This visit was a last moment decision and finding. Elisenda has been busy in the last few weeks studying Florence Nightingale (FN) at school, and when on the Saturday evening we decided to go to London I thought I would goggle FN to see if there was somewhere an exhibition related to her. And I discovered, not just an exhibition but a full museum dedicated to her, on the grounds of St. Thomas Hospital.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Monday, 4 October 2010
A glimpse of Xochimilco, Mexico
So on the fourth and last day of my business trip to Mexico I did manage to get a glimpse of a couple of areas in Ciudad de Mexico, the floating gardens of Xochimilco and the Zocalo in the historic centre of the city.
On a Friday afternoon the canals were relatively quiet, apart from the boats with students and the ones with mariachis trying to sell you songs for 60 pesos, so it was lovely to navigate on my own private boat enjoying the colourful display around me. I went for the 90 min tour which on my own was more than enough to appreciate the place. Richard. Elisenda and Sofia would have loved the colourful boats and the music.. I should try to bring them here. It is also a great area to see different birds and flowers and a nice respite from the chaos of the D.F.
On the way to the airport and as we had plenty of time my driver suggested that he drove via the Zocalo in the historical centre of Ciudad the Mexico. The square is beautiful, surrounded by the Cathedral, the Palacio Nacional and the Town Hall. The glittery decorations from the big celebrations of the Bicentenario (200 years of independence from the Spanish crown and 100 years of the Revolution) on the 16 September were still in place, suggesting a lavish event.
These two areas plus the driving along the Paseo de la Reforma were all the sight-seeing I did manage this time. However, I have been introduced to a lovely country with really lovely people...
On the way to the airport and as we had plenty of time my driver suggested that he drove via the Zocalo in the historical centre of Ciudad the Mexico. The square is beautiful, surrounded by the Cathedral, the Palacio Nacional and the Town Hall. The glittery decorations from the big celebrations of the Bicentenario (200 years of independence from the Spanish crown and 100 years of the Revolution) on the 16 September were still in place, suggesting a lavish event.
These two areas plus the driving along the Paseo de la Reforma were all the sight-seeing I did manage this time. However, I have been introduced to a lovely country with really lovely people...
Sunday, 19 September 2010
King's Mead - Ware with children
Today I went with the girls to do one of our first nature walks of the season - I am trying to get them use to walking so we can start doing some hiking during the summer holidays. The walk was a success, they manage to keep going for 2 hours, only having to carry Sofia towards the end. We took pencils and pads to draw, cameras (including Sofias’ plastic Cbebbies one), some snacks to ease the way and went down hill.
We are very lucky, in that just 10 min down the road there is one of Hertfordshire big nature reserves, King’s Mead. We entered via Ware lock – crossed the railway line shortly after and walked through the grassland – in well marked but narrow paths, leading to the White House sluice. We had a little stop there, eating biscuits and yoghurt – admiring the crisscrossing of ditches and floodwater. The girls then run through the causeway between the West and East Pools aiming for the steps that Richard and his work colleagues had built the previous year. They are still there and the girls were please to jump up and down before exiting the Meads via the entrance in front of the Golf club.
On the way back home we fed dry bread to a couple of swans at the New River, and just as we were arriving at the station we saw an amazing grey/black bird – diving in and out of the water and swimming long stretches under water. A boy who had just phoned his mum and send her a picture informed us that it was a Cormorant – I tried in vain to take a picture, but it was diving too fast in and out of the water.
(Reserve map from HNHS - thanks .)
We are very lucky, in that just 10 min down the road there is one of Hertfordshire big nature reserves, King’s Mead. We entered via Ware lock – crossed the railway line shortly after and walked through the grassland – in well marked but narrow paths, leading to the White House sluice. We had a little stop there, eating biscuits and yoghurt – admiring the crisscrossing of ditches and floodwater. The girls then run through the causeway between the West and East Pools aiming for the steps that Richard and his work colleagues had built the previous year. They are still there and the girls were please to jump up and down before exiting the Meads via the entrance in front of the Golf club.
On the way back home we fed dry bread to a couple of swans at the New River, and just as we were arriving at the station we saw an amazing grey/black bird – diving in and out of the water and swimming long stretches under water. A boy who had just phoned his mum and send her a picture informed us that it was a Cormorant – I tried in vain to take a picture, but it was diving too fast in and out of the water.
