We had a standing invitation from Aude and Xavier, our hosts from our visit to their gite in Provence in 2010, to return one day. Little did they know that we would return in 2019 and stay for 2 weeks! The gite was just as we remembered it from 9 years previously. We flew to Singapore, had a 24 hour break there ( with a great pool), then flew 13 hours to Paris, staying at the Bercy Village, highly recommended! Simon's plan was to follow the Tour de France with a small group of Australian Mamils, led by Stuart O'Grady. We were happy to let him do that while we lazed around the pool in 39degree heat! Highlights were seeing the Pont du Gard and exploring more of Pernes les Fontaines. The kids loved the morning walk to pick up the croissants and pain au chocolats! Simon after a particularly hot hill climb - the Col du Galibier, higher than anything in Australia!
His name was Anders. He has a small boat 🚣♀️, in which we toured a little of Stockholm’s famous archipelago. More than 20000 islands of all shapes and sizes, some inhabited, others not. We stepped ashore on one small island which had one farming family on it, running sheep and fishing for a number of generations. Incredibly, this part of the world is slowly rising out of the sea, in response to millions of years of ice having covered it, up to 3 or 4 kilometres thick, subsequently melting and releasing the downwards pressure. A good response to rising sea levels 🌊?
4 days in Copenhagen, with lots of ideas mostly involving cycling around this amazing bike-friendly city. However the reality was daunting- tens of thousands of riders at all times of the day and night, weaving in and out on their bike lanes which seem to cover the whole city. So we went by foot to see the historic museum, Frederiksberg gardens, the Castellet and both little 🧜♀️ mermaids- the traditional one with queues of tourists taking the EXACT SAME PHOTO, and her genetically modified sister who had 3 visitors, of which we were two. We finished up with the Pride day March, the Danes’ version (much bigger than ours) of Mardi Gras with a touch of Moomba. All very touching, but I’m sick of getting touched by a bearded man dressed as a woman! And of course, the obligatory visit to the LEGO store!!
Mais oui!!
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