Margot says:
A fantastic food market at Narbonne, Les Halles. Narbonne is only about half an hour's drive from Puisserguier. The display of the produce put the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne to shame! We bought our lunch supplies, pâté, jambon, chorizo and fromage together with baguettes all of which have become a staple of our diet when we are on the road. (Photos to follow)
We experienced incredible winds today as we drove south to the Vermillion Coast (Collioure) through the Pyrénées-Orientales. Traffic was heavy and the weather was warm. Catherine has taken some great photos of the mediterrannean but is too tired to upload them! Although it was only a 3 hour drive, with heavy traffic and speeds of 130kmh plus the strong winds it was exhausting for my chauffeur. I feel like I'm in a scene from "Driving Miss Daisy"!
On the way home we ignored Tomasina and detoured off into some tiny picturesque villages.
Tomorrow is most definitely a complete day of rest. Monday and Tuesday we have some meetings lined up with local artists that Noeleen has arranged for us. Nothing planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, yet. On Saturday we leave Puisserguier and head over to Beaumont-du-Perigord in the Dordogne.
Bonsoir!
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Friday, 30 May 2014
Day 9: Carcassonne, Le département de l'Aude
The city of Carcassonne has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It has been occupied by the Romans and the Visigoths.
We took a 20 minute mini-bus ride around the perimeter as well as strolling through the narrow inner laneways which were densely populated by tourists and souvenir shops which detracted from the magnificence of the history surrounding this mediaeval fort.
We finished the afternoon at the Basilica of St Nazaire and were pleasantly surprised by the presence of a Russian orthodox vocal quartet singing beautifully. The acoustics in the church are well suited to such a performance. It was a fitting end to a day's activities.
On the way home (a mere hour's drive) we detoured from Tomasina's instructions and took a few deviations into some delightful villages. At every turn there is another wonder!
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Day 8: Canal du Midi
Margot says:
All my dreams came true today.
We did a day trip on the 240km long canal du midi, something I have been looking forward to for a long time. I remember well when the artist Bill Caldwell did a demonstration painting of a barge on the canal du midi. Today I saw the boats, large as life!
The particular section of the canal on which we travelled today was very interesting. We went through several locks (écluses - there are 91 locks in total along the length of the canal), including the Fonserannes Locks which is a staircase lock consisting of 7 consecutive locks. A brilliant piece of engineering from the 17th century. Pierre-Paul Riquet was the engineer for the construction of the canal which joins the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
One of the main features of the canal are the beautiful avenues of grand plane trees, easily 3 times the size of those on St Kilda Road! The light shining between the trunks on to the canal is magical. Tragically, a disease has affected many of these trees. Many have already been removed, have died and stand bare of leaves and those with obvious signs of disease have been marked for future removal.
We enjoyed a delightful lunch aboard le bateau. The most unfortunate part of the trip was that the guided commentary was all in French and so we lost most of the context. However, on our return home Wikipedia has filled in many blanks for us!
All my dreams came true today.
We did a day trip on the 240km long canal du midi, something I have been looking forward to for a long time. I remember well when the artist Bill Caldwell did a demonstration painting of a barge on the canal du midi. Today I saw the boats, large as life!
The particular section of the canal on which we travelled today was very interesting. We went through several locks (écluses - there are 91 locks in total along the length of the canal), including the Fonserannes Locks which is a staircase lock consisting of 7 consecutive locks. A brilliant piece of engineering from the 17th century. Pierre-Paul Riquet was the engineer for the construction of the canal which joins the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
One of the main features of the canal are the beautiful avenues of grand plane trees, easily 3 times the size of those on St Kilda Road! The light shining between the trunks on to the canal is magical. Tragically, a disease has affected many of these trees. Many have already been removed, have died and stand bare of leaves and those with obvious signs of disease have been marked for future removal.
We enjoyed a delightful lunch aboard le bateau. The most unfortunate part of the trip was that the guided commentary was all in French and so we lost most of the context. However, on our return home Wikipedia has filled in many blanks for us!
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Day 6: Side of a cow and dog tales
Catherine says:
Today was a day of rest. I insisted that The Little Mother put her feet up and massaged her legs with lavender oil. We hung around the house until midday and then took a Nana-walk up to the centre ville for lunch. We spotted a little restaurant and sat down.
The only thing we understood on the menu was boeuf - beef. This word was prefaced with côte which I knew in another context meant coast but surely this didn't mean they were offering a coast of beef. Anyhow, we ordered it just the same. The animated waitress gestured that this was a rather large dish. We didn't mind. So she took the order to the kitchen and promptly returned saying petit, petit, petit? Well, we know what petit means so we just smiled, nodded and said oui!
Shortly afterwards she brings us something that resemble the whole side of a cow.
This was the biggest beef steak I have ever set eyes on. It was so big it was falling off the plate. Along with it came side dishes of mushroom sauce, broccoli and courgette gratin and something that resembled hash browns but was substantially more classy (of course it would be, it's French!) plus Bob Baguettes, so named by The Little Mother and I after meeting Judge Bob in Amiens who was a baguette aficionado and very particular - a baguette is not a baguette if it is a sourdough baguette!
We both dived in head first as this was the first substantial meal we have eaten since we left Amiens. I'm afraid we've been living off Bob Baguettes, jambon et fromage et tomat!
After we had completely consumed the whole cow the waitress advised us that under normal circumstances the steak is double the thickness (about 2 inches!) but the chef had the good sense to split it in two for us.
We finished the meal with dessert - creme caramel and apricot tart. Delicieux!
When we returned home, we had a little visit from Noeleen who was in a bit of a state because the local coppers had paid her a visit. I immediately went in to some panic thinking it had something to do with the way I had parked the car or that perhaps they had caught up with me for speeding because I still haven't worked out that part of driving a car and the speed limit signs are few and far between here (no TAC exists in France!). However, the gendarmerie were only doing a door knock to find a stray dog! Quelle horreure! Dogs are not permitted to roam the streets without a lead and so the local constabulary were on a mission to save the town from the stray dog! Really, the situation seemed to come straight out of an episode of Ballykissangel. What made it all the more funny was that the door knocking policeman was doing it in his lunch break which, here in France, is sacreligious! Everyone knocks off between 12 and 2 (all the shops shut) so that they can focus on food (hey, this is my kind of country!) so for a man to forego his 2 hour lunch break to hunt down a stray dog is going well beyond the call of duty.
Today was a day of rest. I insisted that The Little Mother put her feet up and massaged her legs with lavender oil. We hung around the house until midday and then took a Nana-walk up to the centre ville for lunch. We spotted a little restaurant and sat down.
