Paris, July 6th, 2013

Saturday 29th June. We made an excursion from Chateauroux to Bourges. It was a wet morning but the rain had more or less stopped when we arrived. Bourges has free parking near the medieval city which is encouraging for tourists. We went to the Tourist Office and got a map. The tourist train was just leaving so we went on the tour which also had an informative commentary in English. As we left there were several wedding parties making their way to the Town Hall for the civil ceremony and so we waved to them.  An hour later we finished the tour at the cathedral. It is really impressive and avoided damage during the Wars of Religion, the Revolution and both World Wars. The nave is 37m high (think a ten story building!) and the stained glass in the choir dates from 1215, contemporary with the more famous Chartres cathedral. There are three levels of windows and the bottom level is just above eye level so you don't need binoculars to see them. There is also an astronomical clock from 1424 which is only a few seconds out in a year. 

 The tourist train parked outside the cathedral in Bourges.

 Cathedral of St. Etienne in Bourges.

 Detail of one of the 13thC stained glass windows.

 The diamond pattern is very typical of the half timbered buildings in Bourges.

 

Our next stop was in Alencon famous for its lace, but we did not go to the lace museum. On the way to Alencon we explored the Loire Valley a little including driving through Chambord park. Our day trip from Alencon was to Saint Ceneri le Generi supposedly one of the prettiest villages in France and we were not disappointed. From there to Mayenne and Jublains for the Roman ruins and Lassay les Chateaux another classic chateau. 

Chambord, one of the great chateaux of the Loire. Begun in 1519 it is surrounded by a vast park and forest where the king used to hunt.

One of the pretty restaurants in Sainte-Ceneri-le-Gerai, one of the most beautiful villages in France.

 A street in Sainte-Ceneri-le-Gerai.

 Frescoes probably from the 12th-14thC inside the 11thC Romanesque church in Sainte-Ceneri-le-Gerai. They had been plastered over centuries ago and this preserved them.

Lassay les Chateaux in Mayenne

 

We were a bit ambitious making our way from Alencon to Caen. We started off visiting Sees cathedral. This cathedral is the 5th Christian structure on the site of a Roman temple. As far as I know it is the only cathedral ordered to be burnt by its own bishop. (He was trying to smoke out looters) The Pope was unimpressed and ordered him to rebuild the cathedral! I was anxious to finally see some French coast and so we went to St Malo which took rather longer than I expected so we were late arriving in Caen. 

 The story of Sees cathedral and its vicissitudes through the centuries.

 The keep of the chateau of Carrouges near Sees in Normandy. The chateau itself is moated and was lived in by the same family from the 14thC until 1936.

On Wednesday we went back to Falaise to see William the Conqueror's castle where he was born in 1029. It was drizzling rain, but the old buildings outside the castle were attractive. Unfortunately at this point the Sat Nav gave up the ghost. Although previously we have found our way around France with just paper maps, you do get used to modern technology.  We returned to Caen and found the Opel dealer who was not very helpful and so we resorted to our own TomTom which we had brought from Australia. Driving north east from Caen we reached the coast at Deauville, a very up market seaside resort. Apparently it was race day as there was no shortage of horse floats and traffic. Our last stop on the way to Rouen was Honfleur, one of Monet's haunts. Unfortunately it was chaotic. There were major roadworks and one of the main parking areas was inaccessible. It was also one of the few places where we found tourist hordes. 

 A chaumiere - a thatched cottage of Normandy. Although this one does not  they typically have iris planted along the ridge of the roof.

The harbour at Honfleur as painted by Monet and many others.

 The porch of the wooden St Catherine's church in Honfleur.

 A saxophonist plays Bach next to the organ in St Catherine's church in Honfleur.

 I love the lively horses on this carousel next to the harbour in Honfleur.

Thursday was our last full day in France and we went to Dieppe. It was a glorious day and driving along the coast was very pleasant. On Saturday we had until 6 p.m. to get to CDG airport, so we went to Giverny and peered through the fence of Monet's garden, which was looking as beautiful as ever. Continuing along through the Seine Valley we were able to amble along quiet back roads although we were so close to Paris. 

 Camembert in the making?

 The cliffs at Pourville. I had read how Monet was fascinated by the changing colour of the sea on the Normandy coast. The day we were there, the sea was a beautiful turquoise colour.

 Cathedral square surrounded by pleached trees.

