"il attaque": a circular moment between Marly-le-Roi to Salies-du-Salat

"Elle attaque" Kirstie loving the fresh baguette!

Shawni and me in 1987. 

The story.

We lived in Marly-le-Roi, a village to the west of Paris in 1986/7. We would pop into the local boulangerie for our daily baguette and on one of those days, when our French was rudimentary at best, the baker was yelling at us "il attaque, il attaque" and we had no clue what was being said or what was happening. 

Eventually we worked out the Shawni had lent out of her pram and was systematically breaking off the tops of the baguettes that were stored in a basket near her pram!

So I was so mindful of this story when we ambled down into the village this morning to buy baguettes and I loved breaking off the tops when Kirstie asked for some. A true circular moment.

A morning walk into Salies-du-Salat
with James and Kirsten

A pilgrim path and walking meditation: Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges Valcabrere

 

The cloister of the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie, perfect for my walking meditation.

Pilgrim way between Saint-Just and the Cathedral.

Yesterday we walked the pilgrim path between the Basilica of Saint-Just of Valcabrere and the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie. These stopping points in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges are listed on the Unesco's World Heritage List as belonging to the routes that ultimately lead to Santiago de Compostela. How wonderful to briefly touch this ancient way and for a while to be part of its story.

It's a small community, completely off the beaten track with a history that goes back to being a thriving capital of the Roman Empire - Lugdunum.

The cathedral's construction dates back to 1083 with many transformations and additions over the centuries and as we walked the path it floats on the hill and dominates the gentle surrounding landscape.

Both the interiors of the basilica and the cathedral were restful and each in their own way magical. My favourite place though was the cloister, overlooking the Pyrenean piedmont, with its pebble floor and its detailed carvings on the capitals of the pillars; peaceful. 

The remarkable cathedral with the historic lower and upper town,
 among the ancient ruins from the Roman Era

Detail from the Upper Town, medieval Cite, 16th C half-timbered house.

Quietude: slipping into Salies-du-Salat, Haute Garonne

The Chapelle Castrale (14th C)

We have moved far west, leaving the heat and the frenetic traffic of Marseille behind us, and starting a time of quietude here in Salies-du-Salat.

Marseille RWC madness

Fred and the gang had a marvellous Rugby World Cup weekend in Marseille. We had the pleasure of catching up with Sarah and Collen after 7 years and the excitement of meeting Shawni and Craig and the little ones at the TGV platform, all on the same day. 

I loved my day in Marseille too, experiencing the hustle of a street market to buy ginger and fresh lemons, the crowds of English and Scottish supporters among all the Springbok fans at the Vieux Port which was vibrant and energising and it was fun being a part of it all. 

Sarah and I shopped for the iconic Savon de Marseille, a business with a history going back to 1856.

June and Ross have a home in Salies, with beautiful expansive views towards the Pyrenees, a place to breathe fresh air, to swim, to walk, to appreciate the garden and to listen out for the owls calling at night. And June has just texted me to look out for huge frogs popping out from under the veranda.

We will take June's advice - "Rest and Enjoy".

We harvested ripe figs today, Fred pruned and cut back a shrubby area around the fig tree, I cut flowers, we walked into the village for daily baguettes, pain au chocolat, fresh salad greens and this afternoon wandered around the centuries old chapel and chateau ruins near the house.

Quietude indeed....

Chapelle Castrale detail

Chateau Comtal ruin from the 13th C

Rugby World Cup 2023: Ready, steady, go....

 

Flying the flag!

Transition day, Sestriere in the Italian Alps down to La Bouilladisse, not too far from all the rugby action this weekend in Marseille. 

It's been many years in the planning with so many twists and turns along the way, and here we are. Shawni, Craig, James and Kirsten arrive tomorrow having travelled for days from New Zealand and we will meet them at the TGV station. 

Collen and Sarah from the UK are down at the fan park getting ready for the opening game. We will be joining them for the Saturday England vs Argentina game and on Sunday, Fred will be at the South Africa vs Scotland game while I babysit, cannot wait. Martie and Neil will be in Marseille too from tomorrow.

Our hosts, Nicolas and Helene, whose ground floor apartment we have booked on Airbnb, have invited us to join their festivities with their family! 

Too marvellous to join a French rugby loving family as they watch the Les Blues kick off the event....we had a 'burger night' French style with much sharing of alcohol and good rugby stories.