The only thing we understood on the menu was boeuf - beef. This word was prefaced with côte which I knew in another context meant coast but surely this didn't mean they were offering a coast of beef. Anyhow, we ordered it just the same. The animated waitress gestured that this was a rather large dish. We didn't mind. So she took the order to the kitchen and promptly returned saying petit, petit, petit? Well, we know what petit means so we just smiled, nodded and said oui!
Shortly afterwards she brings us something that resemble the whole side of a cow.
This was the biggest beef steak I have ever set eyes on. It was so big it was falling off the plate. Along with it came side dishes of mushroom sauce, broccoli and courgette gratin and something that resembled hash browns but was substantially more classy (of course it would be, it's French!) plus Bob Baguettes, so named by The Little Mother and I after meeting Judge Bob in Amiens who was a baguette aficionado and very particular - a baguette is not a baguette if it is a sourdough baguette!
We both dived in head first as this was the first substantial meal we have eaten since we left Amiens. I'm afraid we've been living off Bob Baguettes, jambon et fromage et tomat!
After we had completely consumed the whole cow the waitress advised us that under normal circumstances the steak is double the thickness (about 2 inches!) but the chef had the good sense to split it in two for us.
We finished the meal with dessert - creme caramel and apricot tart. Delicieux!
When we returned home, we had a little visit from Noeleen who was in a bit of a state because the local coppers had paid her a visit. I immediately went in to some panic thinking it had something to do with the way I had parked the car or that perhaps they had caught up with me for speeding because I still haven't worked out that part of driving a car and the speed limit signs are few and far between here (no TAC exists in France!). However, the gendarmerie were only doing a door knock to find a stray dog! Quelle horreure! Dogs are not permitted to roam the streets without a lead and so the local constabulary were on a mission to save the town from the stray dog! Really, the situation seemed to come straight out of an episode of Ballykissangel. What made it all the more funny was that the door knocking policeman was doing it in his lunch break which, here in France, is sacreligious! Everyone knocks off between 12 and 2 (all the shops shut) so that they can focus on food (hey, this is my kind of country!) so for a man to forego his 2 hour lunch break to hunt down a stray dog is going well beyond the call of duty.
Day 6: Puisserguier, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon
Catherine says:
Puisserguier is located in the Hérault Department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is a 30 minute drive from the Mediterranean and a 15 minute drive from the nearest large town, Béziers. Population is a little less than 3,000.
This small village is renowned for its wine and olive oil and its history goes back to mediaeval times. The design of the village is circulade, which is a type of architecture dating back to the Romanesque period whereby the town's streets are built in concentric circles around the base of a chateau. (I guess that means that we can't really get lost; instead we'll just be spinning around in circles!)
Puisserguier's chateau is built on an old Roman fort and played an important role during the 12th century. In addition to the chateau there is St Christopher's Priory (17th century) and the Church of St Paul (14th century) which houses an organ that celebrated its centenary in 2000 (which, I guess, is not considered so antiquated in these parts!).
Puisserguier sits on one of the many routes on the Camino de Santiago de Compostola (St Jacques de Campostelle) - we were not aware of this so it was a pleasant surprise as we have often discussed this pilgrimage.
The other exciting aspect to this town is that it sits on the 240km long UNESCO heritage listed canal du midi (or canal de los doas mars - canal of the two seas because it joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic ocean). It is considered to be one of the greatest engineering works of the 17th century. Before we leave Puisserguier Mum and I plan to take a little dinner cruise on one of the many boats that travel up and down the canal.
Puisserguier is located in the Hérault Department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is a 30 minute drive from the Mediterranean and a 15 minute drive from the nearest large town, Béziers. Population is a little less than 3,000.
This small village is renowned for its wine and olive oil and its history goes back to mediaeval times. The design of the village is circulade, which is a type of architecture dating back to the Romanesque period whereby the town's streets are built in concentric circles around the base of a chateau. (I guess that means that we can't really get lost; instead we'll just be spinning around in circles!)
Puisserguier's chateau is built on an old Roman fort and played an important role during the 12th century. In addition to the chateau there is St Christopher's Priory (17th century) and the Church of St Paul (14th century) which houses an organ that celebrated its centenary in 2000 (which, I guess, is not considered so antiquated in these parts!).
Puisserguier sits on one of the many routes on the Camino de Santiago de Compostola (St Jacques de Campostelle) - we were not aware of this so it was a pleasant surprise as we have often discussed this pilgrimage.
The other exciting aspect to this town is that it sits on the 240km long UNESCO heritage listed canal du midi (or canal de los doas mars - canal of the two seas because it joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic ocean). It is considered to be one of the greatest engineering works of the 17th century. Before we leave Puisserguier Mum and I plan to take a little dinner cruise on one of the many boats that travel up and down the canal.
Map of day 5 driving: Limoges to Puisserguier - 7 hours
Below is a map of our route from Limoges to Puisserguier.
Map of day 4 driving: Amiens to Limoges - 10 hours
Below is a record of our drive from Amiens to Limoges on day 3. Driving time states a little over 7 hours, although with breaks along the way it took us 10 hours.
Day 6: Breakfast with rose
Catherine says:
Awoke bright and early and shared our breakfast with the sun streaming through the window, Karen Flavel's collection of classical music playing in the background and red roses on the table.
Awoke bright and early and shared our breakfast with the sun streaming through the window, Karen Flavel's collection of classical music playing in the background and red roses on the table.
Monday, 26 May 2014
Catherine says: OMG
..I can buy a house in Puisserguier for only 50 thousand euros!
Goodbye Edithvale. Hello France!
Day 5: Limoges to Puisserguier
Catherine says:
At last we have arrived at Puisserguier!
It took 7 hours of driving, mostly in heavy rains in the toll roads to reach Puisserguier from Limoges. I have now legislated that The Little Mother will do absolutely no driving on this holiday; not because she's not capable (after all, she drove a campervan around Europe last time we were here) but because this trip is all about spoiling her!
We are staying in a beautiful house ("Chez Noeleen"), a converted winemaker's cottage; three storeys, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and the most beautiful courtyard garden. The pergola is covered in grapevines, wisteria, red roses and ivy. There is also lavender, lupins, lillies, cyclamen and honeysuckle. Beyond the decking is a white gravelled area, the original old outhouse toilet the aged wood being a real feature. There is also a table & chairs to while away the time in the sun which has now shown its face at 5:45pm - a nice change from the extremely wet and overcast weather we experienced on the way down.
Adjacent to the house is a large "garage" which was the original winemaking premises. It still has all the original fittings and an enormous entry door which the owner has lovingly restored. This house has so much character1
We will stay here for 2 weeks and use it as a base to visit the mediaeval fortress town of Carcassone (which we glimpsed on the way down - even in the distance it was spectacular), Narbonne (famous for its market) and Capestang which is a mere 10 minute drive away renowned for being an artists' haven.
Puisserguier has a population of less than 3,000 people so we are truly going to enjoy the slow life.
