Guess who got to drive through Paris? I have to say that I managed beautifully, despite the nervous passenger sitting to my right. I took a wrong turn and ended up just along from the Arc de Triomphe...about 8 lanes of cars, no lines on the road, so no lane discipline, just point in, hopefully, the right direction and go for it! It worked for me...thrilling!
Made it to the campsite on the outskirts of Paris at a place called Maisons Lafitte. Parked beside the Seine, lots of barges up and down the river full of freight, and a main rail link closeby. Chilled out for the rest of the day and planned our trip to town.
Got up early, went to the train station. Really simple journey to Charles de Gaulle etoile, then swapped trains to Trocadero. Came out of the station, turned a corner and were dazzld by the awesome beauty of the Tour Eiffel...wow! Went and queued with the rest of the tourists who didnt buy their tickets online, dodged the touts selling eiffel tower replicas and finally got to the lifts. The first stages were fine, but the last lift was seriously scary. Once at the top the views are incredible, although looking down is bloody awful!
Took lots of pics, got the lift down to the second level, then had a picnic. Walked down the last levels onto terra firma and into the rain. Didnt care, had a thoroughly lovely morning. We then headed for the Musee d'Orsay (one for me). Again, the queues were horrendous, but if you have kids you get to jump the queue with the smarty pants who bought their tickets online!
The museum is fabulous. An old disused rail station which contains a wonderful selection of paintings and sculptures as well as rooms of art nouveau furniture and glass. Heaven. Boys bored...revenge for all the cars!
Now recovering from all the walking and having an easy day.
Monday, 29 March 2010
Troyes
Stopped for some retail therapy at Troyes. We had planned on going in to the old town, but we keep finding that it is really hard to get parked safely, so we went to the Magasins d'Usines (outlet stores) instead. Overcame my natural reluctance to shop and did lots of lounging in expensive deckchairs (lafuma), window shopped at the clothes and champagne shops...really not my thing (apart from the champagne of course).
Found a fabulous fabric store, lots of upholstery fabrics, all €1/metre. Bought lots of fabric for some of my next upholstery projects. Sad woman.
A bit of info about Troyes...it is where the Troy ounce comes from...for measuring gold!
After that we went to an aire at the Lacs d'Orient. Really lovely spot besiden a lake, lots of other motorhomes. Lots of bats, some deer prints on the beach and trees full of mistletoe...again.
Found a fabulous fabric store, lots of upholstery fabrics, all €1/metre. Bought lots of fabric for some of my next upholstery projects. Sad woman.
A bit of info about Troyes...it is where the Troy ounce comes from...for measuring gold!
After that we went to an aire at the Lacs d'Orient. Really lovely spot besiden a lake, lots of other motorhomes. Lots of bats, some deer prints on the beach and trees full of mistletoe...again.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Birdwatching diary
The sun came out again today, so we went for a cycle around the walls of the town, took in the views from the various towers and fortifications along the walls. The boys had a ride on a glass elevator that ascends/descends the walls to the car parks below.
As for the birdwatching, it began last night on the way back from the shower block, when I heard tawny owls calling to each other. Apparently she calls him a twit and he says 'who?' Obviously it was pretty pitch black away from the camp lights, but the female landed on the roof of the Norman tower next to the van, which is nicely illuminated, and watched me watch her!
The next thing, she flew into one of the huge trees and he flew silently close by with a mouse or vole dangling from his beak. Presumably a marital offering. We could hear them calling to each other through the night.
This morning I watched the families of jackdaws making their nests and travelling around in noisy gangs. There were great tits nesting in the holes of the trees and I saw another nuthatch travelling all over the tree trunks looking for bugs. It was great because you could see exactly where it was, even when it was out of sight, because of all the bits of lichen that it was pulling off and dropping to the ground.
As for the birdwatching, it began last night on the way back from the shower block, when I heard tawny owls calling to each other. Apparently she calls him a twit and he says 'who?' Obviously it was pretty pitch black away from the camp lights, but the female landed on the roof of the Norman tower next to the van, which is nicely illuminated, and watched me watch her!
The next thing, she flew into one of the huge trees and he flew silently close by with a mouse or vole dangling from his beak. Presumably a marital offering. We could hear them calling to each other through the night.