(Reserve map from HNHS - thanks .)
Catalonia – The Camargue, Summer 2010 Trip: The Camargue with children
Driving around the Camargue is just beautiful. In the next few day as we did shorter visits we were able to enjoy the landscape of marshes, birds, white horses and black bulls. Although it may be a stereotypical image of The Camargue this is what you get.
Parc Ornothologique de Pont de Gau
Wanting to discover the natural parc by walking some of the trails we headed to the Maison du Parc to get more detailed information that than provided in our guidebook. The Maison was elusive though and we couldn’t find it – we were then informed that it had closed 2-3 years ago for political reasons. Next to where it was supposed to be we discovered the Parc Ornothologique de Pont de Gau, it was one of those chance findings that made our day.
The Parc has two great circular trails (2.6 km + 4.3 km) around some marais (marshes) and etangs (lakes) – and therefore the walk can be customised to suit the younger ones. All sort of birds inhabit the area but the stars of the show for Elisenda and Sofia were obviously the flamingos. You could easily spend the day there if you come prepared with a picnic to have on the shaded tables near the entrance. Thoroughly recommended even if you don’t know much about birds (like us !!).
Boucanet and Aigues-Mortes
On Sunday (22 August) morning we went to Boucanet beach where the girls enjoyed making castles and splashing in the water. The beach was pleasant enough, but being used to the landscape of the Costa Brava for me it was somehow disappointing. After a very quick walk around Pont de Gau (the bit we saw wasn’t very inviting) we headed back to the camping via the road along Aigues-Mortes , only to discover when passing the town that it was the last day of the Fete the St Louis. Seeing that so much was going on we stopped there, with the first mission being to find a restaurant for lunch before the girls got grumpy. We were extremely lucky as when we crossed one of the doors of the medieval fortress we found the ideal place, pizzeria Sel de Fleur. We got the last table outside and enjoyed the perfect meal for that day, salad and a really nice clay oven cooked pizzas. The afternoon was spent enjoying the medieval fair around the streets of Aigues-Mortes, prior to returning to base for our daily swim.
We went back to the town two days later, the day before our departure, and enjoyed a more relaxed wondering around the streets.
That night we ventured to watch the camping entertainment only to be greatly surprised by the quality of the performances, the guys were amazing, obviously trained dancers making I hope, good money during the summer.
Les Saintes Maries de la mer
Monday was going to be our last day of touring, as the following day we wanted a really relaxing day i.e. no driving, prior to our 12 hour drive back home. Therefore the plan was to explore another part of the Parc Naturel de Camargue, so we aimed for the Salin-de-Giraud (salines). However we never made it there; we left camping late so we changed the plans and went instead to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer.
It is a very touristy town, however it retains a certain charm. You can easily spend the whole day there if you combine it with a dip in the sea. Unfortunately that day it was foggy and drizzling, so a wonder around and lunch was enough for us.
By chance though (considering it was chosen by Elisenda because of the pink and purple napkins and tablecloth) we found this great restaurant, Le Provencal, in the square just behind the church, where there is one restaurant next to another restaurant and they somehow seem to merge. However the pink and purple napkins were just a prelude to a number of little touches throughout the meal, from the square glass plate for Sofia’s pasta with the little pink napkin, the paprika pattern around our stew, the chupa-chup decorating the girls ice-creams and to the nice presentation of the coffee in colourful coffee glasses brought in a glass tray.
This showed to me that they not only cared about their food, our Gardianne de taureaux (Bull stew with olives and marinated with wine) was superb, but also about the enjoyment of the overall meal. Considering it was only a 14 euro menu it was obviously a labour of love. Greatly recommended !!
The afternoon was completed by fulfilling Elisenda’s main request since arriving at the Camargue – to go horse riding. With her riding “vingt -et-cinq” and me another beautiful brown horse of unknown name we had a lovely ride around the lakes and sand dunes behind the camping. It was the end of the day and the sun had just come up for the day to provide us with lovely pink colours and an unforgettable experience.
