Six-Fours-les-Plages, Provence, France

Well he missed it, Toulon were playing at home on Saturday 18th and we didn't arrive until Monday 20th but hey the rugby season has started and we have TV again so Friday nights BBC2 Wales - Scrum V Live - what more can I say!

Anyway, we are here at Six Fours les Playes, west of Toulon. We have settled in and found lots of coastal and beach walks. There is a bus and ferry trip to Toulon which we plan to do next week.

This will be an extended stay at Six Fours. We have a problem with our sky light and Harry has managed to isolate the part we need and by chance we have found a Chausson dealer so now we are waiting for the spare part to arrive however long that takes so Harry can put it all back together.

Harry's long hair has had more of an impact on others than we thought. Twice now he has been approached to see if he can fix sick scooters. Do others think he is an ageing rocker or mod? But it does have it's rewards. We (he) was given a very nice bottle of Cotes de Provence Rose for his trouble after spending some time fixing the problem. He also managed to sort out the second scooter too.

Anyway folks, until next week when we should have more to report and pictures of our wanderings (including a fixed sky light we hope!)

Au Revoir

Harry and Kath xxx

Cavalaire sur Mer - France

We left La Colle sur Loup bright and early to travel to our next stop at Cavalaire sur Mer, 17 kms west of St Tropez. We decided to stay away from the motorways and enjoy the views from the minor roads. Our friend Tom told us it would take 2 hours 11 minutes, unfortunately everyone else must have had the same idea because it took us 3 hours 45 minutes - the scenery was very nice though but driving at 10 miles an hour does get frustrating.

The camp site we have chosen is great, only 400 metres from the sea and less to the hub of the town. Cavalaire sur Mer has a huge marina with not many empty berths.  

This weekend Cavalaire was the host to the Jet Ski Formula 1 Grand Prix It was quite impressive to see a start of some 50 high powered jet skis roar off.                                                                                           

The downside of all this was that they closed the beach where we used to go for a dip and sunbathe, but there are lots of other lovely spots and the camp site has a lovely pool.                                                   

The scenery along this part of the coast is beautiful. We found this spot on one of our wanderings and planned to go back to have a picnic there but somehow that never materialised.                                  

Although Cavalaire is quite expensive, the camp site fees were very reasonable and we were pleasantly surprised to find that they offered free Wi Fi and we nicknamed this spot 'Silver Surfer's City'. 

On Saturday night we went down to the marina as we had seen posters saying there was an open air concert (free). It was a young French singer and her band and she was very good. Not wanting to seem out of touch with the pop world Harry said she was the French version of Lily Allen (not sure he knows who she is either) but with his flowing long locks he certainly looks the part of the aging rocker!                          

We are moving on again tomorrow near Toulon where, just by coincidence Johnny Wilkinson now plays his rugby. I wonder why this location has been chosen! Harry is hoping there will be a home match on Saturday.                                                                                                                                                   

So until next week bye from us both xxx

PS We can confirm that it does rain in the south of France!                                                                          

La Colle sur Loup - France

 Here we are in the south of France - Cote d'Azur to be precise, the millionaire's playground. Haven't seen any millionaires yet, only their toys! 

La Colle sur Loup is a lovely little village approx 20 km west of Nice with some delightful properties. Of course Harry can often be found looking in the estate agent's window for that dream villa. There are lots of them around, unfortunately they have too many 000s attached to the price. As in all French villages there is a rather good boulangerie / patisserie where we buy our bread and the occasional cakes (they are too hard to resist and very yummy).

Our route to the village takes us past a workshop where 2 sculptors, working in stone,  have been working diligently all week on 2 sculptures - amazing to watch and we always get a warm greeting.

Being so close to Nice a visit was inevitable. so inevitable in fact we went twice. With a bus fare of 1 Euro each and buses every 20 minutes it seemed silly not to. On our first visit we went down to the marina to marvel at the boats. All shapes and sizes, some very, very big - some tiny in comparison. 

From there we climbed up to the Parc du Chateau, an ascent of 92 metres (by steps) - we could have got the lift but hey where's the fun in that!  The Parc has several terraces from where you get a wonderful panaramic view of Nice including the Promenade d'Anglais and the Bay of Angels. 

We explored the old town (Vieux Nice) with all it's narrow alleyways and interesting shops. Then stopped for lunch in a little square next to the fountain of Saint Claire and enjoyed traditional French cuisine washed down with a bottle of the local wine.

On our second visit to Nice we ventured along the Promenade d'Anglais and visited the more modern parts of Nice including the fountains and parks.

This carousal, built in 1900, is one of the finest we have ever seen and it was good to see the children enjoying the rides.                                                                                                                           

Quite near to the camp site is a National Park where we spent an enjoyable afternoon walking through the gorge. There were lots of climbing routes on the rocks with a couple of climbers trying to scramble up a 6c route. I don't suppose our presence helped any, they didn't come off though! There were lots of deep pools in the river to take a dip. All in all  it was a very nice area.                                                                         

On Sunday, in the village of La Colle sur Loup, there was an event showing traditional crafts of a bygone era so, camera in hand, off we went. Everything from lace making, jam making, a blacksmith shoeing a horse, cheeses and smoked meats galore, soaps, cakes - you name it, it was there. Someone had even set up a still and it was bubbling away merrily! A lot of the locals had dressed up for the occasion and there was a great atmosphere. We took lots more photos - here are just a few. 

So tomorrow we move on again, a small place west of St Tropez - so until next week.

Au revoir from  Kath

and a worn out Harry! xxxx

Ceriale- Italy

Hi - this week finds us at a place called Ceriale. No particular reason apart from the fact it was a convenient place to stop en route to the south of France. We are west of Genoa and 1.5 kms from the sea, so within stiking distance of swimming in the warm waters of the Med. We are also back using ACSI sites now as the high season is all but over and ACSI have really good rates and offers out of season.

The town of Ceriale is within easy walking distance and has a nice promenade along the sea front where we can enjoy an evening stroll and stop for a Spritze before dinner. It's still very warm during the day and much time is spent either at the camp swimming pool or on the beach. 

One day we went walk a bout (as we often do) to Peagna, a neighbouring village up in the hills. It took us on a circullar route for approz 3.5 hours. We love these little villages where time seems to stand still. 

Needless to say, we have found a great little cafe where we pop in and have cappucino and pastries en route to or from town. The owner sees us coming and calls "Due cappuccini?" We sit outside on the pavement and yes you've guessed it - watch the antics of the Italian drivers!

We have been pleasantly surprised by Ceriale and it has been a nice ending to our stay in Italy - 14 weeks in total and we have only scratched the surface.

So, until next week when we hope to be in France, just outside of Nice.

Lots of love,

Harry and Kath xxx