Blog Updates

For those who may be interested in a breakdown of our expenses for this years' trip please click on the 'Expense' tab at the top of the Blog page. Also the 'Map Stays' for 2013 and 2014 have been completed, showing GPS coordinates and a photo of the places we stayed overnight.

Home

All went well with our flight home. It is wonderful to see our kids. It was hard to be away from them and  our family and friends. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives. We had a terrific journey  with Bluey and saw some amazing things, but as they say 'Home is where the heart is'.

Here we come!

Bush fires were burning as we approached Melbourne on a 30 degree day.

Packing Day

Travelled:39km
Visited: Beauvais
Stay: Roussely-Park d'Hiver, Bluey's hibernation park

We started the morning with a walk around the 'centre of the ville' of Beauvais. It was not very busy as most shops are closed  Monday and the ones that were open were not going to be until 10am. We did manage to have a peek inside Saint Pierre Cathedral before getting back to Bluey and going to Rousseloy where he will stay until we get back.

 It is a very reasonable rate at €50 per month under cover. We can also use the facilities to clean Bluey and empty out the tanks as well as connect to the electricity while we are here. This year we are disconnecting the batteries in the hope that this will help hold their charge until we get back. By 7pm all was done! Tomorrow is an early start with a 6:30am pick up. Very excited to get home. Once settled in we will provide some cost summaries and update the maps etc. Then the planning will begin for next year! Hope you all enjoyed our journey with us. Keep posted.

Back to Beauvais

Travelled:99km
Visited: Lyons la Foret
Stay: Beauvais-aire, free parking and services GPS N49°25.455' E2°04.810'

We had a lovely stroll along the Seine River in Oissel before a yummy bacon and egg breakfast. 

Fully fortified we headed off to Lyons-la-Forêt, classified as one France's most beautiful villages. It is here that Henri I, King of England, died in 1135. It also has the largest and densest beech forest in Europe that was a popular hunting ground for the Kings of France. We spent a pleasant time strolling around the village. In the centre place, under Les Halles the market was in full swing with people lining up for their regional products. From here we admired the half timbered houses built mainly in the 17th and 18th century. We ventured down to Saint Denis's church and listened to the 12pm bells ringing. On the way back we went to the site where three watermills used to generate the villages' electricity until WWII. We also looked in the few 'antique' shops on the way back to Bluey. 

Then it was time to go to Beauvais to do our washing before stopping in the aire and doing some 'organising' for Blueys hibernation. After dinner we went to the lookout nearby to admire the view of the city.

Rouen France

Travelled:51km
Visited:Rouen
Stay:Oissel-aire, free parking, € services GPS N49°20.281' E1°05.515'

After a walk around the weekly market in Montville we set off for Rouen. We always feel a little trepidation on approaching a large city but if we can go in early and on a weekend, it helps. We did a bit of research on the camper contact and camping car info web sites, which both stated parking in LaCroix Island. We had a look but it was a bit too isolated for us especially that we only planned to stay for the day. So we went back across Pont Corneille and parked along the road Quai Jacqu  es Anquetil. When we looked over the railing we saw 12 spots in a specified motorhome parking area. (It is also on the tourist map).

 Anyway the effort was well and truely worth it. We rate this as a must see town. We loved the 2000 half-timbered houses leaning every which way offering the old city so much charm. 

Then of course there are the churches- the Notre Dame Cathedral with its 152m high cast iron spire. 

A modern painting of the resurrection.

The Saint Maclou church with its lovely 'lacey' exterior. 

The Saint Ouen Abbey Church had an interesting exhibition inside about the restoration projects of mills and their machinery.

 On our travels we also saw the Great Clock built above a Renaissance archway. 

We then wondered into the old market place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431. Now there stands a modern church to honour her. The roof shape is to remind us of fire! 

By now it was time for 'the lunch'. So we made our pick of a traditional Normandy restaurant that has been established since 1912. 

I did the menu of fish soup then veal in calvados sauce. Mark enjoyed his steak. Feeling very full we did some more walking.

 We had a quick peek in the Pierre Corneille Museum which is the house where he lived and wrote some of his plays. 

There happens to be a festival here this weekend with lots of food stalls and lots of people. Pity we just had lunch!

 Also if you want to shop, this the place. Lots of clothing stores as well as antiques and hand made ceramics.

 We stopped by and took a photo of the tower in which Joan of Arc was held in its dungeon. 

We then had a look at the wrought ironwork museum which is located in a former church. It boasts to have the largest collection in the world from gates, signs, door knockers to appliances, tools and jewelry. The keys, locks and safes where amazing.

 Once again out in the city we came across the Palais de Justice which still shows extensive bullet and shell damage as a remembrance to those who resisted the Germans in WWII. 

Our last wow moment on the way back to Bluey was the courtyard of a then magnificent town house, now the Hotel Bourgtheroulde. 

Then once over the Seine River we take Bluey 15km out of town, upstream to a quieter place.