Oh No, Not Again!!

I really did say that I was not going to burden myself with a continuation of 'Our Travels' blog however, if I keep it simple and to the point it should not be too bad. Our last entry tidied up the end of our 2006 stay in France and the somewhat adventurous trip home. It's hard to believe but that was six years ago, almost to the day. That is not to say that we have been idle in that time. In late 2007 we had a marvellous tour to Spain , Portugal, and Morrocco culminating in a cruise on the Funchal back to Fremantle from Athens, through the Suez (including a cruise on the Nile and a visit to the Valley of the Kings), then to the Maldives and so on. Our next substantial tour was a cruise in 2009 through Asia out of Fremantle aboard the Athena. This cruise included Singapore,Thailand, Malaysia,Brunei,and Saigon in Vietnam. In 2010 we flew to Barcelona for a Meditteranean cruise aboard the 'Brilliance of the Seas". Here we visited Toulon,Pompei,Rome,Florence,Venice,Dubrovnik,then back to Barcelona. 2011 saw us travelling aboard the Princess Line ship 'Sun Princess' to New Zealand and back to Brisbane. Intermingled with all this 'gadding about' were several trips to Canberra, Ballarat and Point Lonsdale following our children and grandchildren as they got on with their lives. I suppose then that you would not be suprised to know that this post is being written in Caunes-Minervois and in exactly the same house we had in 2006..and yes, parked down in the Abbey carpark is a brand new Citroen C4 that will get us around for the next 80 days or so before we arrive back home on 18 November 2012.

It's On Again

Wed 25 Aug 2007
The decisions have been made and the deposits paid for our next foray into Europe culminating in a leisurely cruise back to Australia from Greece.
Donna has been subscribing to the monthly newsletter from Macleay Travel for some years and from time to time ensures it is left in some prominent spot for me to see.

Shanghai

It's been a big day however, as we sit in the equivalent to the Qantas Club in Shanghai's Pudong Airport waiting for our Sydney flight, there is time to reflect upon the last two days.

Wed 19 Jul

We are feeling very practised at packing up and leaving the Victory Services Club to travel to Heathrow. The gods are with us as we are allocated two seats with an empty between us and our luggage goes through without any apparent concern for the weight. A small problem with the BA Club as I had left my Qantas Club card in our stowed luggage. However, they let us in and we had a comfortable couple of hours for refreshments and time for some browsing through the duty free shops. Our BA 169 is on time and scheduled for a 1400 hrs departure with an anticipated 12 hours in the air

Thu 20 Jul

We arrive under an overcast sky at 0800 local time. Immigration procedures are slow and we make it even more so by asking that, if we can get a later flight out of Shanghai, say Saturday, would they extend our visa? No problems, except that Qantas did not have any spare seats available on later flights...nice try!

We did though have the day free as our flight tonight is at 2000hrs and, provided we were back in the airport by 1700 hrs to retrieve our stored luggage, we could visit downtown Shanghai some 30 kms away. We were advised that the best way to town was by train. I should say at this stage that Pudong Airport is quite large and modern with around 35 gates. Everything is efficient even to the customs and immigration people marching to their posts in military-like groups. There are attractively uniformed hostesses everywhere and most seem to speak remarkably good English. Shanghai is to run the World Expo in 2010 and they appear well prepared.

We were not prepared for what turned out to be a most remarkable train journey to town. The Shanghai Maglev Train was opened to the public in 2003. The track is an elevated, double-track guideway from the airport to Long Yang Rd subway station near the Lujiazui Financial District. The 30 kms is covered in 8 minutes with the train reaching 431 kph...that's right, 431 km/h! A sensational ride to say the least. The train is tastefully decorated in a light green colour which matches the uniforms of the hovering hostesses. The speed is indicated on a LCD screen at the front and end of each carriage. The station is short of the actual downtown Shanghai and the options are either the Subway or a cab. We punted on a cab as it appeared beyond us to fathom the Subway which was very modern but not at all English friendly. This proved a good choice as we saw more and got a feel for this city which has a population equivalent to Australia's. The traffic is overwhelming and seems to be operating continually at the intense rate. There are thousands of apartment blocks,some old, some new, but all with washing hanging from them and all with the ubiquitous air-conditioners humming away in the extremely humid environment.

