graemehall

After the long and quick drive from Cadiz, it was nice to unpack everything, have a chance to self-cater when we wanted to, and catch up with friends in this familiar part of southern France. We stayed in the fantastically situated and well set up and restored ancient fishing house on the hillside overlooking the port, which we've rented a few times now from our friends Jean-Jacques and Brigitte. (They live in Geneva. If anyone is interested in more details about the holiday house I can send you a link to its website once I am home.) Our friend Luce from Marseille, with whom we have stayed twice now, came to visit and stayed with us for 2 days. This included a day driving in the hinterland, with lunch in the historic centre of Pezènas, and ... read more

Each year for the past few, I've managed to get to the European Conference for Educational Research. EERA, whose annual conference this is, exemplifies efforts in Europe for cooperation in development between countries, as well as Europe's endeavor to learn from as well as influence other parts of the world. This year we all gathered in Europe's oldest existing city - Cádiz, the capital of Andalućia. Cathy had more opportunities than I did to explore the Old City where our hotel and the university were situated. However my daily walk to and from the conference took me through main plazas. The university is right next to one of the most popular beaches, Playa de la Caleta. Very tempting, given the 30s temperatures each day - but I resisted. Of course, the local food and wine are ... read more

So - on from the Loire to Bordeaux. I suppose we tend to associate Bordeaux with being a wine region. That's accurate in its own way, but there's much more to it than that. First, Bordeaux is a medium-sized city. The city and the region have a long and colourful history, with significance for many other countries and areas. For example, during a large part of the Hundred Years War (France vs England of course!), Bordeaux and its region were part of England. Check out Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II etc. And these days the entire central part of the city has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. And as for the wine - well, a reputation totally well deserved of course. But it's not just one region but quite a few. We ... read more

And so, inevitably, for a couple of days in Paris. We arrived on Saturday evening, and stayed until Tuesday morning. Quite an eventful arrival actually. Our usual hotel on the edge of the Marais district, the Sévigné, has undergone a major refurbishment which included a change of name - now the Hotel Émile. We've stayed there a few times before, and as usual made an on-line booking for 3 nights, way back in April. On our arrival . . . rien!! No sign of a reservation, and house full. The management looked after us though - found us a room in a more expensive hotel across the street, put us up for the final two nights, and deducted the additional cost of the first night from our final account. I guess one of the highlights of ... read more

Another very enjoyable visit to this beautiful county on the border between England and Scotland, with the best of both to enjoy. Our friends' house is in the country, just outside the historic and picturesque towns of Rothbury, Alnwick and Morpeth. And the crew of friends - Ian and Glenis and their family, Richard and Janey, and Willy and Kate - make us feel at home and not just as visitors. Here are just a few pictures that give a sense of the place.... read more