The owner of our little house (who also lives next door) is a delightful Irishwoman called Noeleen Murphy. She gave us a great welcome, just like one of the family.
Below is a photograph of the view from one of the bedrooms.
..and the garden courtyard...
...and the house from another angle...
...the garden again...
...and the original outhouse...
At last we have arrived at Puisserguier!
It took 7 hours of driving, mostly in heavy rains in the toll roads to reach Puisserguier from Limoges. I have now legislated that The Little Mother will do absolutely no driving on this holiday; not because she's not capable (after all, she drove a campervan around Europe last time we were here) but because this trip is all about spoiling her!
We are staying in a beautiful house ("Chez Noeleen"), a converted winemaker's cottage; three storeys, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and the most beautiful courtyard garden. The pergola is covered in grapevines, wisteria, red roses and ivy. There is also lavender, lupins, lillies, cyclamen and honeysuckle. Beyond the decking is a white gravelled area, the original old outhouse toilet the aged wood being a real feature. There is also a table & chairs to while away the time in the sun which has now shown its face at 5:45pm - a nice change from the extremely wet and overcast weather we experienced on the way down.
Adjacent to the house is a large "garage" which was the original winemaking premises. It still has all the original fittings and an enormous entry door which the owner has lovingly restored. This house has so much character1
We will stay here for 2 weeks and use it as a base to visit the mediaeval fortress town of Carcassone (which we glimpsed on the way down - even in the distance it was spectacular), Narbonne (famous for its market) and Capestang which is a mere 10 minute drive away renowned for being an artists' haven.
Puisserguier has a population of less than 3,000 people so we are truly going to enjoy the slow life.
The owner of our little house (who also lives next door) is a delightful Irishwoman called Noeleen Murphy. She gave us a great welcome, just like one of the family.
Below is a photograph of the view from one of the bedrooms.
..and the garden courtyard...
...and the house from another angle...
...the garden again...
...and the original outhouse...
Day 4: The Day of the Round-a-bouts and The Day of Tunnels
Margot says:
It has been somewhat of a talking point in our family of the tale of my brother Bryan's encounter with his first round-a-bout on one of his trips to France.
Catherine felt very proud of herself on Day 3 (Amiens to Limoges) when she navigated her way around at least 50 round-a-bouts in one day. We were sick to death of Tomasina (my nickname for the TomTom GPS we are so fortunate to have in our possession) repeatedly saying "at the next round-a-bout take the second exit". The only role I played in navigating our way around the labyrinth of round-a-bouts was to count the exits to ensure that we took the right one.
On occasion I slipped up and we would take the wrong one and Tomasina would quite patiently - in her clipped English accent - tell us: "when possible, please turn around".
Amazingly, the next day (Day 4, Limoges to Puisserguier) there was a dearth of round-a-bouts and so driving was rather plain sailing. However, for those who know me well and my dislike of driving through tunnels (even Melbourne's CityLoop!) day 4 was rather trying as there were several tunnels we needed to go through to reach our destination. I held my breath as I went through each tunnel, unsure as to why I think this will help my tunnel-anxiety!
The amusing thing about the tunnels is that at the beginning of a tunnel, there is a sign which indicates you are approaching one. The tunnels are that darned big no sign is really necessary. What is even more amusing is that after exiting a tunnel, about 20 metres on, there is yet another sign indicating that we have left the tunnel!
It has been somewhat of a talking point in our family of the tale of my brother Bryan's encounter with his first round-a-bout on one of his trips to France.
Catherine felt very proud of herself on Day 3 (Amiens to Limoges) when she navigated her way around at least 50 round-a-bouts in one day. We were sick to death of Tomasina (my nickname for the TomTom GPS we are so fortunate to have in our possession) repeatedly saying "at the next round-a-bout take the second exit". The only role I played in navigating our way around the labyrinth of round-a-bouts was to count the exits to ensure that we took the right one.
On occasion I slipped up and we would take the wrong one and Tomasina would quite patiently - in her clipped English accent - tell us: "when possible, please turn around".
Amazingly, the next day (Day 4, Limoges to Puisserguier) there was a dearth of round-a-bouts and so driving was rather plain sailing. However, for those who know me well and my dislike of driving through tunnels (even Melbourne's CityLoop!) day 4 was rather trying as there were several tunnels we needed to go through to reach our destination. I held my breath as I went through each tunnel, unsure as to why I think this will help my tunnel-anxiety!
The amusing thing about the tunnels is that at the beginning of a tunnel, there is a sign which indicates you are approaching one. The tunnels are that darned big no sign is really necessary. What is even more amusing is that after exiting a tunnel, about 20 metres on, there is yet another sign indicating that we have left the tunnel!
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Day 4: Exhausted
Catherine says:
Drove 10 hours today. From Amiens in the north to Limoges further south via Rouen, Chartres then Orleans. Tomorrow we head down even further towards the coast to Puisserguier.
That's all I'm going to say about that because right now my head is so close to the pillow I'm almost comatose.
Drove 10 hours today. From Amiens in the north to Limoges further south via Rouen, Chartres then Orleans. Tomorrow we head down even further towards the coast to Puisserguier.
That's all I'm going to say about that because right now my head is so close to the pillow I'm almost comatose.
Day 4: Moving on
Margot says:
Our aim today was to be up bright and early, breakfasted and ready to go by 8am. The best laid plans of mice and men...
At 8am when we went to retrieve the car from the long term car park we discovered it doesn't open on a Sunday until 10am. So we had two hours to kill. Hence the number of blog posts this morning.
It's a brilliantly sunny morning - unlike yesterday which was overcast and occasionally wet. We walked the short distance to the Amiens Cathedral over cobbled roads and paths and lit a candle for my late friend Bev.
Mass was about to start and I took a short video of the altar with the choir singing in the background. This will be a real reminder of Bev.
Once more, we have returned to our room and it is still only 9.40am. Not enough time to do anything much, except check emails and write blog posts.
Once we extract the car from the car park (!) and load it up with our two tonne of luggage (what were we thinking? Initially we had plans to only travel with carry on luggage!) we will head south west towards Rouen and then on to Limoges where we hope to stay the night. On Monday we will drive the final leg to Puisserguier for a two week stay at Chez Noeleen.
Puisserguier is a very small town (population less than 3,000) in the Languedoc-Rousillon region (Hérault Department). The nearest large city is Montpellier, 90kms away.
We are looking forward to mixing with the locals and absorbing their culture. We now find that Noeleen of Chez Noeleen is Irish! Noeleen Murphy to be exact!
Our aim today was to be up bright and early, breakfasted and ready to go by 8am. The best laid plans of mice and men...
At 8am when we went to retrieve the car from the long term car park we discovered it doesn't open on a Sunday until 10am. So we had two hours to kill. Hence the number of blog posts this morning.
