Hello Again part 2

So on Friday morning the sun shone- hurrah but it was time to move on - I was heading further south to meet up with a friend of dear Sally - her name is Diana and she lives in a small town called Esperaza which is a little south of Carcassone. Had a lovely overnight stop in a peaceful aire and sat out in the evening sun. Next day dawned bright and sunny so high hopes that I was leaving the rain behind. Arrived to find that Esperaza was in full party mode - the whole town ( or seemed to be) were out in the village square eating and drinking and generally having a great time- (much like a Cuckfield street party,) then there was to be dancing to a live band. Diana and I didnt make contact that evening- but next day we met for coffee and the seeds of a good friendship were Sunday talking and getting to know one another.

The weather has been lovely during the days, warm and sunny but come the nights down comes the rain - but at least time it is warm. We've spent  a lovely couple of days together, meeting her friends, visiting the special places that Diana knows and treat of treast- having my washing done in a washing machine! So, tonight our farewell supper at the local creperie as I am back on the road tomorrow- but I dont think it will be farewell, more of an adieu and a big thank you once again to Diana for her kindnesses.

Will be  heading for the coast soon and the sunshine its going to change here and its on the way to you now.

So will be back when the time is right - bye for now.

Hello Again

Hello All,
Just taking advantage of a great internet connection to pop in and give you an update - if I remember correctly I left you in the Morvan Forest just outside Vezelay, on the way to Le Puy. Well, as often happens a lovely circumstance arose and plans altered slightly. I received a text from a friend of mine- Gillian, who has recently started travelling across Europe in her campervan accompanied by her gentle greyhound Tom. Well as luck would have it we were in the same part of France so we arranged to meet up in a town that appeared to be halfway,.We wandered off around the town, had a good lunch in the sunshine then decided we would head off together heading south and spend the night on an aire- Gillians first night off a campsite. So off we went in convoy, had an uneventful journey, apart from being stopped by the police for no apparent reason and arrived in a very pleasant town called Guijon. The aire was luxurious in that it had a toilet-(breaking Gillian in easily) and a lovely riverside walk for Tom.  The next day we headed off on our own adventures with the possibility of maybe meeting up in Spain sometime in the winter. Was great fun.

So back on track to Le Puy through yet more stunning countryside, arriving late afternoon-for those of you who don't know it Le Puy is a pilgrimage centre and is well known for the ancient church and the statue built on top of volcanic mounds - the whole town is built in a volcanic crater, and there is an air of mystery around the whole town. The campsite was very well placed by the river and I was looking forward to  few days there, so parked in the lovely afternoon sun anticipating lovely restful afternoons. Well the first thing that I discovered was the the plug in electric wouldnt work- not a huge disaster but it is so much easier not having to worry whether the battery will last and using an electric kettle and i couldnt understand it as it had been working a couple of days before. After much plugging in and out and hanging of head I decided I had to accept it when over came a very friendly French man, screwdriver in hand who smiled and gesticulated in a way that I understood that he would have a look. Well, bless his heart, after about 15mins of taking everything apart he got it working - hurrah!! Some of you may remember that I had a similar occurrence in Italy my first year - I am sooo lucky.
So that meant that I could trot out without a care in the world and start to explore. Which I did then came back for supper and noticed that it was getting chilly - well - it wasnt chilly- it was downright cold and then it started raining- hard. I went to bed that night dressed like the Michelin man and still shivered. I also realised as the thunderstorm crashed around me was that I was connected to a 240volt electrical supply and there was very little insulation - so I shuffled my sleeping bag into the middle of the bed and kept my fingers crossed. Well, the next morning it was 8 deg at 11am so after a morning of sightseeing I purchased a duvet and was warm as toast afterwards.

So, as you can imagine from the photo,s the calf muscles got a good workout over the 3 days I was there - sadly it was chilly and damp the whole time which I think may have affected my feelings about the town as it is mainly built out of volcanic rock so is dark and forbidding but the church was very special and I am very pleased to have been there.And had some lovely food.

Think I will do a second instalment as this is growing much too long, so see you soon

Success!

 

About to go into the tunnels

Arras Grand Place

Put the kettle on, You've got a lot to catch up on!

Hello All,
Firstly apologies for no photos- as you will read later on I am been beset by technology gremlins and this evening appears to be no different- photos just won't upload, says the server keeps cutting out; so am afraid you will just have to use your imagination and if I can get it working later I will post them separately.

Well, where to start? Hard to believe its only been a fortnight since Irene and I set off on what is probably the last Newhaven Dieppe ferry we will take as the line is being closed at the end of this month - very sad for both towns.  We both enjoyed our stay in Honfleur- the apartment was very French, compact, and had all we needed - right in the middle of the old part of the city which was a huge bonus as it got us away from the hordes of tourists who were wandering the streets looking at all the restaurants serving the same menu but at varying prices.... and what prices- 5 es for a small bottle of water? Irene had a fit!! We had a nice lazy time though did manage to fit in some sightseeing as well as eat far too much.

