Lyn & Ulf's loooong trip

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Ok, this is going to be the travel diary of Ulf and Lynette's 7 months European tour.

We are a middle aged Swedish/Australian - Australian couple who will spend Lyn's long service leave travelling around, mainly France, discovering the food, wine and people.

To help financing a trip like this we are going to do some "house sits" in France. For those of you who are not familiar with that concept; it is a win - win arrangement where we are looking after someones house and often pets for free while the owners provide us with free accomodation. At this point in time we have a total of 5 weeks of house sitting arranged in 3 different locations in France. Through various websites we are hoping to find one or two more during our journey.

Our adventure started on the 18 of June with a Cathay Pacific flight to London via Hong Kong. The flight was OK but I can't say I like the new chairs that can't be leaned back. You can only slide the seat forwards. Thats great for the person behind, but makes it virtually impossible to sleep.

On arrival our new international SIM-cards did not work (we didn't know how to use them) so we could not contact our Norwegian friend Linn without first calling her parents in Oslo who called her only to discover that she was only 5 minutes down the road.

As our body clocks now showed about 3.00 am we settled for a quick but nice Pub dinner at the Hop Pole in Hammersmith, just around the corner from where we stayed.



Tuesday 19/06/12

London

Found a great Italian cafe for breakfast. I had a huge cheese and bresola panini with my must-have black coffee and we were ready to hit the town.

As it was Linn's 21st birthday, Lyn had, months ago, googled restaurants in London in search for something special and she had decided on "The Medlar" in Chelsea.

As I mentioned earlier, we are foodies, and Linn in spite of her youth is also a bit of a gourmand, muchly thanks to her parents who has been dragging her and her brother around to restaurants, sometimes Michelin restaurants since early childhood. So, the choice of restaurant was therefore important.

Well, we met up with Linn at the Medlar on Kings Road and boy was it good!

Between the three of us we had 9 different dishes and I promise, they were all 10 out of 10! We are not easily impressed with food and I think that I have handed out maybe two or three tens in my life, but this was totally outstanding! I could start listing all our 9 dishes but its no point, just google their menu and hava a pick. We just couldn't find a single glitsch and I also include the service which was impeccable but still casual. Clement, the french sommelier was very helpful but he didn't lecture us with his knowledge, but rather listened to what we were interested in and guided us from there. Do I have to mention that the choise of wines also was spot on? He also gave us his contact details so that when we come to Loire he will assist us with advice as to where to go and not to go.

I could go on about the Medlar but I would just repeat myself.

When in London - try it!!!

The rest of the afternoon we spent walking to the city where we bought tickets for "We will Rock!" that same evening. As we now were already running late we went back to Hammersmith to say good bye to Linn (whom we will see again in three days time) and then Lyn and I went back into town for the show.

"We will Rock!" is in its eleventh year and that's no surprise. It is a great tribute to the greatness of Queen, without being about Queen. Great story and awesome singers!

Afterwards we just happened to stumble on a great little french restaurant with a totally untrendy piano player who played evergreens from the last 50 years.



Wednesday 20/06/12

We had breakfast in the same cafe, tube into the city where I had to buy new shoes as my older ones were rotting away and Lyn had to buy a new phone as her old one needed upgrading. Buying a smartphone is a massive mysterium if you haven't had one before. It first took us a while to figure out which shop actually sells phones and which are only selleing plans... or something. When we did find the right shop we were helped by Max who was very helpful and understanding and he set up everything so the phone was ready to be used. Now we just have to figure out how to use it...

Then we decided to have a look at the Olympic village, so we caught the tube to the nearest station and started to walk the last bit, only to discover that the whole area is still fenced off and a lot of constuction works still going on.

Back to the city, looked at an absolutely ancient wine merchant, walked through St James Park, passed Westminster Abbey (16 pounds entrance fee!!) and on to London Eye. Was it any good? Well, if you seen one city from above youv'e seen them all.

Back in Hammersmith we spent quite some time looking for an Argentinian restaurant Lynette saw from the bus earlier, but we never found it, so we settled for a pizzeria who sold pizza by the metre.



Thursday 21/06/12

Time to leave London. Gatwick Express to catch a flight to Stockholm. The flight was on time and we got our luggage quickly and the bus to Stockhlm City was waiting outside.

The reason for being here is that tomorrow is Midsommer Eve and we are planning to spend a few days with our Norwegian friends and some friends from Stockholm who have a "sommarstuga" a summer cottage or a week ender half an hour south of Stockholm, near a small town called Vagnhärad.

So we caught a train out of Stockholm, travelled half an hour south to Vagnhärad where, ten minutes later, our norwegian friends turned up. They had driven from Oslo and we had travelled from London and we arrived at the agreed meeting point almost exactly at the same time!

Arrived at Bo and Kornelia at about 8 pm. What a wonderful place! The ultimate dream for a Swede; Red little house with two small guest houses, a 200 m stroll down to a narrow bay of the Baltic sea. Drank some champagne (of course) and Bo served a whole salmon with a mustard dressing and an awesome potato salad.

It was a perfect summer evening, 11pm and still not dark.



Friday 22/06/12

After breakfast we headed for the site where the Midsummer celebrations were to take place. We picked flowers and cut birch branches for the may pole and helped set up for later.

We went back home for the traditional lunch with lots of pickled herring, aquavits and drinking songs, and at 3 o'clock we walked back to take part in the main event.

The may pole was raised and Benny Andersson (fromABBA) and friends started to play. First traditional kids games, ring dance, where you walk or dance around the pole and do all the signs and movements to the lyrics.

After a short break the band played some summer waltzes and Lyn and I stepped on each others toes in tune with the music, I can't really call it dancing...

The whole event is over after about two hours and then everyone goes home and continue the celebrations.

At home we walked down to Bo's little jetty and had three different french champagnes(!) as pre-dinner drinks while a whole entrecote slowly cooked in the Webber. That was later washed down with a gorgeous Amarone.

Did I mention that the sun sets at about 11pm?



Saturday 23/06/12

After a somewhat slow start we took Bo's speedboat in to the neighbouring small town of Trosa where we did a little bit of shopping and had a light lunch. Trosa is a little fairy tale town with lots of small wooden houses. Nothing higher than three stories.

Dinner tonight was leftovers from yesterdays lunch and a simple pasta dish.

Bo is an excellent host. He loves cooking and preparing food and he is really good at making it look easy. He chooses food that takes little preparation on the day and still tastes fantastic. We were at some stage 11 people but catering was never difficult. He and Kornelia had everything so well prepared it seemed liked the food just appeared.

It's been a very memorable weekend that is hard to describe in words .Good friends, good food and mostly fine weather is all you need for a great midsummer.

Oh yes, and those loooong light summer evenings.



Sunday 24/06/12

Time to leave Bo and Kornelia and set our sights on Gotland. This is a relatively big island in the Baltic sea, off the Swedish east coast. It's main city, Visby, has an ancient history. It dates back over a thousand years and used to be a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League. It is one of very few towns that still has almost its entire ring wall intact. The whole town is now on UNESCO'S heritage list.

And still, after having lived most of my life in Sweden I still haven't been there.

So, we left at 9.30 to catch a 10.15 bus from Södertälje to the ferry in Nynäshamn. Oystein drove like crazy to get there in time only to discover that there was no bus at 10.15 as promised on the net. The bus left half an hour later which took us to Nynäshamn only 15 min before the ferrys departure time, so we had to run with all our luggage to make it. But we made it and three hours later we arrived, walked to our hotel and set out to discover this historic and very popular town.

As Visby is only a few hours from Stockholm we had anticipated thousands of tourists, but allthough it was just after midsummer it was surprisingly quiet. Sure, there were people, but not even close to what we expected.

We walked around in the old town for a while, had a glass of wine on a roof terrace and eventually decided to have dinner at Rosengården Restaurant. We had a great meal with local trout and local lamb and exceptionally good service. When our waiter couldn't answer our questions he got the chef out to explain.

We went to bed with a very good first impression of Gotland.



Monday 25/06/12

Now the Swedish weather showed its unreliability. It was a very grey and rainy morning but we decided to brave the elements and joined a walking tour of the town. It was only a one hour tour so we reckoned we could stand it even if it was raining a bit.

I wasn't too impressed with the guide, but she took us around about a quarter of the wall and told us about its history,legends and events, most of it I knew from history in school but it was still reasonably interesting.

The rain kept falling so after the tour finished we sheltered in the cathedral for a while and then we returned to our hotel to dry.

We decided on "Munkkällaren" for dinner as we expected to have a meal in an ancient cellar, but first we had to wait for ages before anyone even acknowledged us at the door and then wait for the waiter to set a table at snails pace for us. Once seated we watched all other guests around us being served both once and twice while nothing happened at our table. After 15 minutes of being ignored we left.

We crossed the square to "Bolaget" where we had a delicious meal served by a truly lovely waitress with that charming Gotland accent.



Tuesday 26/06/12

This was another rainy day so we decided to just hop on one of the local buses, go down to the southeern tip of the island and then come back. Not very exciting but a comfortable way to see the countryside.



Wednesday 27/06/12

Today we had decided to travel up to Fårö, a small island just north of Gotland, to have a look around. We had been informed that we could hire bikes in Fårösund, the small town from where the ferry leaves, so we took the 9.30 bus there, got our bikes and boarded the ferry for the 10 min crossing.

In spite of a light headwind we arrived at Fårö church in half an hour. It's a cute classic small country church but it is mostly famous because it is where Ingemar Bergman, the famous Swedish film director is buried.

After another half hour on the bikes we stopped for lunch at Lauters, which is what looks like a small farm that has been converted to a cafe. It is one of the few places on the island where you can get something to eat so the place was teeming with people. No wonder, as the food was really good and the view fantastic.

The main attraction on Fårö, however, is the Raukar. They are rock formations on the beach or in the water just off the beach. They stand like statues placed there by a giant, but are really only whats left of an ancient coast where all the softer minerals have been washed away by the sea.

By now we had a beautiful day, only light wind and sunshine. Quite a few tourists on the road.

We headed back south via a smaller road, partly gravelled with no traffic at all. We stopped at a small graveyard for 20 English sailors who died from cholera in 1829. Apparently a great French-English naval flotilla was based in the sound during the Crimean War.

Why in Gotland? Sorry, no idea!

While we were waiting for our return bus in Fårösund we shared a pizza and 4 beers. Well deserved!

A seagull also managed to drop one right in our garlic sauce. Luckily, just as we had finished our meal.

Back in Visby we had decided to go to a restaurant that had been recommended; Österdahls Brygga, but after the very late lunch we only ordered entre and dessert but it was well worth it because it was a fantastic little restaurant with only 14 seats. Unfortunately two very loud women from Stockholm dominated the small room, but if you ever go to Gotland you have to visit Österdahls.



Thursday 28/06/12

On the road again!

We had a pm flight so plenty of time for breakfast and packing.

We went to the bus station to get a refund on our bus card and then we stumbled over Adelgatan which seems to be the main shopping street (after 3 days). We boiught some souvenirs and sat down in a small garden cafe to finally taste the, for Gotland typical, saffron pancake.

The local airline, Gotlandsflyg, took us to Ängelholm in southern Sweden in one hour, bus to Helsingborg where my brother Toni waited and then down to Malmö. We will be staying here with my sister Cristine and her husband Mats for a while and on arrival they served Swedish meatballs.

We watched Italy beat Germany in the Euro 2012.



Friday 29/06/12

Another slow start. Lyn caught up with some e-mailing and I unpacked.