This morning I watched the families of jackdaws making their nests and travelling around in noisy gangs. There were great tits nesting in the holes of the trees and I saw another nuthatch travelling all over the tree trunks looking for bugs. It was great because you could see exactly where it was, even when it was out of sight, because of all the bits of lichen that it was pulling off and dropping to the ground.
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Monday, 22 March 2010
Langres
More travelling news. After Niderviller, whose baker produces (so far) the best 'pain' in France, we went to Nancy. There is an aire beside the canal and only five minutes from the centre of the city. It is a great stop, although much busier than we are used to. Lots of traffic and people wandering around.
The canal barges must be a permanent feature, as they all have post boxes attached to their sides! One even had a log store (for the wood burning stove) under the cabin steps. The aire cost €11.40, which included the space, electricity and access to the showers and toilets in the 'capitainerie.' The man who ran it was helpful, but creepy, so i refused point blank to go and shower without my small army of boys with me! I shouldn't have bothered. While the block was clean and spacious, the showers were freezing!
Anyhoo. Nancy itself is a beautiful place. Stanislas square is a huge space, surrounded by lovely buildings, with statues and fountains and the most amazing wrought iron gates in the corners that are gilded. It must get really busy in high summer.
The highlight for me was the covered market that had fish, fruit, vegetables, meat, pasta, cheeses, wines, cafes and probably even more stuff that I didnt see. It all smelled beautiful and the colours of the fruit and veg stalls and the arrangements of the pyramids of fruit made them look like edible rainbows.
The rest of the town felt very like Edinburgh, which is a good thing in my book!
The canal barges must be a permanent feature, as they all have post boxes attached to their sides! One even had a log store (for the wood burning stove) under the cabin steps. The aire cost €11.40, which included the space, electricity and access to the showers and toilets in the 'capitainerie.' The man who ran it was helpful, but creepy, so i refused point blank to go and shower without my small army of boys with me! I shouldn't have bothered. While the block was clean and spacious, the showers were freezing!
Anyhoo. Nancy itself is a beautiful place. Stanislas square is a huge space, surrounded by lovely buildings, with statues and fountains and the most amazing wrought iron gates in the corners that are gilded. It must get really busy in high summer.
The highlight for me was the covered market that had fish, fruit, vegetables, meat, pasta, cheeses, wines, cafes and probably even more stuff that I didnt see. It all smelled beautiful and the colours of the fruit and veg stalls and the arrangements of the pyramids of fruit made them look like edible rainbows.
The rest of the town felt very like Edinburgh, which is a good thing in my book!
Friday, 19 March 2010
Familiar faces
We left Strasbourg and came just 70km west to a really small village called Niderviller. We came across an aire/stellplatz beside the canal. The familiar faces were the field full of heilan coos having a look at us over the fence!
There is a german company here that builds and rents boats for tourists. We had a good long natter with the men who work here and got a guided tour of one of the 12 berth boats. Lots of space and no special qualifications required...maybe the next adventure!
There is a german company here that builds and rents boats for tourists. We had a good long natter with the men who work here and got a guided tour of one of the 12 berth boats. Lots of space and no special qualifications required...maybe the next adventure!
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Wildlife
Well, the sun is shining and we are back to t-shirts and no socks. Yippee. I went to the laundry today...big news! On the way I saw a brimstone butterfly and from the laundry window I saw a pair of jays. We don't get too many of them in and around Aberdeen, so it was a bit of a treat for me. Saw them in Ludlow last year, but they were very shy.
I was able to observe some of their feeding behaviour, which was very entertaining. They are quite comical really. They look odd with their striped heads and handlebar moustache that makes their beaks look gapey. They have an odd slightly bouncy walk, like the other corvids, but the curved beak is more like a chough than the larger crows. The way they search for their food is quite dramatic, lots of head tilting and turning over leaves and twigs.
One of them started to wipe its beak on a tree, I presumed that it had mud on it and was cleaning it, but the strokes were almost langorous, lazy sweeps of the head. It had caught something and either it was wiping off the dirt or maybe taking off hairs or legs. Don't know which because I couldn't see the morsel.
