Photos of Belgium

 I'm not good at manipulating these photos.  Sorry they are all over the place.

Cavalry on the charge - Waterloo




 

Legends Tennis at Namur

Dinner with Phil and Bea

Our place is the one on the end at ground level



Bruges



Gotta love Belgian beer



Tyne Cot Cemetry near Ypres



Frites and mayo - no wonder the Belgians are big and strong

Dinant

John's happy in the beer shop

Menin Gate in Ypres - last post played every night at 8



Pat Cash at Legends Cup



At our place by the river

Canon

La Roche-en-Ardenne

It was two very despondent Aussies who said goodbye to the Swiss Alps on Saturday.  We were very happy and relaxed in our mountain chalet and did not relish the thought of a long drive.  We had grown very attached to our lifestyle here and really enjoyed the hiking and beautiful scenery.  But move on we did and we are now settled in La Roche in a beautiful apartment right on the river Ourthe. 

We always knew that on the day after we arrived at this quaint and pretty town, we would go over to Waterloo as it was this weekend when they were celebrating the anniversary of Napolean's defeat.  So we headed off again on Sunday for the start of what would turn out to be a brilliant day.  Firstly we went to a village called Plancenoit and watched a reenactment of the battle.  We sat on a hillside and opposite was a mown field and a huge wheat field.  We then watched for two hours the French and British fight a battle in these fields with canon and muskets and calvary and pipers.  It was really stirring.  We had read where it was not so good and had decided not even to go to the battle reenactment but as we drove right by Placenoit on our way over and people were streaming in we decided we would go.  Got some great photos which I will put up later.

From Waterloo (after going to the Lion Mount etc) we headed for home and decided to pop into the town of Namur for something to eat.  We went for a walk and once again there were people streaming in.  They had set up a clay tennis court in the square outside the cathedral and were playing the Legends Cup.  Well, lo and behold, Pat Cash and Peter McNamara were playing Guy Forget and Yannick Noah.  So we got tickets and sat in the stands and watched three great matches.  John had a chat with Pat Cash and we just had a wonderful unexpected afternoon. 

When we arrived home we had an email from our friends we met in the Dordogne, Phil and Bea, and they were staying in town so we went and collected them and we all had another wonderful dinner together and a catch up on our travelling news.  So all in all a simply fabulous day.

We have visited some of the towns around La Roche including Dinant and Rochefort but none compare to our little town with its meandering river and pretty buildings and wonderful eating places.  The Belgiums offer chocolate, frites and sauce, and beer.  What more could one want in one's diet.  I can't think of anything.  La Roche is a vibrant little town and unlike French villages there is always something going on. 

Yesterday we drove to Bruges and Ypres - this was a revisit - and we enjoyed both these towns again.  Bruges is a gorgeous town with its canals and squares but becoming very touristy.  Ypres has just reopened last weekend its "In Flanders Fields" museum and we spent a couple of hours looking at this and the Menin Gate. 

Today we are just relaxing.  Might go out later this afternoon but need a catch up.  Very happy here and loving this lifestyle of one week in each place. 

Hope all is well at home.  Thanks for your emails.

Deb and John

Val de ree val de rah val de rah ha ha ha ha ha val ...

We have been wandering along the mountain tracks over the last few days and absolutely loving it.  Briefly since I last wrote we did get out on that miserable day and went to the Trommelbach Falls, a glacial waterfall flowing through a mountain feeding all the water from the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains.  It was wild.  The water just pelting through.  Then over to Grindelwald in the next valley.  On Wednesday when we woke up the weather was perfect and we caught the first cable car up to Mannlichen - but alas but the time we got there it was soup.  So we thought we would make the most of a cloudy day and cable car-ed over to First and then did a walk out to the Bachalpsee, an alpine lake.  Most of this walk was done in a blizzard but when we reached the lake the clouds parted and a bit of blue sky appeared.  It was well worth it as the lake was gorgeous.  The good news is that the last two days have been perfect and we have spent up to eight hours in the mountains each day, walking, eating, drinking, gazing.  I will let the pictures do the talking here.  Today we did a glorious walk along the North Face of the Eiger.  John nearly climbed up to the rock face.  The alpine wildflowers are all out and everywhere you look is spectacular.  Our last stop was Mannlichen where the view just takes your breath away.  We have clicked off hundreds of photos but not one will do justice to the beauty of this place.  We both want to come back. 

