Home Free and Ready for the Next One!

I just thought that I would post my final report to let you know that we arrived home safely on Tuesday morning at 0005 hours having been first off the ferry at 1835, the first time this has happened in 41 years! Mind you, I must have been so excited at this occurance that on leaving the port, I got in the wrong lane and instead of journeying up the M20, we found ourselves on the M2! It was funny because as we disembarked, Linda said to me, "do you need me to navigate?"  and of course I very confidently said no. You couldn't make it up really.
Anyway, all the worries about the migrants around Calais proved completely unwarranted as we didn't see a single one although the entry to the port took much longer than usual and perhaps was a reflection of the extra precautions that are being taken.  If any of you saw the report on Breakfast TV this week about the problem, it was nothing like our own experience.
So here we are back to normality and reflecting on a great holiday which could have been exactly the opposite if we had taken the road to Slovenia and Croatia instead of Italy and then France.  The weather for the last three weeks was fantastic and we really enjoyed the final part of the trip around Troyes and the Champagne area.
We covered a grand total of 3,172 miles, most of them towing and achieved average fuel consumption of 24.22mpg.  We put 595 litres of diesel in the tank at a cost of £717.08 and the most frightening fuel consumption experienced was towing from Troyes to Calais when I managed the grand average of just 18mpg!!  Mind you it was into a very strong headwind but I also need to realise that my right foot is far too heavy sometimes when I tow the caravan.
Having spent four weeks together in the very close confines of a caravan I am happy to reflect that we remained civil at all times and actually still love one another despite Linda winning the Scrabble Championship for the first time!  Gutted but I'm putting a brave face on it.
I end my blog with something started by my brother Rod who after a holiday would ask a series of questions including the following - "What did you learn about someone that you didn't know before the holiday?"
Well I learned that Linda does do hills on a bike and I remain full of respect for what she achieved that day in the Drome.  Mind you, I also learnt as well that she can swear like a trooper but I can forgive her that because I did lie about it levelling out around the corner.
I leave you with a final photo of Linda powering ahead of me as we raced around Lac D'Orient and hope that you have enjoyed the blog of our adventure?

We're Coming Home, We're Coming Home. But Who's Coming With Us??

Well here we are with yet another blog but no real story to tell you today other than we are now living on our nerves but more of that later!

We woke this morning to the patter of heavy rain on the roof and after a brief discussion (with myself that is) we, sorry, I, decided that it was time to continue the journey North and nearer to home.  Initially it was a bit grim but we ran out of the torrential rain and into the clear skies but rather cooler sunshine of the Calais region.  The journey today was a mere 255 miles but most of it was against a pretty strong wind and I was able to watch the fuel tank empty rather more quickly than usual!  That said the Freelander yet again proved its value as a tow car and so here we are having negotiated nearly 3000 miles close to the Port of Calais.

But being close to the Port brings its worries and every time we leave the van for a short while, we conduct a thorough search on returning in the expectation that we will find a couple of Somalians hiding in our bed boxes and one fastened to the spare wheel carrier with a couple of metal coat hangers!  Apparently, these boys are very ingenious and I understand that I have to hit the P&O check in desk at more than 30mph to avoid them jumping onto the top of the Freelander or caravan!!  To overcome this one, we are covering the roofs of both vehicles with a very generous helping of margarine and lard before we head for the port and treating this as the final part of our adventure.  However, don't be surprised next time you visit us to find a couple of house guests called Abu and Jamil!

I must also quickly return to a recent topic, The Crazy World of Linda Coy because yesterday we had another couple of additions.  The first when we visited the local market and Linda at the last minute going off to buy some new potatoes while I returned to the car.  When she reappeared without potatoes, my words were, "I can't believe that market didn't have bloody potatoes?"  A shriek and a start from the blocks like Usain Bolt and she turned tail where she had come from.  Yep, she'd bought and paid for the spuds but just forgot to pick them up!  