It's a brilliantly sunny morning - unlike yesterday which was overcast and occasionally wet. We walked the short distance to the Amiens Cathedral over cobbled roads and paths and lit a candle for my late friend Bev.
Mass was about to start and I took a short video of the altar with the choir singing in the background. This will be a real reminder of Bev.
Once more, we have returned to our room and it is still only 9.40am. Not enough time to do anything much, except check emails and write blog posts.
Once we extract the car from the car park (!) and load it up with our two tonne of luggage (what were we thinking? Initially we had plans to only travel with carry on luggage!) we will head south west towards Rouen and then on to Limoges where we hope to stay the night. On Monday we will drive the final leg to Puisserguier for a two week stay at Chez Noeleen.
Puisserguier is a very small town (population less than 3,000) in the Languedoc-Rousillon region (Hérault Department). The nearest large city is Montpellier, 90kms away.
We are looking forward to mixing with the locals and absorbing their culture. We now find that Noeleen of Chez Noeleen is Irish! Noeleen Murphy to be exact!
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Day 3: A supposed day of rest
Margot says:
It took a while but we are now fully connected to the outside world - technologically speaking - thanks to Telstra and Catherine's genius!
We had a lovely walk around the city today at "Nana-pace". That is, when the hotel manager advises that the walk to the train station is a mere 15 minutes away, this translates into 45 minutes at "Nana-pace".
This is a delightful city. We were not expecting it to be so beautiful and charming. It is full of history and has a strong bond with Australia. Australian flags and references to our country appear everywhere.
We lunched at Le 31 restaurant on the river; highly recommended. Scallops for me and salmon for Catherine (who is still overcoming a case of "Bali belly" due to the local water!)
Today we had the great fortune of falling upon an advertisement for a concert at a nearby church. It was a short walk from our hotel to Eglise Saint Leu. We were most excited when we arrived at the church, read the programme and discovered that a Professor of Music & Musicology from the Sorbonne was the director - Frederic Billiet! It was a brilliant performance of mediaeval and renaissance music by Le Speranza choir. We were amazed at the collection of 15th century musical instruments and the Professor was highly animated - he resembled Lenin but with a considerably more joyful countenance!
Although we could not understand all of the language, the performance was magnificent - a most unexpected bonus of our time in Amiens.
The church itself is extremely old and bears the scars of bombing during 1940. Burnt and bullet pitted walls are prevalent. It was obvious that the stained glass windows had been destroyed and never replaced. Such a shame that this old church was not unscathed, whereas the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Amiens was untouched and continues to retain all its original glory.
The altar was most ornate, heavily gilded and dramatically lit throughout the spectacular performance.
The choir was small, consisting of 6 women and 3 men plus the instrumentalists. They all wore medieaval costume. As it turned out, this was a free concert and I was amazed that there was such a small attendance of only about 100 people.
The acoustics were very much suited to the music and I bought a copy of their CD. Strangely enough, all day we had been listening to Catherine's iPod (connected to portable speakers, of course!) - a beautiful compilation by a French choir (founded by Laurence Equilbey in 1991) which performs under the name of Accentus and is in residence at the Opéra Rouen (one of our next stops) - some of the songs we had been listening to on the iPod today were performed this evening!
It finished at 10pm so we walked slowly back to our hotel in the daylight.
A day full of surprises!
It took a while but we are now fully connected to the outside world - technologically speaking - thanks to Telstra and Catherine's genius!
We had a lovely walk around the city today at "Nana-pace". That is, when the hotel manager advises that the walk to the train station is a mere 15 minutes away, this translates into 45 minutes at "Nana-pace".
This is a delightful city. We were not expecting it to be so beautiful and charming. It is full of history and has a strong bond with Australia. Australian flags and references to our country appear everywhere.
We lunched at Le 31 restaurant on the river; highly recommended. Scallops for me and salmon for Catherine (who is still overcoming a case of "Bali belly" due to the local water!)
Today we had the great fortune of falling upon an advertisement for a concert at a nearby church. It was a short walk from our hotel to Eglise Saint Leu. We were most excited when we arrived at the church, read the programme and discovered that a Professor of Music & Musicology from the Sorbonne was the director - Frederic Billiet! It was a brilliant performance of mediaeval and renaissance music by Le Speranza choir. We were amazed at the collection of 15th century musical instruments and the Professor was highly animated - he resembled Lenin but with a considerably more joyful countenance!
Although we could not understand all of the language, the performance was magnificent - a most unexpected bonus of our time in Amiens.
The church itself is extremely old and bears the scars of bombing during 1940. Burnt and bullet pitted walls are prevalent. It was obvious that the stained glass windows had been destroyed and never replaced. Such a shame that this old church was not unscathed, whereas the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Amiens was untouched and continues to retain all its original glory.
The altar was most ornate, heavily gilded and dramatically lit throughout the spectacular performance.
The choir was small, consisting of 6 women and 3 men plus the instrumentalists. They all wore medieaval costume. As it turned out, this was a free concert and I was amazed that there was such a small attendance of only about 100 people.
The acoustics were very much suited to the music and I bought a copy of their CD. Strangely enough, all day we had been listening to Catherine's iPod (connected to portable speakers, of course!) - a beautiful compilation by a French choir (founded by Laurence Equilbey in 1991) which performs under the name of Accentus and is in residence at the Opéra Rouen (one of our next stops) - some of the songs we had been listening to on the iPod today were performed this evening!
It finished at 10pm so we walked slowly back to our hotel in the daylight.
A day full of surprises!
Sad news from home
Margot says:
Today was supposed to be a day of rest from emotion and activity. But sad news arrived from home that my dear friend Bev Dunkerley (a friend of more than 60 years) had passed away on Thursday 22nd May.
The quality of her life had been diminishing lately so I cannot wish her back. Eternal rest grant unto her oh Lord, may she rest in peace. Amen.
As one of our group of "Girls", who have been meeting together once a month for more than 50 years, and who all met in early primary school days this will leave a big gap in our midst. We have shared many milestones, memories and much laughter over many years.
I will miss her dearly.
Today was supposed to be a day of rest from emotion and activity. But sad news arrived from home that my dear friend Bev Dunkerley (a friend of more than 60 years) had passed away on Thursday 22nd May.
The quality of her life had been diminishing lately so I cannot wish her back. Eternal rest grant unto her oh Lord, may she rest in peace. Amen.
As one of our group of "Girls", who have been meeting together once a month for more than 50 years, and who all met in early primary school days this will leave a big gap in our midst. We have shared many milestones, memories and much laughter over many years.
I will miss her dearly.
