A Busy Week in the South of France

Another week has gone by in a flash and we are into another already!

On the way to Andorra

Last week was very busy with a real mixture of adventures. We started the week with a wee road trip to Andorra, not just to the duty free shopping hub but into the principality itself, and what a beautiful place! The drive to Andorra leads you through the foothills of the Pyrenees, into the mountain region proper, passing by copious ski fields (medium size compared to NZ), amazing chalets perched on the side of mountains, and clear, fast running rivers and streams.  All the towns appear to be very modern and incredibly clean, no rubbish or graffiti anywhere. The towns were very quiet, the summer crowd has gone and everyone is holding their breath for the arrival of snow and the hoards of skiers. Would be a great place to go back to later in the winter if we are able to drive over the mountain roads which are sometimes closed due to snow.

You could be in the Swiss Alps!

The weather is still very sunny and warm during the day, 22-26 degrees for most of the last two weeks. It is getting noticeably cooler in the mornings and evenings tho'. We decided it was time to try another bike ride now that the bump on my leg has reduced a little. So we headed for Chalabre, a small town about 15 mins from home where there is a bike trail on what was an old railway track. We had been told that the ride is very pretty with old train tunnels, forests, rivers and farms and we were not disappointed. The track is pretty flat (which we like!) and did have great scenery along the way. So much so that before we knew it we had ridden 7kms into another little town! 14 kms there and back....we are feeling very proud of ourselves. There is a huge number of bike trails around here so we are looking forward to increasing our mileage some more in the future!

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

One of the many gorgeous sights along the trail

Camon, the 7 kms was well worth it!

With the advent of autumn in our valley the locals have begun to harvest crops in earnest. Martin was very excited over the weekend when the men arrived with their grape-picking machine and he was out there with camera in hand recording the event. However, it was with a slight sigh that he realised that his days of sneaking into the vineyard to swipe the juicy grapes from the vine were over for this year. Off the two acres they harvested approximately 8 tonnes of grapes to be made into vin rouge...yum! Apples and pears are in great abundance here also and we are enjoying picking them off the trees as we wander by.

Sweet and ready to be drunk...I mean picked!

Claude and Frederick hard at work

French classes continue to be a highlight for me each Friday morning, not sure Martin is feeling the same way! We are given homework each week and 'one of us' does seem to take a very long time to get it done. There is much sighing, twitching and finding other things to do...however, his bossy teacher-wife keeps him on task and it eventually gets done! Our fellow students have told Martin that they really enjoy French since he arrived as there is a lot more laughter now...a back handed compliment if ever there was one!


We are finally off on a longer road trip tomorrow heading to England. We are taking three days to drive up through the centre of France. Through Lyon, into the Loire Valley and on to Calais. We are staying with my aunt and uncle in Kent for a few days, three days in London and a show or two before coming home. So there will be lots to share in our next blog. Until then, take care and enjoy the spring weather down at the bottom of the world!