FRANCE

November 13th 2017
Up early this morning for our drive into Barcelona to catch the high speed train to Nimes, France where we will pick up our car and drive to our next accommodation stop in Avignon. On our way to the station we see and old bullfighting ring that is now a shopping centre, pity all bull rings can't be used for that.
We return the hire car, the bags and cases nearly exploding from the poor thing and walk across to the station to find our platform and train. These trains are supposed to reach 300klm, though it didn't quite make that, so close at 298klm. Unfortunately it is nowhere near as nice as the German trains we have been on previously, no food or drinks or even a paper and that's in First class. You can buy from the little snack bar but its so expensive.
The scenery is very interesting and I love looking at all the little towns we go through. At one stage and I'm not sure where it was, there was water like lagoons on both sides of the train and there were Flamingos. I thought I was seeing things but there were more a bit further along.
We arrive in Nimes and are very excited to discover the rental company has upgraded us to a very nice BMW, perfect for the snow and icy conditions we expect later in our trip.

November 14th.2017
After quite a bit of going around in circles we finally found our wonderful accommodation late yesterday afternoon. It is just perfect,
a beautiful old apartment on a vineyard .
It is called Chateau St Pierre d' Escarvaillac, a lovely small family run business that the son has just taken over after his father passed away a year ago. It was formerly called Chatuese de Bonpas and is from the 12th century.
Today we are heading back to Nimes to see the Roman Colosseum that we didn't have time for yesterday. It was a very important and large Roman town. I didn't realise the Romans had been through France so much. I guess they went everywhere.
There is also the Roman Maison Caree temple which is pretty well intact and pretty amazing. It is quite a large town and we wander around the streets, stopping for a coffee and a quick lunch. The wind is quite chilly and we have been told it is called the Mistral winds at this time of year and can last from a few days to a few weeks.

After our nice lunch we head out to the Pont De Gard bridge over the Gardon river. It is another Roman engineering feat, an aqueduct system of 50klms to bring water into Nimes. We wanted to go later in the day to catch the afternoon light. The winds are really cold here, the sort that feels icy to your bones. Glad we have our winter clothes

in the car. It really is spectacular, just a pity we couldn't grab a hot coffee as the cafe had closed for the day.

We head back to our apartment and our lovely host has left some more firewood so we can have another lovely roaring fire tonight. I cook some dinner while Gary sets the table with some wine and lights some candles. Henri has also left some of their wine and some home grown olive oil and pasta. Such nice French hospitality. The bottle pictured is an old one from their cellar, we won't be opening that one.

November 15th 2017
A great night sleep and we have a lovely breakfast and get ready for our tour of the vineyard that our host is giving us this morning. It is really great to see how the wine is made and the old cellars and vats. It is very traditional and labor intensive wine making.
It is a beautiful old villa, lots of stone and really high ceilings, there is a separate large hall type area that is used for local fetes, plays and art shows. They are really trying to get more events there and get their name and their wines out there. Although it has been in their family a long time, his father just wanted to sell small amounts and didn't want cellar door sales or tours so they are trying to turn that around now. The vineyard produces AOC Cotes De Rhone red wines and they also make their own olive oil in small amounts. and there are many fruit trees.They just have the one apartment for rent and it really feels so comfortable and homely, I wish we could stay longer.

After our very interesting tour of the vineyard we are off to Orange, another large, important former Roman town. On our way we pass many local wineries and have to stop when I see a chocolate factory, Chocolaterie Bernard Castelaincant , cant go passed that one without . After a few purchases we are on our way again.
Our next stop is the town of Chateauneuf du Pape, this is where the Pope had a castle and vineyard with cellars. The Popes were exiled to France in 1309 for 67 years and their home there was in Avignon, so the Pope liked another place to live in the countryside not far away. It's a very cute little town and there are so many cellars open for wine sales and nice little cafes. We decide on on cellar to look in, Le Verger des Papas. It is fascinating walking through the limestone caverns that were built in Roman times and still have the stone vats visible. We have a very interesting and amusing wine tasting with the host, who has a great sense of humor. Gary buys a bottle and I get a nice glass, we are certainly going to need to send stuff back.
Now to Orange and there is the ruins of a huge open air Roman theater, you can just imagine it being full of people and all the pomp and ceremony. We have a good look through and there is an interesting display on events that have been held there through the ages. It is still used today for concerts. Would be amazing to see one there.

