It would be a mistake to think that Le Mans is all about the 24-hour race and nothing more. For one, it has more than a kilometre’s worth of 2,000-year-old Roman wall that’s still largely intact, and a gorgeous old city area full of artists and galleries. We spent just the one night here, en route to Saint Malo in Bretagne. .
Reluctant to leave Burgundy without doing at least one wine-tasting, we took a drive to Chablis – an easy 15km from Auxerre, and of course the home of the appellation Chablis. You drive past vineyards and through several wine villages to get there, and it’s all very picturesque.
Staunchly resisting the Garmin’s attempts to keep us on the straight and wide, i.e. the A6, for the hour and three-quarter trip from Chalon-sur-Saône to Auxerre, we instead chose a route slightly less travelled, the D906 via Chagny.
This is the heart of Burgundy, passing through gorgeous little villages, and farmhouses covered in autumnal vines and creepers. But you’ll have to take my word for it – Roy was on a mission to pass lorries, and was in no mood to stop the car, especially if it meant having to pass them again.
In all these riverside towns we’re visiting, taking a boat tour on the river is one of the things to do. Though I sort of feel I’d like to, I know there’s little chance – “What on earth for, when we’re coming back next summer in our own boat?”, my husband would respond to such a suggestion. (Pick your battles, I say.)
Not having time to research your destination in advance can sometimes be a good thing. Yes, you miss out on the smugly virtuous feeling of having done your homework – but instead, you could have the unexpected fun of landing up in the middle of something as delightful as the old city of Dijon.
Once he’s got going, my husband does not like to stop unnecessarily (if at all) en route – but he must perforce stop for fuel. When the aire (layby) he was aiming for turned out to be more about hiking and picnicking than petrol, we clicked on “Places of Interest” and then “Fuel” on the Garmin, which took us on an enjoyable sortie along narrow country lanes to a single-pump affair where a smart lady in lavender suit with matching jewellery pumped gas for us.
If there’s one thing Roy hates – and I think I’m justified in saying that there are quite a few such things – it’s having to wait until I’ve photographed his food before he can eat it. (You can actually hear teeth grinding.) This selection of photos, taken over the past few days, reflects the five different stages of grief – progressing from denial, to anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance.
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
We wandered around quite extensively today, visiting both the gorgeous 16th-century Notre Dame en Vaux, and the mainly 13th-century St Etienne cathedral, whose builders incredibly dispensed with walls in favour of acres of stained glass window. The market was closed, unfortunately.
In one of the nearby squares, we lunched alfresco at people-watching spot Le Comptoir Licorne: a €12.50 set consisting of a vlammekuech (a thin, pizza-like base topped with cream, white cheese and either savoury or sweet additions), a drink and a delicious crème caramel.
After nearly four months in England, it’s time to head to France for a 10-day driving holiday – staying at interesting little hotels, speaking the language as best we can, and checking out a couple of rivers, canals and locks in advance of Summer 2017. Testing the waters, so to speak.
In an era where travel has become an everyday sort of thing for so many people, there’s been a rise in special-focus travel: healthy holidays, like a wellness workshop in Warsaw; giving-back-to-your-fellow-man getaways, such as house-building in Cambodia; or culinary escapes, like cooking classes in Katmandu. Our current visit to France is even more niche – we’re seeking out waterways!
Back again at Henley for the annual Piper rally – our last expedition on Karanja before closing her up for the winter and heading south (like migratory geese) – we moored up opposite picturesque Temple Island, at the end of a row of 11 Piper Dutch barges.
The idea of this annual UK event – another rally is held in France, at Saint Jean de Losne – is for prospective clients to come along, see examples of the finished product, traipse around them and talk to their happy owners about their experiences.
