Thought we’d detour past the beaches of Dunkirk to pay respect to the many lives lost in the battles. What was here was obviously destroyed in the wars and quickly rebuilt in the fifties. Now days it’s a holiday town that’s stuck in a 50’s time warp (though it’s a dreary place for a holiday now). And the wind…trying to make lunch from the boot of the car in gale force wind is a mission, while the kids got sand burn on the wide sandy beaches we took refuge in the car and watched the wind blowing people and dogs off [View Full Entry]

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Today is Fete de Musique! The whole of France has music festivals. Thankfully we have a late check out so after a sleep-in we reluctantly leave Paris after lunch with the streets alive with the sound of music. It’s a relatively short drive to our hostel in Arras. I can hear the music, I can see the music but we’re exhausted after such busy days in Paris I just need a cup of tea and a quiet sit down; at least until after dinner then I’m dragging everyone off to the town square P.S. Darren wasn’t in the mood, so I [View Full Entry]

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The kids have been such troopers throughout the trip, it’s been a really busy day today, finishing after midnight, they’ve been doing anything we suggest and keep going all day and night without a grizzle. All it takes is an ice cream somewhere along the way and they’re happy. After treating the kids to some time at Jardin de Tuilluries and walking back along the river Seine we took the metro to Montmartre after lunch. Our aim is to take some night photos of Paris and the Moulin Rouge. Lots of walking today (as with every other day) but Montmartre is [View Full Entry]

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As we head off for the day the street below us is buzzing, it’s 11am and the market is just being set up. Paris (and all of Europe) finishes late (it doesn’t get dark till after 10.30pm) and starts late in the morning. The beauty of Paris is more than just visual. It’s also in the ambiance; photos can’t quite capture the magic. We spent most of the day just wandering the streets, they’re so elegant; the buildings are beautiful, the streets are either wide and lined with trees or narrow side streets with interesting little shops. We heard about a [View Full Entry]

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Finally they’ve found some keys and we’re in the apartment I booked. It’s fabulous. Decorated in a curious eclectic style on the rooftop level, the sun's streaming in through the French windows that look out over the courtyard; though it is a climb up 4 flights of stairs (that’s gotta help with all the pasta and baguettes!). Finally we (read Darren) are able to cook after being kitchenless for nearly a week, I really need a big plate of veggies. The street next to ours is lined with boulangeries (bakerys), boucheries (butchers), fromageries (cheese shops), charcuter [View Full Entry]

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Our misfortune has a slightly silver lining; the replacement apartment is free, so we’re able to lash out and see Paris from the top of a double decker bus. Paris is just so beautiful and from 15 feet up you get a a unique perspective of things. Lucky we’ve got a bit of extra cash to spend, Paris is the first place we’ve found to be genuinely expensive; bought the kids a tiny 250ml coke to share with lunch, it cost 4euro ($7). Our wine was the same price for 500ml, pity they can’t drink wine. Though we did managed to [View Full Entry]

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So much for gaining an extra day in Paris. The owner of our apartment didn’t leave the agent with any keys so we’ve spent most of the day wondering where we will sleep again. We keep having to ring the agent to see if he can find us somewhere else to stay but no luck, the phones don't take coins, our phone card’s run out and we’ve walked all over to find somewhere that sells them. Finally 4 hours later he says he has a little 25sqm apartment 40 min walk away... that’s a long way pulling bags and kids. The [View Full Entry]

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We spent the day traveling; 5 hours across France towards Paris, then looking for somewhere to stay (to fill in the night we left Switzerland early). We thought we’d stay in the outskirts and go to Versailles or Fontainbleau Palace. It’s Sunday afternoon and everything is shut. The places we found on the internet were deserted. Every town looks like a ghost town. No WiFi, no internet cafes. So we drove into Paris relying on the ‘Lets go book’, no vacancies at the ones in our price range so we ended up in the trusty old Youth Hostel. Not the most [View Full Entry]

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We took a drive of the area, some really quaint houses and towns and beautiful forests. We spotted a castle on a mountaintop so drove up to find a huge beautifully restored castle to explore (for 8euro). After another swim we walked into town to the music festival I saw being set up earlier. A dozen or so bands scattered throughout the town. We arrived a little early (only 1 hour after the scheduled start time) but it eventually turned out to be a great night. On the side stairs of the church was a screaming doof doof band, and on [View Full Entry]

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Rouffach; a small town in the Alsace area, in the north east of France. The area was once under German influence so it looks like Germany but the language is French. Once again the town is covered in bright flowers which I love. Oh oh, I don’t know how we are going to revert back to hostels after this. One of the few hotels on our itinerary and it has an indoor pool and spa and it’s so opulent. We’re all in need of a real swim. And it has a big deep bath. Glad they don’t have water restrictions. We [View Full Entry]

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