It was a party weekend, very late nights for the lovers of the game and apart from the mayhem at the stadium both the English game and the South African game went to plan.

Fred arrives in Marseille getting excited
about the South African opening game!

                                                                                                Converging from all over the world, 

                                                                                            New Zealand and South Africa!

Two days of Rugby World Cup action in Marseille, September 9-10, 2023

Au Coeur des Géants: Col du Lautaret and Col du Galibier

A perfect summer day in the Hautes-Alps

 

A day in among the giants of the Alps. We drove the road from the south of the Col du Galibier, a twisting 8.5km from the Col du Lautaret. It's one of the highest paved roads in the Alps and we passed through the tunnel at 2556m which is the highest in Europe. 

Another legendary Tour de France landmark, the most visited climb in the event's history and a mecca for all cyclists. We spoke to a young German girl who is cycling the classic passes with a group and they put in months of training and planning, its a life event for many and it is for Fred and me too.

And its all about the outstanding viewpoints from both the Col du Lautaret and the Col du Galibier and we had unrestricted views across to Mont Blanc (4810m)! 

Mont Blanc from the Table d'Orientation at the Col du Galibier

Day three in the Alps and we saved the best for last, such beauty wherever we looked.

Typical alpine scenery and the iconic switchbacks.

Moments of reflection and gratitude: the Collegiate Church, Briancon

Collegiate Church of Briancon dating from 1703 floating above the Haute Ville

I have set a practice in place for these two months of travel through France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Between the busyness of finding a good coffee and pastry, of planning our walking, of road tripping, of sight seeing, of managing photos and blogging, of baguettes from a Boulangerie, of daily provisioning, of time with friends and family, of packing and unpacking... I will sit quietly in each church I happen upon.

The opportunities for reflection and particularly for gratitude seem to get lost in the daily hustle. 

Stepping into the quietude of a church, however grand or plain, finding a back row seat, taking in the lofty skill of the stonemasons, the floors and stone steps that are worn from centuries of footsteps, noticing the fresh flowers and the subtle lighting, loving the sunlight through the stain glassed windows, suppressing the need to tidy and declutter, feeling the gentle warmth of the wooden pew around me, I am able to breathe deeply and just sit. 

These restful moments are restorative and a keen reminder for me to pay attention to all that I am grateful for.

Route des Grande Alps: on the Col l'Izoard, Briancon

 

Arriving after a 19km drive up the Col l'Izoard

Another day of navigating the tight switchbacks and roads here in the Grande Alps, along with cyclists, motorcyclists, alpine 'skiers', the Porsche Club outing, utility vans and trucks, cars and the Kersten's. I remember hearing Ant Mccrossan on the Tour de France talk about the difference between the roads of the Alps versus the Pyrenees, the main difference is that Alps are designed for traffic. 

Gosh, nervous passenger the whole way up and over and back up and down - 60 km of incredible roads, would have loved a quieter day...

We took in the scenery and then headed out on the Clot la Cime hike, it was a narrow vertiginous path but we were away from the noise of the motorcycles and floated above the pass which was a joy. And a quite perfect picnic moment alongside the road, baguette, market bought vine tomatoes in olive oil and Italian Toma cheese from the farm near our apartment in Sestriere....

Hiking along the Clot de Cime with its magnificent views

The view from our hiking trail, another Tour de France epic mountain pass.

Riding and hiking the Col du Granon: a high mountain pass in the Haute-Alps in France

Grand Lac de l'Oule, Granon, French Alps

Each year I spend the 3 weeks of the Tour de France on the couch, with the afternoon sun on my back and a knitting or embroidery project in hand, watching this great event. And I have done so since we lived in France in the mid 1980's. We had 'accidentally' watched an individual time trail in Nice some years before and did not even know what it was all about. How times have changed for this fan of Le Tour!

Last year (2022 Tour de France) we watched a particularly epic day when Team Jumbo-Visma launched an attack against our favourite, Tadej Pogacar, on the Col du Granon. The attack lost him a few minutes and the ultimately any chance of winning the race. Well yesterday we drove these steep narrow switchbacks, the cyclists names in white on the tarmac road, and wound our way up the mountain to 2413m, completely in awe of these cyclist we so admire. 

Our Grand Lac de l'Oule hiking trail started from the Col du Granon and we climbed gently towards the Col de l'Oule. We walked through vast pastures, with beautiful views of the Cerces massif and the rocky cliffs of Grand Pierron and then onto the peaceful setting of the green alpine lake. The way back along the ridge with its panorama of the Guisane valley and the Ecrins massif was quintessential alpine landscape. 

