Friday 18 May
Chaos reigned this morning as we packed up to return home. The children got under our feet as we tried to clean and tidy the cottage and pack the cars. David excelled himself this morning by going to the bakery and not getting any bread or croissants for us at all!
By 10am we were all ready to go and said goodbye to the others except for John who had disappeared. We drove to the Super U at Gorron and had a very stressful hour buying wine and coffee to take home. I saw John driving out of the car park but he didn't see me, whether by choice or whether he genuinely didn't spot me, I don't know.
The journey to Le Havre was fast and smooth with the sun coming out to say goodbye. I felt rather sad that the holiday hadn't turned out how I had expected and I seriously doubted whether we would carry on the Wine Club when we all returned home.
We arrived in Le Havre in good time, passing Mum and Dad on the way as they had opted for a different route. The ferry journey was uneventful and by 9.30pm we were docking in Portsmouth and facing a long journey back to Northampton!
Epilogue...
The Wine Club never started again and, as I write in 2013, we have not spoken to David and Pat since. We remain on friendly terms with John and Sarah who have since moved house and we had a pleasant conversation with John in our local pub only a few weeks ago. We all paid a deposit against breakages at La Returais and despite leaving the cottages clean and tidy, we never received our deposit back!
Friday 18 May 2001
Thursday 17 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France 11-18 May 2001
Thursday 17 May
We decided to go back to the beach at Dragey today but the weather was damp and chilly. Mum and Dad went to the cemetery at St James, closely followed by Pat and David, but again they managed to miss each other. We called into the supermarket in Gorron to buy food for a picnic lunch and then headed towards the coast.
It's never really a good idea to go back to somewhere with magical memories! The beach was deserted and even the little cafe was closed. We ate our lunch in the car and Keith took Sophie down onto the beach but it was too cold to stay for long. I suggested visiting another town but we were a bit tired of just driving around so we headed back to the gite, on the lookout for a restaurant in the town of St Mars La Futaie, which had been recommended to us.
Back at La Returais we played with the children in the garden and chatted to John and Sarah. John barely spoke but Sarah's natural friendliness and kindness was in evidence and she seemed to want to heal the rift that had happened between us. She mentioned an old chateau nearby so we drove off to see it, not fancying a walk there because of the narrow roads and mad French drivers!
The chateau was small and hidden down a narrow track and when we found it there was a very strange looking man standing guard at the gate...had he been forewarned by John, I wondered?! He resembled Donald Pleasance so it was all a little creepy and I was reminded of the French novel, Le Grand Meaulnes which has a mysterious chateau as its setting.
We didn't explore any further and returned to the gite to wash the car and get the children ready for our evening meal at the restaurant in St Mars La Futaie.
Luckily, Michael fell asleep the minute he was in the car so we managed another peaceful evening. Again, the restaurant was empty but the beautiful decor and stunning views made up for the lack of atmosphere. Our first course of ravioli was delicious but the main courses of beef took ages to arrive and the meat was tough and bloody. Deep fried potato balls accompanied the meal and we were all disappointed in the lack of taste. Our dessert was better, though, a fattening concotion of chocolate pie and vanilla cream!
We decided to go back to the beach at Dragey today but the weather was damp and chilly. Mum and Dad went to the cemetery at St James, closely followed by Pat and David, but again they managed to miss each other. We called into the supermarket in Gorron to buy food for a picnic lunch and then headed towards the coast.
It's never really a good idea to go back to somewhere with magical memories! The beach was deserted and even the little cafe was closed. We ate our lunch in the car and Keith took Sophie down onto the beach but it was too cold to stay for long. I suggested visiting another town but we were a bit tired of just driving around so we headed back to the gite, on the lookout for a restaurant in the town of St Mars La Futaie, which had been recommended to us.
Back at La Returais we played with the children in the garden and chatted to John and Sarah. John barely spoke but Sarah's natural friendliness and kindness was in evidence and she seemed to want to heal the rift that had happened between us. She mentioned an old chateau nearby so we drove off to see it, not fancying a walk there because of the narrow roads and mad French drivers!
The chateau was small and hidden down a narrow track and when we found it there was a very strange looking man standing guard at the gate...had he been forewarned by John, I wondered?! He resembled Donald Pleasance so it was all a little creepy and I was reminded of the French novel, Le Grand Meaulnes which has a mysterious chateau as its setting.
We didn't explore any further and returned to the gite to wash the car and get the children ready for our evening meal at the restaurant in St Mars La Futaie.
Luckily, Michael fell asleep the minute he was in the car so we managed another peaceful evening. Again, the restaurant was empty but the beautiful decor and stunning views made up for the lack of atmosphere. Our first course of ravioli was delicious but the main courses of beef took ages to arrive and the meat was tough and bloody. Deep fried potato balls accompanied the meal and we were all disappointed in the lack of taste. Our dessert was better, though, a fattening concotion of chocolate pie and vanilla cream!
Wednesday 16 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France 11-18 May 2001
Wednesday 16 May
This morning Keith and I left early to go to the village of Vouvray in the Loire Valley. The journey there was long and the roads full of lorries. Overtaking was a risky business and it was down to me to let Keith know when the road ahead was clear as he was unable to see! The weather was overcast and chilly but the scenery grew lovelier as we neared the Loire.
