Not sure where we are headed but we'll get there soon!

Olà, bom dia, hola, benos dias, kaixo, egun on. bonjour, howdy.

A whirlwind tour of France, Spain, Portugal, Spanish/French Pyrenees and Basque country in two weeks.

First we headed over to Bayonne (west coast of France) for a couple of nights.

Absolutely beautiful place. Fantastic old city on rivers Nive and Adour.

We enjoyed some afternoon drinks overlooking the river and then made our way around the old city.

Being a Sunday, many shops and restaurants were closed.

It was such a gorgeous place, I would like to return to explore further.

Some more pics of Bayonne below.

Whilst staying in Bayonne we took a drive along the coast to Biarritz.

It was raining that day but that didn't stop us from walking around the old city.

Not much surf which Biarritz is known for.





Had lunch in a restaurant in St Jean de Luz overlooking the beach.









This is the coast of St Jean de Luz.









Left Bayonne early on the third day as we had a 13 hour drive down to Sintra in Portugal (20 kms from Lisbon). This is where we had arranged to meet Catia from work.

We crossed the Pyrenees in the dark so never saw the beauty until our return leg.

Once it started to get light and we could see some of the Spanish countryside, we were absolutely gobsmacked.

It was just like driving through the middle of Australia. Dry, flat and boring.

This was our first stop in Spain and just had to take a photo. Flat, dry and desolate.

We headed down towards Salamanca and onto the Portuguese border.

We were also amazed and bewildered by the number of high rise buildings that appear in all the towns. Abandoned half built buildings most of which had been graffitied were seen in every town. A left over from the GFC. People other than Spanish and Portuguese were buying up "cheap" properties being offered by unscrupulous builders ready to make a quick buck.

Other odd things we noticed were gum trees in Portugal and in every souvenir shop they were selling boomerangs - go figure.

Our next 3 nights were spent in Sintra - absolutely beautiful place and recommended by Catia - thanks mate.

It was great to finally catch up with you - I know you will be reading this post - and to see your beautiful little Tiago.





We tried some Ginjinha - a local Portuguese liqueur you drink from a chocolate cup which you then eat - delicious.

We also had some Portuguese food ordered by Catia - again delicious. The chorizo was very yummy.

We had talked and planned this catch up for what seemed like years but probably was only 8 months or so (maybe less).



Thanks for all the local knowledge and  recommendations.












The hotel that we stayed at in Sintra was excellent.

Very romantic and well located to see all over Sintra.

The staff were extremely helpful and friendly.

They had a group of trainee chefs that cooked us the most superb meal the first night we arrived.

We spent a few hours walking from Estoril to Cascais (along the promenade on the beach).- just superb.

Then caught the train into Lisbon and had the afternoon and evening wandering around Lisbon.




The trams that worked their way around Lisbon were intriguing to watch as the roads are very steep. I know as we climbed some of them.


















Chiadra was a marvelous area, very vibrant and packed with people.

We ended the evening with a bottle of wine watching street performers.

Some further pics around Lisbon.

After leaving Sintra we visited the Castelo dos Mouros (The Moors Castle)- fantastic.

Spent the morning walking up and around this magnificent and interesting castle built by the North African Moors in the 9th Century.









Then off driving up towards Porto.

We passed through Mafra - wish we stayed there as it looked like a fascinating place.

We ended up staying in Coimbra - also recommended by Catia.

Absolutely wonderful place.

We had a very interesting conversation with the lady that owned the hotel we stayed at.

She couldn't speak a word of English so asked us if we could speak French.

So ended up having this conversation with a Portuguese women in French. Absolutely hilarious.

We felt very proud of ourselves as we got a room for the night. She actually gave us a choice of rooms.

This was the building across the road. So we were a little bit concerned about the neighbourhood.

At least the room was cheap AND IT HAD AIRCON.......





The main square of Coimbra.

The old city of Coimbra.

Then up to Porto.

Well, what can I say.

The pictures show Porto as looking great but we saw both sides.




Walking down from the Castle to the river we passed some very poor areas.

Graffiti everywhere, run down buildings.

But then reaching the waterfront, quite spectacular.


Had lunch and a stroll around the warf area.



















Whilst driving through Portugal there were numerous stalls selling melons. We had to bring some home.


















Then along the Duoro valley/river.

Very pretty along the river.

Drove until we came to a place called Lamego in Portugal.

Absolutely wonderful place with an amazing Cathedral.




Bill took some beautiful night shots of the Cathedral.

















The vine valley from Lamego to Santiago was stunning countryside.

The vines are planted on such steep slopes it was amazing to see.






Then onto Santiago de Compostelo in Spain.










The cathedral was undergoing restoration works.

The square near the cathedral was beautiful and all covered with flowers.

The old city is absolutely wonderful with great tapas and wine bars.

After a lovely meal and a few wines we walked back through the cathedral and heard this group of musicians playing underneath the arches of the cathedral.

The next place was of course the Pyrenees - Doneztebe.

