vacance en france

we had a fantastic camping holiday in france! we had sun, we had calm skies, we had no midges, we had wine, scenery, cheese and just a great time. reminded me what camping should be about! the campsite was lovely, nicely kept, clean toilets, and a lovely pool. it had wifi, but we didn’t take laptops.

our crossing not to damaged by the channel tunnel fire, as we had booked ferries, gone down the night before to stay in a premier in for an early start – i really did need to have a relaxing holiday, as various work based events had me at breaking point by friday. [much chilled now!]. calais is really a much superior port to dover. a breeze to pass through, and those lovely french roads without carparking obligatory! it has been quite a while since i have been in rural france, and i was desolated to find that the traditional french jalopy seems to have finally demised in the interim – you know the one! tiny and seeming to run on thin air, held together with a wing and a prayer!

shopped at leclerc, tent up and dinner done. ahh, relaxxxxxx.

next day was a lazyday, pootling around, doing some crafty kits, swimming in the pool etc etc. we went to jumieges abbey the following day and spent quite a while there, as loads of ground to run around in as well, and girls loved it. poor bb had a major hurt on the way there, and my favourite trousers were liberally splashed in her blood. luckilly her knee didn’t need the steri strips. both girls rather nicely said their pleases and thankyous in french, and even asked for an icecream in french – so i was v pleased!!

fancying a trip to the coast, we went to etretat – deviating to a leclerc on the way to buy a few essentials and taking forever. blustery day, and the girls didn’t get changed into sunsuits etc, as weren’t going to get wet. despite me promising them that they would, they were adamant, so they got entirely and utterly soaked, and wore the sunsuits afterwards to go home in! we amassed a huge pebble collection with competetive acquisition between the 2 of them.

[btw, bb still up, and blogging v difficult whilst being used as a climbing frame]

the next lovely day trip was to chateau gaillard at les andeleys. i say day trip but we are being quite french, and leaving at late morning, arriving in time for lunch picnic! lots of book reading, crafts, playing in park and cycling going on before we adults actually up enough to go out. i slept badly so did something to neck – well, i assume that was the case – so traveled with blanket round my neck in lieu of a scarf, feeling slightly stupid at all the tolls! we loved the views and the castle and discussed richard lion heart and eleanor of aquitaine and crusades etc, helped by to people dressed as saracen and crusader knights having a mock battle. this obviously delighted our girls!

next day should have been a jaunt to rouen, but my neck thing magnified, and seemed migrainous so i gave into copious drugs and fell asleep for most of the day. chris and the girls mouched around the town, asking for icecreams in french again, and generally being happy.

so rouen was the last full day, and we took a scenic route along the seine – very lovely, and managed to find a carpark in the centre, only going into a buslane accidentally once! we went in the cathedral – sb v keen on cathedrals, discussed all the saints and little chapels, saw a tomb of richard lion heart, discussed why it was written in latin, heard a  organist and then a violist practice for the evening concert = lovely acoustics! moved to a mooch around the town, lunch in a square in the sun and then a bit of shopping. we went in the musee des beaux-artes, [sb choice] sb particularly taken by the modernists. we did have a look at different techniques and a stop by the impressionists, but the later work she liked best. on the walk back we had a stop by a carousel, and both girls practiced their french happily.

last day – sob! we managed to leave the campsite by 11, and only the washkit seems to have gone missing! we drove to sangatte and played happily on its sandy beach  – pretty much all to ourselves – before catching the ferry home. this time the girls changed into their wetsuits, so did get drenched, but didn’t have to cross the english channel with no sensible clothes! perfect end of holiday day really

we had a fab time, just wonderful. ready to repeat next year!