Our final farewell to France

Well I can’t believe it is here, the time to write my final post!  I do so aboard the ferry looking out to the overcast grey clouds of the English Channel hoping this is not a sign of things to come!  

We decided to spend our last few days in France exploring the coastline of northern Brittany.  This was a last minute addition to the trip, due to a change of heart about our ferry journey home, meaning we’d had little time to research the area. 

First stop St-Malo with its fortified walled city to one side and huge flat sands of Grand Plage to the other.  The enormous tidal ranges mean that at low tide, you could do with a pair of wheels to take you for a paddle.  

With a hotel right on the sand (well almost) we were in the heart of the sea side holiday resort. Mike could hardly contain his excitement when he noticed our next door neighbour - A Chippy!!!!  I couldn’t believe it but yes, on french soil (and run by a french couple) the sign outside read “Fish and Chips avec Malt vinegar comme en Angleterre.... mushy peas sur demande” - Unbelievable but after 16 weeks away I had to let him have his way.  

After a drive through the pretty port-side town of Paimpol we headed to the northernmost tip of Brittany at Pointe de l’Acrouest.  Our delightful hotel (only opened in June) overlooked the craggy bay.  

A boat to the Isle of Brehat docked at the end of the pontoon so we hopped aboard.  The five minute journey across the water transported you to an entirely different world.  One were cars are banned and the only modes of transport are bicycles or donkeys.   

This truly idyllic, flower filled island had secluded beaches, hill top views across the whole bay and the perfect little creperie to sit an soak up the afternoon sunshine. 

Back at the hotel we decided to indulge in an extraordinary evening meal involving all this Bretan. The Lobster had been caught in the waters that we sat overlooking! 

So what to do on our last day in France - well naturally we sat on a beach, enjoying the sunshine and trying not to think about returning to reality!  The beach was Santec, just north of Roscoff but with its powdery white sand, and complete desolation it could be mistaken for something from the Whitsunday's or Caribbean.  

For our final meal, a true french classic, Moules Marinieres followed by a traditional Bretan Far, coupled with local Breton Cider (from a cup as is custom here) - delicious. 

So what does a week in Normandy have to offer?

Well quite a lot actually.  An area rich in history, beautiful coastal and pastoral landscapes and gut busting cuisine was just waiting to be explored. 

We commenced are journey a mere hour from Paris taking in the extraordinary view of the Seine’s white cliffs, as well as the crumbling ruins of Chateau Galliard, at Les Andelys.  A lovely stop off on the way to Rouen with its elegant old city.  The gothic spires of the Cathedral, the abbey and the church rise effortlessly above the rooftops of the half timbered houses making navigating the cobbled streets a breeze.   

We rounded off a lovely day at a traditional Norman eatery chowing down on escagrots and braised lamb stew to warm our bones!!! 

With coastal withdrawal symptoms the pretty little fishing villages of Hornfleur, Deauville and Trouville were next on our hit list.  Hornfleur’s charming quayside lined with restaurants offering all manner of fresh seaside crustaceans provided the perfect spot to while away an evening watching the sailors fill their pleasure boats and head out for an evening cruise. 

Our day trip to Deauville coincided with the American film festival which had taken over the chic, designer shop lined streets of this pretty little place.  To be honest, the amount of stars and stripes on display, you would be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to a different continent.  The festival is the lesser known little sister of the main event in Cannes.  Nevertheless the seafront was lined with a red carpet and the ardent fans were setting up camp alongside the paparazzi to try and catch a glimpse of the stars as they strutted their stuff later that evening.  We had neither the time nor inclination to hand around all day in the hope that somebody famous might show up!  

The 80km of beaches that stretch along Normandy’s coastline still bear the code names they were given during operation overlord on 6th June 1944. Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah were the sights of the largest military operation in history, where an armada of over 6000 sea-craft, joined forces with the air forces and tens of thousands of allied troops from Britain, the USA and Canada mounted a surprise attack to defeat the Germans and give back control of France to the french.  This operation will be forever known as the D Day landings. 

A visit to the beaches is a truly moving experience.   The whole area maintains an eerie, memorial like silence, not allowing you to forget the ultimate sacrifice paid by tens of thousands of men in order to preserve peace.  

The museum at Arromanches provides the perfect start to a visit to the beaches.  It explains the importance of and logistics behind the building of the pre-fabricated harbours code named ‘Mulberry Harbour’ the remains of which can been seen out of its windows.  

