Gobble Up Turkey

Tuesday 17th September

Anyone for Abseiling

The noise from aircraft was not as bad as expected and when we flung the curtains open to catch a glimpse of the new day we were amazed to find we missed out on the ‘sporting equipment’ in the room.

There it was not one but two self descending life lines and an anchor point, adjacent to a portable fire extinguisher. Seems you use them in case of an emergency (would much prefer the fire stair if it was an alternative). Just pop on the harness , anchor up and throw yourself out the window – mmm…. from the 10th floor. One would hope that there was enough rope – would hate to be hanging there like a marionette well short of the ground.

That aside it was a balmy morning and after a sumptuous breakfast with a melting pot of guests and air crew, where most  pilots looked no older than 16, it was onto the shuttle headed on another circuitous trip around the perimeter of the airport. Looks like the Korean version of Lando Norris from last night slept in and it was with a lot less haste.

With no luggage, other than a backpack, we were soon through and up into the Lounge. 

Was supposed to be a lazy and relaxing time in the Lounge but my Apple bag tag suggests my luggage is still in Sydney and Jane’s is here. 

Not much we could do other than hope it’s had  a conniption and the bag was snuggled up against Jane’s somewhere in Incheon.

Onboard it was the same excellent food and service albeit in a much older plane.

Decided to have the Korean version of lunch rather than Western option. It was yummy and I was politely reminded that the frozen white thing was not to wrap food in – it was a hand wipe.

I think I have found a new favourite dish with their lettuce wrap with special paste, vegetables and beef ribs.

It was washed down with a superb German 2018 Ice Wine- a gem for those blessed with a sweet palate.

Watched the latest Ghostbuster’s movie which was interspersed with more messages about typhoon generated turbulence. The next two movies (A Mothers Instinct and Dream Scenario ) were weird and to make matters worse the turbulence was upgraded to severe.  

When we finally did arrive it was just we two and another 3 Caucasians alighting the plane , with me still sweating about that bloody Apple  Tag – not a good look when walking through Customs. An exchange of a bit  Buena Sera with the officer and we were through. 

Was just a mere 13 hours to find out the answer to the puzzle – whizzing off the turntable in the first group was my bag.

Grabbed bags, fathomed out ticketing machine and jumped on board the Leonardo Express to Rome Termini. 

Within 5 minutes of arriving we were standing outside a metal roller shutter with what looked like graffiti emblazoned across it, but it was in fact the logo of our hotel.

A few frantic phone discussions with the owner, with the aid of a local shopkeeper,  resolved the issue  of ‘ no booking’ and we entered via an adjacent door and took the 2 person elevator to our floor. 

Room turned out to be quite pleasant and that’s all it needed to be with a flight change meaning we would be in it less than 10 hours.

We ditched our plans for dinner and walked the 2.5 Kms to the Trevi Fountain and along with hundreds of other tourists  cast our 3 coins into the fountain with the obligatory wish. 

At 10pm the area was packed with locals and tourists and the ristorantes and gelateria were standing room only. 

Our dinner was a cup of gelato from the renowned shop with 150 different flavours. Selected our 4 flavours and licked our way through the backstreets passing the Pantheon and a plethora of other sites as we trod the backstreets back home- some so dark and dingy you wondered whether we were headed in the right direction.

Back amongst the crowd near the Termini we found the hotel and flopped into bed for what was likely to be a fitful sleep – hoping the alarm would go off in the morning.

There endeth the arduous part of the journey to get here in Europe,. Now for the fun part, where legs will be our major form of transport.

September 16th 2024

In the Uber (barely big enough to fit our bags in back despite being an Uber X) at 615 and courtesy of the M4/M8 we were in the Terminal by 640.

Quick ticketing and Customs had us in the Duty Free in no time and then lounge for a quick bite to eat and opportunity to pick up a supply of Vegemite satchels for Europe.

Onboard amenities were good and staff very helpful. We certainly were not flying with the South Korean basketball team and two Caucasians of our stature certainly stood out. Pretty sure the crew was expecting a very ‘different ‘ Mr Lee.