We arrived in Vouvray at 11.30am and went straight to the little shop we had visited before and bought ten bottles of Vouvray and Bourgeil. We also bought two glasses with the name of the village inscribed on them.
After doing our essential shopping we drove into Amboise, passing the hotel where we'd stayed in 1999 after driving back from a holiday in Spain. We parked the car outside the town and walked in with hordes of other tourists, most of them American. We found the restaurant we ate in before and were the first to arrive!
Our lunch was delicious, the best we had had in France so far on this holiday. The restaurant is lovely - very old with dark wooden furniture and a big open fire that is used for grilling meats. An American couple came in after us and the woman spoke French with an excruciating accent but at least she tried and the waiter, a small dark man who constantly grinned like a little pixie, understood her.
Sadly the meal was over all too soon and we left after enjoying a delicious dessert and a coffee, which I needed to keep me awake on the journey home. I harboured a desire to go to Chinon and insisted on driving along the banks of the Loire towards Montlouis. Keith wasn't happy but when we came to the town he was pleased to see a shop selling the wine and local produce. We bought several bottles of still and sparkling Montlouis as we enjoyed the wine on our wedding day.
As it was now past 2pm we reluctantly decided to head back to the gite as the journey would take us about three hours and Mum and Dad were babysitting the children. We kept to the banks of the Loire and drove straight through Tours, a fairly large town.
Before we reached the motorway we passed through Bourgeil and St Nicholas de Bourgeil with vineyards stretching away on both sides of the road. I overcame my fear of passing traffic on the wrong side of the road and overtook two lorries at once!
I was a lot happier on the motorway even though Keith disagreed with my decision and said we would have made better time if we'd used the two lane country roads. He told me to turn off before we got to Le Mans but I was overtaking a lorry at the time and missed the exit. To say he was angry was an understatement and neither of us spoke to each other for the rest of the journey!
We arrived back at the gite at 6.15pm which I thought wasn't bad. It was a long way to go for lunch and some wine!
This morning Keith and I left early to go to the village of Vouvray in the Loire Valley. The journey there was long and the roads full of lorries. Overtaking was a risky business and it was down to me to let Keith know when the road ahead was clear as he was unable to see! The weather was overcast and chilly but the scenery grew lovelier as we neared the Loire.
We arrived in Vouvray at 11.30am and went straight to the little shop we had visited before and bought ten bottles of Vouvray and Bourgeil. We also bought two glasses with the name of the village inscribed on them.
After doing our essential shopping we drove into Amboise, passing the hotel where we'd stayed in 1999 after driving back from a holiday in Spain. We parked the car outside the town and walked in with hordes of other tourists, most of them American. We found the restaurant we ate in before and were the first to arrive!
Our lunch was delicious, the best we had had in France so far on this holiday. The restaurant is lovely - very old with dark wooden furniture and a big open fire that is used for grilling meats. An American couple came in after us and the woman spoke French with an excruciating accent but at least she tried and the waiter, a small dark man who constantly grinned like a little pixie, understood her.
Sadly the meal was over all too soon and we left after enjoying a delicious dessert and a coffee, which I needed to keep me awake on the journey home. I harboured a desire to go to Chinon and insisted on driving along the banks of the Loire towards Montlouis. Keith wasn't happy but when we came to the town he was pleased to see a shop selling the wine and local produce. We bought several bottles of still and sparkling Montlouis as we enjoyed the wine on our wedding day.
As it was now past 2pm we reluctantly decided to head back to the gite as the journey would take us about three hours and Mum and Dad were babysitting the children. We kept to the banks of the Loire and drove straight through Tours, a fairly large town.
Before we reached the motorway we passed through Bourgeil and St Nicholas de Bourgeil with vineyards stretching away on both sides of the road. I overcame my fear of passing traffic on the wrong side of the road and overtook two lorries at once!
I was a lot happier on the motorway even though Keith disagreed with my decision and said we would have made better time if we'd used the two lane country roads. He told me to turn off before we got to Le Mans but I was overtaking a lorry at the time and missed the exit. To say he was angry was an understatement and neither of us spoke to each other for the rest of the journey!
We arrived back at the gite at 6.15pm which I thought wasn't bad. It was a long way to go for lunch and some wine!
Tuesday 15 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France - May 11-18 2001
Tuesday 15 May
Today we drove to Fougeres to change some money. The drive was dominated by the diversion at Landivy which was becoming quite an obsession with us. We were definitely in need of a more detailed map as half the villages that appear on the road aren't on our large scale map and so take us completely by surprise!
Fougeres was quite pleasant, despite the weather being a bit miserable and damp. We parked in the centre of the town and I started my search for a) an inexpensive moisturiser and b) a place to change some money. Within half an hour we had achieved one of our aims and Keith was certainly happier with more francs in his wallet! We wandered happily around and I bought a map of Mayenne which just about covered our part of the country. I never cease to find it amazing how large France is!
After Fougeres we got lost trying to find our way to St James. This is a little town near to an American War Cemetery and we had passed it the previous day. I remembered being taken to one in England by my parents and although Sophie was too young to understand the war we hoped she would learn a little from the experience.
We were the only ones visiting the cemetery. The others hadn't caught us up on this one yet, but they were doing their best to follow in our footsteps (they discovered the cemetery on Thursday after also visiting Fougeres and exclaiming how wonderful it all was, including the chateau that we had somehow managed to miss!).