So after dropping her off at Dieppe I headed off to the Baie de Somme - which turned out to to be a lovely area if you like big skies, empty countryside and huge sand flats, which I do so I was very content- well, not sure if thats the word as lots of adjusting had to take place but it was just the right area to be doing that, especially as the sun was shining. If you are ever in the area then do go and have a look at Le Crotoy- there are two towns on the actual bay and this one is just lovely- well worth a visit.

(Partial success with photos- Honfleur and the entrance to our apartment)

After that I headed off to Arras as I had decided that would be a good base for my WW1experiences- what I hadnt realised was what a beautiful city it was- two huge squares with Flemish architecture ( had a great picture) very lively with cafes, restaurants and some very tempting shops -I'm not going to go into realms of detail about the sites that I visited - anyone who has visited this area will know that wherever you go you will find cemeteries and memorials to the dead of every country - all hugely thought provoking and often emotional. Ones that will stay with me are the Wellington Quarry on the outskirts of Arras where 24,000 British troops lived underground  in the quarries for 8 days in order to launch a surprise attack on  the German troops, and then Vimy ridge where the Canadians have left the area as it was so its very evocative with the tunnels, bomb craters and trenches. Unfortunately the guide who led our tour around seemed to think that she was a cheer leader -" hey gang - are you all ready to hit the tunnels Yeah!!" - you get the idea - but it is quite special I think that the whole site is staffed by young Canadians who volunteer to help. So many cemeteries, but one I felt was special was in a small hamlet, near the scene of a, horrendous battle where side by side are a French and a German cemetery. Inteerstingly in the same area I came across a statue of Napoleon Bonaparte who had fought, and lost, a major battle exactly 100 years before.

So after four days in the area I decided that it was enough and time to move on and would head for Champagne country and who knows- maybe a bit of a tasting??? So off I headed to Epernay- sounded lovely in the guide book, what it didnt mention was the constantly thundering traffic throughout this old city and unfortunately the aire ( site for parking campers) was not in the best of areas so I decided I really didnt want to stay another day to taste champagne and headed off - into what is some of the loveliest countryside I have seen in France and it just goes on for miles and miles - because champagne country rolls into Burgundy and thats where I have been for the past three days - in  Vezelay on the outskirts of the ancient Morvan Forest. I shot thought here on my way back from the first trip so knew how lovely it is.

Have been luxuriating in being on a campsite with hot showers, proper toilets and wifi, which I can connect to whilst I'm in Betsy - so have been really enjoying myself catching up on emails and listening to the radio -real treat. Today I visited the walled city of Avallon and the caves of d'Arcy where there are wall paintings dating back 28000 years - phew! Moving on tomorrow heading for Le Puy de Velay but got a few places I want to see on the way.

And thats one of the differences this year- I'm taking it really slowly, just pottering along - most I've driven in one day is 150k's - very relaxing. And yes had to make some adjustments but its fine now- can do some things I couldnt do before like head off for the day on the train  - and as usual have always found some nice people to talk to so am feeling good and really enjoying myself.

And the technology gremlins?? well the problem is that you can never find a 14 yr old when you need one can you? Bought a tablet so i could connect when I was travelling- worked okay in the uk but can I get it to work now?? Can I heck and I know its me. So then I used my brain and bought an Orange sim card to use in my dongle (ooh missus) - that didnt work cause you have to download the driver in order to use orange and my computer wouldnt do it so now I'm back to the old ways- wait until i get to a campsite and use theirs.
Simplest ways are the best sometimes and on that note I'll leave you in peace. Sorry if you've dropped off while I've been rambling. Hope you are all keeping well, till the next time, go well
Jx

Its that time again!!

Dear All
Less than 24 hours to go and along with the usual concerns of whether everything will fit is the buzz of anticipation and excitement -where am I going, what will I see, who will I meet, - but I'm sure whatever happens it wont be dull! Betsy is as ready as she can be, had quite a bit of work done to her and shes looking good; of course there is one member of the team who wont be there but I know will be in spirit and I'll probably still chat away to him - definitely turning into the mad English woman in her van - ah well always said I wanted to be eccentric

Have enjoyed my summer, of course the lovely weather has helped, and I did eventually get my head around the strange world of live in care; in fact it all worked out very well. I worked for a couple of weeks then played for two. But this would not have been possible without the support of dear friends most especially Irene and all her family  and Sally who came up trumps yet again when I wanted to be in Cuckfield. (Actually she did say that she enjoyed having me this time..) 

Has been great to see pals and I am sorry if i've not managed to get to see everyone- hopefully next time I'm back.And this year it is different because I've got a plan ( yes I know...) - I intend to spend winter in Mojacar again but will be flying back on occasions to do some more live in care work to top up the coffers - this means that I will have enough money to be able to go traveling in the spring and also wont be as long till I get to see friends which is a huge bonus.


But back to now- Irene and I are getting the morning ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe tomorrow and then will be spending 3 nights in an apartment in Honfleur which both of us are looking forward to, I will then drop her off at Dieppe on Wednesday for the afternoon boat and then I'll be heading off- want to visit the Somme area then will be heading down on the east side of Paris to ?????? But you can be sure that I will be popping back to let you know.

So bye for now and do drop me a line when you can- love hearing your news.

Jane x