where art collides

It is Tuesday. I know because I looked it up. We left Carcassonne behind.

Carcassonne was a great experience. Great hotel, highly convenient location with onsite parking and no height restriction 🙂I’ll be leaving a very good review. Great breakfast and great room. Note frequent use of the word ‘great’. This is specifically done for the American market. I could have thrown in the occasional ‘awesome’ but there are limits. One high point of the hotel was meeting Rhodri and Rhian Morgan in the bar. Parents of Jac. Say no more.

The restaurant ‘Ramparts’ had a good atmosphere but the food was v puer. I don’t leave bad reviews but I’m telling you lot anyway.

We headed into the relatively newer bit of Carcassonne to a kitchen shop called La Ferme. Hannah Davies pointed us there. Top class gaff. A number of items were purchased including two very fine bottles of Armagnac and Cognac. The advice is to keep these in the fridge. They are being saved for the fourth week of the trip when we all get together in a manoir near Montaigu de Quercy.

So now we are in Avignon at Hotel L’Horloge which is slap bang in the centre and a short stroll from Palais des Papes and le pont. A little downtime is being taken outside on our rooftop patio. You can get used to rooftop patios.

The one revelation on this trip is the paucity of decent parking in towns in France. By this I mean parking for a car of height 1.967m or 1.927m with the height lowered. Had I been aware of this before the trip I would have planned our itinerary differently. However we are where we are. It takes too long to redo with new hotels plus it would be more expensive st this late stage of the game.

It’s ok. After the Toulouse experience we have reverted to (free) airport parking in Avignon. This is actually quite good. Not too far out of town and sitting in the taxi on the way in made me glad I wasn’t driving. Very very glad. 

Thassitfornow. Need to pop out to take a few hundred more pics.

Toulouse was great. Now we move on to Carcassonne. It will be interesting to compare activity levels. How many rugby followers will be in town. No games for a few days.

We move on somewhat exhausted at the full on nature of the weekend. Unlikely to be a totally relaxing week with a different hotel and town every night. Our objective is to arrive in Nice for Friday where we will be staying put for a week.

Afore we go I have to nip out for the usual bread run and I am currently say outside on the deck being able now to identify some of the visible sights, having been to see them. Notable are Couvent des Jacobins and the Basilica. The latter is a classic mediaeval cathedral the building of which was begun in 1080AD (almost went for CE there to be playful) on the site of a fifth century church. The first bishop of Toulouse, Saturnin, was martyred in 250AD so there is considerable history associated with the place.

Our biggest unknown for today is how quickly we can bag an Uber as you may recall the car is parked at the airport Hilton. See how it goes.

City streets have a certain smell to them when there is a hot day in prospect. This is very much the case in Toulouse as I wandered out this morning for some bread and milk. On the way back I passed a bloke in a beret. Youngish guy. Berets obviously still very much a tradition in France.

At the Rugby World Cup village yesterday someone noted you could buy a rugby beret with flags of all participating nations. Thirty Euros. Norrachance sez I. My recent experience with berets is that they only have a shelf life of around three hours after which they get left in a bar or a taxi.

We had a fairly relaxing morning yesterday sipping coffee on our rooftop terrace before heading out to meet the gang. It was a hot afternoon with the temperature in the mid thirties and the heat did take its toll. 

Sometime just before four in the afternoon we found a place for ‘lunch’. I had a chicken kebab with curry sauce and chips and a bottle of san pellegrino. Ok. Too early to start on the pop though some of our party disagreed with me. Lunch was a reasonable thirty euros per person inc tip. We all had a pud. Lemon meringue pie for moi and un cafe.

By five o’clock we were in a bar called Pub O’Clock which is where we stayed for the rest of the evening. Caught the last quarter of Ireland’s hammering of Romania and watched Australia beat Georgia followed by a quite boring England win against Argentina despite being down to fourteen men for most of the game. The pub was within a staggering distance of our pad so we were home before the others had even thought about getting a taxi.

Today is our last in Toulouse. We have a bit more sightseeing to do and are meeting our friend Natalia and her kids for lunch whilst the others go and watch Japan v Chile. Mighty Wales are playing Fiji this evening following Scotland v Springboks.