Parc Ornothologique de Pont de Gau
Wanting to discover the natural parc by walking some of the trails we headed to the Maison du Parc to get more detailed information that than provided in our guidebook. The Maison was elusive though and we couldn’t find it – we were then informed that it had closed 2-3 years ago for political reasons. Next to where it was supposed to be we discovered the Parc Ornothologique de Pont de Gau, it was one of those chance findings that made our day.
The Parc has two great circular trails (2.6 km + 4.3 km) around some marais (marshes) and etangs (lakes) – and therefore the walk can be customised to suit the younger ones. All sort of birds inhabit the area but the stars of the show for Elisenda and Sofia were obviously the flamingos. You could easily spend the day there if you come prepared with a picnic to have on the shaded tables near the entrance. Thoroughly recommended even if you don’t know much about birds (like us !!).
Boucanet and Aigues-Mortes
On Sunday (22 August) morning we went to Boucanet beach where the girls enjoyed making castles and splashing in the water. The beach was pleasant enough, but being used to the landscape of the Costa Brava for me it was somehow disappointing. After a very quick walk around Pont de Gau (the bit we saw wasn’t very inviting) we headed back to the camping via the road along Aigues-Mortes , only to discover when passing the town that it was the last day of the Fete the St Louis. Seeing that so much was going on we stopped there, with the first mission being to find a restaurant for lunch before the girls got grumpy. We were extremely lucky as when we crossed one of the doors of the medieval fortress we found the ideal place, pizzeria Sel de Fleur. We got the last table outside and enjoyed the perfect meal for that day, salad and a really nice clay oven cooked pizzas. The afternoon was spent enjoying the medieval fair around the streets of Aigues-Mortes, prior to returning to base for our daily swim.
We went back to the town two days later, the day before our departure, and enjoyed a more relaxed wondering around the streets.
That night we ventured to watch the camping entertainment only to be greatly surprised by the quality of the performances, the guys were amazing, obviously trained dancers making I hope, good money during the summer.
Les Saintes Maries de la mer
Monday was going to be our last day of touring, as the following day we wanted a really relaxing day i.e. no driving, prior to our 12 hour drive back home. Therefore the plan was to explore another part of the Parc Naturel de Camargue, so we aimed for the Salin-de-Giraud (salines). However we never made it there; we left camping late so we changed the plans and went instead to Les Saintes Maries de la Mer.
It is a very touristy town, however it retains a certain charm. You can easily spend the whole day there if you combine it with a dip in the sea. Unfortunately that day it was foggy and drizzling, so a wonder around and lunch was enough for us.
By chance though (considering it was chosen by Elisenda because of the pink and purple napkins and tablecloth) we found this great restaurant, Le Provencal, in the square just behind the church, where there is one restaurant next to another restaurant and they somehow seem to merge. However the pink and purple napkins were just a prelude to a number of little touches throughout the meal, from the square glass plate for Sofia’s pasta with the little pink napkin, the paprika pattern around our stew, the chupa-chup decorating the girls ice-creams and to the nice presentation of the coffee in colourful coffee glasses brought in a glass tray.
This showed to me that they not only cared about their food, our Gardianne de taureaux (Bull stew with olives and marinated with wine) was superb, but also about the enjoyment of the overall meal. Considering it was only a 14 euro menu it was obviously a labour of love. Greatly recommended !!
The afternoon was completed by fulfilling Elisenda’s main request since arriving at the Camargue – to go horse riding. With her riding “vingt -et-cinq” and me another beautiful brown horse of unknown name we had a lovely ride around the lakes and sand dunes behind the camping. It was the end of the day and the sun had just come up for the day to provide us with lovely pink colours and an unforgettable experience.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Catalonia – The Camargue, Summer 2010 Trip: La Petite Camargue and Nimes with children
Once la Festa Major was finished so were our days with my family so on Wednesday 19 August we left for our next destination, The Camargue.
As with the last few years since we had the girls we chose self-catering accommodation in a camping – it’s not fun being in a hotel stuck in a room from 8 in the evening with the girls sleeping. Having really enjoyed the Yelloh village camping last in year in the Dordogne, this year we chose them again at the Camping La Petite Camargue. Compared to last years, it was a huge place, however it had excellent facilities and apart from the difficulty of finding a spot on the swimming pool at certain times it never felt too crowded.