Flew directly over home on the outward journey and it was one of the few times I didn’t curse the planes flying directly overhead.

Sydney sure looks great from above as you head north up the coast. We stayed with the coast all the way up.m before turning left over New Guinea.

I was concerned , but then pleasantly surprised, when the passenger next to me roused from a comalike state after we were airborne – thought she had died or experienced a medical episode the way she was slumped over.

Still unsure where we were staying overnight and the advice from cabin staff of ‘just pick any hotel when completing the Immigration Card’ created images of those idiots that get picked up on Border Patrol for incorrectly completing the form. 

Only time will tell when we present ourselves to Customs – can’t imagine time in a South Korean gaol would be much fun.

The lunch and dinner menu’s  were great. There was also a good selection of wines and other drinks.

Service was fabulous, polite, engaging and prompt. 

Bit of a limited film selection but I found a TV series called Riverdale which was a takeoff of Archie comic series. Think I got through 6 of 15 episodes.

Once we got over New Guinea  we were peppered with multiple ‘turbulence no service’ messages including one which mentioned ‘heavy and typhoon’. Must say it was bumpy but not frightening.

Coming into airport it was a real fairyland with the waterways crossed by extraordinarily long bridges choked with traffic. In the outskirts were 3-4 floodlit golf courses- little wonder golf clubs in Sydney are getting inundated with Korean members.

Passage through Customs was quick and a long walk from one end of terminal to the other had us at the kiosk to get picked up.

Ended up that our hotel was the one we guessed and wrote on customs declaration.

Airport Hotel was not a misnomer, it was a 20 minute  drive – sometimes at 108 in an 80 zone  and you can hear every plane that lands or takes off. Hoped there was a curfew but they were dashed when a little Google search showed they proudly open 24 hours a day.

Quick drink at the bar and it was that for the day, 14.5 hours door to door.

Tomorrow is a lunchtime flight to  Rome.

Well the practice pack is over and achieved the less than 20k load limit, so on Monday 16th September it’s off on the silver chicken to Seoul for a stopover and then onto Rome as the staging point for our 7 week odyssey.

From Rome it’s some acclimatising in Trieste and several days later it’s down to Slovenia to walk BELOW the Julian Alps ( a famous theatre for WW 1) finishing in Lake Bled.

With either tired or seasoned legs we will then head south – not walking- to Novigrad to start the walk across the Istrian Peninsula at the top of Croatia.

No rest for the wicked we will them embark on an island hopping exercise down the coast of Croatia ending up in Dubrovnik.

Post that it’s off to Italy to walk the coastal route of Puglia at the bottom of Italy, as well as spend some time in Matera and then Sorrento to have what my kids might term ‘a real holiday’.

All that should take us to the end of October and then home.

Sunday 5th and Monday 6th November 2023

Saigon and Home

Last day started with a very early rising, then breakfast where any plate or utensil that looked slightly finished with was swooped upon by the army of staff.

Checked out and left bags to collect later in the day, when we returned from our Mekong Tour. Made our way to the Opera House where at 800am there were 3 separate wedding groups having photos taken. Modesty does not seem the theme with wedding dresses, showing a bit of thigh seemed to be the theme.

Only 4 of us on the tour so we got plenty of dialogue with our guide. The trip to Mekong Delta took about 2 hours, with a pit stop half way. The traffic was again primarily bikes and the scenery lots of rice paddies.

Arrived at the port and onto a small boat to head to the first stop. Everyone had the “one size fits all” life jacket, which fitted well if you were a local. The river was brown, apparently from upstream sediment – would like to validate that fact, especially after pulling up at the wharf next to a bloated dead dog . Fact check 2- dead dogs are thrown into the river to free their spirits.

The river was full of similar boats to ours, ferrying the tourists around. There were plenty of other craft on a very big river, second biggest in Asia.

First island stop was to visit a village and taste some local food, honey products and listen to local music.

