Nov 11, 2020 - We have a boat called Max

For my sixty-five-years birthday I got a sailing boat: a Beneteau First 25 (year 2015). Its previous owner had given the boat the name "Maxam". I did not much like the old name, but there is a nautical superstitious belief that rebaptizing a boat brings bad luck. I made a compromise and removed the last two letters and now the boat's name is "Max". Mike-Alfa-Xray is easy to say in a talkie-walkie (VHF) communications.

Feb 18, 2020 - On To Boulogne

Day 38 - Tue 18th Feb Took our time today moving up via the coast to Boulogne for our last night. We went via a little town called Nouvion which was used as the French town in the ‘Ello ‘Ello TV series. Apparently although it was supposed to be where everything happened the show was actually filmed in Norfolk so there is nothing in Nouvion itself about the series. We stopped at a picnic spot on the way for our morning coffee right beside a little monument to the Martyrs De Taussacq. It had been erected to mark the spot where two young...

Feb 17, 2020 - Versailles Palace

Day 37 - Mon 17th Feb We had our first taste of daytime rain for a longtime as we drove up through France to Versailles. We thought we’d have a look at the palace & gardens as we have plenty of time available. The car parks close to the palace are horribly expensive so we went for some roadside parking about a mile down the big boulevard that leads up to the palace. Not sure if it is a palace, a chateau or a castle. We eventually managed to find a spot big enough to park in, had coffee & then set off down the road. We called in at an...

Feb 16, 2020 - Joan Of Arc

Day 36 - Sun 16th Feb Dry & sunny but the wind is getting blustery. Another easy drive, mainly on motorway all the way up to Orleans. We are listening to an audio book as we drive, I recorded several on to a USB key which we can play through the radio. The one are listening to at the moment is the follow up to the Stig Larssen trilogy about the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It wasn’t written by him but another writer who is trying to duplicate his style. Lots of funny sounding Swedish names & places but we are enjoying it. We stopped at one...

Feb 15, 2020 - Razes

Day 35 - Sat 15th Feb Off on our way North up the middle of France towards Orleans. We’ve been to New Orleans so it seemed only right we should have a look at the original. It’s famous for Joan of Arc who fought the English in 1428. First we had to cope with the big black automatic gate to get out of the car park. Fortunately it opened for us when we pulled up to it. Viv didn’t even have to get out & push any buttons. It was another nice sunny day & we cruised up the road stopping near Cahors for coffee & then up past Limoge to a park in a...

Feb 14, 2020 - Toulouse For Our First Visit

Day 34- Fri 14th Feb It rained last night. We haven’t heard that on the roof or seen any real signs of rain for a longtime now. We were expecting the weather to get colder & more miserable as we head home but we are still getting warm, sunny days. For how long I wonder? It’s Valentines Day today & being a romantic soul I dug out the scarf that I bought for Viv a few days ago when I walked down the mountain near Javea, back in Spain. We don’t usually “do” Valentines but I must be going soft. Anyway this morning we went into the town centre...

Feb 13, 2020 - Through Andorra & Back Into France

Day 33 - Thu 13th Feb Well we did it, another goal achieved, we made it to Andorra & across the Pyrenees back into France. Three countries in one day and up and over the mountains despite the worry that the road might be blocked by snow. Andorra is a very small country & the main road through from Spain to France is only about twenty eight miles long but goes right up through the snow level before winding it’s way down into France. We hit it at the right time as the weather was dry & the road was clear all the way. We saw plenty of snow on...

Jan 17, 2020 - St Jean-Pied-de-Port

Day 7 - Fri 17th Jan The mornings are late getting light, it is usually 8.30am before it does. It was even darker this morning as rain set in. We had decided to take a break rest up here for another day so we weren’t in a hurry to go out & caught up with a bit of reading & writing. The rain showers eased of later in the morning & we did venture out for a walk down through the town to a Lidl store for some supplies. After lunch I ventured out to walk round the old city walls & look at the citadelle. It really is a pretty old town & the views...

Jan 16, 2020 - St Jean-Pied-de Port

Day 6 - Thurs 16th Jan We had seen most of what we wanted to see last night but went back down to the church & grotto for another look in daylight. There were quite a few people coming with water bottles to fill them with the water that comes from the springs in the rocks there. It is considered holy & special & the pilgrims take it. We looked around parts of the old town there & around the citadelle above. After visiting the open air & indoor market we went back to the motorhome for an early lunch eating some of the lovely fresh baguette...

Jan 15, 2020 - Lourdes

Day 5 - Wed 15th Jan We were planning another night stop on the way to Lourdes but as it was mostly motorway driving we made good time & carried on past our planned night stop all the way to Lourdes. The weather was fine & sunny & despite the remarkably high number of lorries we cruised most of the day at 55mph. Presumably we were on the main route to Bordeaux & Spain which would account for the high lorry traffic as they wouldn’t want to use the Toll motorway which ran alongside us most of the way. We stopped off at a Retail Park for a...

Jan 14, 2020 - Chaunay

Day 4 - Tuesday 14th Jan Changed our plans a bit today. Instead of heading straight down into Spain via San Sebastián we are going to pick up a couple more we’ll known Pilgrimage sights in France. The first is the Holy shrine at Lourdes, we first went there in in 1994 when I first retired & we took the motorhome we had then down to a flat we had bought when we worked in Gibraltar. The flat was in La Linea just across the border from Gibraltar in Spain. We stopped off in Lourdes to meet up with my sister Chrissy who had cancer & was on a...

Jan 13, 2020 - Chartres

Day 3 - Mon 13th Jan Fine start to the day. Resisted the temptation to have breakfast in the MacDonalds a hundred yards away & headed off South avoiding the toll roads. Stopped a couple of times along the way for coffee & then lunch before reaching Chartres. We use a couple of Apps on the phone which show the stopping places & sites, both official & unofficial, as well as a couple of camp site books. France is particularly good for providing Aires or rest stops for motorhomes in their towns. Some are just a place to park for the night &...