India Trip 2011

We have just returned from 4 weeks in Northern india. Jackie kept a blog with another Service Provider.

The link is www.mytb.org/jackieandchris2011

June 15th - June 17th ~ Royal Hampshire County Hospital Carpark

After an uneventful crossing, we docked @ 9.30 am UK time. Broke the immobiliser on the van , pushing it into the dashboard whilst trying to start the van on the Ferry. Luckily, we had been parked near the front with no lorries behind us, so did not delay the unloading on the lorries surrounding us. Eventually managed to make contact with the immobiliser and started the van ,and got through customs ok. The next problem was that we did not have much petrol, with possibly just enough to get to Winchester, (unable to stop and turn off engine to fill up because of risks), so continued via Brighton and M27,taking the A 272 as it was a bit shorter. The petrol tank empty light came on with just under 50 miles to go ( the same distance one can go until empty). Getting lost in Winchester did’nt help our nerves, but just managed to get to Hospital carpark, where We camped for 2 nights.


I do not plan to describe the next 2 days, but Mum passed away peacefully on the morning of June 17th , after everyone had come to say their farewells. So thankful we made it in time. RIP.

End of this phase of the Blog.

June 14th ~ Dieppe : Newhaven Ferry Carpark

The day dawned with scattered high cloud, and we headed for Dieppe. Chris decided to use the Sat Nav to get out of Paris, but it started taking us out of the way and on to a toll motorway, so quickly returned to trusted navigator Jackie, who got us on a more direct green road.


Arrived in Dieppe about 2 pm and headed for the tiny Ferry Port and booked our tickets for the early morning crossing leaving @ 5 am next day. Got a 20% discount for some reason, so just 91 Euros Bargain !! Off to the Hypermarket to get red wine (approx 50 litres), cheese, eggs etc, and had a late lunch in the carpark.

We then checked out e mails in an internet cafe to check on Mum (not so good), and then explored Dieppe, which is a lovely little Port. Plenty of restaurants by the marina, but none open until 7 pm. Our wait was rewarded with a fantastic meal at the Restaurant L’Ocean – one of the best meals I have ever had – Google for location.

Back to the Ferry Port and met a nice couple originally from Bristol (Alan & Linda) in a huge old American RV about 3 times as big as our van, and offered us drinks. They had been to Le Mans and we spent a pleasant hour or so chatting before checking in to the Port about 9.00 pm. We were allowed to “camp” in line in the carpark overnight until boarding the ferry @ 4 am, so got a reasonable night’s sleep.

June 13th ~ Paris : MonMartre & Sacre-Coeur Part 3

Caught train back to the Champs Ellysees and to the Grand Palace, where a Russian ballet on ice (free) was due to be performed. Got there an hour or so before the performance and got the last seats. There was a fashion parade before the ballet of the best of Russian haute couture, and then a number of stunning routines on the ice. Then on to the Latin Quarter for dinner and had a wonderful last meal in Paris in a busy brasserie.


Walked back to Les Halles to catch the double decker train,getting back about 9 pm , very tired.

June 13th ~ Paris : MonMartre & Sacre-Coeur Part 1

Chris got up early @ 7.30 am to catch up on e mails & weather forecast, by piggybacking the campsite restaurant’s wifi at sunrise on the banks of the Seine. Quite sunny with high cloud. Conflicting forecasts, with the BBC saying “hot and sunny all day”, and Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com) saying “cloudy all day”. Good news that Mum has come through her operation well, albeit a bit groggy.


Off to catch the train to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and metro to Pigalle where there was a there was a thriving Sunday Puces (flea) market . There were numerous book stalls and bought 4 French children’s books for Mum to help with conversation. Walked up into MonMartre, where a few “3 card trick” Con-men using 3 discs, one with a white spot underneath, doing a roaring trade. One con man tried to give Jackie 100 euros , with a girl encouraging her to bet 50 euros to win the 100 euros – it was a fascinating scam, - some people bet, convinced where the spot was, and inevitiably lost. He would even leave cigarette ash on the disc where the white spot clearly was, to encourage unwary punters to bet, only to find it wasn’t there when he turned the disc over. The only way we think it worked was by trickery, and that the white disc could somehow be detatched from one disc and reattached to another when he shuffled the discs.