Day 2: Brave soldiers and fallen heroes
Margot says:
Yesterday (Friday 23 May) we toured the Battlefields. Adorned with Dad's (Cyril's) medals, his photo and citation, along with details of the grandfather (Albert Roth, killed 30 June 1916) of my friend of more than 50 years,Val Day, we set out with a guide and another couple, Bob and Deborah from Sydney. It was a most emotionally charged day.
Early in the morning we visited the Amiens Cathedral just across from our hotel. I imagined Dad (Cyril) paying a visit in 1917, not because of his religious beliefs but just because his dear Mum would have expected it! We lit a large candle for all our families.
The next stop was the Villers Brettonneux Memorial where we saw Val's grandfather's name and placed a poppy, said a prayer and cried some. The tragedy of all those lives lost, many so young, in the prime of their lives. The guide, Barbara LeGrand, was most interesting and passionate about the role the Australians played in the area. She personalised the tour to revolve around Dad. Bob and Deborah said it made the trip much more meaningful. I gazed at the strip of land which was the actual no-mans land where Dad would have driven the ambulance and retrieved the fallen. It was spine tingling. We walked in Hamel wood where the Germans holed out. It is now a peaceful, lush green heavily treed space that is mainly used for hunting. Apparently all the shell holes are still evident but we failed to see any. We placed a Cross and Poppy on behalf of Cyril and offered several prayers. We were all tearful. Catherine has lots of amazing photos to share when she has more time to upload them to Flickr.
The weather is pleasant and of course, days are long as it is still light at 10pm. Tomorrow will be a rest day after all the emotion and on Sunday we drive down to Puisserguier (south of Beziers in South East France). We have 2 weeks based there.
I find it hard to believe I am actually in France at last!
Yesterday (Friday 23 May) we toured the Battlefields. Adorned with Dad's (Cyril's) medals, his photo and citation, along with details of the grandfather (Albert Roth, killed 30 June 1916) of my friend of more than 50 years,Val Day, we set out with a guide and another couple, Bob and Deborah from Sydney. It was a most emotionally charged day.
Early in the morning we visited the Amiens Cathedral just across from our hotel. I imagined Dad (Cyril) paying a visit in 1917, not because of his religious beliefs but just because his dear Mum would have expected it! We lit a large candle for all our families.
The next stop was the Villers Brettonneux Memorial where we saw Val's grandfather's name and placed a poppy, said a prayer and cried some. The tragedy of all those lives lost, many so young, in the prime of their lives. The guide, Barbara LeGrand, was most interesting and passionate about the role the Australians played in the area. She personalised the tour to revolve around Dad. Bob and Deborah said it made the trip much more meaningful. I gazed at the strip of land which was the actual no-mans land where Dad would have driven the ambulance and retrieved the fallen. It was spine tingling. We walked in Hamel wood where the Germans holed out. It is now a peaceful, lush green heavily treed space that is mainly used for hunting. Apparently all the shell holes are still evident but we failed to see any. We placed a Cross and Poppy on behalf of Cyril and offered several prayers. We were all tearful. Catherine has lots of amazing photos to share when she has more time to upload them to Flickr.
The weather is pleasant and of course, days are long as it is still light at 10pm. Tomorrow will be a rest day after all the emotion and on Sunday we drive down to Puisserguier (south of Beziers in South East France). We have 2 weeks based there.
I find it hard to believe I am actually in France at last!
Day 2: Monument to the missing
At the Anglo-French Memorial in Picardie is a monument to the 72,000 English and French fallen soldiers whose bodies were never found. The walls of the monument are covered with their names. Occasionally you will come across a blank space where a name has been obliterated - meaning, this soldier - alive or dead - had been found. We do not know if he survived or only his body was found.
Day 2: Australian Judge saves the day in Amiens
Catherine says:
Bonjour mes amies. G'day folks.
Apropos to the previous post, our car troubles increase when the following morning (Friday) our hotel desk manager advises that as hard as they may have tried the only way to swap our hybrid car is to return it to the hire car company at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Yes, brilliant idea. But how do we do that if we can't turn the damned car on!
As we were scheduled to participate in a battlefields tour from 9am to 6.30pm on Friday, the hotel desk manager (or perhaps I should say managers as our car problems seem to have resulted in the hotel creating a Project Management team to resolve our issue!) advised that we should take the tour anyway and they would try to sort out the issue of swapping the car over in Amiens as it was quite impossible for us to return the car to Paris if we couldn't turn on the wretched thing.
So we trotted off for a 20 minute walk to the Amiens train station where we were met by Barbara Legrand of True Blue Digger Tours (corny, I know, but said with a French accent one can get away with it). Also participating in the tour were two Australian Judges by the name of Bob and Deborah who were the most delightful tour companions.
What The Mater and I were not aware of when we met our tour companions is that they are both hybrid car aficionados. Yes, people, Bob and Deborah drive hybrid cars at home!
After an hour or so when the topic of transport arose whilst comparing travelling notes, we mentioned our little dilemma and Bob's and Deborah's faces lit up! "Oh they're the easiest cars to drive" said Bob who promptly offered to give me a lesson in starting up our pesky little vehicle.
At this point we were having a tour of the Amiens Cathedral (the largest and most spectacular in France) which just happened to be a hop skip and a jump (not a 1500m Olympic walk) away from our hotel and the car park where the hybrid was lying low. So Bob suggested we go then and there to sort out our vehicular issues and within no time I had mastered the art of turning on the car and actually driving it.
What a fortuitous encounter! Thank you Angel Bob!
All the while the tour guide, losing valuable tour time, and Mum and Deborah had returned to the tour van whilst awaiting Bob's and my return. However, we didn't know where the van was parked and so Bob and I simply returned to the street corner where we had last left the trio. We waited and waited and waited. And no sign of Margot, Deborah or Barbara. Bob then thought that perhaps they had all returned to his hotel as he was cold and thought Deborah may have gone back for a jumper him. So after a short debate we started walking towards his hotel. But then he made the comment about being lost in the desert and that perhaps we should just stay put. I then did a little reconnaissance of the square in front of the cathedral but still no sign of them.
With my overactive imagination and the sudden sound of an ambulance siren I quickly came to the conclusion that it was Mum's turn to have a cardiac infarction! I imagined that I had pushed her too far in the walking stakes and that our holiday was now well and truly over.
However, next I see Deborah walking down the street towards Bob and we were all reunited again! The day was saved!
The Mater/Mum/Margot will write about our battlefields tour in the next post.
Bonjour mes amies. G'day folks.
Apropos to the previous post, our car troubles increase when the following morning (Friday) our hotel desk manager advises that as hard as they may have tried the only way to swap our hybrid car is to return it to the hire car company at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Yes, brilliant idea. But how do we do that if we can't turn the damned car on!