In between all that we need to pack for the next leg of the trip. This includes Carcassonne, Avignon, Aix en Provence and Cassis before settling in Nice for a week. We have a system. Large bags to carry most of our clothes and carry-on size bags for one nighters in hotels to avoid having to cart everything in and out. I’ve had to identify height friendly car parks in both Avignon and Aix as those cities have the same problem as here in Toulouse. A minor problem but one we could have done without.

At ten fifteen this morning the cathedral bells began calling the faithful to mass. Actually there are multiple church bells ringing out. Same scene for hundreds of years. THG is recording them, presumably so that on Sundays at home we can replicate the experience. Can’t say I hear the bells in Lincoln ringing. Maybe I’ve got used to them and my brain filters out the sound.

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Back at the flat healthily tired. The Toulousain metro system was a revelation and very useful. Quicker to get home than a taxi without the uncertainty of when we would be able to book an uber. 

Dinner consumed, dishwasher on and waiting for mighty Wales v Fiji to appear on French telly. The French coverage hasn’t thus far had the most inspiring commentary. This is partly because I can’t be bothered to attempt to understand it and partly because the tonality of the voice is v boring. The legend of Bill McLaren continues to grow.

Good night watching the opening game with the MoHo crew. We left their campsite at around half time as we didn’t trust the availability of Uber to get us back into town at the end of the game. After a week with only the (splendid) company of THG it felt a bit strange to be back ordering “five large ones” each time there was a round. Comforting actually albeit a pace impossible to sustain. Leaving at half time helped.

This morning I popped out for a couple of artisanal croissants and some strawberry jam. Quite a few folk with tote bags on a similar mission. One guy strolled into a tabac just along from the flat. Everyone else was out for fresh bread. He was after a packet of fags. Almost certainly Gitanes. If they weren’t Gitanes I’d want to know why not 🙂

Having an easy morning of it before heading out to see the sights and the rugby. Ireland are on stage at three thirty and Angleterre at nine pm. Mighty Wales tomorrow evening.

I do have quite a bit of admin to catch up on. We keep getting enquiries for campervan bookings for next season but I haven’t set that up yet. Gonna try and do it this weekend. Won’t take much more than an hour. Don’t want to rush these things. Got to get it right. I also like to check the Ts & Cs and make sure nothing has changed with the insurance deal. Another job – trefbash registrations need to go live. I know I know I will do it honest. That one takes a bit of creativity. Use of brain.

I hear a siren on the city streets below. Police or ambulance, probs. Another story to be told but one which we shall never find out.

At 9am a bell chimes. No wait I counted ten bongs. My laptop is still stuck in British Summer Time. They were fairly flat dull bongs. Not a particularly musical bell

‘We’ have taken the opportunity to get some laundry done here in Toulouse. The flat has all mod cons. The deck, being on the tenth floor, is not without a bit of a breeze and we couldn’t find the clothes pegs so fingers crossed we don’t lose anything over the side 🙂 Should dry quickly especially as the temperatures are expected to hit the mid thirties again today. Great deck though. We have one on each side all to ourselves.

We trudged the burning hot streets of Bordeaux. All afternoon. Temperature well into the thirties. Stopped for a late lunch at a pavement caff called The Books and Coffee. They are all pavement caffs around here. Mostly tourists. The Bordelaise know when to stay indoors. It was pleasantly cool inside but I only found that out when I went in to settle the bill.

Mad dogs, Welshmen/Irishmen and all that jazz…

Back at the brand new and very excellent Marty Hotel I am pleased to report a fully functioning air conditioning system. All is quiet in the room as THG and I recover from the walk.

Our rugby world cup travelling companions are either still on the road or have parked up for the night. Pool plunges and cold beers beckon. 

We are not in a hurry. When the heat of the day has receded the time for beer will be upon us soon enough. Part of me says the menu for this evening should be some fine red wine. I’m not totally convinced it goes with the heat but we shall see.

A siesta may be appropriate.

