France

The next main destination was a campsite in a gorge north-west of Antibes where we were meeting up with Marcello’s friends Mandy and Andy and their two daughters, but we decided to split up the journey and stop somewhere just over halfway. Having consulted the map and then possible campsites, we found a spot just past Lyon – seemingly the only campsite for miles. It was located in a village called Pélussin in a national park and the green hillside scenery was a nice taste of what lay ahead of us. Here, tipping our virtual hats to champagne, we enjoyed the Ruinart with some strawberries, followed by yet another fantastic camp meal of garlic prawns.

After taking advantage of the wifi the next morning, we continued our journey to the Grand Canyon du Verdon. Despite the journey being a tad tedious with a toll tunnel closing just as we reached it and parts being pretty slow going, it was certainly a rewarding one with views of the Alps all around us.

Despite our best intentions of arriving mid-afternoon, we finally hooked up with the Lee-Elliott’s around 7pm and after long-overdue greetings and new meetings set straight to firing up the braai. It was Mandy and Andy’s first camping trip with their girls Grace and Hannah, who settled into camping life with ease. It was certainly a nice setting for it, right in the valley and with a river flowing right next to us. And what better than toasting marshmallows over a fire with twigs you’ve searched out yourself.

Following a day of chilling around camp, catching up, reminiscing, and getting-to-know-yous, on our final day there we took a drive into the heart of the gorge to a beautiful blue lake. The water temperature was perfect – something that couldn’t be said for the river by the campsite – and we were enjoying being able to soak up the rays from that strange yellow thing in the sky that had been so elusive in England!

From here we continued down to Antibes to enjoy the hospitality of the Lee-Elliotts. They live in a lovely apartment with a big open terrace and communal swimming pool, so we were in for a treat. The next few days were very relaxing: catching up on the blog, photos and emails and the like; wandering around the old town; admiring the yachts in the marina (one of which Andy had been showing us pictures of the night before); messing around in the pool and playing with Grace and Hannah; and of course, eating good food, drinking nice wine and talking “kak” with Mandy and Andy. We also enjoyed a day at the beach, where Marcello and Andy kept themselves amused for hours with a ball and Frisbee – no Nintendo needed here!

On our final day in the area we took the train first to Monte Carlo and then back on ourselves to Cannes so that Karen, having not been to that part of the region before, could see a bit more of the Cote D’Azure and how the rich and famous roll. Monte Carlo in particular is extremely opulent as you can imagine. Although looking at some of the jewellery and watches in the windows of the shops in the main square is a great example of how money doesn’t buy you taste! We went for breakfast at the Cafe de Paris, but were very disappointed – at 60 euros you would expect something pretty good, but we could have had better at most local cafes. Also, we were tucked back in the restaurant so couldn’t people/car watch on the main terrace which is the main attraction (other than just to say you’ve been there). Learning point: skip the breakfast and opt for coffee or cocktails on the terrace and do your research into what else to do beyond the main square. It was nice just to have a wander and get a feel for both places though. And for Karen it was a chance to finally see where all the partners from Mills & Reeve went each March to get drunk, sorry network, with clients at MIPIM in Cannes!

And here ends the French part of our journey. Next stop Italy and to see another of Marcello’s friends Chris and his family near Lake Como. We can’t thank Mandy and Andy enough for their hospitality. It’s been great for Marcello to catch up with them after so long and laugh about days gone by and for Karen to meet them. As for Grace and Hannah; what lovely kids! We’ve certainly enjoyed swimming and diving/belly-flopping with them, playing I-spy, laughing at their stories and sayings and particularly the puppet show they put on for us all just before we said goodbye! We’ll miss you all.

Having waved goodbye to the white cliffs and England, our first stop on the other side was a “hypermarché”. Although amazingly for foreigners shopping in Calais there was no booze in our trolley. Travesty! I hear you cry, but with Charlie practically bursting at the seams already and the fact that we were on our way to Reims, we thought we’d wait for the good stuff.

Our first camping spot was in a small village called Val de Vesle, very close to where the Grand Cru grapes are grown. Once checked in, we headed to the village shop and were chuffed to find a bottle of champagne that was actually made in the village chilling in the fridge. So once we’d set up, we enjoyed a first meal of bubbles, steak and salad, with a bit of cheese to keep us going while the coals heated up. Nice!

The next morning we were greeted by the bread man, who announced his arrival with enthusiastic honking on his van’s horn. Fresh pain au chocolate and coffee for breakfast … who said camping had to be unsophisticated?! We then had a relaxed morning pottering about with just a few chores – the first morning like this for what seems like a long time! We’d pre-booked a champagne tour with a guide called Cris – recommended by the people of trip adviser. Not only did this mean having someone who knew their way around and could take us to some of the smaller champagne houses, it also meant someone else driving, so we wouldn’t have to pack everything up only to have to unpack it again a few hours later!

We shared the tour with two other couples, both from America, who’d taken a day trip from Paris. Cris first took us through a few of the villages close to where we were staying. We drove past fields upon fields of vines, each with a stone depicting which champagne house they belonged to: Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Tattinger, Bollinger, Pommery … the list goes on. Cris then explained to us in his broken English (much better than our French I hasten to add), the importance of the height of the vine (1m 20cm), the chalk, the natural growing process and so on. Next we went to Lemaire, one of the houses, to hear about the grape pressing, blending and fermentation process. And then onto the fun part! Here we tasted three of their blends. The Grand Cru, the Blanc de Blanc and the Grand Reserve – we all concluded that the Blanc de Blanc was the nicest and each made a purchase. Typically it was the most expensive of the three, but at €18.20 a bottle we weren’t exactly complaining. After the tasting we went to the resting place of the father of champagne, Dom Perignon, to pay our respects (and give thanks!). Then with another tasting under our belt, it was time for home. However, Cris, the ever-enthusiastic guide, took us on a little detour to drive us past the Cathedral, Basilica, Madam Pommery’s impressive estate, as well as the Ruinart cellars.

Although we didn’t always understand what Cris was trying to explain to us, we’d definitely recommend his tour as a way of seeing a bit more of the region and try out those smaller, but equally nice, producers of champagne. And at 60 we were very impressed to hear that after dropping us at the campsite his next task was to speed skate a mere 30km!

The next day (Wednesday) we packed up so we could head back into Reims and check out some of the sights. The cathedral, the Notre-Dame de Reims, was incredible. It was built around 1211 and is where previous kings of France were once crowned. The spires, sculptures (of which it has over 2,300) and stained-glass windows were awe-inspiring and what was really nice was that it wasn’t particularly crowded, so we could look around without constantly bumping into people. After this we went along to the Basilica, which is much older and far simpler than the cathedral. However, its simplicity has its own charm and there was a real air of peace there. We’d considered doing a tour of one of the big champagne houses to compare to the previous day’s visits, but time ran away with us, so we settled on buying a bottle of Ruinart to enjoy at our leisure (one of Marcello’s favourites, but that Karen hadn’t tried before).

This was to be our last night in the region as we had a long drive ahead of us the next day to head South. It was nice to start the trip off at a relaxed pace and it was very noticeable how much quieter everywhere seemed to be on this side of the pond. One thing is for sure, Charlie certainly draws attention and plenty of admirers. It makes camp life very sociable as people come to have a look around and share their travel stories. It’s always interesting to see other people’s set-up and what they’ve brought along to make their camping experience that little bit more enjoyable. Our favourite so far is the 1950s style caravan that seems to be particularly popular in the Netherlands (see the photo with the red and white striped blinds). So far no other Landies, but I’m sure Charlie will find some friends along the way.