France Diary
from 2/11/2011 to 26/11/2011, then to 25/1/2012
2-11-2011
Wednesday
Left the park late morning and drove across the border into the Alsace/Lorraine
region of France to an Aires in a big empty car park, next to 2 schools,
at a town called Soultz Haut Rhin. We arrived about 2pm and did some
shopping at a supermarket nearby.
3-11-2011 Thursday
Just before 8 this morning the car park we were in was a hive of activity with
lots of cars coming in, parents taking their kids into the primary school and
then driving back off to work. After breakfast, Dave, Kerry and I walked a short
way to the main village of Soultz. The St George church was not as
decorated with paintings and guilded statues as some we've seen recently, but
was impressive all the same. We enjoyed walking around the streets but quite a
few of the old buildings are in need of a bit of TLC (tender loving care).
We then drove about 180ks (in the direction of Paris) and stopped at an Aires at
a town called Richardménil (France) for the night, a small town a just
few ks south of a bigger main town called Nancy. We are finding it harder
now to find caravan parks that are still open for business as a lot of them have
started closing for the end of their season, from Sept onwards (as we go further
south into the warmer areas there should be more parks open). On the way here,
we drove through a 7k long tunnel, the longest one over here so far, and at the
end we had to pay a toll of 16.50 euros (about AUD21). It started raining and we
were glad to get a spot for the night. This Aires has room for 5 mhomes and by
nightfall all the spots were taken. A 6th one came along later but had to move
on. This Aires also has free power, water and disposal of our waste water and
chemical toilet. They all vary - some are totally free, some have free parking
overnight but charge for water etc, and others charge for the parking and
services. It all depends on the town who foot the bill for whatever is free.
4-11-2011 Friday
Drove about 100ks to the town Verdun (France), a prominent military town
in French history. We visited the Underground Citadel (La Citadelle
souterraine de Verdun), a system of tunnels, the construction of which began
in 1623. Verdun then belonged to the Kingdom of France, and required defences
against the claims of its large Germanic neighbour. After the Franco-Prussian
War, which ended in a French defeat in 1871, Verdun became a front-line
garrison, only a few kilometres from the border. Further underground tunnels
were dug, under 16 metres of rock, to store arms and to provide barracks if
there was a new conflict with Germany. It quickly became the French logistical
headquarters in 1916. There was 7ks of tunnels by the end of the war. These
tunnels were organised in such a way as to shelter thousands of men.
On 10th November 1920, the Unknown Soldier, who lies under the Arc de
Triomphe in Paris, was chosen. We took a tour in automatic carriages which took
us to some parts of the underground tunnels, and gave some insight into the
lives of the French soldiers in the 1914-18 war. We parked overnight in a big
car park not far from the Citadel - there were no signs saying it was allowed,
or not, but the lady from the tourist information centre said it was ok, which
was good as we didn't have to drive any further. We walked down the road and
bought some fresh fish to cook for dinner.
5-11-2011 Saturday
We had a busy day today. This morning we walked around Verdun which lies on the River
Meuse. We felt many of the town's old buildings appeared run down and in
need of repair, and wondered if it was a sign of the current economic
situation(?) We took the suggested route by the tourism map and saw among
others:-
- Verdun War Memorial - constructed in 1928, represents the 5 sections of
the French army that fought in the 1916 battle. From left to right: a
cavalryman, a sapper, an infantryman, also known as a "poilu", a
gunner and a member of the Territorial Army. These 5 soldiers form a wall,
symbolising the motto of Verdun: "They shall not pass". At the foot of
the monument are inscribed the names of the soldiers killed during the First and
Second World Wars (although it couldn't be all of them). Life in Verdun is full
of patriotism. The commemorations of 1st November (All Saints'Day) and 11th
November (Armistice Day) take place in front of this monument.
- Porte Chaussee - 2 big round castle like structures at one end of a
bridge - it is the official entrance to the town since its construction in the
14th century and part of the defensive structures of the Grand Rampart that
encircled Verdun in the Middle Ages. It featured mediaeval fortifications such
as portcullis, battlements, and mechanism for raising the drawbridge, and of
course the obligatory gargoyles.
- "La Défense" (Defence) - a sculpture by Rodin, representing
a wounded soldier supported by the Winged Victory.
- Notre Dame Cathedral (yes, another one!) - dates from the 10th century
and celebrated its millenium in 1990. It is the largest Romanesque building in
Lorraine (Region), was seriously damaged in a fire in the 18th century and
suffered numberous bombardments during the First World War, due to its dominant
position in the town.
- "A la Victoire et aux Enfants de Verdun" (Monument to Victory and
to the People of Verdun) - this monument was dedicated on 23rd June 1929. It
is made up of 73 steps at the tope of which there is a commemorative crypt,
overlooked by a soldier leaning on his sword, his gaze fixed on the Eastern
borders. He symbolises the French victories of 1916 (the Battle of Verdun) and
1918 (the Armistice that brought the First World War to an end), as well as the
completion of the reconstruction of the town, more than 85% of which was
destroyed during the conflict. 2 Russian cannons captured on the German front,
sit up the top and face the East - toward Germany! Also there is a crypt at the
Monument where details are kept of the soldiers who won the Verdun medal.