 Monet's garden at Giverny viewed through the fence.

 Sunlight on the cliffs beside the Seine near Les Andelys.

A pigeonnier or dovecote in the Seine Valley. The pigeons were an important food source in Medieval times and were kept for their eggs, meat and dung.

 

The pace changed suddenly when we got onto the autoroutes on the outskirts of Paris. I found that rather nervewracking but we got the car back to the depot at the airport without incident. I was promising myself a Gin and tonic at the airport. So it was a disappointment when I could not find it and had to settle for French champagne.
We arrived home to bitterly cold weather and now I have caught up on sleep I will put this blog into hibernation until next time we set off on our travels.

Rodez, France, 28th June 2013

We left Grenoble still heading south into the gorges in the Vercors area. We picked up a route map in the tourist office in Villiard-de-Lans. Just south of the town the road enters the Gorges of the Bourne - a Michelin *** attraction. The road is at the base of the gorge - just hollowed out at the base of the cliff and the height is not enough for tall vehicles but it makes a spectacular drive. Continuing on, the road circles the top of the Combe-Laval which gives quite a different perspective. 

New style vehicle for La Poste.

 The road along the Gorge de la Bourne near Villiard-de-Lans.

 Looking down from the Combe Laval road.

  

We stayed in Vallance and the next day made an excursion to Rochemaure which has the standard ruined castle above the town and is where my Godson (Robert) has a house with magnificent views over the Rhone Valley. Not far to the west is Alba la Romaine with the remains of a Roman theatre. On the eastern bank of the Rhone is Montelimar famous for Nougat. When my Sister and I came here 45 years ago we nearly ate ourselves sick on the free samples of nougat. It was Sunday this time, and the nougat was more elusive. 

 Rochemaure - every town should have its own ruined castle standing guard.

 Montelimar nougat in the traditional packaging - not the most economical way to buy it.

 

The following day Monday 24th June we left Vallance still heading south for our next stop Avignon. On the way we called into Orange. How many towns can boast of a well preserved Triumphal Roman Arch from 1stC A.D. in the middle of the roundabout as you enter the town? We also went to Vaison la Romaine which is on the tourist trail. A 1stC A.D. Roman bridge connects the Upper and Lower town on opposite banks of the river. 

 The Roman triumphal Arch now in the middle of a roundabout on the main road into Orange.

 The upper town of Vaison la Romaine

 Need a tagine? There is a good selection in Vaison la Romaine. I fancied a child's sundress in Provencal fabric, but there were only two sizes - six months and six years!

 

The following day our first stop was Saint-Remy-de-Provence. About 10 years ago we stumbled across a fabric shop while searching for the car which we had temporarily lost. I had kept the card and found it on the web recently, but when we got to Rue Lafayette it had gone. Fortunately there was another fabric shop on the opposite side of the street so I was able to buy "Tissus Provencal". Saint-Remy is a nice town to walk around with narrow lanes and interesting shops. Although the Mistral was blowing the streets were sheltered.  

 Many roads in France are lined with avenues of trees.

 The Town Hall square in Saint-Remy-de-Provence with its shady trees and outdoor cafes is typical.

 The fabric shop I found in Saint-Remy-de-Provence.

 Inside the shop.

 My purchases from the shop (and scraps given to me)

From there we went to Arles which has a lot of Roman ruins including an amphitheatre where French style bull fights (The bull lives) are held. However the attraction being advertised was Equestrian spectaculars - think Spanish Lippizaner Horses and I would have loved to see them in that setting. To finish the day we took a run out onto the Camargue - the Rhone Delta. There are large areas of rice paddies and it is flat and the Mistral was blowing hard making it not very pleasant. However we found some white horses although the flamingoes were mostly hiding. 

 The Roman Amphitheatre in Arles is still in use.

 The white horses of the Camargue.

 

This morning in Avignon I thought I should get a photo of the famous half bridge but it proved rather difficult as there was little official parking along the river. 

Sur le pont d'Avignon.

We are now in Rodez which we reached via the Tarn Gorges. From Rodez we made an excursion out to Villefranche-de-Rouergue one of the Bastide towns/villages. These were new towns built to a regular plan between 1220 and 1370 in South West France.

 The road through the Tarn Gorges is also cut into the side of the cliffs.

 More pretty wildflowers growing on the rocks.

 A hillside town in the Tarn Gorge.

