LEAVING THE TREES – GOING EAST AGAIN TOWARDS DEATH VALLEY

After three nights camping in the big trees and canyons of Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks it was time to move on toward the East again, our next destination being Death Valley and then onto Las Vegas where we were a week ago.

We wake fairly early, as the sun lightens the sky over the mountains, to the shenanigans of deer, doe and buck. It is like she is saying “if you really love me you will follow me anywhere”. She seems to want to skittishly visit every sight, weaving her way around and he following along looking like he thing she has lost her marbles. Really funny to watch.

We have to finish our drive down off the mountain along the very windy switchback road and love seeing the early morning colours down through the valley. The road finally straightens as we hit back into the flats again. After a little highway driving through a very fertile farming/orchard area we stop to shop for food and treat ourselves to another corn dog. They are delicious and this time cost only $1.50, bargain. Onward we travel over dead flat land obviously very good for producing.

We lunched overlooking a very depleted but beautiful Isabella Lake, south of Wofford Heights then heading on we started into a very different climate zone. We have crossed over the High Sierra and down the Eastern side and the land is very arid. We are now in a desert conservation area. These are large hills of rocky outcrops and pasture at first and then the hills begin to look like papier mache as they are like piles of granite doted with a cactus type plant/shrub that we have never seen before. There is also a huge Naval Air Weaponry Base here, sounds a bit scary but guess they have to try things out somewhere.

Soon we are passing through huge basins surrounded by these wild hills into the Trojan area, home of Searles mining. This company uses eco friendly solution mining to produce borax, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate. These are used to create so many things we use every day such as your windscreen, your flat screen TV, dyes and detergents and many more things. I actually swear by Borax to solve any ant problems at home, mix a teaspoon of honey and borax and put in ants pathway on a flat tray. It will turn black with ants but by morning they will be gone, having delivered the borax back to the nest, very effective.

We are just discussing that the hills remind us a little of the Scottish Highlands although the hills are further apart. This is the most remote we have felt in USA. There are a few cars crossing paths with us but for long lengths of road there is nothing. This feels much more remote than the Prairies or the Plains. We turn a corner up and over the top of a hill and the view is jaw dropping amazing, we all exclaim WOW at once and pull over to see this fantastic sight. We are at the top of a mountain overlooking a massive basin, the Panamint Valley and Range. The valley is huge with mountains surrounding, it actually was a 30 mile drive down and through to the other end, spectacular, and we are not yet in the Death Valley National Park, rather gazing at the outskirts to the West.

By now the sun is nearly down and the colour of the mountains just gorgeous, purples, greys, pinks, orange and white, breathtaking. We arrive in Death Valley and search for a free campsite we have looked up in advance. On finding it we are setting up in the dark, wondering what the morning will bring. We have just climbed up to 5000ft and descended to 4000ft in only a mile along a road like a roller coaster, so think we are in for something special.

KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS

Our next destination is Kings Canyon National Park and we pull in after dark again to set up camp. Tonight is a little different at dinner time though, Mikayla is suddenly making a strange noise of distress when she realizes a raccoon is pulling on our plastic bag right next to her. She was in shock as she had just turned to look straight into two very large bright eyes that just shouldn’t have been there. Our fellow campers must have been having a good laugh as they listened to us as we chased off 3 raccoons and then tried to keep them at bay whilst eating our wraps, very cute persistent little fellows. Good fun and I guess we were lucky it wasn’t the bears.

The morning reveals we are once again in the forest with a pine needle carpet softening our steps but this time we are under some of the largest trees in the world. This is what this area has to offer us. We pop into the Visitors Centre and are helped by a couple of lovely ladies to plan our time here and in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, and also take in a movie about the area. It is describing the wonder of the trees and apparently I exclaim a very loud WOW at one point that sends the girls into a fit of laughter, (a bit like the NO over the potatoes at Christmas lunch last year for those who remember haha). We also discover that the road to the High Sierra had been closed only a week before our arrival, rather sad but lucky to have seen a glimpse of this true wilderness during the movie.