We also got a chance to see their outdoor kitchen, including the fuel stove- it was very basic, but effective.

We also had our chance to see how the groceries were bought home from the ‘supermarket’.

With the entertainment over it was time to wander through town and see how some of the local wealthy people lived. Their houses and the ones with the outdoor kitchen were very different. Every house had a little temple out front

Worked our way to the end of town and jumped aboard a Tuk Tuk for our visit to a ‘fancy’ restaurant. It was a bumpy ride on an ever narrowing road, which had us wondering whether we were being kidnapped rather than going to a restaurant.

My fears were soon allayed when we crossed a cocnut tree bridge and turned up to a set of huts in a little bit of paradise.

We had a terrific lunch with about 6 tasty different courses, washed down with a couple of local beers

Next it was off, in a very small sampan, down a narrow canal shrouded by cocnut palms. Had it been in NT you would have expected a crocodile to slither down the bank.

We also visited a coconut plantation where they made lots of yummy sweets and the famous snake wine.We tasted the coconut sweets , but passed on snake wine and opted for rice wine.

Back onto the bigger boat we headed down tne river passing a swag of fish farms where both fish and prawns are cultivated.

We docked and were soon back on the bus heading for Saigon. Interesting to note that most of the farms had cemetery plots adjacent to either houses or rice paddies. Trip back was a bit quicker than the outward journey and we were soon back at the hotel.

Thankfully we were able to grab a shower and change of clothes. Then headed upstairs to wile away a couple of hours before the trip to the airport. Enjoyed sipping G and T and a traditional afternoon storm over the river, with about 8 hang gliders providing some post storm entertainment. The river was abuzz with ferries and working ships.

The clock ticked around to 540 and we were off,with the cycle guard of honour, to the airport for a bout in the lounge and then another sleep deprived flight home, arriving about 940 in Sydney and completing another memorable overseas adventure.

The now normal expensive taxi home and after a few hours of unpacking both collapsed and slept till about 4 o’clock.

First task when out of the brain fog will be to work out the next journey

Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November

Paris to Saigon

The weather brightened a tad for our go home adventure to begin, but still cold enough for wind cheater and the Spurs beanie( getting most out of it while they are winning).

It seems crammed lift was just a start to the up close and personal day, with an overflow of guests in the breakfast room, a squeeze getting on the train and a delay getting through Security. Thank God someone decided to separate the Yanks and us for separate processing on Immigration line.

Found a very nice lounge to wile away a couple of hours. The peaceful ambiance was broken by an enormous argument from what seemed to be the kitchen. It went on for a good 20 minutes. On the way out a couple of embarrassed staff were discussing things with the Police.

On the plane which was on time and the great food and service couldn’t dull the senses enough to drop off to sleep. It was 11 and a bit hours sleep free before we landed in a hot and humid Hon Chi Min on Saturday morning.

For a change quickly through the arrival process and in a car for the ride to our riverside hotel.

Things have not changed much since our last stopover, with miraculous evasion skills by the local motor cyclists in ant like traffic. People carrying every possible thing on the back of their bikes and still managed to survive the merge. Record number of passengers was 5. In order from front of cycle it was 5 year old, Dad, 3 year old, Mum and baby on Mum’s back – seems they left the dog at home.

After 40 minutes we arrived at the Majestic Hotel – a real step back into the past. I think 5 people met and greeted us before we reached check-in.

Unfortunately room not available till 11, so we organised, through 3 very attentive staff, to store our bags and then walk the streets for a couple of hours.

We looked for the pick up spot at the Opeta House for tomorrow’s Mekong Tour and found it and 3 wedding groups at 930am – presumably it’s a great time for photos.

Got a bit of a sweat up walking the streets before returning to our hotel. Using Booking.com bonus points we had snagged an amazing Colonial Room in a 5 Star Hotel. The room had a view of the pool, wooden paneling, King sized bed and gold plated fittings in the bathroom. You didn’t need an amenities bag, every possible need was covered and once cleaned up you could climb into the silk dressing gown and slippers. It was totally unexpected and a real treat.