As we were scheduled to participate in a battlefields tour from 9am to 6.30pm on Friday, the hotel desk manager (or perhaps I should say managers as our car problems seem to have resulted in the hotel creating a Project Management team to resolve our issue!) advised that we should take the tour anyway and they would try to sort out the issue of swapping the car over in Amiens as it was quite impossible for us to return the car to Paris if we couldn't turn on the wretched thing.
So we trotted off for a 20 minute walk to the Amiens train station where we were met by Barbara Legrand of True Blue Digger Tours (corny, I know, but said with a French accent one can get away with it). Also participating in the tour were two Australian Judges by the name of Bob and Deborah who were the most delightful tour companions.
What The Mater and I were not aware of when we met our tour companions is that they are both hybrid car aficionados. Yes, people, Bob and Deborah drive hybrid cars at home!
After an hour or so when the topic of transport arose whilst comparing travelling notes, we mentioned our little dilemma and Bob's and Deborah's faces lit up! "Oh they're the easiest cars to drive" said Bob who promptly offered to give me a lesson in starting up our pesky little vehicle.
At this point we were having a tour of the Amiens Cathedral (the largest and most spectacular in France) which just happened to be a hop skip and a jump (not a 1500m Olympic walk) away from our hotel and the car park where the hybrid was lying low. So Bob suggested we go then and there to sort out our vehicular issues and within no time I had mastered the art of turning on the car and actually driving it.
What a fortuitous encounter! Thank you Angel Bob!
All the while the tour guide, losing valuable tour time, and Mum and Deborah had returned to the tour van whilst awaiting Bob's and my return. However, we didn't know where the van was parked and so Bob and I simply returned to the street corner where we had last left the trio. We waited and waited and waited. And no sign of Margot, Deborah or Barbara. Bob then thought that perhaps they had all returned to his hotel as he was cold and thought Deborah may have gone back for a jumper him. So after a short debate we started walking towards his hotel. But then he made the comment about being lost in the desert and that perhaps we should just stay put. I then did a little reconnaissance of the square in front of the cathedral but still no sign of them.
With my overactive imagination and the sudden sound of an ambulance siren I quickly came to the conclusion that it was Mum's turn to have a cardiac infarction! I imagined that I had pushed her too far in the walking stakes and that our holiday was now well and truly over.
However, next I see Deborah walking down the street towards Bob and we were all reunited again! The day was saved!
The Mater/Mum/Margot will write about our battlefields tour in the next post.
Day 2: Hybrid cars, round-a-bouts and Grease Monkeys
Catherine says:
Mum/Margot and I have just finished a late le table du matin. Which is just a fancier way of saying le petit dejeuner. Or breakfast. Or brekkie. Ooh la la.
We are having a lazy day today and the blog posts are going to roll on fast and thick. So here goes.
When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport we picked up a hire car which we will use for the entirety of our DIY trip. After all, we are travellers, not tourists which makes me think that perhaps we're full of Pikey blood.
So, about this hire car. The hire car company provides us with a hybrid car. Fine we think. In fact, we didn't even think. We didn't even give this hybrid hire car a second thought. And we should have because hybrid cars have a very particular way of being started. They're somewhat unique. However, the hire car company didn’t really explain this very well; instead they started the car for us. We smiled and I drove off. Yes people, emphasis on the word "I".
The Mater (or the Smoother Moother or Smother Mother... all three pet names I have for my beloved mother) and I (her pet name for me is Dafter Daughter... get it, daughter, slaughter, laughter, draught etc. oh we do love our word games!) decided I would drive. I took a little test run around the hire car car park and once I felt comfortable we headed off to face a barrage of round-a-bouts and the 120km drive north to Amiens.
If I must say (and The Mater will agree) I did quite a spectacular job of driving on the wrong side of the road and navigating my way around about 15 round-a-bouts (they circle them in the opposite direction to us) within 15 minutes as we escaped the labyrinthine mess of Parisian roads.
Yes, damned if I was going to do an Uncle Bryan and write-off the car during my first encounter with a French round-a-bout! (Sorry Uncle B - we know your talents lie in more important arenas like, but not limited to, literature and book collecting, both of which I hold in high regard and have oft been a beneficiary of this passion of yours!). So I was pretty chuffed that it took 15 round-a-bouts to get out of Paris and I didn’t end up on the front page of Le Monde!
Anyhow, all went well until we arrived in Amiens, turned off the car, removed our luggage took it in to the hotel and then returned the car to move it and park it in a nearby long term car park. I couldn’t start the damn bloody car. No matter what gear change configurations or manoeuvrings I performed the bloody thing wouldn’t go forward. Mum and I sat in the car for ages as I just revved the motor on the spot, getting more and more frustrated. In the end I gave up and we went back into the hotel and rang for auto-assistance and spoke to a very nice man who spoke English and didn't laugh at me when I said "Je m'appelle Catherine. Pardonnez-moi. Je ne parle pas français. Je suis Australienne." (We have been told that we must always emphasise that we are Australian as the French tell us they have more tolerance of non-French speaking Australians than what they do non-French speaking English and Americans). I explained the problem to the lovely customer service officer and so he sent out a mechanic (just like RACV).
The mechanic rolls up 45 minutes later covered in grease (I mean, what did I expect? Just because he’s a French mechanic he would roll up in Yves St Laurent with perfectly manicured grease-free fingernails?) and Stephanie, one of the English speaking hotel desk managers, and I accompany him to the dodgy vehicle. Stephanie translates but Grease Monkey insists on talking in French to me, very fast and very loud with the expectation that I would understand everything he said (this was reminiscent of the time years ago when The Mater took over management of a Scandinavian student exchange program and insisted on talking loudly and slowly to our little norse visitors due to the belief that loud and slow made everything easier to understand!) . At this point – with Mum upstairs in the hotel room – my internal Rosetta Stone started working overtime and crashed and all I could think to say was “oui, si, sim, ja... nei, nej, no, non, jeg ikke entender uma palavra meu signor”. Lucky I didn’t spew out a “konichiwa”, a la Alabarondi (aka Dad, Pop, Popsicle, The Pater - another story for another time people). Then Grease Monkey starts wildly and rapidly gesticulating about how to drive the car all the while telling Stephanie that the hire car company were trés stupid to even contemplate allowing a non-French non-hybrid-vehicle-accustomed customer to rent a hybrid vehicle. He tells Stephanie that she will have to ring the hire car company on our behalf and arrange for a swap. Stephanie agrees and then asks Grease Monkey if he would be so kind as to drive the car to the permanent car parking lot which he does all the while continuing to talk to me in rapid fire French and waving his hands about. After parking the car he does a 1500m walk faster than either I or Persa Scagliarini (my primary school athletic rival) could ever manage and I nearly have a cardiac infarction trying to keep up with a mechanic who could double as an Olympic walker... or perhaps head the Jamaican bob sled team. (Go John Candy).