The cemetery at St James was a very solemn and solitary place and we were all moved by the experience of seeing so many graves. They are all marked with a cross or a Jewish star and the sheer amount of them was very upsetting. We tried to read them but it would have been impossible to look at every one of them. Each grave had the name and rank of the dead soldier and the date they died. A lot of them fell in August or September when the allies broke out of the beach head on the coast. Sadly, many of them had no names. After walking around the graves we visited the church where we could read about the history and look at maps of the area. All of the beautiful, peaceful countryside we had driven through had been affected by the war and it was hard to imagine such bloodshed taking place.
At it was nearing lunchtime we drove to Ambrieres les Vallees and ate at a little restaurant on the banks of a river. Sophie amused herself by drawing pictures on her napkin and I spent most of the time trying to entertain Michael while we waited for our pizza. The food was great, the service icy - our waitress was one of the few unfriendly people we encountered in France!
After lunch we drove around rather aimlessly, but enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We were still on the hunt for a good restaurant for an evening meal, but the only one we saw looked very closed indeed!
Back at the gite I took the children for a walk with Gorby the dog. We strolled up to the fields above the cottages that only moments before had been full of cows. I encouraged Sophie to pick some of the wild flowers and we placed them on a crucifix that stood next to a field near the turn for La Returais. The sky looked very stormy and in the distance we could hear rumblings of thunder. The views were wonderful - acres and acres of rolling hills and fields in every direction. Dad later told me that a strange bowl shaped indentation in one of the fields was probably a relic from the war as the outlook was so good.
We slowly walked a little way along the road but Sophie was a little wary of the thunder so we turned back and while the children played in the garden I read several brochures on gite holidays in France...hmmm... not sure I would rent one again!
Mum and Dad had driven to Le Mans today but weren't impressed with what they saw. Hot on their heels were the other two couples but luckily they hadn't met! We decided to eat in Gorron and before we left I went to let the others know what we were doing and that we would see them at the restaurant.
As Michael had barely slept all day he was more than ready to fall asleep and within five minutes of being in the car he was away. We left Mum and Dad at the hotel and drove on for another five minutes just to make sure he was deeply asleep. When we arrived back at the hotel we found out from Mum and Dad that the restaurant was closed and only the pizzeria was open.
As none of us fancied pizza for our evening meal we made the decision to go to another restaurant called "Le Gourmand" a few streets away. We parked the cars right outside and after checking to make sure it was open and that it was OK to bring a baby in with us, we all piled in. The place was very quiet with only one other couple eating but our waitress was friendly and spoke a little English, which helped!
We all chose the most expensive menu option at 120 francs and I chose the "Salade Gourmand" for a starter, which had unrecognisable chunks of meat as a topping. I think they may have been sweetbreads but the salad was delicious so I didn't complain!
The food was typical French fare with the main course of beef accompanied by miniscule amounts of vegetables. Seeing as farmland and lush fields surrounded us, this never ceases to amaze me! Sophie enjoyed her specially cooked chicken followed by ice cream, so she was happy. Her behaviour was impeccable as always.
As we were tucking into our main courses we saw David's dark blue Passat slowly drive by. There weren't that many German cars in this part of France and we just knew it had to be the others, who had probably given up on the hotel as well. As Dad's Suzuki was parked right outside (again, not a common car in those parts) it wouldn't have been difficult for them to have spotted it and come in to eat.
The war was still on!
Today we drove to Fougeres to change some money. The drive was dominated by the diversion at Landivy which was becoming quite an obsession with us. We were definitely in need of a more detailed map as half the villages that appear on the road aren't on our large scale map and so take us completely by surprise!
Fougeres was quite pleasant, despite the weather being a bit miserable and damp. We parked in the centre of the town and I started my search for a) an inexpensive moisturiser and b) a place to change some money. Within half an hour we had achieved one of our aims and Keith was certainly happier with more francs in his wallet! We wandered happily around and I bought a map of Mayenne which just about covered our part of the country. I never cease to find it amazing how large France is!
After Fougeres we got lost trying to find our way to St James. This is a little town near to an American War Cemetery and we had passed it the previous day. I remembered being taken to one in England by my parents and although Sophie was too young to understand the war we hoped she would learn a little from the experience.
We were the only ones visiting the cemetery. The others hadn't caught us up on this one yet, but they were doing their best to follow in our footsteps (they discovered the cemetery on Thursday after also visiting Fougeres and exclaiming how wonderful it all was, including the chateau that we had somehow managed to miss!).
The cemetery at St James was a very solemn and solitary place and we were all moved by the experience of seeing so many graves. They are all marked with a cross or a Jewish star and the sheer amount of them was very upsetting. We tried to read them but it would have been impossible to look at every one of them. Each grave had the name and rank of the dead soldier and the date they died. A lot of them fell in August or September when the allies broke out of the beach head on the coast. Sadly, many of them had no names. After walking around the graves we visited the church where we could read about the history and look at maps of the area. All of the beautiful, peaceful countryside we had driven through had been affected by the war and it was hard to imagine such bloodshed taking place.
At it was nearing lunchtime we drove to Ambrieres les Vallees and ate at a little restaurant on the banks of a river. Sophie amused herself by drawing pictures on her napkin and I spent most of the time trying to entertain Michael while we waited for our pizza. The food was great, the service icy - our waitress was one of the few unfriendly people we encountered in France!