On the way from Santiago we passed hundreds of people walking the El Comino (Pilgrim trip over the Pyrenees).

We were astounded to see that they were walking along the road in very flat, boring country.

Perhaps they had already climbed the mountains and were glad to have some flat ground to walk on.

Our hotel was on the river with beautiful views from our window.

After checking out the village and having our usual wander around the main streets and back streets we ventured for day trips back into France over the Pyrenees.




Visiting Sare, which was on my bucket list from our previous visit in 2013 but never quite made it.

















It's on the list of the "Most beautiful villages in France".


















As is the next place of Ainhoa.

We did a small hike from here.

Very hilly and oh so green.

The main blog picture is from Ainhoa and the hike.




We also went to La Bastide Clairence which was beautiful.

So many fantastic drop dead gorgeous towns and villages throughout the Pyrenees.

Our next drive took us across some amazing landscape.


Volcanic country with what looked like lava flows.

Barren but so interesting.

There were a number of ruins that we came across.

Whole villages that had just been left to deteriorate in the Spanish weather.

Couldn't work out what may have caused the villagers to flee their houses.

Perhaps earthquakes or may have just been that the water supply had dried up.

It must have occurred in the early 19th century as most of the abandoned villages had power to them.

We could see the remnants of juliet balconies and quite spacious homes.

From here we then travelled east to Ainsa where we stayed for 3 nights.

We drove over the Col du Ispeguy pass. Incredible scenery (again).








We saw more sheep being herded just on the other side of the pass.









There was just so much to see and do around here that we extended our stay another night.

The old city of Ainsa was gorgeous.

Bit of a hike to get up to but worth every step we took.





There's a stunning castle at the top along with the restaurants and shops and houses.












Had dinner in a restaurant up there.

Had the best seat to look down to the valley but dinner didn't start until 8.30 pm - would be dark by then.

So we ordered a bottle of wine and sat and watched the view until dinner began.

Only people in the restaurant until 8.30.

Rather strange but then we found a lot of strange things both in Portugal and Spain.


The hikes we did were through canons and mountains.

Gobsmackingly beautiful scenery.

Can't really capture the beauty in one single photograph.

We (when I say "we" I mean Bill) drove up switch back roads to villages perched high up in the mountains - again - jaw dropping scenery.

Just loved this part of the world.

We are both keen to return to do some more hiking (but first we need to get fitter - but hard to give up the wine and cheeses).

We stopped at this place called Biesla in the Pyrenees.

This shop stocked the most amazing things.

Unlike all the other souvenir shops we had entered this one was amazing.

We purchase a number of items from here including a hug bottle of Moscatel and Port (for those really cold nights back home in front of the fire).

We also met an English couple here that gave us a few tips of hikes in the area as they had done some multiple times. Interesting couple who have travelled all over the world and were about to embark on an 8 week holiday to New Zealand.


Then the last part of our journey took us to Andorra and then home.

The traffic into Andorra was very heavy so took us awhile to get there.

We only spent a few hours walking around.


It seemed all new and only a few old buildings.

Petrol stations everywhere.

Everyone must travel there to stock up on fuel and goods as no tax paid in Andorra.

We figured it must look great in winter so may head back to see it all covered in snow.













So now that we have seen parts of Portugal and Spain we are planning our next adventure down to the Gorges du Verdon between Avignon and Nice probably mid October. We want to see the trees changing colour. They had just started to change in the Pyrenees.

We are having too much fun - it's just gotta stop.............

Wendy

OFII maintenant estampillé et approuvé pour 12 mois

Finally received our letters from OFII with appointment dates and times for medical and interview in Limoges.

Fortunately we decided to head over the day before and get ourselves organised.


A very stressful time leading up to this point.

It was 35 degrees and all the historic centre of town had been dug up.

Our accommodation was on the top floor of a hotel without a lift and because I had requested a quiet room, we were placed into what we thought was a room built in the fire escape at the back of the hotel.

Very very hot and stuffy and the shower was as big as a shoe box. So not much sleep that night.







We planned out our route from the medical centre where we had to be seen by the Pneumologie Dept at 10.30am and then get across to the other side of the city for our 11.15am interview at the OFII - easy you say.

We were held up at the hospital as we were seen separately. Just to make the day more interesting, no gowns were supplied when we had our xrays.

After all our preparation with paperwork, even listing our vaccinations from childhood as was requested, medical history provided by my Australian doctor, none of this was asked for by the Doctor.

Only a few questions regarding our private health insurance, any prescribed medications and weight. Then the Doctor just stated that the xrays were all clear and placed a stamp on the medical form.

So then it was a mad dash across town to the interview.

The Tom Tom went stir crazy, cars were pulling out in front of us, trolley buses to contend with, round-abouts that would bring anyone to their knees.

But with Bill driving like Daniel Riccardo, we made it with seconds to spare.

Once we arrived at the OFII, out of breathe and stressed,  we stood at the counter, passed over the documentation along with the medical certificate and xrays from the hospital.

They then asked for more paperwork which after a few minutes we worked out what they were asking for.

