From tea tottlers to winos

I'm a bit behind in my blogging as we've been so busy I haven't found the time. Where to begin?

By Chipping Campden

Ira riding through the rapeseed

Our last day in Moreton-in-Marsh we rented bikes from the guys at the Toy Shop. They were great and got us all set up with helmets, locks, bikes and a map. We set off on the route they suggested, which took us about 20 miles through the countryside. They told us that there was one big hill on the way back that we'd probably have to walk up - they weren't kidding! What they didn't tell us was that the route consisted of rolling hills throughout the 20 miles. Let's just say I was whining pretty badly towards the end .... "not another hill!" We went through some really pretty country, using the back roads suggested on the map. We only had to backtrack twice so the map was pretty good. The villages we went through were quite different from the village we were staying in. More thatched roofs, lots of sheep and rapeseed fields. Very nice. The guys were very impressed with how quickly we did it as most people only make it about a mile out of town and turn back. We didn't tell them how much I was whining - we thought it best just to bask in their adoration instead. We met some nice Aussies in the laudrette who had just arrived to do five days of 22-km-a-day walking tours. One of the ladies had a wrecked knee and the other one had her foot in a cast so I'm not sure how they were going to manage. We were offering them some suggestions re bikes and horses. Good luck! It just shows you that you always have to have a plan B.

We left the Cotswolds bright and early Monday morning, catching the 6:16 am train and then the 9:45 Eurostar out of St. Pancras in London to Lille, France. From Lille, we transferred to a train to Avignon. The French countryside was pretty to travel through. It looked very much like our farm fields in the Northern part. As we got down to Provence, there were more castles and pretty villages. We stayed the night in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, which is a village across the Rhone River from Avignon. The hotel we stayed in was built in the 1500's and was fantastic! We were starving and the restaurants didn't open until 7:30 so we went to a wine bar and polished off a bottle of red wine. Ira had steak tartar (raw meat - ugh) and really enjoyed it. When in France, do as the French do .....  I staggered around the village that night, up the cobblestone streets  - they have very good wine in France! We didn't leave until 3:45 p.m. the next day so were able to partake in some of the tourist attractions in the village. We went to Abbey-de-St. Andre, which was quite interesting. We then had a picnic on the Rhone River. Very nice and relaxing. We also got to practice our French a bit. I was able to ask for a fork for our picnic (thanks to the little French phrase book I have and lots of gesturing). People seem very nice and most speak some English. I'm okay understanding until they tell me how much I owe and then I just get a blank look on my face. They say it so fast!

Abbey-de-St.Andre

Villeneuve-les-Avignon

Abbey de St. Andre

On Tuesday afternoon, we took the train to Juan Les Pins in Cote D'Azur in the French Riviera. It's right on the ocean and nice and hot, which is fantastic. It's nice to move into warmer weather. It's pronounced "Whan La Paw", which is why people just looked at us with a confused look on their face when we said we were going to "Whan Le Pins". Crazy pronunciations! We explored the town at night. Today we walked over to Antibes ("Anteeb") and went to the Picasso museum. Neither Ira nor I were terribly impressed with the pieces that were in the museum. I guess we're just not cultured enough to appreciate his art. Old Antibes is very pretty, with ramparts running around most of it. We went to the market and checked out the local products. The skinned rabbits and the eel and sardines were icky but some of the stuff looked great. The spices were heavenly. Ira bought some sausage mixed with cumin which is yummy, he says. The beaches are really nice in both towns. And, yes, David, there are topless women on the beach!

Juan Les Pins

Old Antibes

Old Antibes

Tomorrow we're heading to Nice and Villefranches-mur and perhaps Eze and St Paul Vence, two hill towns. Talk to you soon.

Oh yeah, one last thing - pigeons! They are everywhere. They've followed us here from London. You know those annoying crows that wake you up at the crack of dawn when you're camping. Over in Europe it's the pigeons!

Au Revoir