need to be carried round in a bag or wheeled in a shopping trolley (both of which I’ve seen in the last 24 hours!)
Truly this is our own piece of paradise – when we walked into the room and saw the view through the window of the terrace and the sea beyond I thought it was a picture on the wall. Tonight we will have dinner in the hotel restaurant which feels like a ship, being curved and having full windows over the sea to add to the treat and the overall sense of being in heaven – what lucky people we are.

The cote d'azur

Despite the loveliness of the setting we couldn’t stay so close to the Cote d’Azur and not pay a visit to its famous towns and coast line. I was afraid we weren’t getting the best of Grasse as the first morning we spend a very hot and frustrating time trying to find the obligatory laundry, along with somewhere to park. We eventually found one, though they couldn’t get it back to us till Friday, which resulted in an emergency trip to Galeries Lafayette in Cannes for a couple more bras! We also managed to get the car washed as it was looking a little less shiny after such a long trip. Jobs done we then wandered round the lovely old town and found a nice cafe for large salads and a pichet of Provencal rose. We paid a quick visit to the Fragonard perfume factory though the shop was crammed with tourists so I didn’t bother to buy anything.
We drove down into Cannes, which despite the traffic and the haut saison crowds was still impressive. We managed some shopping – the aforementioned underwear, not quite as good value as M&S but close enough and contact lens solution and other necessary toiletries. We walked along the Croissette and up through the old town to the castle and enjoyed another huge salad and bottle of the local rose (a chateau Minuty, which we used to drink in Abu Dhabi and still cheaper despite Cannes’ prices). Then it was back to our eyrie and a good long swim in the fabulous pool. The next day we went to Nice, though failed to find the Route Napoleon down into the town and had to trail along the coast road from Antibes. We admired the yachts in the port and John was delighted to see that the restaurant (L’Ane Rouge), where he had had dinner with Sir Roger Sargent in the 70s when he was a PhD student and Roger his supervisor on his first overseas conference, was still there. We walked along the Promenade des Anglais and through the old town where we found an authentic local restaurant for lunch – Beignets and Farcis a la Provencal followed by Mouse au Chocolat and Crème Carmel. On the way back we managed to find the right road but still got lost trying to get through Grasse but at least we didn’t need any dinner.
Even though it was very crowded and the traffic incredibly busy we very much enjoyed this corner of France and had plenty of opportunity to pose with the top down and get the best out of the car, though it has acquired a mysterious scratch on the rear bumper. We packed up on Friday, as the hotel was full and couldn’t accommodate us for our usual five nights, but we were only heading for Saint Maxime, in the Gulf of St Tropez, so not too far this time. We even managed to pack in such a way as to allow us to make the drive to this part of the coast with the roof open, though when I picked up the laundry on the way that proved difficult to stow without resembling a mobile dry cleaners!

