Between Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône - Lyon

The TV footage showed it all - dark gushing water rushing under a bridge over what had been a small stream - torrential rain, roads closed - this is the South of France, this weekend, as I write, (another holiday weekend - May is good like that). Normalement, if things had been going to plan, we would have been setting off towards the south today. As it is, we are glad to be in the relative warmth and shelter of our friends' house. Even so, an afternoon's walk to the zoo with small child and her grandparents saw us sheltering outside the old Gare des Brotteaux, while the rain and hail storm let loose as it passed overhead.

We're waiting for a bike part - and it will be at least a week. Luckily we took our bikes in for servicing on Day 1. On Day 2 both we and the the cycle shop tried to get the part locally. On Day 3 we took the bike in and said to call us when it is fixed. The last thing bike shops need at this time of the year is a spare bike blocking their storage so I am hopeful that it will be done by the end of the week. They have to order the part in, which will probably not be very speedy.

However, Lyon is a pleasant place to be in and we have done a heap of walking. There is a peninsula in the middle, with the Rhône flowing along one side and the Saône (rhymes with Rhône) down the other. There is an amazing network of cycle paths throughout the city, including several direct north-south and east-west routes which take cycles right through the city. There is also a huge network of bike stations where you can borrow bikes for a low price for 30-60minute periods, a time which will easily get you to another of the 340 bike stations.

Food is one of the main highlights of Lyon and as we wander through the city streets it is evident that there is a huge choice of restaurants, even at the affordable end of the market. We found ourselves needing sustenance at lunchtime the other day after bike negotiations and were drawn to the 'menu gourmand' (=good but not too expensive) at a corner cafe, where we could sit in the sun and just 'be'. Our expectations were met, with a fish terrine, a delicious piece of pork with a sauce and three vegetables, chocolate mousse of a delightful taste and texture, all followed by an espresso. Look for the menu gourmand when you are travelling in France!

France is at the forefront of the development of tramways and light rail and all of the larger cities in France have invested in tramway systems, most since the year 2000 and many are still in the process of completion. For which read that some of the main transport arteries are in a mess and you won't be able to go exactly where you want to for a few years yet. Lyon's tramway developments started in 2001 and is still continuing but there is a seriously well-developed system in place, including a tramway from the airport to the main railway station, Part-Dieu. Wellington, eat your heart out. And take note!

Harking back to the zoo, you can get there by tram, bus or metro. Its pretty close to the centre of town, is free, and you can ride your bikes and scooters there as well as take your dogs for a walk. It felt very strange to us, seeing dogs and bikes at a zoo but it is all flat, the animals are well spread out and there is plenty of room for all.


Maybe tomorrow we will get the awaited call. If not, this is a nice place to wait in. And both the Beaujolais and the the Côtes du Rhône are excellent.

La France profonde - well away from city life

La France profonde refers to rural, small-town France, as opposed to large cities and urban areas. City people retreat there for their weekends or their summers or some combination of those two. In our case, retired friends live in their family house (dating from before 1610), during the months from May to October. It's jointly owned by three sisters of our generation and there is plenty of room for all three families, spread over three generations to be together for weekends and holidays.

And for visitors too. We'd been there before and jumped at the chance to spend a weekend there between Beaugency and Lyon with our host from Lyon and her small daughter. From Lyon you take the train to St Etienne, from St Etienne you get taken up, up, up, past St Genest Malifaux along to the end of a road, where the old farmhouse house has been for centuries, added to and maintained by successive generations. 



At our largest, we were 13 adults and 5 children under 6, all of a calm and active temperament - so not too noisy but very busy. Plenty to do in the area - mountain-biking trails abound and there are plenty of places to walk as well. Eating and talking took up a lot of time, off-set by long walks and some exploring. This is quintessential France for many people. 
While the children were looked after by their grandmothers, the middle generation explored on mountain bikes and we were kindly guided around the countryside by one of the grandfathers, on long and interesting walks. 

First, past fields of what will be maize to feed the cows (Montbeliards and Holsteins), growing under a biodegradable layer of plastic which will eventually become fertiliser for the new plants after they have pushed their way through and grown taller.

Next through pine forests with walking tracks, mountain-biking tracks and cross-country-skiing tracks signposted. We crossed and also used portions of sealed road, sometimes passing houses, a number of which are made of [drumroll...] wood! From Scandinavia, I understand, and well-insulated. This is mountain country with deep snow in winter. Views of the far-off valley of the Rhone are short-lived but apparently on a clear day you can see Mont Blanc. Along a ridge, from where the waters drain into the Mediterranean on one side and into the Atlantic, via the Loire, on the other. More forest, with mossy undercover and then out into the countryside with wide views across the spring-green grass or the deep-brown ploughed fields.