Pouring rain.

Went to the Dep. of immigration to sort out Lyn's visa sticker only to discover that they closed at 12noon on Fridays.

Back home I finally started writing this blog but I'm still days behind.

For dinner we prepared a potato salad with air dried lamb from Gotland and a smoked salmon pasta.



Saturday 30/06/12

The weather is fine again so we borrowed bikes and rode in to Malmö city centre. The city is so much more alive now compared to when I lived here. The long mall through the centre is packed with people and al fresco cafes and restaurants.

Lyn found some really nice and very cheap clothes, as a matter of fact she liked them so much that she kept the whole outfit on.

We sat down for a drink at Moosehead at Lilla Torg, the beating heart of Malmö these days, and suddenly we realized that Lyns phone worked. She has had problems with texting, but now it works. It's a mystery to me...

We continued home to Mats P who is my oldest friend, we have known each other for almost 40 years. He had just finished the final spit and polish as he has his house for sale and he is having his first home open tomorrow. He is a bit nervous as he has already bought a new house, so the pressure is on to find a buyer.

We had a casual dinner in a Greek pizzeria with 111 different pizzas on their menu!



Sunday 1/07/12

Spent most of the day at home, chilling and washing.

Mixed grill barbeque in the backyard and watched Spain crush Italy 4-0.



Monday 2/07/12

The saga with Lyn's visa is not yet over. Due to technical problem at the Swedish embassy in Canberra they could not print out the sticker with the visa so we went to the dep of imm here in Malmö, only to find out that they did not have the proper machine to print that particular visa sticker either. It was not to be a problem, however, they could just issue anothe type of visa which comes as an id-card, allthough that has to be issued in Norrköping 500 km from here. So lyn fills out all the forms again and have her photo and fingerprints taken for the microchip.

"Your card will arrive by mail within a few days."

We spent the rest of the aftenoon exploring a new but almost empty shoppingcentre.

We cooked a quick dinner and Cristine took us to visit Mum, and that is a subject that I prefer to keep private.



Tuesday 3/07/12

We are planning a big family dinner for tomorrow night so Lyn and I went first in to the city to have a look at the best wine shop in town. Being Sweden with a governement monopoly that does not mean a lot but they still have a very good selection of wines from all over the world at reasonable prices. We picked a few from France, Spain and South Africa and then we continued out to a big shopping centre in the outskirts of town to do the food shopping.

As always we buy too much food but in the end I think it will be good. We plan to do a kind of buffe dinner so that we cover all "I don't likes".



Wednesday 4/07/12

Today was all about cooking and preparing for tonight. Lyn started setting the table while she was still in her PJ's and then we headed back out for the final purchases. (Yes, after she got dressed)

The teamwork in the kitchen was flawless as usual and by 6 o'clock when the first visitors arrived we were more or less done. So, for my own memorys sake as I as usual forgets to take photos, the guests were:

Mats and Cristine, Toni and Monica, Max, Sandra ,Josefin with Liam, Anton, Sofi and Matias with Elias and Sofia.

We had a great evening together, there is some friction and some issues between some of these people, but tonight all that was set aside and we just enjoyed ourselves and hopefully we will remember this evening for a long time.



Thursday 5/07/12

Most of the morning we just chilled and relaxed at home, but I did also go for a 8 km walk around the Bulltofta recreation area. Probably close to 10000 steps.

Tonight we were invited to the Olsson family for dinner and as usual it was a very generous spread. On top of a jug of Sangria I think we also finished off 5 bottles of wine. Jenny is becoming more and more gorgeous and Fredrik has lost his chubbyness and is now tall and slim and seems to be very fit.



Friday 6/07/12

We had a taxi booked for 9am and half an hour later we were on the bus to Norway.

6,5 hours later Oystein picked us up in Moss just south of Oslo which is more convenient as they live down that way. As it was the first day of his holiday we started with Champagne on their terrace and the dinner was a seafood "tower" with arctic prawns and King Crabs and a beautiful Italian style Bistecca with rocket and Parmesan.



Saturday 7/07/12

Today is Oysteins birthday, a bit more low key compared to his 50th last year. After breakfast we went to a piano concert in the old wooden church in Droback, where we met up with Lena and Frederik as well.

After the concert we had a very light lunch at a cute and very old bakery, now transformed to a cafe.

Back home we took Sydney the dog for a short walk in the forest. As the Scandinavian summer is not at its best yet, it was rather a wet walk.

Later on L & F joined us again for dinner and by now we did not take any chances, we had dinner inside. The menu tonight was Salmon carpaccio with asian flavours and a whole fillet of beef with lots of garlic and expertly sliced spring crop potatoes baked in the oven with more garlic.



Sunday 8/07/12

We had a late start and a long breakfast and as the weather had improved a bit we took a long walk in the surrounding wilderness. There was already lots of blueberries and even some cloudberries and with all the rain lately there will be lots of wild mushrooms a bit later in the autumn.

The rest of the afternoon we spent planning for Champagne. Oystein and Karin will join us for 3 or 4 days in the beginning of August and as Lyn and I only have a tiny cottage booked they started to look for accommodation somewhere nearby. We also tried to do a little bit of homework to decide which Champagne houses to visit but there are so many and we had so many books and brochures so it just got confusing. We'll sort it out when we get there.

We have also talked about taking a trip on a boat on the Canal du Midi in September but it seems like we have to hire the boat for either 2 days on the weekend or a whole week. We would like 4 days, Friday to Tuesday but that does not seem to be possible.



Monday 9/07/12

Pouring rain again. Karin is working for another week so we relxed at home for a while and then Oystein and I drove to the other side of Oslo to pick up their second car. Oystein and The Range Rover had been hit by a motor cycle police who were part of a motorcade escorting the King and Queen of Norway a few days ago. The police officer were unhurt and seemed to be of the opinion that it was his own fault but he car had needed a bit of attention.

Luckily it is now a lot easier to drive from one end of Oslo to another. There is a network of tunnels under the city that takes you from A to B in no time. Much easier than trying to navigate the congestion up above. Oslo is full of very narrow streets an is totally inadequate for todays traffic. Many of the streets are also one way and if you don't know your way around your'e in trouble. Believe me, I've been there...

Towards the evening the skies cleared and we had dinner on the terrace at home again. Fresh salmon with an asparagus quiche. Yeah I know it sounds a bit weird but you had to be there, it was very nice...



Tuesday 10/07/12

Today we're driving back to Malmö and we are taking the Hjelseths Volvo. They will be coming down on Friday in the Range Rover and they don't mind having two cars down there.

Unfortunately the battery of the Volvo was flat, it seems the interior lights had been on all night for some reason.

No big deal, we jump started it with the Range Rover and we were off just half an hour later than planned.

It was raining on and off all the way down but the trip went fine and we arrived in Malmö at 4pm.

Håkan L came to pick us up as we had arranged earlier to have dinner with them. At their new flat in "Dockan", the trendy Docklands of Malmö, we met their daughter Sara who had visited us in Busselton last year and her boyfriend Johan and also, as a bonus, another old friend, Rolf Nilsson, was there. Lena had cooked a fantastic meal, we had a variety of wines and then, after the meal, Håkan brought out his selection of fine Rhums. This was a new experience for me. I have only ever had Rhum as a cocktail base, but these ones were just like good Cognacs!

Fancy that, a Rhum from Guatemala equalling a French Cognac or Calvados!



Wednesday 11/07/12

Another day of just chilling and reading. Not much to report



Thursday 12/07/12

Today we met my brother Toni in his hired garage where he is slowly renovating/rebuilding an old Commer truck.

It's a project that has been going for years and it will be a few more years until he is finished. He is doing everything by hand and takes great pride in doing it himself, he don't want anything made by others. This is his project and his alone!

A little later we had lunch with him and his partner Monica at their place. Tomorrow they are heading for California for holiday and while they are away we have the use of Toni's Audi A4. Nice!

We were invited back to Mats P for dinner tonight and we had a great evening! Mats brother Benny was also there with his wife Gunilla plus some other old friends; Peter and Anette.

Benny has always been a joker and there is never a dull moment when he is around so we had lol going through some of the old escapades of our younger days.



Friday 13/07/12

We went to Toni's place to pick up the Audi and after a visit to Bauhaus for bathroom ideas we drove down to Höllviken where K & O summer house is and just a little later they arrived themselves.

We spent a little time putting the cottage back in order for their 4 weeks stay, left the Audi there and drove back up to Malmö for dinner with the Olsson Family.

Lars grilled some humongous spare ribs and as always ther was plenty of wine. Me, I had volunteered as a driver as I had realized that I haven't had an alcohol free day since we left Australia...



Saturday 14/07/12

When Karin and Lyn went food shopping, Oystein and I got busy tidying the block. We raked up thousands of pine cones and Oystein mowed the lawn and emptied the latrine...

When the girls came back we pumped up the bikes and rode down to the beach where we let Sydney the dog go for a swim.

For dinner we had barbequed pork fillet with a chantarelle flavoured potato salad.



Sunday 15/07/12

After a very light breakfast we packed a little picnic and rode our bikes along a path through the meadows on the side of the sea. We found shelter from the wind behind a WW2 bunker and enjoyed our coffe and sandwiches.

At 2 o'clock we met up with Annika and Fredrik at the local Golf club for a 9 hole round. Lyn and I were the very much impressed "ball finders". I still don't think I will take up Golf...

We went back to the cottage, a little bit later Lars also joined us and we had another great BBQ dinner together with good friends and wine from Italy and South Africa.



Monday 16/07/12

As more rain was forcasted we decided on a drive along the south coast. This is one of my favourite drives. It hugs the coast line, sometimes very close and sometimes it leaves a bit of forest dotted with small and large homes or weekend cottages between the road and the beach. We stopped at the very southernmost point of Sweden and browsed through some craft shops.

A little further on we stopped in at the tiny hamlet of Abbekås where we found a little restaurant in the small harbour. Surprisingly enough they did not just allow dogs, but even welcomed them in, if they behaved well.

Of course our Sydney is the most well behaved dog you could ever wish to meet so we decided to give it a go as it was well and truly lunch time. The restaurant was very quaint and had kept an old fashioned kind of style although you could see that it was very well "designed".

The food was fantastic! We all ordered the fresh fried herring fillets with mashed potatoes and cranberries and boy was it fresh! The fish just melted in your mouth and the flavour was rich and full. Truly awesome especially as we did not know about the place and had absolutely no expectations beforehand.

Next stop was Kåseberga, another tiny fishing village along the south coast. This town has always specialised in smoked fish and I have been there several times before. It still looks pretty much the same, but a few more cafes and souvenir shops has popped up in the little harbour and the amount of people have quadrupled at least.

The smoke house shop was packed with tourists and it feels like it has become a tourist attraction on a very big scale. Of course, people also come there to climb up to the top of the hill to marvel at "Ales Stenar", a huge ring made up from 57 big rocks, a bit similar to Stonehenge allthough the stones are smaller. The general theory is that they have been used as some astronomical tool as the big end stones and the stones in the middle of the formation always line up with sunset and sunrise during the solstice and equinox.

It was very windy up there so we did not stay very long. After another stop at a big heb garden we drove back home.

Dinner was of course three kinds of smoked fish from Kåseberga. We still have not decided wheter beer is better than a lightly smoked Chardonnay with this kind of food.



Wednesday 25/07/12

Well, it's been 10 days since I wrote and I realize that I will not be able to write every day.

I'll try to summarise the last week in Sweden as best as I can.