The Big Three - Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau

Walking close to the North Face of the Eiger

Dinner at Chalet Trogihalten

360 degree views on top of Mt Mannlichen

Our chalet

Our village, Wengen

Up at the Top of Europe, nearly at the peak of the Jungfraujoch, 3450 metres

John at Kleine Schidegge at the start of our walk beneath the North Face

Can you see a grey speck in the bottom right hand corner -
that's John climbing to the North Face

Up in the mountains

Lunch at Alpiglen

Sad news today that George, my friend Carrie's Dad died in Bristol today.  Had a bit of a cry up in the mountains when I said goodbye to them and another one when I read that news.    Hope you enjoy the photos.

We love to go a wandering

along the mountain tracks but when it's cold and very cloudy and wet we would rather stay in our warm apartment and watch Game of Thrones, which is what we are doing today.  Sad but true, the weather is being very fluky and unstable here in Wengen.  Don't know what's happening cause we ordered good weather for this week particularly.  Still it looks like tomorrow might be better, Thursday better again and Friday pretty good.  So we are grinning and bearing it today as the clouds roll in and we can hardly see 10 feet in front of us.  No point in being out today.

Yesterday was another story and we did a glorious walk along the ridge on the other side of the valley out to another little village called Murren.  The scenery is out of this world and for a while we could see (nearly) all of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger.  Not for long though.  Still it was a treat and we loved it.  We have bought a pass where we can use cable cars and rack pinion railway at will so really want to get out and get value so at the end of the day we rode the train up to Kleine Schiedegg where you are so close to the big mountains you could reach out and touch them.  You can see the glacier faces (is that what you call them?) and the mighty peaks. 

Murren is the place to go and cable car up the Schilthorn but it was in cloud so not worth going.  We really want to do the trip up the Jungfrau where you can go right to the top but it is very expensive so only worth doing if the sky is clear.  Also we want to go paragliding.  Would be beautiful to do here and although we probably both have reservations about jumping off cliffs we are going to do it!!!!  But this all depends on good weather. 

Not to worry nothing one can do about that so we will enjoy whatever is offered and we both agree this is a place we could come back to over and over again.  Our apartment is extremely comfortable and probably has one of the best views in the valley with a lovely balcony to take advantage.  It is a little wooden chalet so if anyone is considering coming this way let us know and we can help you out with good digs. 

Started using walking sticks yesterday.  Not the cane types but the European types.  It was a great help and I think the Grammar hill would be a lot easier, girls, if we all had a set.

Jungfrau from our balcony

On our walk to Murren

The whole view from our balcony

Inside our sitting room which leads out to the balcony

Hope you are all enjoying our blog.

Dam the expense it's worth it!!!

Cause no other country in the world offers the scenery that Switzerland offers.  Now I know that's a rash statement and many will disagree but for pure spectacular glory I have never seen better.  Mind you it comes at a cost but it's bang for your buck in Switzerland where everything is very organised and clean and easy.  When we went to the tourist office at 5.45 pm yesterday, John said "I can't believe you are open".  Her response "Oh, have you just come in from France, have you?"  It can be hard in France where nothing seems to open till 10, shut at 12 till 2.30 and again at 6.  Nothing open most of the weekend.  You could never call the French stressed.  But maybe that's a good thing cause you could call them fit looking, optimistic and happy.

After a big drive yesterday, took us 11 hours to get here with a few stops, we arrived at the little town of Lauterbrunnen where we have left our car for the week, and caught the little red and yellow train up the mountain to the village of Wengen.  Found our chalet which is beautiful.  Has all the requirements - geranium window boxes, nice balcony, comfortable couch, coffee machine, comfy bed with two pillows, and good shower.

