Showing posts with label hols. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hols. Show all posts

18/08/2013

In Cannes and San Remo..

The sand beach between Mandelieu and Cannes

View from the coastal road between Cannes and Mandelieu


The 'old' Cannes

Tourists in the old Cannes

Le Bouchon du Port café in Cannes

A sreet in San Remo, Italy

Walking in San Remo

We managed to resist temptation!

Another view of San Remo, Italy

15/08/2013

Rendez-vous avec le soleil et le vélo à Cannes

A seagull posing for us on the ferry

Feeding the ducks in the river Sciagne

My hubby having a pause from biking from Mandelieu to Cannes

With our friend Yvonne

the 'old Cannes'

A ceramic artist in Vallauris

Good afternoon to all of you blogger friends and visitors. Yesterday, we came back from our holidays, in la Côte d'Azur. The temperature was in the 30s C. and as I am writing it's pouring down - near Stafford in England. The trip was easy on the way there but on the way back was not smooth, for instance when we turned up at our 'usual' campsite in Calais, the camping municipal, right by the docks,  it was closed and you cannot search for campsites in our sat nav. One French man who saw us stuck in front of the shut gate of the deserted campsite due to be demolished soon kindly told us that there was another campsite in the Bleriot plage not too far away. However, another French mobilehome pulled in and as the campsites were appearing on their sat nav we followed them for a while but this lead us to a wild goose search and time was ticking. In the end I asked again another couple parked in front of a doctor surgery and they reiterated that there was another campsite this time giving us more exact directions. So we found it and it was quieter that the one we were used to.  The lady at the reception told us that we could not pay by card (!) so we told her we'd go and find some cash. It suited us as we wanted to get some shopping in the nearby Auchan and find a restaurant for a bite to eat. When we came back two hours later the reception was closed! It never crossed our minds to ask her if they'd closed as all the campsites we've been are opened till 10 p.m. We left the money,  20 Euros in her letterbox. 
Another tale: we weren't allowed to leave the campsite before 7 am, our ferry left at 7:45 and we worked out that we'd have plenty of time to board. The following morning, we got up at 6:15, hurried to put stuff away, the electric, the bed...and left at 7 am, we arrived at the car ferry place at 7:20 only to see massive queues formed at the English customs, never seen before. Usually, the custom officer would look at the passports and have a quick check on his computer, that would take no more than 2, 3 minutes, for each car in front of us, they were taking a minimum of 5-7 minutes. When eventually we arrived at our boarding booth, we were told our boat was full and put in the 8:45 crossing. I asked what'd happened at the customs and somehow it was a bit of 'rivalry' between the English and French custom officers, but I wonder if they were after something more serious. As we crossed the channel not only the temperature had dropped but the traffic was dense and I am so glad that I was not driving!
We are so grateful to the Lord that we managed to have a holiday this year - as with what happened at the vicarage earlier in June, nothing was certain - and this holiday was great..more to come. 
Peace be with you. Yours in Christ Nicky 
PS..I will accept any translation for the title..hey hey!

21/04/2013

Camping? No say 'campeggi!

Last half-term, Steven and I had such a great time in Rome that we would like to go back to Italy this summer. However this time we would not stay in a hotel but in a campsite. So tonight I am scouring google map trying to find a suitable 'campeggi' preferably similar to a CL. If you know of any on the 'Liguria' that you can recommend, do let me know! :)

PS It does not have to be by the sea!
Have a blessed week!
N.

03/09/2010

Jousting in Agde

One day we went to Agde, in the Languedoc Roussillon region, and we realised people were getting ready for the Joutes Nautiques (nautical jousting). Apparently this sport has existed in Sete the 25th of August 1743...
The Rules
The tournament starts with a parade of the jousting “knights” with traditional music: oboe and drums are the two main instruments. There is a blue and a red rowboat guided by steersmen and powered by 8 to 10 rowers.
 In the front of the boat, 2 musicians accompany the tournament with a traditional music.
 The jousting members are armed with a spear and protected by a “pavois” (a shield). 
The aim of the game is to make the opponent fall in the water with the spear when the boats pass each other. 


 Hum, wonder who is there, hidden in the crowd!
 The jousting fighters stand on the “tintaine”, a plank set at the back of the boat
 about 2 meters above the water.
 Here is the blue team and the musicians
 Nobody in the water yet!

The red team.
This went on for at least two hours and it was good fun! Here is a splash. I must say that though the sun was out, the temperature of the water was below 16 ...