At the moment we have an amorous moorhen clucking at a female in the stream behind the van. Spring has sprung!
I was able to observe some of their feeding behaviour, which was very entertaining. They are quite comical really. They look odd with their striped heads and handlebar moustache that makes their beaks look gapey. They have an odd slightly bouncy walk, like the other corvids, but the curved beak is more like a chough than the larger crows. The way they search for their food is quite dramatic, lots of head tilting and turning over leaves and twigs.
One of them started to wipe its beak on a tree, I presumed that it had mud on it and was cleaning it, but the strokes were almost langorous, lazy sweeps of the head. It had caught something and either it was wiping off the dirt or maybe taking off hairs or legs. Don't know which because I couldn't see the morsel.
At the moment we have an amorous moorhen clucking at a female in the stream behind the van. Spring has sprung!
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Bonjour...
Have covered lots of miles in the past few days...or should that be kilometres, since we are in Europe?
Left Masevaux..boo hoo, bye bye to great campsite, nice people, good beer and lovely log fire. In no time at all we were over the border and in to Germany. Motored up to Stuttgart and eventually found the campsite by the river Neckar. There was a circus setting up outside the campsite and we saw the tiger in its truck! Very exciting for everyone until bedtime, when Euan refused to go to sleep with the lights off because he was frightened that the tiger was going to come! Kids, aren't they great?!
The campsite wasn't brilliant, really noisy after being in the sticks, with lots of people hanging about. Anyway, next day we went along the road past the Mercedes Benz Arena to the Mercedes Benz museum! Quite an amazing display of everything Mercedes and some in depth coverage of the events that shaped our recent history and that of the company. Lots of early aircraft engines for the first world war and much more for the second! However it was the iconic sportscars that made it amazing. We were all taken with the high speed sportscar transporter that could do 105mph! More incredible because it was over 60 years old.
I will add some of the pics when I can.
After that we went to a wee village just east of Strasbourg for an overnighter. There were odd croaky noises which had the kids peering into the gloom. It was a pheasant perched in a tree
chatting to the local competition. Once Euan was reassured that it was a vegetarian pheasant he went to bed no bother!
Went to the Burstner garage in Kehl (the German side of Strasbourg) to get some spares for the van. Had a look at some of the new caravans and motorhomes on offer. Wow! Tempted to sell everything and keep travelling. Not sure if the boys would ever forgive us though! The boys were given baseball caps, lanyards, keyrings and sweets. Bill even got given a decal of the burstner logo...he was happy!
Now we are in Strasbourg proper. The sun is shining and and the boys are whizzing about on their bikes. Hoping to head into the Grande Ile tomorrow for some touristy stuff (that isn't a car museum...) and then on towards Nancy.
Saw my first Alsacian Stork today perched on top of a man made platform on top of a chimney, sorting his twigs. Huge! Will post pics of that too.
Left Masevaux..boo hoo, bye bye to great campsite, nice people, good beer and lovely log fire. In no time at all we were over the border and in to Germany. Motored up to Stuttgart and eventually found the campsite by the river Neckar. There was a circus setting up outside the campsite and we saw the tiger in its truck! Very exciting for everyone until bedtime, when Euan refused to go to sleep with the lights off because he was frightened that the tiger was going to come! Kids, aren't they great?!
The campsite wasn't brilliant, really noisy after being in the sticks, with lots of people hanging about. Anyway, next day we went along the road past the Mercedes Benz Arena to the Mercedes Benz museum! Quite an amazing display of everything Mercedes and some in depth coverage of the events that shaped our recent history and that of the company. Lots of early aircraft engines for the first world war and much more for the second! However it was the iconic sportscars that made it amazing. We were all taken with the high speed sportscar transporter that could do 105mph! More incredible because it was over 60 years old.
I will add some of the pics when I can.
After that we went to a wee village just east of Strasbourg for an overnighter. There were odd croaky noises which had the kids peering into the gloom. It was a pheasant perched in a tree
chatting to the local competition. Once Euan was reassured that it was a vegetarian pheasant he went to bed no bother!