For their holidays the girls only request is swimming pool and ice-cream every day , therefore we try to accommodate this, while also ensuring that we explore and discover the surrounding area. I am not a sun, swimming-pool kind of person, and while I can sit a relax for a bit I get itchy feet very quickly. But by now, I have learnt that with young children it is important is to target visits to something specific (i.e. with my girls just wondering around a place trying to soak the atmosphere just doesn’t work) and not to be over ambitious (i.e. no longer trying to fit as much as possible in a single day).
After the second day at the camping it was time to start exploring the area (remember the itchy feet !!). We had plan to do some walking around the Camargue, but Sofia had high fever all night long and therefore we decided a city visit may be more appropriate as she could just rest in the push-chair. We did consider staying at the camping but knowing Sofia we thought it was more likely she would rest during the car journey and being pushed around rather than staying in bed in a hot mobile home.
We headed therefore to Nimes to visit Les Arenes, the well preserved roman amphitheatre. The visit was a hit with the girls – well with Elisenda mostly, as Sofia wasn’t really up to it that day. With audio phone in tow, Elisenda just loved following the sign posted route , pressing the number as required during the visit and listening to the various stories about Romans and gladiators. It is a very comprehensive visit and you get to climb all the way to the top of the amphitheatre in different stages. Also, because of its history the children find it very unusual (not every day you come across a place were people were thrown to the lions) and therefore interesting.
After lunch as we weren’t too far from Uzes we decided to go to The musee du Bonbon aka The Haribo Factory. We had read it was a fun visit so we decided to give it a try. We were quite taken aback by the queues upon arrival, it seemed everybody had had the same idea and naively we didn’t think it would be such a popular “site”. Luckily they are prepared for kids waiting in the heat and they sweeten the queue with trays of the newest Haribo sweets and cool it with a fantastic canopy with water mist generators.
When you buy your tickets – you get given even more sweets as well as two tokens to use at the Machine Room at the end of the visit. For the children they have a great “Treasure Hunt” booklet, which has questions and games about the different rooms you go through. It is a very colourful museum, full of interesting displays and provided you don’t mind too much the commercial branding (it’s Haribo all the way) it makes for a great visit. The tokens given at the entrance are used on the last room , where two sweet packing machines are made to function when you insert the tokens – I loved those (not the sweets just the engineering behind the machines). There is a hurdle though for parent to survive at the end of the visit as it ends at the Haribo shop where all sort of sweets are sold in huge bags. One would think that they were being given away by the amounts people were buying, trolleys and baskets full to the rim, which obviously Elisenda started copying at once. After few minutes negotiation she settled for a number of smaller bags, which were devoured during the rest of the holiday.
On the way back form Uzes, I would have loved to stop ate Pont du Gard , but the girls were exhausted and it would have been just a thing too much on that day – we have done that mistake before and paid the consequences. Therefore went back to the camping and had time for a swim before the pool closed, which was a lovely end to the afternoon.
As with the last few years since we had the girls we chose self-catering accommodation in a camping – it’s not fun being in a hotel stuck in a room from 8 in the evening with the girls sleeping. Having really enjoyed the Yelloh village camping last in year in the Dordogne, this year we chose them again at the Camping La Petite Camargue. Compared to last years, it was a huge place, however it had excellent facilities and apart from the difficulty of finding a spot on the swimming pool at certain times it never felt too crowded.
For their holidays the girls only request is swimming pool and ice-cream every day , therefore we try to accommodate this, while also ensuring that we explore and discover the surrounding area. I am not a sun, swimming-pool kind of person, and while I can sit a relax for a bit I get itchy feet very quickly. But by now, I have learnt that with young children it is important is to target visits to something specific (i.e. with my girls just wondering around a place trying to soak the atmosphere just doesn’t work) and not to be over ambitious (i.e. no longer trying to fit as much as possible in a single day).
After the second day at the camping it was time to start exploring the area (remember the itchy feet !!). We had plan to do some walking around the Camargue, but Sofia had high fever all night long and therefore we decided a city visit may be more appropriate as she could just rest in the push-chair. We did consider staying at the camping but knowing Sofia we thought it was more likely she would rest during the car journey and being pushed around rather than staying in bed in a hot mobile home.