Both sleep deprived travellers pinched an afternoon nap before meeting our guide and doing a walking tour – Street Food style.

With a million other people we travelled the back streets of Saigon eating with the locals. The food was sensational, even if it meant sitting on some chairs fit for kindergarten kids.

At least 95% of the food was identifiable and we punted on the rest being fit for human consumption.

For nigh on 3 hours we wandered through back alleys full of 5 level houses 1 room wide. Many were chock a block full of families dining on the floor on the ground level. There was also a bunch of boozed up Karaoke singers, including a group involved in a funeral wake .

Glad the guide knew where we were as we seemed to walk around in ever diminishing circles. Saturday night is certainly party night and there is only one way to get there – on your motor cycle. Our taxi ride home certainly involved a lot of “finding the alternate route”. It took us at least double the time of the outward journey.
We were not the only ones taking shortcuts, a conga line of bikes were driving along the footpath right outside the hotel front door, as we tried to enter.

Flopped into bed, with an early alarm set to wake us for tomorrow’s Mekong adventure.

Thursday 3rd November 2023

Orleans to Paris

The start of the long journey home started on a very windy day, courtesy of the massive storm coming across Europe – some parts hit with 160 kph gusts.

A midday train trip sitting in first class by mistake was full of interest. The troop of ticket inspectors marching up and down the aisle nabbed the usual fare evaders, who foolishly thought sitting in first class might have bought them a ride free card.

Outside the fields were full of windmills , power poles and a viaduct- like structure which went for about 20 Km’s. It was apparently a test track for a hover train back in70’s that never materialized and has just been abandoned.

It was a pretty quick trip to Paris into Austerlitz station that is undergoing major reconstruction. It caused a bit of havoc trying to find the connecting underground.

Worked out ok eventually and we found our hotel between Notre Dame, which is still under repairs after the fire, and the Sorbonne in Boulevard St Michel- we could have been walking a song from the 60’s by Peter Sarstedt.

Hotel was nice and had a lift just like most showers over here- no room to drop the soap.

Heard from hotel owner that airport train line was blocked, so did a trip to station to work out plans for tomorrow in case he was right.

Walk turned out to be a nice way to revisit some of the places we saw last time , as well as give you a look at Notre Dame, Seine and it’s boats, plus a distant view of the Eiffel Tower. It also allayed our fears , as it was only scheduled evening maintenance not a full line closure.

The streets were abuzz with police cars and ambulances , but nothing in news to say why.

The weather worsened so we ducked for cover and had a quick drink before heading out to our final dinner. Finally Jane managed to get her French Onion soup, in a restaurant where you needed a pension card to get a job on the wait staff.

Bar Manager was obviously best job, he must have had 3 glasses of wine whilst we were there.

Wednesday 1st November

Orleans

No after effects of Halloween after plenty of kids,decked out in great costumes, roamed the square outside our door.

On a Public Holiday in Orleans it was not a very pleasant welcome with cold rainy weather and more predicted to come. Sat around waiting for our taxi to the golf course and it didn’t arrive at 10. A frantic call to B and B owner ,who supposedly organised it the night before, and he reorganized one which arrived about 1030- with us having an 11 o’clock hitoff.

Taxis know how to charge here with a 15€ booking fee and an 8 km trip adding another 30€

Golf course at Limerie looked as though it was previously part of a huge hotel complex, but it’s now a private course, open to the public.

Rain had not abated so we decided to add a cart to the clubs, balls, gloves and tees . Use of the cart was under strict instructions to stay on path or in the rough.

After the course had been scarified recently, including some reseeding plus not being mown, there was difficulty trying to determine fairways from the rough. Depending on how you saw it we were never off the fairway- then again scores might belie that belief. The greens had also been cored.

That said it was a lovely layout, with 5 different tee markers and all holes lined by trees, with the back section in a forest and one hole having more water than grass. The course was originally constructed by US. soldiers after WW2- with some claim that Arnold Palmer was involved.