Went to the Burstner garage in Kehl (the German side of Strasbourg) to get some spares for the van. Had a look at some of the new caravans and motorhomes on offer. Wow! Tempted to sell everything and keep travelling. Not sure if the boys would ever forgive us though! The boys were given baseball caps, lanyards, keyrings and sweets. Bill even got given a decal of the burstner logo...he was happy!
Now we are in Strasbourg proper. The sun is shining and and the boys are whizzing about on their bikes. Hoping to head into the Grande Ile tomorrow for some touristy stuff (that isn't a car museum...) and then on towards Nancy.
Saw my first Alsacian Stork today perched on top of a man made platform on top of a chimney, sorting his twigs. Huge! Will post pics of that too.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Still here
The snow has come down again, just as we were getting ready to leave, so...we decided to stay and take it easy for a bit longer.
My pot came out ok, although it developed a crack down one side during firing. Will get the pics off the camera and post them for you.
Our latest bit of fun involved the snowman that the kids built next to the van. His stick mouth went a bit wonky, so we decided to film a little advert like one off the telly about strokes. You know the one...'has their face fallen on one side? Can they hold both arms up and keep them there?' It is quite funny despite the sensitive nature of the subject...The plan was to post it on you tube. If we manage it I will give you the address!
Anyhoo, big love to everyone out there.
My pot came out ok, although it developed a crack down one side during firing. Will get the pics off the camera and post them for you.
Our latest bit of fun involved the snowman that the kids built next to the van. His stick mouth went a bit wonky, so we decided to film a little advert like one off the telly about strokes. You know the one...'has their face fallen on one side? Can they hold both arms up and keep them there?' It is quite funny despite the sensitive nature of the subject...The plan was to post it on you tube. If we manage it I will give you the address!
Anyhoo, big love to everyone out there.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Snowy in masevaux...
So, we have finally had some of the snow and cold that you have been struggling with for the past few weeks. We keep checking the weather to see what we will get next, and apparently it will be -15 c tomorrow night. Brrrrr.
Other than that we are all doing well. We have all the gear with us so the snow isn't too much of a bother. Good to be at camp and have access to electricity, otherwise we would be using loads of gas on the heating. We struggled to find gas stations supplying LPG (GPL) in spain, but there are plenty in France and Germany. We have fitted gas tanks, rather than loose bottles, cheaper to refill, but not as convenient if you can't find gas stations.
Cooking advice for other campers. Take a pressure cooker! Things cook in a fraction of the time, use less gas and are better for you (more vitamins). Thanks for the pressure cooker mum! We are having roast chicken today, initially pressure cooked, then finished off in the oven...yum.
We will be moving on again soon. This time to Stuttgart. Not sure how long we will be in Germany for, then heading back towards blighty via Paris. I am hoping to buy some things for re-upholstering at the famous fleamarkets! I have been avoiding all large purchases as we keep the bikes in the garage, despite having the cycle rack on the back. Might have to sneak some lovely upholstery projects in the back when a certain someone isn't looking!
The jug is in the 'oven' for firing today. There were no big bangs or popping noises when I put it in, so I may have some pics of my craft day for you...don't hold your breath!
Our latest adddition to the family...at least this one doesn't eat much!
A blanket of snow over everything...
Other than that we are all doing well. We have all the gear with us so the snow isn't too much of a bother. Good to be at camp and have access to electricity, otherwise we would be using loads of gas on the heating. We struggled to find gas stations supplying LPG (GPL) in spain, but there are plenty in France and Germany. We have fitted gas tanks, rather than loose bottles, cheaper to refill, but not as convenient if you can't find gas stations.
Cooking advice for other campers. Take a pressure cooker! Things cook in a fraction of the time, use less gas and are better for you (more vitamins). Thanks for the pressure cooker mum! We are having roast chicken today, initially pressure cooked, then finished off in the oven...yum.
We will be moving on again soon. This time to Stuttgart. Not sure how long we will be in Germany for, then heading back towards blighty via Paris. I am hoping to buy some things for re-upholstering at the famous fleamarkets! I have been avoiding all large purchases as we keep the bikes in the garage, despite having the cycle rack on the back. Might have to sneak some lovely upholstery projects in the back when a certain someone isn't looking!
The jug is in the 'oven' for firing today. There were no big bangs or popping noises when I put it in, so I may have some pics of my craft day for you...don't hold your breath!