We headed therefore to Nimes to visit Les Arenes, the well preserved roman amphitheatre. The visit was a hit with the girls – well with Elisenda mostly, as Sofia wasn’t really up to it that day. With audio phone in tow, Elisenda just loved following the sign posted route , pressing the number as required during the visit and listening to the various stories about Romans and gladiators. It is a very comprehensive visit and you get to climb all the way to the top of the amphitheatre in different stages. Also, because of its history the children find it very unusual (not every day you come across a place were people were thrown to the lions) and therefore interesting.
After lunch as we weren’t too far from Uzes we decided to go to The musee du Bonbon aka The Haribo Factory. We had read it was a fun visit so we decided to give it a try. We were quite taken aback by the queues upon arrival, it seemed everybody had had the same idea and naively we didn’t think it would be such a popular “site”. Luckily they are prepared for kids waiting in the heat and they sweeten the queue with trays of the newest Haribo sweets and cool it with a fantastic canopy with water mist generators.
When you buy your tickets – you get given even more sweets as well as two tokens to use at the Machine Room at the end of the visit. For the children they have a great “Treasure Hunt” booklet, which has questions and games about the different rooms you go through. It is a very colourful museum, full of interesting displays and provided you don’t mind too much the commercial branding (it’s Haribo all the way) it makes for a great visit. The tokens given at the entrance are used on the last room , where two sweet packing machines are made to function when you insert the tokens – I loved those (not the sweets just the engineering behind the machines). There is a hurdle though for parent to survive at the end of the visit as it ends at the Haribo shop where all sort of sweets are sold in huge bags. One would think that they were being given away by the amounts people were buying, trolleys and baskets full to the rim, which obviously Elisenda started copying at once. After few minutes negotiation she settled for a number of smaller bags, which were devoured during the rest of the holiday.
On the way back form Uzes, I would have loved to stop ate Pont du Gard , but the girls were exhausted and it would have been just a thing too much on that day – we have done that mistake before and paid the consequences. Therefore went back to the camping and had time for a swim before the pool closed, which was a lovely end to the afternoon.
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Catalonia – The Camargue, Summer 2010 Trip: Festa Major in Manlleu with children
There was purpose on the dates we choose to visit my family in Manlleu. The 15th of August is the Festivity of Our Lady (Assumption of Mary)and as she is the patroness of Manlleu around this date there are the major festivities of the town. The so called Festa Major. This is very similar in all the villages, town, and cities In Catalonia, they all have a Festa Major and there is a great abundance of them during the summer months. It is a great way of finding activities to do with the kids while on holiday. It’s worth checking for any Festa Majors if you go that way.
After our 12 hour trip we arrived in Manlleu late on the 11th of August – exhausted but satisfied of being home. The next day was the start of the Festa Major and at 6 o’clock in the afternoon the Cercavila de Gegants i Capgrossos was planned. However, the skies decide to open an hour before with torrential rain and the activities for the day had to be cancelled. It was a real pity as Elisenda was really looking forward to it – last year as soon as the music started playing she was there dancing behind the gegants and capgrossos intending to follow the Cercavila around town - [ which is what is intended as Cercavila literally means – around the village].
The next day, Friday 13 August, the weather held - we weren’t having the temperatures expected for the middle of August but it didn’t rain. Therefore the Pallassos (Clowns) Moxi & Toxi – we are able to do their act with a great enjoyment from all the children. Well.. all apart from Sofia, who was scared of all the animals they were looking for in the jungle. The treasure finding was celebrated with sweets and confetti as well as an interesting cold xocolata desfeta (traditional thick chocolate but for the summer !! first ever) and “melindros” (a soft type of biscuit) to dip in.
Because of the high temperatures that are usually expected during the summer all activities tend to start between 6-7 o’clock in the afternoon – which there it is still considered like the beginning of the afternoon, just in time for the children’s berenar (afternoon snack). So a bit of body clock adjustment it is likely to be required for non native children and parents alike.
