Strikes can’t stop us.

Thursday saw us packed early and heading for Nice Railway Station. ……shame that the trains were not heading in the same direction. A rapid discussion in the near empty entrance and we were off to Hertz where we hired a car, attached our trusty GPS and drove off. And whoosh – we whizzed across France through all sorts of fascinating countryside and places I had only ever heard about. It cost us 260 euros to hire the car and over 50 euros in tolls plus the fuel. Thank you strikers!

Crossing France in style - but not in a train!

Our bed and breakfast in Lezignan-Corbieres was in a little lane and was locked up tightly until opening time at 4. Marea and Michael were stuck in Carcasonne so Tony left me on the footpath with all the baggage while he set off to collect them and their luggage. Eventually we were all reunited after a pretty hectic day.


Recovering at Maison Helene.

That left new problems for the morning – we now had a car! So we collected all our gear together and headed for the canal boat using the car for transport. Marea and I stayed at the dock while the men returned the car and caught an expensive taxi back…….Our voyage could begin.

The canal was fantastic and taking our boat through the locks was a great experience. The most dramatic was the 6 basin lock which takes about 45 minutes to do the up hill way and 30 to go down hill. On the way downhill it was blowing a gale which added to the fun – the boat was difficult to manoeuvre and there was dirt in the wind. (needless to say I thought it was great).






The canal is tree lined most of the way and it is beautifully relaxing and calming to just potter along. There are lots of villages but, unlike the brochures indicated, many businesses and restaurants were closed for the season. So it was a case of stock up when and where you could.




We had a couple of memorable meals along the way and some very enjoyable French wine. Exploring the architecture of the villages and churches and the shops (where open) provided a real insight into this fascinating part of the world. One open attraction was a hat museum - all sorts of head gear from all around the world and a good span of history.







We crossed bridges and aqueducts, visited art galleries and craft shops, went through a tunnel (Tunnel de Malpas) and climbed to the top of a hill to visit a Gallic village called Enserune – shame it closed to visitors an hour before lunch!



Our bikes looked very nice on top of the boat. I have basically not ridden since we left Karratha so I am very rusty and the first trip saw me wobbling along and bouncing up and down. The weather was a bit against us after that as the wind was very strong so we didn’t ride again until near the end of the trip. Later we could see snow on the hills. We did a wonderful 10 km ride along the tow path, through the village of Homps and out to a Lake where Tony and I had lunch and our first taste of real fois gras.












Returning to port was a rather sad experience but it was to be the beginning of the next adventure. We all piled into a taxi and set off for Lezignans-Corbieres where we planned to catch the train. Oops. We arrived at the station to find that the station assistant was just posting the strike notice. Fortunately our driver was still getting back into her car so we all did a scramble, climbed back aboard and headed off through the countryside again. All a bit like a bad French farce really.

And so we arrived in Carcasonne. What a city. There are 2 parts – the old Medieval Walled City and the newer town. A photographic delight and we took enough pictures to prove it. We have continued to sample local fare – French onion soup, soufflé, and cassoulet have been added to the list. The Canal du Midi is very close to our hotel and there are lots of places to walk and wander.







Marea and Michael have now returned to London (unless the airport was on strike) and we are planning a quiet Sunday afternoon sorting photos, uploading blogs, charging batteries and packing our bags….we have our seats booked on the train……Espagna is just over those hills!!!!

Some Riviera Pictures

The beach at Monte Carlo - it isn't very wide at all!


Himself aka The Pirate King


This is huge - it occupies a large area of roof



Whatever you do - don't walk on the grass.



Prada for some and a 2 euro shop for others - life is the same all around the world! (I think this is Nice)

Monte Carlos in Monte Carlo

Well we didn’t actually get to Monte Carlo when planned. It was a strike day and it took us ages to get a ticket and by then the train east had gone so we changed plans and headed west for Cannes instead. We had a great day – it is quite an interesting place – huge boats, lots of hotels and restaurants and some interesting old streets. We had an excellent lunch, walk along the waterfront and a good look at buildings old and new.

Today we finally made it to Monte Carlo but first we visited the fruit and veg market and the fish market in Nice (we should have been on an earlier train but I was tardy getting up!) There were lots of good things to eat and I wanted to buy seafood and bring it back to our apartment to cook. Common sense took over and I left all of the sea urchins, the oysters, clams, cuttlefish and squid right where they were!

Monte Carlo is another of those places that are great to visit and have lunch but places I could never imagine living. There is simply no space that is free and definitely no back gardens and clothes line. I know life shouldn’t revolve around a clothesline but I could not imagine living without one. ……and I didn’t have any biscuits to eat.
The beaches – well……they are beaches (just!). A few bare boobs around and lots of wealth. Brand named shops of all the really expensive sort all lined up in a row. Monte Carlo is the most expensive of the Riviera towns that we have visited. We found a good bar in a less touristy area and had lunch with the French; it was much cheaper than near the water and we can afford to eat tomorrow.

Tomorrow we take our chances with the strikers and head west to pick up our canal boat. If all goes well I should imagine that we will be out of touch for a week or more.

Oops - the picture uploader is down for maintenance. Looks like I will have to wait until next week.

It's nice here in Nice

Haven't seen a decent chair - but I did find these little cupboards.



It wasn’t too easy to get here! Strikes and cancelled trains meant a few long waits – still I know the inside of Monaco/Monte Carlo Station very well. Our Nice Citadines apartment has been recently renovated and we have a very nice studio space consisting of a lounge/bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, a separate toilet and another balcony with room to sit on. The beach is only 2 streets away and, while it bears no comparison to Australia, it is quite appealing.
Here I am in my beach clothes getting ready to enjoy the sand!



