Fun in France

Here we are in France for the week staying in Mohon, a small village in Brittany. Its Dave's birthday so what better excuse to head across the channel and point the car south.  Discover a new bit of foreign turf and hang out and play with some great mates. 

David, Judy, David & Nick

Josselin, the closest town, is about 10 kms away and our first visit although rather quiet because of our midday arrival, was just stunning.  With everyone gone to lunch from noon till 2pm it meant we almost had the place to ourselves.

Josselin half timbered housing

David and Judy leading the tour

It’s a lovely town with a number of medieval half timbered houses, a small town square next to a Gothic Basilica and a glorious medieval castle that seems to rise out of the river.  

A fairytale castle - Chateau de Josselin

The three mighty towers of the thousand year old castle dominate the river below.

A visit later in the week on Market day was completely different - an assortment of vendors all shapes and sizes selling a variety of tasty fresh produce and French delicacies.  We were surprised by the number of English accents I could hear that day but I gather this spot and its surrounding areas are very popular  with the Brits.  Not expensive, in fact we did see advertisements of €10 a square metre for land and of course easily accessible from the UK.

Dave took delight in wandering down to the local Boulangerie and picking up our daily baguette and other times supporting the local wine industry.

Lots of strolls along the tree lined tow paths beside the canals and the beautifully planted locks. So many glorious places to walk and the Autumn colours just 

stunning.

Gorgeous colours

David’s birthday was celebrated with a wonderful bottle of bubbly, bought in Champagne country courtesy of David and Judy and a delicious birthday cake - oh wow a chocolate mousse cake, rich and decadent  -one of the joys of what the French do so well and that was from the supermarket!! Thanks Dave and Judy!!!

Mont Saint Michel

 Mont Saint Michel, the small rocky island about one kilometre off the Normandy coast, was as spectacular as we'd hoped.  Thank goodness we're visiting in the shoulder season as its a popular spot, in fact the second most visited attraction in France and in figures that means more than three million visitors a year. And there's only one way onto the island and one way back!!  

The Abbey

Population of 40 live on the island

 

The first chapel was built in the 8th century, destroyed a few centuries later and this wonderful Gothic style Abbey was built in the 13th century.  It was a popular place of pilgrimage over the years until during the French revolution the Abby was converted into a prison and let go significantly. 

 But by the mid 1800's it was restored as a national monument and now this picturesque island and medieval walled city, serves not only as a place of prayer but as a worldwide tourist attraction.

A day in Rennes, capital of Brittany - a city not mentioned on the tourist guides but we thought it full of character. 

Rennes - old part 

Colourful Rennes

 Probably the student influence adds to the vibrancy of the place - over 60,000 young French students spilling from cafes and bars.  And they all have a certain style and elegance,  not a jandal or stubbie in sight! 

Variety of lattice work

The old medieval part of the city has narrow streets lined with the picturesque 'half timbered' buildings, some of which date back to the 15th century. The fascinating lattice work on the houses adds to the character. In 1720 over 900 buildings were burnt to the ground during a week long fire. The work done over the last twenty years to restore the fronts of many of these buildings has highlighted the quality of earlier craftsmanship.  

Proud to be  All Blacks supporters!

Staunch Crusaders supporters too!!

We even found a Webb Ellis Bar so had to set foot inside that - only to see the Silver Fern in pride of place as we walked in and even a Crusaders jersey on the wall! 

Lots of bars and cafes - great coffee and a wonderful energy in the city.

Cafe style

We strolled through and admired the Tharbor Gardens, 10 hectares in the middle of Rennes, once owned by the abbey,  but reserved for men only!!  Now open to all with a wonderful variety of designs.  We never tire of wandering though the formal French gardens with clipped hedges, gravel pathways beneath the straight lines of trees and the topiary laid out in symmetrical patterns. 

Parc du Tharbor

From Mohon we point the trusty Punto northward back to Calais.  A slight detour as we filled the boot, thats really our back seat, with wine and cheese orders from friends over the channel.  Then relax as we head across the water after a fun week.

Chateau du Trecesson - a hidden gem

  

What a great Summer it has been.

As summer moves on I sometimes think the only thing's worth writing about is our travels to a foreign place.  But now realise that its our lifestyle we've created over here that is unique, exciting and genuinely fabulous.  Of course it has it has a few little challenges, but on the whole we continue to be unbelievably grateful for all that we get to see and do.
The people who cross our paths, from all walks of life, inspire and stimulate us to look a bit further and dig a bit deeper and stretch to try something new.  
This lifestyle may not be for everyone but it sure is a whole lot more accessible to most of us than we realise.

Down in Hampshire we found ourselves in a glorious spot in the Test Valley. The River Test, well known for its fishing and arguably one of England's best, if you believe the locals, is quite a sight.  Sadly you can't just wandered along the banks of it as every strip is bought and paid for, at quite a cost I might add, for the sole purpose of the sport. So being slap bang in the middle of the season we just admired it from the odd crossing,  and David continued to dream about a days fishing while we found the old railway track.   Stockbridge was our destination as we'd heard there was a great butcher - you wouldn't believe it Wednesday afternoon it closes!!!

 But with the help of a delightful local ( and I have to say we have founds masses and masses of helpful locals around this country) we did discover a wonderful cafe so at least managed to refuel before the walk back.