The process was a truly impressive feet of engineering, never before attempted and completed on enemy soil, during a war right under the noses of the Germans!  In short, to win the war it was not enough to simply send over a first wave of men and machinery.  They needed to be supported with constant supplies of cargo, vehicles and troops.  To do this a port was needed. The Germans knew this and as such all of the Normandy Ports were heavily guarded and defended to the death with orders to destroy the port rather than let it fall in to enemy hands.  As such, the brainchild of Sir Winston Churchill, a temporary port was built by sinking old ships and dragging over 146 enormous cement cassions from England.  Joined together with floating pontoons the harbour stood up to the  ferocious seas with massive tidal ranges and enabled the allies to unload a staggering 2.5 million men, 4 million tonnes of equipment and 500,000 equipment. Astounding! 

 German gun emplacements still in situ

Mike as lookout

Our final day in Normandy was spent at perhaps its most famous attraction, Mont St Michel.  A medieval Abbey surrounded by turrets and ramparts which whisk you back to the middle ages.  It is not quite an island, connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.  (Although that will be replaced by a huge bridge by 2015 allowing the silt which has gradually built up to disappear transforming it back in to the Island that it ought to be). Although hammered with tourists, the charm of the winding streets that lead to the abbey and the uninterrupted views from the ramparts are not lost and the place a well worth a visit. 

Ooh la la, a week in Paris

Well there isn’t much we can say about Paris that has not already been said but some of it is just worth saying over and over again.  From glamour to grittiness,  haute couture to bargain basements Paris has got it all and we love it. 

As the city with more famous landmarks than any other, we had absolutely no problem filling up a week of our time.  Some new, some old and still plenty left for our next visit!

We opted for an apartment in the 13th arrondissement, an area which is certainly on the up helped largely by the construction of the 2 billion Euro Bibliotheque National de France, its equally impressive futuristic footbridge which crosses the Seine and an amazing high speed metro line which had us standing in front of the Louvre in 10 minutes. 

The area had everything with wanted within a 2 minute walk of the apartment.  Delicious bakeries, a particularly friendly butcher (who even told me how to cook the meat and what would be the bet accompaniment) a pungent cheese shop, green grocers galore, wine cellars and an array of bars and restaurants.  

A five minute stroll had us in what felt like an entirely different country;  the heart of chinatown (although it is probably more apt to say vietnam town).  The colourful succession of Asian restaurants and shops was something to behold and provided us with a very reasonably priced dinner option. 

Talking of cheap eats we spent our sunday morning at the open air Marche Bastille, a stretch of canvass covered stalls heading north of the monument selling a huge range of fresh produce.  The clown with a fish bowl on his head kept Mike entertained as I sampled everything that was on offer. 

A short stroll from the Bastille area are the winding medieval alleyways of Marais district, some of the very few remaining in Paris. Everything can be found in this enclave of meandering cobblestones from up and coming french designers to well known high street labels.  Getting lost and falling upon quirky one off shops was part of the fun. 

The whole area is packed full of every cuisine imaginable leaving us with the difficult task of knowing which one to choose! A big favourite for a quick bite appeared to be the jewish restaurants serving up a host of specialties from central Europe, North Africa and Israel. 

Paris wasn’t all about shopping and eating though (admittedly a large proportion of it was) we did manage some cultural attractions.  We spent a morning being marched through the Louvre at lightening speed like a pair of American tourists so that Mike could tick the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo off his list then get back out in to the fresh air! He also couldn’t see what all the fuss was about, after all it was just a painting of a miserable woman and a statute with no arms! 

We managed to take the Chateau of Versaille at a slightly more sedate pace, although I think that was more to do with the fact that it was cold outside.  The truly splendid palace was built in the 17th century on the order of Louis XIV at the height of his glory.  The furnishings are truly decadent and he was certainly a chap who enjoyed self glorification.  There are self portraits in almost every room.  The gardens are equally magnificent extending as far as the eye can see and best explored via golf buggy. 

It was nice to see all of the usual suspects without actually trying or having to fight the crowds to join a queue or buy a ticket.  It is pretty hard to miss the 286 meter high Eiffel Tower and as such an iconic Parisien symbol, despite having seen it time and time again, it remains breathtaking on every occasion.  A stroll underneath it was enough to bring Mike out in cold sweats!  

Enjoying the peacefulness of the gardens behind Notre Dame whilst marveling at the intricacies of its architecture and (half watching a ridiculous street performer who somehow had a huge crowd captivated whilst in reality he did nothing) was a new take.  As was taking the back route to the Sacre Cour following a self guided walking tour around Monmatre (stopping off along the way for the best french onion soup we have had on the trip so far!!) 

Paris by night is another experience entirely.  From our pub crawl in the Bastille area (which actually resulted in us making friends with the barman and not leaving his bar until we fell of our stools at the end of the night having made some American friends and sampled an array of shots) ...

...to a sumptuous meal in the Monmatre.  The highlight has to be a night of cabaret at the world famous Moulin Rouge. 

