Doug & Jodie

This was a wonderful autumn weekend full of sunshine and clear blue skies!! On Friday night Doug and I met along the south bank near Waterloo and has a lovely French meal. Then we walked to The Cut at Waterloo to see ‘Round and Round the Garden’ at the Old Vic Theatre.  This production was 1 play of the 3 Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn that can been seen either individually or altogether. It was hilariously funny and left us wanting to see the other two productions. The Old Vic is an institution in the theatre world and the theatre in the round setting meant every seat was fabulous and the old ornate box seats were beautiful.

The next day Doug and I headed to Hyde Park for a last sunny walk before it gets cold and perhaps our last in a long time as we’ve only 3 mths left in London!!! We hired a paddle boat and paddled around the Serpentine Lake – it was such a lovely relaxing moment and we had a good laugh chasing ducks and watching people. From here we went on to The V&A museum in Sth Kensington which was spectacular. After lunch in an Italian Cafe we grabbed some of the delicious cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery before heading home.

Today Doug is out making the most of the weather and sneaking in a last golf game before the weather turns… leaving Jodie to organise his birthday arrangements and our big trip home… (oh and cleaning )

Toulouse

We flew out of London on Friday night, to have an early start in Toulouse. We started Saturday with breakfast in the main square, before walking around the city. We visited an old monastery which has been converted into a museum, it housed some magnificent works of art in the form of sculptures, paintings and statues. We picked up the car in the afternoon, and visited Albi on the way to Francis & Adam’s. Albi has a massive cathedral that is made entirely of red bricks. It is the largest brick cathedral in the world.

Rivecave

Francis and Adam have found an amazing piece of heaven. They own a small hamlet in La Truel which is in the middle of French farming countryside. We spent 4 nights with them, the first 2 of which they cooked up a storm. Starters, mains, cheeses and desserts meant we were completely full at every meal. We sat outside to enjoy the late evening sun. During the day, they helped us with some routes to follow, to see some of the country side, most of it was following the Tarn river and some of the gorgeous villages along it. We visited (and drove over) the highest suspension bridge in the world near Millau (pronounced mee-yo).

Montpelier

Our hotel was located in the old town, which has mostly been pedestrian-ised. We walked around to discover the Arc de Triomphe and old square. The buildings in this part of the town are mostly unchanged since they were build hundreds of years ago. The streets were filled with antiques stores, restaurants and hairdressers.

Carcassonne

We were staying just out of Carcassonne in Aragon. Our hotel had a pool and a really comfortable room, so we took the afternoon off from sightseeing and wine tasting, to lounge around the pool. That evening we visited Domaine de Cabrol, a small winery (couldn’t resist) before heading into Carcassonne to see the old castle and have dinner. The castle was a bit of a let down, as it had been turned into a commercial spectacle, and had lost a lot of charm. There was a Best Western hotel inside the castle, and plastic swords for sale on every corner. Irish and English pubs added to the let down. We walked into the centre of town to find a restaurant was created from an old stable and yard. We sat in the yard, which had pretty tables, filled with flowers and trees. We had our first genuine cassoulet here !

Saint-Émilion

A wine lovers paradise ! The old town consists of restaurants, wine outlets, a church and a few houses… but mostly wine outlets. We walked around the town, negotiating some of the cobbled streets before heading to the “B&B”. This is no ordinary bed and breakfast, but Chateau de Pitray. This wine making family has been here for 6 hundred years. The family were very accommodating and friendly, arranging dinner for us on both evenings in some of their favourite restaurants, which did not disappoint (Frog legs included). We went for walks around the grounds, when not travelling around the countryside, and on one of them stumbled upon a boar hunt, dogs, horses, men in red coats, bugles… the works !

We had a fantastic time in France. Most days were filled with warm sunshine, cheese, baguettes and wine. what more could you want ? The countryside is beautiful, the people are friendly and we really didn’t want to go home. We took our time and tried to avoid the tourist hot spots. This was definitely our best trip to date !