Not long returned from a 6 week trip to France. My latest blog can be seen here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/french_leave.html
David
David
French Leave, my latest Blog
- Thread starter DavidKlyne
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Hi David
I have just read your blog, which was interesting. It would be hard to comment here on the content which was long and detailed but I can see that it could be food for a very long chat should we ever meet up on a campsite!
Funnily enough we were in the Dordogne area in September and our paths could well have crossed in Sarlat. I was interested in your comments in your final paragraph where you said you were unsure about a second trip at this time of year in future. Well we felt that we would like a change this year, and since we only had two weeks available we decided to leave the caravan at home and rent an appartment. This was very successful and probably cost less overall. We did the whole journey on less than one tank of diesel each way from Calais and had a very easy journey on the autoroutes with only one stop each way. The tolls were only about £25 each way, using the route via Rouen, Dreux, Evreux, Chartres, Orleans.
Just one comment about your blog - I would like to have seen captions under the pictures as I was not always sure what I was looking at.
Regards
This doesn't mean we have gone off caravanning - it just made a nice change for a shorter break, as we all know that caravans make greater financial sense on longer holidays.
I have just read your blog, which was interesting. It would be hard to comment here on the content which was long and detailed but I can see that it could be food for a very long chat should we ever meet up on a campsite!
Funnily enough we were in the Dordogne area in September and our paths could well have crossed in Sarlat. I was interested in your comments in your final paragraph where you said you were unsure about a second trip at this time of year in future. Well we felt that we would like a change this year, and since we only had two weeks available we decided to leave the caravan at home and rent an appartment. This was very successful and probably cost less overall. We did the whole journey on less than one tank of diesel each way from Calais and had a very easy journey on the autoroutes with only one stop each way. The tolls were only about £25 each way, using the route via Rouen, Dreux, Evreux, Chartres, Orleans.
Just one comment about your blog - I would like to have seen captions under the pictures as I was not always sure what I was looking at.
Regards
This doesn't mean we have gone off caravanning - it just made a nice change for a shorter break, as we all know that caravans make greater financial sense on longer holidays.
Thank you David. I thoroughly enjoyed your blog, as we had done part of your trip about ten years ago.
Like you, we visited Oradur sur Glane, but we could bring ourselves to walk through the cemetery, it was just too harrowing.I think that everybody should visit the site at some time, and all world leaders should be made to spend a night there!
Would you agree with me, however, that it is wrongly named? Surely martyrs died willingly for their cause?
I look forward to your next trip.Ours will be next April-June, probably Germany and Czech Republic.
Like you, we visited Oradur sur Glane, but we could bring ourselves to walk through the cemetery, it was just too harrowing.I think that everybody should visit the site at some time, and all world leaders should be made to spend a night there!
Would you agree with me, however, that it is wrongly named? Surely martyrs died willingly for their cause?
I look forward to your next trip.Ours will be next April-June, probably Germany and Czech Republic.
Thank you David, I really enjoyed reading your report of your trip. We've covered some of the same ground, so I laughed out loud when I read your comment about not having found the ideal South of France campsite yet ! My wife and I have been trying to do that since 1986, so if you ever do find that mythical beast we would be very interested in hearing about it !
On a more serious note, your comments about Oradour sur Glane are very thought provoking. I can't believe the number of times we've travelled through Limoges and had no idea we were nearby. Sadly I recognise the feeling you describe of your horror in seeing the lack of respect shown by some visitors to this place. Perhaps I'm getting old too !
Regards
Tony
On a more serious note, your comments about Oradour sur Glane are very thought provoking. I can't believe the number of times we've travelled through Limoges and had no idea we were nearby. Sadly I recognise the feeling you describe of your horror in seeing the lack of respect shown by some visitors to this place. Perhaps I'm getting old too !
Regards
Tony
Like you, I have visited Oradur sur Glane and found the experience very moving.
As for the way people dress, I think good taste and respect are a thing of the past.
When men enter cathedrals and churches wearing shorts and Baseball caps and women wear bikini tops and the church authorities just take the "entrance fee" and say nothing, then I think all decency has gone.
2 years ago while travelling down the eastern side of France I visited a museum dedicated to the French Resistance.
I am not known for my sympathetic nature, but I must admit It brought tears to my eyes when I read some of the personal letters of those who were tortured and executed by the Nazis.
Steve w
As for the way people dress, I think good taste and respect are a thing of the past.
