Hola from Barcelona!

As part of our 'recovery' we decided a trip was in order. We travelled down the coast of Spain and headed to Barcelona. The weather was warm (20-22 degrees) and sunny every day. The coastline of Spain is beautiful so we decided to spent a night in a small beach town called L'Escala but what we had not realised was that in February all the hotels close down for the month because it's winter!? Huge hotels all with their shutters down and restaurants closed, looking decidedly ghost townish in places. I can't imagine that happening in NZ over the winter!! We found a very clean and tidy hostel and a wonderful little restaurant on the waterfront so all our needs were met!

The sleepy but very pretty town of L'Escala, Spain

Snow covered Pyrenees

Barcelona city is huge, thank goodness for GPS! Our first taste of Barcelona was from the hop on and off bus which was a wonderful way to get our bearings and of course see all the 'have-to see' sights. The highlight had to be Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, although his legacy can be seen all over the city. 

A touch of Gaudi, amazing apartments

The Sagrada Familia church has been under construction since 1882 and still has at least another 50 years to go! Construction relies on donations, largely from anonymous benefactors.

The inside of the church is breathtaking. Gaudi wanted to create a forest reaching to heaven, the light from the stain glass windows simply adds to the feeling of space and grandeur. An amazing experience!

You feel very small and insignificant once inside. To think that someone could have imagined this so long ago and still others had the foresight to make it a reality.

 The sculptures inside and out are so detailed. You can look and look and still see things that you didn't see before.

We walked for miles up and down little side streets which were filled with little specialty shops and cafes. Everywhere there are people riding motor bikes and scooters. Cycling is huge here too.

Scooters and motorbikes everywhere and interestingly very few locked as compared to Paris where they were all heavily chained. 

 

 

Lunchtime at a city primary school. Not a blade of grass in sight!

A walk down the main shopping (read Tourist) street, La Rambla, was an experience. It is a couple of kilometres long and has musicians, human statues, artists, flowers and touristy shops selling calendars, Barcelona flags and football jerseys etc. It is filled with people 'promenading' (a common pass time we have found in Europe) and stopping at the many bars and cafes for wine/beer, tapas, pizza or paella, all pretty reasonably priced. 

This 'biker' was a big hit with the promenaders!

The detail and effort the human statues go to is terrific, even on a cold day they don't move a muscle!

 Before we left for Barcelona we were warned by a large number of people not to carry anything valuable and to be on the lookout at red lights etc. Everyone seemed to have a horror story to share. Our experience was the exact opposite. We felt very safe the whole time we were there, whether we were out during the day or at night. The people were very friendly and helpful and once again, like Paris, most people spoke English so we didn't have to rack our brains for the five Spanish words we knew!


Coming home, via an inland route, we came across a ski resort called La Molina. It has just hosted the world snow boarding championships, and unlike our side of the mountains, has snow. It boasts 62 kilometers of ski trails and there was hardly anyone there. Martin was chomping at the bit to have a ski, but all his gear was at home so it is definitely on the 'to-do' list soon I think!

A Month to Forget!

After such a wonderful time in Paris over Christmas, we got home, flying Easyjet, and both succumbed to a particularly nasty flu-probably picked up from the plane on the way home. This flu managed to hold on to us for the entire month of January, resulting in very little action at Moulin du Bayle apart from coughing and moaning! Hence the paucity of blogging on my part, thinking was not high on the agenda over January.

Anyway, we are now into February and our health has returned and so has our energy...as Martin says, your health is your wealth...so true!

A Couple of Very Poorly Edited Videos!

Paris Christmas!

Well, we did finally arrive in Paris, albeit 9 hours later than anticipated! Our Easyjet morning flight was cancelled due to the unbelievable snowstorms across Northern Europe. Thousands of people were left stranded at airports in some cases for days, in fact there are still people at Charles de Gaulle airport who didn't make it home for Christmas day! So we feel very lucky to have got here at all...and when we arrived it was snowing, about 0 degrees but absolutely beautiful.

So I got my wish for a white Christmas!

Our flat in the Latin Quarter is small and 'bohemian', it needed a darn good clean, but what an amazing location, right in the heart of the restaurant district, every kind of culinary delight you can think of from traditional French cuisine to sushi! The streets are narrow and cobbled, many little specialty shops and a wonderful boulangerie-patisserie where we buy our morning croissants. 

From our front door.

One way to entice customers in!

From the fourth floor window of our flat we can watch the almost constant flow of people, some stopping to peruse the restaurant menu boards, others just enjoying the Latin Quarter experience.

                                                                                       We woke on Christmas Eve day to more snow, so rugged up (long johns, leg warmers, scarves, hats, gloves, warm socks....) and set off to explore. First stop was Notre Dame, only two minutes from our front door, an iconic French landmark and very beautiful. The money that must have been spent to build it makes the eyes water!

There was a midnight Noel carol service advertised so we decided to come back and join the festivities.

 There were hundreds of people at the midnight service. The acoustics inside were amazing, the 'carols' sounded more like Gregorian chants but were very beautiful. The gendarmes were out in force, some carrying automatic rifles, all bags were checked before entering. The French have become very security conscious recently after a number of terrorist threats. Still, although a little imposing to be 'bonsoired' by a gun toting policeman, better to be safe than sorry!

