Final days France

And so we spend our final days of our trip getting our things packed and Bluey ready. We get new front brakes at Point S in Beynost. This year the end is a bit different because we are leaving Bluey with my cousin. We hope that they can enjoy travelling in Bluey as much as we do. Once again we are spoilt with their lovely hospitality.

The washing machine found in supermarket car parks are very handy for us.

Doing the extensive hydrochloric acid clean up.

Wonderful company and delicious food as always ..

Traditional coffee bowl for breakfast 

Yummy

Pretty autumn colours

Passing on the reigns.

First time sitting in the back for Mark.

Bye bye Bluey you are in safe hands until next year 

Rego reads 116319.. so this years trip was 9745km over 91 days

Final farewells. We appreciate them dropping us off so early at the train station in Lyon (wake up 4:30am). This year our homeward journey will truly be train, plane and automobile! 

It’s always a bittersweet moment as we leave. We remember all wonderful times and places we have been but we are also excited to see our beautiful family. But we have more adventures to look forward to next year.

And the long journey begins… only another 28 hours …

This year we just went home with our suitcases with wheels for easier manoeuvrability from train to plane.

Very comfy. The journey would be just over 2 hours getting us to the airport 3 hours before our flight. It was a bit risky to do it the same day as our flight due to possible delays or cancellations but all went well, even tho I did stress over it. We had pre bought our 2 x 1st class tickets for €147.

The train arrives in Terminal 2 and so we had to make our way to the ‘navette’ (a small train) that travels between the terminals and car parks. We arrived at Terminal 1 with plenty of time, breezed through security and then relaxed before we had to board the plane.

We had seats in Premium Economy which offered a little bit more room to stretch out. We managed a few hours sleep,

Bye bye Europe…

Due to the flight being rescheduled by 45mins earlier, it gaves us more time at Changi airport than our past lay overs. So we took the opportunity to use our 2 lounge free passes included with our credit card. We enjoyed our showers and got a small bite to eat as we weren’t really hungry or in the mood for the alcoholic drinks..then to the gate to wait to board the plane for our second leg.

Hello Melbourne. We arrived at 6pm on Saturday and had our booked driver take us home.

As per usual, I will do a few stats on the trip…when I have a bit of time.

Burgundy Beaujolais France

We spent a wonderful day driving through some scenic landscapes and walking in picturesque villages of the Burgundy and Beaujolais wine areas of France. It was  perfect sunny and warm and the autumn colours of the countryside made the day extra special.

Before we left Mont Saint Vincent we walked up to the tower once again to admire the valley views. 

The fog had not lifted in many parts in which we drove through as we made our way to Cluny (visited in 2014). We had fond memories of the town and so as it was on our way we stopped to have a walk around. The town is renown for the Benedictine Abby that had been built in the 12th century and was the biggest religious building in the world until the completion of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Unfortunately Napoleon I decided that they held too much power and so used some of the stones from the abbey to build the National Horse Stud complex which still exists today. 

Further south we glimpse the Berze castle and chapel (both closed today being a Monday). 

We have a walk in Pierreclos and look at the outside of the castle.

As we drive on we cannot mistake the striking limestone escarpment the Roche de Solutre (2014) rising above the grape vines. 

We eventually make it to Julienas, at the heart of the wine growing region, where vines have been grown here for over 2000 years. We pop in the church. 

Not far from here is an aire we have been to before in La Chapelle de Guinchay. We are joined by many other motorhomes by the end of the evening. This is our last touristy day of our travels. Tomorrow we begin the process of leaving Bluey and flying home in a few days.

85km today.