One day we decided to go to the island of Ven, just between Sweden and Denmark. We drove 35 minutes up to Landskrona to catch the little ferry and we just made it in time, but we were told that we could not get home until after 6.15pm and as we were invited to friends at 6 we had to drop the idea of Ven. So we decided to go for a walk along the coast as it was a nice day. We had a look at the old castle in Landskrona which is totally intact and then we continued along a foot path for 2,5 km to the tiny fishing hamlet of Borstahusen where we had a very nice lunch at Restaurant "Pumphuset" right down in the harbour.

We walked the same way back again, took the car and continued up to an even smaller village called Ålabodarna. We were running short of time so we just drove through, had a cup of coffee at the Golf Club and returned home to the cottage in Höllviken.

Quick change of clothes and off to see Björn and Ann in their little horse farm just a few kilometres away. Invited was also Ronnie and Marie who brought their youngest daughter Frida and Mats W.

Great evening with a fantasic barbeque dinner and lots of laughter again.



Next day we drove across the bridge to Copenhagen to pick up our wine at Henriks place. We found it eventually allthough we got slightly off track because the GPS did not know about roadworks along the way, but we got our wine after giving the two new K&B's to Henrik.

We stopped at Louisiana art museum to look at an exhibition on Nordic Architecture and design, and I found it very interesting allthough i don't really know much about it.

On the way back to CPH we discovered that the Range Rover had a flat tyre so we could only drive a short distance, pump it up again and then continue in to town.

We left the car to have lunch at Peder Oxe, our favourite restaurant in Copenhagen, but as we were leaving the tyre was flat again, so we had to cruise around for a while until we found another servo. Pumped up the tyre again and continued over the bridge, back home.

Friday was another rest day, but in the evening we took Cristine and Mats out to dinner as a thank you for putting up with us. (Yes we are now back, living in Malmö again).

On Saturday we went to Bjärred to see Mats W again and he took us out to have a look at the long jetty with the new bath house facilities and then we went to see the conference and event centre where he works. There is also a small vineyard where they are producing around 600 bottles a year. It's still very much in it's infancy and unless global warming really kicks in it will never be a serious commercial enterprise, but it is a nice little extra touch and a gimmick that helps selling conferences, wedding and such.

That night was the big reunion night at Benny and Gunillas place. It would take too long to go through it all, but there was 13 old friends who got together after many years and once again we had a great night with good food (wild boar burgers) good company and lots of laughter.

Sunday started with a family brunch at home, a last chance to see Max, Sandra, Sofia and Pepe until Christmas and then we returned the Audi to Tonis place.

We then went straight to Annika and Lars to join up with them and the Hjelseth family and we spent the afternoon playing mini golf which, to everyones surprise, mine own included, I won!

One last Swedish barbeque at A & L and then we went back home to pack for the next step on our adventure.



Monday 23/07/12

We had to set the alarms at 4.45 to be in time at CPH airport at 6.20 and taxi, train and plane went like clockwork so we touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris spot on time.

I called the appartement contact person, Ugo, and he said he couldn't meet us untin 2.00pm so we had plenty of time to find the right train station and even buy a one week "NaviGo" card which gives us unlimited travels on all public transport in and around Paris.

Ugo turned up at 2.20 only to tell us that unfortunately there was no water due to maintenance work but he assured us that it would be back in two hours. That no big deal because the apartement is just as cute and quaint as it looks on the internet. It is amazing that you actually can take 12-15 photos from different angles in such a small space!

Anyway, we got the water back just as we were on our way out so everything is cool.

We started with a stroll in the neighbourhood and we realised that we are in the middle of a giant tourist trap. We are smack in the centre of the Latin Quarters and the little alleyways are packed with tourists and restaurants and souvenir shops, just as expected, but strangely enough our appartement is as quiet as if we were living in the country.

We walked past the Notre Dame out onto the Ile St Louise, back over the river where we just happened to find "Tour d'Argent", which was closed as it was Sunday(?) I must say I'm tempted to go back but it is going to be extremely expensive, and anyway, you must probably book weeks ahead.

We decided to have a drink on a boat restaurant, but we ended up ordering lunch as well and it was lucky because the charcuterie platter was very nice indeed. Welcome to Paris!

Later, we walked for half an hour looking for a restaurant that Lynette had read about only to find it closed for holidays. Closed restaurant - take two!

On the way back we found Place de la Sorbonne, a delightful square with beautiful buildings, big old trees and a selection of eateries. I had a lamb shank served with just green beans and bread and I drank a chilled Brouilly with that which was all delicious.

By now we were exhausted and staggered home, unfolded the sofa bed and fell asleep within seconds.



Tuesday 24/07/12

One of the things we want to see in Paris is the catacombs and as it is not too far away from us we decided to start there today. We chose to walk as that is what one does in Paris and the walk took us through the Jardin de Luxembourg. It was a warm day and absolutely beautiful! Kids with model boats, people just sitting reading books, joggers and strollers, just like us.

We hadn't had any breakfast so we decided on a savoury crepe in the park, but that was not a great success. The crepe was too thich and duoghy and I think there was far too much cheese. Obviously all food in Paris isn't fantastic!

As we arrived at the entrance to the catacombs we saw the qeue! It was hundreds of people and the lined reached completely around the block! I asked the girl at the gate if it was wiser to make a reservation for tomorrow, as today it would take 3-4 hours but she said that you can't make bookings, you should just turn up around 9.00am as they open at 10 and then you only have to wait one hour!

So, back home, picked up a few guide books and set off by foot again. Across Pont Neuf where we discovered the man made beaches in Paris. Long stretches of the river bank has been turned into artificial beaches with sand, boule courses, showers etc. It looks fantastic! OK, we never saw anyone in the water, but what a great idea! For people living in the city, miles from the ocean, this must be awesome. Thats a great way to spend tax payers money!

Later we also discovered the garden inside the compounds of Palais Royal, another oasis in the big city.

Our guide books had recommended a walking tour through the Passages and Galleries in the First arrondissment and we found some of them. There was some nice ones with beautiful architecture and som really interesting shops, but some of them was a bit worn and tired looking and the shops had been replaced by ad agencies and financial advisors and things like that.

Rue Montorgeuil was another great discovery. Part of it was turned into a mall and it was lined with restaurants cafes and market stalls. We had another charcuterie platter to share (lunch at 5.00pm) and bought some breakfast food and by now we just couldn't face anymore walking so we took the metro home. (Two stops)

Later we walked up Boulevarde St Germain. the goal was to have a look at the three famous Paris institutions: Brasserie Lipp, Cafe de Flores and Les Deux Magots. We found them all three within spitting distance from each other and we decided to give the Lipp a go. We couldn't help but feeling a bit like the poor cousin from the country. It was obvious that we were not going to get a table by the windows, we got a table inside in a corner, probably because we were not going to eat, and when we got our two drinks the waiter "forgot" the water we ordered.

Fair enough, I suppose, they live on a reputation as a hangout for the rich and famous celebrities, so low spending tourists is probably not high on their list. I must admit though, I don't think I have been ignored in such a polite manner before.

On the way back Lynette spotted a little side street with lots of little restaurants and bars. They all looked pretty nice but eventually we decided on one that had some intersting dishes on the menu.

I ordered a duck salad and Lyn had a prawn salad and after rather a long wait we got our food and in the end it was worth the wait. The food was fantastic and the setting just so Paris.



Wednesday 25/07/12

Months ago Lynette had read about a canal tour in the not so touristy areas of Paris. We had googled it and before 9.00am we were on the Metro towards Bassin de la Vilette in the 19th.

The tour that takes 2,5 hrs takes us along Canal Saint Martin, wich was designed to connect Seine with some other major commercial canals. It has also been, and is still, used for supplying water for irrigation of parks etc in Paris.

It is a very slow cruise that took us trough 4 locks, a total fall of 24 meters, to the juction with the Seine. It was well guided and a very relaxing way to learn a bit of Paris history.

At Port de l'Arsenal the cruise ended and we decided to continue by foot toward Marche Aligre. Its a market we have also read about before and it was quite easy to find, but as we decided to have a quick lunch first we pretty much missed the whole market bit. By the time we got back there they were all packing up. We did however find a great little cheese shop where we bought three different cheeses and next door a wine shop who whad some wines chilled. We picked a Rose from Provence for 6 euros and then we found a Metro station and went back to our apartement.

The wine and the cheeses were part of a planned picnic. When in Paris you must have at least one meal down on the banks of the Seine. We found a spot just about a km from our place with a great view of the Notre Dame and all the tour boats, the Bateau Mouches, passing by. Both sides of the river were packed with people and it was just such a perfect summer evening. One for the memory bank indeed!



Thursday 26/07/12

Wiser from our previous mistake we were now lined up outside the catacombs just after 9.00am for a 10 o'clock opening. At about 10.30 we were admitted, cot caught up in a school class of 8 year olds, but managed to break free. Once down there the crowds thinned out and we were almost walking by ourselves.

It's truly amazing to see the huge piles of neatly stacked bones and skulls. They were brought there as skeletons when the old funeral sites around the city were "cleaned up" due to the spread of diseases caused by thousand of rotting corpses, so there are no coffins, just hundreds of thousands skulles and bones.

They were brought there over a period of 200 years or so and there are plaques with information from what area or hospital they came. There are also lots of signs with various bible quotes.

It's kind of spooky down there but it also made me think about all those people who had lived and died over the centuries. Every single skull used to be a human with a story and a life, and we know nothing about who they were or what they did during their life. It's a sobering thought...

Another street that we wanted to see was rue Mouftard, partly because it features in some of the guide books as an interesting market and cafe street but also because Lynettes favourite photo of a little boy with a wine bottle under his arm was taken on that very street. Well, we walked the length of the street without finding a postcard or a picture of the boy but we found a little family restaurant where we had a little lunch and then we continued walking.

Through the Luxembourg again, looking for the original model of the statue of liberty, didn't find it. To rue Canette where we supposedly should find the best crepes in Paris. Found the creperie but it was closed. Walked for a few more hours and came home exhausted.

Next area to check out for dinner was the Marais. Really trendy according to guide books and the internet. We found a few suggestions in one book and decided to walk there again.

We found a cute little square, lined by cafes and restaurants and picked one of those recommended in the book. It was packed inside and out but the service was quick and friendly and the food delicious. Jaquard Champagne, half a dozen snails in parsley butter, duck breast in a honey sauce and a strawberry soup! Yum!

Some excercise was now needed so we just strolled around for a while and found Place Vosges, more upmarket style restaurants and lots and lots of expensive art galleries. Nearby we found the jewish quarters where we also found what, according to New York Post, is Paris best falafel place. We were far to full to test that statement so we kept walking until we came to Hotel de Ville, maybe the worlds most impressive town hall and then Lynette insisted on one last walk to see Centre Pompidou. Compared to everything else in Paris it can only be described as ugly, or if you want to be open minded - interesting...



Friday 27/07/12

Another interesting market street we had read about was rue Cler. Rick Steves guide book spends a whole chapter describing all the shops and interesting places to see but when we got there it was truly uninteresting - OK, there was some nice food shops but nothing different to most other Parisian streets. We spent 6 euros on a stand up breakfast, Lynette got a chocolat pastry when she thought it was spinach...

The main mission for the day, though, was laundry. We took all our dirty stuff to a laundromat on Ile St Louis and with some help from a Swedish model we got everything done in about an hour and a half.

As we were close to rue Rivoli where I yesterday had seen a shoe shop with lots of cheap shoes we took our laundry under the arm and found the shop instantly.