The view from here is drop dead gorgeous.  We look straight up the Lauterbrunnen Valley to the mighty Jungfrau - mind you this has been in cloud since we arrived (the top of the Jungfrau, not the valley) but it's looking promising at the moment and I pop outside every 30 seconds to check if it's out.  There are major waterfalls tumbling into the valley quite nearby.  We are at about 1200 m at Wengen and the mountains tower above us.  It is a dream come true for me and when we had our rum out on the balcony last night it felt very right.

It was sad to say goodbye to Carmel and Gerry and Phil and Bea yesterday.  We had a marvellous week together.  They were great company.  We had a relaxed last day at Le Prebytere.  Carmel and Gerry and John and I went into Souillac and brought some groceries to bring with us.  We had a French cappacino (now that has to be good for you) and a stroll around this delightful town.  Our last dinner out on the terrace was wonderful and a last game of cards.  Thanks guys.  It was a week to remember - hope you enjoy the rest of your trips. 

What an amazing day

We had the most incredible day yesterday.  It was fantastic.  John firstly prepared us a lovely brekky out on the terrace.  Porridge and scrambled eggs seems to be the favourite and it is lucky John is great at both of these.











Canoeing the Dordogne



From there we headed out to do some canoeing.  The plan was that John and Bea would go to La Roque and go on little boats they have there and the rest of us would go canoeing from Vitrac to Beynac.  We called into Vitrac on the way to La Roque to get details of time etc and we asked about canoes for the disabled and he said "no problem".  They had a three man canoe with two actual seats in it.  So there we were the six of us out on canoes with Bea sitting up in the front of one and loving it.  For those of you who don't know her, she has a disease like MS.  She is permanently in a wheelchair and has been for many years.  We were very worried about taking her in a canoe but her and Phil approached it with so much excitement and ease that we had to go along.



We all loved Daniel our French chef, the essential kitchen appliance



Carmel was also pretty worried having had a bad experience once on a canoe.  So off we set with Phil (an old canoer from his fossicking days in the Yukon), Gerry and Bea in one canoe, and John, Carmel and me in the other.  We had the most glorious couple of hours - all of us - paddling past little villages and big chateaux and enjoying the peace and calm on the beautiful Dordogne River.  The company we went with were marvellous and had Bea's wheelchair waiting for her at the other end where there was also a cafe for coffee and hot chips.  It all went perfectly, everyone loved it.



Third course - seafood



We came home and Sam Stosur's match had just started so we sat and watched that.  Pity she lost but I'm sure that Italian girl must be on something illegal.  She did well to get to the semis though.  The owner of our house was here when we got home mowing and fixing up the garden a bit.  He was the most delightful Frenchman, mind you they are all pretty delightful, and gave us three bottles of wine before he left.  It was great to meet him after having a lot of correspondence with him. 



His brother, Daniel, was our chef for the night.  He has been a chef for 30 years and is now retired so Daniel also arrived with all the produce for our meal.  We set our big table inside the 16th century salon and got dressed up for our French meal.



Fourth course



We started eating at about 6.30 and finally finished about midnight.  It was so delicious.  We had seven courses.  First course, which Philippe the owner had with us, was fois gras, a speciality of this area.  Second course, truffles (1000 euro a kilo.  Daniel had bought two little ones and put them in a light egg mix).  Third course, seafood (scallops, prawns and cray) with beautiful sauce and salad.  Fourth course, duck legs and rare mushrooms.  Fifth course, duck breast with sauce to die for and vegies.  Sixth course, warm goat's cheese from Rocomadour and walnut salad.  Seventh course, a beautiful strawberry and custard and cream concotion which was Daniel's signature dessert.  We had eight bottles of wine at the end of the table - all empty - and a couple of champagne bottles in the bin.  So by midnight we could hardly move.  It was just amazing and every mouthful was delicious.  Don't think I will need to eat for the rest of my life.