Our latest adddition to the family...at least this one doesn't eat much!
A blanket of snow over everything...
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Creative day
Found the most amazing craft shop in Narbonne that had lots of twinkly sparkly things...heaven. Got some less twinkly, sparkly charcoal and drawing pencils! Have been drawing a lot more as part of art lessons for the boys. We began with a hairdryer, not the simplest thing, but requiring a lot of observation. Joshua rattled off a fair attempt in 20 minutes and I was still sitting there an hour and a half later with my masterpiece...
Am thinking that teaching is not really my forte, especially when I am having a lot of fun. We decided to try pottery yesterday, to try and recreate some of the Roman pots we saw in the museum in Millau. Once again I had lots of fun and made a jug. The boys make a collection of sausages and lots of puddles, got messy, cleaned up and played Jenga.
Next time I promise not to play too, that way the kids should keep going with the mess for longer! Don't expect me to say that too many times...
Am thinking that teaching is not really my forte, especially when I am having a lot of fun. We decided to try pottery yesterday, to try and recreate some of the Roman pots we saw in the museum in Millau. Once again I had lots of fun and made a jug. The boys make a collection of sausages and lots of puddles, got messy, cleaned up and played Jenga.
Next time I promise not to play too, that way the kids should keep going with the mess for longer! Don't expect me to say that too many times...
Ladies at bus stops...
In response to Spinky's comment...Hmmm, yes we saw the ladies waiting for buses too. I like how they bring their own chairs, not every layby has a bus shelter after all! There are a lot of them on the french border too. For the younger followers benefit, not everyone has cars in southern France & Spain!
Waiting for buses...a bit like an environmentalist working for an oil company. Ha ha ha. Sorry Spinky, couldn't resist.
Waiting for buses...a bit like an environmentalist working for an oil company. Ha ha ha. Sorry Spinky, couldn't resist.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Campsite fun
Isn't it great when you can get access to the internet whenever you like. Maybe I'm not as much of a technophobe as I think!
So, after our visit to Mulhouse we decided to come to a campsite at Masevaux. After a few weeks of camping at aires we needed access to washing machines, showers and space! I don't want you to think that we stopped washing just because we weren't on a site. It is just a bit harder when you have to decant all the stored stuff out of the bathroom before you can take a shower. Also, in winter many of the aires shut off the water, so you have to be pretty careful with your water supplies.
The campsite is great. Excellent facilities on site, and access to the local pool, tennis courts and games fields next door. Believe it or not the owners are Scottish...small world. The cafe on site, where the wifi is, has great beer and a wood burning stove...toasty!
On our way in to the village we saw the storks that Alsace is so famous for. The other thing that I noticed was the quantity of mistletoe growing in the poplar trees (mostly). The last time I saw any amount of the stuff was when we were in Shropshire. I believe it is commonly associated with fruit trees, and there are loads of orchards around there. I have also seen banks of snowdrops emerging from the ground, although it is pretty cold up here.
We emerged unscathed from the storms that tore through France the other day. The civic police in Thann advised us to move from the aire, away from the big trees, to the car park opposite. However, we were pretty sheltered. When we walked to the top of the hill above the town to see the ruined castle the noise from the trees was incredible. The castle tower had toppled (not in the wind, thankfully) and remained complete, like an oversized polo-mint (other mints are available!) It was really disconcerting walking around it.
Some of my other observations...
When you walk in to a shop you must say hello to the person behind the counter, and you can expect them to come out and help you regardless of the number of people waiting to be served, and, the waiting people stand patiently until you are done. It may be different in cities, but so far, this is my experience. Fab!
Our bird life has gone from mediterranean exotic to scottish garden typical. Apart from the long tailed tits. However, it is nice to have birdsong in the morning, regardless of what is singing.
All the shops have the most amazing window displays. The florists shops are incredible. At the moment it is all white easter bunnies, lovehearts and mini-daffodils. Even the library in Thann had streamers taped to the windows, sculptures on the shelves and paintings on the walls.
