tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32120539127983109272024-03-13T21:42:43.298+01:00Bize Bytes________ Bize-Minervois, a village in the LanguedocAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-91641706620588652532015-05-31T09:48:00.001+02:002017-03-24T12:26:25.514+01:00Moving sideways<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Future posts on Bize-Bytes can now be found on Facebook. </div>
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Link:<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bize-Bytes/895137113876897">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bize-Bytes/895137113876897</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-49682399209626664972014-09-01T16:53:00.003+02:002014-09-01T16:53:41.493+02:00Canoeing on the Orb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week Bonnie and I decided to do a canoe trip down the
Orb River. We’d been talking about it for some time and decided to wait until
most of the holiday makers were gone, but while it was still warm enough. What
a fun day it was! The canoe hire is at Roquebrun – there are various lengths of
the river you can choose – we went for 10 kms which was just about right for
us. The river was quite low and we did manage to get ourselves stuck on the rocks a few times – one time a
bit more spectacularly than the others.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMNuzlYKq_s/VASFs7O6FbI/AAAAAAACO58/3ML7czFBjtw/s1600/2014-08-28%2BRiver%2BOrb%2BCanoeing%2B(10).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bMNuzlYKq_s/VASFs7O6FbI/AAAAAAACO58/3ML7czFBjtw/s1600/2014-08-28%2BRiver%2BOrb%2BCanoeing%2B(10).jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In this case, there was a photographer from the canoe company
on the river bank who first took our photo of us wedged on the rock – and then
helped drag us off. The few other times we got stuck, we managed to free
ourselves and continue on. Only one of us fell out completely – it was me…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was about three hours, with a stop for lunch about half
way down. There’s a waterproof barrel that’s strapped in the back of the canoe
for towels, lunch and cameras etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A touch of the sun, sore arms – and a great day out. </span></div>
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Hardly a fashion statement, but those €1
pink floral waterproof shoes I bought at a vide-grenier came in handy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roquebrun</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgY6cwAB9r8/VASGA_cBD8I/AAAAAAACO6I/Xb8MCg5gEws/s1600/2014-08-28%2BRiver%2BOrb%2BCanoeing%2B(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YgY6cwAB9r8/VASGA_cBD8I/AAAAAAACO6I/Xb8MCg5gEws/s1600/2014-08-28%2BRiver%2BOrb%2BCanoeing%2B(11).jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop / time for a swim</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-72776138104423250882014-08-24T16:29:00.000+02:002014-08-24T16:29:09.177+02:00Fortified Mill at Canet d'Aude<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Normally our end of year walking group picnic is held up in
the Black Mountains, beyond St Pons. This year they chose a different venue,
closer to home – just near Canet d’Aude. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The weather was looking a bit suspect
when we arrived, but we all set off on our pre-lunch walk. We arrived at the
ruins of an old mill on the river Aude. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNL7ItIG_js/U_noz6ZnlfI/AAAAAAACOnc/8jDmm2godwY/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(16).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mNL7ItIG_js/U_noz6ZnlfI/AAAAAAACOnc/8jDmm2godwY/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(16).jpg" height="390" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eZGAsMF1gZ4/U_nph53Zw7I/AAAAAAACOns/4lMOfO0UTXE/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eZGAsMF1gZ4/U_nph53Zw7I/AAAAAAACOns/4lMOfO0UTXE/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(4).jpg" height="400" width="223" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dY4CeP9K0s/U_nqZiGyZnI/AAAAAAACOoU/ZZYDVZ_ZHNI/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3dY4CeP9K0s/U_nqZiGyZnI/AAAAAAACOoU/ZZYDVZ_ZHNI/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(5).jpg" height="400" width="223" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s on private property but the
organisers </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">had obtained permission from the owners for us to visit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No Health
& Safety rules and regulations here – it’s just a matter of watching where
you walked and don’t get too close to the edge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mill itself had been built
on the base of an old fort which dates from the 12</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> century. Arrow
slits in the walls still remain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The skies were getting darker at this stage, and just as we
arrived back at the picnic area, heavy rain started and we all had to sit in
our cars for a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was quite a bit of debate going on as to whether we should abandon the
outdoors and take everything back to the Salle des Fêtes in Bize! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the consensus was to wait – and it was a
good decision as things cleared up and we even ended up with sunshine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just as
well, re-transporting 50 kilograms of mussels, huge amounts of sausages AND the cooking
gear would have been a little daunting.
As is usual with these events, there was sooo much food and wine to
be had, but a fitting end to our walking group outings before the summer break.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY-lQcjlsNk/U_nqPyRLmgI/AAAAAAACOoI/bYMIDurfcZU/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY-lQcjlsNk/U_nqPyRLmgI/AAAAAAACOoI/bYMIDurfcZU/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(8).jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nWicVD8WlPo/U_nqO5M8L9I/AAAAAAACOoA/8gzDW8KO-SQ/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nWicVD8WlPo/U_nqO5M8L9I/AAAAAAACOoA/8gzDW8KO-SQ/s1600/2014-07-02%2BCanet%2Bwalkers%2Bpicnic%2B(14).jpg" height="294" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-25570430957787039562014-08-24T15:46:00.000+02:002014-08-24T15:46:13.424+02:00Airlie Beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IZWKHz3-Pl0/U_nT3HZTHAI/AAAAAAACOmw/22g37uRJe2Y/s1600/2014-06-14%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(118a).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IZWKHz3-Pl0/U_nT3HZTHAI/AAAAAAACOmw/22g37uRJe2Y/s1600/2014-06-14%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(118a).jpg" height="311" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a quick and quite unexpected trip back to Australia in
June. Paul and Amanda brought their wedding date forward as he’s been
transferred to the US for work and they’re now settled in Houston!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So a quick turnaround (on the plane the day after getting back from Norway) and four flights later, I arrived in Mackay. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One overnighter in Mackay, then a drive north to Airlie Beach where we
(the bride and groom and the two mums) had two days of luxury in a beautiful
resort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A complete package where everything was arranged by the resort. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was such a happy occasion</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">great
way to have a wedding at short notice – no stress, some pampering, and very
relaxing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I didn't have long to have to think about what to wear (picked up something
at the Olonzac market in about 5 minutes!) – there was very little stress on my
part, apart from the rush to get there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands and even though it’s quite the tourist attraction, it has a laid back north Queensland feel to it. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdS0ouDI9tw/U_nWGzt37gI/AAAAAAACOnE/GR6UPg-BhrU/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdS0ouDI9tw/U_nWGzt37gI/AAAAAAACOnE/GR6UPg-BhrU/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(9).jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Main Street Airlie Beach</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsinA4TYqtk/U_nXCcvnUQI/AAAAAAACOnM/L3hu4qHLxJY/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsinA4TYqtk/U_nXCcvnUQI/AAAAAAACOnM/L3hu4qHLxJY/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding%2B(3).jpg" height="372" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday morning markets at the beach</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0nlcyQOz7U/U_nVcf_GaaI/AAAAAAACOm8/zbBM0wYD8To/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0nlcyQOz7U/U_nVcf_GaaI/AAAAAAACOm8/zbBM0wYD8To/s1600/2014-06-13%2BPaul%2Band%2BAmanda%2Bwedding.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View from the resort</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-74657125442937577242014-08-12T18:22:00.000+02:002014-08-12T18:22:36.385+02:00Norway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKy2bxwBkds/U-XSsxVWkMI/AAAAAAACOgU/mmWSx7YezCU/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKy2bxwBkds/U-XSsxVWkMI/AAAAAAACOgU/mmWSx7YezCU/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(2).jpg" height="312" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waterfront at Bergen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then we were off to Norway – Sylvia, friend Bonnie and
me. Ryanair flies from Beziers to Oslo Rygge and none of us had been to any
Scandinavian countries before, and it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.
So we booked a car to be picked up at the airport, planned the route and booked
the accommodation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seven days driving a loop from Oslo, across to Bergen and
back around the south coast. What a beautiful country it is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the first time
we used AirBNB for a couple of nights’ accommodation and both turned out really
well. The first was a large room that slept three, in a private flat in Oslo.
