Carcassonne

Before going on our trip on the Canal Du Midi we spent a night in the medievil town of Carccassone. The Hotel, The Hotel du Cite, was actually inside the walls and one had to leave the car outside the wall and the hotel looked after it and transported you in with their own small transport. The hotel had grounds with a view of the renovated turrets and was beautiful.

The small town itself was a maze of small allies and squares with loads of restaurants and gift shops.
The speciality of the area appeared to be Cassolette de Canard and Canard confit, so I had to try one!

I selected the Cassolette de Canard which was a plate of white beans in a sauce spiced with bacon and with lots of very tender duck inside and topped by grilled cheese. Delicious but impossible to eat it all. Gaynor, my wife, had grilled prawns which were also delicious.

We toured the castle which must indeed have been amazing in its day and from its ramparts the new town was in full view.

This is a must place to visit.

Mr.L. 08/06/2012

 Last month we had booked a trip to rent a boat on the Canal du Midi that runs from the Mediterranean northwards.Before joining the boat we had a night in Carcassonne which is a city with a medieval castle, completely renovated, looking down on it. I will tell you about that in another Blog.
We arrived at the boat base to find we had rented a very big boat with all mod cons, even satellite TV!

As one who does not quite get why boats do not do things like cars this was fairly scary! We got past the initiation with the boat staff and set off in the direction with no locks ( I know how to protect my dignity!). The canal meandered for miles through the beautiful countryside with beautiful plane trees on either side. The experience is great and so relaxing, except for the wind! Ever tried getting a 40 ft boat onto a mooring or off the canal side with the wind blowing you in??

Every so often one would come to a little village with a nice restaurant or Cave to buy the local wine from the Languedoc and at night, just pull into the bank to moor up for the night. Of course every so often we came to a bridge. These bridges are so small that you have just a foot or so on each side and then just as you are going under you realise that actually your head is higher than the bridge!! Duck!!!

All in all a great holiday. The dog fell in once and disappeared under the boat ( we were stationary at time) and my poor wife fell flat on her face onto concrete and bruised ribs and twisted knee whilst trying to stave us off! Dangerous stuff!

There were many walkers and cyclists along the canal side and everybody was extremely friendly, even the fishermen, if you slowed down!

The boat got back without damage, which was a miracle!

It was sad to leave our temporary home but also a release from the stress!

Mr.L.  07/06/2012

Auron & Isola 2000

As if it was not so unseasonally cold down here on the coast we decided that we would spend a few days up in the mountains to enjoy the ski resorts and watch the skiers.

We selected Auron , just behind Nice and an hour up the mountain road, as it is a nice small resort with an ice rink in the middle of it When we got there there was good snow and the roads were clear, however it was pretty quiet and not buzzy

The drive up from Nice is epic with beautiful scenery and winding mountain roads.

During our stay we drove over to Isola 2000, which is a bigger resort but one we have kept away from because of the big grey, factory like, building in its centre. Imagine our surprise to find that they had clad it in wood and painted the rest in a nice colour! What a difference,

Isola has a great nursery slope, as well as many more difficult runs. There were lots of people on the piste and we could see the large number of wooden chalets that had been put up over the last years. All in all a great improvement.

Our dog, Micha , loved the snow but kept chasing the skiers as she obviously thought it a game!

We had lunch in the middle of the main piste at a restaurant called the Cow Club, which I have visited several times before It was lovely to see skiers skiing right up to it and taking off their skis. Imagine my delight when they were offering a rack of spare ribs in a delightful sauce with saffron rice. Truly delicious

These resorts are easily reached from Uk with Easyjet flying into Nice and then just over an hour up into the mountains

Mr.L 12/02/2012

A Month in UK

It has been a while since I have put news on my Blog. One reason has been that we went to the UK for a month to spend Christmas in our Farm House in the North of England and to spend Christmas with Children, Grandchildren and friends.

We traveled through France, by car, as we took our dog back with us and stopped at Chateau Etoges, just south of Rheims, en route.

Our stay in London was made special by a conducted tour around parliament by a friend of my golf partner Chris who works there.

We spent 3 weeks in the North which went very quickly due to lots of shopping and entertaining and with a great Christmas with the children and grandchildren.

It was topped off by an amazing New Years eve party at my pal Mike's home across the fields, where he had 40 people to a meal and pantomime followed by everyone doing the Hokey Cokey in the courtyard, just before midnight, with fireworks to see the New Year in! We were blessed by my wife's mother Elvira, who lives near us in France, joining us and being a great help and sou chef around the house.

