Blogs from Angers, Pays-de-la-Loire, France, Europe

Summer has arrived. Suddenly and without warning. Went out in a t-shirt as very cloudy and forecast said that was what we were getting. Came back at the endof the day with a very positive tan having spent the best part of the day in full sunshine under a glorious blue sky. After the last month in England feeling positively chilly this warmth is absolutely wonderful. The day was pretty wonderful too. We had decided to visit Saumur, somewhere we have been a couple of times before, including stopping on the campsite on the island in the middle of the Loire. Bob chose a very scenic route so that we could just wander along and explore as not been this end of the Loire itself before. Super idea. Our campsite is a couple of miles North ... read more

So, we're off again, and blogging again. This trip is mostly to the UK, for a family gathering which was supposed to be for my mum's 90th birthday. Sadly though, she decided she didn't fancy being 90 and gave it a miss. At the funeral last month (no blog for that trip) we all agreed we'd get together anyway. So we're heading (eventually) for Abergavenny. However, we'd head meanwhile that there's some good stuff going on in Normandy this week, so decided to head off early and take in some of that. So after morning service today, we had a quick lunch and finished loading the van, then set off. Today, we kept it to a couple of hours (or just over), and no toll roads, which brought us to the rather remote Aire near Chanzeaux, ... read more

We’ve got the breakfast routine down pat. We have what I would call the perfect German breakfast. Cheeses, meats, bread, coffee and yes, soft-boiled eggs. Today’s agenda ... Chateaus. Bea requested seeing some Chateau’s before leaving us to be with the Jarrett’s. So last night after dinner, Kirsten put together an agenda that included three chateaus. We all pile in the car and make our way to Angers. I’ve got the Navi loaded. I have Google Maps loaded and I have Apple Maps as my backup. I’m barking instructions along with Helga (our Navi) telling Kirsten when and where to turn. Yes, I have made the transition to the digital maps. Now, if I can get Kirsten to listen to me. We pull into Angers and Helga puts us right into the center of town. The ... read more

Well now is the time to say goodbye - we are on our last few days of our holiday. Where have the last 31 disappeared to?. One minute we are planning and the next it is nearly over. We have given a lot of thought of what to do over the last few days and as always we have a few days left without any real thoughts about what to do with that time. On our last campsite I fell into conversation with a lady who had just arrived and was in the same dilemma. She and her husband had been to Italy and had used the train to travel down and back. She could only travel on a Saturday and found herself like us with a few days left but with nothing to fill it ... read more

I know bloggers usually blog about the present but I'm just starting this traveling blog now and I'm going to try to recall my travels as far back as 2005. This is kind of a new year's resolution, to start doing something that I love while still having the safety of my job. I have always been someone 'safe'. Staying close to home, which I call Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, which by the way is breath taking in its own right. My last year of university I had decided that I wasn't ready to be 'an adult' and walk into a full time job. I wanted to experience life! I decided to apply to go study aboard, study French of all things, which is my native tongue, but to do it in a foreign country, ... read more