We got out of the cab at the western end of Nan Jing St with a view to walking east along it to The Bund. The weather is extremely hot and humid and in no time we are both dripping in perspiration. The pedestrian traffic is daunting and it seems a prerequisite for a driving licence is advanced horn blowing. The mix of noise, traffic and people is a new experience. Building appears to be progressing in leaps and bounds as ultra modern buildings replace the old. Major hotel groups are well represented as are well known retail and financial brands. We pass by The People's Square and note the government buildings, parks, monuments and exhibition centres within it. We come to Xizang Rd and from this point on Nan Jing St becomes a pedestrian street catering for shopping and extends for about a kilometre to the riverside or Bund.

I think we probably expected the Chinese to be fairly conservative in their behaviour and dress and were surprised to find quite the opposite. For the most part dress is very western and with many of the girls in mini-skirts or short shorts. The biggest bugbear was touts continually hassling any westerners to buy cheap watches, postcards, jewellery or to visit particular shops and restaurants. Salespeople in the shops are particularly aggressive.

We see the Sofitel Hyland Hotel and figure that we had paid for three days and all things being equal we should be able to access a room even for a few hours as this would have been day three. To our astonishment, the reception we received could only be described as 'regal'. We were ushered to a room adjacent to the Resident Manager's office and provided with towels and cool drinks...we were wringing wet and having not changed in 24 hours looked a couple of wrecks. Much concern was offered in respect of our visa difficulties and they immediately presumed our three days would start now. The Resident Manager, Anthony Myers, arrived and his welcome was as enthusiastic as that of his Chinese staff. Anthony hails from Adelaide and has been with the Accor Group for 12 years. Previous to this appointment he had been in central China and we suspect he is on the cusp of getting his own hotel. He took us through the hotel and up to the observation level to explain the layout of Shanghai. We were then ushered to a beautiful room on the 22nd floor and offered any service the hotel could oblige with. We decided to continue our walk to The Bund, buy some new smalls and a shirt and blouse and then retire back to the room.

The Nan Jing pedestrian road is the most commercially prosperous road in China. Along the road stands both old and new shopping malls which are considered to be one of the world's busiest commercial centres. The Bund stretches for 4 kms along the west bank of the huang Pu River. There are around 52 significant buildings of sundry architectural styles along the Bund which is often described as 'an architectural exposition of the world'. Across the River is the Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone on an area of 28 sq/kms. The outstanding feature is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower standing some 468 metres high. Anthony told us that 10 years ago the Tower was the only structure in that area.

We could be tempted to return for the Expo in 2010 and to include Beijing (1088 kms north of Shanghai) and also Guandong where the terracotta soldiers were found. Time will tell.

At 1600 hrs Anthony took us to the nearby Subway and organised, and bought, our tickets back to the Long Yang Rd station to catch the Maglev train to the airport. The Subway train was initially crowded on our 6 station journey however, it was efficient, timely, clean and technologically ahead of our European experiences on the Metro and the Tube. Television screens are used extensively to provide information and to entertain. Screens are on the stations; on the side of the carriages and inside each carriage.


Sofitel and Anthony's service was first class albeit expensive from our point of view as our accommodation was prepaid and non-refundable.In our view he took the extra step and we will happily support Accor in general and Sofitel in particular in the future.

We have a 9 hour flight ahead of us tonight on QF 130 and we expect to arrive in Sydney at 0800 hrs.

GO...NO GO...GO!

Sun 16 Jul

What a disaster!

We are up early to pack and have breakfast before being picked up at 0945 hrs for our trip to Heathrow. Initially, all is well as our bags seem to have passed the weight test and our boarding passes are being printed and then the British Airways lady asks about our visa into China. When we bought our tickets, Qantas categorically stated that a visa was not necessary for us as the stay in Shanghai was a short one. Based on our Hong Kong experience this seemed reasonable. Not so, says BA, who are liable for substantial fines and the costs of return fares to London if they allow an 'illegal' entry into the country. We could understand their caution.