Roundabouts are mini works of art. Oddly enough, Spain had incredible roundabouts, despite the roadsides being littered with all manner of jettisoned plastic and dead animals. The French ones relate to the specialities or history of the region. We have seen 20' amphorae at Narbonne, massive replica roman columns caught mid-collapse on a hillside somewhere east of Dijon and sculpted families of wild boar...probably the only safe ones!
Despite all this diversity everything else is remarkably similar.
So, after our visit to Mulhouse we decided to come to a campsite at Masevaux. After a few weeks of camping at aires we needed access to washing machines, showers and space! I don't want you to think that we stopped washing just because we weren't on a site. It is just a bit harder when you have to decant all the stored stuff out of the bathroom before you can take a shower. Also, in winter many of the aires shut off the water, so you have to be pretty careful with your water supplies.
The campsite is great. Excellent facilities on site, and access to the local pool, tennis courts and games fields next door. Believe it or not the owners are Scottish...small world. The cafe on site, where the wifi is, has great beer and a wood burning stove...toasty!
On our way in to the village we saw the storks that Alsace is so famous for. The other thing that I noticed was the quantity of mistletoe growing in the poplar trees (mostly). The last time I saw any amount of the stuff was when we were in Shropshire. I believe it is commonly associated with fruit trees, and there are loads of orchards around there. I have also seen banks of snowdrops emerging from the ground, although it is pretty cold up here.
We emerged unscathed from the storms that tore through France the other day. The civic police in Thann advised us to move from the aire, away from the big trees, to the car park opposite. However, we were pretty sheltered. When we walked to the top of the hill above the town to see the ruined castle the noise from the trees was incredible. The castle tower had toppled (not in the wind, thankfully) and remained complete, like an oversized polo-mint (other mints are available!) It was really disconcerting walking around it.
Some of my other observations...
When you walk in to a shop you must say hello to the person behind the counter, and you can expect them to come out and help you regardless of the number of people waiting to be served, and, the waiting people stand patiently until you are done. It may be different in cities, but so far, this is my experience. Fab!
Our bird life has gone from mediterranean exotic to scottish garden typical. Apart from the long tailed tits. However, it is nice to have birdsong in the morning, regardless of what is singing.
All the shops have the most amazing window displays. The florists shops are incredible. At the moment it is all white easter bunnies, lovehearts and mini-daffodils. Even the library in Thann had streamers taped to the windows, sculptures on the shelves and paintings on the walls.
Roundabouts are mini works of art. Oddly enough, Spain had incredible roundabouts, despite the roadsides being littered with all manner of jettisoned plastic and dead animals. The French ones relate to the specialities or history of the region. We have seen 20' amphorae at Narbonne, massive replica roman columns caught mid-collapse on a hillside somewhere east of Dijon and sculpted families of wild boar...probably the only safe ones!
Despite all this diversity everything else is remarkably similar.
Bugatti Royale
Still not sure that I have the hang of this blogging you know! Wrote my last post and than added all my carefully chosen pics which ended up last to first and before the text...
Anyhoo, this is the Bugatti Royale. One of only six ever made. I have pics of the wooden frames that they used to form the running boards and wheel arches around. They are huge. The tyres are bigger than the ones we have on the motorhome! There was also a film running showing modern car production where the body panels are pressed, then welded by robots. How things change.
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Anyhoo, this is the Bugatti Royale. One of only six ever made. I have pics of the wooden frames that they used to form the running boards and wheel arches around. They are huge. The tyres are bigger than the ones we have on the motorhome! There was also a film running showing modern car production where the body panels are pressed, then welded by robots. How things change.
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Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Various observations...& pics
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Hello again my lovelies! We did our trip to Mulhouse (pronounced Moo-loos) and went to the car museum. Ah, for those decadent days when the capitalists squandered their millions on consumer goods and forgot to pay the workers...
No, honestly, the cars were incredible and what a collection. A real history of the development of motor transport. But such excess. Apparently only six Bugatti 'Royales' were ever made and there are a couple in the collection. I really enjoyed the old original vehicles that were really only bikes with more wheels and fabulous upholstery. You can see why some crafts thrived but then eventually were replaced by cheaper less labour intensive alternatives. Although, I think that you can see some things coming back through necessity...small, economical motors.
Right, am going to add some pics for you all...
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