Halfway round we stopped for an enjoyable lunch at a Chinese/Thai restaurant.
After finishing our tourist walk, we drove about 11k to one of the many military
memorials - Ossuary of Douaumont, a large upside down T shaped building,
housing a chapel and the names (and some photos) of many soldiers of WWI.
Outside there were thousands of graves represented by crosses. Unfortunately for
our photos, this big sandstone building had a lot of scaffolding on it as
removal of the blackened colour was in progress. We cut short our time here as
it was 3.30 and we needed to move to a place for the night. We found another
Aires at a town called Les Islettes, about 35k away (on the way to Paris
which is now about 240k away). It is a lovely Aires, quiet and peaceful, AND
even has a shower and toilet available which is not common to Aires.
6-11-2011 Sunday
We drove straight to Paris today, about 245ks - we
are in gay Paree!! On the way we stopped to look at yet another Notre Dame
Church (very impressive) at a town called L'Epine. We also stopped
along the way to take a photo of our mhome in between 2 big piles of vegetables,
big piles (as high as the mhome) we've been seeing fairly regularly as we've
been driving on roads past the farming areas. We thought they were potatoes but
when we stopped and got close up we realised they're not, and aren't sure what
they are. They're light coloured like a white potato but look more like a turnip
shape and the cut off green growth attached appears similar to a carrot's. The
taste is sweetish not like a potato at all. Anyway we'll keep you posted - we
took/stole 3 and will cook them up.
While we were there, just off the road on the farm's track, a small car drove
from the farm across the road and drove on the track where we were, (and I
thought we were gonners) but then kept going, and even waved when we did. I
thought they'd stop and get up us for trespassing! We've driven past lots and
lots of farming land, luscious and green. We booked into a caravan park for 5
nights Bois de Boulogne which is in central Paris, about 6ks from the
centre. The park is actually on the Seine River. We had dinner at a
restaurant on site.
7-11-2011 Monday
Needed to catch up on some washing today before we went out. It was overcast and
cool but the rain held off and we wandered a short way at about 3.30pm over a
bridge to McDonalds to check our internet/emails as we don't have it in the
park. We walked around for a little while and had a nice dinner at an Asian
restaurant before walking back to the park. We could see the top part of the
Eiffel Tower on our way home. We'll go into the main part of Paris tomorrow and
do the tourist thing.
8-11-2011 Tuesday
I was having a good day until someone stole my purse out of my bag, and we
believe it happened on a packed train (in Paris) when we were being pushed by
the people trying to get on to the train at the station. I found it was missing
a bit before 4pm when I went to pay for something. We were able to cancel all
the relevant cards within the hour which was great but of course you still feel
violated. Anyway it could've been worse and the things are easily replaced.
C'est la Vie!
Up until then we bussed and trained it into the Arc de Triomphe which was
very impressive indeed! It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate
his victories but remained unfinished when he started losing battles and then
entire wars, and wasn't completed until 1936. Since 1920, the body of an Unknown
Soldier from WWI has lain beneath the arch; his fate and that of countless
others is commemorated by a memorial flame. Up on the viewing platform on the
top of the structure, you enjoy wonderful views (360 degrees) of Paris. It was
an overcast and showery day but we still had a great viewing. Today the arch
stands at the centre of the world's largest traffic roundabout, Place de l'Étoile
- officially known as place Charles de Gaulle. Over a dozen boulevards
radiate outwards from the square, including Avenue des Champs-Elysées,
one of the city's swankiest shopping districts - will have to see if they have a
purse I can buy tomorrow.
Afterwards, we walked down the tree lined Champs-Elysées and had a lovely lunch
at a French restaurant called Le Deauville. Then we hopped on a train
(scene of the crime) and got off to see the Musée Du Louvre, but guess
what! It's closed on Tuesdays! So we will go back tomorrow but we did go into
the square, the Cour Napoleon, which the magnificent buildings surround,
and saw the 3 glass pyramids (1 large 21m Grand Pyramide and 2 smaller)
in the square - of course these were featured in the Davinci Code movie. The
buildings were magnificent with many statues of famous people. More on that when
we return.....
9-11-2011 Wednesday
Well we didn't do the Louvre today. We caught the shuttle bus and train to Paris
centre and filed a report with the police about my stolen purse. They believe it
would've been the people who pretend to be deaf and try to get you to complete a
petition like form and appears to ask for money but they aren't really deaf and
are con people and pickpockets - distracting you while someone pickpockets your
bag, especially a Romanian small young woman of whom they are aware. Quite a few
of them tried to get us to write on this form and I told most of them no, but
while waiting for Dave taking a photo and Kerry in a shop, I felt some
compassion and wrote on one of these people's forms, opened my purse and gave
her 1 euro and possibly made myself a target at that point. I don't think it
happened at that time as we were in the open and not many people around us but
possibly a small team of them could've followed us.
