Chapter #3

...starts in Briancon.

I spent a couple of days in this lovely city

last year

and was excited to be coming back.

It's high up in the mountains,

gets super hot during the day,

but cools down at night.

We are camping in a lovely ground,

called "5 Vallees".

As it is not yet the high season,

there are not many other campers,

though I am surprised

 at how many motorcylists

 pull in each night.

It is lovely to camp under the trees,

for shade in the afternoon when it really does get

very hot.

And in the morning

the camp shop supplies freshly baked 

baguette and croissants.

I make coffee,

and sit in the early morning sunshine

indulging in a leisurely breakfast.

Something quite new to me :)

The old historic part of the city

is an absolute treasure.

I spent an afternoon exploring

every nook and cranny.

I have to stop myself sometimes

from taking way too many photos.

There are so many images that I want to capture.

...the colours
 of the houses and shutters
fascinates me...

...the highlight of my time in Briancon

was without doubt

my walk up into the hills

to Lac L'orceyrette.

Simply stunning...

took my breath away.

...wildflowers in abundance...

...little villages along the way...

...and hillsides just so incredibly beautiful...

We managed to get the bike sorted

in Briancon

and it was on the road again

to the next race.

Over the mountains,

through some of the most spectacular scenery

I've ever seen,

though I have a feeling

I will be saying that over and over again

on this journey:)

...destination Colmars,

for Jake's next race up in the mountains

of Val d'Allos, 

just a few miles up the road.

We camped in another absolutely

delightful camping ground

by the river...

...and the next day I spent quite a few hours

exploring the tiny village of Colmars,

the heart of which

is a walled olde city...

pure bliss to wander around

and quite mind boggling when you realise

that parts of the city

date back to the 16th century!!

...especially when quite by accident

I happened to find

a wonderful little haberdashery:)

 In the afternoon I climbed up into the hills

behind the village

and was treated to more

spectacular views...

The following day was race day...
a tough day considering the circumstances
but he slogged it out and completed it,
however not one of his better results.
The ups and downs of the sport
and on the ''off'' days
we look for positives:)

Next stop would be Sanremo...
See you there :)
Jenny

Chapter #2

A twist in the tale,

so soon :)

Training mishap on day two

saw Jake and a tree go head to head -

and the tree won!

Sadly for him,

one badly mashed up ankle,

and a broken bike.
We are working on repair of both
ankle and bike!?!

I am hoping that this means

all the bad luck

that can go hand in hand

with his sport of choice,

is done and dusted in week one :)

On the brighter side of things,
there has been lots of time to explore

the scenic beauty of Andorra.

It is lush and green and beautiful.
 Wildflowers in abundance...

...and the occasional

tiny little wild strawberry....

...beautiful forests to enjoy...

...hills to climb...

...mountain lakes hidden away from view

until you come over a ridge,

and there before your eyes...

...and way up there are a

whole new batch of

different wildflowers...

...daffodils - masses of them:)...

We were staying in the township

of La Masana...

...fell in love with 

this bell tower in the 

centre of the town...

... an afternoon exploring

the neighbouring village of Sispony,

in between showers :)

...wonderful old stone buildings...

So that was our week in Andorra,
with a slight change of itinerary for Jake :(!
But these things happen,
we have no control over the forces of
downhill and trees :)

We said goodbye to Andorra on Monday -
13 hours later we arrived in Briancon!
There endeth chapter #2 :)
See you
Jenny

Chapter #1

Where do I begin -

it's only been a week since we left,

but so much to tell.
Warning -
you might have to make a cuppa
to get you through to the end of this :)

First up -
a short stay in Lyon to collect supplies,
a car,
and some sleep -
then we hit the road.
Lac de Naussac was our first stop.
Absolutely beautiful setting for a camping ground,
just a few steps up the hill from the lake,
with a view to die for...

...and a truly spectacular sunset

for our first night on the road...

... I have a feeling we may have provided

some entertainment for fellow campers

that first night:)

Putting up our tent for the first time

 proved to be

 an exercise in grim determination

to master the fine art of 

reading and understanding instructions

that appeared to be somewhat

on the "confusing" side

of "easy to assemble"!!!

So...

the next day was my birthday :)

Never thought I would be spending it in France

again this year :)

Spent the morning exploring Langonge -

the beautiful village by Lac Naussac.

Walked the back road down to the village

past this view in the distance :)

...around the cobbled lanes of the Langogne...

...wandered up one little grassy one
that I'm not sure 

I should have been on

but it looked too lovely

not to go...

...and ended up back at the local market,

fossicking through, of all things, 

a haberdashery stall -

how amazing was that...

I bought some lace and buttons:)

( I know - such a surprise:))

But,

I also bought the best tasting cherries

in the world,

apricots that were sublime...

...and a jar of lavender honey.

Wonderful little stash of birthday treats.

The afternoon was a little lazy and relaxing,

it was almost too hot to move:)

It has taken a little bit of adjusting

to the temps over here,

coming from a southern winter

to summer days of between 30 and 40 degrees!!

The day finished with a spectacular electrical storm -

I thought it was big enough to be just a

 little bit scary!!

But I am reassured by Jake

that it was a baby storm.

There are much better storms to come,

he says...

Just cant wait for those :(

Leaving the next day,

heading for Andorra,

stopping along the way to explore

the charming village of

Sainte Enimie...

...could have spent hours there :)

Was reminded today of the tendency for 
some of the roads to be slightly
narrower than what we are used to back home.
Driving along an already skinny road,
there's a sign ahead that says
-road narrows-
and you think ... nooooo ???
how can that be so
 but yes indeed
it does get skinnier!
Feels like you actually have to 
"breathe in"
 to get past the lorry or bus that's coming
right at you!!!

Plans changed a little last night
and we pitched camp in Mazamet.
Just as well we really have very few plans :)

Explored the medieval town
of Hautpoul,
just a few miles away...
the tiniest of villages,
perched on the side of a mountain
with the most fabulous
recreation of 
a medieval garden...

 

...the pictures don't do it justice,
it was truly beautiful.

Another thunderstorm that night,
but thankfully far enough away that we only 
got to watch it.
Pretty happy about that as the lightening
was ferocious, 
striking every few minutes.

Yesterday we drove from Mazamet to Andorra
and whilst it's only a little over 300 kms,
it takes longer than you think 
due to two main factors -
those skinny windy roads through mountain passes
and
photo opportunities :)

We came across a field of wild poppies - 
somewhere on the back roads...

...this is one of those images

that I will never forget -

unbelievably magic in reality.

So we are now in Andorra,

base camp for the next week,

but under a solid roof instead of canvas.

Same gorgeous little villa 

we stayed in last year...

cute as a button...

and glad about the tin roof last night

because it was thunderstorm #3, 

but this one was right over head

and boy did it bucket down.

Gotta get used to these I reckon :)

Jake has his first race coming up

on the weekend,

so full training mode -

leaves me plenty of walking time and

that's exactly where I'm about to go 

when I finish up here :)

That's it for the first instalment,

it's been an awesome week.

See you

Jenny