Sat on our first floor balcony at Hotel Port Haliguen watching the traders arrive and set up for the weekly market. It is a hive of activity. Some of the early birds seem to be almost set up and ready for the first punters. Others are just arriving. Traders are chatting away.

L’Apero have two umbrellas each with a flag touting OLIVES and SAUCISSONS. A baker carries large baskets of bread from his green van to the trailer. BiHan Quiberon Boulanger, Patissier, Chocolatier. Three traders line up to buy breakfast from the serving girl who hasn’t finished setting up yet and isn’t really ready for them. The first has secured his pan au choc and eats it as he walks off.

It is a shame we have breakfast lined up at the hotel. Could have gone to the market 🙂

The Hotel Port Haliguen is a simple two star edifice looking down over the square. One of its attractions was the ease of parking which of course turned out not to be the case on this one day a week when the market rocks up. Managed to find a spot, the last spot, on the road at the back of the hotel. Couldn’t get as close to the wall as the other cars which I found strange until I realised they were all left hand drive! I had to be able to get out of the car. With hindsight I should either have just crawled over the passenger seat or parked facing the other way. It had been a long day!

Last morning in Killybegs. We move on today. It is always great to come to Donegal and our cottage, situated as it is slap bang in the middle of town, was a perfect base for festivities.

Yesterday we gathered outside the Tara Hotel and were picked up by Terence’s minibus to take us to The Country Inn, Ballinakillew where cousin Gavin and his lovely wife Caroline were there to meet us.

The Country Inn is a classic Irish country pub. Very friendly. I chatted for a while with the former landlord William Walls who very kindly bought me a pint.

On to Lough Eske Castle where Gavin is Executive Chef. Lunch was v tasty and afterwards I was treated to a particularly special glass of Midleton whiskey. Life is short. Drink special whiskeys 🙂We had the usual team photo on the steps of the Castle.

Finished off in McCaffertys in Donegal. Great pub although it has been extended since we were last there and is full of screens so didn’t feel quite as intimate as it might. I guess there were smaller side rooms. In case you didn’t know it Arsenal thrashed Man U three one. Lots of dismayed Man U fans.

Back in Killybegs at around eight forty five and straight to the Fleet Inn to finish off the night. It must be said I only managed a pint there before hitting the hay. That’s all I have to say about yesterday other than the fact that I didn’t lose my hat. Thanks @Dearbhla 🙂

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Pretty much packed thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

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On board the Irish Ferries WB Yeats bound for Cherbourg. Feels like the beginning of a big adventure which it is. A long sea journey even though it is only a one nighter. Could be any international destination. Port Said. Macao.

If it was the latter we would be in it for the long haul and would definitely need a port side cabin. Our current gaff is on the starboard.

The cabin is comfortable enough. Doesn’t appear to have tea and coffee making facilities though. Squeezing as much cash as they can out of us. Never mind. A few Euros spent on onboard drinks and snacks will seem like small potatoes by the end of this trip.

We are quite looking forward to a quiet night in the cabin after the full on weekend with the O’Rourke Clan in Killybegs. It is twenty to five in the afternoon and we haven’t touched a drop of Guinness. This was a bit of an issue for us in Ireland. Being on holiday we (I) somehow started in the pub quite early. Times ranged between shortly after noon to two fifteen to three twenty. This meant my stamina for staying the course late into the night was severely dinted. Hey… We are grownups and can go to bed whenever we like innit.

I have a couple of books with me to read on the boat: Francis Harvey Collected Poems and Band of Brothers (again). Not often I get time to read without distractions. I could sign up for the wifi though it would be nice to know whether it had decent performance before doing so. It’s 15 Euros for 4 hours! They do offer 20 mins free so might try it out although it feels if I did I would be wasting the opportunity to have some time off away from connectivity.

Meanwhile we’ve been for a drink and a biscuit, checked out the dining options and returned to the room to watch TV. Bit of Rick Stein on Dave. Seen this one before obvs. It must be said that based on our two hours at sea so far I don’t think I could manage a cruise. OK I know that during the cruising day you are mostly on a coach trip in different destinations but there will be some days at sea where all we have to do is participate in the deck quoits tournament. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before so will stop now. Some of you lot are avid cruise fans.