A truly memorable circular hike, 300m elevation gain and 7km.

On the path down to the Grand Lac de l'Oule

Fred with the Granon peak in the background

Majesty of our hiking trail

Sidebar: so a slippery rock on the muddy path along the Guisane Valley got the better of Fred, he feel on his right hand and because he was protecting his phone, he split his skin above the knuckle to the bone. So our afternoon was a visit to the medical centre in the village for stitches....never a dull moment.

An Alpine passeggiatta: Sestriere high life

Neville and Rosella introduced us to the Italian evening stroll, the passeggiatta, back in 2008 in Umbria. Here we are in the Italian Alps, Sestriere high life indeed, definitely not pubs and clubs but rather walking  above 2000m! 

Our passeggiatta has taken us into the alpine forest, past slate roof stone houses bunkered into the ground, marmots playing in the open glades, cows with bells tinkling, late summer flowers and even a farm stall where we bought cheese, milk, yogurt, eggs and panne cotta.

Majestic Monte Chaberton, 3131m

Fred perched on the Balcone Trail

And then when you look up from the path, the views are completely magnificent. The scale is hard to capture. The peaks loom large even though they float in the background and they are already lightly snow dusted after some early precipitation recently.

Views from Sestriere across to Punta Ramiere, 3303m

Provisioning for cheese, yogurt, milk, eggs and panne cotta straight from the farm

A memory: Groentemarktbrug, Lijnbaansgracht, Amsterdam

Fred tells a story from his days as a little lad in Amsterdam; his father would give him a few coins and send him to the market over the Lijnbaansgracht from their flat. He remembers running past the police station and into the fresh produce market place to buy a handful of eels still squirming in their bucket. He would ask the time of the merchant and then run back with both the eels and the time for his father!

Doing our wandering along the canal in the Jordaan, trying to connect a decades old story with the busyness of the new, I noticed this sign on the bridge 'Groentemarktbrug', vegetable market bridge, the market is now a parking garage and petrol station but the sign on the bridge has not changed!

 

Views along the canals of Fred's youth growing up in Amsterdam.

A white village, medieval girl power, beautiful music and a pastry called 'vlaai': a visit to Thorn, Limburg

An afternoon in Thorn, wandering around its cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, we learnt about ambitious medieval abbesses ruling for 800 years from 990 and how the town avoided being taxed in the Napoleonic era by bricking up windows. 

Its a simple solution when you are taxed on the number of windows your house has, it was certainly fun picking out the bricked in windows masked by the whitewash.

This is a world apart from Amsterdam and the windmills and tulips of the Netherlands. Jan, Fred and I also lucked upon the Sittard Philharmonic rehearsing in the open air theatre set in the ruins of the abbey. The acoustics and the setting were quite remarkable and made for a gentle and reflective moment in this peaceful White Village. 

We are smiling after exploring Thorn, having a reflective moment in the gothic Thorn Abbey Church and tasting its regional speciality, the vlaai, a Limburgish pastry with a custard filling and a good coffee.

A line of Weddings.

Our 40th Wedding anniversary is soon and this morning I made this collage of those before us and those after.
So wonderful to feel the ancestral weight that forms our stories.

Number 96: A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

We have gathered a group of friends to see in the New Year. And it's a sleep-over here at our cottage at Millstream!

Number 96:

A Sleep-over to see in 2019.

The Johnz from Hawaii, Alistair and Glynis from Johannesburg and Rosella and Neville from Pretoria.  Our guests have never met before, although that is not technically correct as Alistair, Rosella and Neville were at our wedding in Vanderbijlpark in 1979! But either way, strangers.

As always Millstream creates a space to hold everyone, the place is so restful and beautiful, and the group has settled in, conversation flows in all directions, stories are shared over delicious food and a glass of wine. We walk, we read, we do soduko, we fly a kite, we take photos, we embroider, we sleep, we prep food, we cook, we set tables, we eat, we have coffee to start the day and a glass of something to end the day, we take in the endless views, we nap and we sleep, we argue, we debate, we make endless mugs of tea, we laugh... and as 2018 closes out and we see in 2019, I did not quite make 100 Different Things but what a year I have had.

All the moods of Millstream.

The 'work' at Millstream, prepping, cooking, eating, drinking, walking, photos....