The second incident also involved potatoes only this time of the chip variety when we decided last night to accompany our bbq chicken and salad with some frites from the site shop.  We only needed a few to compliment the excellent fayre before us but I couldn't believe it when I turned around and saw Linda returning with enough chips to fill a wheelbarrow!  After we took what we needed, we were able to distribute the remainder to the other 125 occupants of the site and still have some left to re-warm for our tea today! Priceless.  

Picture shows our final Elevenses.  Things have reached a sorry state when we are down to a packet of Madeleines!  Mind you, they are totally delicious.

It Started With a Monk

As I have already reported, we are now sitting amongst the rolling hills and vineyards of the beautiful Champagne region of France.  But the production of this drink of Kings didn't start here.  No, champagne was originally created by monks in the Languedoc region in Southern France and of course the most famous of these was Dom Perignon.

They brought it to this area because the chalky soil and climate provided ideal growing conditions and it remains this way today although now, only three types of grape are used in its production, Pinot Noir, Pinot Menier and Chardonnay.  Other grape types are used around the world but the industry here is very strictly regulated, even down to the amount of grapes the producers  can harvest per acre and the controlling body also sets the date when the harvesting can commence.  In the case of 2014 it was the 8th September and so here we are watching a massive amount of activity as the grapes are hand picked by thousands of workiers spread across the undulating terrain.

It is an amazing site and it would appear that very many of the workers are either from the travelling community or Eastern Europe.  We say the travelling community because as you drive around the region, there are a huge number of temporary caravan sites set up in farmers fields and many of these are accommodating some of those amazing caravans you sometimes see in the UK.  We have also seen buses transporting workers around the many vineyards.

Being here at this time has worked a little to our detriment because we tried to take a tour of one of the champagne houses but were told that nobody did them at this time because of La Vendanges.  They said that it would be too dangerous because of the amount of activity. La Vendanges incidentally is the term given in the locality to the harvesting which is now underway.

It really is a beautiful place and is viewed as one of the quieter tourist areas as most people pass straight through it on their way further South.  We can vouch for the peacefulness and are thoroughly enjoying our time here.  A couple of photos attached today showing the rolling hills and vineyards.

Augustobona Tricassium - Better Known as Troyes

We last visited the city of Troyes in 2011 and we remember it well, not for everything that is interesting and beautiful about it but for the lashing rain that befell our visit!  Well yesterday was different and we saw it in a different light, that provided by blue skies and glorious sunshine.

It's a very historic city and sits on the River Seine just over 90 miles from Paris in the Champagne region of a France.  It has been in existence since Roman times hence the name above and became very much an international centre for commerce.  It became the hosiery capital of France and a little known fact is that the measurement for gold, the troy weight, evolved from the city's name.

Its centre on a map is supposedly laid out in the form of a champagne cork but quite frankly, Linda and I both agreed that it looked more like a man's appendage but enough said about that!

The centre of the city is filled with amazing and beautiful half timbered houses and gothic churches.  Many of the houses are in a poor state of repair and there is a huge restoration project underway on them in order to retain the very historic look and feel of the centre.  

There are ten churches and a Cathedral in Troyes and the most wonderful thing they display is their stained glass.  Troyes has been called the "Sacred City of Stained Glass" and has the greatest surface area of stained glass windows in France, some dating back to the 12th Century.  One of my photos attached shows the effect of the sun on one of the windows in the Cathedral.  It doesn't really do the beautiful colours and the effect true justice but I thought it was worth a try.

The final piece of information that I will disseminate about the city is that it is twinned with Chesterfield and perhaps you will understand why when you see the spire of one of the churches.

We had a lovely day in Troyes yesterday and I would recommend it as a place for anyone to visit.

Drought Update

If you have been taking any notice of the contents of this blog, a couple of days ago I included two photographs, one showing Lac D'Orient three years ago and one today and questioned whether this was due to drought?  Well today we got the answer and no it isn't drought.