The rain was only light for most of the day but it was slippery under foot.- no more evident than when Jane did an acrobatic exit from one tee and became covered in mud and water, plus giving the ankle and knee a tweak.

There was also an island green on the last hole. As is fate with golf I hit my best drive then dunked a simple chip into the drink . Jane hit a couple of short shots then her trusty 7 iron onto the green.

Rain pelted down on the last and we scuttled off for a drink and in search of a calculator to check the scores. Think we both doffed our hats for the 100 well short of the last hole.

That said on one Par 3 we both nearly chipped in for birdies.

It wasn’t sparkling golf but it was enjoyable.

Decided to catch the tram home, which included a 20 minute walk to the station. We ended up passing the practice range where all balls were aimed into the lake. Not sure how they were collected.

Found our way home, dried out, washed the clothes, then taped Jane up for a walk to the City to try and find a restaurant open on a PH.

It was a bit easier than expected and meal was good, as were the Aperol, beer and Irish Coffee.

Walked home over the bridge and were accompanied by a very drunk scooter rider travelling on the wrong side of road and on the tram tracks. Within 100 metres he fell off twice, once in front of a car.

Somehow he survived and went down a side street near us and disappeared.

A bit of a crazy end to our second last night in Europe. Tomorrow it’s off to Paris and then Friday on the plane to Vietnam.

Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st October 2023

Rocamadour to Orleans

Up before the sun, bells and sparrows to get ready to start another transition day. We tried unsuccessfully to book an early breakfast, which when we went to bed last night was what we agreed.

Arrived in reception to head off to get our taxi and the on-duty staff member said ‘ are you not having breakfast?”. Trying to explain the previous nights arrangements fell on deaf ears and they billed us for a no show.

With a 3 kilometer taxi to the station costing 40€ it was an expensive start to the day. Still can’t fathom how the Tourist Office thought you could walk there with all your luggage.

We wound our way out of Rocamadour and headed to the station where we were the only cold souls on a railway station where you crossed the tracks to get to the right platform.

Our 2 carriage 757am train arrived on time and it was packed. A 40 minute ride through the valley had us in the beautiful town of Brive. Jumped off and found a breakfast spot whilst waiting for 2nd leg of the journey. Thankfully most of the larger stations have elevators making luggage transport a breeze.

The 14 carriage train on its way to Paris arrived and we were soon in our very comfortable seats ready for the 2.5 hour journey. The French do railway travel marvellously.

The trip ran though mostly farmlands, with the occasional whistle stop station. The mid Pyrenees were still evident with the gently rolling hills and then the occasional big bump and limestone cliffs. There had been plenty of rain and the rivers and streams were flowing quickly.

Covid has delivered two things to Europe – a great lift in tourists and a bigger lift in the population of kids under 2- there are families with 1 and 2 little tackers in prams or being carried around in various sorts of harnesses and contraptions all over the place.

Two little fellows next to us were marvellously behaved all the way , listening intently to Mum’s reading, playing games and building Lego. Seems both kids and dogs are well behaved here.

Vierzon was the next stop and it was the opposite to Brive , dull, grubby and lifeless. It probably reflects the fact it was a big industrial area before WW2 and was completely razed by both sides. Not much imagination had gone into its rebuild.

Not good news on the next train connection to Orléans , train was 30 minutes late and with not much protection it was a cold wait.

Another trip on a two carriage local train which stopped at around 6 tiny towns where hardly a soul got on or off.

Arrived in Orléans – made famous by Joan of Arc in 1400’s – in cold and drizzly weather and managed to catch a tram across the Loire River with its main stream and an even wider flood plain making it one hell of a river.

Little Miss Maps soon had us out in the burbs looking for our red and white fronted Air B and B “apartment superior’. Pretty sure it was self rated.

Found it but no host and his Lebanese restaurant next door had closed for the day. Thankfully , we rang and he was able to guide us how to get in- the old key is above the door trick.

Compact, but comfortable, is probably best description. One bonus a washing machine and chance to give the walking gear a good wash. It was a good wash indeed because instead of 315 being the time of day on the machine it was length of the cycle.