The architecture in this town, particularly the old is amazing. It clearly belongs to a time long past but generally it is in excellent condition and it gives the city a very unique feel. We have walked miles, much of the time looking up.




Parking Nice style and some of the many restaurants beginning to turn their lights on as darkness falls.




Today we queued again to reserve our tickets from here to the canal boat and from there to Barcelona when the canalling is finished. Hopefully we will not be rowing and we all make it on time.

At lunch we had a local Nicoise tradition – pesto with pasta (and beautiful roast lamb) and then good old Australian fish patties cooked in our apartment for dinner. I also cooked some garlic prawns – frozen green prawns but miles cheaper than the ones in the restaurants. I quite miss our Australian sea food.

We are setting out in the morning with our fingers crossed as we attempt to get to Monaco to see the rest of the place away from the railway station. It is a proposed strike day but some trains are running. Hopefully this will not be the last I write and we are able to return!

Climb every mountain

We had a leisurely departure from our Roman apartment – too leisurely in fact. A misread of the train timetable meant we missed the train. Fortunately we managed to be on one just an hour later and then we headed for Naples. At Naples we changed trains – oops – a bit of misadvice from the Station Guide had us heading for the wrong station in Pompei. Then somebody misread the GPS twice (I mention no male names for each of these events) and we saw a lot of Pompei on foot. It wasn’t the bit we wanted to see but eventually we made it to Allegro Pace – a really good little hotel not terribly far from the entry to the ruins.

Pompei was having a festival so there was lots of music in the streets and a really bouncy feel. Lots of pilgrims visit the local church and religious bric a brac is everywhere. We sat for ages as the sun was going down, enjoying a drink, eating olives and then having dinner. There were police everywhere but we didn’t spot a bit of bad behaviour. We went to sleep listening to a very pleasant female voice singing at the stage just up the street.



The ruins themselves were fantastic. We arrived early before the crowds and left at 6 pm. We walked a very long way and covered much of the site in our almost 9 hours of exploration. The next morning we headed back down the street to catch the bus to Vesuvius. It didn’t show for a while and I was beginning to fear that this bit of the expedition was going to be a failure. The streets were closed, pilgrims were everywhere, street sales were booming! Then a funny little bus appeared and we headed for the mountain. The bus had wooden slat seats and we bounced through the traffic – then along the autostrada – then up a very steep and windy hill. All out and walk to the top. People say, “See Naples and die”. I think they are referring to seeing Naples from the top of Vesuvius. But Wowee!!!!!! Loved the crater, the rocks, the view. Going down was a bit like a ride at Luna Park and there was lots of laughter as people slid around and our little bus continually blew its horn to warn people going up. There was barely room to pass in many places.

I could have stayed longer in Pompei as I loved both the old and the new but time waits for no travellers. Off to Assisi.

As we left our hotel the rain bucketed down and we were soaked. We were still wet after several hours of travel and on arriving in Assisi we caught our first taxi – thank goodness. It would have been a long and steep uphill walk with little in the way of path. The sun was fortunately out and it didn’t take long to reach our new domicile. Our hotel is ideally situated and after we arrived we explored part of the town including the Basilica di Santa Chiara. Here we saw some amazing things including the tomb of St Clare, some of the clothing of both St Clare and St Frances and many other relics. The stained glass and the art works were tremendous. I left this place feeling absolutely overwhelmed. Then nearby we spotted The Cattedrale di San Rufino so in we went. I was somewhat stunned to see the font where both St Clare and St Frances were baptised.

We wandered down the hill and enjoyed a drink and samples of local produce before we had a pleasant meal in a local trattoria. Today we climbed to the top of Rocca Maggiore, the ancient fort on top of the Assisi hill. It was quite a walk to the fort and then quite a few steps up and down in the fort. This is another of those views that simply deserves many superlatives. During the afternoon we visited an art gallery and the remains of the Roman Forum which is under another magnificent Church. This Church is built behind the façade of an old Roman temple built in Greek style. What a mixture. Then the finale – a trip to the Basilica di S Francesco E Sacro Convento – 2 churches built on top of one another. The lower one dates from 1228-1230 and houses St Frances’ tomb and more sacred relics. The inside of the upper church in particular is colourful and covered in painting including many by Giotto. What a day!





A multichange trip using the variable efficiencies of Italian trains saw us transfer ourselves successfully from Assisi to Monterosso in The Cinque Terra. We were guided by a lady delivering oil to our hotel and then we settled into the Anita, owned and run by who else but Anita. I am a bit sick and tired of people who write stupid things on Trip Advisor and absolutely get stuck into places without real reason. I had been dreading this one as I read some nasty reviews after we had booked. People knocked the rude Italian speaking man at the desk because he wouldn’t speak English, the bathroom, the breakfast etc. Except for a somewhat unprepossessing exterior it was fine (all the fittings were brand new as were the curtains) and the breakfast was excellent – particularly the coffee. The man at the desk was friendly and carried our bags and he did speak Italian – but that shouldn’t surprise anyone as it is actually Italy. We decided to extend by a day but they were full so Anita organised us a room in her Mamma’s Hotel and this morning when we transferred Mamma was there to pick us up and moved us over in a taxi.

We have climbed more mountains – the Cinque Terra is full of them. We have done all the lower walks that are open (1 is closed due to storm damage) and we have climbed about a million steps. As well we have had several train trips, walked through olive groves and vineyards, eaten some rather delicious food, drunk some pretty good vino, seen some spectacular scenery and enjoyed a pleasant ferry trip along the coast.

It has been hard to get WiFi and today we will upload sitting in the street(no room in the shop) as they are not allowed to put up aerials (it is a UNESCO World Heritage site) so the availability away from the computer shop is very limited.