We start off on this road to see as far as we can and near to the end we encounter a young fox who we think has been hit by a car and, on initial inspection, seems to have damage to it’s hind leg. He otherwise seems in good health with a very shiny and healthy coat and clear eyes, no mangy appearance or saliva issues. Dilemma. Can’t leave the poor creature just dragging itself along so decide to wrap it in a towel and pop it into a plastic bag, for obvious fluid loss problems, and take it back to the Visitors Centre, hoping they have some sort of rehabilitation centre in the park. It is a hairy ride holding the small creature, being sure to have a secure hold behind its neck so no biting can occur, though he now seems to be in some shock and mostly quite relaxed though still conscious. On our arrival we are greeted by surprised staff and even more surprised fellow visitors. The poor creature is secured in a box and it is decided to take it to a sanctuary just outside the park for a diagnosis. We try to explain that on the initial look that there did seem to be an injury as the ranger is suspicious that he is just sick with rabies, eek. Our decision was based on the fact that if repair is not possible that at least he could be humanely destroyed. In hindsight, a wonderful thing, we were probably mad to have interfered with nature at all, but is being hit by a car a natural thing? At no point did we actually touch the creature and had him quite securely contained with wrapping and gloves so feel we are all quite safe. What would we do if we encounter another injured creature? Probably the same thing. If he had been snarling and seemingly dangerous we would have had to let him struggle on but all we can say is that it seemed the right action to take at the moment.

We are off again to explore the park and our next stop is to see the General Grant Tree, this being the second largest tree in the world. The Sequoia is not the tallest, that honour being claimed by the Redwoods, but because of their width they do take up the largest area, hence the largest in the world. They start from a seed the size of your porridge oats and spend their first years of life striving to gain height and light. Once they are approximately 250 to 300 feet tall they stop growing up and start putting on some weight, a lot like humans really. They just keep on growing outwards though, no see-sawing diets for them. If the conditions are right they become absolutely massive and the conditions here seem to be perfect.

It has been discovered that fire is the Sequoias’ best friend, cleaning out the undergrowth and providing perfect growing conditions. For this reason these massive trunks are scared by fire adding to their beauty. It is a humbling experience, as it was in the Redwoods, to walk between these majestic giants. We move on to the Sequoia National Park and the Crescent Meadow area to meet the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. WOW again. As we have said before the East may have the leaves, and they are out of this world, but the West has the trees, also some of the most majestic moments of our journey.

We add in a hike up the 400 odd steps to the top of Moro rock, an extraordinary geological specimen that was formed millions of years ago and continues to shed its layers into the valley below. Pictures show it over some 150 years and it is an ever-changing shape. We are inspired by the stupendous views and the actual size of the rock jutting out from the forest floor. The steps have made it easy for us to experience this splendid area. On to the Crescent Meadow for a late afternoon wander hoping to spot a bear or two, very common in this area, to finish off our wildlife experience but we are only able to spot the deer. Perhaps that is for the best but would love to see another bear. Not to be this time as we end our time here and head for campground number three in this fantastic region. It is a long and winding road to head down and takes us about an hour to get to our destination, once again setting up in the dark.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album YOSEMITE, KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The Sierra Nevada is a huge mountain chain on the Eastern side of California and stretching into Nevada. On its western side sit three very special parks that have been preserved for all to enjoy; Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. These parks were our next stops after San Francisco. Snow has closed the High Sierra in all parks but there is still so much to see, it is truly a special place on earth.

West of this mountain range is a farming area of California that is basically flat. It is a bright blue sunshine day as we set off from Westley toward our next adventure. After a couple of hours the land starts to break into hills of pasture where the road just rolls along between. We stop to lunch at a boat ramp/recreation area on a huge dam. Only problem was that the water is just a thin little stream at this end of the outer reaches from the dam wall, no boat launching going on here for a while, until there is some serious rain.

A little more driving and climbing and we are finally heading into Yosemite. We start our drive down toward the valley floor where we thought we might camp. Along the way we are taking in views of some of the most spectacular granite cliffs you will ever see. Over 3 million people visit this valley every year and you can understand why. Along the valley floor it is a neck breaking view up to the top of the cliffs from the meadows dotted between the dense forest.

On arrival at the campsite we are told reservations were needed and we should have been there in the morning. We had thought it would be OK to just turn up being winter but had not taken into consideration the beautiful weather and it being a Saturday. There are people everywhere and it is muddy and wet and we are not too upset at having to retrace our steps back to near the entrance again to camp. This campsite is just gorgeous, atop the mountain in a treed area with pine needles carpeting the ground. Once again it is a set up in the dark and a picnic dinner in the blackness.

