On the road again

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So here we are on the road again, this time with Stuart and Stella (our hopefully trusty steed).

Leaving the grey and gloom of Blighty behind we settle in for the overnight ferry. Uneventful, the Captain warned of rough seas but we braved the restaurant and slept like babies.

Things take a turn for the worse in Nantes where our first meal, in this country renowned for its food, is a kebab. I blame the bar we stumble across where the only available drinking receptacle requires you to hold it at arms length and catch the resulting spout of liquid. Takes a bit of practice but we teach the students hows its done (never challenge a man who has no job to get up for).

We get the gourmet dining back on course on day 2 in La Rochelle with some excellent local mussels a là Rochellaise (a kind of light curry idea). The place deserves a second day so we head out to the beach at Il de Ré, go for a run through the nudist beach (unplanned ... and if you'd seen what we saw you'd believe me). Dive into the sea to cool down then tapas by the seafront for a late lunch. We finish the day off with some freshly caught sardines from the fishmonger, grilled in front of our eyes & all washed down with a bottle of the local vin blanc .... these are tough, tough times.

And now writing this from Bordeaux where we're recovering from dinner in the cheese cave, well over 100 varieties of cheese and an owner who's keen for us to sample some of the finer corners of his wine cellar. Combine that with two boys of limited willpower and things are a little delicate today.

Off for an afternoon swim now then perhaps a few beers in the evening sunshine.

It's going to be a challenging couple of months.

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