Shortly after six thirty we went down for dinner. Both had childs portions which were perfectly adequate. Chicken curry with rice (THG) and sausage beans and chips (moi). When I sussed out the options earlier I was a bit worried that the chips looked like they’d been in the serving bowl thingy for a while with the risk of coming out cold. However at six thirty it was rush hour and the chips were fresh. V important 🙂

The sea is dead calm and we did wonder how fast the boat was going. Knots yanow. At that time the captain wandered by and had I not been eating I would have asked him. Could work it out. Twenty one hours at sea but I have no idea of the distance, without tinternet.

Most people in the bar and restaurant area are tucking into beers or bottles of red wine. I’m quite content with not doing this. Back in the room oscillating between reading and updating this diary entry as I think of new things to say.

The idea of being offline for a lengthy period of time is a strange one to get the brain around. We are so used to checking things from time to time (often). Facebook, whatsapp, the weather. You name it. An extended trip offline would need careful planning. Bills need paying etc. How on earth did people do it? 

On the bus to The Country Inn yesterday I booked a hotel room in London for October. Click click tap tap done. Simples. I recall in my early days in product mangements at Marconi Electronic Devices one of the departmental secretaries (Brenda) ringing a London hotel to get a price and book me a room. Either pre www or very early days. Gosh. 

Strand Palace Hotel I remember. During the first gulf war. She got a good price. Thirty quid maybe. Person in front of me at the checkout was paying three times as much. Incredible, especially when you consider today’s London hotel prices.

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Found University Challenge on the box. It’s a prog we watch. Together. A little piece of home on the high seas. Now watching Sky News. It isn’t a programme we normally watch. Brings home the reality that we don’t watch much terrestrial telly. It’s all streamed.

Dark out there. No visible lights. No shipping in sight. Empty. 

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Slept well. Up now at five forty to see what I could see. Nothing. Nowt. One light in the far distance which must be another ship. I’ve stopped calling them boats.

A ship’s officer, one striper, and a man in a tee shirt walk past me purposefully through the deserted lounge with no sideways glance at just another passenger. Do they not realise it’s mee they are ignoring? No they don’t.

It would appear that all passengers on this ferry have a cabin. If they don’t they are hidden away somewhere. Probably gone off in search of a bench seat on which to stretch out. Away from the glare and the hubbub, of which there is none.

The tables and chairs in this lounge are tidily laid out in an orderly manner. Someone went around straightening them all after the punters had gone to bed. Shipshape. A tidy ship is a well run ship. 

Over the course of ten minutes several individuals have appeared. Wandering. One is sat patiently outside the entrance to Boylan’s Brasserie. Waiting for the first coffee of the day no doubt. All of them are fully dressed. I am fully in my pyjamas.

I had been expecting to see the dawn at this time but I guess we are much further south than Lincoln with the shorter days. The brightly lit lounge might also obscure any lightening of the sky outside.

Man has appeared and is now sat down reading his book. At least I assume it is his book. He might have borrowed it. Unlikely to be from a library though I’d have thought. Wonder what it is. I smile at the idea of going up to him and asking.

First woman of the day has appeared, so to speak. Wearing a green coat. She is looking around to see what action there is. I too am earing a coat. My fleece. This is so that I have a pocket in which to put my wallet and phone, in case I find somewhere to purchayse a cup of tea. Not tried the other end of the deck yet.

The man has packed away his book, taken a swig from his water bottle and slung his blue back over his shoulder. I thought he was going to move on but all he has done is turned around in his seat to survey the rest of the lounge. Nowhere to move on to really. No, wait, he has moved. 

It is definitely getting lighter out there. I’m off out on deck. I was the only one there earlier but it was dark.

Had a great little chat with the Sergeant at Arms who was having a quiet smoke. Polish guy. The ship averages 20 knots. All your questions answered. 24 knots if it is a following wind.

The captain and first mate work two weeks on two weeks off. The rest of the officers have a four week rotation and the Seargeant at Arms himself does six weeks on, three weeks off. The can’t afford to take any more time off. Company flies him home but flights are currently harder to come by due to the rugby world cup.

