Le Grande Tour

Friday 15th July 2011 Drive to Giverny and the house and gardens of Claude Monet the famous french impessionist painter. Thanks to JF ( who had suggested we book online and print out our tickets ) we avoided the lengthy queue for the ticket office and went straight in. Here the visitor can see the house, garden, pond and japanese bridge featured in a number of Monet's paintings. The artist lived here from 1883 until his death in 1926 aged 86. Back on the road to our campsite NW of Paris in the suburb of Maisons Laffitte about 11 miles from the center and with access via a direct rail connection. Saturday 16th July 2011 Up and out early for a day in Paris. First on the list L'arc de Triomphe with its Tomb of the ... read more

Tuesday 12th July 2011 Up early and away as our parking expires at 0800. Our route takes us North East along familiar roads that we have used many times before. In the course of our journey we cross the mighty Loire at Tours further on we decide to break our journey overnight at Cloves-sur-Loir south of Chateaudun. Here the campsite fee includes use of the municipal pool and activity park including boats on the river, trampolines and crazy golf all of which we make use of over the course of a pleasant afternoon. Wednesday 13th July 2011 Back on the road North we circumnavigate the city of Chartres with its mighty Cathedral clearly visible across the flat landscape. From here we travel via Dreux, where we encounter a rare traffic jam due to bridge works, and ... read more

Friday 8th - Sunday 10th July 2011 On today west across country to stay at a friend's French property for the weekend. We have stayed here most summers over the last 12 years and know and love it. Peacefully located in the heart of the French countryside but within easy reach of numerous local amenities and attractions and with lots of outdoor space for the boys to explore it has been ideal for family holidays. We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to stay. Our only excursion on this visit is to the local town of Couhe and its magnificent medieval market hall to pick up provisions for the weekend and a bottle of Huile vierge de Noix ( virgin walnut oil ) from a local producer to take home. We also catch up ... read more

Tuesday 5th July 2011 Today a magnificent drive lay ahead from Avignon via Montelimar and the superb Ardeche valley to the home of the green lentil - Le Puy-en-Velay. Initially autoroute to the town of Montélimar which is widely regarded as the world capital of nougat. Nougat is one of the 13 desserts of Provence and highly appreciated throughout the country. ( Note - The thirteen desserts are the traditional foods used in celebrating Christmas. The "big supper" (le gros souper) ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial tradition - you learn some good stuff here ! ) Historically travellers bought Nougat de Montélimar on their way to or back from the south of France. Sadly ... read more

Monday 27th June 2011 An hour’s drive today to Pisa - famous for its leaning tower. Lunch and yet again use of a campsite swimming in pool in the heat of the day however this time fun was had with an inflatable killer whale called – Tim. Early evening a short walk into town to see the famous leaning tower the 'Torre Pendente di Pisa' which is in fact the campanile, or freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the low side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the high side. Prior ... read more

Friday 24th June 2011 Today on to Siena where we make use of the camp site pool in the afternoon before venturing into the town in the cool of the evening where we wandered amongst the locals looking for a suitable venue for dinner. The historic centre of Siena was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1995 being a typical example of a medieval town with its appearance having been aquired between the XII and XVI centuries. Its cathedral , begun in the mid- twelfth century , is considered an important and representative example of Gothic architecture in Italy. The main facade, designed by Giovanni Pisano , was completed in 1380. The magnificent square in Siena is the home to ‘il Palio’ the famous horse race held here twice a year in July and August ... read more