Fifth course - duck breast



Today (Friday) we are having a day here as it is our last day.  We might pop into Souillac to pick up some groceries to take to Switzerland with us tomorrow but other than that a relaxing day around the pool and packing ready for an early start tomorrow is in order.

This has been a wonderful week.  We have all got on so well and everyone has done their bit - not just in cooking, cleaning, etc but in making our time here fun and memorable.  Thanks everyone for a great week.



Seventh course



Seond course - truffles in omlette

Visiting the villages

Have had a wonderful time over the last couple of days visiting a few of the stand out villages of the Dordogne. On Monday went to Domme and La Roque Gageau (not sure about the spelling of this one) with Carmel and Gerry while Bea and Phil decided to have a quiet day at home.  We had a wonderful day strolling around these two beauties.  Domme is set on a hill and looks out over the Dordogne River and the beautiful countryside in this area.  La Roque is set beside the river and is built into the side of a cliff.  At both places we had walks and coffee and sometimes little pastries that make your body sing (better than bananas!!!)

  

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At Romomadour





Yesterday we went to Rocamodaur, another village set into a cliff face.  You park at the top and it was great for Bea as they had a lift which took her and Phil down to different levels.  This made it easier as the early builders did not have "disabled access" as one of their criteria when they created cobblestones.  I pushed her around in Beynac for a while over cobblestones and it was not easy.  Phil and her are amazing how they handle these situations and they try everything. 

When we got home from Rocomadour, we all went swimming and had champagne down by the pool looking back at our gorgeous house.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  We realised the tennis was on and Tsonga and Djokovic were in a tight tussle so watched that for a while as well.  Lucky we are all avid tennis fans. 

We have dinner out on the terrace every night and always make an effort to have a lovely table setting with flowers etc.  We eat extremely well.  Last night Phil made us salmon and scallops which was amazing.  Cards is pretty popular at night and Phil and I remain the 500 champs though Gerry and John came back last night with Carmel's help. 

So all is well in paradise.  We have our French chef coming in tomorrow night to give us cooking lessons and dinner.  We are all very excited.  We are also going canoeing tomorrow.  So it should be a good day.  Even Bea is considering coming canoeing.  Today we are off to the market in Sarlat.  It is a bit drizzly this morning but seeing as though they predicted drizzle for the whole week and we have had perfect weather think we can put up with that.

Take care and love to all.



Our piece of paradise



Drinking wine in the afternoon ...

Carmel and John on the terrace

What promised to be a rainy day has turned to sunshine and dinner will again be on the flowered terrace with grape vines sheltering us from the sun at 8.30 pm.  Maybe a swim before dinner if the wine doesn't take effect too soon. 

Our room in Le Presbytere

We have definitely landed in paradise at Le Presbytere in Nadaillac de Rouge in the Dordogne area of France.  With four of our friends we are having a wonderful relaxing time.  Met Gerry and Carmel and Phil and Bea in Souillac yesterday and drove our to our beautiful accommodation by about 3 pm.  Cracked out the wine and the pate and the terrine and the olive sausage and the crunchy bread and the camembert and after a swim in the heated pool partied on till midnight.  It was a great day with great friends.  Everyone loves it here and today after a late start we went to a local market at St Cyprien and then over to Beynac to the castle and village.  We now have a glass of wine and are watching the French Open - Stosur about to play. 

Had a very relaxing last day in Languedoc visiting a few villages, basically doing a coffee crawl, and then packing and cleaning and going to Carcassonne at night to see this beautiful town by night.  What a sight.  We both love Carcassonne and the fact that we lived half an hour away let us appreciate it to the full.  Left early to drive up here going via Cahors with its amazing fortified bridge. 



The AA Cult





Carmel and Gerry bought us all a fleece with Aussie Amis France 2012 on so we had this picture taken of all of us looking like cult followers.  Loving it here with very easy company and good wine and food.