After lunch we drove around rather aimlessly, but enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We were still on the hunt for a good restaurant for an evening meal, but the only one we saw looked very closed indeed!
Back at the gite I took the children for a walk with Gorby the dog. We strolled up to the fields above the cottages that only moments before had been full of cows. I encouraged Sophie to pick some of the wild flowers and we placed them on a crucifix that stood next to a field near the turn for La Returais. The sky looked very stormy and in the distance we could hear rumblings of thunder. The views were wonderful - acres and acres of rolling hills and fields in every direction. Dad later told me that a strange bowl shaped indentation in one of the fields was probably a relic from the war as the outlook was so good.
We slowly walked a little way along the road but Sophie was a little wary of the thunder so we turned back and while the children played in the garden I read several brochures on gite holidays in France...hmmm... not sure I would rent one again!
Mum and Dad had driven to Le Mans today but weren't impressed with what they saw. Hot on their heels were the other two couples but luckily they hadn't met! We decided to eat in Gorron and before we left I went to let the others know what we were doing and that we would see them at the restaurant.
As Michael had barely slept all day he was more than ready to fall asleep and within five minutes of being in the car he was away. We left Mum and Dad at the hotel and drove on for another five minutes just to make sure he was deeply asleep. When we arrived back at the hotel we found out from Mum and Dad that the restaurant was closed and only the pizzeria was open.
As none of us fancied pizza for our evening meal we made the decision to go to another restaurant called "Le Gourmand" a few streets away. We parked the cars right outside and after checking to make sure it was open and that it was OK to bring a baby in with us, we all piled in. The place was very quiet with only one other couple eating but our waitress was friendly and spoke a little English, which helped!
We all chose the most expensive menu option at 120 francs and I chose the "Salade Gourmand" for a starter, which had unrecognisable chunks of meat as a topping. I think they may have been sweetbreads but the salad was delicious so I didn't complain!
The food was typical French fare with the main course of beef accompanied by miniscule amounts of vegetables. Seeing as farmland and lush fields surrounded us, this never ceases to amaze me! Sophie enjoyed her specially cooked chicken followed by ice cream, so she was happy. Her behaviour was impeccable as always.
As we were tucking into our main courses we saw David's dark blue Passat slowly drive by. There weren't that many German cars in this part of France and we just knew it had to be the others, who had probably given up on the hotel as well. As Dad's Suzuki was parked right outside (again, not a common car in those parts) it wouldn't have been difficult for them to have spotted it and come in to eat.
The war was still on!
Monday 14 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France - May 11-18 2001
Monday 14 May
Dad was on bread duty this morning but the Boulangerie was closed! Keith and I dashed out to the Super U in Gorron and brought back two large fresh loaves and some delicious croissants. The others appeared, took what they wanted and then ate next door. We had all agreed to have our main meal at lunchtime today and then stay in again in the evening as the whole of France, it appears, is closed on a Monday, including restaurants!
Today has been one of the most memorable days of my life so far. Mum and Dad accompanied us to the coast and we headed for the seaside town of Granville, by way of a small coastal road. The weather was beautiful and sunny and quite warm out of the wind. After almost getting lost in the village of Landivy, because of a diversion, we were soon back on track with me navigating. We joined a motorway very briefly and then turned off at Avranches onto a pretty road that wound along a bay with views over to Mont St Michel. Beautiful villages appeared at regular intervals, all of them with lovely looking restaurants! Typical! We stopped in St Pair sur Mer for a cup of coffee and a beer and went onto the beach but it was deserted. Sophie wanted to stay and play on the beach but it really wasn't the weather for sunbathing despite the sunshine!
Granville was slightly disappointing and the place didn't quite live up to our expectations of a quaint coastal town full of seafood restaurants! However, we did find a friendly eaterie in the square, shaded by trees that served delicious food. We had a long leisurely lunch, the children behaved impeccably and the sun grew hotter as the afternoon wore on.
We said goodbye to Mum and Dad at the car park and headed back to St Pair sur Mer to the small supermarket where we stocked up with wine and beer. We then made our way to a village called Dragey where there was the most marvellous expanse of beach and a small bar serving drinks and ice-creams. Keith took Sophie and Michael onto the beach and left them run wild. They absolutely loved the total freedom and we had a wonderful time with them as they played in the sand and ran about. It was Michael's first time on a beach and he couldn't believe that we were happy for him to get all sandy and wet. His favourite thing to do was to pick up pebbles and shells and throw them about with wild abandon!
When we'd all had enough we changed the children into warm clothes and treated them to an ice-cream. The man running the bar was English and I couldn't help envying him and the lifestyle he was living.
Within minutes of being back in the car both children were asleep and we had a lovely drive back to the gite through some truly beautiful countryside. However, our enjoyment was tempered by the fact that we had the only key to the gite and we had lingered rather too long on that lovely beach! We were further delayed by the diversion in Landivy which was turning out to be a real thorn in our side! Luckily Keith made me turn back at Louvigny du Desert (or Loving in the Dessert as we renamed it) otherwise we would really have been lost as well as being stuck in the middle of a herd of cows!
When we eventually arrived back Mum and Dad had been there for about ten minutes, but after explaining that we had the key the others hadn't even offered them a drink while they waited. It really was war between us!