When men enter cathedrals and churches wearing shorts and Baseball caps and women wear bikini tops and the church authorities just take the "entrance fee" and say nothing, then I think all decency has gone.
2 years ago while travelling down the eastern side of France I visited a museum dedicated to the French Resistance.
I am not known for my sympathetic nature, but I must admit It brought tears to my eyes when I read some of the personal letters of those who were tortured and executed by the Nazis.
Steve w
Steve
It was some years ago but were were in Pisa and we visited the Duomo. Margaret was modestly dressed, including a scarf to cover her shoulders but that was not enough for the man on the door who had a long stick to poke people with. She had a little bare flesh showing on her arms above the elbow! I am sure its an age thing but the trouble was that the people concerned were not that much older than us!!!
BTW thanks everyone for the kind comments about the Blog.
David
It was some years ago but were were in Pisa and we visited the Duomo. Margaret was modestly dressed, including a scarf to cover her shoulders but that was not enough for the man on the door who had a long stick to poke people with. She had a little bare flesh showing on her arms above the elbow! I am sure its an age thing but the trouble was that the people concerned were not that much older than us!!!
BTW thanks everyone for the kind comments about the Blog.
David
Could not help having a smile at your observation that the caravan parking area in the Aire Bai de Somme was full of cars. We tried to use the parking area in late September on a wednesday afternoon, around 13.30, and found the area full.
I asked one of the 'Brits' parked there why he was using the caravan parking area when the adjacent car park area was empty; his response was that there was no benches to sit on to have there picnic in the car parking area! Looking around at some of the other cars that were parked, 4 of the drivers were asleep, 3 others were walking dogs.
I know that this parking area is very busy at peak holiday times but didn't expect it to be full of 'thoughtless people' in the middle of the week. I also noticed that the bulk of the cars that were parked up were 'Brits'.
Rather sad, not with standing, enjoyed your Blog!
I asked one of the 'Brits' parked there why he was using the caravan parking area when the adjacent car park area was empty; his response was that there was no benches to sit on to have there picnic in the car parking area! Looking around at some of the other cars that were parked, 4 of the drivers were asleep, 3 others were walking dogs.
I know that this parking area is very busy at peak holiday times but didn't expect it to be full of 'thoughtless people' in the middle of the week. I also noticed that the bulk of the cars that were parked up were 'Brits'.
Rather sad, not with standing, enjoyed your Blog!
Hi David
Your blog makes for a very interesting read, sorry that I have only just read it. There are a couple of sites that we also have been to, Camping Sainte Claire at Neufchatel which we found to be excellent and Camping de la Filature at Ebreuil which was, shall we say, not so excellent to the point that we only stayed one night, mainly because of the incredibly slow water flow on the taps. 10 minutes holding the button in for an aquaroll full is not much fun.
Your photos are quite stunning, the clarity is excellent. What camera do you use and what photo programme on your computer ? May I also ask, is it possible to put location captions against / on each photo. It would be great to know exactly where they were taken. Your first photo of the rock and restauant across the river has got me puzzled. As soon as I and my better half saw it we agreed that we had been there and sat and had lunch at about the same spot that the photo was taken from but for the life of us we can't remember just where it is. Please enlighten us.
Regards
JohnM
Your blog makes for a very interesting read, sorry that I have only just read it. There are a couple of sites that we also have been to, Camping Sainte Claire at Neufchatel which we found to be excellent and Camping de la Filature at Ebreuil which was, shall we say, not so excellent to the point that we only stayed one night, mainly because of the incredibly slow water flow on the taps. 10 minutes holding the button in for an aquaroll full is not much fun.
Your photos are quite stunning, the clarity is excellent. What camera do you use and what photo programme on your computer ? May I also ask, is it possible to put location captions against / on each photo. It would be great to know exactly where they were taken. Your first photo of the rock and restauant across the river has got me puzzled. As soon as I and my better half saw it we agreed that we had been there and sat and had lunch at about the same spot that the photo was taken from but for the life of us we can't remember just where it is. Please enlighten us.
Regards
JohnM
JohnJohnM said:
All my recent photographs, from 2011, have been taken on a Canon D500 DSLR. For quick editing for my website I use a wonderful free program called Irfanview. Given that its free it has a lot of excellent features. For more complex work I do have Photoshop Elements as well.
I have tended to avoid adding captions as I think they distyract from the photos, however the photos are always related to the text either above or below so hopefully it should not be too difficult to work out where they are, but thanks for the feedback and you are not the first to ask
David
Sorry I think the photo has been cropped a bit!
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