After much research and consultation, BA advises that a stay of 48 hours does not require a visa for Australians. Our stay is for three nights and consequently we are required to cancel today's flight and leave tomorrow (Monday) to arrive in Shanghai on Tuesday and to depart for Sydney by Qantas on Thursday. BA were very good and found us seats on Monday's flight. We rang the hotel in Shanghai then sought overnight accommodation at Heathrow. The Jurys Inn hotel near Terminal 4 had a reasonably inexpensive room and we spent the afternoon and evening there.

Mon 17 Jul

Packed up again, we made our way to Heathrow to find that BA had developed 'cold-feet' on the issue. It appears our stay in Shanghai would necessarily be 56 hours rather than 48 and they were not prepared to take the chance over the 8 hour difference.

It proved literally impossible for us, or anyone at BA, to speak to the Chinese Embassy in London. Consequently, we had no option but to accept the BA decision not to let us board and to wait for the next flight to Shanghai on Wednesday. This flight would arrive on Thursday morning and we would depart for Sydney that evening to arrive Friday morning.

We were both feeling seriously p...ed at this stage as our original three day stay was gone as was the unrefundable $1500 AUD accommodation and tour package we had taken! Further, it was proving very difficult to find two night's accommodation in London as the Fairburn Airshow was the hottest ticket in town and all hotels were full. After some hasty re-organization, the Victory Services Club came to the rescue with their last room available: a very, very modest twin with shared facilities. Who were we to argue? We caught the Heathrow Express train back to London and settled into the Club determined to make the best of our enforced, extended stay.

The weather is extremely hot and our non-airconditioned room is stifling so, in the late afternoon, we walked down the shady side of Oxford St to Oxford Circus, then left into Regent St and left again into Wigmore St which eventually becomes Seymour St and the Club.

Oxford St is recognized as a shopping 'mecca' and the number of people on the street bears this out. We are simply not used to these sort of crowds in Australia except perhaps on Family Day at the Ekka. We see all the famous names such as Selfridges, Debenhams and so on and admire the building styles of the era, but otherwise, find little to compensate for the crowds, the traffic, and the noise. The journey back towards the Club is far more peaceful and we notice familiar names such as the BBC Broadcasting House, Harley St, Wimpole St, and the general area frequented by Sherlock Holmes in Conan Doyle's novels.

Of interest was a fenced private park in Portman Square along Wigmore St where it becomes Seymour St. The park has attractive gardens, a tennis court, children's playground and picnic facilities. The park is only accessible to keyholders who live in the immediate area or to those prepared to pay an annual fee. We had seen similar parks in Dublin last year however, those Georgian surrounded areas are now open to all.

This evening, after our third visit to Cafe Uno (it really is that good) we go to the nearby Odeon Theatre and enjoy the 'Da Vinci Code' movie. Interestingly, it is in this location that Tyburn Gallows stood where public executions took place until 1783. Not much sleep tonight as the room is hot and airless.

Tue 18 Jul

The plan today is to walk the Princess Diana Memorial Walk around Hyde Park. We start at Speaker's Corner which is adjacent to the Marble Arch and continue down the Park Lane boundary of the Park until we reach Wellington's Gates. The grass is noticeably brown and the plants in all the gardens are suffering from an acute shortage of water. When you think of it, since leaving home, and even there, we have seen the affects of changing weather patterns and forced changes in environmental behaviour. For our children's and grand-children's sakes it seems to us that we can no longer afford simple band-aiding by restricting water use and so on...the big picture needs to be addressed now and it will need people-power to goad the politicians away from political cynicism into positive long term action. The continuation of exporting coal to China for our short term economic benefit and seemingly without regard to the inevitable long term pollution is to my mind both hypocritical and self-destructive.

Continuing our walk towards Kensington Palace we come to a restaurant set upon the banks of the Serpentine which is a relatively large expanse of water used for boating and recreation in the Park. We have lunch on the outside verandah and watch the birds and the world go by. There is definitely truth in the observation that as soon as temperatures reach and exceed 24 C in London, people take their clothes off and behave out of character. We saw it all as the temperature reached 35 C.