The salad tonight was almost as good as the previous nights, but we were excited to have some eggs to liven it up. Keith and I took the executive decision to cook a few more as we really felt that half an egg each was a little miserly. Thank goodness for the lovely lunch we had!
It is at this point that I should mention the kitty which was an idea put forward by John. Each couple would contribute £100 and would take out any money they had already spent. Therefore John put in his share and then promptly took out £70 to cover the groceries they'd bought in Calais, Mum and Dad took out about £30 for the staples (tea, sugar, coffee, etc), Keith put in our £100 and then we waited for David and Pat to put in their contribution...and we waited!
Dinner was a moderate affair and the bonhomie so present at our normal Wine Club meetings was sadly missing. The children were still awake but were behaving very well and if they were excited then that was only to be expected. They were on holiday after all!
Dad was on bread duty this morning but the Boulangerie was closed! Keith and I dashed out to the Super U in Gorron and brought back two large fresh loaves and some delicious croissants. The others appeared, took what they wanted and then ate next door. We had all agreed to have our main meal at lunchtime today and then stay in again in the evening as the whole of France, it appears, is closed on a Monday, including restaurants!
Today has been one of the most memorable days of my life so far. Mum and Dad accompanied us to the coast and we headed for the seaside town of Granville, by way of a small coastal road. The weather was beautiful and sunny and quite warm out of the wind. After almost getting lost in the village of Landivy, because of a diversion, we were soon back on track with me navigating. We joined a motorway very briefly and then turned off at Avranches onto a pretty road that wound along a bay with views over to Mont St Michel. Beautiful villages appeared at regular intervals, all of them with lovely looking restaurants! Typical! We stopped in St Pair sur Mer for a cup of coffee and a beer and went onto the beach but it was deserted. Sophie wanted to stay and play on the beach but it really wasn't the weather for sunbathing despite the sunshine!
Granville was slightly disappointing and the place didn't quite live up to our expectations of a quaint coastal town full of seafood restaurants! However, we did find a friendly eaterie in the square, shaded by trees that served delicious food. We had a long leisurely lunch, the children behaved impeccably and the sun grew hotter as the afternoon wore on.
We said goodbye to Mum and Dad at the car park and headed back to St Pair sur Mer to the small supermarket where we stocked up with wine and beer. We then made our way to a village called Dragey where there was the most marvellous expanse of beach and a small bar serving drinks and ice-creams. Keith took Sophie and Michael onto the beach and left them run wild. They absolutely loved the total freedom and we had a wonderful time with them as they played in the sand and ran about. It was Michael's first time on a beach and he couldn't believe that we were happy for him to get all sandy and wet. His favourite thing to do was to pick up pebbles and shells and throw them about with wild abandon!
When we'd all had enough we changed the children into warm clothes and treated them to an ice-cream. The man running the bar was English and I couldn't help envying him and the lifestyle he was living.
Within minutes of being back in the car both children were asleep and we had a lovely drive back to the gite through some truly beautiful countryside. However, our enjoyment was tempered by the fact that we had the only key to the gite and we had lingered rather too long on that lovely beach! We were further delayed by the diversion in Landivy which was turning out to be a real thorn in our side! Luckily Keith made me turn back at Louvigny du Desert (or Loving in the Dessert as we renamed it) otherwise we would really have been lost as well as being stuck in the middle of a herd of cows!
When we eventually arrived back Mum and Dad had been there for about ten minutes, but after explaining that we had the key the others hadn't even offered them a drink while they waited. It really was war between us!
The salad tonight was almost as good as the previous nights, but we were excited to have some eggs to liven it up. Keith and I took the executive decision to cook a few more as we really felt that half an egg each was a little miserly. Thank goodness for the lovely lunch we had!
It is at this point that I should mention the kitty which was an idea put forward by John. Each couple would contribute £100 and would take out any money they had already spent. Therefore John put in his share and then promptly took out £70 to cover the groceries they'd bought in Calais, Mum and Dad took out about £30 for the staples (tea, sugar, coffee, etc), Keith put in our £100 and then we waited for David and Pat to put in their contribution...and we waited!
Dinner was a moderate affair and the bonhomie so present at our normal Wine Club meetings was sadly missing. The children were still awake but were behaving very well and if they were excited then that was only to be expected. They were on holiday after all!
Sunday 13 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France - May 11-18 2001
Sunday 13 May
The next morning I awoke with a very bad taste in my mouth and it wasn't just the salad of the night before. Keith went to get bread from the boulangerie in Brece and we set out the breakfast in the living/dining room, but the others decided to eat outside as the weather and surroundings were so lovely.
Keith and I left early and drove to Domfront with the children. We parked outside the Town Hall and walked into town which was busy with the locals going to church. Most of the centre of the town was undergoing repairs to the road surfaces and it reminded me of scenes in the film, Saving Private Ryan! We ambled around in the sunshine examining menus (always a favourite pastime) and admired the Norman architecture. We then explored the mediaeval part of the town over an ancient bridge. There were spring flowers everywhere and I photographed Sophie sitting amongst them. Michael slept the whole time we were exploring the town, which was something of a relief!
Before we left we met Mum and Dad who were enjoying the sunshine at a pavement cafe so we joined them for a drink, watching the bustling town which was completely different to the Domfront at the top of the hill!
After we left the town, the weather turned overcast and chilly so we made the decision to drive to Le Mont St Michel. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, passing several more pretty villages and a large town called St Hilaire du Harcouet.