We then took a hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus for about 2 hours all around the
city - it was very good. The day was better today, being sunny and not rainy
like yesterday - we saw people on the sightseeing bus yesterday and thought how
miserable it would've been. We then waited in line for about an hour to go up
the Eiffel Tower, by elevator, but could only go to the second floor as the top
was closed. In the elevator there was a sign saying beware of pickpockets! We
were up there at 6pm when the lights started flashing on and off - it was
amazing and the view from up there was spectacular - the lights of the city and
the added moving vehicles' lights made quite a beautiful site. The Tour
Eiffel (Eiffel Tower) faced massive opposition from Paris' artistic and
literary elite when it was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World
Fair). It was almost torn down in 1909 but was spared because it proved an
ideal platform for radio antennas! Today some 5.8 million make their way to the
top each year and it is probably one of the, if not the, most recognisable icon
in the world.
10-11-2011 Thursday
Well we didn't go to the Louvre again today - we just decided to stay home and
rest as we feel like we've been doing a lot and we're no spring chickens
anymore! Took the opportunity to do some more washing and just chill. We had a
nice dinner at the restaurant on site.
11-11-2011
Armistice Day - there is a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe today but we didn't
go there - we finally went to the Musée Du Louvre.
The Palais du Louvre was constructed as a fortress by Philippe-Auguste in the
early 13th century and rebuilt in the mid-16th century. In 1793 it became the
Musée du Louvre, one of France's (if not the world's) finest museums. The top
attractions are da Vinci's mischievous Mona Lisa and the beautiful
Venus de Milo. The Mona Lisa had a big buffer area (to keep customers at
a distance) around where she sat on the wall and it was actually quite a small
painting - for all her fame we thought it would be a much bigger picture. We
also wondered if it was only a copy anyway, especially considering people
weren't supposed to use the flash on their cameras and they were, without being
told to stop by the employees standing around. The real one was probably in the
vault. There certainly seemed a big attraction back in those days, in painting
naked people, men and women. There were some battle scenes with the men dressed
only in sandals, head armour and a sword! And there wasn't anywhere to put the
sword when they were finished!
Other highlights include works by Raphael, Botticelli, Delacroix and Titian, and
a collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. We also saw the Mediaeval/Egyptian
exhibit which included a large marble sphinx. We were there for nearly 3 hours
and that wasn't seeing all of it. Kerry and I then made our way down to the Musée
de l'Orangerie which houses the famous Claude Monet's Water Lillies,
and works by other famous painters - including Pablo Picasso, Paul Guillaume,
Renoir, and Cézanne. I must say there were some beautiful paintings but
there's a lot for which I cannot see the attraction and cannot understand how
they are valued so highly. Some paintings actually look fairly simple that look
like anyone could paint, including me. On the way there, we walked the Jardin
Des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) - laid out in the mid-17th century and soon
became the most fashionable spot in Paris for parading about in one's finery. It
now forms part of the Banks of the Seine World Heritage Site, listed by Unesco
in 1991.
Kerry and I then walked for about 20 mins along the Seine River to meet
up with Dave at the most famous Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, where the
disfigured hunchback Quasimodo (Charles Laughton) was love struck by the
beautiful Esmerelda (who of you oldies remember that old movie based on the
story by Victor Hugo?). Notre Dame is the true heart of Paris, a French Gothic
masterpiece and the focus of Catholic Paris for 7 centuries. When the name
"Notre Dame" is mentioned I immediately think of Paris. It was begun
in 1163 and largely completed by the middle of the 14th century. It is truly
magnificent with 3 stunning stained-glass rose windows and the monumental 7800
pipe organ. There were many other stained-glass windows and statues as well.
Distances from Paris to every part of metropolitan France are measured from place
du Parvis Notre Dame, the square in front of Notre Dame. On the way we
crossed over the Pont Neuf bridge with 7 arches, Paris' oldest bridge
dating back to 1607.
12-11-2011 Saturday
Travelled to a town called Port de Vanves (Paris) where every weekend,
they have an antique and flea market. There was more than 1k of stalls selling
all sorts of things. Some was rubbish but some was very good, and there was some
things we would've bought if we'd been home and didn't need to ship it. We then
took the train to the Catacombes but the line was very long and would've
taken about 3 hours to get in. In 1785 the hygiene problems posed by Paris'
overflowing cemeteries, was solved by exhuming the bones and storing them in 3
disused quarries. One, created in 1810, is now known as the Catacombes.
Apparently, after descending 20m (130 steps) from street level, visitors follow
1.6k of corridors stacked with the bones of millions of Parisians.
So instead we went across the road as we spied an Aussie pub and had a drink. It
displayed Aboriginal artwork and other Australiana and was quite good. Went home
mid-afternoon and talked about our next stops.