One of the biggest spectacles currently happening during the Festa Major de Manlleu is “La Festa del Serpent on the 14th. It is a re-enactment of a very old legend from the town .The spectacle starts at night next to the river Ter, when the diamond of the Serpent is stolen. This unleashes a furious chase by the giant serpent among the narrow streets of Manlleu, lit only by the fireworks and correfocs . The noise, the smoke, the light is just incredible !! The Festa finishes on the main square with the death of the serpent and the town celebration with a firewoks display. Richard and myself followed the whole chase, the idea was that the girls a would come with her grandparents towards the end - but with their body clocks not fully adjusted only Sofia managed to stay awake. She was hiding from the noise in her pushchair – but was observing all the fireworks through a little plastic window – so cute…
There is a children’s version of the legend played during the afternoon. The girls both loved it – no noise, no fire, just a gentle giant cloth serpent. Prior to play there were workshops along the Passeig del Ter, where they enjoyed making crafts related to the Festa del Serpent and to Catalan festa majors: tambors (sort of drum), faixes de castellers, a clay mortar (the diamond of the serpent is hidden on it), being a casteller (making human towers), becoming a correfoc for 5 min or trying one of the a capgrossos . It was a great tiring afternoon which explains why Elisenda didn’t make it pass 10 o’clock.
One of the highlights for Elisenda was the “Baixada de Carretons” on the following day when homemade karts - without engine- are driven down a step street in Manlleu. There is an excitement about seeing the various designs, giving them encouragement and wondering if any of them is going to topple at that speed. It’s fun to watch for a bit but as they do three descends we all soon got bored and headed to my uncle’s house leaving Elisenda with Anna behind. In our absence they got talking to our cousin Roger who suggested Elisenda may like to go down on his carreto for the last descend. Elisenda jumped to the suggestion !! She happily dressed up as a clown – Roger’s group were adding a bit of flair to the act- and sat with Roger and his two friend and down the step hill went… She loved it, ..inside me I am just glad I wasn’t there to stop her or see it.
After our 12 hour trip we arrived in Manlleu late on the 11th of August – exhausted but satisfied of being home. The next day was the start of the Festa Major and at 6 o’clock in the afternoon the Cercavila de Gegants i Capgrossos was planned. However, the skies decide to open an hour before with torrential rain and the activities for the day had to be cancelled. It was a real pity as Elisenda was really looking forward to it – last year as soon as the music started playing she was there dancing behind the gegants and capgrossos intending to follow the Cercavila around town - [ which is what is intended as Cercavila literally means – around the village].
The next day, Friday 13 August, the weather held - we weren’t having the temperatures expected for the middle of August but it didn’t rain. Therefore the Pallassos (Clowns) Moxi & Toxi – we are able to do their act with a great enjoyment from all the children. Well.. all apart from Sofia, who was scared of all the animals they were looking for in the jungle. The treasure finding was celebrated with sweets and confetti as well as an interesting cold xocolata desfeta (traditional thick chocolate but for the summer !! first ever) and “melindros” (a soft type of biscuit) to dip in.
Because of the high temperatures that are usually expected during the summer all activities tend to start between 6-7 o’clock in the afternoon – which there it is still considered like the beginning of the afternoon, just in time for the children’s berenar (afternoon snack). So a bit of body clock adjustment it is likely to be required for non native children and parents alike.
One of the biggest spectacles currently happening during the Festa Major de Manlleu is “La Festa del Serpent on the 14th. It is a re-enactment of a very old legend from the town .The spectacle starts at night next to the river Ter, when the diamond of the Serpent is stolen. This unleashes a furious chase by the giant serpent among the narrow streets of Manlleu, lit only by the fireworks and correfocs . The noise, the smoke, the light is just incredible !! The Festa finishes on the main square with the death of the serpent and the town celebration with a firewoks display. Richard and myself followed the whole chase, the idea was that the girls a would come with her grandparents towards the end - but with their body clocks not fully adjusted only Sofia managed to stay awake. She was hiding from the noise in her pushchair – but was observing all the fireworks through a little plastic window – so cute…
There is a children’s version of the legend played during the afternoon. The girls both loved it – no noise, no fire, just a gentle giant cloth serpent. Prior to play there were workshops along the Passeig del Ter, where they enjoyed making crafts related to the Festa del Serpent and to Catalan festa majors: tambors (sort of drum), faixes de castellers, a clay mortar (the diamond of the serpent is hidden on it), being a casteller (making human towers), becoming a correfoc for 5 min or trying one of the a capgrossos . It was a great tiring afternoon which explains why Elisenda didn’t make it pass 10 o’clock. One of the highlights for Elisenda was the “Baixada de Carretons” on the following day when homemade karts - without engine- are driven down a step street in Manlleu. There is an excitement about seeing the various designs, giving them encouragement and wondering if any of them is going to topple at that speed. It’s fun to watch for a bit but as they do three descends we all soon got bored and headed to my uncle’s house leaving Elisenda with Anna behind. In our absence they got talking to our cousin Roger who suggested Elisenda may like to go down on his carreto for the last descend. Elisenda jumped to the suggestion !! She happily dressed up as a clown – Roger’s group were adding a bit of flair to the act- and sat with Roger and his two friend and down the step hill went… She loved it, ..inside me I am just glad I wasn’t there to stop her or see it.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Catalonia – The Camargue, Summer 2010 Trip: Driving through France with children
So we are back yet again from our summer holidays !! This time the trip was England-Catalonia (Manlleu) –The Camargue
I know a blog is supposed to be a journal written as you travel along but…well I decided against taking a laptop on holidays and writing notes of our experiences as we travelled. In hindsight it was a good decision as the writing would have taken me away from my family and defeated part of the point of the holidays.