Our first view of Mont St Michel was spectacular and as we drove nearer it became more impressive, literally looming out of the sea. The island is a tourist hotspot so there were crowds of people there and an area full of coaches. Keith took Sophie out onto the beach but I was worried about the quicksands so I urged him to come back in. Lunch was taken at a small cafe at the beginning of the town which was a maze of narrow crowded streets lined with tourist gift shops.
After lunch we walked part of the way along the steep street but when we came to some steps we turned back and put both children in the pushchair which they loved!
The journey back to our gite was very quiet with the towns deserted. We were on the lookout for a good restaurant but even Gorron's hotel was closed so it was looking pretty desperate! A restaurant that had been advertised as being on the main road turned out to be a factory!
We had no option but to eat in again and before dinner the men took part in a boules game that seemed to break the ice a bit! Sadly, it was the only time it was played over the holiday but the American party in the next gite took part and gradually the temperature between us and the other two couples warmed up.
Dinner was salad again and although both Sophie and Michael were still up, they didn't cause any problems. However, at 10pm David said he was tired and they all left to go back to their own gite - maybe the children were more of a problem than we thought!
The next morning I awoke with a very bad taste in my mouth and it wasn't just the salad of the night before. Keith went to get bread from the boulangerie in Brece and we set out the breakfast in the living/dining room, but the others decided to eat outside as the weather and surroundings were so lovely.
Keith and I left early and drove to Domfront with the children. We parked outside the Town Hall and walked into town which was busy with the locals going to church. Most of the centre of the town was undergoing repairs to the road surfaces and it reminded me of scenes in the film, Saving Private Ryan! We ambled around in the sunshine examining menus (always a favourite pastime) and admired the Norman architecture. We then explored the mediaeval part of the town over an ancient bridge. There were spring flowers everywhere and I photographed Sophie sitting amongst them. Michael slept the whole time we were exploring the town, which was something of a relief!
Before we left we met Mum and Dad who were enjoying the sunshine at a pavement cafe so we joined them for a drink, watching the bustling town which was completely different to the Domfront at the top of the hill!
After we left the town, the weather turned overcast and chilly so we made the decision to drive to Le Mont St Michel. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, passing several more pretty villages and a large town called St Hilaire du Harcouet.
Our first view of Mont St Michel was spectacular and as we drove nearer it became more impressive, literally looming out of the sea. The island is a tourist hotspot so there were crowds of people there and an area full of coaches. Keith took Sophie out onto the beach but I was worried about the quicksands so I urged him to come back in. Lunch was taken at a small cafe at the beginning of the town which was a maze of narrow crowded streets lined with tourist gift shops.
After lunch we walked part of the way along the steep street but when we came to some steps we turned back and put both children in the pushchair which they loved!
The journey back to our gite was very quiet with the towns deserted. We were on the lookout for a good restaurant but even Gorron's hotel was closed so it was looking pretty desperate! A restaurant that had been advertised as being on the main road turned out to be a factory!
We had no option but to eat in again and before dinner the men took part in a boules game that seemed to break the ice a bit! Sadly, it was the only time it was played over the holiday but the American party in the next gite took part and gradually the temperature between us and the other two couples warmed up.
Dinner was salad again and although both Sophie and Michael were still up, they didn't cause any problems. However, at 10pm David said he was tired and they all left to go back to their own gite - maybe the children were more of a problem than we thought!
Saturday 12 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France - May 11-18 2001
Saturday 12 May
Saturday morning dawned bright and early but the children were still asleep! After the way they behaved last night, it was tough! Hopping over the road to the P&O Ferry Terminal we boarded on time in lovely sunny weather. The journey to Le Havre was great and very relaxed, thank goodness! The boat was virtually empty and we explored all the decks both inside and outside. The children amused themselves by playing with balls and going into a mini adventure playground designed by SPI. The only disappointment was the food but we were sure that we would make up for that in France...
We spent a very relaxed hour sitting in the bar with a drink before having a grotty lunch. The games machines fascinated Michael and I felt much happier than I did last night, despite our poor night's sleep!
By 2pm we had arrived in Le Havre but before entering France we had to dip our tyres and shoes in disinfectant to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth disease which was prevalent in the UK. Both children were now asleep, worn out by the previous night and all the running about.
The route to the village of Gorron, where our gites were situated, was wonderful with hardly any traffic. We caught up with Mum and Dad in their car and sped on past Honfleur and Caen. The countryside looked beautiful - rolling hills, farmland and forests with pretty villages and a particularly lovely town called Domfront.
We followed the directions to the gites exactly and soon came to Gorron. From Brece we took a little road over a river and then turned right onto a very narrow road that wound up through farmland. Before long we saw our sign - La Returais - and we had arrived! Of all the couples we were the first to get there!
Unlocking the door to La Maison D'Aube we were pleased with what we saw. The gite was neat and tidy with a well-equipped kitchen and sitting area. The key to La Grange was on the table but we decided to wait for Mum and Dad. "Gorby", a friendly dog that belonged to the farm around the corner, welcomed us to the gite and Sophie immediately made friends with him while Michael tried to pull his tail...