13-11-2011 Sunday
This morning we left the Paris camping park we've been at for 7 days and drove
to the Chateau de Versailles (Versailles Palace).
We couldn't get a park so Dave dropped Kerry and me there and drove off to find
a place to stay until we were ready. It was built in the mid-17th century during
the reign of Louis XIV - the Roi Soleil (Sun King) - to project the absolute
power of the French monarchy. The palace, a 580m long structure with
innumberable wings, grand halls and sumptuous bedchambers, is perhaps even more
renowned for its glorious landscaped gardens. The Palace is just so extravagant
and it's no wonder the starving people revolted and chopped off the heads of
their King and Queen Marie-Antoinette. The Treaty of Versailles was signed here
in 1919.
(NB: the photos won't be as good as they normally are because I took them
instead of Dave who didn't come in)
We continued on to the town of Chartres where we went down some small
streets (phew) but finally found a park and walked to the Cathédrale Notre
Dame of Chartres (Cathedral of Our Lady). The magnificent 13th century
cathedral, crowned by twin spires - one Gothic, the other Romanesque - is
arguably the most famous and most beautiful in France, rivalled only by the
Paris Notre Dame and Rouen in terms of scale and spectacle. The cathedral is
particularly famous for its 172 breathtaking stained-glass windows, which form
one of the most important ensembles of medieval stained glass in the world. We
drove another 50ks west to an Aires in a town called La Madeleine Bouvet.
We're not far from the church will tolls the bells on the hour so we'll see what
sort of night we have.
14-11-2011
Monday
Walked around the small village of La Madeleine Bouvet (France) this morning.
Went into the shop to thank (in my broken French) the people there (i.e. the
town) for providing such a lovely Aires for mhomes (camping cars) to stay free
overnight especially beside the lake and there was even a WC (toilet) provided.
We also bought a nice baguette (bread stick) which we've been doing a lot lately
- Kerry especially thinks the bread is different to ours and is very nice. The
lady gave us the key to the church so we could look inside - it was a small and
modest church but well looked after. The church bells next door to us, tolled
regularly until about 10.30pm and then thankfully stopped until about 7am the
next morning.
We continued our drive and stopped for a break at the town of Domfront,
where we took a walk through their medieval part of their town. There were some
very interesting buildings and narrow streets and all the businesses seem to
shut about 12.00 until about 2-2.30pm, probably for their siesta. They then stay
open later til about 7pm. We've actually come across this in other towns too
which is so different to home. I can understand it in very hot places where they
have a sleep in the hottest part of the day like Mexico etc, but it's quite cool
here! We then drove about 200ks west to a town called Pontorson to an
Aires at the back of a Carrefours supermarket, which suited us perfectly as we
needed to do a big shop, and they would've been closed yesterday (Sunday). We've
noticed in Europe most businesses are closed on Sundays, like we (in OZ) used to
be many years ago. All the camping parks around this area in the book we have,
are closed for their season now so Aires are our main option, probably until we
move south. We are in the region of Normandy but will be in Brittany tomorrow
which we've heard is very beautiful. An English couple we met last April,
holiday a lot in their mhome in Brittany.
15-11-2011 Tuesday
Drove this morning a couple ks to Makkas to get our emails and then continued
about 9ks to Mount Saint-Michel now in the region of Normandy (France).
When we drove in the lady taking parking fees said we could stay overnight,
which was great because it's a great place to stay with nothing but the English
channel and Mount Saint-Michel all around us... This allowed us to be relaxed
walking around the Abbey, the shops and the many eateries, and what a view over
some of the ramparts! We were looking across the English channel to Britain but
we couldn't actually see it. Apparently at one time, access to the magnificent
structure couldn't be accessed as it's on an island and was subject to the tides
but they've since built up a road to it and access can be gained anytime
(obviously also good for businesses). The car parks on either side of the built
up road do get flooded at high tide and there are signs to let you know when
that will be. The car park we're in wasn't due to get flooded tonight so that's
good.
The first small simple building on this giant rock seems to date back to about
708. After that, there were a few additions over the centuries to the
magnificent monument it is today. Mont-Saint-Michel is dedicated to Archangel
Michael, the victor over Satan and fierce leader of the forces of Heaven - he
will weigh the souls of mortals at the Last Judgement! It's an abbey and
monastery and still houses a number of nuns and monks. At one time it was a
prison which closed in 1863 and in 1874, became a National Heritage site.
Inside we saw the very large so called "Roue" (Wheel of torture). It
was built during the 19th century on behalf of the penitentiary authorities. It
was not a device of torture but a means of increasing the human strength by
using a lever - at a time when engines did not exist. A few men walk within the
circular area of the wheel which moves with their weight. This allowed a rope to
coil around an axle, thereby enabling a cable to pull a laden sleigh up a slope
(or the outside of the building).