Heading for Provence

It took us a whole day to get from Cahors to Cabris and I vowed that we should look more closely at the Atlas in order to break up our travelling, though this is the first really long drive we’ve done. Nevertheless, the joy of this trip is that we’re in no hurry to get somewhere so we can create manageable drives, preferably no more than 3 or 4 hours maximum. We went cross country to Millau; the sat nav seemed to want to take us on a slightly different route, though I don’t know where since this was by far the most direct. We chose it because I was really keen to see the Millau Viaduct as it has always amazed me. I was not disappointed, the mist and rain we’d driven through in the hills near Rodez cleared to give us a wonderful, sunny day, so we saw the viaduct in all its glory and it is quite magnificent. I believe it was designed by Norman Foster, a very different commission from Masdar City but equally stunning. We stopped to photograph it from the northern side, since driving across it really looks much like the rest of the motorway, except for the pylons – you get no impression of the height.
The rest of the trip was on the motorway – I’d done the first couple of hours but John did all but the last one and a half hours, since, although I’m fine with driving on the right, I do find it hard to get used to being on the wrong side of the car! Once we came off the motorway we climbed up and up into the hills above the Cote d’Azur till it felt like the road couldn’t possibly carry on any higher. We were well rewarded for the effort when we checked into the Hotel Horizon at Cabris, a stunning medieval village, perched on a hill about 7km (vertically) from Grasse. The view from our bedroom and bathroom down the hill and towards the Esterel mountains, the coast and the huge Lac du Caspien, was absolutely stunning. Many times during our 4 night stay we were above the cloud, giving a beautiful but strange effect. Cabris itself was so lovely, every place seems to be so picturesque and charming and somehow even lovelier than the place before. How does one country manage to have quite so many charming towns, villages and countryside, it seems that France has more than its fair share of beautiful places!
The hotel itself would not have won any prizes for friendliness but the beauty of the scenery, the pool perched on the hillside below and the well kept rooms more than made up for it and Cabris afforded a number of very decent restaurants though it was a shame not to have a place to eat in such a fabulous location. The hillside around was dotted with desirable villas with pools and terraces and the Presse in the village had the same day’s copy of the Guardian so I guess it’s another popular spot for very well heeled English ex pats or second homers. I can certainly see why.

A lovely weekend in Cahors

We headed from Moncrabeau to Cahors, a beautiful drive through the lower Tarn and Lot valleys. Finally the sun made a proper appearance and it got really hot. Cahors is a really beautiful town captured in a U of the river lot so as to make it almost an island and which allows for endless river frontage and beautiful views. Our hotel was a modern building on the opposite bank from the town, The Chartreuse. Nothing much to look at but then you don’t have to look at it from the inside and we had a huge window and a little balcony overlooking the river. It won the prize for the best facilities so far – a bath and a proper shower which is almost unheard of as you seem to only be able to have one or the other! The aforementioned balcony and view as well as air conditioning, a proper double bed and a fridge. We were very impressed, especially as it was also the cheapest at only 90 Euros a night. Had it had a mirror it would have been a full house – not that I have a check list or anything!
We really enjoyed wandering round the medieval town and admiring the incredible Pont Valentre which has been impressively restored. The Saturday market was also amazing and, having had a request for honey from Sue, J’s former PA, we were at last able to buy something, which was great. We went on a boat trip up the river to admire the town from the water and experience going through the lock. We also found a great restaurant for dinner on Saturday night – Le Marche, which offered an interesting set menu, including Foie Gras, since Quercy is very much Foie Gras country.
We were very glad of the excellent pool to cool off, though on the Saturday it had been rather taken over by a family party who were at the hotel for some occasion and all the children had decamped to the pool for the afternoon. Although the hotel reckoned it was only 22 degrees in the water it felt a lot warmer than Keith’s pool but maybe it was the sunshine!
On Sunday night we headed off to St Antonin Noble Val, another adorable medieval town, this time on the banks of the Aveyron. It took about 45 minutes to drive over and we met Pam, my Godmother and the two John’s who have a converted farmhouse and barn in a beautiful spot South of Cahors on a hillside with a pool and garden. We had a lovely dinner together and caught up on everyone’s news and answered lots of questions about life in Abu Dhabi. The restaurant was great, with super food and a terrace overlooking the river and the bridge. It was a very convivial evening though we had to drive back in the dark, which is rather tricky as we have been unable to alter our headlights, since the instruction manual gives us the method for a 5 Series. Having to switch to side lights every time a car came in the other direction was a bit nerve wracking! We also replenished our travel library when Pam kindly brought us a bag of books to borrow as we are getting a bit low on the ones we brought with us. It was great to see them again and it was a shame we had to move on without visiting them at home but they had been rather full of family visitors and we had something of an epic journey the next day.
Altogether we really enjoyed Cahors, though we didn’t try any of the black wine, which we didn’t fancy so much in the heat and after the incredible Clarets we’d been drinking at Keith’s. We did have a local rose though, which was very nice indeed. It’s certainly a part of the world I would be happy to spend more time in.