We unpacked and then headed off for a walk around the new part of town. It was full of high rise apartments, courtesy of the population growth and fact it had 20000 university students looking for digs.

Walk took us a little longer than expected and with impending darkness and rain upon us we sought refuge in a Tabac which is somewhere between a bar and a lottery outlet. The place was full of characters and the beer was fine.

Walked home just in time to strategically hang the washing around the room before heading into the old city across the same bridge the tram had travelled earlier.

The bridge was busy with joggers and the odd fisherman heading off to try their luck,

Being a Monday the town was quiet and many of the bars and restaurants closed. After some grocery shopping we managed to find one and enjoy another meal which can only be another picket in the fence of fatness being built post the finish of walking.

Could not dodge the rain on the way home and by the time we arrived home ended up like the clothes hanging around the room – damp and lifeless.

Day 2 of Orleans

Awoke to a little brighter weather and morning started with a dash across the square to the bakery to collect breakfast and come back to a coffee not topped with Chantilly cream. I am sure France has the world supply of cream dispensers.

Saw our owner on the way out and made arrangements for dinner at his place in the evening.

A bit of a drier walk back into the Old City aimed at the Tourist Office. The main target was to get a map and see if we could get a game of golf tomorrow. Both missions successful, just got to hope weather holds up between 11-3 tomorrow.

First port of call was the main square where the Joan of Arc statue held prize position . She and her steed shared it with several other steeds – two pulling a wagon and a plethora on tne merry- go- round. Could this be Jane’s last chance to fulfill that childhood ambition and ride a horse that went up and down? . Not today at least as it was inactive and by observation just getting onto one might be a feat in itself.

Next it was off to the former Town Hall. What an amazing building, still furnished in period style , but now only used for civil functions and weddings. The degradable confetti love hearts down the front stairs confirmed that latter fact.

Some of the walls were decorated in what looked like wall paper, but they were actually perfectly symmetrical paint jobs. Each Mayors name is painted on a wall at the end of their term.

Just out the front was an impromptu Halloween decoration in time for tonight’s celebration. Apparently 20 odd local suburbs do the same each year.

Next we were off to the Cathedral with its 3 spires and lots of scaffolding helping them with the 15M€ restoration currently underway. Will be slow work if it is just the one bloke we saw dangling from a rope. Must say the sandblasting is very obvious on the walls already treated.

Inside was what you would expect in a European building , the biggest in CentralFrance. Marvellous architecture, sculptures, paintings, stained glass and of course a huge pipe organ. It was nigh on 130 metres long and 30 metres high. The size of the front door gave an idea of its scale. It even had a scaled model and a map to guide you to all the mini chapels.

Think we found the first edition of the Pope mobile – a little hand carried shade arrangement.

Outside the cathedral were 3 odd sculptures which belonged to the Modern Arts Museum over the road- seemed a weird place to put them.

Did a bit more wandering around, along with shopping and then off to lunch.

Had a couple of hours roaming around the Old City with its great architecture, narrow streets and all presented in a very neat and tidy way- some cities just seem to care that much more.

The rain managed to get us just as we headed home across the bridge. We saw the owner who confirmed dinner and the fact that taxi was booked to take us to golf tomorrow.

A quick pre- dinner drink lead to a takeaway dinner and an unsuccessful fight with the two remotes to get some entertainment. So a night of browsing the internet looking for the next holiday was the pre-sleep routine.

Sunday 29th October 2023

Rocamadour

Woke up with a slight time dilemma, due to us not realising DLS was over and the clocks had gone back an hour, so we were an hour early for breakfast.

Nobody could complain about what was on offer at the breakfast buffet, it had all nations covered. With no walking planned I tried to be a bit circumspect with food intake – I thought not having a croissant was a suitable sacrifice.

After breakfast we headed downhill to follow the Pilgrims route out of town and take in the scenery.