Such a different experience from a hotel. The owner and his partner lived there
and were charming …. we could use the kitchen and their bathroom – well that
whole flat actually. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">AirBNB</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> experience was a basement flat in
Bergen, right in the down-town area and only about 100 metres from the
waterfront. In this instance we didn’t meet the owner – she just left the door
unlocked and we let ourselves in and spent two days there. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlJJEy6Vm9k/U-XWs5gIpxI/AAAAAAACOhA/f5Kup-yG9cw/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlJJEy6Vm9k/U-XWs5gIpxI/AAAAAAACOhA/f5Kup-yG9cw/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger(5).jpg" height="247" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The view from our room</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most interesting
accommodation experience was in Stavanger. I thought I’d booked a triple room
in a regular hotel. But when we turned up, we noticed quite a few people
outside in wheelchairs – and some with oxygen bottles. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the reception, we
noticed two desks. I didn't know that Sykehus means “Sick House” i.e. hospital. The rooms that are rented are also part of the hospital – often used
for patients’ families or recuperating patients.</span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3GPSB4c8yw/U-XVJtSOhbI/AAAAAAACOgo/I5frKofeycw/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3GPSB4c8yw/U-XVJtSOhbI/AAAAAAACOgo/I5frKofeycw/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(1).jpg" height="257" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So our triple room (two
singles and a folder bed – this is a normal ‘triple’ room in Norway we were told) was
not only very compact, but very safe – safely rails in the bathroom and an
emergency button on the wall. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lobby was also full of the walking wounded and their families and visitors. Breakfast was delightful – not only because
the self-service cafeteria food was excellent, but because we were surrounded
by new-borns and their parents. While we were having breakfast we counted
twelve!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BjPKN0ziXUQ/U-XVuis35-I/AAAAAAACOg0/r50AMPsQnfY/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BjPKN0ziXUQ/U-XVuis35-I/AAAAAAACOg0/r50AMPsQnfY/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(4).jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Driving was easy on really good roads, if a little slow – very few
stretches of road were over 80 km/h. Though I imagine with the snow in winter,
that’s more than enough. The scenery and the fjords were as beautiful as I
imagined, and everything was just as expensive as we’d been warned. But we were
prepared and budgeted accordingly, and ate in our accommodation when possible. On our last day in Oslo we had a meal in a
Vietnamese restaurant with some friends of Bonnie’s and had one dish each, with
I think one beer – cost €35 per head.</span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here - a few photos of our week in Norway:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="BlogText">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7BwcHDYp3C8/U-XXl8w-h3I/AAAAAAACOhI/aTfWBAj5uYs/s1600/2014-06-02+Oslo+Kon+Tiki+meseum+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7BwcHDYp3C8/U-XXl8w-h3I/AAAAAAACOhI/aTfWBAj5uYs/s1600/2014-06-02+Oslo+Kon+Tiki+meseum+(3).jpg" height="400" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.142857551574707px; line-height: 9.21142864227295px; text-align: left;">Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPuxOBzyh7g/U-XXnFMkeuI/AAAAAAACOhU/LqBv3JqvTQg/s1600/2014-06-02+Oslo+viking+museum+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IPuxOBzyh7g/U-XXnFMkeuI/AAAAAAACOhU/LqBv3JqvTQg/s1600/2014-06-02+Oslo+viking+museum+(5).jpg" height="378" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Viking Ship Museum, Oslo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zj4WxtO2-_E/U-XXmt0nAPI/AAAAAAACOhM/FCEpaIY2K4Y/s1600/2014-06-03+Hardangervidda+plateau+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zj4WxtO2-_E/U-XXmt0nAPI/AAAAAAACOhM/FCEpaIY2K4Y/s1600/2014-06-03+Hardangervidda+plateau+(1).jpg" height="354" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Houses with sod roofs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTUp0hLwfD8/U-XXtR2Q4zI/AAAAAAACOhg/zJVB0BvHshU/s1600/2014-06-03+Hardangervidda+plateau+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTUp0hLwfD8/U-XXtR2Q4zI/AAAAAAACOhg/zJVB0BvHshU/s1600/2014-06-03+Hardangervidda+plateau+(5).jpg" height="238" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hardangervidda plateau</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vHj083HSn4/U-XX5BSzEDI/AAAAAAACOh8/r-9y2GnzpNc/s1600/2014-06-03+meatballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vHj083HSn4/U-XX5BSzEDI/AAAAAAACOh8/r-9y2GnzpNc/s1600/2014-06-03+meatballs.jpg" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Norwegian friend who lives here in France said we had to try to Norwegian meatballs - delicious, served with Lingonberry sauce and mashed kohlrabi.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOehK7xh96Y/U-XXwVnfcTI/AAAAAAACOho/fhFxJN60mQM/s1600/2014-06-03+Stave+churches+near+Eidfjord+(17).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOehK7xh96Y/U-XXwVnfcTI/AAAAAAACOho/fhFxJN60mQM/s1600/2014-06-03+Stave+churches+near+Eidfjord+(17).jpg" height="594" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stave church</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kc3zdrsxEqo/U-XXwR5znmI/AAAAAAACOhs/dvhgPUilMGg/s1600/2014-06-03+Stave+churches+near+Eidfjord+(18).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kc3zdrsxEqo/U-XXwR5znmI/AAAAAAACOhs/dvhgPUilMGg/s1600/2014-06-03+Stave+churches+near+Eidfjord+(18).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grass AND flowers </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gS2TS_NqU7I/U-XX6hRhZmI/AAAAAAACOiI/V8sMT5m2mgs/s1600/2014-06-03+V%C3%B8ringfossen+waterfall+near+Eidfjord+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gS2TS_NqU7I/U-XX6hRhZmI/AAAAAAACOiI/V8sMT5m2mgs/s1600/2014-06-03+V%C3%B8ringfossen+waterfall+near+Eidfjord+(1).jpg" height="348" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vøringfossen waterfall near Eidfjord</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6dDB06byg80/U-XX4vsWyuI/AAAAAAACOh4/AVfNQUjOulY/s1600/2014-06-04+-+en+route+to+Bergen+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6dDB06byg80/U-XX4vsWyuI/AAAAAAACOh4/AVfNQUjOulY/s1600/2014-06-04+-+en+route+to+Bergen+(1).jpg" height="242" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5amiKh15Jlo/U-XakZhkWHI/AAAAAAACOi8/s5Psk16VSm4/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5amiKh15Jlo/U-XakZhkWHI/AAAAAAACOi8/s5Psk16VSm4/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(3).jpg" height="308" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xNqCDJNMLg/U-Xaiyl9iQI/AAAAAAACOi0/5NOJ8TAMmwc/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xNqCDJNMLg/U-Xaiyl9iQI/AAAAAAACOi0/5NOJ8TAMmwc/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(7).jpg" height="486" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beer break - Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1U6xQ49IFN0/U-Xd95uOLAI/AAAAAAACOkQ/Cp0yTyhXl10/s1600/whale+meat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1U6xQ49IFN0/U-Xd95uOLAI/AAAAAAACOkQ/Cp0yTyhXl10/s1600/whale+meat.jpg" height="540" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666666984558105px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We did see rather a lot of whale meat for sale - in its different forms.<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0hjaRnqGOZw/U-XaYLVu4GI/AAAAAAACOik/i418sj9v0bM/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0hjaRnqGOZw/U-XaYLVu4GI/AAAAAAACOik/i418sj9v0bM/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(12).jpg" height="412" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ipCsgARWk9Q/U-XaTGTzTxI/AAAAAAACOiU/Sn6KQKlgFOw/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(16).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ipCsgARWk9Q/U-XaTGTzTxI/AAAAAAACOiU/Sn6KQKlgFOw/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(16).jpg" height="640" width="606" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj9sS5a0fU0/U-XaWJpErEI/AAAAAAACOic/sYUCRTCrFo8/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(18).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fj9sS5a0fU0/U-XaWJpErEI/AAAAAAACOic/sYUCRTCrFo8/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(18).jpg" height="490" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1pSwjDeZxQ/U-Xah5LNsHI/AAAAAAACOis/kPz8zq-GzQo/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(19).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1pSwjDeZxQ/U-Xah5LNsHI/AAAAAAACOis/kPz8zq-GzQo/s1600/2014-06-04+Bergen+(19).jpg" height="442" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bergen - monster wooden sculpture of a dried cod</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrQWaCJnsmI/U-Xao22c16I/AAAAAAACOjI/v-z5QQTsmW0/s1600/2014-06-04+Steinsdalsfossen+waterfall+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrQWaCJnsmI/U-Xao22c16I/AAAAAAACOjI/v-z5QQTsmW0/s1600/2014-06-04+Steinsdalsfossen+waterfall+(1).jpg" height="450" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Steinsdalsfossen waterfall - one you can walk beneath!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ncUSyxlg1pA/U-XaoyXKA-I/AAAAAAACOjE/olGukCyfZvg/s1600/2014-06-05+Bergen+(17).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ncUSyxlg1pA/U-XaoyXKA-I/AAAAAAACOjE/olGukCyfZvg/s1600/2014-06-05+Bergen+(17).jpg" height="640" width="582" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stave church outside of Bergen</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCKLz0w0y-k/U-XdvtFf4LI/AAAAAAACOjc/yWy3_0TnPCY/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCKLz0w0y-k/U-XdvtFf4LI/AAAAAAACOjc/yWy3_0TnPCY/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(14).jpg" height="370" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stavanger - we were lucky enough to arrive on a day with stunning weather - AND a music festival</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TP4iKle0UaM/U-XduzCBURI/AAAAAAACOjY/c2mQiLQYtk8/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(17).