Everyone is looking into the camera!View along the canal
In August we took the car ferry to France from Weymouth in south England to St Malo in Bretagne in France. We spent most of the month travelling in south France. From St Malo we went to nearby Cancale, the oyster capital, where in low tide the oyster banks offer wonderful oysters and the restaurants are full of them and other delicious creatures.
From Cancale we drove down to Moissac at the confluence of the rivers Tarn and Garonne. Moissac has a medieval abbey that we visited. From Moissac we boarded a canal boat, Easyvie, which we had chartered for a week. We made tours both on river Tarn and on the canals including an aqueduct crossing the river at one point. And every day we ventured out from the canals with our bikes with Eric either behind Mama in his seat or on a trailer behind Mama or me.
We left a week later at Montauban and took our car with all our bikes at the back and drove to Dordogne via a stop at the medieval village of Bruniquel. We arrived in Marnac, outside St Cyprien in Dordogne, where we had rented a gite, a small villa. As it was extremely hot, the swimming pool saved us during day time. But we were still biking quite a lot around the area and took longer car tours to places like Castelnaud and Sarlat.
Towards the end of August we returned to St Malo for our return voyage back to England.
The fairground in Cancale
Mikee has always enjoyed rides
The displays of seafood were tempting
This is really le capital d'huitre
Eric is trying to put back the menuthat he has succeeded in taking out
La Pointe de Grouin, north of Cancale at sunset. We came back here for a second visitN on our return journey.
We arrived in Moissac and boarded the peniche - canal boat - that would be our home for more than a week
In the evening the Moissac Bridge looked spectacular
The next morning we went shopping in Moissac
Mikee and Eric are enjoying what they found at the market
Mikee is looking after her little cousin
The famous medieval Abbey and Church in Moissac
We visited the Abbey and inside is a cloister from the 11 hundreds.
The cloister at Moissac Abbey with Romanesque carvings from the 12th century
A detail of the carving. Eve is tempted by the devil, while the snakes are crawling around her
The carvings beside the entrance door to the church are from the same period
We left our moorings and sailed under a bridge crossing river Tarn
Eric takes his siesta in mama's lap
...while Mikee looks on
Mikee takes a photo aboard Easyvie - our peniche.
A chateaux along the river Tarn
Brigitte looked after us aboard Easyvie
Brigitte and Mikee at a waterfall that prevented any further sailing up the river
We went back to Moissac and this is the town quai. To the left is the old mill, now converted to a hotel.
The next day we left the river and entered the canal
Mikee checks out the first lock
At the first lock
In the locks
Happy kids
...are worth a photograph
In this part of France they grow lots of sunflowers
We biked and stopped in front of the flowers.
Competing with van Gogh!
Easyvie is catching up with us after our bicycle tour
Jennifer is getting ready to board Easyvie after the bicycle tour
Eric had fallen asleep behind Mama on her bike
A nap after a tiring tour
At another of the many locks
The canal at Valence d'Agen. Here we met Lena and Petter, who have a chateau not far from here and we had a dinner together
Easyvie leaving Valence
From Valence we biked to Auvillar, a medieval bastide built on a tall mountain overlooking the river Garonne. The pictures shows the square with its covered market hall
Around the square was a covered walkway
The market square with its "halle"
Auvillar is en route to Santiago di Compostela and the pilgrims stopped here on their pilgrimage
Eric had fallen asleep again
We had a long biking tour and were exhausted when we came back to the canal boat and got lunch
Easyvie went back to Moissac from Valence. Back onboard Mikee and Jennifer make sure they fit underneath the low bridge
But there is enough head room
We continued east from Moissac and passed this aqueduct over the river Tarn
Mikee and I got off to take photographs and Mikee is waiting to board Easyvie again. Notice the river underneath and to the left of the aqueduct
Ready to board
Here we are looking back at the aqueduct crossing the river, which can be seen on both sides
Eric adopted Mama's hat as his own "cowboy hat" and wore it everywhere.
After another biking tour we are waiting to board Easyvie
View along the canal
"Our" peniche awakened the curiosity of people around the canal
Along the canal
The trees provided a welcome shadow. It was 38 degrees and Easyvie had no aircon.
Even on a boating holiday Mikee had to study.
…while Eric played with Woody
We biked along the canal and brought a packed lunch that Brigitte had prepared
Everyone is looking into the camera!
Resting afterwards and watching video
…in the saloon of Easyvie
Montauban was the final stop on our voyage. This is the square of Montauban, Place National
Sometimes Eric travelled in a buggy that also worked as a trailer after our bikes
The square was surrounded by double galleries, where cafes and restaurants had set up their tables
We left Easyvie and Montauban in our car with the bikes behind to go to Dordogne and stopped at the medieval village of Bruniquel
Buildings from the 14th century surround the road to the castle
We arrived at the gite we had rented in the village of Marnac, near St Cyprien. Marnac church is to the right in the picture and our gite with its yellow parasol to the left
The children loved the swimming pool. Mikee jumps in
…and Eric
Mikee has an admirer
On a hill on the other side of the Dordogne valley an intriguing chateau was tucked in
The village of Berbiquieres near St Cyprien. Mikee and I biked here.
The chateau of Castelnaud high up above the village. The chateau is from the 13th century and stand guard over the river traffic below
Castelnaud belonged to the English during most of the 100 year war, but on the other side of the river was an equally imposing French chateau
Mikee and I had driven to the little town of Cadouin
The cloister at "l'Abbaye de Cadouin" from the 15th and 16th centuries
The cloister with rich flamboyant carvings are a good example of Romanesque architecture
Mikee at one of the bautifully carved pillars
Mikee helped me to light up the gentleman with a flash from the side to get the relief to appear better. Is he cleaning his teeth?
On the way to Golgotha
This courtyard was originally a part of the abbey, but was now a welcoming café after our tour of the abbey
The cafe didn't serve croissants, but we could buy them ourselves at a nearby boulangerie
We biked to the town of Belves
Belves was decorated for a fiesta at the market square
Belves was decorated for a fiesta at the market square
Breakfast at our cottage with the obligatory iPads!
Eric and Jen
Mikee
Lunch in Sarlat. Outside the restaurant the market is in full swing
Mikee is putting a little toy together
The picture taken after the market had closed at midday
The church in Marnac, where we rented our cottage
Between the medieval church and the presbyterie was an enclosed courtyard. Mikee and I were invited by the owners. While I took a photo, Mikee could taste their grapes
Dinner at our terrace
Just after sunset the sky is on fire. Photo from our balcony
Eric couldn't be without his large hat (borrowed from Mama)
Oh, Papa was behind!
Checking the birds at Ile des Landes
On our return journey we stopped again at Cancale
...and was served the most sumptuous seafood meal
Eric has his traditional bottle of Mimim beside him and on the other side the iPad with its movies to entertain him
…but he was more entertained by Mikee than by Toystory III