With the dawning of light we are able to fully appreciate the beauty of this area and are so glad we had not stayed down with the masses in the valley. Back on the road again we take in the valley for the third time in yet a different light. This is even more beautiful as the morning sun lights the sheer granite faces on the west side that then seems to reflect over to the east.

We decide to hike the Mirror Lake trail and surprisingly share it with only a few others. It is evident as we travel along that there is no lake at this time so the reflections of Half Dome, a world famous sheer granite rock with a sheer north face, will not be happening. We meet a lovely couple who are actually locals and they explain more of the extent of the drought. They are shocked to see that there is no water at all, something they have not known to happen their entire lives. As we stand in the middle of the sandy lakebed and take in the majesty of the dome we are told that this is its most spectacular lighting in which to view it, once again we just pick the perfect moment to be there. Jon goes on to tell us of the climber, Alex Honnold, the only person to free climb this massive granite face. This is an ascent of 2,000ft without a rope or harness, just a bag of chalk and climbing shoes and a whole lot of nerve. WOW. I truly believe that of all the sportsmen in the world, rock climbers are the most incredible. The fitness and agility required to hang on a rock face by your fingers and toes and traverse hundreds of feet upward is beyond a challenge and absolutely marvelous. What a rush it must be to get to the top, I take my hat off to those who manage this. What a lovely couple we have met again, sharing tales of travels and getting more valuable advice of must see spots to fit into our last weeks here. Thank you Sara and Jon, would love to have spent more time with you both.

We move on to find a picnic spot in the meadow for lunch and take in El Capitan, another famous climbing face and spot a couple of climbers two thirds of the way up just sitting on a ledge taking a break, they are just two little specks of yellow and red, once again you are just amazing guys. We then take another road into the higher lands of Yosemite. This takes us to the Glacier trails and here we are looking out at the Dome from yet another angle, taking in the size of the dome. We have photos from many angles around the park of this dominant natural wonder and they are all amazing. We are standing at 7,000 feet looking straight down and what a view we have of the valley carved by the ancient ice glaciers. This is certainly a view to rival any we saw in Europe, magnificent.

This area offers glacier carved valleys, huge waterfalls, caves and groves of massive trees. We can see the falls that are still running and they are a just a trickle to what we have seen in photos. The extent of the drought is scary. Lets hope it is a very wet winter for California. One can certainly understand why this is one of the most popular parks in the entire world but the day is closing and it is time to move on to Kings Canyon National Park.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album YOSEMITE, KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS.

STUNNING DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Still posting in flashback, this time to our visit to San Francisco about two weeks ago. What a great time we had in this city that reminds us of Perth.

Off to an early start we head into the famous San Francisco, approaching from the North East. We have a plan of attack that takes us over the Oakland Bay Bridge that gives us our first view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge across the bay. The weather is kind and visibility is good in the city today, blue skies shinning bright. Our route takes us through the centre of the city with its high-rise buildings some shining gold and all sorts of interesting designs. The traffic is heavy but this gives us lots of photo opportunities hanging out the window to take in the sights.

We head to Fisherman’s Harbour first where we spend time just soaking in the atmosphere and have our very first Corn Dog. It is a sweet tasting cake coated frankfurt that is really bad for you but just yummy, surprisingly. At $5.50 each we are sure we are being ‘ripped off’ but just have to have the experience. This area is designed for tourists but is a lot of fun to wander through with lots of interesting eateries and shops ending down on the wharf. It reminds us of the time we were walking around Universal Studios Orlando when Georgia said, “imagine if there were places in the real world like this!” Turns we have come across many places all over America that remind us of this. From here there is a wonderful view of the harbour and also the famous Sea Lions put on their show. There are many sea worn platforms for the sea lions to choose from but they all like to stick close together and only choose a couple to gather on. This makes for funny sights as some just can’t fit so slither back into the water. It is delightful to watch the ones that just say ‘here I come’ and launch themselves forward, crowd surfing to a resting spot. All the while there is a constant honking and chattering going on, such fun. These gorgeous sea creatures arrived at Pier 39 in the January of 1990, a couple of months after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. Since then the number have ranged from between 300 and 1700 depending on the seasons, but there are always some sea lions there to entertain the visitors.