Without any details, I have had some serious shoe problem on this trip so I bought one pair of new sandals (the old ones broke in London) and one pair of comfortable walking shoes - for 29 euros each!

We had lunch nearby in a restaurant called Le Fou en Face. Lynette ended up with a salad that sounded interesting on the menu but turned out having a piece of raw herring on it...

Later in the evening we went back to rue Mouftard but now it looked just as where we live in Saint Michel. It's a real tourist trap with three course menus for 10-15 euros. Not exactly what we are looking for so we sat down on the side of a fountain to think. There were quite a few people sitting there, and one lying down. I joked with Lyn if we should push him in but of course we didn't but two minutes later he fell in all by himself!

He seemed totally confused and, I think, drunk but he just calmly started to sort out all his wet papers, bank notes etc and then he wandered off, still dripping.

We were now tired of walking so we decided to give a restaurant across the street a chance. It was called Verse Toujours and it was one of these strokes of luck that happens every now and then!

The menu was traditional french and the interior and staff was perfect. It felt just right! Now I am in Paris!

OK, we both picked the one dish that might not have been french - the cicken Tajine - but it was superb and we drank a light Pinot Noir with it, which also worked well. But what impressed me the most was the staff. Yes, I know I am a bit damaged by my years in the industry but I do appreciate staff who knows what they are doing and these guys, well, they did everything right. No screaming and yelling like Italians, just quietly and efficiently and always time for a smile. They were amazing and they provided us with an experience, not just a good meal!



Saturday 28/07/12

So we missed both the Aligre markets and the rue Cler markets, so now, determined to catch at least one market in town we decided to have a last go at the rue President Wilson market. Once again mentioned as one of the best in Paris by a guide book.

We decided to get up a bit early to get to the market before they closed tis time, but as Lynette got up at 8 we had no water in the taps. Well, this has happened twice before and the water has always returned after a while, so we took that as an excuse to sleep for another hour. But as the water two hours later still hadn't returned we got a bit worried. I called Ugo, our landlords representative, but he did not know what to do on a Saturday morning. He did call back and said that we could check in to a hotel and they would pay for it. In the mean time I had fetched some water from a tap down in the court yard and we washed as well as possible out of a bucket.

Just as we opened the door to leave, however, the next door neighbour opened his door, dressed only in his underwear to Lynettes great joy and I asked him if he had water. He said: No, I have turned it off because I had a leak in here yesterday and it was running down the wall in the flat below. I'll turn it back right away!

So he switched the water back on, I rang Ugo and told him that everything was OK again and we were off.

The Market on rue President Wilson was still open and just exactly how you want a typical Parisian market to be. This one in a fairly up market part of the city was really nice, everything looked clean and the food was beautifully presented and everything seemed really fresh. We bought some fruit and pastries for a standing and walking breakfast and when we had walked the lenght of the market twice we decided to continue walking toward Place Charles de Gaulle as we were more or less on one of the boulevard leading in to the Etoile.

After the obligatory photos we started down the Champs Elysee an I buoght some underwear at H&M!

At Jardin des Tuillerie we had a mixedn antipasto platter for lunch and then we strolled through the amusement park they have set up there right in the middle or Paris. Complete with slingshot, ferris wheel and all the other rides and merry -go -rounds. and as it was just there we also had a look at the Louvre, from the outside and from the Carousell which is kind of a shopping centre unerneath the court yard. This is wher the inverted glass pyramid is. The one from the end scenes of the da Vinci Code.

Then we caught the metro up to Montmartre. The free funiculaire up to Sacre Coeur just to walk straight down the hill again. We indulged in a fish foot massage for 35 euro/pers but it is just the nicest thing and as my feet have suffered pretty badly lately it was a well deserved luxury.

We found Place de Tertre where one just have to sit down for a drink and watch the artists whom are more and more being squeezed out by the restaurants.

For our evening meal we decided to go back to Verse Tojours again. Tonight no one fell into the fountain but hte food and the service was just as good if not better because tonight we were recognised by our waiter from yesterday who shook our hands and found us a table. I had a Fois Gras Terrine and a Beef Tartare and Lynette had the Pique Nique Platter with some assorted cold dishes. The place was packed again and as usual the staff (the same 5 as yesterday) was impeccable. I must write something on Trip Advisor about these guys.



Sunday 29/07/12

Last day in Paris, what better way to spend it than a visit to the Versailles.

We got started a bit later than expected so we were a bit concerned about the crowds and the train filled up very quickly. By the time we arrived there was hundreds of people heading in the same direction. Thanks to a bit of Google wisdom we bought tickets at the tourist information in town rather than wait until we arrived at the castle and this turned out to be a good idea as the qeues there were enormous.

We had also decided to buy tickets to the gardens only as we realised that we would not have time to see the inside of the castle as well and this turned out to be another good move as there was hardly any qeues at all. We pretty much walked straight in to the worlds greatest backyard.

This place is enormous, I'm sure you could fit in hundreds of football fields here. There is large open spaces with lawns, a "lake" called Grand Canal where you can hire rowboats and 12 or 16 Bosques which are kind of labyrinths with different themes and all with a fountain in the middle, every fountain different.

We cruised around for about an hour or so to get an idea of the place and then we had lunch at one of the restaurants on the grounds.

At 3.30 the fountaines came back on again (they are only on for one and a half hour twice a day) and we revisited the ones we found the most spectacular, but then our feet started to protest so we headed back to the train station and now we were lucky we got the quite possible last two seats and we were back at our flat in less than an hour.

By now we decided to just have a quick meal at one of our local joints as we had all our packing to do as well but the cheap meal 15 meters from our front door was just as nice as any other wev'e had. Pork and lamb from the rotisserie. It just melted in the mouth.

One last point that I like about Paris: They have leaning posts at every light crossing. It's just a metre high metal post with a "ball" on the top but perfect to lean on while you are waiting for green light. Brilliant!



Monday 30/07/12

So we had our last breakfast at home in Paris. Ugo arrived at 9.00 to return our bond and we also got 60 euro discount for the hassle with the water. His inspection was finished in about 30 seconds, I think he realised that after Lynettes cleaning the place was cleaner than when we moved in.

We squeezed ourselves and our luggage on to a packed train and prepared for a tough and warm journey but surprisingly almost everyone got off the train at Gare du Nord. When the train then continued it turned out to be a non stop service to CDG. Plenty of room and very quick.

At the airport we were picked up by a rep from Global Cars or whatever they are called and driven to the depot. I signed the paper work and we got our car. It is a brand new Peugeot 308, it’s got 10 km on the meter!

So off we went on the Autoroute Nord and within two hours or so we arrived in Gent. There was a 12 km stretch with road works but the traffic flowed and we had no problems even if it took us a while to figure out a way the get the GPS to make itself heard when the radio was on.

We almost stumbled over our houseboat, the Bon Vivant, and met the managers Mathieu and his Aussie wife Christie. We got a reasonably roomy cabin at the bow of the barge with WC and shower and everything you need.

We had a 15 minutes walk in to the centre of town and we just grabbed our map and set off to discover it.

Gent is a classic, very old, Hanseatic trading town. Many of the buildings are 5-600 years old and it escaped destruction during the war. It has a walled castle in the middle of town with a very interesting history and lots of other beautiful buildings around the canals of the old city.

We found an outdoor beer bar that had hundreds of beers on their list so we just picked out two on almost random. I don’t recall the names now but they were both very good.

We had been recommended by a Belgian friend in Dunsborough to go to a restaurant called the De Gekroonde Hoofden (The Crowned Heads) and after a bit of walking we found it and made a reservation for that evening.

We had been told that you go here for the spare ribs and nothing else. Well, we did have an entrée first which was a bit silly, because when you order ribs you get as much as you can eat, so we stuffed ourselves with four different flavours; nature, honey, spicy and sweet and sour and Lynette also had room for a small chocolate mousse.

When we should order our drinks we asked if they had something with, maybe, less than 7%. The waiter just looked at us as if we had ordered strawberry milkshake! That was obviously not the right question…

Anyway the ribs were fantastic and we had a great time. The family at the table next to us were very friendly and our waiter seemed like he really enjoyed to do what he was doing.



Tuesday 31/07/12

Today we started with a nice breakfast on the Bon Vivant and then we decided to explore the Gravensteen Castle which is interesting as it was built to protect the local rulers from the townsfolk around them. The castle is totally intact and has even been renovated in recent time. The collection of weapon and torture instruments tells something about what was going on in there.

The tour would have been much more fascinating if our i-pods with a movie set in that castle would have worked. The idea was to walk from room to room and watch the different sequences of the movie as they played out in the same room but technology let us down. Lynette’s i-pod crashed very soon and she had to walk all the way back to have it reset and when she finally came back it crashed again. After having it fixed once again it only lasted a few minutes and then mine crashed as well so now we gave up on the movie. Unfortunately Lyn’s i-pod’s alarm started beeping really loud and we could not turn it off until we came back to the reception. A bit embarrassing, really…

We spent the rest of the day walking around Gent, buying among other things skin lotion and chocolate. All very important.

After having had the first of the Gent specialities yesterday we now decided to try the other one – mussels. We went to Vrijdagsmarkt and decided on Restaurant Cassis who claimed to have the best mussels.

Well, they were good, absolutely nothing wrong at all but also nothing sensational. I’ve had just as good mussels and even better at home, and I still can’t see how Pommes Frites can be the choice as partner to mussels…



Wednesday 01/08/12

We had decided to have a look at Brugge today and as everything in Belgium is very close we decided to leave the car at home and catch a train. Town centre to Town centre was the theory but the station in Brugge was quite a bit from the centre so we had a little walk incl one bit where I led us in the wrong direction.

We had somehow missed breakfast today so we had an earlyish lunch at a canalside restaurant surrounded by tourists again. I’m not complaining about the tourists, there are more than in Gent but it is understandable because Brugge is a fantastic city too. It gives the impression of hundreds of years of wealth and it is breathtakingly beautiful if you like that sort of thing.

We walked around in town for a while and we walked out to the edge of the old city and watched the old windmills. Can’t help noticing the similarities with today. Our wind mills are just a bit bigger.

The way back into the city centre led us through some not so touristy bits and it was just gorgeous, tiny little street houses, hundreds of years old. I’m sure getting my dose of old Europe now!

We also joined the crowds on a little canal tour that showed us parts of the city from a different angle. It was nice to take the pressure of the feet for a while.

When in Belgium we do as the Belgians, so we found ourselves in a pub “The Beer Wall”, where they had all Belgiums 1130 different beers on display behind a glass wall. Pretty impressive even though they only had a few for sale. While we were sitting on the side of the canal, sampling our brews it started to rain so we decided to try to find a place where we had seen something about a free harpsichord concert. Lynette the path finder found the way and we sat down in the front row and got to listen to this single guy playing on three different harps. I had my doubts about it on arrival but he was amazing! It was almost mesmerising the way you seemed to flow into the music.

A wonderful way to avoid the rain.

We took the train back to Gent and found a restaurant on a square we hadn’t seen before. Another big shower hit while we were sitting outside but we were under the awnings so we were fine.

Our waiter could speak 4 or 5 languages and he was just starting to work on his Swedish too.

Belgium is full of interesting people!



Thursday 2/08/12

We wanted to take advantage of the small distances of Belgium, so today we took the car and headed for Oostende. We set the GPS for a car park not too far from the city centre and to our surprise the city had free bike hire there. Great way to avoid traffic congestion in the centre!