November 16th 2017
This morning we take the short drive into Avignon to have a look around the town and the former residence of several Popes, Palais De Papas. Most of the main wall and ramperts have been preserved. It is quite early in the morning and we can stop and take lots of photos.
It's a lovely town with the picturesque Rhone river running through it. There are even a couple of islands in the river that people live on.
Walking through the streets we find a small trash and treasure type market and we have a wander through, there are not many stalls but always interesting to see if there is anything small we can bring back. There is a beautiful, old ceramic type heater I would love to have in my house.
Across the street is the Marches Des Halles marketplace, this is for fresh fruit, meat, cheese and other food. It is a great atmosphere inside and Gary finds a wine tasting stand, and it seems like all the other husbands have as well. I leave him there while I have a look around. I love the presentation of the cheeses and chocolates it all looks so delicious . Its hard to know where to start should I get the cheese or the bread, wine, chocolate or meats. Maybe just a bit of everything. It's always good. I love French food, the bread and cheeses are delicious the pastries always divine and the coffee good too.
We have packed a picnic and head to the Rocher des Doms gardens that overlook the river, its a great view from there and nice to just sit and relax for

a while.
After lunch we head down to another part of the old walls where there are more great views over the river and the Pont St Benezet bridge, seen in so many photos of Avignon. We were hoping we would be able to walk onto the old bridge but the gate is locked, so it must just be for tours.
We head back to our lovely apartment as we have to pack up to leave early morning for our overnight stop in Grenoble on our way to Chamonix, France.
I have really loved this place, so peaceful, great history and such a lovely host.
I had to include some more photos before we head to our next destination.

November 17th 2017
This morning we head off to our overnight hotel stay in Grenoble on our way to Chamonix-Mont Blanc
We head along the 1094 road which goes through changing countryside and small villages. We stop in one of these villages for a lovely coffee and there are a few locals selling their fruit and veggies.
It is very cliche to associate the French with baguettes but it is so true, we laugh all the time as there is always people on bikes or walking from their shops with a baguette or 2 under their arm. They really do love them.
We continue on for a while through hilly and more open sections and a few tunnels and as it is getting passed lunch we start looking for a quick bite. We stop at a little roadside diner with outside tables and chairs, that to my delight have a very thin sprinkling of snow on them and we can see snow on the distant mountains. It is quite a scenic spot with a lovely clear, pebble river next to it. The scenery from here is quite unexpected, driving through a spectacular gorge and some tiny towns on the side of hills.
We head into Grenoble which is a very large town surrounded by mountains, to find our hotel. Not much to say about it except its tiny room once again and no tea or coffee facilities except for a vending machine downstairs. Such a let down after staying at so many beautiful places but it is one night and we go out for dinner and have an early night, ready for our trip tomorrow.

November 18th 2017
Up early and ready for breakfast which surprisingly is included. We just have a quick bite and cuppa as we want to head off without having to rush the drive to be in Chamonix about lunchtime. We head up the freeway to Albertville, host of the 1992 Olympics ,where we have been told to have a look at the old town area of Conflans. There is a bit of restoration work going on and as we are so early there is nothing open but it a very quaint medieval village with great views.
The drive to Chamonix is through a spectacular gorge, the scenery is amazing and I feel sorry for Gary driving that he can't appreciate it as much as I can. We do stop a few times for some photos and its quite chilly outside, bring on the snow I say. Lucky we have seat warmers in the car! There is more and more snow appearing on the mountains and I am hoping we will be lucky to have snow in Chamonix for our stay. The forests are so beautiful with snow on them and Gary will be sick of me saying "OMG its so beautiful".
We arrive in Chamonix and head to the little local market to pick up some fresh bread and cheese before heading to our apartment.
Again OMG the views are nothing but outstanding, it actually brings a tear to my eye to be standing on the huge deck overlooking a frozen lake and Mont Blanc and all the surrounding mountains staring down at us. The apartment is huge and perfect with its combustion heater that has a pizza oven top

section,we will try that out. There is a bath that has view to spectacular snow covered mountains. Lucky there are no neighbors that could look in because I will not be shutting those blinds.
You can only hope that your expectations can be realised and as this is a very special stay that our whole trip has been organised around,we are so lucky it exceeds our expectations and we haven't even had a good look around yet. In 2 days time we will renew our vows on our 35th anniversary in the most beautiful chapel, thanks to the help of the lovely Barbara Falkiner and Theresa Kaufman. Barbara is coming over later in the afternoon to discuss our ceremony and I can't wait to meet her,and later we meet our wonderful photographer Theresa in a cafe in town.