When the night came the sight (from within our mhome) of the floodlit
Mont-Saint-Michel was just fabulous - I was reminded of the night time photo
we'd seen of the Neuschwanstein Castle (the one upon which Disneyland's TV show
castle was based). We had a front row seat for the whole evening!
16-11-2011 Wednesday
Said goodbye to the stunning Mont-Saint-Michel and drove about 55ks to St
Malo on the north coast of Brittany. We parked at a large car park of a
dock. It was overcast and rainy but Dave got his bike out and rode around for a
while to get some photos. Kerry and I walked around the dock area and the 3 of
us had a nice lunch at a busy restaurant right on the dock. We then drove to
another interesting area with old buildings, and walked along a walled part of
the town that looked out over the open water. We were in a port where the
vehicle ferries go across the channel. We then continued to a nearby Aires on Rue
Paul Feval - still can't find a camping park open - our 4th night without a
shower (it's good that it's cool weather and not steamy like home!).
17-11-2011 Thursday - Loire valley
We've been having problems with our fridge, having trouble staying connected to
the gas while we've been at Aires. Dave worked out that it was probably the 2
habitat batteries needing replacement as they were about 4 years old. (When
we're not connected to electricity the lights, radio and some other vital
functions are powered by batteries specifically designated for this purpose, not
by the engine's battery) Last night to conserve what power was left in the
batteries for the fridge, I sat with the lights off and used a torch to read -
it was like real camping. So this morning, we drove to the nearest garage and
bought 2 new batteries which fixed the problem.
We then drove 215ks to a small town called Brain-Sur-L'Authion, not far
from a larger town Angers, and booked into an open-for-business caravan
park that we finally found - ah, hot shower here we come. The park was called CM
Caroline caravan park and the lovely French lady there didn't speak much
English but she was very helpful and tried her best to communicate with us. She
directed us to a nice restaurant a couple ks away, Le Dauphine, which was
reasonably priced and the man there was very helpful with the menu as well. They
made us feel very welcome, so far most people have. We also have the internet
here which we haven't properly had for about 2 weeks or more.
18-11-2011 Friday
We had an easy day today - did some washing and then rode our bikes around the
town in the afternoon for a couple hours. It seems a nice town. The day started
out cloudy and then by lunch time it started to sunny up - 'superb' as a French
lady said in her front yard, after we'd said 'Bonjour' to her. We came back and
had our nibblies and drinks and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.
19-11-2011 Saturday
Drove 140k to a town called Vendome, a town west of Orleans which
probably was the town people came from originally, who migrated and started up
the town of New Orleans (which has a lot of French speaking people) in the USA.
Vendome was a very interesting and busy town with many old buildings and had 3
churches. The most beautiful and very ornate church (l'eglise) was the Holy
Trinity Abbey - its facade is considered as one of the most significant
examples of Gothic architecture. Another church, Saint Madeleine, was a
more modest church (very unusual for the Catholics), but had 12 large very
colourful and impressive stained glass windows, 6 down each side. We would've
liked to have spent a bit more time exploring this town but how schedule didn't
allow for it. We also bypassed a biggish town called Blois for the same
reason.
We drove on to a caravan park at a town called Bracieux which was
supposed to be open for November but unfortunately wasnt. So we drove on to
another one that is open all year at St Laurent-Nouan but the barrier was
down and we couldn't find anyone. We even knocked on a few caravans that had
cars next to them but no-one came out - it was actually quite eerie. It was
5.30pm and getting dark, and we were tired and weren't going to drive anymore so
we parked for the night in the visitors' car park across the road ('wild
camping'). This caravan park is alongside the Loire River.
20-11-2011 Sunday
We walked along the bank of the Loire River this morning before we left. It was
a lovely sunny day and there were seven swans-a-swimming (must be nearly Xmas)
in a line on the river - it was a nice sight. We drove a few ks back the way we
came yesterday because we saw the Chateau Chambord and wanted to see it.
It is magnificent externally, especially, and I think, rivals Neuchwanstein (the
Disneyland castle) - of course, it was another example of the extravagance of
royalty. The grounds (covering some 5,500 hectares) and waterways are beautiful.
You could get lost inside with rooms leading off rooms, leading off other rooms
and so on. It was a bit disconcerting when you were going up one side of the
double-helix staircase and you heard or looked across and saw someone walking up
the other one (they were basically 2 large separate spiral staircases twisting
around each other).
Our Lonely Planet book description - Chateaux don't get any grander than
Chambord, constructed from 1519 by Francois I as a country lodge, but eventually
used for just 42 days during the king's 32 year reign. The chateau's most famous
feature is the double-helix staircase, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci
who lived in Amboise from 1516 until 1519. The Italianate rooftop terrace,
surrounded by a maze of cupolas, chimneys and slate roofs, was where the royal
court assembled to watch military exercises, tournaments and hunting parties
returning at the end of the day - a magnificent view.