By bike we were less than 5 minutes from the long beach promenade, which started at the fishing harbour and as we had not had anything to eat yet we sat down at a café and had a bite first.

We got on our bikes and started to ride along the very long beach. Now, this is a difficult thing to describe, because it is at the same time one of the most impressive beach side promenades I have ever seen but it is also probably the ugliest one. In its places it is a good 50-75 meters wide and there was hundreds of people out walking or riding a kind of pedal buggie and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves but, the buildings along its side were hideous examples of 1950s and -60s architecture.The massive big apartment buildings looked as if they all had been designed in East Berlin at the institute for the blind! There was one that was 16 stories high and easily 300 m long.

Maybe this was all built before cheap holidays to Spain and Italy was available and it was a way to offer beach side holidays for as many people as possible. I don’t know but it made the whole beach side look worn down and tired.

After a while we found a restaurant that had been recommended by Mathieu, Stade Kortijk. He had told us that it was far from fancy and the quality of the food often depended on the mood of the owner. Well, he was right about the fanciness, the interior had not changed for the last 25 years at least and probably not he menu either. Mathieu had told us to try the grey prawns in a hollowed out tomato and/or the Sole. Lyn ordered the prawns and they were tiny little prawns (allegedly) hand peeled and quite fishy in flavour, but very nice. I had the Sole and it was a perfect portion size fish cooked to perfection and so fresh it melted in my mouth. Truly delicious!

Now it was time to move on so we went back to the car and headed for Ypres. We are not particularly interested in war history but we had read about the new war museum and about the daily ceremony at the war memorial, the Menen Gate, and as we were close we wanted to have a closer look.

The museum is really high tech with great illumination and lots of interactive displays, some of which you can activate with your own microchip bracelet. It is too difficult to try to describe it here, it is such an emotional place and they have made the whole experience more from the soldiers point of view rather than strictly historical or political.

It is a place worth visiting and if we ever need a reminder of the total stupidity of war this is it!

We had some time to gather our emotions at a café with some beers before we walked the short distance to the Menen Gate. It is a big arch where the names of all those soldiers who has not been identified and properly buried been inscribed. Reading all those names really made me cry. There was a shoe smith from England and Australian miners and countless Canadians, Burmese and Indians and all sorts of people from all over the Commonwealth.

At 8 o’clock four buglers played the last post and some English dignitary read “Lest We Forget” and it was one of the most emotional moments of my life.

Once again I am reminded of how lucky I am to live in a time and place where I don’t have to worry about going to war. It is a fortune that is denied millions of others.



Friday 3/08/12

Today it was time to leave Belgium and set the course toward France again.

The traffic was light and by early afternoon we were approaching Champagne. Lynette had googled two B&B’s in the neighbourhood and we just took a chance and turned up at one of them. Unfortunately it was fully booked but the landlady recommended us another place, just a few minutes away, where, at a farm, they had a restaurant and two yourts – yes, yourts. Mongolian style tents. OK, that sounds interesting, so off we went. When we arrived it was an ordinary farm where the tents sat out in the paddock. It turns out there is no water or windows so it was quite hot and the toilets and showers were 100 m away. The price was 80 euros/night and we accepted and started to bring in our luggage. Once we had everything inside Lynette started having her doubts, and within 10 more minutes she wanted to leave. By now she could not face the idea of paying 80 bucks for a hot windowless tent with no toilet or running water.

Fair enough, so I had to go back to the lady who had just cleaned the place for us and in my rusty French explain that we were leaving. She seemed surprised but that was it and we were off again.

First we went back to the nearest little town where there was a huge big modern Mercure Hotel on a golf course, so we left again to go back to the slightly bigger town of Laon which we had driven through earlier. This time we drove all the way up to the castle and the old town, situated on a high mountain right in the middle of huge big plain.

At the tourist info they helped us to find a hotel just a block away and when we got there it turned out that we had got a small apartment across the road! Price 75 euro for bedroom, kitchen and shower,WC!

The very helpful guy at the hotel also recommended three different restaurants and after a short reconnaissance tour we decided on Le Parvis on the square facing the cathedral.

The restaurant provides food from the Terroir and our meals was very nice indeed. We had our entrees outside but just as we were about to start on our mains it started to rain and a gust of wind almost ripped the awnings over our heads apart. Within seconds we were relocated inside and the rest of the meal went without further incidents.



Saturday 4/08/12

We had arranged to meet our landlady in Charleville at 2-2.30 so we still had some time to explore Laon. First we went in to the cathedral which is almost a copy of Notre Dame in Paris but without the tourists. Very impressive indeed!

At the tourist info we got a little brochure that led us on a little “treasure hunt” around town. There were photos of details of buildings or fences or gates etc and at most of these details there was also a sign that provided some interesting historical facts.

It was very well done and we really enjoyed ourselves but we had to cut our walk short as we had to get back on the road to make it in time to Champagne.

I have never heard of the town of Laon before, but if I ever get the opportunity I would gladly come back again.

With the help of CARoline, our GPS, we found our way to our Gite in Charleville easy. It’s just as cute as it looked on the internet and it is in the middle of wheat- or cornfields in a very rural area. On arrival we still had not seen a single grapevine, which was a bit disappointing but we have a car and our landlady assured us that there is plenty of vines just around the corner. The main problem though – there’s no internet…

Later that afternoon we went in to Sezanne to the local supermarche , Leclercs, to stock up with some breakfast essentials, we had dinner at Le Mezzanine, a very busy restaurant with a single very stressed waitress and then we drove 45 minutes to Provins. At the square in Sezanne there was to be a reggae band but Lynette had read about a “light festival” in Provins so we drove 40 minutes to get there. The festival took place up in the medieval town and it was lots of people there. They had lit thousands of big candles along the streets of the old town, all the restaurants had set up extra tables on the square and there was a jazz band playing. It was a warm summer night and it was a great place to watch people and to reflect over the differences between the Parisians and the country folk.

But I would have preferred the reggae…



Sunday 5/08/12

As we expected Karin and Oystein to arrive tomorrow we decided to try to find them somewhere to live. With the help of our maps and brochures we circled a number of places that might be interesting and we started in Sezanne where we had lunch at Hotel Croix d’Or and then worked our way out in to the country. We didn’t find anything that was open or acceptable but on the way home we stopped in at a little champagne house called Yves-Jacques. The owner/wine maker was a very friendly man who didn’t speak a word English, but when he heard that I was in the wine industry he showed us around his underground winery.

It’s amazing how an inconspicuous house can hide such a lot underneath! He had it all from an 8 ton Bucher press to the bottling line. He let us try several of his wines and his wife and son helped out a little with translation. We bought two bottles and thanked him for his help and information and walked away from there feeling quite happy with our first champagne tasting.

By now almost everything was closed and we were not extremely hungry so we had dinner at a Creperie in Sezanne. A savoury galette for main course and a sweet crepe for dessert.



Monday 6/08/12

We rendez-voused with K&O in Epernay as they wanted to take a tour at Pol Roger but on arrival it turned out that Pol and pretty much everything else was closed in Epernay. Two reasons – Monday and Vacance! We half heartedly tasted some champagne in the tourist office but the guy did not speak any English so we did not get much out of it.

We decided to have lunch but that was not much easier as most restaurants also was closed. By now we realized that we were also running short of time for our meeting with the Blins so we found a lunch bar on the second floor and settled for Plat du Jour which was grilled chicken.

The Blin family is the B&B family that we almost got to housesit for. Due to a small internet error Sabine Blin did not reach us to tell us that she wanted us to look after their house. Instead she contacted some Canadians who right now happily are enjoying one of the most beautiful properties you could ever wish to find.

Anyway, we have kept contact and decided to meet them and share a bottle of their Champagne, (yes, they have their own Champagne label too…) and introduce them to K&O. They are a beautiful couple, very friendly and very French. We had a great time in their back yard and when it was time for Sabine to pick up the kids from something, Simon took us on a guided tour and tasting at the cooperative. We bought quite a bit of wine – especially Oystein who got totally lyrical over some tool boxes which contained a double magnum + 8 glasses!

K&O and the Blins got on well and before we left them they had exchanged addresses and promised to keep in touch, well, why not swap houses one day!

For dinner we had booked a table at Auberge Le Relais in Reuilly and K&O had booked a room for the night. When we arrived and saw the menu and the wine list we realized that we were not going to drive back to Charleville tonight, so Lyn and I booked a room as well.

We had an absolutely delicious 7 course meal with great wines to match. Yes it was a bit expensive but compared to what you get in Margaret River for the same money it was very good value for money.



Tuesday 7/08/12

After breakfast we went back into Epernay specifically to look for Champagne by Jacques Selousse. According to the expert Richard Juhlin it is outstanding and only made in very small quantities. This was confirmed in the first two wine shops we looked in to where we were told that it was next to impossible to find. Oystein, however did not give up that easy and in the next shop he asked the old Madame for Selousse and guess what, she had one bottle left! It was 60 euros and for a Selousse that’s a nugget!

Then we walked up Avenue des Champagne and looked at all the big Houses that were all closed… We drove on to Ay to find Bollinger, also closed! Deutz, also closed! Finally we found a little bakery that was open and we bought some sandwiches to take away.

We drove up the hill into the vines and found a spot in the vineyard of Moet et Chandon where we sat down on a blanket with our lunch and two beers!

A bit later in Ay we found Champagne Gouthorbe open, had a tasting with a very nice young girl and bought some wine, and in Mesnil-sur-Oger we found Champagne Launois where an extremely friendly lady promptly closed her shop to show us around the whole operation. She only spoke French, but together we made ourselves understood and we had a very pleasant time with her. Oh yes, we bought some more wine too.

Further down the road we stopped in Vertus to stock up with provisions for tonight, as K&O pretty much have decided to sleep on the floor in our house tonight. Unseen…

Once at home we had a barbeque dinner with lots of Champagne and one bottle of 2007 Hay Shed Hill Cab Sauv and later the sofa cushions were turned into some sort of beds on the floor and I think everyone had a decent nights sleep.



Wednesday 8/08/12

Just after breakfast while Karin was drying her hair we suddenly lost all electricity in the house. There’s lots of fuses but they all seemed intact so we called Mr Bondroit, our landlord, and he turned up within minutes to tell us that it was not just our house but the whole area that had lost power.

Happy with that we decided to go to Troyes, all in one car this time. It was a bit late in the morning already so when we arrived 50 minutes later we started to look for somewhere to have lunch.

Troyes is an impressive city with 9 churches and lots of very, very old houses. It looks magnificent and seems to be a busy place compared to most other places around here.

We decided on a street side restaurant that was very busy- always a good sign-and we had to wait a while for a table. Mr Patron was a real character who constantly talked to either himself or to the guests. He soon sorted out a table for us and, at least Lyn and I decided to try the local specialities. I had the Andouilette sausage which consists only of boiled tripe and some other intestines stuffed into a susage skin! Edible, but not more!

Lyn had the Head of Veal which apparently was only slightly better but consisted mainly of fat!

We also got a tip from the guy at the next table to try some of the Champagnes from Aube, they are apparently quite different from those of Marne that we have tried so far. Now didn’t we have time to check that because we needed to go back to Sezanne to find accommodation for K&O.

Back in town we found two Champagne houses open, Maurice Dugay and Pierre Pinard so we got some more wine and a recommendation for a place to eat later.

K&O found a room at le Croix d’Or on the main street and Lyn and I went home to get changed before we went back into town and restaurant Le Soleil. This was a rather new restaurant with a very modern interior and a menu that looked promising but ended up being just good. Feels like they are punching a bit over their weight.