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TP4iKle0UaM/U-XduzCBURI/AAAAAAACOjY/c2mQiLQYtk8/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(17).jpg" height="500" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stavanger</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qds-gKuxw84/U-XdwFxI43I/AAAAAAACOjk/JBvPKbkkl30/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(19).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qds-gKuxw84/U-XdwFxI43I/AAAAAAACOjk/JBvPKbkkl30/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(19).jpg" height="640" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stavanger</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7bezTTnNXyE/U-XdyVfJLrI/AAAAAAACOjw/xwtNCRkW2aA/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(29).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7bezTTnNXyE/U-XdyVfJLrI/AAAAAAACOjw/xwtNCRkW2aA/s1600/2014-06-06+Stavenger+(29).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stavanger</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaxJMlgwDTg/U-Xd3Hn2mOI/AAAAAAACOj4/1afFb-khLU4/s1600/opera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IaxJMlgwDTg/U-Xd3Hn2mOI/AAAAAAACOj4/1afFb-khLU4/s1600/opera.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oslo - new Opera House</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gq9CIA-LkBY/U-Xd6686LpI/AAAAAAACOkA/RWQMerzYXD8/s1600/sculptures1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gq9CIA-LkBY/U-Xd6686LpI/AAAAAAACOkA/RWQMerzYXD8/s1600/sculptures1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Vigelandsparken sculpture park Oslo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6fW0xqTY8Ds/U-Xd7ssSLJI/AAAAAAACOkE/BNjm6wpQ6oM/s1600/sculptures2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6fW0xqTY8Ds/U-Xd7ssSLJI/AAAAAAACOkE/BNjm6wpQ6oM/s1600/sculptures2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-82815682925381505952014-08-05T14:31:00.000+02:002014-08-05T14:33:57.915+02:00Ceret Cherry Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I finally managed to get to the Cherry Festival in Ceret in May – south-west
of Perpignan down towards the Spanish border. When part of the previous group
went back to Australia, my friend Sylvia stayed on and we had a few days to get
out and about. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z6Tnah-EzuA/U-DL2tDHlNI/AAAAAAACOfE/Hha4EctTLeM/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z6Tnah-EzuA/U-DL2tDHlNI/AAAAAAACOfE/Hha4EctTLeM/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(5).JPG" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have no idea what was going on with my satnav but we ended
up getting there after lots of back-tracking via a rather convoluted routes,
and a very long time! I finally resorted to using Google maps on my phone which
I’m reluctant to do as I have a pay as you go plan that costs an arm and a leg
for data (I hardly use it as a phone!). And it got us there.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What a pretty town and it was understandably bursting at the
seams when we arrived. And there were still plenty of cherries to be had.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AUIdExgCnkk/U-DL0mGYkaI/AAAAAAACOe4/Uso4WEJJXDI/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AUIdExgCnkk/U-DL0mGYkaI/AAAAAAACOe4/Uso4WEJJXDI/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(4).jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLxLCqnaGVc/U-DL2YfpQrI/AAAAAAACOfA/TvMXfHwigTc/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLxLCqnaGVc/U-DL2YfpQrI/AAAAAAACOfA/TvMXfHwigTc/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(2).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ5s_bqhn5o/U-DLmZ7Mm7I/AAAAAAACOew/5-3kwzWf0eM/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ5s_bqhn5o/U-DLmZ7Mm7I/AAAAAAACOew/5-3kwzWf0eM/s1600/2014-05-31+Cherry+Festival+(1).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As we were quite close to the sea, we drove home via Banyuls
Sur Mer, just south of Collioure. A decadent ice cream followed by nice coffee at
a little café overlooking the pebbled beach. It was a relatively deserted beach
that afternoon, being off-peak season, but I imagine it’s wall to wall at the
height of summer.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wecJoRt1q4o/U-DLkfgsa0I/AAAAAAACOeg/32ol08mI_Og/s1600/2014-05-31+Banyuls+sur+mer(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wecJoRt1q4o/U-DLkfgsa0I/AAAAAAACOeg/32ol08mI_Og/s1600/2014-05-31+Banyuls+sur+mer(3).JPG" height="346" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzD084av-gU/U-DLkd0b2wI/AAAAAAACOek/I_F8fOYGrnQ/s1600/2014-05-31+Banyuls+sur+mer+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzD084av-gU/U-DLkd0b2wI/AAAAAAACOek/I_F8fOYGrnQ/s1600/2014-05-31+Banyuls+sur+mer+(6).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-81776109116686983742014-07-25T15:20:00.000+02:002014-07-25T15:20:14.232+02:00Lunch at the salt pans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had a friend plus four
old work acquaintances here in May for 12 days - four of them were new to the region,
so we covered all the usual interesting places. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One place I hadn't been to before was the restaurant next to the Salt Museum at Gruissan – <i>La
Cambuse du Saunier</i>. Between us, we had a
delicious selection of seafood. Not surprisingly, some of the specialities of
the house are fish, chicken or duck cooked encrusted in salt. I think they will need to be tried another day…..<span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;"><br /></span>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znYP0zzM0mI/U9D6lijgA1I/AAAAAAACNdU/l_RN9kloy-U/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znYP0zzM0mI/U9D6lijgA1I/AAAAAAACNdU/l_RN9kloy-U/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+(4).jpg" height="224" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--m_aoBPYZ78/U9D6ftXxI5I/AAAAAAACNc0/raYzVjkozH4/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252818%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--m_aoBPYZ78/U9D6ftXxI5I/AAAAAAACNc0/raYzVjkozH4/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252818%2529.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CcLA-SCWr-4/U9D6a5GCg6I/AAAAAAACNck/t2951vovnq8/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CcLA-SCWr-4/U9D6a5GCg6I/AAAAAAACNck/t2951vovnq8/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252814%2529.jpg" height="640" width="358" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h13ki_dv-AA/U9D6b4Jn71I/AAAAAAACNcs/cxo0cbj_7uU/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252817%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h13ki_dv-AA/U9D6b4Jn71I/AAAAAAACNcs/cxo0cbj_7uU/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252817%2529.jpg" height="626" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SFud2LlZ0g/U9D6g1dCN7I/AAAAAAACNdA/ejRMhElwXpY/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252819%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SFud2LlZ0g/U9D6g1dCN7I/AAAAAAACNdA/ejRMhElwXpY/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252819%2529.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Salt encrusted chicken. While no one had this on the day, we saw someone else's lunch being served as the staff remove the salt and prepare it at the front counter.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ia0Vf5qLqM/U9D6h_lvIzI/AAAAAAACNdM/tGCNgTbR7IY/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252821%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5ia0Vf5qLqM/U9D6h_lvIzI/AAAAAAACNdM/tGCNgTbR7IY/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%252821%2529.jpg" height="640" width="358" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bD0M8DueESY/U9D6hRJF3zI/AAAAAAACNdI/PHqcKfrP-fw/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bD0M8DueESY/U9D6hRJF3zI/AAAAAAACNdI/PHqcKfrP-fw/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%25282%2529.jpg" height="300" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sDpQf7EBqHc/U9D6k3vcBhI/AAAAAAACNdY/6LGV_MzUZrw/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sDpQf7EBqHc/U9D6k3vcBhI/AAAAAAACNdY/6LGV_MzUZrw/s1600/2014-05-16+Salt+museum+and+restaurant+%25283%2529.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And a few photos from some of our other <i>'out and about'</i> days:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsTgPFNn8zs/U9D77h8bTuI/AAAAAAACNd0/97491doecRk/s1600/2014-05-17+Agde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TsTgPFNn8zs/U9D77h8bTuI/AAAAAAACNd0/97491doecRk/s1600/2014-05-17+Agde.jpg" height="486" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Tromp l'oeil </i>at Agde</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7oDKriEcKWo/U9D71ieOFpI/AAAAAAACNdk/3H8SwJJTmy4/s1600/2014-05-17+bouzigues+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7oDKriEcKWo/U9D71ieOFpI/AAAAAAACNdk/3H8SwJJTmy4/s1600/2014-05-17+bouzigues+3.jpg" height="260" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The oyster beds at Bouzigues</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EFsw2u1WWhY/U9D72tcbgiI/AAAAAAACNds/XAbSA6PdMNg/s1600/2014-05-18+Picnic+at+Roquebrun+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EFsw2u1WWhY/U9D72tcbgiI/AAAAAAACNds/XAbSA6PdMNg/s1600/2014-05-18+Picnic+at+Roquebrun+2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Picnic on the river bed at Roquebrun</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jaWbi0nXjWg/U9D78AsJloI/AAAAAAACNd4/EjYvH0UVUeY/s1600/2014-05-18+St+Chinian+markets+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jaWbi0nXjWg/U9D78AsJloI/AAAAAAACNd4/EjYvH0UVUeY/s1600/2014-05-18+St+Chinian+markets+2.jpg" height="410" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sunday markets at St Chinian</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-18963955262823340592014-07-24T14:51:00.000+02:002014-07-24T14:51:23.341+02:00Uzes and Pont du Gard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">OK I have a little catching up to do here ….. things have gotten
away from me these last few months, to say the least. I have no visitors or
