How's the serenity?...Nice.

Was going to call this post "Nice and HOT!" as it was 40 degrees the day we arrived in Nice and our little cottage had full length windows and balcony facing the afternoon sun so it was STINKIN' HOT inside.  Luckily the night cooled down and the owner found a fan for us.

But the view from the balcony was magical...

 
...overlooking an untouched valley that leads down to Nice and at night sitting out there with the odd ale/bubbly the fireflies would appear to the sound of distant frogs. How's the serenity..

Our digs were pretty special nestled on the edge of this valley at the bottom of the owners block.  Our roof was actually their terrace.

They also had a spa that we were invited to use when we liked.  I didn't quite feel up to dipping in a 40 degree spa on a 38 degree day, but miss coldy-locks  couldn't resist upping the temp a couple more degrees.

The place we stayed at was a couple of Ks from the edge of Nice proper, which was good as we could drive down the hill to a Parcazur (park and ride) and be in the centre of Nice within 20 mins for as long as we liked for a total cost of 6 euros (the cost of 2 return tram fares).


We stumbled on this man-made cascade a couple of minutes away from where we were staying in the hills of Nice..

even some of the locals though it was OK..

We made it down to the old centre of Nice a couple of times.  We loved it...
...the dark alleyways... 

 ... the majestic architecture and fountains... (no water restrictions here!)

 ... the beautiful blue sea... (not sure if this security guard will be quick to pounce if needed!)

Some things aren't always what you think they are...

... if you look closely, the building on the right is a pristinely painted wall and on the left is reality.

Aching for some water in Aix-en-Provence

On the way to our next stop, Aix-en-Provence, we came across this little 275m aquaduct - Pont du Gard.

 Aix-en-Provence old town is a cool, funky, eclectic place.  Lots of bars, tabacs and cafes dotted around and the city itself is noted for its fountains...

... unfortunately someone forgot to turn the taps on.

Who's the boss in Saint-Jean-de-Fos

After Gragnague we arrived in a cute little French village, Saint-Jean-de-Fos, which you could say was our first real rural experience.

Our AirBnB place was situated at the back of one of three houses on the huge block.  Mum & dad in one, daughter and family in another and son and family in the back (and most impressive house).  His house was the only one that was fenced off from the rest (I guess he is the new boss-man/alpha male of the pack).  This block was situated among vineyards and olive groves about 1.5km from the center of the village.

On the other side of the village is the UNESCO World Heritage site, Pont du Diable (Bridge of the Devil), built by Benedictine monks in the 11th century... and a stunning gorge.

 There are also some pretty big creepy crawlies around here!

...I think the electronic bug zapper/tennis racket gizmo might just make him mad...

There are also some pretty nice villages up the gorge here too...

Garden in Gragnague

Gragnague is a little village just outside funky Toulouse, population ~1600.

The garden at the petite maison we stayed at was very special.  Such a peaceful and serene environment.  The cottage was built as a place for the grandmother to live, but unfortunately shed died before she could take up residence so now it's an AirBnB location.  The pool there was superb but the weather was not, so the togs still remain unpacked.

 

No this isn't an exhibition at a zoo, this is just Pollster/Lea catching some Zs in our glassed in bedroom.

Sarlat Seconds

We visited Sarlat-la-Caneda back in 2010 and we're back again!
On the way to Sarlat we were in need of a pit stop.  Unfortunately this was what we were faced with..

.. the squat toilet, although not so good for our crappy knees,  at least had a door.. the urinal shared the basin and faced the carpark.

Sarlat is famous for its duck/goose products so we tried the foie gras which was rather like a mild yellow pate and the confit du canard (duck slow cooked in fat) was delicious.

On Saturdays there is a massive market which blankets the Place de la Liberte and most of the little streets of the old town.  Lots of samples of the produce, including gateau noix, foie gras, nougat (check out the size of those in the photo), chocolates, cheeses...yum.

.. these nougat blocks are roughly A3 size and 3-4" thick!!  Talk about a sugar rush!

Sarlat-la-caneda Markets

A short 20 min drive out of Sarlat through some beautiful verdant country roads, and we arrived at Roque-la-Gageac. One of the most picturesque villages in France.

Whilst there we hopped on to a barge for a 50min Chateau river cruise.  On boarding the boat, the sun was out and all was rosy... 5 mins later rain started which 10 min later turned into a torrential downpour and shortly after the thunder and lightning started.  Not the best conditions for taking piccies but it was still fun.  To rub salt into the wounds, the sun reappeared as we disembarked.

.. our boat and the village

Check out the staircase to this cavernous abode ...