When we left we put our ticket in the parking box for it to tell us how much,
expecting it to be €6 (for mhomes) and it was €45! That was the cost for
buses and then we saw, also the cost for vehicles over 7.9m long - ours is 8.7m.
There must've been a sensor at the barrier that measured our length when we went
through. That was more than the cost of our entry into the chateau - oh well,
C'est la Vie! We drove 150k further south to an Aires at St Amand-Montrond
beside a canal.
21-11-2011 Monday
We did a big grocery shop (in St Amand Montrand) today as we were due for one
and there was a nice big Super U car park where we easily parked. We then drove
about 180ks (halfway to our next destination - Millau) and stayed overnight at a
motorway side of the road park near the town of Issoire.
22-11-2011 Tuesday
Today we drove another 180ks southward to the town called Millau
where there is a major Viaduct that Dave wants to see. We drove on a main
motorway through some of the Pyreneese mountains and the views were just
breathtaking, and spectacular! We mostly drive on the non-toll roads - it's
longer and slower and the roads are a lesser standard than the main tolled
motorways but you get an interesting drive through the towns with centuries old
buildings, and you see a lot of farming land and other interesting things. So
even the road journey is an experience in itself.
We drove up and down constantly on the motorway on viaducts over the vallies,
between rolling hills covered with many trees of various shades of green - real
panoramic views. The motorway signs advise ascent and descent gradients of 6%
and we laugh and say "we spit on 6%" because when we were in Cornwall
in western England (in April) some of the roads had gradients of 15-20% or more
and they were something to make you sometimes grip the seat when driving our 5
tonne vehicle, up them, especially! From tomorrow we'll be mostly driving to get
to Lourdes (over 300ks away) and then to Madrid in Spain so Kerry can see some
of that before she returns to OZ on 30/11 - her time here has flown.
By mid afternoon we pulled into a popular Aires at Millau for the night
(about 15 other mhomes here too). We walked around the interesting town and had
an early dinner at one of the few cafes open for food business. The French
finish their lunch serving times at about 2pm and don't open for dinner til
about 6 or 7pm which is a bit late for us when we haven't had lunch and want an
early dinner.
23-11-2011 Wednesday
We drove a few ks out of the town of Millau (France) to see the magnificent
viaduct, built over a deep valley to keep the passing-through traffic from
choking the town. The viaduct is a real spectacle and a feat of engineering
taking 3 years to build - taller than the Eiffel tower. We then drove 360ks to a
caravan park called Soleil Du Pibeste in a town caled Agos-Vidalos,
8ks from Lourdes for 2 nights, and finally a shower again.
24-11-2011 Thursday
Luc, the owner of the caravan park, gave us a lift into to the town of Lourdes
(France) at about 1pm. Lourdes was a sleepy market town until 1858, when
Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old peasant girl, claimes she saw the Virgin
Mary in a series of 18 visions that came to her in a grotto. Nowadays Lourdes is
one of the world's most important pilgrimage sites, descended upon annually by
some 5 million visitors.
We visited The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes - the most revered site
called Grotte de Massabielle (Massabielle Cave or Grotto) or the Cave
of Apparitions, its walls worn smooth by the touch of millions of hands.
Nearby are 19 pools in which 400,000 pilgrims seeking cures immerse themselves
each year. The 19th century Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
(church) was very impressive. At the side of the church were taps where people
could fill bottles and containers with the healing waters. There was plenty of
room to walk around as this is the off season - I don't think I would've liked
to battle the crowds in the summer. Afterwards we walked around the town which
has many souvenir shops, with some quite tacky items.
25-11-2011 Friday
Drove about 170ks to a town on the west coast of France called Biarritz,
and stopped at an Aires there for the night. It's a popular Aires all year round
apparently, with room for 50 mhomes - it was about half full tonight. We have
free electricity (which doesn't happen too often) and the police come around
each night between 7-8pm and collect the €10 it costs for the night - we
haven't had that before. We joked that they were collecting for the policemen's
ball. On the drive here we passed through some interesting towns as we often do,
and there were 2 in particular that we had to stop at and walk around and take
photos. One town had a short, old, one lane bridge that was built in 1687.
Underneath, the water from the mountains flowed quickly, clean and the colour of
jade - it was a beautiful spot.
26-11-2011 Saturday
The Aires we're staying in, is not far from the sea which is probably why it was
so much warmer here than where we were the previous night near Lourdes. We went
exploring on our bikes and made our way along the coastline to a beautiful sea
outlook, the construction being of natural rocky outcrops with a few manmade
additions to make it safe and people friendly. People were able to wander out
and be mesmerised by the seascape and waves crashing onto the many rocks. There
were a few surfers on their boards and we even saw a few people swimming in
their normal swimsuits - the water would've been freezing!
We passed a chocolate museum would you believe - never heard of that before. We
didn't want to go in at that stage so just went to the adjoining chocolate shop
for some special treats. We made our way back and had an lovely late lunch/early
dinner at a restaurant looking out over the sea.