Thursday 9/08/12

The aim of today was to see Reims as it is the home of a few more of the Great Houses, it is also up north which is good for K&O as they are driving back home tomorrow and we also want to see the light show at the Reims Cathedral at night.

On the way, in Les Mesnil-sur-Oger, we stopped to check out a wine museum that was recommended in Richard Juhlins book. It was certainly a spectacular place with an amazing collection of artefacts from hundreds of years back, all related to wine and wine making. Unfortunately the guided tour was completely in French and I understood maybe 10% of what was told, my poor companions even less. That didn’t stop us from buying some more wine though and soon we were on the road again.

In Ambonnay we stopped at Restaurant St Vincent, also recommended by RJ, for lunch and then we went for a short walk in The Twisted Forest. A few trees that were crooked – no one knows why, but it gave us half an hours light exercise. Very light.

When we arrived in Reims, guess what, at Pommery we had just missed the last tour. We called both Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot only to find out that the situation was the same there.

As these three were very close, we walked to Taittinger and VC just to have a look but they seemed a bit snobby and wanted quite a lot of money for tastings so we just had a look and went back to the car.

We drove in to the city centre, parked close to the cathedral and while Oystein and I went in Lyn and Karin went to the tourist office next door to find out about accommodation for the night. Only about two kilometres down the very pulsating mall they found a three star hotel at a decent price so they checked in and all four of us got changed for dinnerJust across the street we had a three course at Café Flo. It took a while to get our food so in the end we had to hurry back to the Cathedral to see the light show. Now, this is going to be very difficult to describe because whatever I write it will not explain what we experienced.

It was a sort of a laser show where every single little detail of the façade was individually lit up in different colours and then they somehow superimposed other pictures showing how the cathedral was built with scaffolding and workers and everything. At one stage we could see how the first sketches and drawings could have looked. Then the whole thing looked like it was painted in water colours or in pencil and all kinds of tricks and it was all set to appropriate music!

It was truly awesome but must be seen to be understood!

Anyway, after this it was time to say good bye to K&O for this time, we will probably see them again in September somewhere in Loire. They went to their hotel down the road and Lyn and I drove back home to Charleville. It took us less than an hour.



Friday 10/08/12

Today we slept in til late, went in to Maccas in Sezanne to check our e-mails etc, had a very ordinary lunch in the brasserie on the square. Probably the worst cooked pommes frites ever. We bought some provisions at LeClerc and went home to read relax and have a home cooked dinner; Salmon roe with crème fraiche on rye bread followed by a smoked duck breast salad. I guess we had some sort of Champagne with that too…



Saturday 11/08/12

Saturday is market day in Sezanne so we wanted to have a look and maybe stock up with some essentials for the rest of the week. Now, that was a bit of a disappointment as the market was all of 8 stalls or so and one was selling mattresses and the only butcher only had horse meat. As we were not interested in any of those and none of the other stalls looked any better we gave the market a quick miss.

We bought some supermarket steaks for later and called Chateau d’ Etoges to see if it was still OK to come for lunch but it wasn’t as it was already 1.15 pm (!) so we made a reservation for tomorrow and had some cheese and ham sandwiches at home instead and as I was feeling slightly fluey it was totally OK to stay here for the day.

We grilled the steaks on the barbie and had them with just some salad and Parmesan and a Baguette and that was just as nice as anything else we have had so far.



Sunday 12/08/12

We wanted to have another look at Vertus as it looked as it had a bit more life and action than most of the other towns around here, so we left early but as it was now not only “Vacance” but also Sunday, Vertus was also totally “ferme”. We strolled around a bit and checked a few champagne houses but everything was closed and the only welcome we got was from an angry dog at one place with an “open” sign outside.

So we turned up at Chateau d’Etoges about 20 min early and started with a glass of bubbles while we were contemplating the menu. This is what we chose:

Entrees: Ulf – ½ Lobster w. squid ink pasta and chantarelles, Lobster Sauce

Lyn- Rabbit Confit on Vegetable Juliennes

Mains: Ulf – Wild Pigeon w. artichokes in 2 ways and Liver farci

Lyn-Fish (Bar) w. fennel and butter saucDessert: Ulf- Kind of a Caramel Crème Brulee

Lyn-Citrus trio w. Grape fruit, Orange and a Lemon SorbetFor these two menus we paid 110 euros (A$ 132)!

The wines were: Aperitif ; Ch Jacquesson 2000

Entrée and fish; Patrick Schlesser Blanc Noir 2002 (one of the best years ever)

Pigeon; Vosne Romanee 2008 (Bourgogne)

For the wines we paid 137 euros (A$ 164)

This was a brilliant meal in a very sophisticated setting. Everything was just as you would expect from a Chateau in Champagne. We wont be doing this very often, even if it was not very expensive, it is a bit out of our budget and experiences like this shouldn’t happen too often, then they wouldn’t be special.

To round off our day we hurried home to watch Sweden lose the Olympic handball final to France by one goal…

And then we skipped dinner.



Monday 13/08/12

When we spent our first night in Provins we discovered that it looked interesting enough to come back for another visit. Not for the champagne, it seems to be a bit outside the wine producing area, but more for the historical side of things.

It’s got a partially walled old city up on the top of a hill and we had found out that they among other things perfrom two “shows”. One is called La Legende des Chevaliers and they also have a Bird of Prey performance, both set under and on the old ramparts of the old city.

So, we found out all the details from the tourist office, went back to the square in the town centre and had lunch; I had a huge ham and cheese omelette and Lynette ordered a grilled chicken in a cheese sauce and spinach. These were OK lunch dishes but the little duck rilette we shared as an entrée was sublime.

At three o’clock we were seated at a kind of outdoor theatre where the stage was set as a medieval courtyard. The story was about the hero King Thibaud IV who had to fight the bad guy Torvark to retain his kingdom, Champagne. There was a lot of fighting with swords and axes but the best part was the horsemanship. These guys knew how to ride their horses, everything from dressage to jousting and the thing where they hang off the side of the horse, hang in one stirrup, ride standing up on two horses and all that stuff. In the end the good guys won and everyone was happy and all the kids in the crowd got to pat the horses after the show.

Very entertaining for both young and old.

We now had 1 ½ hour before the next event so we strolled around in the old town and looked at the unfinished cathedral and some other very old buildings. It’s only since I moved to Australia that I have started to understand how unique Europe is with its history and heritage. I have a feeling that I always used to take old buildings for granted, but now I am so amazed to see houses that have stood for a thousand years and some of them are still lived in or worked in! How do you organise plumbing, heating and electricity in a building that old?

At 5.00 we were at another site by the wall where it was time for the Bird of Prey show. There were dozens of Falcons, Hawks, Eagles and Owls in small cages and I immediately felt like I always do when I see caged birds. IT IS SO WRONG! Birds are to me the ultimate symbol of freedom and to see them in cages hurts my heart.

We decided to go to the arena which was set in a corner of the ring wall where there was a half demolished tower. The stands were set up like an amphitheatre facing the corner. At 5.30 the show started with 4 or 5 handlers dressed as falconers bringing in some different birds and they let them loose. The birds only flew up on the walls and then the handlers lured them back to their hands with small pieces of food. One of the handlers was constantly narrating the show and told the audience about the different birds and their characteristics and where they came from etc. Unfortunately only in French which was a pity because now I had forgotten about the cages and marvelled over these magnificent birds, now flying free.

By the time they brought in the huge big eagles and even the condors and let them swoop just centimetres over our heads I was totally taken. I also realized that the guys who run this show totally love their birds and although they are kept in cages they are not treated badly. They let them fly free during the show and they don’t fly away. That must mean something.

Lynette loved the Legend of the Chevaliers and I loved the birds so we were both very happy with our day. We walked back to the square for a last drink before we continued down to the new part of town where we surprisingly found a bakery open at 7.30pm, bought some bread, got back to the car and drove home to our little cottage and had some pate and bread.

Very fitting after our provincial day



Tuesday 14/08/12

Last week when we passed through Vertus I saw on a sign that Tuesday was market day and as our market day in Sezanne was a bit of a miss we got up early-ish and headed for Vertus.

We followed a slightly longer route this time. A route that took us through Congy and a few other small villages. Picture perfect little hamlets with several champagne houses in every one.

The market was a lot more interesting, even if the mattress guy was there too, so we bought some bread, fruit and three different cheeses.

We then continued to Oger as we had a brochure from Jean Milan that indicated that they actually were open for business and so they were. We had a tasting with a very chique, very French lady who, at the end told us that it was a 5 euro charge per person unless we bought at least 6 bottles! Fair enough, we convinced her to sell us a bottle of her cold tasting stock although we had to promise not to tell anyone as that was a bottle that was not meant to be sold and consequently hadn’t had tax paid for it…

Then we just drove up the hill into the vineyards, sat down on a low wall and enjoyed our picnic with the most spectacular view.

Oger might be small town and I doubt there is even a restaurant but for someone who wants to do some serious wine tasting, this is the place. There are dozens of producers in town and even if they all seemed closed now because of holidays you can always call and make an appointment. Oger is also right in the middle of an area with hundreds of other producers, many of them Grand Cru and 1er Cru.

On the way home we stopped in at Maccas to check our mail and to get some supermarket provisions.

We were not desperately hungry so Lynette just cooked up some tortellini with some basil, tomato and lots of garlic and we had our first CFD, Champagne Free Day, since we arrived 10 days ago.



Wednesday 15/08/12



When we were in Troyes the other day we were told by a local that we had to try the champagne from Aube which are supposed to be different to the ones from Marne. Well, we didn’t get time to try them then so now we decided to go back for a try.

We started in Bar-sur-Seine which was another totally holiday closed town with some unbelievably old buildings. One was from 1383!

Nothing else open so we continued to Riceys which is the home of the famous still Rose that is only made certain years and very sought after by experts and connoisseurs. We did not find any wine houses open but at the tourist info a very helpful man directed us to Caveaux des Riceys. It is a shop/café which stocks lots of the local wines and also have several for tasting – at a cost, of course.

We tried 6 or 7 wines and the champagnes were a bit different, mainly because they are made predominantly, or totally, from Pinot Noir. They were really nice and it is cool to know that there is a difference between champagne and champagne. “If I like champagne? Well, that depends if you are talking about Marne or Aube champagne.”

The owner, Chantale also helped us to make a lunch booking, which was not easy. Three places she rang were fully booked and two others were closed. Finally she found us a place 22 km away in a town called Chaorce.

Our restaurant was called l’Auberge Sans Nom, which I found very funny, and it was an old fashioned country town restaurant almost packed out.

Our entrees was very tasty indeed; Chantarelles baked under the local Chaorce cheese but the main course; Scallops and Fois Gras in a creamy saffron sauce was a little bit too rich. OK, I ate all of mine and some of Lyn’s but to be frank it was like the Swedes say: Cake on Cake.

We then continued to a small village called Verpilliers to look for a winery we had been recommended but we couldn’t find it and we were actually not that keen either. We have had plenty of champagne lately and one more would not make it a better experience, and somehow we have to travel around with all this wine. At the moment I think we have 11 or 12 bottles!

We made a little stop in Essoyes which is the home town of Renoir the painter. It’s another picture perfect little village with the river Ource running through it. This is where Renoir painted the famous Boating Party and many other of his works.

