Chapter #20

Today is my final day,
again,
in Dunedin 
and I thought I'd better get cracking
and finish my French blog.

But I sit here today
and in all honesty
tears are slipping down my cheeks
as I think of the people of Paris,
and in fact of humanity in general.
What has become of this world,
what possesses people to act in such 
a senseless horrifically violent manner.
Why!!!
At the risk of sounding incredibly naive
what is so hard about accepting people
for who they are
and what they are...
live and let live.
What breeds such hatred and contempt
for others,
why such intolerance,
the complete and utter disregard for
innocent human lives,
destruction of families,
destruction of trust,
why!!!
I am so very very sad for what has happened,
and cannot begin to imagine the anguish and pain
that countless families must be suffering
right now.
Please please please,
this has to stop.

So...
that being said,
I'm just going to leave you with a few
pictures
of our final couple of days
in France...

...the beauty of autumn...

...pictures do not do justice to the

amazing colours...

...shutters :)...

...utterly charming villages perched on hilltops...

...incredible scenery
from high mountain passes...

...a field of sunshine...

...winding roads and breathtaking views...

...castle ruins...

...walnut groves...

...and the occasional very cute

little french car :)

My journey through France etc
was absolutely the most amazing
adventure yet:)
Just over 39,000 kilometres by air,
16,602 kilometres by car
42 camping grounds...

...10 countries,
1 tent...

...1 car
and countless memories.

Lost count of the number of mountains and hills
 I climbed,
the number of spectacular mountain passes
we drove over,
the rivers and lakes we passed by,
the mountain bike trails that were ridden,
the truly wonderful sunsets...

So many memories of the people we met,
so friendly and charming.
The villages I wandered through,
exploring the narrow alleys and laneways,
and the surprises you would find.
We did not follow the tourist route,
off the beaten track was our choice,
and what treasures we found.

Camping turned out to be much much more fun
than I expected...
though very occasionally there were
not so fun times:)
...like the time that I found a toad
in my side of the tent!!)
Closely followed by the biggest grass hoppery
type of "thing" the next night.
Urgghhh!

We were blessed with the best summer ever,
according to the locals the hottest
they could remember.
We soaked up the warmth and sunshine,
but sure sweated it out profusely
 when riding or walking.
But wow,
what a summer :)

I think I may have taken a gazillion photos
of shutters
and doors,
but why not?
They are fabulous :)

So,
my wonderful french adventure
was everything and more
than I could ever have hoped for.
I will never ever forget my summer in France:)
Thank you for coming along
and sharing the journey...
I truly hope that you find your way
to this most beautiful country
and discover the mountains and valleys,
the villages and beaches
like we did.

And one more thing I would like to say...
thanks Jake for wanting to travel with your Mum.
I loved every moment of our time on the road together,
and loved being your support crew :)
We have some pretty awesome memories:)

So there endeth the journey and
the adventure.
But,
the next is about to start:)
See you in a couple of weeks,
north of Dunedin :)

Jenny xx