Early spring holiday 2024, 29 February

Carro, Martigues.

Slept appallingly badly for some reason - up every hour to make myself comfortable! I normally have to do so once, or perhaps twice, but this was five or six times! Net result was that I have spent most of today feeling very "blah" and not really wanting to do anything.

The Swan Whisperer went for a walk after breakfast, but I didn't go with him, although I should quite like to have seen the Stations of the Cross at the place we were parked up, but it was all uphill and I couldn't face it.

We stopped on the outskirts of Nimes for me to shop, and then drove on. The Swan Whisperer regretted not having taken the motorway round Nimes, as it was roundabout after roundabout, all the commercial and artisan centres. I said he couldn't grumble because it had been his choice!

Anyway, the rest of the drive was very pretty until we got to the outskirts of Marseille, which is not nice! However, this aire at Carro, which we have been to several times before, is lovely, although as usual there was only one place left overlooking the sea, and that only small enough for a camper van - too small for us. But we are looking over the harbour and the lifeboat station.

I did go for a leg-stretch, but the SW has gone for a very long walk. I am hoping to get a decent night's sleep tonight, as tomorrow will be busy. I do hope the weather stays as glorious as it has been all day - bright sunshine, and warm-ish, although it is cooling down now. But it is also, alas, clouding over. 

Early spring holiday 2024, 28 February

Fontanès, Gard.

What a difference a day makes. This morning, after breakfast, we walked around La Cavalerie. I didn't take many photos, (and this one shows my extremely juvenile sense of humour, especially as there were public loos in the street)

as I did so last time we were here, which I think was a year ago. It was a very raw day, and somehow whichever way we went the wind was in our faces!

When we got back to the WoMo, the Swan Whisperer had some coffee and then walked up to a local dolmen he wanted to see. We used the services before heading off, as we will not have another chance for a couple of days now, we don't think.

Our drive was lovely, along the D999, which is such a pretty road - very hilly and hairpinny, and, if I am honest, a little frightening in places, but not unbearably so, and the views were absolutely spectacular. Plus the road ran through some wonderful little towns and villages.

One of the few signs of the farmers' protests here is that many - not all, but probably over half - the village name-boards have been turned upside-down! Not sloppily, but unscrewed and rescrewed so you would think they were meant to be like that! Wonderful. I expect in some villages the mayor has insisted they be returned to normal, and perhaps in some they haven't bothered in the first place, but an awful lot are like that. Not a thing I can really take a picture of, though, as we only really see them when driving through. If I do get a chance, I will.

We stopped once in a town called Ganges as we needed a new cube of gas, and a little further out of town in a lay-by to have lunch. Then we left the D999 to drive to this rather lovely parking-spot outside a monastery. They charge you €10 for the night, but it is very peaceful. There is a walk up to a statue of the Virgin, which the SW did, but he says it is very steep, so I don't suppose I shall go further than the Stations of the Cross tomorrow. We shall see.

It also depends on what the weather is doing - the sun came out in the late morning, and it has been really lovely ever since. This being the South of France, the ground looks very dry, even though there has probably been a great deal of rain. I hope the fine weather lasts! 

Early spring holiday 2024, 27 February

La Cavalerie, Cevennes

Well, we had no joy trying to cast to the television, so ended up watching on my tablet instead. So annoying - I think we might have been able to have done it had I been on data, but since there was, for once, a good WiFi signal, I didn't want to use it. Very frustraterating!

This morning, it was wet. Very wet. The Swan Whisperer did go for a run, but not a long one. Today's drive was down the A75, but really, not the nicest of days for it. We stopped at an Intermarché in Brassac-les-Mines where I shopped and the SW made his coffee, and then drove sadly over the first pass where there was simply nothing to see except fog! However, it did clear up a bit after that, but the A75 is a road designed for bright sunshine, which we did not have.

We stopped at the Garabit aire to look at the viaduct and were lucky enough to see a goods train going over it,

and while we were there bought huge sandwiches (Cantal and salad) and two slices of tartes aux myrtilles for lunch. With hindsight, one of each would have been enough!

We used the facilities there, but I think I am getting too old to use a Turkish-style loo when they don't provide grab handles! It wasn't quite lunchtime, so we drove on another half an hour to another aire where we stopped to eat, and the SW made himself some more coffee. I fell asleep, and was afraid I'd missed the Millau Viaduct, but no, there it was (although I fell asleep again half-way over; I didn't take any photos of it today).

Our stop for the night, La Cavalerie, is off the next exit after the viaduct, and I was still very sleepy when we got here, so dozed off. I must have needed it! I think the SW did, too - he didn't go out for a walk or anything.

Of course, after such a huge lunch we weren't hungry for supper, so just had rolls and an egg, followed by cherry yoghurt (I am really not fond of this - had one to see if I liked it, but didn't!). There is no Wi-Fi here, alas, although there should be, but at least we are on electricity and can stay warm. All the same, as I am having a tired day, I think I'll go to bed very soon and be comfortable.

I just hope the rain will be away in the morning so we can enjoy a walk round La Cavalerie, which we remember from last time is a lovely village! 

Early spring holiday 2024, 26 February

Brassac-les-Mines, Auvergne

It was too wet for the Swan Whisperer to want to go for a run this morning, and he said that the town of St-Pierre-en-Moutiers wasn't really worth seeing, so we didn't linger (too much!) and after using the services we set sail for an E Leclerc shopping centre we knew was on our way. 

Honestly, it was enormous! I got in most of my day's exercise just walking from the motor home to and round the supermarket! And I didn't want very much, really - it was only a top-up shop! Still, it was good exercise, and I always like looking round other people's supermarkets, especially when I am not in a hurry. The SW was getting diesel and then I knew he would be making and drinking his coffee, so no rush. 

When we had finished, we decided to revisit Vichy, where we hadn't been for some years. On the way, we passed the commune (as the French call it) of Billy, with a 12th-century chateau that looked amazing. We wondered whether to stop and have a proper look, but decided not to. 

Which, in hindsight, was a mistake. We found a car park very near the centre of Vichy, and after lunch set off to walk down the length of the park between the two pump rooms, where we hoped to taste the waters. But, alas, all is under renovation, and the pump rooms were closed, as was the park. So that was a bust, and we walked sadly back to the WoMo, saying that we must come again next year to see what it looks like when it has been finished. I expect it will be lovely, but right now it is a mess.

The Casino (the gambling--hall, not the eponymous supermarket) was open, but we are not gamblers, so didn't particularly want to look inside. All very sad! We should have stopped in Billy after all.

So we came away, and drove across country to the top of the A75, everybody's favourite motorway, and are parked up in a Camping-Car Park which we have used before on the banks of the Allier. The SW went for a leg-stretch when it stopped raining.

 Supper, however, was a bit of a disaster as I tried to make a pureed broccoli sauce to go with our pasta and aubergine steaks, but my travelling blender simply wasn't up to the job, so the sauce was not exactly smooth, and I was stressed enough not to be very hungry! It did taste good, though - I must try it at home where I have a much more powerful blender.

For once, the WiFi here is working and we have a good signal, so we plan to watch television (I have a VPN and a Chromecast, so if we can get it set up, it should be possible).