Exploring Montmartre, we found the "Love Wall" with the words "I Love You" in 311 languages. On up to Sacre Coeur.

June 13th ~ Paris : MonMartre & Sacre-Coeur Part 2

We walked off and continued on to the funicular railway up to Sacre-Coeur, only to be greeted numerous vans , support vehicles and a Marquee and finishing line for a cycle race around MonMartre, directly below Sacre -Coeur. Not sure if it was a leg of the Tour de France indicated on posters. After a coffee, joined the crowds entering the Church, which had a full service in progress with a packed congregation, with us tourists pouring in. Stayed for 5 minutes, observing the beautiful Church, and left the service and walked around MonMartre and the famous La Place de Tertre, with its cafes, restaurants, and itinerant portrait artists. Far too many people, but a fantastic atmosphere. After our picnic lunch, we wandered around other parts of MonMartre, and tried to find the best vantage point for the cycle race, which started at 2 pm.


Eventually established that it was a time-trial , and took pics of the first finishers, and other parts of course running up 10 flights of stairs carrying their bikes and riding back down the 10 flights.

June 12th ~ Paris Central / Seine

Heavy thunderstorms overnight with torrential rain, and still raining in the morning, although eased about 10 am. Unable to get forecast for rest of day, but headed to station and into Paris, and got off at Les Halles, taking sometime to emerge from the labrynth of underground shops and plazas.


Walked down to Notre Dame , and them on to main sights including the Louvre ( 700 metres long), Tuilierie gardens, Grande Palace ( large exhibition featuring Russian art & technology, as it is “Russia Week” in France this week), le Petit Palace, Champs Elysées, Arc de Triomphe , Eiffel Tower. Then took a river trip on the bateau mouches , taking in all the bridges and riverside sights, and then Alexander 3rd bridge & L’Hotel L’Invalides. Took bus to Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) , and then popped into Notre Dame as queues diminished, and lit a candle for Mum’s speedy recovery. Had dinner in one of the Latin Quarter’s bustling brasseries, and the back to Les Halles to catch train back, getting back to camp by 9 pm. All in all a hectic but very satisfactory days sightseeing!

June 11th ~ Maisons-Laffitte, Paris

An imposed early start enabled us to be on the road @ 7.45 am heading for Paris. Weather improved again, and clear and sunny with large fluffy clouds and a big sky. Had coffee in Vendôme, which had its Friday market around the 13th Century Abbey. Didn’t have time to visit the Chateau on a rocky ridge above the Loire – “another one for next time” is becoming a favourite phrase. Drove on to Versailles to visit the Royal Palace and Gardens, but as we only had 2 hours, could not do them justice. The highlight of the Palace was the hall of mirrors of course, and the gardens, but a further visit needed .


Drove North to Maisons Laffitte campsite, a nice place on an island in the Seine, with a train station 10minutes walk away. 4* star campsite, but meal there was expensive and poor quality, and wifi @ 4 euros per hour, so not impressed. The site , although handy for Paris (25 minutes by train) is noisy, with the constant trains, boats on the river and planes from Charles de Gaulle Airport. It is also patrolled by 2 large geese, who honk and hiss whilst wandering the site.

Will “do” Paris over the weekend. Weather forecast set to be fine with sun all day.

June 10th ~ Potiers – Futuroscope Aire

Weather much improved today, with high cloud and partial clear skies, and a bit of sun. Headed off to Bourdeilles, a 10km detour and the 3rd village in the area, and the “small town that has everything” in the guide book, “with its narrow gothic bridge with cut-water piers spanning the Dronne, water mill and medieval chateau”.Sure enough it had all these, but was not nearly as attractive as St-Jean –de-Cole and Brantôme. We did the circuit and headed off via Bergerac and Angoulěme, stopping off at hypermarket to stock up on Bergerac wine boxes. Unfortunately, not stocked as a local wine, so just got a box of the local Vienne Merlot.


