TheMcNamaras

We went off to the market in Sarlat this morning to go hunting and gathering for our next couple of days. I think if I see one more Foie Gras I'll turn into one. The produce was more repetitive than at the market in Uzes, but we picked up some really fantastic strawberries, raspberries and cherry tomatoes as well as more olives (of course!) and olive tapenade. I bought 2 different types of foie gras, but I wonder if we are at overload already....... There was a lovely couple at the Charcuterie stand who translated for me as I tried to tell the stall holder 'thinner', 'more', 'stop' etc. as he sliced jambon and bacon for me. We all had a big laugh at my sign language. The supermarket has been an experience - finding fresh ... read more

Hugo has fallen in love. With Framboisiere. We drove the prettiest roads from Tamnies to Sarlat today, and by the time we got into town everyone was peckish and I was dying for a real coffee, which did not disappoint. The next thing we stumbled on was a little boulanger/patissier on the Avenue Gambetta that is destined to become a daily destination from now on. Everyone tried a different cake - from chocolate jaffa delights to fruit flans to eclairs - but the clear winner was Hugo's Framboisiere. The lightest layers of almond sponge, sandwiched together with real raspberries and raspberry cream, and lightly dusted with icing sugar then cut into fingers. Until now, he has been a little shy about trying some French, but he has wrapped his tongue around this word, and it rolls ... read more

Frank and I were just talking while the children had a sleep in the back seat en route to Carcassonne. It's amazing how easy life seems on holiday, with no mail, phone calls or e-mail to return, and no household jobs calling! The other advantage of holidays is that when there's no rushing around to school and various activities, the children are incredibly co-operative and I'm not having to yell at anyone to hurry up. We are all enjoying each others' company so much. I don't know how you re-create this environment at home, but we are enjoying it while we can! If Verona was Isabel's request, a knight's castle was Hugo's. We certainly found a beauty at Carcassonne! My photos are a little disappointing because the scale of the place from a distance is truly ... read more

Well, who forgot to put Uzes in the guidebooks? Someone who wanted to keep it a secret, we think! What a magical place, and we only had one night there. Our next trip will include at least a week's stay. But I'm getting ahead of myself..... We did really well getting away from Monterosso by 6.30 am, considering we had nearly missed the end of breakfast at 10.30am on a few mornings of our stay! Looking at the long drive ahead, we decided to forgo a side trip to Santa Margherita and aim for Alassio, on the Italian Riviera, for breakfast. Good decision. We found a gorgeous little bakery with fantastic coffee, and became addicted to their little hazelnut meringue biscuits on the drive to Uzes when of course, it was too late to go back ... read more

It would have been easier to just stay on the beach and finish with a lazy meal on the strip. However I've never been a big fan of easy, and I was dying to do the big walk to Vernazza although all the reports we'd heard were a little scary. One family told of coming across a mother and her pre-teen daughter crying on the trail - the child because her feet were a mess from walking in thongs, and her mother from having to literally push her crippled daughter up the hundreds and hundreds of stairs because they were in the no-mans land of half-way between towns! Again, we decided an evening walk would be the go, and we did have a lovely day on the beach. Isabel settled for trying the Monterosso jumping rock ... read more