Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Tag: France

  • A stop in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont

    On the 69th anniversary of D-Day, I guess it’s appropriate to post about an enjoyable interlude we had this week en route to Cherbourg to catch the Irish Ferries boat back to Ireland. As usual, we had some time to kill and decided that a walk on a beach followed…

  • Ferry to St-Tropez; the easiest way to get there during the summer months

    If you holiday on the French Riviera during the summer, you’ll know that the road from Ste-Maxime to St-Tropez can be one of life’s miseries as traffic moves at the pace of a diffident snail en route home from a wine-pleasured lunch. In short, no one with more than two…

  • The Citadel of St. Tropez

    Most people who visit St. Tropez on the French Riviera probably think about the glamour side of the town – its up-market shops, the restaurants dotted around the port that can charge an extraordinary amount for an ordinary pizza, the yachts that broadcast the fact that their owners drip with cash,…

  • New French breathalyzer law

    [Updated to reflect changed regulations] Driving in France can present some unique challenges.  Drivers who are new to France who have to transit the massive roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris receive a rude introduction to some of the passion, terror, and luck that can surround the French…

  • Climbing the rock: Rocher de Roquebrune

    I have passed by the Rocher de Roquebrune frequently ever since my first trip to the South of France in 1981. The Rocher (literally “large rock”) is located close to the village of Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the department of the Var. The A8 autoroute passes by the hulking bulk of the rock…

  • Snow in the Var

    The French Riviera is usually associated with pictures such as the gentle swaying of palm trees framing the glittering Mediterranean in 30 degrees warmth, with of course those who are deemed to be movers and shakers busily quaffing champagne and telling each other just how wonderful they look. Fortunately, outside Cannes Film…

  • Ambling up to Cherbourg

    Driving from the Cote d’Azur to Cherbourg is a 1,350km trek over thirteen or so hours behind the wheel, depending of course on the number of “bouchons” (traffic jams) that you encounter on the French autoroute system. To be fair to the companies that operate the autoroutes, they do their…

  • The plight of the mother bat

    One of the joys of a house in the country is the wildlife that occasionally make an appearance. Bats are common visitors as they roost under the eaves of the house and behind doors. I haven’t quite worked out what species of bat visit us but suspect that they are…

  • Wandering down through France

    It was time to head back from Ireland to France. This time we decided to take the ferry from Rosslare to Roscoff on the basis that the route was shorter and we’d spend less time cooped up on the boat being a captive audience for Irish Ferries. We’d also have…

  • Rugby, weapons, and conferences

    Lots has been happening over the past two weeks with trips to Las Vegas to speak at “The Experts Conference” (TEC), Flayosc (south of France) for some vacation, and England for rugby. It’s time to consider some of the incidents encountered along the way. I landed in Las Vegas late…