Soon, Mum and Dad arrived and we unlocked their cottage called La Grange. Unfortunately, this is when our troubles began... Before the holiday we had all gathered to allocate the bedrooms for each couple. Mum and Dad had been given the ground floor shower room and we now found that this was, instead, just a toilet and wash-basin, nothing more than a cloakroom and certainly not a shower room as it had been described! There wasn't even a mirror in there! Upstairs, in their bedroom there were no wardrobes and so they were not at all happy at such basic accommodation for a week's stay. To be honest the other rooms weren't much better with one bedroom having just a chest of drawers and nowhere to hang any clothes!
Keith was still in our gite unpacking - we had been given a cottage to ourselves as we didn't want to disturb the others with the children. Mum and Dad were so angry with the gite that we decided to try and sort out the problem ourselves, before the others arrived. In hindsight, this turned out to be the wrong decision but we thought we were only trying to help.
All the bed linen for the two cottages was left in La Grange and what a hotch potch of different sizes there was! Most of the quilt covers were doubles but most of the beds were singles. We did our best to sort it all out, thinking that when the other two couples arrived it would be chaos.
By now it was past 6pm and Mum and Dad were threatening to go and stay at a local hotel. Thinking that the others would be arriving any minute I said we should wait but when 7pm came and went, we had no choice to unpack. My parents had come up with a good idea - the four of us and the children would move into La Grange, the bigger of the two gites, while the other couples would move into Maison D'Aube. Everybody would then have their own bathroom and the problem would be solved.
We couldn't wait any longer for the others to arrive as we needed to get the children fed and ready for bed so we all unpacked and moved into La Grange. Eventually, at around 7.30pm, John and Sarah arrived and I went out to greet them and explained what had happened. I told them we had no choice to move into La Grange and that we couldn't wait any longer as we needed to get the children fed and bathed. John seemed put out but Sarah understood, especially when we showed them the downstairs "bathroom". Minutes after I'd spoken to them John called David on his mobile and told them there'd been a change of plan...
At last, at 8pm, David and Pat arrived and David's face showed the stress he'd been under. Our explanation was the last straw and David turned on Dad and shouted that he thought that all the arrangements had been made before we left. He yelled he'd had a bad journey (they'd travelled via Calais) and his face was contorted with fury... Pat refused to even speak to Mum and Dad and immediately disappeared into the gite. I was in the shower at the time so I missed all the fun but Mum and Dad were clearly upset about David's outburst even though he appeared ten minutes later to apologise. He said he was tired, but then weren't we all tired? We'd had a rough night and two small children to get ready in strange surroundings!
After we'd showed David around the cottage he seemed very sheepish but, sadly, the damage had been done and this nasty episode set the tone for the whole holiday.
Dinner that night was slightly strained with a very supercillious John mentioning bread over and over (we had committed the heinous sin of forgetting to buy it). We shared some very inferior wine that had been bought at Carrefour and sometime after 10pm, the other two couples made their excuses and retired for the night. What a day!
Saturday morning dawned bright and early but the children were still asleep! After the way they behaved last night, it was tough! Hopping over the road to the P&O Ferry Terminal we boarded on time in lovely sunny weather. The journey to Le Havre was great and very relaxed, thank goodness! The boat was virtually empty and we explored all the decks both inside and outside. The children amused themselves by playing with balls and going into a mini adventure playground designed by SPI. The only disappointment was the food but we were sure that we would make up for that in France...
We spent a very relaxed hour sitting in the bar with a drink before having a grotty lunch. The games machines fascinated Michael and I felt much happier than I did last night, despite our poor night's sleep!
By 2pm we had arrived in Le Havre but before entering France we had to dip our tyres and shoes in disinfectant to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth disease which was prevalent in the UK. Both children were now asleep, worn out by the previous night and all the running about.
The route to the village of Gorron, where our gites were situated, was wonderful with hardly any traffic. We caught up with Mum and Dad in their car and sped on past Honfleur and Caen. The countryside looked beautiful - rolling hills, farmland and forests with pretty villages and a particularly lovely town called Domfront.
We followed the directions to the gites exactly and soon came to Gorron. From Brece we took a little road over a river and then turned right onto a very narrow road that wound up through farmland. Before long we saw our sign - La Returais - and we had arrived! Of all the couples we were the first to get there!
Unlocking the door to La Maison D'Aube we were pleased with what we saw. The gite was neat and tidy with a well-equipped kitchen and sitting area. The key to La Grange was on the table but we decided to wait for Mum and Dad. "Gorby", a friendly dog that belonged to the farm around the corner, welcomed us to the gite and Sophie immediately made friends with him while Michael tried to pull his tail...
Soon, Mum and Dad arrived and we unlocked their cottage called La Grange. Unfortunately, this is when our troubles began... Before the holiday we had all gathered to allocate the bedrooms for each couple. Mum and Dad had been given the ground floor shower room and we now found that this was, instead, just a toilet and wash-basin, nothing more than a cloakroom and certainly not a shower room as it had been described! There wasn't even a mirror in there! Upstairs, in their bedroom there were no wardrobes and so they were not at all happy at such basic accommodation for a week's stay. To be honest the other rooms weren't much better with one bedroom having just a chest of drawers and nowhere to hang any clothes!
Keith was still in our gite unpacking - we had been given a cottage to ourselves as we didn't want to disturb the others with the children. Mum and Dad were so angry with the gite that we decided to try and sort out the problem ourselves, before the others arrived. In hindsight, this turned out to be the wrong decision but we thought we were only trying to help.