The path around the Serpentine leads to the upper reaches known as the Long Water and all the way along there are numerous deck-chairs painted in colourful designs or printed with quotes. The water looked unattractive for human use but the many waterbirds were right at home.

Adjacent to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain is the Lido Cafe which has a swimming reserve alongside in the Serpentine. There were plenty of swimmers in what we though was pretty turgid water. Like hundreds of others, Donna cooled her feet in the cold water of the fountain which forms a circular stream bubbling over several different surfaces and produces a pleasant effect. Over the Serpentine Bridge, we walk on and find ourselves at 'The Fountains' built in Italian fashion at the Marlborough Gate entrance to the Park. Along Bayswater Rd back to Marble Arch, we visit the church attached to the Tyburn Nun's Convent. This Benedictine group is dedicated to the memory of the 115 Tyburn Martyrs who would not renounce their beliefs during the Reformation. They also have a convent near Sydney.

This evening we had a light dinner and enjoyed the air-conditioning at the Odeon Theatre during a screening of Johnny Depp's latest pirate film, 'Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Man's Chest'. Back at the Club we keep our fingers crossed that all will be well for our flight to Shanghai tomorrow.

Doing the Sights

Fri 14 Jul

Today we are part of a small group on a 'Total London' tour conducted by Premium Tours. Our guide is knowledgeable, humourous, and well-organized. Our tour of the Tower of London was special as we were admitted before the general public and had a 'Beefeater' guide exclusively allocated to our small group. All ex-servicemen, the Beefeaters are officially called Yeomen Warders and have been at the Tower since the 14th century. They all hold the rank of Warrant Officer. Combining their traditional ceremonial role with that of a tourist guide they are extremely entertaining and bring to life the Tower's history including imprisonment, torture and intrigue.

The 'Changing of the Guard' at Buckingham Palace is so much more exciting in the flesh as the colour and sound can be truly appreciated. Our guide positioned us at the 'Australia Gates' to get a close up view of the 'Old Guard' marching away with the band in full throttle. On the way down to the Palace we walked by Clarence House which is now Prince Charles's residence and saw a mini guard change there. Close by we saw the Spencer family townhouse.

A short stroll and bus ride took us to the River Thames where we boarded a river boat and heard an excellent commentary as we cruised up to the notorious 'Clink' area and to the remains of the Bishops' Castle at Winchester. A 'pub lunch' with a pint of Guinness hit the spot and gave us the opportunity to watch a little of England versus Pakistan at Lords on the local TV.

Westminster Abbey is much bigger and more fascinating than we had expected. The architecture is magnificent however, the guides tend to concentrate on the tombs and memorials rather than the physical beauty of the place. For us, the stunning eastern end of the church took the honours. At the extreme east is a beautifully coloured window celebrating the Battle of Britain and overlooking the Royal Air Force Chapel. Coming back down the space is the Tomb of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York. Here is also the Chapel of the Order of the Bath with the banners of the incumbents hanging below a fantastic fan-vaulted ceiling. On the northern side we found the Tomb of Elizabeth I who is interred on top of Mary I. On the southern side is the Tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots. At the entrance to this wonderful part of the building is the Coronation Chair commissioned by Edward I in 1301 and has been used at every coronation since. The 'Stone of Scone' sits in a compartment under the seat of the chair as a not very subtle go at the Scots to indicate their subordination to the English Crown. It is not on view as it seems PM John Major, needing votes to bolster his electoral position in Scotland, had the Stone returned to Scotland on the proviso it be made available whenever a coronation is performed. Politicians...don't you just love them! Edward The Confessor has a special place in terms of the development and construction of the building which started as a Benedictine Abbey in 960. His Tomb is situated at a point behind the Coronation Chair and is raised as it was built upon a mound of soil brought from Jerusalem. The first coronation in the Abbey was of William the Conqueror in 1066.

On busy weekends, tourists queue for up to three hours to take a flight on the British Airways, 130 metres high, 'London Eye'. Our guide has us on board our capsule within 20 minutes and the 14 Pound cost is worth every penny. Donna is not good with heights but after some persuasion she boarded and enjoyed the experience. The views of London during the 30 minute ride are sensational but unfortunately for us, the weather was hot and hazy and we could not get the best of the photography.