15-1-2012 Sunday (Back
in France)
Drove 140ks north to
an Aires, for 1 night, at the Port Le Barcares, now having crossed the
border into France. We're parked beside a marina with a nice view of the
many boat moored. It's surprising that there wasn't much movement with the boats
considering the lovely day and calm water. We rode around the waterfront area
for about an hour seeing as it was a lovely sunny day. 2 other mhomes joined us
later in the evening. On the drive here we saw the snow capped Pyreneese
mountains but this time we're seeing them from the east coast of Spain where
before we saw them in France at Lourdes over on the west coast of France - they
stretch a long way.
On the drive here we
also saw an interesting sight - 4 young women (probably ladies of the night), at
the side of the motorway at various points, standing there all dressed up and
waiting for someone to pick them up. The first one had lacy black stockings on
with black, very short shorts showing half her bottom cheeks - she must've been
very cold. We hadn't seen this before and thought how very risky it was.
16-1-2012
Monday
We had a late
departure and didn't do much except drove about 160ks north-east to a caravan
park Camping Altea in at town called Vic la Gardiole (France) for
1 night. It was a fairly rainy and overcast day so we were glad to just drive
and not be trying to sightsee.
17-1-2012 Tuesday
The day was clear and
sunny again so we drove about 20ks to a very interesting town called Montpellier
and spent about 3 and a half hours looking around. Saw Les Arceau (The
Arches) which is a large system of arches, an aqueduct, for carrying water from
one area to another. Underneath were market stalls with very interesting stuff
from vegetables to meats to cheeses to clothes. We then walked closeby to the Place
du Peyrou - which is a lovely area turned into a tree-lined promenade for
the public with a statue of Louis XIV on horseback, dressed in Roman
clothes.
Also nearby, was another Arc de Triomphe (similar to the Paris one), the Palais
de Justice, and St Anne Carré - a church which isn't actually used
as a church anymore, but more for an exhibition for abstract art (which wasn't
very interesting at all) - a shame seeing as the stained glass windows were
still very present and lovely. Also in close proximity, was the Cathedral of
St. Pierre - a currently used church, impressive with many alcoves housing
alters in them with large paintings, and lovely
stained glass windows.
We then drove 80ks
east to a town called Arles and a caravan park that wasn't open (even
though our book that was given to us and dated 2010, said it was). So we drove
to an Aires closeby and unfortunately, Tom, our GPS persona, took us on small,
narrow roads to a place, where we couldn't go under an arch and was also a small
area! So we had to turn around and retrace our steps along the small, narrow
roads (and of course, by this time it was getting dark and cold), but we got to
the Aires alongside the River Rhóne - a nice spot for 1 night.
18-1-2012 Wednesday
A beautiful sunny day
again. We rode around this town of Arles this morning as it had an interesting
old quarter. They had a markets with many stalls and we delighted in looking at
their wares and buying things like brussels sprouts which we haven't been able
to get in Spain at all! We also got pumpkin which we also haven't seen in Spain
except as a dessert! yes a dessert, like a slice of pie - no wonder we couldn't
find it as a vegetable, it was being saved for desserts! The prices here are a
lot higher than Spain! As we've seen so frequently lately, with towns in Spain
and France, there was the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre which is being
restored and is used a couple times a year for bullfighting. Closeby, there was
also the ruins of an Antique Theatre which was used for mime and
pantomime in Roman times and is now being restored and used to put on modern
shows, yet preserving the historic significance of the site for future
generations.
We then drove 75ks to
a town called Vitrolles and a caravan park called Marins Plage
which we found out isn't used much for caravans and mhomes anymore, just static
mobil homes. The young lady here though, was very helpful and friendly and found
a place for use right beside
an unoccupied mobile home and even plugged us in to the mobile
home's electricity inside the home! (And she didn't charge us anything at all
which we couldn't believe! - maybe because she didn't have a tariff system for
'camping-cars' (french word for mhomes) - I don't know but we weren't going to
fight with her about it - just accept it as one of the nice sides of tourism
which we come across every now and then!)
19-1-2012
Thursday
Walked around today in
the park where we're staying - they have a zoo with alpacas,
camels,
horses, shetland
ponies, black
pigs and babies, black
long-hair steer-like animals, peacocks,
goats,
and rabbits, although I only saw one, and they breed like rabbits anyway, so
there were probably thousands and as they weren't penned, they were probably
wild. The zoo is provided by the park for families which is a lovely idea. Then
we walked down to the lake (Etang
de Berre) which partly borders the park. Alexandra told us it was the
largest lake in France. We watched as the fire fighting sea planes from Canad-Air,
flew over and landed down on the water to fill up with water and then continue
on their way. We believe it was a training exercise as they fly over the park
all the time apparently and drop down onto the lake.