Once home again, it was time for the children to eat, at a small table, all the courses that the adults would be having, including the entire cheese board. This is gastronomic education and I am all for it. The youngest (about 16 months) copied her older cousins and ate a wide variety herself, while also lining up for her own special dishes. We adults all fitted around the elongated table. Apparently there is yet another insert they can add to the table if there are more people. I don't want to lose friends, so the composition of the meals will remain unsaid, so that envy has no place. But yum, anyway!

It was cold up at 1050 metres and there was trouble with the heating in one half of the house, so when we were inside we spent most of our time in the warmer lounge and dining room. Outside, for our walks, the temperature was about 9ºC, with a stiff breeze to keep us hardy. 

Sunday morning saw us dropped off at one village while the grandfather went further on to buy our food for lunch. We followed a voie verte, converted from a railway line which had once serviced the textile industry, now smoothly sealed and available for bikes, rollerblades, wheelchairs and, of course, for walkers like us. In its earlier incarnation as a railway line it must have set the engines puffing, as it has quite an incline. 

Jean-Marcel picked us up from the end of a viaduct and took us further up the road, dropping us off again for a further cross-country walk home, giving him time to get the meal organised. This worked. Home in time for the apéritif! And roast lamb, strawberries and cream. (menu abridged). 

And while the traffic back to Lyon from St Etienne moved slowly, on this, the last day of a long weekend, from the heights of the bar car of the TGV (a good place to go if you don't have a seat), the four travellers sped by them all. A yes for public transport!

Beaugency and Orléans

Our time in Beaugency was all about family. Chris was in Paris to meet us and we drove down to Ourcelle, where Chris lives, (just out of Beaugency) late at night. 

Ourcelle is a small hamlet with rambling farm buildings still found along the streets.  Many of the houses have great vege gardens and there is much to admire, even in spring.

We went for a few walks in the countryside to neighbouring villages or hamlets, passing the fields of colza, which will later be made into oil, brilliant yellow against the greens. This photo shows the church spire of the village of Josnes, where we walked to get bread one morning.

Another day we took a couple of trams and a bus to go to the other side of Orléans to make a delivery for a friend. The trams, part of the big upgrade of public transport all over France, travel smoothly.  Many of the lines outside the city centre are planted with grass so that the impression is of a grassy passage instead of tram lines. It's cool in both senses of the word.  
As well as taking a bus, we walked a km or two to reach our destination, no hardship and well-rewarded with the scenery. 

The stay in Beaugency was about family and we caught up with people we love seeing, before speeding off to Lyon in the TGV to be reunited with our bikes.
But first, a weekend in the country - the 'real' country, as France once was. (...to follow)

Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The 14 hour flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi with Etihad was very pleasant. Leaving Sydney at about 10pm and arriving at 6am we had a long night with plenty of opportunity to sleep, as well as eat, read and watch the odd movie.

Melanie and Jim had booked a sunset cruise on a catamaran, which was just amazing. Calm waters, warm air, magnificent views, food and drink, and time to catch up, both with ourselves and our friends.

Much of Abu Dhabi is pretty new and the views along the cruise were very varied and of course quite different when the sun sank below the horizon and the lights came on. There has certainly been no expense spared in the development of the city, with some interesting architecture.

The Emirati make up only 15% of the population - the other 85% are foreign workers of all sorts who provide services, from teachers to builders, architects to housemaids, tourist operators to security guards. The population is apparently 80% male, since there are not all that many jobs available to women. It's quite hard to get your head around the amount of money that the Emirati have to spend. The ruling family of Abu Dhabi, which is the largest and richest of the emirates, have been ruling since 1793 and are said to have a collective fortune of $150 billion. Shopping is referred to as the women's sport, since they don't play outdoor sports. The roads are engineered to cater for the notorious bad driving, though the speed limit is often 120, with a 20kmp tolerance. Most roads are one way, pretty straight , avoiding crossroads by using over- and under-passes and there are often small judder bars leading up to a corner, to remind one to slow down.

Al Ain: Melanie and Jim had previously lived in Al Ain, which is a town an hour and a half or so out of Abu Dhabi. Highlights here are a huge date palm oasis with an ancient and apparently very efficient watering system (a UNESCO world heritage site), 

a typical fort from yesteryear (also a heritage site)

and a trip on a wide, modern road, 4000ft up to the top of a mountain (Jebel Hafeet), where there are expansive views, a luxury hotel and a palace for the country's rulers.