Our time on the wharf over we decide to move on to the most famous icon in the city, you guessed it, the bridge. We stop at a near by marina to take more shots of the harbour, Alcatraz (sadly all tours are booked up for a week so we have to be content with the view of this famous island) and the bridge. Next we take a drive over the Golden Gate to the north side where one can drive to the hilltops of the Golden Gate Recreation Area to take her in from all angles. It really is a special structure and we loved that the weather was kind giving us stupendous views. Whilst up here we took a walk through a tunnel built during World War I to house huge guns to defend from attack. Nearing completion it was decided that the guns were ineffective as a defence and never installed. It makes for an interesting short cut through the hill and up to a magnificent view of the bridge. We have a snack to lengthen our stay overlooking this icon and eventually have to drag ourselves back down for the return journey, more photos taken from every angle to remember we were here.

Now we decide to take to the streets heading for the infamous most crooked street in the world, Lombard St. Traversing the hilly streets is fun and we have a great laugh thinking about how Vincent might have coped living in this town, not very well. We end up at the bottom of the street and take in the view down to the harbour and up at the people traversing the windy switchback road. Then it is time to traverse from the top and it is surprisingly easy but we still have photos to prove we did it. The gorgeous houses and gardens complete the experience and we wonder how annoyed the people must get with the constant stream of traffic that just has to drive down their road, guilty as charged.

We then head deeper into the streets and go to the mosaic staircase, 16^th Avenue Tiled Steps project, just a gorgeous piece of artwork that snakes up the steep hillside steps. This project begun by neighbours in January 2003, took until September 2005 to complete. What an effort by all those concerned. What was once 163 steps straight up to a road above is now a piece of art that takes you from the ocean depths to the night skies. It is an ongoing effort to maintain the landscaping on either side of the staircase and is just a lovely spot in the middle of a very desirable neighbourhood. The views are just awesome too when you remember to look away from the stairs.

We have loved our day here and decide it is an area that has a feel of Perth and all its surrounds in one spot. The wharf is like Fremantle and Mindarie, the city a little like Perth set on a gorgeous waterway. The surrounds are flat until you hit the hills, just like Perth suburbs and the colour is very similar, big blue sky with a parched landscape, due to the drought no doubt, but giving a similar feel. The people are friendly, but there are a lot of them. This is the second most densely populated city in the US after New York City with approx. 17,500 people per square mile. The biggest difference is the sheer size, like McDonalds, it is upsized hugely. There is much more to do here than we have managed, many art galleries and museums, architecture to delight in, nightlife and supposedly awesome shopping but it is nature we are still here to see. We realize we have only seen a tiny snippet of all there is on offer but have really enjoyed our time none the less. Maybe we will get back another time with more time to explore.

Day is coming to an end and we decide to head out of town and on toward our next destination, the mighty Sierra Nevada. This path takes us through an amazing road system that Georgia navigates perfectly and eventually into the outer suburbs and beyond. We pass areas made famous by the Sons of Anarchy and, although we love Jax we don’t want to run into any of his buddies, push on until we are well out of town. The last part of the journey is through an area called Patterson’s Pass Road, a scenic short cut through some amazing hills, the narrow road running like a roller coaster until it pops out the other end into a flat area as far as the eye can see. We drop into a hotel bed absolutely exhausted, another amazing day under our belts.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album SAN FRANCISCO.

BRUGES, YPRES AND FROMELLES – OUR TIME IN EUROPE COMES TO AN END

We were so excited to get to Bruges to see the famous Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. So, this was our first stop on a day in Belgium’s capital. The Madonna and Child is housed in the Church of Our Lady, undergoing restorations while we were there in July. After buying our tickets we entered the side section where the Madonna and Child are front and center of the altar.

A little smaller than anticipated, this piece is exquisite and even though we have seen about as many Madonna and Child pieces as we have churches we spent at least half an hour admiring this one just as we did David in Florence. We finished with a quick look around the rest of the church before stepping back out onto the street with yet another thing crossed off our list!

Bruges’ canals are as beautiful as Ghent’s and we enjoying wandering along, taking many pictures and generally soaking up the atmosphere. We also walked through the Begijnhof, a beautiful, silent (unless a group of tourists turn up and ignore the signs) place.