Birds and bells in Languedoc

It's been a while but (and I can't believe I have survived this quite admirably) we have no wifi where we are staying and haven't been near a Maccas to make a post.  We have had a wonderful week - thoroughly enjoying each day and wondering why it is all going way to quickly.




Drinks in Paree!!



We left Burgundy on Sunday morning and it was quite an emotional parting.  We had become good friends with our hosts there and they had cooked us a beautiful brekky.  We were very comfortable in Burgunday and especially in our lovely apartment in the country at Reglois.  The mayhem that is Paris was in stark contrast to our country retreat and we caught a train into the centre and had a stroll along the Seine and all the splendour that that offers.  The bridges of Paris never lose their sheer romanticism and we were very happy strolling for a couple of hours before we met our friends, Phil and Bea and Gerry and Carmel on Boulevarde St Michel for a few too many beers and glasses of champagne.  It was a very happy and exciting occasion as we had been planning this for a long time.  We thought of everyone who wasn't there and drank to you all and wished our numbers were greater.  Another time!!!!



Minerve



From there we flew down to Toulouse, losing our magnum of 1998 Burgundy pinot noir we had bought to drink in the Dordogne as we were not allowed to take fluids on a domestic flights.  Not happy, Jan!!!!!  Also half a bottle of rum went in the same bin.  Our drive out to Castlenau D'Aude was very pleasant - we have had sunny days for most of the time after the first few days in Burgundy.  We have a very typical French village house here courtesy of my friend, Danielle and her inlaws.  It is just beautiful and we have had a very enjoyable four days so far.  I get sick of using words like glorious, beautiful, wonderful - but that is just what France is.  We have visited many amazing villages.  Today we went to the village of Minerve.  Look it up and see how absolutely spectacular it is.  We climbed down to the river and strolled along the rocks there.  Then we went to to village of Lastours where four Cathar castles were taken and destroyed.  We went to a lookout over the remains of these castles and wow, it was breathtaking.  Reminded me vaguely of Macchu Pichu - even though I have never been to MP. 

Yesterday we drove to the fishing town of Collieure on the Spanish border.  You can see the blending of cultures here in the architecture, food, language etc.  We had a swim in the Mediterranean as it was over 30 degrees.  Wandering through this colourful town was a delight and we had a great lunch of grilled sardines.  YUM. 



Carcassonne of course is the jewel in the crown of Languedoc and as we were driving down from Toulouse on Monday morning we sighted it in the distance and were very excited.  We spent most of one day there walking the walls and exploring this mediaeval town.  Paddy, Abbey, Lanie, Ben, Shalla - I know you'll know how excited we were to be here.  Dad has gone back in this afternoon to get some more photos and maybe make a purchase or two.  We will also go over tomorrow night to see the walls lit and have a walk around "La cite" at night. 



Our house in Castlenau d'Aude, southern France



We have been lucky to befriend the caretakers of our house and had a delicious dinner with them last night.  They also invited another couple - American - who we got on with very well.  Had a good laugh and lots of stories were told. 



So all in all, we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves, loving the food and the wine.  Tonight we are going to take our bucket down to the local winemaker and get it filled with good wine for about $12.  And I am assured this wine will not give you a headache. 

All is well and as the title tells you we wake every morning to the church (next door) bells and to birds chirping outside of our window.  C'est la vie!!!!!

Deb and John



Last days in Burgundy

Burgundy is such a diverse place and the last two days we have experienced some of this diversity.  Had a delightful day yesterday visiting the village of Chateauneuf, then an amazing chateau (the French do chateaux so well!!) at Le Rocheport.  From there we did a drive through low slung vineyards growing right up to the side of the road.  They cut their vines very low as they believe the roots will always find water and this encourages them to go deep.  They do not irrigate in Burgundy.  From the town of Pommarde to Merkesault, the wineries and vineyards lined the roads and it was just delightful.  We sat under a tree for lunch for our usual bread and salad and creme caramel and bottle of wine and it was good.