Once provided, they printed off the visa and placed it into our passports and stamped them. All good to go after a few instructions about showing the two visas in the passports when going through customs.

A celebratory drink of French Champagne coming up!

For anyone attempting what we just completed, my advice would be to make sure you have all the documentation even though we weren't asked for some of it doesn't mean that others won't.

So relieved and excited about the prospect of now staying the whole 12 months.

Look out France!

A few more pics of Limoges......

Some more pics of places we went through on the way to and from Limoges.

Bourganeuf is a beautiful village with the Castle being converted into a cinema.














We also found the most amazing brocante shop absolutely jammed packed with stuff - could have spent all day in there but Limoges was waiting.

Coming back we went through Uzerche, absolutely beautiful, and Treignac, again a wonderful village.

They are so picturesque.

All the little villages you pass through on your way to somewhere excites us the most.

All the flower pots so wonderfully placed at window sills and doorways, along stone walls, hanging pots overladen with flowers.

Seeing many Chateaux in the distance.






The pic opposite is of a 14 century hall in Treignac - just amazing.

The French forests are just beautiful.







 A new Francophile

Wendy

Winter is coming Jon Snow

This week saw us preparing for winter.

We had 2 cords of wood delivered.

Now all stacked ready for those long cold winter months ahead.



We had a lovely night out in Boussac on Saturday night.

The Dollies French were appearing at the local Salle Polyvante in Boussac.

It was a very entertaining performance by the 3 ladies.

The theme was music from the 40's.

It was put on by the AIPB ( a group of people that encourage multiple nationalities to engage in local community events).

We celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary on Sunday - Bill can't forget the date 11 Sept.....thanks Osama Bin Laden.

We took a drive to Chateauroux, passing through St Severe on the way.

They had a huge brocante.

This town is beautiful and pretty close to us.

It's a vibrant village with a Boulangerie, Pharmacy, a few restaurants, post office and a number of banks.







Chateauroux didn't live up to expectations. We had only passed through this town from the train station as a pick up and drop off destination.

The center of town had a number of new buildings which looked quite ugly and not in the french theme.

Going on a Sunday meant we expected everything to be closed as is the way in France but we did happen to find a few coffee shops/restaurants that were open.

However, we both agreed, that the church was probably the pick of the sightseeing here.

A friend has kindly given me a lot of material this week as I was after some curtain material.

So much sewing for the winters months - will keep me out of trouble.





Next week - PORTUGAL and SPAIN!!!

Wendy

Social Marathon

This week has been full of social engagements - it seems like back to back.

A luncheon at our place on Wednesday which was absolutely lovely.

Very hot and the wasps were a problem with one guest being stung.

Copious amounts of food and wine were consumed and lots of jokes were told. Below is a photo of Michael having us in stitches.


One of our guests is a painter (photo of Mel on right with tractor behind him - and that's another story).

We have commissioned him to paint a scene of our village which would include our maison.






Then there were Friday night drinks which turned into dinner.  We discovered a huge big umbrella in the barn that Bill erected to provide more shade. Those pesky wasps didn't give up and another guest was stung. In desperation I went into Boussac to buy a few citronella candles to burn but the wasps seem to just ignore the candles - so will have to research this more as to how to keep them at bay. Again lots of food and wine and many stories told. Our French neighbours came so conversations were held both in French and English.

Then another luncheon at our place on Sunday - not so hot but the wasps still buzzed.

Another lovely afternoon in the french outdoors.
















We also had a visit from our dear neighbour's grand daughter last Saturday.

Melanie, who just turned 11, came wandering into the yard.

She spent time with trying to teach us words for things in the house and garden.

She was quite excited about being invited in and wanted to take some photos of us and inside the house.

She is learning English at school and so it was good practice for her as well as us.

Hopefully she will be a regular visitor.




We had excitement in our village last Sunday with the Tour du Limousin come through. The announcement came over the loud speaker from the Mairie (Town Hall) but I couldn't understand what was being said. So came out the front and there were all the neighbours in front of their houses waving flags. I wondered what was going on so hung around awhile and then all the motorbikes came through followed by hundreds of cyclists and support crew.

With our social calendar now tapering off a bit this week, we need to get on with some painting around the place whilst the weather is still warm. We have to coat the walls with a weather penetrating paint and finish staining the cover at the front of the house.

Bill did manage to obtain permission from our neighbour - Alain - to access his property to remove ivy from our barn wall.

Bill also asked him if he was interested in selling his land.

We are interested in buying some of it if we go down the path of renovating the barn.

Bill was met with a "stern" reply of NO. So that's the end of that I suppose, unless circumstances change for Alain.

Apparently he owns quite alot of farming land around here. The farmers are reluctant to give up ownership of land as they get subsidized by the government.

Oh well, we will wait and see if he changes his mind as we are in no hurry.

As we are heading over to Limoges and then down to Portugal soon, we need to get the automatic sprinkler system working to keep the garden thriving while we are away - a project for this week.

à plus tard

Wendy