Blogs from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe

Woke up to beautiful sunny skies. After breakfast we packed our bags then headed out for a short walk while waiting for our luggage to be picked up And delivered to the parking area outside of the walls. It was quite a unique experience staying in the walled city overnight. During the day it is bustling with activity, but is a whole different scene at night. The streets get very quiet, and you can almost imagine the sentries making their rounds with their torch lights. That’s what a bottle of wine will do to you. We took a walk over to the Basilica, as it was now open to the public. It was quit impressive. If you’ve never been to a midevil church, read “Pillars of the Earth”, and you’ll get a sense of what we ... read more

Today was to all about us recreating the perfect day we had on our last trip to France and while we did not expect perfection again, we do love the towns so we would try to recreate it again. The Lunch restaurant we went to last time was shut on a Monday, so we consulted TripAdvisor again who recommended La Mule Du Pape Restaurant. The lady who took our booking yesterday was so friendly and helpful with our english, and when we arrived she introduced herself and her personality was infectious. She would engage all of her tables and would help anyone who needed more assistance with which Vineyards to go to. The food was at the same level as the Staff, we both selected the Daily Set menu, and both commented on why we don't ... read more

Glorious blue sky as we set out in Smart Car for Avignon. Just across the bridge over the Rhone but think we went a slightly long way round as the traffic signage is not at its best round here. Avignon is completely walled and the traffic round the outer wall is Mad. There are mainly only 2 lanes to the road, one each way but every now and then there is room for a 3rd so they squeeze in a bus lane. Which does no good at all as 5 metres later that lane ends and the buses squash back into the lane with the normal traffic then stop at the bus stop ! Not helped by multiple crossings on lights so it is stop start all the way and yes we did witness one prang ... read more

Réunion is a tropical island twice the size of Okinawa and half the size of Kangaroo Island in the Indian Ocean. The 210 kilometre coastline hugs 2 volcanoes, one active and one dormant, with 3 glorious collapsed caldera known here as Cirques (circuses). We are here to visit a friend and colleague from Okinawa. Not just visiting for the volcanoes! French is the official language spoken here, but the locals speak Creole. Months of study before arriving, is helping bridge the gap, because many people don’t speak English. Total immersion in the language, plus daily conversation with our host helps. I can talk about food, hiking and volcanic activity in faltering French. I cannot understand Creole! The first week has been busy, visiting markets, hiking and flying over the island. The range of food here is ... read more

We have always felt an obligation to support local businesses when we travel, and never is this more true than when we are in a wine-producing area. Therefore, we embarked on a guided tour of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area. This part of the Côtes du Rhône AOC. The rules here for labeling a wine appear to be a little complicated, but as I understand it you can label your wine with the Côtes du Rhône AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) if the wine production and grape sourcing are all within that defined region. As I understand it, you are not allowed to make wine from a single grape variety, but must blend at least two. You can further refine the label if the sourcing and production are done within one of 95 approved communes, and then the label ... read more