That night we went and had dinner with our hosts, Esme and Geoff.  If anyone wants a great place to stay in Burgundy let us know - we can highly recommend this place and Esme and Geoff have gone out of their way to make us feel at home and welcome.  We have become friends rather than clients and we will miss them when we leave. 

Today we drove over to the little village of Noyers which we thought looked pretty ordinary to start with but when we walked through the arches into the town it was magic.  They really do have wonderful villages here and we spent a fascinating hour wandering through the village, talking to a Texan lady who painted illuminations, having a coffee and walking along the river.  From there we went to a mediaeval fair at Semur en Axois which we had visited early in the week.  We met Geoff and Esme here and had a great time.  I think the highlight was the tavern and the music.  Lots of people were in costume and there was a feeling of fun.  We really had a great time.  We love these days and the atmosphere is fabulous.  There are displays of mediaeval crafts and arts and flags and banners and music and dancing.  What a day!!!!

Had a chat to Lynda this morning when she called and it was good to hear news from home.  We are thinking of going to Paris tomorrow afternoon.  After all, why not!  Might go to the Musee d'Orsay - sounds good. 

Cheers to everyone.

The sun is out!!!!

After a few days of cloudy and sometimes foggy or hazy weather, the sun has come out today and we have put away our coats and jumpers and got out our shorts.  Despite the weather we have had a couple of wonderful days exploring different areas of Burgundy.

Yesterday we went north.  Our first point of call was a little village called Semur en Auxois, one of the "Plus belle villages de France".  It is a mediaeval village set atop of hill with four major towers towering above the village.  We did the recommended walk through the village and found ourselves besides raging rivers, on very old bridges, roaming the ramparts and wandering up narrow alleys lined with cobblestones.  Did someone say cobblestones - I HATE COBBLESTONES!!!!!  One of the best things we saw was a poster advertising the fact that they are having a mediaeval fair there this weekend so we are off again to Semur on Saturday. 

From there we headed to the Abbaye de Fontenay.  Abbeys are always in beautiful locations and are a delight for the eye.  And this one was no different.  We didn't go in but enjoyed seeing this restored masterpiece.  In March, at the battlefield of Alesia, a new museum was opened depicting Julius Caesar's battle with the Gauls in 52 BC.  We spent a couple of hours here in this wonderful hands on museum.  Audio guides, demonstrations of battle techniques, film and Roman camps all added to our understanding of this event.  John of course could fill in the detail.  What would I do without him and his amazing historical knowledge. 

Flavigny was our next stop.  This little village is where the film Chocolat was set.  Very pretty and the home of the anis seed and consequently aniseed balls etc.  We had a lovely wander around this little village and then headed home.  It was a very relaxing and greatly enjoyable day.

Today was equally as enjoyable though involved a bit more driving.  We headed off for our first stop of Vezelay where the church of St Madeline is supposed to be the best in the area.  We were a bit underwhelmed but had a good walk and coffee and pastries.  I have convinced myself that because pastries are from France they are not fattening and have developed quite a large affection for la tarte citron.  Our next stop was Guedelon and this was absolutely incredible.  Here they are building a 13th century castle from scratch using tools and techniques from the 13th century only.  It was mindblowing to see this castle rising from an old quarry site and we had an enthralled couple of hours here.  Seahas, this has to be a must see while you are in Burgundy.

Paddy recommended we go to the race circuit at Magny Cours - as he said the Bathurst of France and one of the best racing tracks in Europe.  It is also going to be the site of the French F1 next year so I persuaded John to take me.  We were not sure what we would be able to see there but it turned out we could go and sit in the stands and there were a few cars obviously having a practice.  Really enjoyed this. 

Another good thing about today was that the sun came out and we have some hope it might now stay that way.  Our delightful hosts are so good to us and we are going to have dinner with them tomorrow night.  Having a wonderful time in a most delightful area of a most delightful country.

Deb and John