We then drove 25ks
south to Marseilles
(France) which has a busy Port, and there were many,
many recreational boats. We got the bikes out and rode around for a short
while as we weren't quite legally parked - there wasn't a lot of parking options
for a big vehicle. We only rode a little way when we noticed the traffic seemed
a bit backed up and hoped it wasn't normal as we needed to drive along there
soon. Then we saw some police and a crashed motorcyle on the ground with a guy
on the ground, being tended by civilians. A damaged car wasn't much further.
Then a short way down there was water gushing out of the pavement, into which a
back hoe type vehicle had plunged its digging arm. A little further there were
people set up on the pavement, selling their fresh catch
of the day - all types of fish, eel and large octupus.
After about an hour
the traffic had cleared and we drove about 33ks north-east to an Aires for 1
night at a town called Greasque, at a mining
museum. Unfortunately, we were about 4 days too early for its opening to the
public! (story of our lives) We were able to walk around and look at some of the
old equipment outside the building which was good. Nice quiet site except mhomes
on either side of us had generators going, luckily only for the time around
dinner time.
20-1-2012 Friday
We did some shopping
on the way to our next stop, about 100ks south-east, to an Aires at a town
called Le Merou Heyeres (France) for 1 night. A guy in an old mhome
behind us had a generator going from when we got there until a bit after 10pm,
which was a bit annoying. We were situated about 100m from the water. On the
road here we saw quite a few wreaths/flower tributes on the side of a
particularly winding and narrow road. We stopped on the way in a quaint little
village called Belgentier
(in the Provence region) which had a particularly large
wall mural including the musketeers, painted on the wall of a church.
It was quite interesting,
as was the unique way of mounting
traffic signs.
21-1-2012
Saturday
This morning we walked
around the waterfront before driving a few ks down the road to Salins
d'Hyeres - which are salt marshes (the collection of salt was stopped
around 1995), and they look just like rice paddy fields. There was nothing to
see anymore in regards to the salt collection but birdlife is prolific,
including many flamingoes
- we hadn't seen them before in the wild. We continued on our way, driving about
50ks north-east to an Aires at France's famous St
Tropez (the z is silent) for 1 night. We are in the region of the Cote
dÁzur, the Riviera which you always hear mentioned on movies. In the
fifties, St Tropez became famous because of the rich young people and filmstars
such as Brigitte Bardot who established themselves here. We got the bikes
out and rode 3ks into the main town and the Port where there were millions of
dollars worth of lavish boats tied up. We rode up, or pushed our bikes up, the
steep hill to the Citadelle
- built in the 17th century as a coastal defence programme, in order to protect
against a war with Spain. The view across the water was wonderful as you'd
expect with a defence structure on top of the hill but there wasn't much
remaining of the defence fort.
On the drive here the
roads again were not very wide and were winding, around very hilly landscape,
with steep sides like deep drains. We were again remarking on the dangerous
nature of them when we came around a bend and saw some policemen standing on the
side of the road and then saw a car that'd plunged off the road and landed about
2 metres down - we could just see the top of the car!
22-1-2012 Sunday
Drove 96ks north-east
to a town called Villeneuve
Loubet (France) (between Antibes and Nice)
and a caravan park called Hippodrome. Very winding roads and mountainous
area with many, many cyclist doing their Tour de France "King of the
Mountains" training. We passed by Cannes so didn't rub shoulders
with the movie stars. The weather has been glorious and the last couple nights
we haven't needed the heater or the extra warm cothes in bed. We know this will
change though when we get further north to some friends' place in Italy in the
next couple days, where the night temperature was -7 degrees last night! We will
be hurrying to get further back down south after our visit.
23-1-2012 Monday 23-1-2012 Monday
We had a rest day today, not doing too much. Dave did some maintenance things
that were waiting for him and then we walked down the road for lunch. Afterwards
we walked down to the beach that consisted of lots of rounded stones of all
sizes which looked like they could have been put there to help stop erosion. The
water was a beautiful light greeny/blue colour close to the shore.
24-1-2012
Tuesday
Drove 12ks north-east
to a big town, Nice (France) in the hope we'd be able to park and walk
and look around but the town was too big and busy and couldn't find anywhere
suitable. So we drove 125ks north across the border into Italy and to an
Aires for 1 night in a town called Borgo
San Dalmazzo, at a sportsground. The road took us from France into
Italy, back into France, and then back into Italy again! The road here, which
was the main highway, was pretty winding
and interesting, with mountains on both sides and quite a few hairpin type
turns. Our Road Atlas showed this area as Gorges
de Saorge. We also saw some snow/ice on the roadside on the way - hope
we don't come across too much of that. We stopped at and walked around a lovely
little town called Breil
Sur Roya (France), which had a big water lock
system to stem the water flow from the mountains, so a lake was created next
to the town with fishing and birds. A picture on a tree showed a salmon or
trout, depicting the legal take home limit. The local church, Eglise
Sancta Maria in Albis had a very simple plain exterior but inside,
was beautiful, very decorated, barroque style inside with painted pictures
everywhere on the ceilings
and walls - very impressive.