The journey back through France is always more tiring than anticipated. Although splitting the 12 hour drive in 2 chunks works well, it always feels like a long way home. This time we drove back from Aigues-Mortes all the way up to Troyes – a six hour drive time – which adding the stops you need with the girls + lunch stop, ended up being more a less an 8 hour trip. The next day we did the remaining 3 hours in France , the tunnel crossing and the drive home.
On the way down to Manlleu from England we tried a more direct strategy (5 hours after work and 10 hours drive time the following days) – it worked as we only had Sofia (2 at the time) with us, I don’t think we would have survived the experience with the two girls (2 and 6) in the car. Note that we are a non-DVD car family. Moreover the autoroute via Clermont- Ferrand it’s less busy and cheaper (not many tolls) than the main autoroute from the Provence via Lyon; with the added bonus of seeing “Le viaduc du Millau” en route which is pretty impressive. When we last did this motorway more than 10 years ago the viaduct wasn’t there and suddenly the motorway finished and you found yourself in the middle of small villages stuck behind traffic. In comparison crossing the viaduct was a breeze.
For the night stops this time we went the non-scenic budget option, so rather than choosing nice B&Bs on the way as in previous occasions we went for the Premiere Classe Hotels chain of hotels. Despite the name, they are something in between the Formule 1s and the Etap hotels in terms of facilities and prices. F1 don’t do ensuite and Etap hotels don’t seem to do more than 3 people per room. Like them they are found next to motorways and in industrial states.
This time we had mixed experiences – one the way down the room in the Compiegne- ZAC du Camp de Roy, did not smell very pleasant and looked tired (I guess for 38 euros a room one can’t expect much). I don’t think we’ll stay there again. However the room in the one in Troyes (La Chapelle Saint Luc) was great – it was roomy -with 5 beds – clean laminate floors, even a nice picture of lilies on the wall and a bathroom which was not a plastic moulded room. The guy running it – we got there early enough not to have to use the impersonal checking in machine – was also very pleasant. All this for 55 euros for the room. Petit dejeuner is an extra (4.80 euros pp, but kids eat free), and as in all the Premiere’s we have been it is a self-service, consisting of natural yogurt or fruit compote, cereals, and the bread section with fresh baguette, brioches or sliced bread, butter and a variety of jams or honey. Drinks consist of water, juice or hot drinks. The red, yellow and orange plastic chairs of the breakfast area are part of the standard décor across the chain.
In terms of the Budget vs. scenic B&Bs debate, I think they both have their place and time. We have tried both with the children and both worked very well, it all depends on what the plan for the journey is. For a long drive down I prefer a budget hotel not far from the motorway as there is no point in arriving at a B&B in a nice location in the middle of the night. The budget hotels are very impersonal but when you are tired from the driving you don’t really mind. However if the journey is broken in smaller chunks then we have experienced great B&Bs in France. Obviously with the girls being young we have stopped at those offering family rooms. Here is a list of B&Bs in France where we have stayed with the girls and that I would recommend and go back to – I am including the dates for reference:
Les Logis d’ Arnière – Saint-Cyr-sous-Dourdan (2009 – Dordogne with children trip)
Maison Warlop - Fresnes Mazancourt, Somme, France (2009 - Dordogne trip with children)
Hotel des Cômtes de Champagne – Troyes (2008 – Forcalquier –Haute Provence trip with children)
Le Thil – Amiens (2007 – Paris- The Loire Valley trip, with children)
Alastair Sawday’s website –it’s an excellent resource to find special places to stay and we have found some of the above via his website.
