There was a medieval fete being held at Chateaunuef-du-Pape this weekend, so off we went. It was hot, no surprise, and the place was packed, so finding a carpark was not easy. in the wnd we parked on the footpath, like everyone seems to do here. A walk up the hill and then we were …
Sons et lumières …
You might think that I am being pretentious, writing headings in French, but the term 'sons et lumières' is one I have known for a long time, after all, my father was in the lighting industry at one time ... and such sound and light shows were part of his work. The Pont-du-Gard is a …
Any, any, any old sim …
Another attempt at a sim card this morning, SFR guy basically said, go and see the opposition around the corner. Actually he said it in French … I think he was trying to be helpful but, who knows, he spoke no English and didn't seem prepared to listen to my attempts at French. On the …
Oh, the irony …
For someone who started their career training as a communications technician I have more difficulties with SIM cards than anyone I know. This trip is no exception ... I intially ordered a SIM from a Belgian based company with time enough, just, for it to be delivered to me before I left for Europe. To …
Le Tour de France …
I went to see the stage finish in St Étienne on July 13th, and have tried to keep up with events relating to the Tour while I have been travelling. In Avignon I have been able to sit and watch each day's stage as it happens - a novelty, usually I'm watching from 11.00pm until …
Smoke and weed … ?
There was a time, probably in most of our lives, that key songs impressed us. For me one of those songs was the Crosby, Stills and Nash track Marrakech Express. I figured it was a train, and that I would like to go there and ride it one day. It has dawned on me that …
Takin’ the ‘A’ train, via Montparnasse …
Another one of those 'change trains in Paris' trips, with the added fine print that you also need to change stations. In this case it was getting from Montparnasse to Gare du Lyon that might prove difficult. Some years ago I had to change from Gare du Nord to Gare du Lyon, and missed my …
A little more than 24 hours in Le Mans …
Deserted today, but four weeks ago ... Between Angers and Paris as the TGV runs lies Le Mans, the home of the 24Hueres du Mans and a place I had long wanted to see for myself, race or no race. As it was, this year's edition of the classic race had been held only a …
Nous allons visiter mon château …
We went to visit 'my' chateau, a surprisingly intact 14th century chateau fort in nearby Le Breuil-sous-Argenton. I say 'mine' but I am one of over 1000 co-lords who together helped save this building and will work to restore it, using old methods. I came across a fundraising appeal online for the Chateau Fort L’Epaubinay …
Angers on a whim (and an invite) …
As I was moving in the general direction of Lyon, I thought that I would see if my AirBNB hosts from four years ago were still hosting. It turned out that they weren't and had moved from Lyon to Angers, in the Loire, a region of many chateaux and not far from 'my' chateau at …
EUlogising Europe 2019 