The sea is very calm now but during July and August it has been quite rough due to the weather system causing the extreme heat down south. Apaz they are expecting the ‘weather’ to return in a week or so. We will be solidly on terra firma.

His dad was from the mountainous region near the border with the Czech Republic. I wonder if I remembered that right.He also mentioned Belarus. I’ll have to check when I get connectivity. Not hugely familiar with that part of the world.

I told him of the RIPE dinner in Krakow that involved a different bottle of vodka with each of seven courses. In reply he said that at Polish weddings there was much singing and consumption of vodka. Different groups of men (married, single etc) would stand up and sing a song and then down a shot. He had recently attended a wedding between a  Polish girl and a Brit. The Brits all had serious vodka inspired hangovers the next day 🙂

I mentioned the lack of sightings of other ships. Apparently they mostly see fishing fleets en route, concentrated on where the fish were at any particular moment in time. As they get sloser to the channel it also gets busier as you might expect.

Quite a productive time on deck. He told me that the cafe was open all night so I am now in there letting a hot cup of tea cool a little to a drinkable temperature. In ten minutes or so I’ll take one down to THG. Cafe floor ten, bedroom floor nine.

Looking out of the windows I keep expecting to see dolphins swiming playfully alongside. Where are they all, c’mon. Visibility not great at this time on the morning. Mists still need buring off. 

Tis going to be a hot one I believe. We are headed south to the Quiberon Peninsula. Port Haliguen. First stopping point on the journey to Toulouse. Doing it in shortish hops. Didn’t see the point in thrashing ourselves.

Quite a few people around at six forty six. Sitting here on my own feels as if I am a solo traveller. People watching.

Food order seafood shack killybegs
Tref Haddock chips and tartar sauce
Geo Haddock chips and tartar sauce
Hannah Haddock chips
Anne seafood box
Large chips
Tom large chips
Joe Haddock and chips
Lucy seafood box
John calamari chips and garlic Mayo
Ann cod goujons chips and Coleslaw
Tobe Haddock chips and coleslaw
Lils scampi and chips
Megs Haddock chips tartar sauce

Long old drive today. Two hundred and ten miles or so. Boring motorway most of the way. Arrived at the Gazelle and have a room with a wonderful view. Menai Straits and Bangor Pier. To the right in the distance is the Menai Suspension Bridge. To the left Beaumaris.

Quite a self contained spot here. Once you’ve arrived you have the pub, the view and nothing else. It is fine. We finished dinner quite early and are now listening to Sheffield United versus the Red Imps on the wireless. Crap connectivity.

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It must be said I am sat outside the Gazelle in a state of ecstasy. The Menai Straits  have the gentlest of ripples on an otherwise flat surface. Birdsong surrounds me. Over the water Bangor Pier stands serene, still, with small flocks and individual sea birds flying across its reflection.

Bangor itself is hidden behind the hill, on top of which is the old university building. Green and red triangles mark the route to the ancient slipway in front of the hotel and there is a hollow red diamond near the landside end.

Two different coloured bands of seaweed line the pebbled shore, the lighter nearer the water. To the right, in the distance, stands Telford’s famous suspension bridge. Still in operation today we drove across it en route to our destination for the night. A row of white painted cottages lines the shore opposite.

This is a perfect place to spend time before breakfast. I had to open the front door and let myself out. As I write I have just spotted movement on the pier and zooming in with my camera I can see a light in the cafe with someone inside busying themselves with preparations for the day.

When in this part of the world we normally stay in the Black Boy Inn in Caernarfon but as we are catching the ferry to Dublin today we thought it made more sense to stop at the Gazelle which represents a shorter drive to the port. Wow what a result.

The pub itself was full of families having dinner but the restaurant section was pleasant with great views out over the water. We had a couple of drinks, ate our food and whilst the sun began to set retired upstairs to listen to the Imps beat Sheffield United on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

All in all a great start to our trip.

Just dropped the Defender off to be valeted at the hand car wash on Outer Circle Road, behind Tesco. Then strolled around the Carlton Centre running a few errands. Bit of a contradiction in terms there.