After lunch in an Aire, drove on to Potiers, and beyond to Futuroscope Digital City, a theme park, exploring technology in a futuristic environment, with interactive digital experiences. Opted for the evening session 5 pm – 11pm @ 17 euros, and ate early in the van. Then tried as many experiences as we could in the period, but were thwarted by severe thunderstorms, getting drenched several times. The interactive rides included wearing 3D glasses and seats which one had to be strapped into and banged and jolted, creating very real sensations of flying and high speed car rides.White-knuckle rides included La Vienne Dynamique, and a fantasy excursion into the local Vienne Department, Voyageurs du ciel at de la mer (riding high above and below the waves), Les Astramouches (3D adventure of 3 flys on Apollo 11, , and the best one, Arthur, l’Adventure 4D (flying on ladybuggies and whisked away to the fantasy world of the Minimoys – an incredible experience. Several shows were cancelled because of the rain, but the finale went ahead with a spectacular son et lumiere show with coloured fountains, projected laser images etc..

Click on the link if interested http://www.futuroscope.com/

We camped at the Futuroscope Aire @ 6 euro, but had to be away by 8am next morning.

June 9th ~ Brantôme

Weather continuing overcast. We had a chat with a nice English couple (Dorothy & Gordon) who had arrived the same time as us yesterday, and who had a nice modern van they allowed us to have a look at, which was excellent, and just the type we might get when replacing our aging (16 years) van. Headed East to Bergerac and then on to Perigueux, the Regional capital of the Perigord with its magnificent Cathedrale St-Front and the mighty Tour Mataguerre (Tower), the last bastion of the old city walls, which originally had 28 Towers and 12 portes.. The guidebooks say Perigueux should be visited on market day (Wednesday), and it was just running down when we arrived, but still a lot of atmosphere. Also explored the old quarter La Cite, once an important Gallo-Roman settlement.


After lunch in the Aire, continued North to the delightful medieval village of St-Jean-de-Cole, with its Chateau, and half timbered houses in the narrow streets around the main square. We were followed around by a very friendly cat. On to Brantôme, known as the Venice of the Perigord. The main village is an island surrounded by the river Dronne, with numerous bridges and waterfalls,and is truly charming.

We wandered round in the evening after dinner when it was quite deserted, with its medieval abbey and 11th Century belfry, the oldest in France still standing. Behind the abbey are huge caves , and troglodyte houses built in to them in places.

Stopped for a glass of wine in one of the many riverside brasseries and savoured the atmosphere. All in all, a truly memorable picturesque village, and a “must visit” for people visiting the Perigord. Also visited a large Dolmen just 50 metres from the campsite. Wifi tempermental here.

June 8th ~ Sainte-Foy-la-Grande

Weather again overcast with rain in the air. Headed North via Roquefort (where the cheese comes from), and stopped for coffee and looked round for cheese factories, fromageries and boulangeries – none to be found anywhere. After buying a baguette and some Roquefort cheese from a minimart, had coffee, with Chris posing for a photo with the aforesaid baguette and cheese. A friendly local told us that there were 5 Roqueforts in France, and thisJune 8th ~ Sainte-Foy-la-Grande one did not make cheese. Undaunted, pressed on to Sainte- Foy –la- Grande and its neighbouring village Pineuilh on the Dordogne just West of Bergerac. This turned out to be a lovely site run by an English couple, and was full of English and Dutch vans.


Sainte-Foy-la-Grande is one of many Bastide towns and villages that we have passed through. Bastide towns were hurredly built in the 13th Century by both the English and French, to encourage the settlement of unpopulated areas before the Hundred Years War. They were the medieval equivalent of “new towns”, with their planned grid of streets and fortified perimeters, often around a central square. Over 300 Bastide towns and villages still survive between Périgord and the Pyrenees, Saint Foy being one.