We ate at the Club in the evening and reflected on a great day and contemplated tomorrow's trip out of London.

Sat 15 Jul

Our tour today is with Evan Evans and their distinctive red coaches are state of the art. The group is relatively small with 19 on board so we anticipate a good day's, hassle free touring.

Windsor Castle is about 30 miles out of London and there is little traffic on the road. The Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. William the Conqueror chose the site high above the River Thames, within a day's march from the Tower of London. Its purpose was to guard the approaches to the Capital. Over the past 900 years or so the Castle has been modified and refurbished as technology improved and as circumstances demanded. The most recent major refurbishing occurred after the devastating fire in 1992 which destroyed an area of 9000 square metres or over a fifth of the Castle.

One of the most impressive elements of the Castle is St Georges Chapel whose construction was begun by Edward IV in the 15th century and completed by Henry VIII. Ten British monarchs are buried here up to George VI whose wife, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and daughter, Princess Margaret is buried with him. The Queen uses the Castle as a private home, where she usually spends each weekend, and as a Royal residence for formal duties. At the time of our visit we could not see the State Apartments as Princess Beatrice was to celebrate her 18th birthday in the evening. We did however, visit the Royal Print Room where we viewed drawings by Leonardo Da'Vinci and others...not a bad second prize!

As we left the Castle for Salisbury we passed by Eton School and Ascot racecourse. This is truly a beautiful part of England.

Salisbury Cathedral was, in many respects, the 'raison d'etre' for our trip to England. I became fascinated with the building and the general area after reading Edward Rutherfurd's wonderful epic history called 'Sarum'. Our first glimpse of the impressive outline of the Cathedral against the skyline was all as we imagined. It was built over a period of 38 years beginning in 1220 and is unique in being almost entirely in one architectural style, Early English Gothic. Some key facts about the Cathedral are:

. Britain's tallest spire at 123 metres/404 feet.

. Holds the finest copy of the four remaining Magna Carta documents signed by King John in 1215.

. Houses Europe's oldest working clock dated 1386.

. Britain's largest Cathedral cloisters.

Overall this is a magnificent building demonstrating the extraordinary skills in construction and masonry from the 13th century.

Only eight miles up the road we come to the most outstanding prehistoric monument in Britain...Stonehenge. 7-8000 years ago the area was mixed pine and hazel woodland before becoming downland.

The large stones in the circle are Sarsen stones brought from the Marlborough Downs 30 kms away. The smaller stones, known as Bluestones, are from the Preselic Mountains in Wales some 383 kms away!

The remains today were in use 1000's of years ago. The monument was constructed in three phases:

. 3050 BC...A circular ditch and bank (henge).

. circa 2600 BC...Wooden structure constructed at centre.

. 2500-1500 BC...Stone monument constructed, arranged and re-arranged over almost 1000 years.

This is a mysterious site to visit. The authorities have organized it all quite well with a pathway circling the stones allowing visitors to get as close as 20 metres in places. The site was extremely busy with access from a carpark through a tunnel under the main road. Plans are in place to move the road thus providing a more isolated and quieter setting.

Today's tour provided much to think about on the nearly two hour trip back to London in suprisingly heavy traffic. We decided to eat again at Cafe Uno where the pasta and an Italian red went down well.

London Bound

Thu 13 Jul

The packing was a bigger problem than we had anticipated. Books, brochures, and our Caunes marble sculpture all add considerably to the weight factor to the extent that our two main bags are seriously over the British Airways (BA) limit of 23 kilos apiece and of course way over the 20 kilo limit for Qantas. After some abandonment of miscellaneous clothing, brochures, and other bits and pieces and, re-distribution between the contents of checked luggage and 'carry-on', we settle for 27 kilos for my bag and 23 kilos for Donna's. Not great but we will take our chances. Our 'carry-on' bags feel as though they are filled with lead!