We returned, via the Channel Tunnel, and stayed just south of Calais in the Chateau Cocove where we often stop.

All in all a great trip!!!

Mr.L 8/01/2012

TRIP TO UK

We decided to spend a few weeks in our home in the UK this month. In many ways I am pleased we did as the temperatures and traffic soared in the Cote D'Azure!!

Here in UK we have been able to breath and my wife is so pleased to be able to watch all the birds in our garden here!

We took a few days out to visit the Lake District and you can see from the pictures above this is both a beautiful and peaceful place. One of my favourite places, when it does not rain!

We took the opportunity to tour the area and I was reminded just how beautiful it is.

We stayed at Holbeck Ghyll, which is a beautiful Lake District house on the hills overlooking Lake Windermere (http://www.holbeckghyll.com/). It has Michelin Star restaurant and I have to admit that it was probably the best food I have ever tasted, even in France!!.

Still we cannot wait to get back to France as we miss our dog Micha, who we have left in the capable and loving hands of Mark & Michelle Wallace.

Mr.L. 24/08/2011

CORSICA

Friends have been suggesting that we visit Corsica for some years now. We never seem to have fitted a trip in, however a few weeks ago I decided to arrange a holiday before all our summer guests started arriving.

We drove to Nice and got on a Corsica Ferries ship taking both our car and dog. The journey was about 5 1/2 hours and there was a restaurant on board and we had reclining chairs on the way and a cabin on the way back.

The island is very like the South of France but not built up and the scenery of beaches and mountains is really beautiful. There are many National Parks and beautiful hill villages with great restaurants.

We stayed in a Best Western hotel, Santa Maria, in Isle d'Rousse. This was an excellent hotel except for the ferrell cat that attacked our dog and took a piece out of her face just under her eye. Not my idea of fun getting the vet out on a Sunday night!

All in all the restaurants were great and we had a lovely holiday.

THis is a place not to miss.


Mr.L. 20/6/2011

Auron Break, L'Ecureuil

We took one look at the weather forecast for the Golfe Of St Tropez, heavy rain, and decided to go up into the mountains, where at least the rain is snow! We selected Auron, which is about an hour North of Nice as it is more like an Alpine village than Isola200 which has better skiing but the center is taken over by a building that could be mistaken for a giant prison.

We chose the Hotel L'Ecureuil which is not the cheapest in the village but seemed to get the best write ups on the web. We stayed for just one night and our dog, Micha, absolutely delighted in rolling and prancing in the snow. We took several walks around the village and watched people go to and fro from the ski slopes. It is presently nearing the end of the ski season but it was a delightful scene.
Our hotel had an excellent restaurant.

Recommended

Mr. L. 15/3/2011

South Africa

Sorry I have not been blogging for a while. This is because my mother-in-law was in hospital over Christmas and we had to cancel the trip to see the grandchildren in UK. Immediately after we went for a holiday to South Africa for nearly a month.

We went along the Garden Route from Cape Town to Knysna with stops on the way in a lovely thatched farmhouse and also a Game Reserve. The majority of the time was spent in Knysna staying with friends in their home on the lagoon. Wonderful!!

I cannot tell you how safe we felt there and how cheap restaurants are. Compared to the South of France I calculate that eating out is one third of the price of here!!

I cannot recommend the garden route more highly! Pitty it is such a long way away!!!!

Mr. L. 8/2/2011

Christmas is coming

During the last few weeks it has been an eye opener as to how fortunate we are to live in the South of France. Whilst it has been cold in the morning and we have had days of rain it is nothing compared to the suffering of those living in the North of Europe where snow has obstructed traffic and caused many deaths amongst the elderly due to the very low temperatures, whereas we have continued as normal with our lives and enjoyed lots of sunshine.
In the evenings it does get cold but it is a great excuse to sit in front of our log fires.
On the top of the Alpes Maritime it is possible to see snow in the distance and the ski season has started.
On Sunday we had a very pleasant lunch on the terrace overlooking the golf course, in bright sun and with a beautiful view of the course.
For Christmas we are going back to see the children and grandchildren in London and the picture above is of our garden at our home in UK. We have not been there since October as Easyjet stopped all flights between Nice and Liverpool, for the winter.
Still we have warmth to look forward to as we are off for 3 weeks in South Africa immediately after Christmas to tour and stay with friends. Hopefully a great chance to play golf!!

