Living Out of Suitcases

The whole reason we decided to move onto a narrowboat was so we could travel without having to live out of suitcases.  After three weeks of doing so, we are more convinced than ever what a good idea it was and can't wait to get back to that way of life....
We left Carcassonne on 29 February, taking the train to Avignon, where we would stay for a few nights.  The Mistral wind appeared that day and it was freeeeeezing and overcast, quite depressing really.  At Avignon we still had the freezing wind but the skies were clear and the sun out, not that it provided any heat in the Mistral.  I don't think I have come across such a cold wind, it actually hurt to be outside.  Exploring Avignon the next day we got our first glimpse of the mighty Rhone and the mighty barges that traverse her - gulp!  

Large Barge - spot the person to get a gist of the size :(

As well as boat spotting, we toured the Palais du Papes and sang on the Bridge of Avignon (Sur La Pont d'Avignon.....your mum will know it if you don't....).  Avignon is a really pretty town and we took a Segway Tour to explore it. It was fantastic!! We really liked it, great fun and a super way to see around a place and get into all the little bits bigger vehicles can't.

Sur la Pont d'Avignon

Palais du Papes

Segways!!!!!! - The only way to go - inland....

Sur la Pont D'Avignon - from the other side :)

Big boat - with Avignon's Palais du Papes in the background.

Chateau St Andre at Villeneuve St Avignon

Palais du Papes - Avignon

On our last day in Avignon, we picked up a hire car, somehow managing a free upgrade again and ending up with a rather nice SUV style car, with heated seats :)  We explored the areas around Avignon, stopping off at Arles first, then heading back to Avignon stopping off at Saint Remy de Provence, where Vincent Van Gogh spent two years at a psychiatric hospital, and did much of his best-known works.  We took a tour around the historical part of the unit, part of it is still a psychiatric unit where many of the patients undertake paint therapy.  It was a lovely place, in a beautiful setting, very peaceful, and we could see why Vince was inspired.  Mike says he wouldn't mind living there, so I'll see what I can do to get him on the waiting list... ;)

The Hotel-Dieu in Arles - as painted by Mns van Gogh

Now called, Pont de Van Gogh on the outskirts of Arles

Still a psychiatric unit, this is historical part where van Gogh painted - lovely place.

Courtyard at St Remy de Provence

On Friday 4 March, we packed up and headed off in the car for a week, to take in the coast out towards Saint Tropez, Cannes and Antibes, and the pretty inland areas of Provence and the Luberon.  Much of this travel was to suss out places that we may or may not want to live in.  Unfortunately the list of possibles grows longer and longer and those eliminated are few and far between.......

Saint Maxime, where we had a lovely stay in a nice town within spitting distance of St Tropez

View of the Med from Grimaud - a favourite spot.

The Mistral kicking up some waves en route to Antibes

Old Antibes

Antibes

Pretty town of Roussillon in the Luberon

Gordes - which we realised we visited in 2012 :)

Gorgeous village of Fontaines de Vacleuse - except we couldn't get any dinner as all the restaurants were shut!!

Fontaines des Vacleuse - where the source goes wild in March

The Memorial Trail across the Luberon, with tales of German Occupation and French Resistance in the tiny villages.

The summit of Mont Ventoux, where there is a memorial to Tommy Simpson - David Wright, you will know this story ;)

We had another brief liaison with the mighty Rhone when we went to see one of the locks..... The Rhone is the only route from the northern/central canals down to the Canal du Midi in the south.  I'm really not sure about doing the Rhone as it freaked me out seeing the size of it and the boats that traverse it :(

Lock on the Rhone near Codolet

Our last day on the road in Provence took us to pay homage at the village of Chateauneuf du Papes - home of the famous wine.  After the most delicious kebab for lunch in the rather unsalubrious town of Sorgues, we headed through the vineyards to our evening's accommodation, Chateau Gigognan, a domaine where we were invited to do a wine tasting and tour.  They produce some Chateauneuf du Papes, so we lived like a king and queen for a night and drank like one too!

Chateauneuf du Papes vines

Chateauneuf du Papes with Mont Ventoux in the background

Oooooh - nice room in the Chateau...

Bathroom with a view over the vines - spared you the shot with Queenie in the bath :)

Chateauneuf du Papes ripening :)

Our Chateau for the evening - Chateau Gigognan

On the morning of 10th March, we handed back the hire car and boarded the train for Lyon.  On the TGV this was a short journey of an hour and a half and we were checked into our hotel by 3pm.  Lyon is a big spread of a city, but the centre itself is quite compact and very pretty.  Our first stop, however, was the laundrette - after ten days on the road, the clean pant supplies were dwindling........  The next day we did the tourist stuff and took the funicular railway up to the Roman Amphitheatres and the Basilica.  It wasn't a clear day, but the view was still fantastic.  In the afternoon, in a true 'busman's holiday' style, we took a boat trip.  Lyon sits on two rivers, the Rhone and the Saone.  The Saone was too high for the boats, and flowing very fast, so we had to walk to a different embarking point and went out onto the Rhone, which is what we wanted to do anyway :)  It was nice to see the city from the water and we noted a couple of places selling diesel on the waterway......

The bigger amphitheatre at Lyon

View over Lyon from the Basilica

The swollen Saone

The Saone meets the Rhone, with the Rhone being the bluer of the two :)

With our flying visit to Lyon over, on Saturday 12th (Mike's birthday!!), we boarded a train from Lyon to take us to Moutier, from where we'd get the Altibus up to Les Menuires for a week's skiing.   The weather was amazing, bright blue sky, big sun and superb snow.  Towards the end of the week, it was getting a bit slushy at the lower end of the slopes.  We had a great time staying in a catered chalet, ending up with a lovely Irish family and their friend, and a retired Australian gentleman.  You never know who you're going to get with these set-ups and we got lucky, we had a great laugh and the chalet hosts Tom and Charlie were lovely - very laid back and the best carrot cake, chocolate brownies and cherry bakewell tart I have ever tasted :)  The chalet had a hot-tub which we made use of every afternoon and we're not sure whether it was that or just luck, but Mike had not a single problem with his knees and we managed a full week of skiing.

Me and Mr Blue Sky :) 

Only pic of the Two of Us - just the Two of Us......

On top of the world at Masse 2 - Val Thorens/Les Menuires

So here we are today, sitting on the train again, knackered!!  Heading back to Lyon to change train and head for the town of Beaune, which is near the Burgundy canal.  From there we will explore the canal a bit, see if we can find any narrowboats ;)  We're really enjoying our trip and this next part will allow us to speak to the relevant people about when we can bring the boat over, and we're pretty excited about that.  However, looking forward to putting the suitcases away for a while soon!!!