It was another neck craning exercise looking up the hill to the chateau and sanctuary where again you got a different perspective. It was the same on the other side where the road which climbed the mountain was supported by viaduct looking structures.

The bottom of valley was home to an old mill and an artisan’s home who dabbled with steel sculptures.

Along the Camino trail was the famous fountain, which was used by ancient Pilgrims for drinking and bathing. It was a whole lot bigger than expected.

Whilst we thought the trail might follow the valley floor, within 300 metres it was climbing steeply up the mountain, so in our sneakers we decided to retreat to tourist duties.

Getting back into town was a bit easier and I don’t think a shop went unvisited, as the crowd started to thicken.

Another walk halfway up to the church to buy a souvenir for home, which hopefully fits in the case and survives the baggage handler shot put.

Ventured up further for more pictures in church, but it was closed for mass, so it was down and more Main Street shopping or at least looking and some photo snapping.

We had an early lunch and then headed to the top of the hill to research where train station was, after mixed reports of being able to walk or alternatively catch a cab for about 3kms and for around 40€.

Irrespective of the distance, the first 1km up hill with luggage and a backpack , proved it was a hill too far to consider, so organising a taxi later was the obvious decision.

Being at the top we decided to try and find the animal park where they are working on a program to grow the dwindling population of the Barbary macaques.

It was another kilometre out of town, but the walk was really worthwhile. It was one of the few zoo type places I walked away from not feeling sorry for the animals – it was marvellously managed and had acres of space.

It was an up close and personal experience with animals roaming about uncaged and within touching distance. That said you were under strict instruction not to touch.

Unlike monkeys they have no tail, but there behaviour is very similar. There was a mix of fully grown and babies, interestingly the males look after the young. It wasn’t unusual to see two adults nurturing a young one.

The young are just like kids, climbmg up trees, performing death defying leaps and teasing the hell out of each other.

We saw two separate feeding sessions and there was some fierce competition for the fruit, vegetables and grain on offer. How they differentiate between pebbles and pieces of grain is baffling.

The park is huge and there is a tall boundary fence to keep them in – with how they are treated it’s hard to imagine them wanting to escape.

On the way out we struck a few giving themselves and a mate a good going over looking for lice, which is apparently a favourite food.

After a couple of hours wandering around we headed off back home taking the high road back and getting a different perspective of town as the sun started to go down.

It being Sunday and last day of the school holidays, the crowds thinned quickly and the shops were quickly preparing for a winter break.

By 700 there were very few people and only 3 eating oportunities. By the time we finished dinner and wandered home we had the streets to ourselves with only the floodlit hillside as a companion.

Back home we confirmed our 720am taxi for the morning , with a cost of between 30€- 50€ , depending on what rate he wanted to charge. Also got news our friendly desk man had not been able to negotiate an early breakfast – given our recent food intake a missed meal will be good for us.

Packed up ready for a 3 train trip to Orleans as we get into our last week in France.

Friday 27th and Saturday 28th October 2023

Souilliac and Cabes then Rocamadour

Well the laziness didn’t take long to settle in after stopping the walking and the body seemed to know, as a sudden wave of lethargy swept over me.

Thankfully first day of tourism 101 imvolved a late breakfast then a 40 minute drive to some replication of 20,000 year old caves at Lacaveau.

From a brief explanation in the brochure the 100 km strip of mountains in the region is a speiliologists dream with a mass of caves and attefacts

Went through some magnificent territory on the way, again with several majestic chateau’s. Unlike foot travel it was difficult to snap a photo out of a moving car.

The cave experience was interesting with the guide having a very rich imagination in his interpretation of the hundreds of wall and ceiling paintings . They were done by the local inhabitants who shared their lives with 6 metre long cave lions, reindeer , cows and long backed horses, who all featured prominently in paintings.

There were many moments where blank faces were the order of the day, as he went through his patter.

Unfortunately, an embargo on photos meant it was not an experience to be shared without paying the freight.

Historically enriched we headed to town for lunch, ducking under awnings as the rain started. Found a nice place with the Steptoe and Son escapee next to us,sucking on his mussel shells , enough for Jane to say ‘ I will have what he is having’.