We walked round the village which retains its medieval feel and look, particularly the arcaded market place. Then had a long walk along the other side of the Dordoyne, which was very picturesque. On the way back, we rested on a bench by the river, and then walked back through the village. Halfway back,, after 20 minutes, Jackie realised her camera was missing, and we hurried back to the chemist where we had bought mosquito spray, but not there, so back to the bench by the river, but only the map was there – the camera had gone. Walking back , Chris had noticed 2 teenage boys looking at something, but they disappeared quickly, so perhaps they had taken it, and we started looking for them. After giving up hope of finding them, a woman and her daughter with their dog came round the corner, with the camera, looking for us. They had found it on bench, and rather than leave it there, took it nd looked at some of the pics for clues on where to find us. They had seen the Lourdes pics and for some reason, thought we might be pilgrims on the Camino road to Santiago del Compostella , Spain(Pilgrims Way), and were heading for the Auberge where walkers stay when they found us. Jackie was overjoyed and relieved, and insisted the little girl took a 10 euro reward for their trouble and honesty.

Back to the Campsite about 6pm for dinner and a relaxing evening – again good wifi connection. Light rain most of evening and overnight, and forecast for the rest of the week....very unusual for France in June.

June 7th ~ Aire sur l’Adour

Awoke to a better day, but still quite a bit of cloud. Decided to take a bit of a detour to Lourdes, as we were reasonably close. We had planned to travel up via the Millau Bridge and the Central Massiff, but this was too far, and we couldn’t agree on which of the many sights to see there. Also , the hand-break on the van is not holding the van on steep hills, and this area is very mountainous. We were delayed an hour or so in Orthez getting the hand-break . The VW garage could’nt do it, but a very helpful Australian mechanic arranged for us to go to another garage , who “fixed” it in about 20 minutes.

Stopped off at small village of Coarraze, and parked close to a small Dolmen in someones garden. Also stopped at Lestelle Betharram, another small village on the river Gave Pau, still in full spate from the melting snow in the Pyrenees, and a beautiful turquoise colour . Huge monastery there. On to Lourdes, with its splendid Church, Basillica and Grotto .....more history to follow.....

Walked around taking in the atmosphere of so many people of all nationalities, many of them sick and infirm. The town is a mixture of high religious tourism, and people praying openly in the streets and squares. Toured all the sights and filed past the Grotte, and got 5 litres of holy water to see if it improves our health.

After lunch, about 3 pm, set off North via Tarbes and on to Aire sur l’Adour, a picturesque village with campsite by the river. Added bonus’ were a washing machine and wifi. By the late afternoon, evening, it was very hot and sunny, and being by a river, quite a few mosquitos. After supper, walked round the village , which was pretty dead by then, and back to van to catch up on blog , e mails etc..

Orthez (Béarn Region of France)

Light rain overnight and raining as we got up. Drove to the French border at Irun, filling up with 60€ of fuel @ 1.16€ per litre, which was a good saving, as petrol is 1.48 € in France. We had lunch at Sauveterre-de-Béarn, an attractive medieval market town, and spent an hour exploring the sights, inc church, fortified bridge and chateau.

On to Orthez , an important Béarn market town, with its 13th Century fortified bridge, an important crossing point over the Gave de Pau river in the middle ages, still a swirling torrent from melting snows from the Pyrenees. Also, churches and chateaux as in previous town. The Tourist Office is housed in one of the many fine sandstone mansions, and is where Jeanne d’Albret gave birth to Henry IV.

We camped in the Municipal campsite at about 3 pm, unusually quiet, but with quite a fewtents and caravans and a container being used as a dwelling. Also, there were a few “pilgrims” walking the Santiago de Compostela caminos, as Orthez is on the route. However, many were elderly and arrived in minivans, so not sure whats going on there. Chris also talked to one of them , who confirmed he was on the way to Santiago de Compostela, over 1,000 km in North Western Spain, and also had a log book of stops, which he got the campsite manager to stamp “Orthez”, although he is not camping here this evening. Also, on returning from exploring the town, there were about 20 Eastern European workers apparently living on the site. Not sure if they are seasonal workers picking fruit and veg, or manual workers working on motorway construction. Spent the evening uploading pics and the blog – unfortunately no wifi.