 .. do they not drink here??

Here is the place we stayed at in Sarlat (not above, the picture below).

.. still quite spacious and had a large terrace - pity the weather was so erratic - hence why most stuff is under the verandah.

 

Here is our hostess with the mostess, Marie Paul, was a real card.  Such a character and a gorgeous person... couldn't do enough for us.  She really enhanced our stay.

Brrrr in Saint-Flour

Next stop was a pretty town in the higher (~1000m) and therefore colder lands.  Oh-oh should I warn Lea or not....hmmm.  Anyway in the rush to get away (as we had a longish drive) I noticed ~30mins after finally clearing the stress of the congested traffic of Lyon, that the keys and garage remote to the last apartment were still sitting in the console!!! Doh!!  Back through all the traffic and out again making our what was to be an easy journey to the next destination into a frantic one with adjustments  required around the speed cameras.  At least they sign post them with plenty of warning here.

Below is a welcoming sign to St Flour - 10 o'clock and 10 degrees C.. unfortunately that was where the similarities ended, it didn't get much warmer as the hours increased.

 

We have made it a priority to work our way through the French patisseries by trying a different one each day - a tough job but someone has to do it!  There's a massive variety - the pistachio chocolate French flan looked better than it tasted - a bit rubbery - but fortunately that has been the odd one out.  So many cakes, so little time!

Noticed  this van in a carpark..

... my french isn't the best, but is this van indicating they send their kids to a park of losers and converts to the devil???

We also spotted this residence in the old town of St-Flour - note the ladder to get to the front door - I wouldn't like to return to this one after a big night out.

We stayed in a new residence complex in Saint-Flour just outside the old town which is perched on a hilltop.  This meant the views were spectacular.

Here is the view from our balcony/terrace...

and here is the view from a bar/restaurant that we frequented a few times..

...somewhat makes up for the cold temperatures.

Livin it up in Lyon

We scored with the AirBnB place we booked in Lyon (Villeurbanne) - beautifully renovated apartment with a balcony overlooking a community parkland.

Here's the kitchen area with pikito in the foreground...

Here is the stunning view from our balcony (couple of spent Grimbergens on the table)

The downside to living in a nice apartment in a high density area is the parking.  The AirBnB description of this place said of free parking on-site.  Well it was accurate...

... but lucky I didn't have an extra weetbix that morning otherwise I'd still be trying to get out.  Even Lea struggled!

Went into the old town and wandered around with the masses of tourists and soccer fans (Euro 2016 is on).  Found a nice little bar on a corner Pub Dubois with a few less tourists.  Although, is that a slimmed down Tex Walker we see there??

Only in Onlay

A 330km drive to Onlay and our next stop at the farm house.  It's huge and the back yard is massive.  Newly renovated, it had everything we needed including, deck chairs, BBQ and an electric bug zapper/fly swat.

 
Here is the electronic tennis racket / bug zapper...keep away from drunkards!  This thing zapps blowies in a split millisecond!

We enjoyed our terrines and quiche lorraine with Leffe and some sort of bubbles for me.  Next night Simon was back cooking the BBQ just like at home - poor buggar.

Haven't seen ANY takeaway coffees in France yet and truffles are 750 - 1000 Euros / kg!

So enjoying the cafe/bar/tabac scene - spending LOTS and LOTS of time sitting around immersing ourselves in the French culture.  Good to see lots of smokers here too.

WARNING WHEN DRIVING IN "OUTBACK" FRANCE
Our car was very low on diesel so we tried to fill at the local servo.  In the country villages, the servos are unmanned.  Just put your credit card in and fill up.... only we tried that and a french voice kept blurting something at me and spat out our Travelex Cash Passport Mastercard.
After enquiring at a local fromagerie where the owner was Dutch and spoke English, we found out that they only accept French cards.... What the!?

Loire! Hoo Yeah, What is it good for...

... well Chateaus, gateaus, and a somewhat swollen river.
After a 350km+ drive south (would have been less if the GPS didn't continually guide us in circles between two road blocks due to the floods) we ended up in sunny Valleres in a magnificent cottage in the yard of a couple of retired teachers.

What a delightful place to stay.  We checked out the Loire valley - the land of the chateau.  The gardens of the Villandry Chateau were majestic - precisely set up and beautifully maintained.

There were stacks of mint varieties in their garden including a chocolate mint and it smelt just like one of those Red Tulip After Dinner mints.

The medieval Chateau Usse (sleeping beauty castle) was enchanting - just like something straight out of a fairy tale.

 Here's our workhorse, the manual diesel 308 - Eccy-thump (that's how I remember its rego)