Blogs from Pays-de-la-Loire, France, Europe - page 5

Leaving the Loire Tonight at Sully sur Loire will be our last night by the lovely winding Loire River. For 10 days we have meandered up the Valley Loire. Autumn colours convert before our eyes from vert green to lemon and yellow which then becomes a speckled orange on its way to rusty red and deepening every day. Under sky that has lost its blue to give way to grey the darkens every day, flakes of colour fall from the trees to ground while mists become more the norm and daily rain is as reliable old father time. This has been a time to observe. And to gain a sense of how a foreboding frosty winter will be delivered on time. Amongst it all farms are worked with intensity. The Loire Valley is a huge flood ... read more

Today was our test run for Bob’s new device. A handlebar holder for the Tomtom so we could use it on the Kisbee scooter. We got up and out quite early for us and were on our way by 10am. The Tomtom behaved perfectly and took us straight in to the Cathedral. What an impressive sight. It isn’t often that one gets an uninterrupted view of a cathedral but the Le Mans one is perched up above a big open square with a commanding view of all it surveys. Coffee first and then we climbed up to the steps for a visit. Such excellent timing. We realised very quickly that a wedding was about to start so went to the front doors as they were opened and all the quests came flooding in. The priest then ... read more

After having been aware of many covert conversations between my conspiring companions, your correspondent confronted them face to face. Wendy the Navigator and Cusco the Chief Spaniel, then announced their plans. They were of the opinion that a summer holiday was in order, a statement that left me somewhat speechless. A few weeks by the seaside were required to recharge batteries and the town of La Tranche sur Mer in Vendee had been chosen, so off we went. While driving there, your correspondent was reminded of his happy holiday in Vendee with family when he was around 13 of our earth years old. Oh those were happy times. Almost dying during first ever asthma attack and having our possessions "borrowed" by the surrounding neighbours made it a memorable time. I also spent some time wondering why ... read more

The short hop was fine..except for where there was a massive motorway junction where 3 motorways joined / separated & some bright spark put a peage area right where it caused the most disruption. 45 minutes later we were off again & the traffic was quite heavy until we got around Angers. We can't complain – our first traffic hold up in 4 months. We got to the site whilst the reception was closed so we had a late lunch whilst waiting outside the barriers. A few cyclists turned up laden with gear everywhere possible, including a family of 5! The chap had a tandem arrangement behind his bike for two children & Mum had the baby of c.24 months behind her with lots of gear, including Pampers & potty. Barking mad? Thankfully again, they had ... read more

The train station was great and another great thing is that we found food close by!... read more