Blogs from Saint-Tropez, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 2

After the Gorges du Tarn we headed west towards Provence. The motorway drive was really quite boring so the ipods were out on this stretch. Our stop off point was the Pont du Gard which is an ancient Roman aquaduct. We learnt about it in Classics at school so it was quite good to see it for real. Funnily enough, it appears to be the teen hangout. There was a rock band playing and there were loads of teenagers sun bathing and jumping off the cliffs into the river. We were so hot that we swam in the first part of the river we came to. The water was shallow and a bit manky but we were beyond caring at this stage! We planned to stay in Les-Baus-de-Provence but funnily enough every campsite we stopped at ... read more

Thursday continued We had a peaceful evening sat outside, 20°C, a lovely balmy evening again. Pat cooked some pasta and mince beef with a basquaise sauce. Grapes and biscuits for dessert. Friday 17th October, 2008 The plan for today, is to drive in a loop from here westwards, popping to the supermarket first, the road will take us initially inland, then round the coast to see the pampelonne beach where all the celebrities hang out at the private beaches, then up to St Tropez and back to the apartment. Swimming costumes packed just in case! We headed off eventually late morning and made the first stop at the Geant Casino Supermarket, for our lunch and dinner, and other sundry items. Stopped for a coffee and sat outside, in the sunshine for a few minutes, because we ... read more

Tuesday 14th October, 2008 I have received an email from the owner of the shop in Ypres, The British Grenadier Bookshop, who very kindly said he would try to find out further information about the headstamp on the Trench Art, that I was given, from his reference books. “Here is what the book says... 8mm Lebel ART-D case made in the 3rd quarter of 19?? (you crossed out the number on the right side at the 3 o'clock position) by Atelier de fabrication de Vincennes. Metal case by Compagnie Francais des Metauz, Serifontaine.” The number at the 3 o'clock position is a little unclear but looks like two numbers and the first is definitely a 1. The number next to it is a little worn but if I had to make a guess might be another ... read more

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With the crushing hangover of the previous day fresh in my mind, I was in no rush to throw myself back into circulation. I slept until probably 3 in the afternoon and was planning on a final low key day before heading to Monte Carlo the next morning. I went down to the pool, grabbed a perrier, the herald tribune, a lounge chair and settled in for a boring afternoon. In a nearly unprecedented move, clouds started rolling in and I was shocked when it started to drizzle. It NEVER rains on the Riviera in summer and it is rare that it's even cloudy. I grabbed my stuff and took a table under the awning by the pool bar. I ordered a club sandwich and continued to read the paper. By the time I had finished ... read more