When it did arrive he seemed to vicariously enjoy it again,watching Jane’s every mouthful through the glass divide.

I was completely satisfied with my burger and beer.

The rain worsened and we were sodden getting back to our pick up point. We huddled under a wooden structure for 15 minutes before our transport guy picked us up and dropped us back home in the late afternoon.

Had another wander around town taking in the highlights, as well as knocking into 3 young blokes smoking a bong in a tree covered family nature reserve. Was not sure whether to say “ Hi or High”.

The town with its big austere church, white limestone houses, babbling brook and a mix of derelict and well preserved houses had a different vibe to many towns visited previously.

Dined again in our hotel, with food of the usual high standard and mine host Mrs Fawlty fully in charge. The poor trainee waiter was having a hell of a night under her watchful eye – unable to remove the wine bottle wrapping, spilling wine when pouring, knocking over menu when delivering food and forgetting the soup spoon. Hopefully our supporting smiles helped.

Day 2 was another late start followed by a 20 odd km drive through winding mountain roads passing more chateaus and riverside Michelin Star restaurants before reaching what is now my favourite town on tour – Rocamadour.

The town is built into a mountainside from tne valley floor to the Chateau at the top of the hill. It is accessed via a narrow tunnel and then a winding road to the village. Once there it’s all one way traffic loops and foot travel is the norm.

There is no parking in town and you would love to have the parking franchise, there must be more than a dozen at the top, plus valley roadside spots.

it’s another place where a thousand photos could not do it justice. I remember when doing a walk from Lyon about 10 years ago I was going to divert here, but pushed on, thankfully I chose to revisit.

Our hotel was a beautifully converted old medieval home looking across the valley.

Could not wait to get out and explore this three level town where you either tread the stairs or take the lift – we chose the former and worked our way through the Old Town, up to the sanctuary/church and then the chateau.

Each area was great and provided some wonderful photo opportunities, if you could avoid the throng of tourists.

Some interesting shops including a Lolly shop with a ‘treats tree’, a shop specialising in swords and knives and an ice cream shop with unusual flavors.

The church is f great significance to pilgrims and many visit here when doing the Way of St James. The devout follow an ancient tradition of going up the 216 stairs on hands and knees. Whilst we walked, there were times when the ancient method was appealing.

The church is famous for its symmetrical organ and the carved wooden Black Madonna.

The church is on the centre level and it’s another steep ascent to the chatuea, which is privately owned and lived in. The trip up followed the 13 Stations of The Cross ,for those religiously literate, finishing at the tomb of St Amadour after whom the town is named.

The surrounding ramparts are open to the public for a fee. We both paid and scuttled our way up a couple of very steep stairways taking fleeting glances into the chateau’s backyard. Whilst the sights were great it was with great trepidation we headed down, as we both lived our repeating dream of getting stuck at the top of a high ladder.

Must say we both sighed with relief at the bottom.

We made a contribution to the renovation fund by buying a pin and hammering it into a ‘thank you’pole.

We chose to walk the top road on the way back and stop for lunch at the Belvedere Hotel. Great view and found a new delightful beer Xmas beer- unfortunately waiter could not explain the origin of the name.

Thankfully it was a steep downhill run into town and we passed many puffing tourists heading up the hill to collect their cars. Think the street sign said it all about navigating your way around town.

Back in through the gates with the crowd growing to do some more town touring before a siesta.

Dinner was in our hotel restaurant which kept up the great food trend and gave us a chance to try a new aperitif and the famous Black Wine of the region.

I managed to snap a couple of night shots of town after dinner and looking for the sunset money shot if weather holds tomorrow.

With no bars etc showing the RWC (French have totally lost interest) we headed home to watch the officials spoil yet another game of football through over zealous tule interpretation and gift the game to South Africa- NZ was gallant in defeat.

Just one more day here and then off to Orleans , home of Joan D’ Arc, to celebrate Halloween.