In Dunelm, whence I had been dispatched by THG to buy something for the kitchen, I noticed a couple, must have been in their sixties, who had gone there to buy two very specific things: a 20cm aluminium non-stick frying pan and a rug. She held the frying pan and he the rug. I wrote this down otherwise the moment would have been lost.

I realise that some may think these are not very important observations. We will have to agree to disagree. Everything is important.

I stopped for a coffee in a local emporium of such things and noticed an old man talking very loudly to the server. He sat outside with his walking stick and loudly apologised for his loudness telling her he was deaf. Later I could hear him at the till in Halfords as I walked past the open door of the store. He was Scottish. At first I heard the clacking of his stick and then he started to speak.

When you walk around places you notice a lot more than when driving. On the way home two white fuel tankers were just leaving the Tesco garage. Interesting that they drove around in pairs I thought.

Then a young woman strode purposefully past me on Wragby Road going in the opposite direction. She was walking quite quickly with her eyes mostly shut listening to music and puffing away on a vape. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was the effect of the vape that made her close her eyes or the emotional intensity of the music. Maybe both. It felt that her vaping was at odds with her healthy pace.

I’m picking the car up at 3pm. I shall be walking purposefully and may not stop to record any observations 🙂

Now back in the shed contemplating the day ahead. Apple has offered me a system upgrade for the Mac Mini. This I will accept but only when I’ve finished in the shed and get cracking with some of the day’s planned activities as the machine will be unusable for an unspecified amount of time.

Most activity will involve finishing packing for our trip but I do have some sealant to apply in the bathroom and shower room. A job I’ve been putting off for some time but feel that the 6 months SLA is getting close.

One task I do have to complete is to repack the tent. I didn’t do it properly after its last use as the poles were still wet. I like my tent. Every man should have a tent. Tents are not for sharing, after you pass a certain age. As a youth a three man tent would have held three people. Nowadays a three man tent is just the right size for me. I’ll have to see if the grass is dry this afternoon otherwise I’ll do it in the shed. There is space enough.

My goodness it is warm in the conservatory. I’ve opened the door and moved to the shaded side. Shouldn’t complain really. It’s been such a poor summer weatherwise. 

It is still early. A cup of tea is at my side and once I’m ready for the day and THG has departed for church I mean to roll my sleeves up and get some jobs done. The rolling up of the sleeve will only be metaphoric as I will undoubtedly be sporting a t- shirt of some description. Not sure which one yet as most of my faves are already packed in my big yellow duffel bag in readiness for our forthcoming trip. 

Ditto my Hawaiian shirts. All my Tommy Bahama collection except the Christmassy one plus the made to measure jobs modelled on TB. Hardly worn them this summer. I’m sure they will come in handy in France.

Our first stop is going to be Ireland however. Dublin and Donegal. Killybegs to be precise. If you’ve never been it is a wonderful place to visit.

So in the meantime the last three days in Lincoln are all about getting ready to go which, in THG’s mind means getting the jobs done. Fair enough 🙂It includes putting away most of the camping gear I brought back from the Eisteddfod. It’s been sat in the living room for two weeks pending me deciding what to take with me on the trip. 

The tent etc is going to be there for emergencies once TGH has flown home. “We” wont be staying in it which is fair enough. There comes a time when comfort and luxury takes precedence over the great outdoors and camping. I’ll still be in France for a couple of weeks with the lads once the sheilas have left and will be prepared for any eventuality.

It won’t be a totally work free trip. That’s the benefit, I suppose, of internet everywhere. I have a number of conf calls lined up. You might say “hey Tref you have to be able to switch off sometime”and you would be right were it not for the fact that this is going to be a seven week trip. The wheels of industry will still need oiling. 🙂

I’ll be taking a jumper to Ireland. Just in case. And a raincoat. We have to be realistic here. WIll hopefully not be needed. Much of the time will be spent getting wet on the inside anyway.

Gotta go. Passports to dig out…

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Jobs done, and more, mostly. Still a bit of wire to attach to the side fence in the garden but precipitation has started.