It then took us a good hour to get back home and we just had some leftover pate for dinner, and a bottle of champagne of course…



Thursday 16/08/12

We have decided that we have to visit at least one of the “big” champagne houses, so we drove back up to Reims, (CARoline took us a totally different route today and on the last bit of motorway in to Reims she lost it and wandered out from the roads and into the paddocks so we quickly had to dig out the map and find our own way) and booked a tour at Taittinger (TettinCHER) at 14.00. We left the car as we had got such a great spot and walked in to town were we had a take-away baguette for lunch in front of the cathedral. We even had time for a second look inside before we walked back to Taittinger.

The tour included only the cellars and the guide excused herself because here they only had 3 million bottles. The other 11 million they had at another facility in town!

We only got to try their most basic wine and no one seriously tried to sell us any but we have decided to look out for their flagship, Comte 2002 when we come home.

After the tour we decided to travel up to the hills north of Reims to have a look and we almost stumbled on Hautvillers which is the town where Dom Perignon was the cellarmaster at the Abbey.

We arrived fairly late so there were no other tourists in the church where he is buried so we felt almost privileged to be there. Naturally I had to take a photo of his grave.

When we walked out we found this little antique shop which also doubled as a wine tasting venue. The reason was that the owner was also the chief wine maker for four different champagnes, two of which we had tried to get in to in Vertus. Jean-Philippe Moulin was a very nice and knowledgeable man who had been in Margaret River in 1996. He had not been too impressed by our wines, “I don’t like carpenter wine, too much oak.” But he added quickly that he was sure the wines had improved by now. We bought another three bottles – around 50 euros each this time…

Now we realised that it was too late to go home for dinner so we set the GPS for Epernay and tried to add the address to Hostellerie La Briquetterie, a 4 star restaurant we have been recommended twice lately.

Well, it took us a while to find it but we somehow found time to get changed in the car in the middle of Epernay and that was good as the restaurant was quite elegant – bordering on snobby.

I could go on about the food and wine but needless to say – it was fantastic!

The Menu:

Foie Gras with Almond and Lavender Pure

Lamb Roll with Chantarelles, Pine Nuts, Aubergine Caviar and Spinach

Pineapple Sorbet with Coconut Foam on Rhum and Coconut sauce with Pineapple Chips

There were also a constant flow of freebies, Mis-en-Bouche, a total of four I think.

Once again a bit over our budget, but hell, we only live once!



Friday 17/08/12

Yesterday on the way out of Hautvillers we found this wonderful picnic spot high on the hill overlooking the Marne valley with all its fields and vineyards and we decided that this has to be the perfect spot to finish our two weeks in Champagne. So we started our last day with packing our bags and do a bit of cleaning and then we went to the Supermarche where Lynette went to LeClerc to sort out our provisions and I went to Maccas to do the internet thing.

Half an hour later we were back on the picnic spot on the hill and we couldn’t have wished for a better day. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky without being too hot and our simple lunch consisted of: Mini blinis w sour cream, smoked salmon and salmon roe, we had a fois gras pate with an onion marmalade, we had a herbed ham with celeriac and we had ywo cheeses and of course a bottle of Champagne from Blin. Lynette had even bought some fruit tarts but at the end we just couldn’t fit them in so we kept them for later.

This was truly a serene moment, it was not just the food and wine but the setting and the total quiet was awesome. Lynette went for a walk in the vines to take some photos and I just stayed where I was. I didn’t want to move at all. Where I was and what I did just then (nothing) was a moment of absolute perfection. It’s a moment I hope I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.

While sitting up there on the hill we were looking out over a small town in a bend of the Marne and we decided to drive down and have a closer look. The town was Cumieres, another sleepy little town with several closed champagne houses but there were also river boats that went up river in 90 minutes cruises so we booked one of them and 20 minutes later we were on the Marne. The guiding was all in French but after a while they discovered us and an Italian couple so they handed out translated versions of the commentary, but that didn’t help a lot as the “English” was so poor that it was hysterically funny.

Back home in Charleville we spent the rest of the evening with packing, cleaning and writing our diaries. From memory I think we finished of the lunch leftovers, including the fruit tarts. I even think we found a half finished bottle of Champagne in the fridge.



Saturday 18/08/12

At ten o’clock we said good bye to Mr and Mrs Bondroit and to Champagne.

It has been a fantastic time with outstanding food and wine. I must say that the highlight was to meet Simon and Sabine Blin. We only met them during one short afternoon but somehow I think and hope that we will meet again.

If I were to give an advice for other travellers I would say; avoid August! Unfortunately France closes down for holidays and we have constantly walked up to closed wineries and restaurants. I thought the place would be overcrowded with tourists and totally boiling, but instead we have seen very few tourists and consequently the locals have left too.

When it comes to the wineries they just don’t work like in Australia. If you really want to taste wines you must call ahead and make appointments and even then they might let you try two or three wines and I personally could not leave without buying something.

Still there were enough places open to keep us busy, as a matter of fact, if there would have been more places open we would not have travelled as much as we did and we would have seen less. Thanks to this fact we have discovered that there is a difference between southern and northern Champagne – Aube versus Marne – and we have also discovered that it is a fairly large area to cover. A car is an absolute must, unless you decide to stay in a place like Oger where you could spend a week visiting different wineries.

All in all it has been unforgettable and would I like to come back?

You bet!!!



So now we were on the road again!

We set the GPS for Chateauneuf-du-Loire where we arrived around midday only to find the tourist office closed for lunch, so we did the same thing and had a small picnic in a park nearby. It was by now really hot, close to 40, but we went for a walk in a mainly dead town only to find a hair dresser open and ready to help without waiting. I had my hair cut by a very sophisticated gentleman who spoke no English but that was no problem, it all worked out fine in the end and now I can relax for another ten weeks or so.

Back at the tourist office we leafed through a brochure with hotels and B&B:s and by now a pool was a high priority. We found a small hotel in Combreux, only 15 minutes away that had a room free so off we went. The room was not finished when we arrived so we spent half an hour by the pool, (we changed clothes in the car park) before we got our room.

The hotel had a really nice feel about it and as we had no other plans for the future we asked if we could stay for two nights. No, that didn’t work at all as they were closed on Sundays!

That’s probably the first time I’ve heard that one – that all guests must leave on Sunday morning.

Fair enough, they also had a great little restaurant where we had a great three courser:

Entrees: Lyn, Tomatoes in 4 ways: sorbet, mousse, tart and gazpacho

Ulf, The best rabbit rilette ever!

Mains: Both, Sort of a pork meatloaf baked in a thin pastry (tasted much better than it sounds)

Desserts: Lyn, chocolate ganache with raspberry coulis

Ulf, Nougat Glacee

These menus were 33 euros each!!! (A$40.00)



Sunday 19/08/12

As we couldn't stay here for another night we did some quick googleing last night and got in contact with Air - B&B on the net and found an apatrement in Orleans that looked OK. During the night we had major problems getting in contact with Franck - the owner - mainly due to bad internet reception, but it also caused drama with the payment and credit card verification and all that jazz.

In the end everything worked out, we drove to Orleans and started with a lunch on the square in front of the famous cathedral. Same look as Notre Dame in Paris, Laon, and Reims - totally awesome!

Now we had wi-fi back so we checked Franck's last mail where he instructed us where to find the apartement and how to get in there. When we got there the place looked like merde! (Pardon my French!) It looked like someone had just left and planned to come back in half an hour. Dirty linen on the bed, coffee stains on the kitchen bench, food in the fridge and clothes in the washing machine.

I got hold of Franck on the phone but he was 400 km away but he was very apologetic and promised to send his Mum and Auntie around to fix it. The ladies was here within 20 minutes and as Auntie was an English teacher we had no communication problems. She showed us the garage and when we came back 30 minutes later the flat was clean and looked much better. The official explanation was that previous guests had left only 4 o'clock that morning and they had had no time to clean before we arrived...

First we had considered leaving but as the location is fantastic and we have a great view of the Loire we quickly forgot the first schock and now we really liked our new home. OK Frank's clothes and personal stuff is all here and there is absolutely now wardrobe space but we have lived out of our backpacks before and we will do it again so thats not a biggie.

Time for a first exploration of Orleans. We discovered that we live almost right in the heart of the Restaurant area, within easy walking distance there are dozens of eateries and bars. We did a bit of Trip Advisor research and wrote down the names of four highly rated places. Of them three were closed and one a bit to far away!

So, in the end we ended up in a restaurant that looked a bit like some franchise place with an equally boring franchise menu, but now it was getting late and after we had got a table they started turning people away.

The meal was decent but not memorable but after all the drama we still thought that we had had an exciting day.



Monday 20/08/12

Unfortunately Franck has a set of bathroom scales and the uncomfortable truth was revealed this morning. Therefore we decided to have a minimal breakfast and hit the town.

We discovered that the House of Jeanne d'Arc was closed on Mondays but we did find a place where we could have some tax documents printed from a memory stick...

Orleans city centre is relatively small and user friedly and we spent the whole day exploring it. Had drinks at one of the squares with one of the many statues of Jeanne d'Arc, had a baguette lunch in a garden next to Hotel Groslot (now a public office building), found the restaurant that was too far away yesterday and made a booking for tomorrow, had another drink at another square, (it's a hard life...) and did some food shopping for a dinner at home.

Dinner at home turned out quite easy: a big bowl of fresh and very tasty prawns, some mayonaisse, a baguett, and two bottles of wine, all consumed sitting in the window sill looking out over the Loire. OK, there's a busy road and a car park between but that's part of city living and a bit exciting after the the total rural silence of Champagne.



Tuesday 21/08/12

No breakfast at all today. Got our document printed and faxed off to the accountant in Perth in order to get our tax refund. The rest of the day was taken up by some retail therapy on behalf of my dearest and towards the evening we went for a 40 minutes walk before we went to Chez Eugene for dinner.

This was a bit up market so we were happy that we dressed up a bit. Waiters in suit and tie and such...

The menu was interesting and the food was good but not very good. Everything was well cooked and beautifully presented but I found it lacking in flavour. It was like the chef had cooked everything according to instruction but never actually tasted it before sending it out. Just a bit of salt and some spices could have made it outstanding. Pity.

However we paid 32 euros for a 4 course menu and a bottle of wine so I still think we got very good value for money.



Wednesday 22/08/12

Loire is famous for two things: wine and castles, so today we decided to go and have a look at Chateau Chambord, France's second most visited castle after Versailles.

This is a huge monster of a building. It's a castle built, not for defence and war but as a "hunting lodge" and also as a means for the original owner to be closer to his mistress! It was started by Francois I when he was 25 years old and when he died at the age of 53 the castle was not even half finished.

It took more than 150 years to finish and at least three kings have their monograms and coat of arms in the walls.

We had a map and an audio guide to take us around at our own pace without having to follow a group. At different intervals we turned on our guides and we were told about that specific room or part of the building. It's a magnificent castle and it would take ages to describe it so I wil just mention my favourite part. The central staircase was a double one! Two spiral stairs entwined so that if you walk up one of the staircases and I walk up the other we will see each other all the time but we will not meet until we were at the top!

We spent two hours at Chateau Chambord and then we drove back a few km to a small town called Beaugency where Lyn had googled a few good restaurants. The first we found was totally empty and looked more like a evening type place but as it was now close to 1.30pm we just went across the street to Chez Henri. They were still open, but only just. We could only have the two-course menu but without the entree! So we ended up having the Plat du Jour which was Salmon Ravioli in a Lobster Sauce and a glass of wine for 10 euros. And guess what?

It was great! Very simple but very good and quite frankly, all we needed for lunch!