Admittedly this is a show for tourists not locals but nevertheless it was truly entertaining.  It was exactly what we expected with its lavishly furnished velvet red interior and small pink table lamps giving of a dim glow.  We managed to bag an excellent spot to witness the campest show on earth.  If anyone reading has been to the Birdcage this is it, tenfold.  If I was to be slightly critical the dancing was not some of the best I have seen in my life but the truly extravagant costumes (most of which appeared to have the chest pieces missing for the ladies) lavish scenery and show stopping moments (examples include a girl swimming in a tank full of snakes, flying over the audience in an invisible harness and dancing ponies) really make this worth seeing. 

All in all a fabulous week in Paris and we will certainly be back for more. 

Loire Valley Chateaux and fine wine

Well I'm back for my second effort, try and keep it short (only kidding).

We arrived in the Loire Valley to be met with lush valleys, the River Loire, which is massive by the way, and more chateaux than i have had hot dinners.

Our accommodation was sumptuous and part of the Royal Amboise Chateau.The town of Amboise is very elegant. Leonardo Da Vinci lived here shortly before he died, we saw his house and his grave. 

The chateau, former home of Charles VIII, was very impressive. A proper castle and not just a posh house, complete with suits of armour and the like. 

Full of french history we went on the hunt of yet more Chateaux and came upon Chenonceau, built on the river Chene and equally as impressive as Amboise. Catherine de Medici was the tour de force here. The furnishings were very lavish and despite tourists of the world pushing and shoving in and out of small entrances the visit was first class.

After a night on the local grape we headed off again to chateau number three, the daddy of them all, Chambord. 

The place is huge and known for its architectural design. In particular the two central staircases intertwined and spiralling through the centre of the chateau to the top of the tallest tower. You can see the people on the other staircase but you will never meet; very Harry Potteresque. 

A walk round the grounds was needed to recover from the stairs (not good for Mr Vertigo) especially when you come out onto the castle roof. The grounds are massive and surrounded by a 20 mile long wall.

We decided three chateaux were sufficient but there are dozens. If you love stately type homes and french history then book two weeks and you will still have some left over. As a base you will be well served by Amboise. The quality of the food was some of the best we have tasted in France so far. 

La Belle France

The Dordogne, where emerald green fields meet meandering rivers and walled medieval villages cling precariously to cliff edges.  A definite stop for us (and it seems lots of other tourists - especially Brits!!) With more “Plus Beux villages” (most beautiful villages) than anywhere else in the country we shouldn’t really have been surprised.    

Our wonderfully secluded farmhouse had magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.  The owner, has lived in the hamlet for over 20 years and kindly agreed to take us on a walk to explore the surrounding area.  Unfortunately this meant that the particularly viscious german shepherd/ husky that she had recently rescued had to accompany us. The only saving grace was that it hated Mike more than me. It is probably wrong to admit that I breathed a huge sigh of relief when it went missing for most of the walk.  It was just a pity it showed up back at home.

Our exploration of the beautiful villages commenced at Sarlat-la-Caneda, a picture postcard medieval village with winding alleyways and honey coloured buildings.  Rude waiters aside, one of the many pavement cafes in the entirely pedestrianised medieval quarter, is the perfect spot to sit under a parasol sipping a glass of vin blanc and indulging in the local delicacy of foie gras.  Even the hoards of tourists do not take away from the charm of the place. 

The heatwave that hit on day two (temperatures in the early 40s every day) didn’t deter us from continuing with our exploration but it did mean that we made much more use of the swimming pool in the afternoons than we had originally envisaged. We simply set out early to ensure that we did not miss out on the stunning 180 degree view of the Dordogne Valley from the vantage point at Domme, the meandering riverbank stroll at Brantome and the cruise aboard a wooden- hulled gabarre at la Roque de Gageac. 

We spent a peaceful and relaxing week in this gorgeous region and have no doubt that we will head back here in the future. 

On our journey from the Dordogne to the Loire Valley we stopped at the town of Oradour -sur-Glane.  It was here on 10 June 1944 that one of the worst Nazi atrocities was committed on French soil.   The entire town (647 inhabitants) were ordered in to the village square.  The men were separated from the women and children and then divided in to smaller groups. At gunpoint they were forced in to garages around the village.  The women and children were all herded in to the church.  On the giving of an order the church was set on fire and 200 soldiers opened fire on the men.  Only 5 people survived.  The soldiers stood by and watched as the village burnt and returned the next day to remove the charcoaled remains of the  642 bodies.  As a memorial to the people that were killed.  The crumbling towns remains exactly as it was left, with charcoaled stained walls, the upturned remains of tables and chairs in the cafes and the rusty remains of cars parked where they were left that day.  As a mark of respect, visitors are asked to explore the village in silence a rule which everyone obeys, even the birds.  Never have I visited anywhere before where even the birds don’t sing.  It was extraordinarily moving.