All the bed linen for the two cottages was left in La Grange and what a hotch potch of different sizes there was! Most of the quilt covers were doubles but most of the beds were singles. We did our best to sort it all out, thinking that when the other two couples arrived it would be chaos.
By now it was past 6pm and Mum and Dad were threatening to go and stay at a local hotel. Thinking that the others would be arriving any minute I said we should wait but when 7pm came and went, we had no choice to unpack. My parents had come up with a good idea - the four of us and the children would move into La Grange, the bigger of the two gites, while the other couples would move into Maison D'Aube. Everybody would then have their own bathroom and the problem would be solved.
We couldn't wait any longer for the others to arrive as we needed to get the children fed and ready for bed so we all unpacked and moved into La Grange. Eventually, at around 7.30pm, John and Sarah arrived and I went out to greet them and explained what had happened. I told them we had no choice to move into La Grange and that we couldn't wait any longer as we needed to get the children fed and bathed. John seemed put out but Sarah understood, especially when we showed them the downstairs "bathroom". Minutes after I'd spoken to them John called David on his mobile and told them there'd been a change of plan...
At last, at 8pm, David and Pat arrived and David's face showed the stress he'd been under. Our explanation was the last straw and David turned on Dad and shouted that he thought that all the arrangements had been made before we left. He yelled he'd had a bad journey (they'd travelled via Calais) and his face was contorted with fury... Pat refused to even speak to Mum and Dad and immediately disappeared into the gite. I was in the shower at the time so I missed all the fun but Mum and Dad were clearly upset about David's outburst even though he appeared ten minutes later to apologise. He said he was tired, but then weren't we all tired? We'd had a rough night and two small children to get ready in strange surroundings!
After we'd showed David around the cottage he seemed very sheepish but, sadly, the damage had been done and this nasty episode set the tone for the whole holiday.
Dinner that night was slightly strained with a very supercillious John mentioning bread over and over (we had committed the heinous sin of forgetting to buy it). We shared some very inferior wine that had been bought at Carrefour and sometime after 10pm, the other two couples made their excuses and retired for the night. What a day!
Friday 11 May 2001
A Wine Club trip to France - May 11-18 2001
Friday 11 May
Where do I start with this holiday? All I can say is that the fates were obviously not favouring us and when you consider that, although the cottages were described as being in the Loire and they were actually in Normandy, this region of France has never been lucky for us.
We'd booked to go to France with Mum and Dad and two other couples - David and Pat and John and Sarah. We were renting two gites and our aim was to go away for a week and enjoy some great food and wine and generally have a good time. I'd been running a small wine club for a while and we all got on so well, it seemed the natural thing to do! How wrong I was!
The holiday started off very well with a great trip to Portsmouth on Friday afternoon. We had picked up the children (Sophie then aged 5 and Michael, 16 months) straight from school and Nursery, the weather was beautiful and sunny, and apart from one sticky moment on the A34, the traffic was light and flowing.
We arrived at our Travel Lodge opposite the port and explored. The kids went mad because of the new environment and when Mum and Dad arrived we took them down to the bar and restaurant. At this point Michael would not sit in a highchair or eat his dinner. All he wanted to do was get down and run about. Keith took him and Sophie through to the Wacky Warehouse (!!) while Mum and Dad ate their meal. Already I could see Keith and I eating a solitary dinner in every night...
Feeling very stressed and hot, Keith and I chose our meals while Mum vainly entertained Michael. He was determined to wreak havoc, though, and by 10pm we had all had enough. Back in the room it got worse. Both children refused to sleep and Michael ran from one side of the room to the other as if demented. Sophie wouldn't settle either and some harsh words were said to both of them, but it was after midnight by the time Michael finally gave in and Sophie was still awake at 4am. What on earth had happened?
Where do I start with this holiday? All I can say is that the fates were obviously not favouring us and when you consider that, although the cottages were described as being in the Loire and they were actually in Normandy, this region of France has never been lucky for us.
We'd booked to go to France with Mum and Dad and two other couples - David and Pat and John and Sarah. We were renting two gites and our aim was to go away for a week and enjoy some great food and wine and generally have a good time. I'd been running a small wine club for a while and we all got on so well, it seemed the natural thing to do! How wrong I was!
The holiday started off very well with a great trip to Portsmouth on Friday afternoon. We had picked up the children (Sophie then aged 5 and Michael, 16 months) straight from school and Nursery, the weather was beautiful and sunny, and apart from one sticky moment on the A34, the traffic was light and flowing.
We arrived at our Travel Lodge opposite the port and explored. The kids went mad because of the new environment and when Mum and Dad arrived we took them down to the bar and restaurant. At this point Michael would not sit in a highchair or eat his dinner. All he wanted to do was get down and run about. Keith took him and Sophie through to the Wacky Warehouse (!!) while Mum and Dad ate their meal. Already I could see Keith and I eating a solitary dinner in every night...
Feeling very stressed and hot, Keith and I chose our meals while Mum vainly entertained Michael. He was determined to wreak havoc, though, and by 10pm we had all had enough. Back in the room it got worse. Both children refused to sleep and Michael ran from one side of the room to the other as if demented. Sophie wouldn't settle either and some harsh words were said to both of them, but it was after midnight by the time Michael finally gave in and Sophie was still awake at 4am. What on earth had happened?
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