When I return to the hotel I explain all this to The Mater and we have a discussion with the hotel desk managers who kill it in the customer service stakes and assure us that they will have the issue of the car swap sorted in no time.
Or so we thought.
Mum/Margot and I have just finished a late le table du matin. Which is just a fancier way of saying le petit dejeuner. Or breakfast. Or brekkie. Ooh la la.
We are having a lazy day today and the blog posts are going to roll on fast and thick. So here goes.
When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport we picked up a hire car which we will use for the entirety of our DIY trip. After all, we are travellers, not tourists which makes me think that perhaps we're full of Pikey blood.
So, about this hire car. The hire car company provides us with a hybrid car. Fine we think. In fact, we didn't even think. We didn't even give this hybrid hire car a second thought. And we should have because hybrid cars have a very particular way of being started. They're somewhat unique. However, the hire car company didn’t really explain this very well; instead they started the car for us. We smiled and I drove off. Yes people, emphasis on the word "I".
The Mater (or the Smoother Moother or Smother Mother... all three pet names I have for my beloved mother) and I (her pet name for me is Dafter Daughter... get it, daughter, slaughter, laughter, draught etc. oh we do love our word games!) decided I would drive. I took a little test run around the hire car car park and once I felt comfortable we headed off to face a barrage of round-a-bouts and the 120km drive north to Amiens.
If I must say (and The Mater will agree) I did quite a spectacular job of driving on the wrong side of the road and navigating my way around about 15 round-a-bouts (they circle them in the opposite direction to us) within 15 minutes as we escaped the labyrinthine mess of Parisian roads.
Yes, damned if I was going to do an Uncle Bryan and write-off the car during my first encounter with a French round-a-bout! (Sorry Uncle B - we know your talents lie in more important arenas like, but not limited to, literature and book collecting, both of which I hold in high regard and have oft been a beneficiary of this passion of yours!). So I was pretty chuffed that it took 15 round-a-bouts to get out of Paris and I didn’t end up on the front page of Le Monde!
Anyhow, all went well until we arrived in Amiens, turned off the car, removed our luggage took it in to the hotel and then returned the car to move it and park it in a nearby long term car park. I couldn’t start the damn bloody car. No matter what gear change configurations or manoeuvrings I performed the bloody thing wouldn’t go forward. Mum and I sat in the car for ages as I just revved the motor on the spot, getting more and more frustrated. In the end I gave up and we went back into the hotel and rang for auto-assistance and spoke to a very nice man who spoke English and didn't laugh at me when I said "Je m'appelle Catherine. Pardonnez-moi. Je ne parle pas français. Je suis Australienne." (We have been told that we must always emphasise that we are Australian as the French tell us they have more tolerance of non-French speaking Australians than what they do non-French speaking English and Americans). I explained the problem to the lovely customer service officer and so he sent out a mechanic (just like RACV).
The mechanic rolls up 45 minutes later covered in grease (I mean, what did I expect? Just because he’s a French mechanic he would roll up in Yves St Laurent with perfectly manicured grease-free fingernails?) and Stephanie, one of the English speaking hotel desk managers, and I accompany him to the dodgy vehicle. Stephanie translates but Grease Monkey insists on talking in French to me, very fast and very loud with the expectation that I would understand everything he said (this was reminiscent of the time years ago when The Mater took over management of a Scandinavian student exchange program and insisted on talking loudly and slowly to our little norse visitors due to the belief that loud and slow made everything easier to understand!) . At this point – with Mum upstairs in the hotel room – my internal Rosetta Stone started working overtime and crashed and all I could think to say was “oui, si, sim, ja... nei, nej, no, non, jeg ikke entender uma palavra meu signor”. Lucky I didn’t spew out a “konichiwa”, a la Alabarondi (aka Dad, Pop, Popsicle, The Pater - another story for another time people). Then Grease Monkey starts wildly and rapidly gesticulating about how to drive the car all the while telling Stephanie that the hire car company were trés stupid to even contemplate allowing a non-French non-hybrid-vehicle-accustomed customer to rent a hybrid vehicle. He tells Stephanie that she will have to ring the hire car company on our behalf and arrange for a swap. Stephanie agrees and then asks Grease Monkey if he would be so kind as to drive the car to the permanent car parking lot which he does all the while continuing to talk to me in rapid fire French and waving his hands about. After parking the car he does a 1500m walk faster than either I or Persa Scagliarini (my primary school athletic rival) could ever manage and I nearly have a cardiac infarction trying to keep up with a mechanic who could double as an Olympic walker... or perhaps head the Jamaican bob sled team. (Go John Candy).
When I return to the hotel I explain all this to The Mater and we have a discussion with the hotel desk managers who kill it in the customer service stakes and assure us that they will have the issue of the car swap sorted in no time.
Or so we thought.
Day 2: We have arrived
Catherine says:
Apologies for the blogging hiatus. We've just been having too much fun. On a scale of 1 to 10, one meaning zero fun levels and ten meaning totally off the richter scale fun, we're currently rating at about a 22.5.
We have lots of funny stories to tell (and we've only been here a couple of days) involving hybrid cars, French round-a-bouts, driving on the wrong side of the road and grease monkeys and also the more sombre variety from the battlefields.
However, we shall not be able to regale you with these tales until we can find a little down time from having fun (as I type this it is currently 6am Saturday morning, Margot is still asleep and I am only managing to bash out these few lines whilst holing myself up in the bathroom so she can't hear my fingers sweep across the laptop keyboard!).
Please stay tuned as we have a tome of tales ready to upload!
Apologies for the blogging hiatus. We've just been having too much fun. On a scale of 1 to 10, one meaning zero fun levels and ten meaning totally off the richter scale fun, we're currently rating at about a 22.5.
We have lots of funny stories to tell (and we've only been here a couple of days) involving hybrid cars, French round-a-bouts, driving on the wrong side of the road and grease monkeys and also the more sombre variety from the battlefields.
However, we shall not be able to regale you with these tales until we can find a little down time from having fun (as I type this it is currently 6am Saturday morning, Margot is still asleep and I am only managing to bash out these few lines whilst holing myself up in the bathroom so she can't hear my fingers sweep across the laptop keyboard!).
Please stay tuned as we have a tome of tales ready to upload!
Friday, 23 May 2014
Day 1: Flander poppies
Flanders poppies abound in this region. They grow on the sides of the roads, paper ones adorn all the graves and this one, crocheted by some loving hand, was spotted inside Amiens Cathedral.
Day 1: A room with a view
France's largest cathedral is situated a mere 100km from our hotel and we have a clear view from our window.
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Hooray!
Margot says:
Hooray! We have arrived at last. And what a day. Picked up the hire car – a nifty Toyota Auris Hybrid car with deep purple iridescent duco.