 Street scene in Rodez. The dogs caught my eye, but as usual i was a bit slow snapping.

 June is the end of the school year and the time for school excursions.

 Around Rodez it is very pretty undulating countryside.

 The central square next to the Collegiate church of Notre Dame in
Villefranche-de-Rouergue has the arcades typical of Bastide towns.

 Examples of the choir stalls in the Collegiate church.

The cloisters of La Chartreuse Saint Saveur (just outside Villefranche) may be the largest in France, but they are very plain, not surprising as this was a Carthusian monastery.

Looking down on the village of Conques. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was too late to see the treasury - the largest collection of medieval reliquary gold and silverwork.

Grenoble, June 21st

From Dijon we continued south. We are really "en Vacance" and not being at all serious tourists, so the frequency of posts will probably decrease. We have been booking our accommodation on line as we go and it has been working out very well. After leaving Dijon our first stop was Dole where we eventually found the tourist office but being Sunday it was shut, so we settled for coffee in the square. The waiter was running to look after the dogs as well as the people. 

The Cathedral at Dole.

 A rather stern looking Madonna in the church at Salins les Bains

We stayed in Bourg-en-Bresse and the following day just drove out to admire the countryside and the "Village Fleuri". Just outside Bourg-en-Bresse is the Abbey of Brou with another lovely glazed tile roof. We are now in Savoie and out of Charolais country, but I don't know the name of the brown and white breed of cattle we see here. 

The glazed tile roof of the Abbey of Brou near Bourg-en-Bresse. We walked right around the building but could not find a better angle for a photo.

 

 Walt Disney in the French countryside.

 
We found the Tourist Office in Belley, a town I had never heard of, but it turns out it was thriving under the Romans. We took the walking tour of the town which is always interesting. This town only became French in 1600 (before that the area was under the Dukes of Savoie (Swiss?).  It was a hive of activity during the Counter Reformation and there are 4 former convents although it is a pretty small place. More relevant are the contemporary cafes and we got a good cup of coffee in one. 

 Lots and lots of wildflowers everywhere.

 Judging by the dogs we see they should have a good clientele!

 A change from the more usual Christ in Majesty (or similar) above the main entrance to Belley Cathedral.

From Belley we started our touring of the mountains going past the Belvedere d'Ontax and over Col du Chat and then Col du Mont Chat (1504m) with magnificent views over Lac Bourget. Plenty of hairpin bends, but with the SatNav you can see them coming up. 

 Looking down on Lake Bourget from the Belvedere du Mont du Chat.

 The snow is melting and there are waterfalls galore.

We stayed last night in Chambery and today went higher into the Alps along Rue des Grands Alpes which took us over the Col du Meraillat (over 1900m) and amongst the drifts of snow and past lots of cascades and waterfalls from the melting snow. Still plenty of cattle but today they were Swiss Brown.

 This could be in the area of Col du Meraillet west of Mont Blanc.

 

 Wildflowers again.

Every day after we set off one of our first tasks is to find a boulangerie to buy the bread for our picnic lunch. We are getting better at spotting them and diving into a parking spot close by. Today (Thursday) was another day in the mountains. We went over Col du Galabier at 2646m. Although the pass was open there were feet of snow each side of the road in places. Le Tour will be going over this pass on July 21st, so it will be interesting to see how much snow remains then. We stopped for coffee at Col du Lautaret and the cafe was full of cyclists including an English group who were riding from London to Monaco - 900 km in 10 days.

 As we sat in the cafe on Col du Lauteret a thunderstorm passed by and the lightning was spectacular.

The number of cyclists toiling on the pass is phenomenal.

 

 It is now Friday evening and today was another day in the mountains. The weather was perfect with the sun shining on the snow. The air is so clear and the mountains stand out against the sky.  We drove first up to Alpe d'Huez. There was some sort of cycle race and there were dozens of cyclists on the road. Alpe D'Huez is a huge ski resort and the road we wanted to take out of town was not signposted. However we found it - 15 km of twisting and narrow road along the plateau. Fortunately there was very little traffic as it was often single track and there was one particularly scary hairpin bend. The views were spectacular and being France there were occasional picnic tables.

 View from the hotel car park in Grenoble.

 French alpine scenery on a good day is hard to beat!

 French traffic calmers are serious.

To finish this post, a postcard view of the French Alps.