November 19th 2017
A very good nights sleep and we wake to find it starting to snow, exactly what we had wished for. I can't help but stand on the deck like an idiot watching it snow. It is such a dry, flaky snow that I am not getting wet at all. After breakfast we have a walk around the lakes next to the apartment and we have a good laugh at the dogs playing in the snow. I wish I could show Ziggy snow one day, he would be so funny. We then go into town to have a look around, check out our little chapel and just have lazy day making sure all is ready for tomorrow. The town center is really stunning with the mountains looming all around, they are just so close. There are many lovely cafes and restaurants and I am sure we will find something nice for lunch. It is pretty chilly and still snowing but our winter clothes keep us quite warm, we just have to be careful walking not to slip on any ice. It is the quiet time now and not all businesses are open but there are still a lot of people around. I can imagine how busy it would be in ski season. We find a little cafe to have some lunch and I can't help but get the delicious waffles, they don't disappoint, very nice. A nice coffee and we pick up some groceries to make dinner and head back to the apartment and the stunning views. With a nice fire going we sit and admire the views before it gets dark. Early night for our big day tomorrow.

November 20th 2017
Well today is the BIG day. We are excited and nervous and hope all goes well. But most of all we feel more in love than we did 35 years ago. The sunrise over the mountains, although its cloudy, is beautiful. There is no snow predicted for today and the the sun should be out mid morning. Exactly what we had wished for.
We have breakfast and try to relax before it is time to get dressed and ready for our drive into town. Gary looks so handsome all dressed and ready to go and I can tell he is nervous. We are lucky to find a carpark right opposite the church and make our way in to be greeted by Barbara and Theresa. We stop for a few photos outside and the setting is perfect,the sun is coming out and there is still snow on the ground.
After a few deep breaths we walk on down the aisle, something we haven't done before, being married in gardens the first time.The music is playing, Bon Jovi's Thank you for Loving Me and the sun is shining through the stained glass windows onto our heads, Barbara has bought beautiful flowers for the altar and it is just perfect. A dream come true.
Barbara asked us lots of questions about our family, how we met and what this meant for us and has written the most beautiful, personal vows. Of course I am in tears as soon as she starts and Gary only has to look at me to start me off again. It is a very emotional, beautiful moment.
Theresa captured the moment beautifully with her

photos and we are so grateful we found two wonderful ladies who knew exactly what wanted. We are heading on the cog wheel train to the Mer de Glace later in the afternoon, so a quick change into something a bit warmer for me before we head off for a celebratory drink at Cap Horn restaurant. The architecture is stunning inside. We have a nice drink and chat before we have to run to catch the train.
It is a stunning view from the train and even more amazing view when we get to the top and overlook the glacier. We are glad there is a cafe for a hot drink as it is really cold up here. The views coming back down are even more spectacular .
On the way back to the unit we stop by the lake near our unit to look at the old medieval keep beside the lake. We get some lovely photos there. Gary always brings a pewter mug I bought him for our 1st anniversary, to have a drink from on our anniversary, he hasn't missed a year yet. So we have a drink on the deck back at the apartment to celebrate our wonderful day.

November 21st 2017
After a magical day yesterday, today we are taking a drive through the mountains to Annecy (France) a lakeside town about 100 kms away.
It is a beautiful town with a crystal clear lake and mountains all around. We leave the car in large car park next to lake and have a wander along the shoreline, stopping to feed the beautiful white swans. I can hear some sort of singing and cant work out what it is until I look across the lake and see what must be the army recruits graduation ceremony. They all march around to where are to board buses to I guess take them back to their bases. It is very interesting to watch them all march by, some say bonjour as the walk by, I not sure whether I should be smiling and saying bonjour back to them or not, but I do anyway.
We head into the main shopping area and the river Thiou with the ancient Palais de L'Isle from the 12th century right in the middle. It was mainly used for a prison and courthouse. It is so picturesque we stop for a coffee to enjoy the beautiful view. Added bonus to be greeted by a beautiful beagle puppy sitting with a lady at one of the tables and his lead just reaches to me. Sorry again Ziggy, but I can't resist any puppy let alone a beagle.
After as very delicious coffee and cake we walk a bit further to discover the local markets are on. We have been very lucky to seem to catch the

markets at so many places. Even if we don't buy anything, we love to wander through looking at all the stalls. There are clothes and fruit and veggies, meats and just about everything, always friendly stall holders and if we do chat they are always interested when we say we are from Australia. I cannot resist the friendly man selling fudge, he gives us samples and I buy a big bag of mixed flavours with the intention of eating just a few and bringing the rest home to share. (They never made it) There are huge wheels of nougat, but I am good and resist those. After wandering around for a while we grab some lunch and then head back to the lake for a scenic boat cruise around the lake. It is quite cool sitting outside on the back deck of the boat but worth it to get some beautiful pictures. It is a really stunning place and we would love to have a few days here to drive around the lake looking at the small villages. There is a pretty impressive castle as well.
Time for the drive back to our lovely apartment in the snow. Unfortunately it is our last night so we need to pack up and tomorrow we head to Grindelwald, Switzerland for a few nights.