Our next adventure was the metro and the purchase of a 10 ticket (billet) deal for 12 euro. I had my rather bad version of "Can we please have 10 tickets for the metro" in French at the ready, but, as has happened often since we have been here,before I open my mouth to practice my french, the 'helpful' person behind the counter speaks to me in English! Oh well, we usually get a "merci" in at the end anyway! The metro is very efficient, trains running every couple of minutes so within 10 minutes we were looking up at the Eiffel Tower through the snow, and what an imposing sight! We thought we'd take advantage of the small number of visitors and head up the Tower, but before we could find the ticket office the signs were out stating that it was closed due to snow. Christmas Day was forecast to be fine so we decided that it was worth a shot, and it was. The day was fine and clear with a wind chill factor of -5 to -7!!! The snow was still a factor so we were only able to go up to the first floor, but the views were amazing. There was a small skating ring, restaurants, a shop selling 'ice cream' (not sure why??) and the usual souvenir store.

Peggy's 'arty' photography?!

View looking up the centre of the Tower

Smile...it's Christmas Day and you're on the Eiffel Tower!

View from the first floor.

It's now 1.30 in the morning and looking out the window of the flat there are still some restaurants open and a few people on the street. I guess it's true that 'the city never sleeps'. Tomorrow it's the Musee D'Orsay and a Monet exhibition (amongst a great many other things) and perhaps a dinner and Moulin Rouge show, it's tough but someone has to do it!

Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas!

Carcassonne Christmas festival. Many layers to keep warm but a wonderfully magic night with amazing lights, parade, music, skating and shopping.

 Ten days til Christmas...where did the year go?We have now been away from home for 5 months, what a year! 
Winter has arrived in the valley, with crisp, bright days and cool nights. Martin has the central heating going and a fire is a regular happening each night. 

We have been very busy over the last month with a trip away to Nice and Cannes as well as visits to Carcassonne and Toulouse Christmas markets. Christmas in France seems less full of hype than in NZ which is a nice change. The Christmas markets are wonderful with lights, parades, music, and little chalets brimming with Christmas goodies, including some very yummy mulled wine and cider! A skating ring in the middle of the town square is also common. We are heading for Paris for Christmas which will be fun. They are expecting more snow so I might just get my white Christmas after all! We have rented a small apartment in the Latin Quarter near Notre Dame. It is apparently full of students from the Sorbonne, artists, musicians, great restaurants and bookstores.  Will be a great experience for two little NZ country bumpkins!
 A little of what we've been up to......

How the other half live in Monaco! Martin was drooling!

Ventimiglia, just over the Italian border from France...the biggest market I have ever seen! It stretched for miles along the beach front. Leather handbags, shoes, gloves to die for!

Martin eating escargot! Apparently they were delicious?!

Our first (early) snowfall was a very exciting event...I ran around enjoying the feel of the snow on my face, Martin sat inside beside the fire! It only lasted 24 hours before the sun came out but it was great...remind me I said that in January when we're snowed in!

View from the end of our garden.

Our first soup, vege of course, eaten beside the fire snug and warm!

Carcassonne Fete Noel, a wonderful evening of lights, music, and food. Each chalet is filled with different Christmas goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

Our little Christmas tree!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. We will be thinking of you over the break and it goes without saying that we'll miss you! Our next blog will hopefully be from Paris!

Enjoy, relax and take care!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

It's been a month since I last posted anything so have decided that rather than bore you all with an endless recounting of our endeavours, I'd let some photos do it for me. 

Magic roads to exciting destinations.

Autumn in our Valley                                                      

It's the 'biggness' of France that never ceases to amaze!

Home sweet home!

England October 2010
We had a wonderful two weeks in England staying with my aunt and uncle in Kent and exploring the Kent, Suffolk, Sussex countryside. The narrow country lanes, pubs and thatched houses are something very special. Three days in London was good too but just served to prove that we are country bumpkins at heart!

So many people, so many bookshops!!!

Now...was it the red line or the blue? The mysteries of the underground.

The closest I'll get to being at Cambridge University!

The medieval town of Levenham, absolutely fabulous.

Our local village
Rouvenac is our local village, a couple of hundred people at the most live here, more in summer. It is typical of many small French villages, but of course we think it's pretty great. 

12 o'clock in Rouvenac, not a soul to be seen til after 2pm!

 The difference between French village houses and English is extreme. Initially we saw these villages as drab and depressing, we now look at them much more fondly as being rather quaint and very French. In summer there are baskets of flowers everywhere which helps to counter the starkness of the outside.

The Auberge du Faby, our local restaurant. Again very typically French. The food is very good, if not a little pricey. It is now closed during the week for winter, open Saturdays and Sundays.

Napoleon's trees line the road into the village. they are fast losing their leaves.

All Saints Day is a holiday over here. Families visit their local cemeteries with huge bunches of flowers for deceased family members. They also bring food and drink and spend time there, it's a happy day as well as one of remembrance.




Well, enough for now. Life in the valley is still wonderful, we are beginning to feel very much more at home now. We are off to Nice and Cannes with some new friends at end of the month which will be fun. The weather is still pretty good, we have started the central heating and lit the fire but have yet to feel cold. That is still to come next year I fear! 
Until the next time...

                                           Peggy and Martin

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!