plans for the next 6 weeks or so, so am looking forward to things slowing down,
especially as the temperature is climbing and it seems summer is well and truly
here.</span></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Back in April, our village group did a day trip by bus to the
village of Uzes and the Pont du Gard, north of Montpellier. A 7.30am start from
behind the post office – a full bus – and we were off. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Uzes is a beautiful town, very much on the tourist map, but
at that time of year not overly crowded. We had a local guide and an
interesting and informative walk around. But given the distance we’d had to
drive, and the fact that we had to allow 2 hours for lunch (of course), I would
have like to have spent a little more time there. Perhaps another time.</span></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So it was on to the Pont du Gard. I’d visited before but it
was really just a short stop on the way back from somewhere. This time we again
had a guide who had the keys to unlock the barrier and took us across the top
from one side to the other. Quite a different perspective and a great view to
boot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVa_ER9wwvM/U9DytahrejI/AAAAAAACNcQ/lqrvSgdPlxs/s1600/2014-04-24+Uzes+(11)a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVa_ER9wwvM/U9DytahrejI/AAAAAAACNcQ/lqrvSgdPlxs/s1600/2014-04-24+Uzes+(11)a.jpg" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yep - full bus-load of us.....</span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAvN8jIhfqA/U9DvhQy5IqI/AAAAAAACNbc/CWSAm1yXd2M/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAvN8jIhfqA/U9DvhQy5IqI/AAAAAAACNbc/CWSAm1yXd2M/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(1).JPG" height="210" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Pont du Gard, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: AR-SA; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">the Roman aqueduct – 51 kms long, constructed in the 1st century to carry an estimated 200 million
litres of water a day to Nimes.</span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnGsxS6tejY/U9DwFgQH6yI/AAAAAAACNbk/fR-RwEIiRZA/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnGsxS6tejY/U9DwFgQH6yI/AAAAAAACNbk/fR-RwEIiRZA/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(4).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeamKtQzVKQ/U9DxprN1iFI/AAAAAAACNbs/6IIFAE5pT0w/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeamKtQzVKQ/U9DxprN1iFI/AAAAAAACNbs/6IIFAE5pT0w/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+(7).jpg" height="640" width="628" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTWcd9lMOe8/U9Dx3cF9A-I/AAAAAAACNb4/PoM09n67vbE/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTWcd9lMOe8/U9Dx3cF9A-I/AAAAAAACNb4/PoM09n67vbE/s1600/2014-04-24+Pont+du+Gard+%25285%2529.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is the walkway across the top, through the viaduct itself. The bulging rock-like stuff is a build-up of calcium and mineral deposits from all the years of its use.<br /><br /></span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-87641032750812016432014-04-22T19:46:00.000+02:002014-04-22T19:46:06.687+02:00China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BlogText">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3Oa-v-V7SU/U1aoj3_OoBI/AAAAAAACJs4/JO1jIn_Amts/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+panda+sanctuary+(9)+(Small).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J3Oa-v-V7SU/U1aoj3_OoBI/AAAAAAACJs4/JO1jIn_Amts/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+panda+sanctuary+(9)+(Small).JPG" height="244" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s taken me weeks to sort through far too many photos. I
have been off travelling again – this was something that’s been in the planning
for more than a year. My old friend Sylvia from Perth told me she’d booked a
cruise and would I be interested. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, sure, I said. Where to? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So that’s how it
started. 7 days from Singapore to Shanghai. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then we decided that as neither
of us had been to mainland China before, we shouldn't waste the opportunity to
see a bit of the country. And it sort of ballooned from there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cruise was
an interesting experience – a first for me. Amazed at the scale of things – a
shopping street, a three level monster of a dining room, and the sheer numbers
of passengers and staff. We were actually sailing through the waters off
Vietnam where the initial search was taking place for the Malaysian plane. And
as were able to see onto the bridge of the ship, it was rather poignant to see
the horizon being scanned with binoculars, on the lookout for wreckage. I
thoroughly enjoyed the experience but don’t think it will take the place of
land-based travel, at least not for a few years yet.</span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found China incredibly interesting. The historic sites we
saw – the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors, Tiananmen
Square – were fascinating. The cities were huge and a little overwhelming. But
having said that, I loved Shanghai. The old and the new, the wide avenues (some
French influence) and the general buzz and vibrancy of the city makes it a city
I’d be happy to spend more time in. We
start and ended in Shanghai and finished on the last day with a food tour
‘Oodles of Noodles’. Delicious – as was most of the food we had there. Only one
food disaster comes to mind – the hot pot we ordered in the Szechuan area.
Mild, medium or hot. We figured we could do a medium. Huge mistake …. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apart from the wonderful sites we saw, the thing that I found
most amazing was the development and scale of everything that’s happening in
China. Nothing I’ve read or seen on the TV prepared me for seeing it firsthand.
Forest of skyscrapers – towers in the cities, but mostly towers and towers of
apartment blocks. While we didn’t actually get out into the countryside to see
any ‘ghost cities’, we saw that most of the new apartment blocks are either
empty or only partly occupied. Far too expensive for everyday people to buy.
And still they go up. Also staggering
was the size of the airport terminals and railway stations, all constructed
within the last couple of years and with many more in the pipeline. I swear one
of the railway stations was so cavernous it could have held all of Heathrow
terminal 5. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pollution was a bit of an eye opener. Every day - except
for a few clear mornings when there had been strong overnight winds – was
extremely hazy, as some photos will show. We were lucky there were no
‘dangerous level’ days where it was advised not to go outside, but certainly
you were aware of it. </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TNxIi_TKME/U1aMEPJTqNI/AAAAAAACJoQ/5qmvyr3UDes/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TNxIi_TKME/U1aMEPJTqNI/AAAAAAACJoQ/5qmvyr3UDes/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(9).jpg" height="208" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Shanghai - beautiful but a little foggy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6VyXfZ2jHrQ/U1aMDgN8FsI/AAAAAAACJoM/J74Kj4HwQik/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(19).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6VyXfZ2jHrQ/U1aMDgN8FsI/AAAAAAACJoM/J74Kj4HwQik/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(19).JPG" height="352" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Old Shanghai</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vEWF9F4ly5U/U1aMJ33Y-bI/AAAAAAACJo8/34ZoWCL2IyA/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(60).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vEWF9F4ly5U/U1aMJ33Y-bI/AAAAAAACJo8/34ZoWCL2IyA/s1600/2014-03-15+Shanghai+(60).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A street of bric-a-brac - a fine selection of Chairman Mao figurines</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCAnfRYyDbQ/U1aMGdkVjtI/AAAAAAACJok/XYhcnt-VPxA/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCAnfRYyDbQ/U1aMGdkVjtI/AAAAAAACJok/XYhcnt-VPxA/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(1).jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beijing night food markets - yum - starfish on a stick</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TNpetrAiRik/U1aMIoPkEWI/AAAAAAACJow/FzPIWBqmXAI/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TNpetrAiRik/U1aMIoPkEWI/AAAAAAACJow/FzPIWBqmXAI/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(2).jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snake, scorpions, millipedes, spiders and grubs on a stick!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AIJPNPraIgw/U1aMJcy3AuI/AAAAAAACJo4/KCxHZ8O8k4I/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AIJPNPraIgw/U1aMJcy3AuI/AAAAAAACJo4/KCxHZ8O8k4I/s1600/2014-03-17+Beijing+night+market+food+(3).jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EeKGboCMqTo/U1aMKWtDZYI/AAAAAAACJpE/JnMU0yG4rx0/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Forbidden+City+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EeKGboCMqTo/U1aMKWtDZYI/AAAAAAACJpE/JnMU0yG4rx0/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Forbidden+City+(4).JPG" height="336" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beijing - Tiananmen Square</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKbBKKsiRI4/U1aO0vjxWtI/AAAAAAACJqg/Wd-cLw5f-O8/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+(38)a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qKbBKKsiRI4/U1aO0vjxWtI/AAAAAAACJqg/Wd-cLw5f-O8/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+(38)a.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a selection of some of the delicious food - duck was the best I've ever tasted</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3T6W8ohFY9w/U1aONuzqKRI/AAAAAAACJpY/la91GVst8Rs/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Great+Wall+(15).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3T6W8ohFY9w/U1aONuzqKRI/AAAAAAACJpY/la91GVst8Rs/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Great+Wall+(15).