An almost round trip took us to the Holy Savior Cathedral with more lovely stained glass and artworks. Much of the cathedral was hidden under scaffolding and we wondered why they would be doing so much restoration during peak tourist time.

It was then time to go to go to our second favourite place of the day, Chocco Story, and chocolate museum where we learnt all about the history of cocoa beans, all the way back to the Aztecs, and chocolate. Did you know that cocoa was originally used like coffee as a hot drink, basically hot chocolate came before chocolate? A museum that smells like chocolate and gives you a free sample at the end is always a winner. Unfortunately Mum and Mikayla weren’t interested in doing the nearby hot chip museum so next stop was the main Markt square.

The Markt was packed with people so we popped into the post office to send a couple of post cards back to Australia. Never again, super expensive it cost us about $15 to send two postcards, extortionate. Post from France not Belgium!

We finished our day in Bruges with a visit to the smaller market square where the Basilica of the Holy Blood is. A small doorway off the square takes you into a tiny church with two even smaller chapels. Here you can see a phial that reputedly contains Christ’s blood brought back from the Crusades.

We got to Ypres with plenty of time to park Vincent in the free parking for the night and catch the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate at 8pm. This is held every single night at 8pm, a full last post ceremony, an amazing tribute to fallen soldiers. Standing amongst the huge crowd gathered to remember we got to be part of another very moving experience. Lest We Forget.

After the ceremony we walked around the Menin Gate Memorial and back to Vincent along the ramparts. The next day we spent the morning walking further along the ramparts where there are also Australian and New Zealand War Memorials and in the Commonwealth War Cemetery here before making our way through town to cathedral and the In Flanders Fields Museum.

This museum takes you through the events of World War I with information about the lead up, different battles during the war, artifacts and personal accounts. So worth doing and just like the American Omaha Beach Visitors Center did for World War II, gave us a lesson in the history of World War I.

One more time exiting town through the Menin Gate and we were on our way to Tyne Cot British Memorial and Cemetery. Here we were able to search the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site and found out where our Nan’s first husband and our Granddad’s brother were buried during World War II, though not at this beautiful memorial.

Our very last day in Europe was spent in Fromelles at the Australian Memorial Park, war memorial and cemetery, situated at opposite sides of the battle lines from the Battle of Fromelles and puts into perspective the short distance that was between the two lines. The Memorial even includes the real German bunkers left in original position. We also met a lovely Australian couple here and spent a while chatting, it’s always nice to meet fellow Aussies and they are just wonderful.

The day flying by we soon found ourselves back on the train and crossing under the channel back to England.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the albums BACK TO FRANCE and BELGIUM.

WORLD WAR MEMORIALS FRANCE AND INTO BELGIUM

A walk through the main square of Arras, alive with the bargain market, took us to the tourist bureau where we had a choice of doing a touring through the tunnels under the city, learning about the histories of the town or a tour through the quarry tunnels used during both World Wars.

We chose the quarry, in keeping with the World War theme during our last week in Europe, and found ourselves heading to Wellington Quarry and Battle of Arras Memorial. Here we got our hard, very heavy, hats on and descended yet again into the earth. The tour lasted about 75 minutes, along boardwalks through the tunnels created by soldiers from New Zealand from the remains of the quarry. 24000 soldiers from Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain lived down here in the lead up to The Battle of Arras when approximately 4000 of those lives were lost each day in the following two months.

The tour is punctuated with video footage and personal stories making the story hit closer to home. You can also see genuine artifacts found in the tunnels. We also had a laugh here when we walked outside to find another Vincent, who we named Vincent’s brother, parked next to our Vincent. A quick comparison and we were off back into the center of Arras, this time able to see the town squares without market stalls, to climb the Belfry tower of the town hall.

It seemed to be a very popular day for weddings because we saw at least three wedding parties waiting to go up the tower for photos and one couple up there while we were. We always love seeing weddings; especially the bride and her dress so were quite excited. We also learned the tooting the car horn when you see a wedding seems to be a tradition in France because every car that drove past did their fair share.

From the top of the Belfry we got a beautiful view out over the city and surrounds. It was interesting to us how different the houses look when viewed from above. From ground level the streets are lined with flat fronted houses giving the impression that they are all rectangular prism in structure when in fact you see from above that they are anything but and all squished together into any space possible, no matter how dramatic the angles become.