I know a blog is supposed to be a journal written as you travel along but…well I decided against taking a laptop on holidays and writing notes of our experiences as we travelled. In hindsight it was a good decision as the writing would have taken me away from my family and defeated part of the point of the holidays.
The journey back through France is always more tiring than anticipated. Although splitting the 12 hour drive in 2 chunks works well, it always feels like a long way home. This time we drove back from Aigues-Mortes all the way up to Troyes – a six hour drive time – which adding the stops you need with the girls + lunch stop, ended up being more a less an 8 hour trip. The next day we did the remaining 3 hours in France , the tunnel crossing and the drive home.
On the way down to Manlleu from England we tried a more direct strategy (5 hours after work and 10 hours drive time the following days) – it worked as we only had Sofia (2 at the time) with us, I don’t think we would have survived the experience with the two girls (2 and 6) in the car. Note that we are a non-DVD car family. Moreover the autoroute via Clermont- Ferrand it’s less busy and cheaper (not many tolls) than the main autoroute from the Provence via Lyon; with the added bonus of seeing “Le viaduc du Millau” en route which is pretty impressive. When we last did this motorway more than 10 years ago the viaduct wasn’t there and suddenly the motorway finished and you found yourself in the middle of small villages stuck behind traffic. In comparison crossing the viaduct was a breeze.
For the night stops this time we went the non-scenic budget option, so rather than choosing nice B&Bs on the way as in previous occasions we went for the Premiere Classe Hotels chain of hotels. Despite the name, they are something in between the Formule 1s and the Etap hotels in terms of facilities and prices. F1 don’t do ensuite and Etap hotels don’t seem to do more than 3 people per room. Like them they are found next to motorways and in industrial states.
This time we had mixed experiences – one the way down the room in the Compiegne- ZAC du Camp de Roy, did not smell very pleasant and looked tired (I guess for 38 euros a room one can’t expect much). I don’t think we’ll stay there again. However the room in the one in Troyes (La Chapelle Saint Luc) was great – it was roomy -with 5 beds – clean laminate floors, even a nice picture of lilies on the wall and a bathroom which was not a plastic moulded room. The guy running it – we got there early enough not to have to use the impersonal checking in machine – was also very pleasant. All this for 55 euros for the room. Petit dejeuner is an extra (4.80 euros pp, but kids eat free), and as in all the Premiere’s we have been it is a self-service, consisting of natural yogurt or fruit compote, cereals, and the bread section with fresh baguette, brioches or sliced bread, butter and a variety of jams or honey. Drinks consist of water, juice or hot drinks. The red, yellow and orange plastic chairs of the breakfast area are part of the standard décor across the chain.
In terms of the Budget vs. scenic B&Bs debate, I think they both have their place and time. We have tried both with the children and both worked very well, it all depends on what the plan for the journey is. For a long drive down I prefer a budget hotel not far from the motorway as there is no point in arriving at a B&B in a nice location in the middle of the night. The budget hotels are very impersonal but when you are tired from the driving you don’t really mind. However if the journey is broken in smaller chunks then we have experienced great B&Bs in France. Obviously with the girls being young we have stopped at those offering family rooms. Here is a list of B&Bs in France where we have stayed with the girls and that I would recommend and go back to – I am including the dates for reference:
Les Logis d’ Arnière – Saint-Cyr-sous-Dourdan (2009 – Dordogne with children trip)
Maison Warlop - Fresnes Mazancourt, Somme, France (2009 - Dordogne trip with children)
Hotel des Cômtes de Champagne – Troyes (2008 – Forcalquier –Haute Provence trip with children)
Le Thil – Amiens (2007 – Paris- The Loire Valley trip, with children)
Alastair Sawday’s website –it’s an excellent resource to find special places to stay and we have found some of the above via his website.
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