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Wall of China</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kFLb2OwtRE/U1agt0Z7ztI/AAAAAAACJso/QXVmh6ldNvc/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Great+Wall+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kFLb2OwtRE/U1agt0Z7ztI/AAAAAAACJso/QXVmh6ldNvc/s1600/2014-03-19+Beijing+-+Great+Wall+(6).JPG" height="264" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TgFKCM4Tap8/U1aPqm9i08I/AAAAAAACJqo/fNMugnYTNuc/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TgFKCM4Tap8/U1aPqm9i08I/AAAAAAACJqo/fNMugnYTNuc/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(2).JPG" height="312" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Terracotta Army - Xian</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DOEoVVp1Jh8/U1aOY6w1NCI/AAAAAAACJp8/ZAMGgerusnM/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DOEoVVp1Jh8/U1aOY6w1NCI/AAAAAAACJp8/ZAMGgerusnM/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(9).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjPuuvbobIU/U1aOUhRDOnI/AAAAAAACJps/QzsQXHKpc08/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xjPuuvbobIU/U1aOUhRDOnI/AAAAAAACJps/QzsQXHKpc08/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(14).JPG" height="394" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8q62TB1TWUc/U1aOTo6whDI/AAAAAAACJpo/6Jsseyd6iok/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(17).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8q62TB1TWUc/U1aOTo6whDI/AAAAAAACJpo/6Jsseyd6iok/s1600/2014-03-20+Terracotta+Army+-+Xian+(17).JPG" height="528" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diO_lb6nQww/U1aOih2qkAI/AAAAAAACJqI/Rn2rTzn1y5I/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(20).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diO_lb6nQww/U1aOih2qkAI/AAAAAAACJqI/Rn2rTzn1y5I/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(20).JPG" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Street scene in Chengdu - popular pastime of "Picking Ears"</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b82Au4DMVKA/U1aOrqWz1HI/AAAAAAACJqQ/PRo5FPoq2co/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(21).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b82Au4DMVKA/U1aOrqWz1HI/AAAAAAACJqQ/PRo5FPoq2co/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(21).JPG" height="440" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.... and the delightful explanation - car cleaning/picking cars/ears </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3H9R59FJ3nM/U1aOuDzIYgI/AAAAAAACJqY/o3u47I76xvc/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(22).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3H9R59FJ3nM/U1aOuDzIYgI/AAAAAAACJqY/o3u47I76xvc/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+(22).JPG" height="394" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little chilli with your tofu</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIaE5Mr1Rag/U1aRH390GeI/AAAAAAACJsE/ifXN_ojitKc/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+panda+sanctuary+a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIaE5Mr1Rag/U1aRH390GeI/AAAAAAACJsE/ifXN_ojitKc/s1600/2014-03-22+Chengdu+panda+sanctuary+a.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A visit to see the pandas was pretty special - just so cute! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KWP79kF7l4U" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnPvWYI6xkM/U1aQf00DDSI/AAAAAAACJq4/q_gvqNjbVd4/s1600/2014-03-23+Chongqing+Guotai+Arts+Center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnPvWYI6xkM/U1aQf00DDSI/AAAAAAACJq4/q_gvqNjbVd4/s1600/2014-03-23+Chongqing+Guotai+Arts+Center.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arts Centre Building, Chengdu</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We came across a rehearsal (I think it was a rehearsal as they weren't in costume) of Chinese opera - definitely an acquired taste, I think ...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZOlEhPq9TQ/U1aQf0MVnuI/AAAAAAACJq0/5YFin5c9DII/s1600/2014-03-23+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZOlEhPq9TQ/U1aQf0MVnuI/AAAAAAACJq0/5YFin5c9DII/s1600/2014-03-23+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(2).JPG" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our suitcases heading down to the boat for boat trip on the Yangtze</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NZCWJQvhBm0/U1aQj_D9CQI/AAAAAAACJrA/E5TVprxg_lY/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NZCWJQvhBm0/U1aQj_D9CQI/AAAAAAACJrA/E5TVprxg_lY/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(2).JPG" height="640" width="528" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FCx3hE4pquA/U1aQ0Wg0SBI/AAAAAAACJrY/7aJn2UMB4hc/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FCx3hE4pquA/U1aQ0Wg0SBI/AAAAAAACJrY/7aJn2UMB4hc/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(9).JPG" height="272" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Newly constructed towns and cities on the banks of the Yangtze - populated by the inhabitants whose homes are now 180 metres underwater since the construction of the Three Gorges Dam</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4VaGiHDLzf0/U1aQlpAvChI/AAAAAAACJrI/x4ypoLoCiLI/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(19).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4VaGiHDLzf0/U1aQlpAvChI/AAAAAAACJrI/x4ypoLoCiLI/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+(19).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Some canyons of the Three Gorges</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UH6-OROcUjw/U1aQ20zItqI/AAAAAAACJrg/yllKhYJJ3IE/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+-+Fengdu+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UH6-OROcUjw/U1aQ20zItqI/AAAAAAACJrg/yllKhYJJ3IE/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+-+Fengdu+(5).JPG" height="410" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Fengdu temple - if no incense available to make an offering, seems like a ciggie will do the trick.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6AbMk6Vy7vA/U1aQtr4zXlI/AAAAAAACJrQ/5BOHwUtV_I8/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+-+Fengdu+(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6AbMk6Vy7vA/U1aQtr4zXlI/AAAAAAACJrQ/5BOHwUtV_I8/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Cruise+-+Fengdu+(11).JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Fengdu</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gu2urZFs7DQ/U1aQ6YG8FpI/AAAAAAACJro/6zCigPJrf9Q/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Three+Gorges+Dam+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gu2urZFs7DQ/U1aQ6YG8FpI/AAAAAAACJro/6zCigPJrf9Q/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Three+Gorges+Dam+(5).JPG" height="272" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">The Three Gorges Dam</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The incredible 5-lock system to move boats through the Three Gorges Dam</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IlI1j2RbNNA/U1aRCU14X_I/AAAAAAACJr4/SIDkvfcqGg0/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Three+Gorges+Dam+locks+(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IlI1j2RbNNA/U1aRCU14X_I/AAAAAAACJr4/SIDkvfcqGg0/s1600/2014-03-24+Yangtze+River+Three+Gorges+Dam+locks+(6).JPG" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YNvTTh83Q/U1aRJTgkGzI/AAAAAAACJsQ/v1BCus17jBY/s1600/2014-03-28+Shanghai+noodles+food+tour+(14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1YNvTTh83Q/U1aRJTgkGzI/AAAAAAACJsQ/v1BCus17jBY/s1600/2014-03-28+Shanghai+noodles+food+tour+(14).jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">A selection of the noodles we tried on our food tour.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44F766LMVag/U1aRMcuTpMI/AAAAAAACJsc/RVnGUrXfeCE/s1600/2014-03-28+Shanghai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-44F766LMVag/U1aRMcuTpMI/AAAAAAACJsc/RVnGUrXfeCE/s1600/2014-03-28+Shanghai.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">On the way to the airport - Shanghai. Still hazy!</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-81333057200236457492014-04-17T16:00:00.000+02:002014-04-17T16:00:30.375+02:00Bize Patrimoine does it again ….<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday’s walk was in two parts – first to visit the site of
a dolmen which has been recently cleared by the Bize Patrimoine. It’s called la
Mère de Dieu (Mother of God). Looking for more information about this
particular dolmen, I came across this <a href="http://dolmen.wordpress.com/dolmens/pierres-de-couteaux-dolmen/" target="_blank">comprehensive English-language site</a> –
seems there’s a lot more of them in the region to be visited.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VGBvE0k9cv8/U0_d63flzAI/AAAAAAACJns/9LIPi2PhH0I/s1600/2014-04-15+Walk+near+B...+-+dolmenjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VGBvE0k9cv8/U0_d63flzAI/AAAAAAACJns/9LIPi2PhH0I/s1600/2014-04-15+Walk+near+B...+-+dolmenjpg.jpg" height="378" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We then drove to the second stage – a long and hot walk up
and down the gorges of Les Causses. In fact the exact same walk we did a year
ago when someone fainted. And I reckon I wasn’t that far off – I’ve decided no
more hot afternoon walks for me. Though we’ll be starting morning walks soon,
followed by picnic lunches. But again, we were rewarded at the end of this walk
by wine tasting at the <a href="http://www.midilibre.fr/2011/11/01/philippe-marcon-a-realise-son-reve-de-creer-sa-cave-particuliere,410802.php" target="_blank">Domaine Marcon</a> in the hamlet of Barroubio (St
Jean de Minervois) and I bought a couple of bottles of their highly rated sweet
muscat. Before coming to France, I couldn’t abide sweet wine at all, but have
certainly developed a taste for this local sweet muscat as an aperitif. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-62634422748949592692014-04-17T15:45:00.004+02:002014-04-17T15:45:54.112+02:00Latest purchase<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shopping list for last weekend’s vide grenier was interesting