We finished the day at Vimy Ridge Canadian War Memorial where we walked through some trenches and spent some time admiring the amazing monument to the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during World War One and a celebration of Canada’s biggest military victory. This area is just beautiful and the memorial very touching.

Having to move right along we ended driving all the way to Ghent and camping next to a park in a very nice neighborhood before driving into town to start our time here the next day.

With no map of Ghent in our guidebook we had no idea how to find anything so first thing was a stop at the first thing that looked like they might have information, a monastery. Armed with a map we soon found what we came for, the cathedral that was much like many others, and the design museum.

The Design Museum was brilliant, showcasing furniture through the ages; rooms were all set up featuring antique interior design and furniture to the ultra modern. They also had an exhibition running, all about the pollution in the ocean and how this is collected to make useful products. We would love to buy a few sea chairs at some point.

We followed this with a walk along the canals, stopping in quite a few little independent art galleries and shops and found some stuff that we could definitely find places for in our home and future homes.

Yet again the day was finished with a drive to our next destination, Bruges the home of Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child.

Photos can be found on our Facebook Page in the albums BACK TO FRANCE and BELGIUM.

PARIS TAKE TWO

Another day, and what would be our last for this trip, of exploring Paris on foot. Starting with visits to the Church of St-Sulpice and the Church of St-Germain Des Pres, both old churches that are in disrepair though there seems to be some restoration work going on. It seems The Notre Dame gets all the attention but these churches are worth a look too, especially if you read The Da Vinci Code first!

Moving on from here our walking took us through some yet unseen parts of town, to another large church whose name I can’t recall, past some modern street sculptures and water features and to the bazaar Center Pompidou, built with it’s insides outside. Touting the best view in Paris we can only assume they mean the art inside because what could be better than the Eiffel Tower? All a bit sick of art (gasp) we decided to give the inside a miss and took off again in search of somewhere nice to have a very late lunch.

We ended up finding a fantastic little crepe restaurant on Rue Jean du Bellay, Ile St-Louis, and had a scrumptious three course meal finished with delicious crepes, salted caramel for Mum, apple and cinnamon for Mikayla and chocolate and banana for me, yum! We would definitely recommend this place. We hadn’t anticipated desert and had planned to go to Bathillion for ice cream so we stuck to it, until we got there. Bathillion is famous for having 70 flavours of delicious ice cream, they lie, there were only ten, of the most boring, flavours on offer, very disappointing so we gave it a miss. We didn’t need it anyway!

A brisk walk back to Vincent in the rain, this time with our rain coats, and we decided it was time to move on. We were so proud of Mum as she navigated the traffic towards and along the Champs Elysees and around for one last look at the Arch de Triomphe, until next time.

From here we got stuck in a traffic jam for about three hours and spent the time discussing how annoying it is when people stare at us in Vincent like he has one way glass and we can’t see them and how everyone would get so much farther much quicker if the drivers weren’t so selfish. We were in a dark, gloomy place at that point in time!

When we eventually got out onto the open road we were much happier, as was Vincent’s gear box, and we ended up finding a cute little camping spot next to a play ground near Giverny, our next destination.

In the morning it was straight to Monet’s Garden where I went crazy with flower photos. So much variety of beautiful blooms it took me ten times longer to get around the garden than Mum and Mikayla who had to wait for me before entering the water garden via the underpass.

The immortalized water garden is just as beautiful as you would expect and we visited at the end of the optimal time of year. Row boats sit amongst lilies and willows at the edge of the pond and the quaint bridges are picture perfect, funny that!

Monet’s house is also brilliant and just as exciting as the gardens. My favourite part was Monet’s office/living room where he painted in the later years of his life and where the walls are literally covered with paintings on canvas. I loved the kitchen as well. You can also see Monet’s collection of work by other artists and the view from the second story is pretty special.

The town of Giverny is gorgeous too, with it’s cute little homes and sweet gardens, we would have liked to have spent more time relaxing here but alas it was time to move on. If you’re looking for a photogenic town this one makes the cut.

The next day was spent driving again, broken by a stop at Beauvais Cathedral that we spotted from the main road from miles off, it’s that tall. This cathedral is extraordinary in that the roof is so high, pretty much the height of the spire. Inside the ceilings are just as high, which makes room for double the stained glass windows and a tremendous effect. Unfortunately it seems the architect was a little too ambitious as parts of the floors as sinking and scaffolding holds up parts of the ceiling. There is also a grand astronomical clock here, one of the best and most detailed we’ve seen, so we definitely put Beauvais Cathedral on the must see list.

