Posts

Journeys End

-
Image
We had two more days in France before catching the Eurotunnel back to the UK, and after navigating the roads on the outskirts of Paris and escaping the traffic we headed towards Calais.  The city of Amiens made for a better than expected stop en route to our last night's accommodation. We parked in the centre near the imposing town hall and walked through the city centre towards the Cathedral. The city has been awarded European Youth Capital status for 2020 and in a central square this was being celebrated with colourful ribbons strung overhead and a pop up 'lawn' with deckchairs.  Central Amiens Another street was adorned with lampshades. Amiens was an unexpectedly  colourful place! Me...looking for some shade... We continued walking through the streets of the centre, passing a very ornate clock ,until arriving at the square at the front of the cathedral.  The Cathedral has UNESCO World Heritage status and is another fine gothic cathedral...
Post a Comment
Read more

Last Days at Versailles.

-
Image
To say the Palace of Versailles is big is a bit of an understatement. But first some words about the queues and the inadequate system for admitting visitors.  We arrived in Versailles mid afternoon on a Saturday, knowing in advance that there would be queues. Versailles itself is a pleasant suburb about 10 miles southwest of Paris. Our hotel was only 5 minutes walk from the Palace and we had pre-booked admission so hoped to get in reasonably quickly. I've been to festivals and big events over the years so have experience of queuing. As we went through the entrance gate, with our bags given a cursory examination we joined what looked like a short(ish) queue headed to 'Entrance A' for those with pre-purchased tickets. What we didn't realise was that the queue to go in this entrance snaked up and down several times and moved at the pace of an arthritic snail. There's no information on where to line up or how long the queue might take. An hour and a half late...
Post a Comment
Read more

An Auberge in the Auvergne

-
Image
Our next stop in France took us away from the bustle of city life to the tranquility of the countryside and a landscape of lakes and mountains. Crossing part of the Massif Central, with more enjoyable scenery to admire, of rocky gorges and sheer cliffs we took a leisurely route avoiding major roads. Near Millau we stopped at a viewpoint that took in the spectacular viaduct, designed by Norman Foster that is currently the tallest bridge in the world. To the left of the photograph, in the distance, the Millau Viaduct We were headed to the Auvergne, a large region in central France that is famed for food, especially cheeses and other regional delicacies. We stopped in a hill top town called St Flour. It was a sleepy place, but the importance of food to the region was apparent as there were a number of epiceries with some unusual offerings. Auvergne delicacies...but I couldn't tempt Mrs B! We walked into the main square and heard what sounded like bagpipes coming from a...
Post a Comment
Read more