coffee mugs and white soup plates.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77D3BRX72YA/U0_a0pB7GAI/AAAAAAACJng/IkWq4pNaEkU/s1600/2014-04-07+chair+(Large).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77D3BRX72YA/U0_a0pB7GAI/AAAAAAACJng/IkWq4pNaEkU/s1600/2014-04-07+chair+(Large).jpg" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-13934137648296817912014-02-25T19:41:00.000+01:002014-02-25T19:41:26.421+01:00The Trembling Rock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another achievement of the local Heritage Club (<i>Bize Patrimoine</i>) has been the clearing of the
undergrowth around an interesting landmark. It’s known locally in the Occitan
language as <i>“Roc Tremblaïre”.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">According to the legend, if single girls walk around the rock
three times on either the 24<sup>th</sup> June or the 24<sup>th</sup> December,
they will meet the person they will marry within a year. And yes, the rock is
supposed to tremble! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this is where we went on our walk today – much more
pleasant now that the clearing has been undertaken, and you don’t need to fight
your way through the undergrowth…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I didn't</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> notice anyone going around more than once.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFqmWWMaPKw/UwzfORRrBwI/AAAAAAACIvI/FA47ID1Uev0/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFqmWWMaPKw/UwzfORRrBwI/AAAAAAACIvI/FA47ID1Uev0/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+1.jpg" height="594" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8M4wstmPSw/UwzfPFdIUyI/AAAAAAACIvY/LbaLnQqBy4Q/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8M4wstmPSw/UwzfPFdIUyI/AAAAAAACIvY/LbaLnQqBy4Q/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwrdDPNxEuY/UwzfQwqgTfI/AAAAAAACIvg/fSVTC78vvYk/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwrdDPNxEuY/UwzfQwqgTfI/AAAAAAACIvg/fSVTC78vvYk/s1600/2014-02-25+Walk+-+trembling+rock+4.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-69479012233594711572014-02-24T17:44:00.000+01:002014-02-24T17:52:40.262+01:00Kerala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know it’s been a bit quiet on here of late and I must confess, it’s because I've been doing a bit
of travelling – and I plan to do as much as I possibly can, while I can, and
while I'm still based here in France. I was actually a bit reluctant to turn
this blog into <i>Deb’s Travel Diary</i>….
But for those who are vaguely interested, I’ll keep updating as I go along …
and of course Bize stuff, as and when….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, in January, I took myself off to India for 12 days. Again,
it was a last minute spur-of-the-moment decision – those long winter months/short days,
you know. It was to Kerala state, in the south. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don’t know why I thought it would be any less hot and humid
just because it was winter in the northern hemisphere. I guess I hadn't checked
just how close to the equator it was. My least favourite
weather – hot and sticky! But it was all good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and a really nice
group of 15 people on the tour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kerala was a good place for my introduction to India – a few
facts: the richest state in India, highest literacy rate (95%), lowest
population growth, highest life expectancy and lowest homicide rate! I think we were sheltered from some of the realities of the poverty that exists in other parts of the country, as we saw none at all, and we did cover a lot of ground. The people
are lovely and the food was good, though I probably won’t be cooking curry for a
while.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a respite from the heat, we did spend a few days up in
high tea-growing hills. And I managed not to get sick until the last day. So
all in all, it was a great short break away from the cold. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Having said that, we’d
actually had a very mild winter here in the south, and it’s feeling very spring-like at the
moment, with a lot of plants and trees already with green shoots. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Below, a few photos of lovely Kerala.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me7cg6Wmd60/Uwo4CWpYDJI/AAAAAAACIrc/wN3fI3Vn17M/s1600/2014-01-10+Kerala+Backwaters+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me7cg6Wmd60/Uwo4CWpYDJI/AAAAAAACIrc/wN3fI3Vn17M/s1600/2014-01-10+Kerala+Backwaters+1.JPG" height="384" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are a lot of converted rice barges, now being used mainly for tourist cruises. Two days and night cruising the beautiful Backwaters was rather special.....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F4Jpsz_rmS4/Uwo4nUp4zuI/AAAAAAACIrk/tFYW2UEQQek/s1600/2014-01-09+Kerala+Backwaters+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F4Jpsz_rmS4/Uwo4nUp4zuI/AAAAAAACIrk/tFYW2UEQQek/s1600/2014-01-09+Kerala+Backwaters+2.JPG" height="312" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Backwaters link to the open ocean so a lot of the fishing boats are moored away from the fishing ports.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TH94LcehLcI/Uwo4y_OHs_I/AAAAAAACIrs/PlROVc5-6Q0/s1600/2014-01-10+fishing+in+the+locks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TH94LcehLcI/Uwo4y_OHs_I/AAAAAAACIrs/PlROVc5-6Q0/s1600/2014-01-10+fishing+in+the+locks.JPG" height="312" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Casting fishing nets at one of the locks in the Backwaters</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-ewPJMtPVI/Uwo5GtEgK1I/AAAAAAACIsE/t3FN59f0cYQ/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5-ewPJMtPVI/Uwo5GtEgK1I/AAAAAAACIsE/t3FN59f0cYQ/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+1.JPG" height="340" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A morning trek through Periyar Wildlife Reserve. There are tigers there, but we were assured that there was a 99.9% chance of NOT coming across one, and we didn't!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GnisOn1eU94/Uwo5F3fgGRI/AAAAAAACIsA/tNvSxx0s5rc/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GnisOn1eU94/Uwo5F3fgGRI/AAAAAAACIsA/tNvSxx0s5rc/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+2.JPG" height="292" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">...but we were very lucky indeed to come across some of the wild Asian elephants that still live in the Reserve. A special experience.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjBkU-_7oj0/Uwo5EndueOI/AAAAAAACIr4/2Rlsjhe70_Q/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjBkU-_7oj0/Uwo5EndueOI/AAAAAAACIr4/2Rlsjhe70_Q/s1600/2014-01-13+Periyar+wildlife+sanctuary+6.JPG" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HYE0cFbg3bU/Uwo5jF9UDZI/AAAAAAACIsU/IWFUh71H_8Y/s1600/2014-01-13+Rubber+plantation+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HYE0cFbg3bU/Uwo5jF9UDZI/AAAAAAACIsU/IWFUh71H_8Y/s1600/2014-01-13+Rubber+plantation+1.jpg" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rubber tree plantation</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ixFETIgmTjU/Uwo5g1cEDOI/AAAAAAACIsQ/ljg-F2wdLtA/s1600/2014-01-13+Rubber+plantation+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ixFETIgmTjU/Uwo5g1cEDOI/AAAAAAACIsQ/ljg-F2wdLtA/s1600/2014-01-13+Rubber+plantation+2.jpg" height="640" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tapping a rubber tree for latex</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rxGnJw3UQw/Uwo54RqgKgI/AAAAAAACIsg/rbM3sK3aqtc/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+cardamom+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rxGnJw3UQw/Uwo54RqgKgI/AAAAAAACIsg/rbM3sK3aqtc/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+cardamom+1.JPG" height="640" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Visit to a spice farm: Cardamom plant</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb1NDthjaN0/Uwo59Pen4hI/AAAAAAACIss/Nyj0iSRfH9c/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+cardamom+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pb1NDthjaN0/Uwo59Pen4hI/AAAAAAACIss/Nyj0iSRfH9c/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+cardamom+2.JPG" height="380" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cardamom flower and developing seeds</span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AHexZuTTVE/Uwo6AAulObI/AAAAAAACIs0/UhsiigsU9-k/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+nutmeg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AHexZuTTVE/Uwo6AAulObI/AAAAAAACIs0/UhsiigsU9-k/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+nutmeg.JPG" height="444" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nutmeg</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXQ0IMjsots/Uwo6FcXTJlI/AAAAAAACItE/oSnENbu2ufM/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+pepper+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xXQ0IMjsots/Uwo6FcXTJlI/AAAAAAACItE/oSnENbu2ufM/s1600/2014-01-13+Spice+farm+-+pepper+3.JPG" height="640" width="580" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pepper</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbiYINssOj0/Uwo6EpIYPCI/AAAAAAACIs8/02kZ-m4SlLc/s1600/2014-01-14+Munnar+tea+plantation+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbiYINssOj0/Uwo6EpIYPCI/AAAAAAACIs8/02kZ-m4SlLc/s1600/2014-01-14+Munnar+tea+plantation+6.JPG" height="456" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tea plantations at Munnar</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TOmR8gqxfU/Uwo6HAUXCwI/AAAAAAACItM/Wps7XtVQJyw/s1600/2014-01-14+Munnar+tea+plantation+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TOmR8gqxfU/Uwo6HAUXCwI/AAAAAAACItM/Wps7XtVQJyw/s1600/2014-01-14+Munnar+tea+plantation+7.JPG" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A lot of the tea plantations are extensively planted with Australian grevilleas (Silky Oak) for shade.