I did a couple of laps of the car park to get the feel but when I looked up at all the signs, multi-laned overpasses etc. I went to jelly and accepted Catherine’s offer to get us out of there.
She was brilliant but my lack of technology skills caused a few problems when I couldn’t master the TomTom!!!
Trip to Amiens was short with such beautiful French landscapes of brilliant, green and gold. I could have stayed right there and painted everything. Our hotel overlooks the magnificent Cathedral and to hear the bells chiming is quite emotional as this wonderful historical building was saved by the Australians during WW1.
Une problem occurred when Catherine attempted to move the car to a parking centre after we had unloaded our excessive amount of luggage. Couldn’t start it. We could get the motor running but it would not move so we had to call for help. After a flirtingly interesting conversation between Catherine and the Service man she is now currently downstairs with said Frenchman and a lass from reception. I think she is having a long driving lesson. Hopefully that will be enough problems. We are joining a tour tomorrow which will encompass all the spots where Cyril served his country. We’ll be wearing his medals and taking lots of photos.
Hooray! We have arrived at last. And what a day. Picked up the hire car – a nifty Toyota Auris Hybrid car with deep purple iridescent duco.
I did a couple of laps of the car park to get the feel but when I looked up at all the signs, multi-laned overpasses etc. I went to jelly and accepted Catherine’s offer to get us out of there.
She was brilliant but my lack of technology skills caused a few problems when I couldn’t master the TomTom!!!
Trip to Amiens was short with such beautiful French landscapes of brilliant, green and gold. I could have stayed right there and painted everything. Our hotel overlooks the magnificent Cathedral and to hear the bells chiming is quite emotional as this wonderful historical building was saved by the Australians during WW1.
Une problem occurred when Catherine attempted to move the car to a parking centre after we had unloaded our excessive amount of luggage. Couldn’t start it. We could get the motor running but it would not move so we had to call for help. After a flirtingly interesting conversation between Catherine and the Service man she is now currently downstairs with said Frenchman and a lass from reception. I think she is having a long driving lesson. Hopefully that will be enough problems. We are joining a tour tomorrow which will encompass all the spots where Cyril served his country. We’ll be wearing his medals and taking lots of photos.
It has really started
Margot says:
It has really started!
Flight QF09 took off on time, 7.15pm on the dot. Surprisingly there were no nerves. Sleep was intermittent but I expected that. The flight was extremely smooth, Qantas meals were good but nothing near as good as Emirates. Qantas foods had seeds, capsicum and onion in everything – none of which agree with me. So Catherine and I did a trade off – I took her chocolates and she took the salads etc. that I didn’t want. I have just scored two Crunchies! An hour away from landing in Dubai saw a lot of movement among the passengers, including lots of babies and toddlers exercising their lungs. Glad I only had my big daughter with me! The lay over in Dubai whilst waiting to connect to the Parisian leg was brightened by a group of fellow Aussies we met who were travelling on the same flight as us and a young Frenchman who had spent considerable time in Sydney. We were really pleased to find out that what we thought was going to be a 9 hour flight from Dubai to Paris, turned out to be only 7 hours.
It has really started!
Flight QF09 took off on time, 7.15pm on the dot. Surprisingly there were no nerves. Sleep was intermittent but I expected that. The flight was extremely smooth, Qantas meals were good but nothing near as good as Emirates. Qantas foods had seeds, capsicum and onion in everything – none of which agree with me. So Catherine and I did a trade off – I took her chocolates and she took the salads etc. that I didn’t want. I have just scored two Crunchies! An hour away from landing in Dubai saw a lot of movement among the passengers, including lots of babies and toddlers exercising their lungs. Glad I only had my big daughter with me! The lay over in Dubai whilst waiting to connect to the Parisian leg was brightened by a group of fellow Aussies we met who were travelling on the same flight as us and a young Frenchman who had spent considerable time in Sydney. We were really pleased to find out that what we thought was going to be a 9 hour flight from Dubai to Paris, turned out to be only 7 hours.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Uncle Peter and Cyril's military medals
Margot says:
Great excitement at the airport after Alan dropped us off. Received an unexpected phone call from Peter (my brother) advising that he was on his way to Tullamarine as he had managed to obtain duplicates of Cyril’s war medals. Most emotional when he arrived. Five medals to wear on my right breast when we visit the battlefields – three from WWI and the others from WWII. I was quite emotional at that lovely gesture.
Great excitement at the airport after Alan dropped us off. Received an unexpected phone call from Peter (my brother) advising that he was on his way to Tullamarine as he had managed to obtain duplicates of Cyril’s war medals. Most emotional when he arrived. Five medals to wear on my right breast when we visit the battlefields – three from WWI and the others from WWII. I was quite emotional at that lovely gesture.
Margot says...
I can hardly believe it. We are actually at the airport.
Typical of Alan, he has deposited us here rather early and we have a 60 minute wait before we can even check in. That is, we can check in at 4pm for our 7.15pm flight!
It was hard saying goodbye to Alan. Despite his stiff upper lip façade he was ready to display a bit of emotion in public. We said quick, yet heartfelt, goodbyes and disappeared through the automatic doors while Alan drove home.
We have had a test weigh in of our luggage. I am well within the bounds with only 22kg. But of course, Catherine, has 28.2kg in her check-in luggage, 11kg in her wheelie carry on bag and god knows what in her laptop bag and handbag.
Getting very excited. I will really believe it when the plane starts to take off. It has only been 6 and a half years in the planning!
Typical of Alan, he has deposited us here rather early and we have a 60 minute wait before we can even check in. That is, we can check in at 4pm for our 7.15pm flight!
It was hard saying goodbye to Alan. Despite his stiff upper lip façade he was ready to display a bit of emotion in public. We said quick, yet heartfelt, goodbyes and disappeared through the automatic doors while Alan drove home.
We have had a test weigh in of our luggage. I am well within the bounds with only 22kg. But of course, Catherine, has 28.2kg in her check-in luggage, 11kg in her wheelie carry on bag and god knows what in her laptop bag and handbag.
Getting very excited. I will really believe it when the plane starts to take off. It has only been 6 and a half years in the planning!
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Super "exiting"
(That one's for you Greg!)
One sleep to go!
Margot: cool, calm, collected, organised, packed.
Catherine: none of the above.
One sleep to go!
Margot: cool, calm, collected, organised, packed.
Catherine: none of the above.
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Sunday, 11 May 2014
The Final Countdown
10 days remaining until we depart.
Mum's nerves frazzled.
Catherine's patience lacking.
Mum organised and planning everything to the nth degree.
Catherine's laissez-faire attitude means that all packing and other arrangements will be left to the morning of the flight.
Mum's nerves frazzled.
Catherine's patience lacking.
Mum organised and planning everything to the nth degree.
Catherine's laissez-faire attitude means that all packing and other arrangements will be left to the morning of the flight.
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