Mr.L. 14/12/2010

Marrakech

Just got back from a break in Morocco. This was a first time for us and we had heard all sorts of things about pick pockets, dirt, and poverty.

What we found was an assault on our senses! Beautiful buildings, great soukes full of hospitable people who want to make a living and love to haggle, so ask absurd prices waiting for the haggling ceremony. The main square in Marrakech is quite in the morning, gets busier in the afternoon and by evening is a hive of activity with music, small restaurants, performers and people watching! An amazing atmosphere.

We stayued in Riad close to the squre and wondered what we had arrived at as we walked down this side street with overflowing bins only to arrive at an unmarked door with no sign. Once inside we entered a place of peace and beauty. What a wonderful experience! Except for the Tangines that they seem to live off! To my mind they should isolate Morocco to stop them exporting them! More dangerous than Iran's bombs!

Mr.L. 29/109/10

Chateau Etoges

On our way to UK we stopped overnight in the Chateau Etoges just South of Rheims.This is a beautiful chateau surrounded by a moat and with a large restaurant in an annex. The restaurant was of a very high quality and the enormous grounds were perfect for our dog, Micha, to play in.
The chateau is situated in a very quiet village in the centre of farming territory and the scenery was magnificent as was the autumnal weather.
Whist we were there a group of classic cars arrived from UK and they were staying a few days whilst embarking on small rallies around the Champagne country.
All in all a lovely place to stay!

Mr.L. 24/10/2010

England Trip

Our trip to Uk has been busy! It started in London with spending 4 nights with my daughters family and gave me a chance to see my grandchildren.
During our stay I managed a round of golf with my son in law and visited our chef friends , Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi for a BBQ. They are known for their TV series " Return to Tuscany" which was about their running a cookery school in Tuscany. They also have a restaurant and cookery school in London and a restaurant in Bray. The BBQ was great and we had game, both venison and guinea fowl. The picture above is them preparing our meal!
We are presently in our Farmhouse in the North West and I have already managed 18 holes on the Southport & Ainsdale links golf course, a new experience for me and exhilerating!
Last night we visited Rusholme, in Manchester ( Indian Restaurant Heaven) and delighted my wife with her favourite food! For me I prefer Chinese!

Mr.L. 24/09/2010

South Africa-The Garden Route

Our trip to South Africa was one I took with some trepidation, as I have always been wary of its reputation for theft and violence. This was quickly dispelled when we arrived in Cape Town which is a busy city full of modern buildings, expensive cars, shopping malls and great restaurants. We stayed in Camp Bay which is in the suburbs of Cape Town in a great boutique B&B. From here we took a day trip to the Cape of Good Hope and saw baboons and penguins! I admit I thought that penguins were only found in cold climates! Here it was 30c and they seemed very happy.
We next spent a few days in Franshhoek, which is a town started by the Huginots so has a very French influence, in fact we even had the forest fires we have in France during the summer! This is wine growing country.
We then drove up the Garden Route to Knysna which is half way up and stayed in a lovely hotel. We have friends from St Maxime that winter in Knysna so we ate with them and I got my first game of golf in South Africa. Very different from St Maxime with wide fairways and lots of water!
We followed this up with a trip up to Port Elizabeth were we went on a three day Safari in the Kichacha lodges. This was truly amazing to be driving in the wilderness and finding Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Zebras, Hippos and Giraffes!! Truly a life changing experience.
We returned to Cape Town via Knysna again and stayed with our friends played golf and explored the area before returning to Cape Town for our flight back.
How would I describe the Garden Route? It is a theme park for the retired with plenty of things to do and see but one feels safe all the time.

Mr.L. 19/02/2010

Leaving Mark

Mark has another woman!!
After Michelle he has a constant companion both on and off the golf course. I am speaking, of course, of Lady. His adorable companion is loved by all and refuses to leave his side at anytime, unless tempted by a biscuit!
His other mate locally is me and I have to say that I am easier tempted away! On Monday my lovely wife and I are off to South Africa for a few weeks to see the beauty of the Garden Route and to visit a Safari park.
No doubt Mark and I will be in constant contact by Skype and I will be ringing him for tips whilst playing golf in South Africa!!! Not that ever makes much difference as I know how to play golf, however my body seems incapable of doing all things he tells me!!!
I will continue to Blog from my holiday if I don't get shouted out by my wife for both playing with my I Phone and my computer!
Adieu!

Mr. L. 28/1/10