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VrqB5-dA7RQ/Uwo8D4rJrHI/AAAAAAACItg/w4waNKF5Ms4/s1600/2014-01-09+Fish+markets+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VrqB5-dA7RQ/Uwo8D4rJrHI/AAAAAAACItg/w4waNKF5Ms4/s1600/2014-01-09+Fish+markets+3.JPG" height="492" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3uTp7F8hjMg/Uwo7-4qHMGI/AAAAAAACItY/lGSemx4IhJI/s1600/2014-01-15+Cochine+-+Chinese+fishing+nets+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3uTp7F8hjMg/Uwo7-4qHMGI/AAAAAAACItY/lGSemx4IhJI/s1600/2014-01-15+Cochine+-+Chinese+fishing+nets+1.JPG" height="380" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.19999885559082px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.19999885559082px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chinese fishing nets at Cochin</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hsoV7N_BI/Uwo8GTLSOXI/AAAAAAACItw/pataFkRg4Lw/s1600/2014-01-15+Cochine+-+Chinese+fishing+nets+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y6hsoV7N_BI/Uwo8GTLSOXI/AAAAAAACItw/pataFkRg4Lw/s1600/2014-01-15+Cochine+-+Chinese+fishing+nets+7.JPG" height="392" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuTrTE0wbgQ/Uwo8EO2QW8I/AAAAAAACItk/AjZQm6Ed3mE/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuTrTE0wbgQ/Uwo8EO2QW8I/AAAAAAACItk/AjZQm6Ed3mE/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+10.JPG" height="272" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uksb0wLf40M/Uwo8NvOzzzI/AAAAAAACIt4/ecdaJXJ4BtY/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Uksb0wLf40M/Uwo8NvOzzzI/AAAAAAACIt4/ecdaJXJ4BtY/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+11.JPG" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fgg_iHwMQPM/Uwo8QzFk_tI/AAAAAAACIuA/M000rh5D7l0/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fgg_iHwMQPM/Uwo8QzFk_tI/AAAAAAACIuA/M000rh5D7l0/s1600/2014-01-16+Cochin+12.JPG" height="348" width="640" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bfFZCxxF058/Uwo-iKP9QiI/AAAAAAACIuc/-Ix8TpivNms/s1600/2014-01-13+birthday+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bfFZCxxF058/Uwo-iKP9QiI/AAAAAAACIuc/-Ix8TpivNms/s1600/2014-01-13+birthday+3.JPG" height="640" width="596" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I just happened to have a birthday while I was away, and I was treated to cake for the occasion ....</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPDm8s5w3b8/Uwo-jIXg3NI/AAAAAAACIuo/_fIoupDZtQ4/s1600/2014-01-13+birthday+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPDm8s5w3b8/Uwo-jIXg3NI/AAAAAAACIuo/_fIoupDZtQ4/s1600/2014-01-13+birthday+5.JPG" height="640" width="584" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.... and confetti.....</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MyIlFzFJOwE/Uwo-dfxNfdI/AAAAAAACIuU/NO4NLUmpQso/s1600/2014-01-15+lunch+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MyIlFzFJOwE/Uwo-dfxNfdI/AAAAAAACIuU/NO4NLUmpQso/s1600/2014-01-15+lunch+-+Copy.JPG" height="440" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lots of meals like this one ..... breakfast/lunch/dinner!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUkuvmhtSJg/Uwo-ieTxnvI/AAAAAAACIug/i1BFXvL2WXk/s1600/2014-01-16+lunch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUkuvmhtSJg/Uwo-ieTxnvI/AAAAAAACIug/i1BFXvL2WXk/s1600/2014-01-16+lunch.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And the odd splurge on these .......</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOCSa30G1uo/Uwo-jjGpJfI/AAAAAAACIuw/azDPYz5nJd0/s1600/2014-01-17+Kovalum+tandoor+oven.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOCSa30G1uo/Uwo-jjGpJfI/AAAAAAACIuw/azDPYz5nJd0/s1600/2014-01-17+Kovalum+tandoor+oven.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-64111641185270973112013-12-14T12:36:00.001+01:002013-12-14T12:40:07.502+01:00Rejuvenated Tour de Boussecos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week’s walk started here in Bize, to the Tower of Boussecos. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzgv0x3_cRY/Uqw_aSguSFI/AAAAAAABg60/7i9LVI6zrhM/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s a walk many of us have done before, but recently the Bize
Patrimoine (Bize Heritage Association) has cleared huge amounts of scrub and
bushes, cleared pathways and generally made it easily accessible to all. So I
got to see it from the south side for the first time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A great job and a really enjoyable walk – the
late afternoon winter sun on the rocks was stunning.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzgv0x3_cRY/Uqw_aSguSFI/AAAAAAABg60/7i9LVI6zrhM/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzgv0x3_cRY/Uqw_aSguSFI/AAAAAAABg60/7i9LVI6zrhM/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+6.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C54PhYSPtJA/Uqw_uR6wg3I/AAAAAAABg7E/_JMO3ZiAyAM/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C54PhYSPtJA/Uqw_uR6wg3I/AAAAAAABg7E/_JMO3ZiAyAM/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+1.jpg" height="282" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vbIDQORW56Q/UqxASXxhANI/AAAAAAABg7Q/UeJI6Ef55ek/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vbIDQORW56Q/UqxASXxhANI/AAAAAAABg7Q/UeJI6Ef55ek/s1600/2013-12-10+walk+Tour+de+Boussecos+4.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Translation of the recently installed information board:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>According to some historians , the term "Boussecos" is an Occitan
linguistic distortion of "cossicos
" (Visigoth) - a plausible hypothesis if we consider that the building
remains observable today has strong similarities with other Visigoth constructions
- for example, one of the oldest towers in La Cité at Carcassonne.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>It is also likely that this rocky prominence, so opportunely
situated in the middle of the Valley of the River Cesse, has served as an
observation post , lookout tower and signal tower from much earlier times, for the people of the region situated
downstream – today the commune of Bize-Minervois.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Archaeologists have discovered in the immediate vicinity of
the Tower:</i></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>fragments of Neolithic vases identical to those that were
found in the famous “Grottes de Bize” located on the other side of the River
Cesse.</i></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>ceramic fragments from the Bronze Age , arrowheads, spears
and archers’ thimbles which can be seen at the Museum of Narbonne.</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>ledge of bricks and broken vases from Roman times .</i></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>remains of walls and a cistern probably dating from the era
of the kingdom of the Visigoths of Toulouse. The Tower of Boussecos was part of
the belt of rocky towers along the mountains - among others, the Chateau de
Ventajou and the tower recently discovered at Minerve.</i></span></li>
</ul>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>various materials dating from the XVI century. During the
wars of religion that took place in the region at that time, the tower served
as a lookout .</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Listed as a protected monument in 1974, it was cleared in
2013 of the obscuring vegetation by the Bize Patrimoine (Bize Heritage
Association), which ensures conservation, with you, the visitors.</i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-42545283820292535612013-12-13T11:31:00.000+01:002013-12-13T11:31:28.041+01:00Shrew <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50eLlYsB7K0/UqrfEFqvVyI/AAAAAAABgrA/D6j7V07XXow/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50eLlYsB7K0/UqrfEFqvVyI/AAAAAAABgrA/D6j7V07XXow/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+3.jpg" height="483" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I had a little visitor this morning – I spotted running
across the rug. I thought it was a mouse, but it turns out it’s a shrew. First
one I’ve seen – and it’s not a rodent at all. He (she?) had rather sharp teeth, which
I found out the hard way. I put him in a pot, before letting him go in the
garden, and got bitten for my troubles! </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cute as a button though.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know nothing
about shrews, but have just read they need to eat every couple of hours or they’ll die – and this little guy immediately got stuck into an old squashed
snail – not worried that I was right there taking photos. So I gave him a treat
and found him a fresh one. He nearly devoured in just a few minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I suspect
I brought him inside last night in a bucket full of kindling, so I imagine he
was starving this morning. Maybe it was a mistake releasing him into the
garden instead of somewhere further away – he may become a regular visitor…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RCV4GfiSjoM/UqrfvUS4cII/AAAAAAABgrI/vLlf63zbQUQ/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RCV4GfiSjoM/UqrfvUS4cII/AAAAAAABgrI/vLlf63zbQUQ/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+2.jpg" height="616" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Top left hand corner - the walnut I offered him! Not touched - he much preferred the snail.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xoPIQSwSyJI/Uqrf3hom2PI/AAAAAAABgrQ/UvWsLqB0N0Q/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xoPIQSwSyJI/Uqrf3hom2PI/AAAAAAABgrQ/UvWsLqB0N0Q/s1600/2013-12-12+shrew+1.jpg" height="272" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-58350782449039137122013-11-20T16:56:00.001+01:002013-11-20T17:14:44.260+01:00Selling / moving ....?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://languedoc-property-for-sale.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My barn and gite for sale</span></a></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://propertyforsaleinlanguedoc.com/" target="_blank">Nic's house for sale</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m at a crossroads. After 7 years, I’m putting my place on
the market, and perhaps moving back to Australia. Or perhaps staying here and
downsizing. A little undecided on my next move, but it needs to be a new
project and/or a change of place. And to that end, the first thing is to sell
up here. If I did go back to Australia, and could take my little barn
renovation with me, I would! Or perhaps it’ll be another renovation project
here in Bize…. But now that I've made the decision, it kind of feels right.