Notwithstanding a couple of scratches; a broken tail light; and a broken filler tank cover, the handback of the car to Citroen was remarkably simple as the included comprehensive insurance covered everything. We ended up with nearly 6000 kms on the clock and a total fuel expenditure of around 350 Euros. Very economical these small diesels and overall a great way to lease a car for more than 17 days in France. We had ours for a total of 82 days with a leasing cost of $3400 AUD.

The flight to Gatwick was uneventful and the Gatwick Express rail trip to London's Victoria Station was efficient and cheap. A cab had us at the Victory Services Club in Seymour St, Marble Arch in no time.

The Club (VSC) has a reciprocal arrangement with our United Service Club in Brisbane. It is an 'all ranks' club for retired and serving members of the British Armed Forces and is celebrating its centenary this year. Some of its 220 rooms are quite modest with a bed, washbasin, chair, and wardrobe and shared ablution facilities. In the newer Memorial Wing there are rooms with full en-suite, television, and so on. The restaurant and bar facilities are of a good standard with the dining room employing a buffet system for all meals. The cost of accommodation is most attractive considering the Club's central position ranging from 31 Pounds per night for a small single room in the Old Club house and up to 112 Pounds for an en-suite family room in the Memorial Wing where we paid 98 Pounds (incl breakfast) for a double with en-suite and TV.

On a more poignant note is the number of young wounded Servicemen including amputees and paraplegics using the Club. Regrettably, these men represent the often overlooked consequences of the war against terror and we have been most fortunate in this respect in Australia.

Seymour St runs off Edgware Rd which is a fairly main thoroughfare with Oxford St at its southern end and adjacent to Hyde Park. The most striking thing is the dominance of Muslim ethnicities in the area...it is total and a little intimidating at first with the many shrouded women and the men smoking from 'hooka' pipes on the footpaths outside the restaurants. The area is locally known as 'Little Kuwait'. Secondly, one taken aback by the cars on the streets..all big and all expensive! Mercedes 500 Series and BMW 700 Series are commonplace with Jaguars, Bentleys, and Aston Martin cars well represented. How do these people afford these vehicles? A second-hand Mercedes 320 was listed at 44,000 Pounds. In Australian money this is $110,000! Jobs we saw listed ranged between 18,500 to 28,000 Pounds for secretarial and basic managerial positions. Once again, how do all these young men afford these cars or am I missing some sort of point here?

This evening we had a window seat in the wonderful Italian 'Cafe Uno' on the corner of Seymour and Edgware (seemed a bit out of place in this neighbourhood). As the frascati washed down some typically Italian fare we observed the world passing by and wondered if it really was London that we were in.

Au Revoir Caunes et La France

This will be the last blog written in France as we are off tomorrow to catch the plane from Toulouse to Gatwick in London. All going well we expect to arrive at the Victory Services Club around 1930 hrs. There are a couple of issues to report since Monday.

Mon 10 Jul

We had invited Chris and Ray , the Brit expats from the Jersey Islands, to visit Caunes with a view to eating at Hotel d'Alibert however, it was closed and Donna decided another tarted-up 'holy trinity' was in order at our place. Considering she has been running-down the pantry she did a marvelous job with Roquefort and Salers cheeses, ham, salad, and nuts. We drank a top notch 'cremant' from Limoux as well as Chateau Donjon's top red. Regrettably, our guests spent most of lunch complaining about the tourist industry, service, food,and general ordinariness of Australia! I was a bit put out as they were eating a great lunch and further, they were drinking our wine! Talk about whingeing Poms. All that aside, they are nice people and they certainly helped us language-wise. They invited us to their place but I think time is against us.

In the evening, our next door neighbours invited us in for a glass or two of wine. Bit embarrassing as mine had all been drunk at lunch! Mike and Liz are from Plympton near Plymouth and bought the house four years ago. They visit very 3 or 4 months. He is a retired tax inspector and Liz manages a nursing home. They have a real interest in Australia and seemed impressed at our understanding of things British and particularly history. Mike is quite handy and his improvements to such an old house are very good. He also dabbles in painting and has done murals to decorate cupboard doors and so on. His oils are particularly good and he also does copies of famous artist's paintings. He is especially interested in Picasso and his copies are brilliant. He has also spent considerable time sorting the wheat from the chaff in respect to Minervois wines. We drank two 'La Liveniere" beauties: a 2002 Valliere Lorgeil (Syrah/Grenache/Mouverdre), and a 2001 '2001'(Syrah/Grenache) from Trausse. Not a bad 'degustation' and a great couple of people to boot.

