The last two weeks have been brilliant. There has been a different feel to the days and we have certainly recharged the batteries. Relaxing seems to have been the key factor and we have enjoyed experiencing new parts of France. Our time in Villenueve-Lembron seemed to go all too quickly but we left with many memories and a real desire to head back there one day in the future. The southern Auvergne landscape is so different to the rest of France and the mountains and hills appear to just roll over the countryside. We enjoyed driving from one village to the next; most of which meant winding your way up lanes to the top of a hill where the village sat overlooking the valley. When they built these villages in medieval times security was their key ... read more

Our last few days in Burgundy were just as good as the previous ten. We had time for one last leisurely lunch at Le relais d’Ozenay www.le-relais-dozenay.com where we sat outside on the terrace under shade cloths as the sun beat down – it was touching 34° at one point. After the summer that we have experienced it was nice to be under umbrellas for something other than rain. The service at the restaurant was superb and was made all the more remarkable by the fact that only two staff waited on and the chef sent out treat after treat. It was a good old fashioned long lunch and it needed to be as over two and a half hours we were served 6 courses with some excellent wines selected by John – there were certainly ... read more

The Eurotunnel never ceases to amaze me. It is a wonderful feat of engineering and a standard bearer for how two countries can work together and achieve something special. I remember watching a live television broadcast in 1990 when the two tunnels finally met in the middle and the engineers could breathe a sigh of relief that all their planning had worked. One of the huge cutters that sliced its way through the chalk and clay deep under the seabed was then turned 90° and entombed forever in the walls and the other cutters completed the tunnels. It was not until 1997 that fare paying passengers began using the Chunnel. There are actually three tunnels; two for the trains and one that would be used for evacuation purposes in the event of an emergency. It has ... read more