Apparently the three lakes that we are close to are all artificial and are designed to avoid the Seine flooding Paris and its environs by drawing off water during the rainy season from November to June.  It can draw off additional water if rains are particularly heavy during the Winter months.  Then from July to October when the Seine is low, they release the waters back into the river and hence the lack of water  in the lakes when we arrived.  Last time we were here was in June when the lakes were at their highest and of course now in September they are at their lowest. Everything has become clear and proves that these Frenchies are devilishly cunning. Photo attached shows the lake at its low point.

The Crazy World of Linda Coy

Fire! I beg you to burn.

Now many of you out there will remember the Crazy World of Arthur Brown but tonight I am going to write about not his crazy world but that of my dearly beloved.

Today, although it happens most days, we have had a couple of examples of the upside down, back to front, parallel universe world that Linda actually inhabits.

Incident one relates to her navigational skills which over the years and prior to the advent of Tom Tom have only ever of been of the highest order, possibly even on a par with John Blashford Snell and Ranolph Fiennes.  The only drawback is that she doesn't know left from right and so when you come to a junction and she sticks her right hand up in front of you and says go left, then it is a touch confusing!  Over the years I have become conditioned to do exactly the opposite to the instruction I receive but just some times, she throws in a curved ball, gets it right and then gives me a rollicking when I do the opposite to what I have been told!  It's a condition that appears to be worsening as we grow older but what it does do us make every journey an adventure.

The second incident today revolves around our day in the city of Troyes, pronounced Trois for you non-fluent French speakers like moi and specifically in relation to lunch that we decided to enjoy in this historic place ( I will write about the city tomorrow).

We took a pavement table under clear blue skies, perused the menu and I advised Linda what I would like to eat prior to taking a quick toilet break. I had chosen something classically French today - Steak Hache, bien cuir, avec frites.  A good fat boy lunch.

We sat enjoying our drinks, chatting amiably and watching the world go by until our food arrived.  That was when it became really interesting because instead of being served burger and chips, my plate contained a galette (a French type of pancake), ham wrapped inside it and topped with the most magnificent of fried eggs. The waitress looked a touch surprised when I advised her it wasn't my order. However a sharp intake of breath from Linda and the most grovelling of apologies and I realised that this was indeed to be my lunch.  It really provided final proof that she takes absolutely no notice of anything I say - when the order should have been, "steak hache" it came out of Linda's mouth as "Galette Le Complet!"  Can anybody out there come up with an explanation?

The funny part about the whole incident though was that my lunch was totally delicious and so next time we eat out I am going to follow the same process and see what delights the waiter or waitress bring me.

More about Troyes tomorrow but a couple of photos attached to whet your appetites and one of Linda prior to Galettegate! 

Lorries, Lorries Everywhere

I am happy to report that we have safely completed our 400 mile journey from the Drome and are now sitting happily in our gypsy wagon waiting for the start of the Great British Bake Off.  Yes we do have the comfort of satellite tv with us as we wander around the highways and byways of Europe and are able to keep up with the most important things happening back in the UK, most importantly the Bake Off and Who Do You Think You Are?  Scottish independence refererendum?? What's that???

The journey up here has re-emphasised to me just how big the haulage industry is across the continent as we spend virtually the whole of every trip overtaking heavy goods vehicles.  It can be quite wearing but fascinating at the same time as we note the vast number of nationalities represented including Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Transylvania and Portugal to name just a few.  Virtually every service area is full of wagons often making it difficult for us to find a space but to date we have been lucky.  Mind you it's not easy to get much sleep when you are parked up for the night alongside a refrigerated vehicle!

So here we are in the Champagnes-Ardennes region and today has been incredibly hot and humid.  We are paying the price now as a storm rumbles around but we don't mind that overnight and we did enjoy a lovely bbq in the late evening sunshine.  We also managed a 12 mile bike ride and as Linda's training programme intensifies, I am starting to struggle at keeping up with her average speed over that distance of 15mph.  I am having to have two beers at the end of the ride to get liquid back into my system.

The photos attached tonight are both of Lac D'Orient, only one was taken in 2011 when we were last in this area and one taken today.  Quite a contrast and we don't know if this is down to drought or other factors.  I intend to find out but in a way hope it is drought and that it lasts for a few days more.