Beaujolais France

Beaujolais France

As it was a public holiday in France on Friday, we all went for a drive to the Beaujolais region. For those who don’t know,  it is a wine-producing region in France located north of Lyon. We have previously visited at different times some of the the 10 crus villages (Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié, and Saint-Amour).

Today we went to see a few of the villages made from the local Golden Stones, or Pierres Dorées. Houses, churches and castles are a beautiful golden colour. These medieval villages, built on hills and fortified, with unique and stunningly beautiful architecture stand out in the landscape especially when the sun shines. 

Our first stop was a short stroll in Le Bois d’Oingt. It had some charming architecture. In the main square there were some photos displayed of the celebration of all the people from the town who had been born in the year ending in a 6 ie 1996 or 2006 etc. Every year this is done so next year it will be for those birthdays ending in a 7… looks like a lot of fun and a great way for people to reconnect.

Oingt, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, has many lovely buildings and its numerous art and craft studios attracts many tourist. We wandered through the winding, cobbled streets admiring the old houses with golden façades along with a fine built heritage.

We had a look at the castle chapel and the 13th-century Church of St. Matthew, which was once a seigniorial residence.

We enjoyed tasting some local dishes at one of the village restaurants. 3 of us including Mark and myself, had tasty Guinea Fowl. A tripe stew and goats cheese in puff pastry were the other dishes we had.. all washed down with a local Beaujolais red wine. Delicious.

To help work off lunch we went up the Oingt tower built in the 12th century. It is a remnant of the second castle where the lords lived. Standing 18 metres tall, it houses a three-storey museum and offered 360° panoramic views from the top terrace. 

Theizé is a quiet village perched on the side of Mont Bansillon from where it overlooks some of the many vineyards in this important wine-making area. The large stone cross in the village square dates back to 1567 but the little niches underneath the cross were not filled in until 1996. 

We had a look at the gothic style church in the centre of the village, built at the end of the 19th century.

At the top of the village we were able to have a look at some art gallery in the Chateau de Rochebonne. The original Chateau was destroyed during the Hundred Years War in order to stop the castle falling into English hands, and was rebuilt in the 17th century.

Our last village for the day was Châtillon, a medieval village built on terraces on the promontory formed by the confluence of the Alix stream and the Azergues river. We made our way through its narrow streets and sloping passageways up to remains of the ancient fortress. This former stronghold, dating back to the 12th century, controlled the valley and the surrounding trade routes. Today, the ruins of the keep and ramparts give an idea of what life was like for the lords of the manor in days gone by and offer panoramic views of the village and the Azergues valley.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help:

Not far from the fortress is the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Bon Secours. This chapel, rebuilt over the centuries, is an iconic place of worship. Its simple yet elegant façade and beautifully restored painted interior bear witness to the faith and religious tradition that have shaped the village.

We returned home and finished the day with some more drinks and delicious food… thanks once again for such a warm welcome we really appreciate it and it’s been so special to share some time with family. 

Melbourne Paris Montluel FRANCE

Another Bluey adventure begins. This will be our 10th time exploring Europe in Bluey since 2013 and sadly it will be our last. We plan to visit some of our favourite countries - France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and Italy. We'll revisit some places we've seen before and also explore some new things. 

Luckily Trump and his antics didn’t prevent us from flying out on Singapore Airlines. This year we treated ourselves to Business Class both ways. All went smoothly as per usual. The 2 hour stopover in Singapore allowed us enough time for a refreshing shower and a bite to eat in the huge lounge. We also managed to get some sleep on the next leg and arrived in Paris at 8am. 

The border control line was quite long but we jumped lines, getting in the one for Australians and other commonwealth countries that used an automatic biometric reader. Phew!otherwise we would have been there for at least another hour. The problem was my french passport wouldn’t work here, but the kind border security guard took me to the front of that very long queue. We picked up our suitcases and then took the shuttle train from Terminal 1 to 2, to the SNCF train station. We had pre booked our tickets for the fast train to Lyon airport(€81) leaving at 11am and arriving 2 hours later. 

We were kindly picked up by my cousin and we were finally reunited with Bluey.

We spent the rest of the day  (Wednesday) unpacking our bags and sorting out Bluey’s cupboards. 

That evening caught up with my cousins over some yummy food and a few drinks.

 

Unfortunately we noticed that Bluey had a leaking tap, so on Thursday whilst we were out at the shops we went to buy a new flick mixer for the basin and Mark went to work. My cousins had also kindly replaced the house batteries after 13 years of use! A busy day!

 We enjoyed another evening together with my cousins.