The tracks that cross this beautiful countryside make it a pleasure to put the boots on, maps in the backpack, pick up the sticks and take the dogs for some glorious walks.  Another wonderful reason to have dogs to take us out!









A few weeks around the St Albans area meant we got to know the place quite well and this is always a good time to catch up on all the correspondence and the other jobs on the 'to do' list.  A stunning garden to relax in and even enjoy that morning coffee or evening glass of wine on the terrace.




Then further north in the Cotswolds we could devour black berries by the ton as we walked the tracks.  Always planning on taking containers full back to the kitchen and creating something rather delicious but every time ate so many while out walking that couldn't stand the thought of it. 

 But what a crop of blackberry's it has been - another reason to remember the glorious summer of 2013!!  Even had a heated swimming pool up here and indulged in a luxurious dip before bedtime.  Felt like we could have been in some warm tropical island resort!! 



Enjoyed a wonderful trip down memory lane as we spent a balmy afternoon strolling through Windsor Park, caught an evening Polo match on Smiths Lawn and finished off with a Lime and Soda at the Fox and Hound Pub.  Ah, so many great memories of this place and the years spent in and around the area, especially for David.   It was about this time of the year thirty three years ago, that we met right here on Smiths Lawn - and still loving life together!



Our delightful nephew Charlie, also treated us to a wonderful Sunday afternoon at Ham Club in Richmond. He's running a thriving coaching school, playing a number of competition games for his patron and also managing to have a fabulous time in the big smoke of London. 

A day in Stockholm

View of Stockholm

David, Tessa and I arose early and headed across the island to catch the 6.30 ferry into Stockholm. From our island, Eckholmn, it takes about two hours of cruising with a number of stops to collect other passengers.  It was the perfect opportunity to admire more of the islands and get a great view of Stockholm from the water. 

There's something special about arriving in a large city in that relaxed calm atmosphere rather than the usual hustle and bustle of high intensity as I attempt to drive into the city centre and find parks etc.  Never a calm easy time in our car!!! 

 We arrive at Stromkajen, very central and whats more, a tame tour guide - the best recipe!  

Royal Dramatic Theatre

This way!

Perfect touring temperature, walking shoes on, camera out and ready to get as much as we can done in eight hours. 

Tessa and author - Astrid Lindgren 

 Stockholm is a magnificent city,  the largest in Sweden with a population of about two million people (that takes in the surrounding vicinities).  It is made up of fourteen islands, connected by fifty bridges on Lake Malaren with over 30% of the city being made up of waterways and another 30% of green spaces. The city is full of wonderful rich cultural history, diverse architecture and big solid buildings.

  I love the soft muted colours of many of the buildings, often very grand

with quite an austere feel.  It even claims to be one of the most crowded museum cities in the world with over one hundred. Sadly we only enjoyed a couple but thats all the more reason to be back again.  So much to see and so little time!

First stop was the famous Vasa Museum - probably the most visited spot in Stockholm. I have never seen so many tour buses parked outside a venue before.
This houses the Vasa, the magnificent battleship of King Gustavus of Sweden  which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628.  At the time of building it was the biggest and most elaborate of its kind, but sadly the boatbuilder was not strong enough to keep to his own specifications and the King had a little too much influence in what he desired. It only sailed for thirty minutes before capsizing and sinking with hundreds of casualties.

It was rediscovered in the 1950's and the wreck was painstakingly raised from the sea bed in over 18 different pieces.   April 1961 saw the final lift and the whole ship resurfaced and installed in this fascinating museum.  From then on it has been slowly and meticulously restored to what is almost  93% of its original glory.    What makes this such  a unique art treasure as its the only 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged.  And what an amazing job they have done and the story that has been told.  

Skansen, the seventy five acre open air museum was next.  Founded in 1891 it was the first of its type in the world.  They have recreated 19th century Swedish life and we got a chance to see the traditional rural culture.  

A wonderful collection of historic building that have been transported, piece by piece, from all parts of the country and carefully reconstructed. The volunteers/actors are dressed authentically and displaying the old crafting methods, lifestyle or professions and are happy to explain and converse with you. An ideal place to bring the children to learn about their cultural heritage, but a delightful way for us to learn a little more about life outside Stockholm.

Great Grey Owl

A large part of it is also animal's native to Scandinavia like moose, brown bears, wolves, lynx, reindeer, bison, grey seal, otter, red fox and wolverine.

Brown bear

Lynx (at a distance)

Bison

Grey otter

The elusive Reindeer

We spent a few hours in Gamla Stan, the old town, Stockholm's medieval city centre. A lively place, free of cars,  with people spilling out onto the narrow cobbled streets, wonderful outdoor cafes, restaurants and bars, live music and even horse and carriages somehow managing to make their way through it all. 

Tessa and Nick wandering through Gamla Stan

Gamla Stan

 We sat, relaxed, did what we do best,enjoyed a great coffee and watched the world go by. I loved the variety of boutique type shops with everything from clothing, souvenirs, handicrafts  nicknacks, interior design and art galleries. 

Gamla Stan

Then meandered through the charming streets and alleyways admiring the beautifully preserved  buildings ( the wonderful muted colours of mustard and gold) then visited the Cathedral,  Royal Palace and Parliament Buildings. 

Cathedral

Swedish Parliament 

Back on the ferry and headed home with one last view of glorious Stockholm.

View as we leave