Beaugency is another very pretty little town with several nice hotels and eateries. I felt that I would like to come back later in the week for another nights stay, but that will probably not happen. There's too much to see and do.

Back in Orleans we went to the local food hall and bought some more local delicacies for a dinner at home again.

We got Farm House Pate, some air dried Pork, a Herbed Ham, a Melon, some Strawberries, Figs, an Onion Marmalade and some bread. Of course this was far too much for the window sill so we had to eat at our table. The wine was a local unwooded Chardonnay from the outskirts of Orleans which was a lot more interesting than the Aussie ones. Considering it only cost 7 euros it was actually very good!



Thursday 23/08/12

Of all the famous french wines Sancerre is one of our favourites and as Sancerre is close to Orleans we were up earlyish and set off for another wine experience.

It is a 90 minutes drive on winding country roads through some small and some even smaller towns and villages but the roads are good and as there is not a lot of traffic it is a pleasant drive. We had somehow forgot the map at home so today we were totally in the hands of CARoline.

Our first stop was the small town of Saint Satur just in the outskirts of Sancerre and we stopped there because Lyn had discovered that Thursday is market day. We had planned a picnic lunch so we had some of yesterday leftovers and we added some more cheese, some fruit, some savoury pastries and a baguette.

St Satur is another little postcard pretty village, full of wineries, so if anyone wants to explore the Sancerre region this could be a nice spot to spend a few nights.

The town of Sancerre is high up on a hilltop with a magnificent view over the surrounding areas. We found a small park with some benches at a lookout so we laid the table (bench) with our food and wine (a cab franc from Orleans that we had slightly chilled) and had a very relaxing lunch with a stunning view.

With the advice from the Tourist Office we went to the House of Sancerre which is a building owned by the wine producers of the region and set up as an information centre for the wines. They have a very smart and modern audio visual display where it is explained why the region is so different to others and the peculiarities of the wines.

How come for instance that a Sauvignon Blanc (the only variety grown here) from one vineyard tastes completely different from the one from the block next to it? Well, due to movement in the earths crust different types of soil are not restricted to specific areas, but can be found here there and everywhere. There are basically three different soil types and the wines are pretty much labelled after soil type rather than grape variety.

We were given the names of five different producers who should be among the better ones and we set out to find them. Well, that wasn't hard - they are more or less within three blocks and here they do have cellar door type of obligation free tasting allthough not all wines are available, sometimes only two or three.

After having visited four we ended up buying two bottles from the last one, (Alphonse Mellot), partly because they were very good wines but also because of the bubbly and knowledgeable lady who served us. She let us try six or seven wines and she explained very well (in French) the differences. She also, very carefully, pointed out that some of these wines should not be drunk yet, they need 4-5 years in the bottle before they reach their peak.

So when we told her that we could not cellar her wines but wanted something to drink now, she immediately pointed at four of them. "Any of these!"

So we bought an AOC Sancerre called La Moussiere (Sauv Blanc of course) and a Pouilly Fume from the same producer, Alphonse Mellot, AOC Pouilly Fume, Par Emanuelle Mellot.

By now we realised that if we were going to go back to Orleans for dinner we would not be there until 9-ish and we know from experience that it means that most restaurants will be closing. So we decided to stay put an have dinner here instead and we spent he next hour walking around Sancerre armed with a walking tour guide that took us around the old town with 28 stops, wherever there was a point of interest.

It might not have been 10.000 steps but a lot of ups and downs still gave us a little bit of excercise before we sat down at Auberge Joseph Mellot for another three-course dinner. With wine.

Lynette had voluteered to drive back and it ook us another hour and a half but there was hardly any traffic and with the help of CARoline we found our way back without any problems.



Friday 24/08/12

Our time in Orleans is coming to an end and it was time to do the big laundry and housecleaning. As Lynette claims to like cleaning (other peoples houses) she pulled the heaviest load while I took the opportunity to catch up with my diary.

We cleaned the fridge by eating all the leftovers for lunch and later that evening we walked a kilometer up the river to a small restaurant called La Girouette - after the flatbottomed boats that used to, and still is used on the very shallow Loire.

The Patron was a very entertaining guy who made the evening into an experience even if he got me the wrong entree. I didn't make any fuss about it as the salad I got looked fantastic but a bit later he came to our table and apologised for his mistake and he gave me a small taste of the fish terrine I had ordered. The salad was better so no harm done.

He also apologised for only having plain baguette as his normal baker was on "vacance". Either way, the whole meal was great and very inexpensive so we felt very happy about or last meal in Orleans.



Saturday 25/08/12

We left Orleans heading west without exactly knowing where we were going. We didn't want to travel too far so the Saumur region, appr 2,5 hours away was the target. Lynette had googled some gites and B&B:s in the area but they seemed to be a bit out of the way so we ended up in Chinon, a small town half an hour east of Saumur.

When we arrived it was some sort of festival in town with lots of people on the streets and stalls selling food and wine plus horses, chickens, pigeons and all sorts of animals on display. We decided that we liked the town and went to the tourist office to find somewhere to stay. This turned out to be a bit difficult. Lyn absolutely wanted to find a gite where we could stay a week but 10 phone calls later we had only found a small cottage 20 minutes outside of Chinon. Well, we took it, it was only 320 euros/weeek and when we arrived (escorted by Ricarda - our German hostess) we found it to be a very cute, old, but beautifully renovated cottage on the same block as our hosts.

It will leave us totally dependable of the car but it's a great little house in the forest with all mod cons and very cheap so it'll do.

We drove back in to Chinon for dinner at a Restaurant called A'Table where there was a palpable feeling of animosity between some of the all female staff. The food was OK, We ordered "Shoddy Rabbit" just to find out what it was. Turned out to be "shredded rabbit" - fun translation, but we never saw a smile from any of the staff...



Sunday 26/08/12

We have learned that Sundays are a bit slow here, so we had a slow start too. We went to the local SuperU supermarket to get some basic provisions and then we set our course towards Candes- Saint-Martin. It is a small town on the banks of the Loire that are among the official "Prettiest Villages in France".

Well, it was tiny and had a very narrow main street so we parked a bit outside and walked in towards what would normally be the town centre, but here was none! We climbed a steep hill with cobbled stones to a lookout with a great view of the surrounding area and we walked down again. We had a quick look at the church and then we were suddenly at the other end of town!

Now, that was a bit dissappointing so we walked back and stopped at a small cafe where a girl with a guitarr was playing and singing and had a beer and that was it. You cant help wondering how much someone has paid to be among the prettiest villages in France...

In one of our many tourist brochures Lyn had found a restaurant only 3 km from where we lived, "Auberge de L'ile" that had a great reputation. Earlier we had made a reservation for the evening and we turned up at 8pm with great expectations and we were not to be dissappointed!

Believe it or not but I had a hamburger for entree! But what a burger it was. The meat was a mince of pigs trotters and fois gras, and it was bloody fantastic!

The waiter claimed that the chef had some sort of patent on it and no one else could make it without his permission and that it was sold in New York for $2000!

The rest of the meal was just as great and as the restaurant was just on the edge of the river it was all together a great evening!



Monday 27/08/12 Crouzilles/Loire

As we have realised that we are eating far too much, our breakfast at home is now very light. Just a slice of toast with cheese and marmalade and coffee. Just enough to get us started and going til lunch.

We have also discovered that we have to eat by the clock, not by our stomachs. The French serve lunch between 12 and 2pm, if you don't eat then you have to wait until after the siesta and normally that means when the restaurants open again around 7pm.

So, today, after a light brekkie we drove the long way in to Chinon, through the villages of Panzoult and Cravant. Very cute but totally dead - almost as if they were abandoned.

In town we had a look at the castle from the outside, met our first arrogant French; a lady in a cellar door shop who was very condescending and we had a great little lunch consisting of a cheese platter and a charcuterie platter in a little corner shop in the old part of Chinon.

We drove back via a route that took us north of the river to check out a castle that could be a nice place to stay when K&O comes back. Well, the gates to the chateau in question were locked and no one answered the intercom so they were obviously not interested. A few km east of Bougeuil we found another castle, Chateau de Rochecotte, that looked stunning and the staff there were also extremely helpful. They had rooms available, although very expensive. We took their card for future decisionmaking.

Back at our cottage we cooked up a pasta dish that tasted just as nice as any of the gourmet meals we have had.



Tuesday 28/08/12 Crouzilles/Loire

After a very slow start we went back to Montsoreau to have another look at some hotels for when we come back in September with K&O. There were at least 4 or 5 places that looked interesting but we wanted to have a look at Saumur first and on the way we stopped to have a look at a mushroom farm in a cave just outside Montsoreau.

As it was lunchtime we ordered a mushroom based meal in the little restaurant outside the museum. Lyns soup was pretty tasteless but my big fieldmushrooms with garlic snails was great.

The museum was extremely underwhelming! There was a small number of boxes where mushrooms grew but it was obvious that it was just show for the tourists. All the other objects were rusty, mouldy, damp and generally not looked after. Not worth the money or time.

Another must see today was Chateau de Parnay. In our big book about France I had read about Antoine Cristal who 100 years ago came up with a revolutionary way of growing grape vines. He called it "Feet in the shadow, belly in the sun" and he built brick walls in the vineyards, planted the vines in the shade behind the wall but drilled a hole through it and let the vine grow through the hole out into the sun on the other side of the wall.

This we had to see, and after a walk that was supposed to be one minute but lasted more than half an hour, we found the walled-in vines and marvelled at the inginuety of Mr Cristal.

Back at the cellar door we were assisted by a very helpful and knowledgeable guy called Thomas Ven (whose sister is working in Broome!) and we got to try several of the wines of the chateau. This is a place that we will return to with K&O!

15 minutes later we were in Saumur, but after a while (and a refreshing beer) we decided that this was not the kind of town we were looking for. OK, we did not see a lot of it, but it did not have the charm and positive feel about it that we have seen so much of lately. We bought some bread and other provisions and decided to go home and eat at home again tonight.

Dinner turned out (in Lynette's incompareable way) to be an amazing cold platter with ham, salami, pate, cheeses and lots of fruit and we washed it down with another bottle of Champagne from our "cellar".



Wednesday 29/08/12 Crouzilles/Loire

Now it was time for another castle. Another of the really famous one is Chenonceau and when we got there after half an hour on freeways it turned out to be very popular. There were thousands of people but everything was well orginised and planned so there was no queues to get in. Once inside it was a bit packed but the castle was totally intact and restored with original furniture, paintings and tapestries.

Interesting thing about Chateau Chenonceau; during the war the river Loire was the demarkation line and as the castle is built over the river it means that the front door was on the German side while the back door was on the free side. The castle was apparently used to smuggle resistance fighters in and out and though the Germans had an artillery battery aimed at the castle it escaped unharmed.

As it now was past one o'clock we decided that we needed to eat now or miss out so we got a table in the Orangerie, the restaurant in the castle park and although I first thought it was too many people there we got a great table far away from the crowds and after a bit of a wait we got an absolutely magnificent lunch.

Before we left the grounds we strolled through the castles herb, veggie and flower garden and that made us want to turn our whole back yard into a big veggie patch - not!

On the way home we stopped in Vouvray which also turned out to be a totally dead little town witout anything to see. We did buy some bread, cheese and Poire Tapee though...

The tourist info directed us to Marc Bredif but as we arrived just half an hour before closing we could not do the tour but we tried some of their wine and made a note to come back with our visitors.

After our mega lunch we finished of our day at home with leftovers from the fridge.



Thursday 30/08/12 Crouzilles/Loire

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