Tue 11 Jul

The weather is really very hot with a 'dry' heat. Apart from some local shopping we spent most of the day indoors.

We turn-up at the Grand Theatre in La Cite at 1930 hrs for the Al Jarreau concert scheduled to begin at 2130 hrs. Security was tight and I got turned back at the entrance because I had a camera in my bag. The crowd around us were quick to respond and pocketed their cameras. We diplomatically side-stepped to the adjacent entrance and were allowed through. I would have been very upset if we had not got in as camera flashes were going off right through the concert.

The theatre is in the open and can hold 3000 people in an amphitheatre design. The actual area was originally a monastery in the walled city. The stage was brilliantly lit and the surrounding crenellations on the walls and the turrets and towers themselves created an extraordinary ambience. Al Jarreau is an American jazz singer and even though he is not a youngster any more his vocals are superb. His band has got to be world class as you would expect, and the solo efforts were wonderful. I have never seen and heard a better drummer and the full-house agreed. The bass player stunned us all when his solo incorporated a first class singing performance.
All in all a great memory to leave the country on.

Wed 12 Jul

Another hot day but we are determined not to waste our last full day. As our house guests will recall, it did not seem to matter where you were in the Languedoc there was a sign to Mazamet. We decide to take the 45km drive just to see what this seemingly 'all important destination' was all about.

We took the longer of all the alternative routes to get to Mazamet and as we approached Carcassonne we turned north and drove through undulating pasture land before starting the climb up the Montagne Noir. A lookout 3kms from the town offers a view down upon it and to the east, a view through the steep valleys of the mountains as they stretch away in a narrow band 50 kms away to the north of Montpelier. The sea of red tile roofs below indicates a bigger than expected town with a population of just over 10,000.

In the 18th century, Mazamet became a major centre for the wool industry. The local area produced natural dyes; the pastures on the mountains supported sheep; and the rivers supplying unlimited water. In the mid 19th century the town began importing sheepskins and developed techniques for 'pulling' the wool out of sheep skins rather than using sheared wool. Australia was a significant supplier of skins. The textile industry then did the carding, combing, spinning and weaving. The skins were then dressed for use. Unfortunately for Mazamet, this industry has seriously reduced and the town relies more and more on outdoor attractions in the wilderness areas.

Geographically, Caunes is nearly directly over the other side of the mountains to Mazamet. We drive east away from the town and at Albine, turn south to begin the climb over the mountain. It had to be the right road as it was called Rue Caunes. The road was good with virtually no traffic and as we climbed this northern side into the Parc du Haut Languedoc we noted the mixed forest cover of oak, beech, and spruce. Over the top and onto the southern slopes the cover is a more Mediterranean landscape of brush and vine. We loved the way the trees stretch across the road virtually forming a tunnel on the north side. On the way down we got different views of Lespinassiere and Citou. The round trip was about 90 kms and we are glad we did not miss it.

Seriously approaching the task of packing this afternoon with the battle of weight and space clearly engaged.

Thank you for the kind comments many have made about this blog over the period we have been in France. It becomes a bit of a rod for one's back to maintain the flow of information however, after reading through it, it has been worth the effort. My son's word-counter has it over 30,000 words for the last three months! I should acknowledge some sources of information: firstly, the Michelin 'Green Guide for Languedoc and the Tarn Gorges'; next, the 2001 edition of 'The Rough Guide to Languedoc and Roussillon' by Brian Catlos; the Cadogan Guide 'South of France" 2003; and 'France, The Rough Guide' by Baillie and Salmon. Each of these guides provided great research and descriptive material with the 'Green Guide' the most current and noticeably very popular with other travelers. I have been a serious collector of brochures and site guides which of course are perfect for detailed local knowledge. The internet has been particularly useful and I have found 'Wickipedia' a good tool. Language notwithstanding, I have spoken with the locals...they are amazingly forthcoming.