After a log drive we ended up camping near Arras ready to get stuck into what would be a week or so of World War I and II history again as we moved along through France and Belgium.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).

BACK TO FRANCE – REIMS AND INTO PARIS

N.B. As you may have noticed we are very behind on our posts. Too much traveling, not enough writing! The post we’re writing now are a progression through our last weeks in Europe though we are currently touring around England. Hopefully we will be up to date very soon but in the meantime our posts are flashbacks and we’ll let you know when we’re back to our current travel.

In Vincent some days are just driving days and lucky for us there’s usually something interesting to see along the way. The view is always changing and when it’s average we console ourselves that this is a means to an end. Though we didn’t have to this time as we were driving through the very pretty champagne region of France.

We love France for so many reasons, the food, baguettes, crepes, pate, the cute little towns that you drive through frequently, Paris, chateaus, and most of all the people, some of whom we’re lucky enough to call friends. We also love that Mikayla and I get free entry into most “tourist attractions” because we are citizens of the EU, lucky, and France is one of the only countries that do this.

We arrived in Reims in the early afternoon and went straight for the Cathedral here, the Cathedrale Notre Dame, the venue for Royal coronations when they were still being performed and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been heavily restored since it was bombed during World War I. It’s very similar to the Notre Dame in Paris that I would recommend seeing instead.

We also spent some time at the museum next door where we learnt a bit more about the Royal coronations, got to see some crown jewels (not nearly as extravagant as expected), and had a giggle at the very feminine poses of the French Kings through the ages. Next was the Basilique St-Remi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site with an accompanying museum that contains an ancient relic collection to rival The Vatican.

The next day, on the way into Paris, we stopped at an English War Memorial and cemetery. These are always moving places and we were set to visit a lot more to come.

During our first visit to Paris earlier this year, new to wild camping, we stayed in a camping ground on the outskirts of the city. This time we went for it, driving straight into the city center, along The Seine and by the Eiffel tower before finding a suitable spot to park Vincent next to Cimetiere du Montparnasse, near the famous Le Catacombes. Quiet though pretty busy pedestrian wise we thought he’d be safe here to leave during the day and stay in at night, thankfully we were right!

Our first day in Paris we walked through Cimetiere du Montparnasse and attempted to see Le Catacombes but when we saw the line, stretching around the block, we decided we would try again another time. So, it was on to Paris’ Pantheon where we walked straight in with no queue to explore the expansive artworks on the inner walls and the sculptures surrounding them. The crypt here is also very interesting as it houses the tombs of famous historical figures, a few being Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, among many others.

Usually extremely lucky with weather (I can say this because I am writing overlooking the Sound of Raasey from the Isle of Skye, Scotland and there isn’t a cloud in the perfect blue sky), we saw more rain visiting Paris in summer than we did in winter. Stuck with no raincoats we left the Pantheon, running between the shop fronts until the rain subsided.

Into the Jardin Du Luxembourg, deserted and drenched, we made our way through towards the Rodin Museum pausing briefly to admire the Palais Du Luxembourg. The garden is more like a big park with water features and large expanses of grass to picnic and play on. We would have spent more time here had we not been afraid of getting rained on again.

We arrived at the Rodin Museum and had to wait in our first line of the day. Though we didn’t wait very long we decided that visiting the sites in Paris is much better in Winter when there are no lines.

We started in the lovely gardens while the rain was holding off and were greeted with The (famous) Thinker, contemplating away, before moving on to see more sculptures like The Kiss, Balzac and The Burghers of Calais. Inside the museum shows a collection of finished works as well as drafts of the famous sculptures in various sizes and materials. As you walk around you notice that the subjects in the sculptures are tortured beings, reason being they are all included in “miniature” on Rodin’s Gates of Hell. After visiting the Rodin Museum we loved spotting the sculptures out on the streets around Paris too.

To finish the day we walked to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, seriously considering going up again, before realizing we probably wouldn’t see that much through the fog anyway. Strolling back in the direction of Vincent through the Parc de Champ de Mars we couldn’t help but stop and look back frequently, Paris and The Eiffel Tower really are special parts of the world.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).