Let’s see …</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="BlogText" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nic is also selling up and moving back to Canada. Above are
the links to our respective homes in beautiful Bize:</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LQD5yR-9gNg/UozNuJYFK3I/AAAAAAABVUA/gTbzPhZb3lI/s1600/exterior+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LQD5yR-9gNg/UozNuJYFK3I/AAAAAAABVUA/gTbzPhZb3lI/s1600/exterior+(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-77818393889496909552013-11-04T13:52:00.000+01:002013-11-04T13:52:19.812+01:00A sausage called Jesus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hadn’t been to a chestnut festival for a while, so called
on Miki who is always good to visit somewhere new (or in this case, re-visit)
and headed to the <i>Fete de la Chataigne</i> at St Pons de Thomières in the Black
Mountains. The sausage vendor told us that
that sausage is a speciality of Lyon. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrxRWpleC5Y/UneU2qYDmvI/AAAAAAABUFA/nlgbgx-fZ50/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(22)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BrxRWpleC5Y/UneU2qYDmvI/AAAAAAABUFA/nlgbgx-fZ50/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(22)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4z1f3XopIk/UneUzjxhANI/AAAAAAABUE8/ffvaLuZor4A/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+%252820%2529+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N4z1f3XopIk/UneUzjxhANI/AAAAAAABUE8/ffvaLuZor4A/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+%252820%2529+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bncGKyqwc70/UneXuXZKDwI/AAAAAAABUHQ/dPO5_GJrwUQ/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(28)a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bncGKyqwc70/UneXuXZKDwI/AAAAAAABUHQ/dPO5_GJrwUQ/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(28)a.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuwiNbIaW58/UneVmqRBrVI/AAAAAAABUGQ/WmbQOzlDfKc/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(1)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="600" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuwiNbIaW58/UneVmqRBrVI/AAAAAAABUGQ/WmbQOzlDfKc/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(1)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #e6ecf9; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">Gardiane de taureau is a type of beef stew made from the black bulls of the Camargue - not from those that didn't do well in the bull fights, but in fact from m</span><span style="font-size: 12.571428298950195px; line-height: 19.196428298950195px;">ale and female adults who have not participated in bullfighting.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j96bNzozIUY/UneV2AYyrvI/AAAAAAABUGw/SwPyYn9q8-E/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(4)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j96bNzozIUY/UneV2AYyrvI/AAAAAAABUGw/SwPyYn9q8-E/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(4)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vo2xAZta5nU/UneV7aL_UgI/AAAAAAABUG4/QKd043MX8bw/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(6)++++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vo2xAZta5nU/UneV7aL_UgI/AAAAAAABUG4/QKd043MX8bw/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(6)++++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxUjqGszgZQ/UneV-AuYCmI/AAAAAAABUHA/npkPqJGwB8c/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(9)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxUjqGszgZQ/UneV-AuYCmI/AAAAAAABUHA/npkPqJGwB8c/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(9)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOQ_C__pSI0/UneVijpIrcI/AAAAAAABUGI/wPrAHUlgr98/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(11)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nOQ_C__pSI0/UneVijpIrcI/AAAAAAABUGI/wPrAHUlgr98/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(11)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mdJFjtJ6t4A/UneVn_aBHTI/AAAAAAABUGU/lO_ZBAtYieA/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(14)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mdJFjtJ6t4A/UneVn_aBHTI/AAAAAAABUGU/lO_ZBAtYieA/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(14)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lBS2kItivA/UneVvvf-o1I/AAAAAAABUGg/zcohOiLGQEc/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(36)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6lBS2kItivA/UneVvvf-o1I/AAAAAAABUGg/zcohOiLGQEc/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(36)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWY02J0nVtc/UneVw72TAoI/AAAAAAABUGk/4GWFadvKhPQ/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(38)+++++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWY02J0nVtc/UneVw72TAoI/AAAAAAABUGk/4GWFadvKhPQ/s1600/2013-10-27+St+Pons+Chestnut+Festival+(38)+++++.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St Pons, just starting to show its autumn colours</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-73250982303232791142013-11-04T12:08:00.000+01:002013-11-04T12:08:10.799+01:00Kestrels - long fledged<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in June, I put up some photos of the baby kestrels on
Allyson’s window ledge in Agel. Even though I went back a few times to follow
their progress and – I forgot to follow up here. So here’s a few photos of before
they flew the nest. Allyson said that even once they took to flight, they came
back as a family for nearly a week or so – perhaps to spend the night in
relative shelter before facing the world on their own!</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j68F5dJhPMk/Und-u5DcdaI/AAAAAAABUD4/lcZqpS80tZY/s1600/2013-07-02+kestrels+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j68F5dJhPMk/Und-u5DcdaI/AAAAAAABUD4/lcZqpS80tZY/s1600/2013-07-02+kestrels+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-njP9JEJ8F5U/Und-u7-0smI/AAAAAAABUD8/yG0XN54AmqA/s1600/2013-07-06++kestrels.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-njP9JEJ8F5U/Und-u7-0smI/AAAAAAABUD8/yG0XN54AmqA/s1600/2013-07-06++kestrels.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They're a bit wet and bedraggled in this photo. We were actually driving back from Montpellier when a short but rather fierce storm came through. We were actually worried that they may have been swept off the ledge. Fortunately all four were still there, but the horizontal rain had certainly got to them.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jg3qtEUe0iA/Und-xHVKbII/AAAAAAABUEI/i6tSn8btFc4/s1600/2013-07-11+kestrels+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jg3qtEUe0iA/Und-xHVKbII/AAAAAAABUEI/i6tSn8btFc4/s1600/2013-07-11+kestrels+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-54976930040449238672013-10-20T13:33:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:39:58.659+01:00Cousins and Italy/France road trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MaoJeAHn_Hc/UnTwh-GwO0I/AAAAAAABUDM/7CO-JgZa2lA/s1600/2013+route+map+4000++kms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MaoJeAHn_Hc/UnTwh-GwO0I/AAAAAAABUDM/7CO-JgZa2lA/s1600/2013+route+map+4000++kms.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More photos <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/115394671218788957861/albums/5936780669631155585" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can’t believe where all the time’s gone! Dare I say it –
it’s countdown to Christmas. Since my last post, I’ve had a house full of some
of my Australian cousins and we’ve undertaken our road trip to Italy – it’s
been nearly two years in the planning.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The grandparents of two of my cousins came from a little
village in the north of Italy, near the Swiss border, and what started out as
“I wouldn’t mind looking up that village next time we come to visit you, Deb” –
turned into four weeks here, with nearly three weeks on the road and covering a
lot of kilometres on high mountain roads and many many tunnels.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t care if I
never travel through another tunnel. The Mont Blanc tunnel was daunting because
I couldn’t help thinking about the terrible fire some years back when many
people died – but it’s now been made so safe that it was probably one of the
easiest and less stressful to go through. It’s really well lit, speed is max.
of 70 kph and there’s a mandatory minimum 150 metre distance between vehicles.
The badly lit and polluted ones with no centre divider and speeding cars and
trucks were the scary ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shared the driving
with Hass who did a lot of the auto route driving – we managed to clock up over
4000 kms in all. The car we hired seated 5 (we were five for the majority of
the trip) with two extra fold out seats in the back. And that was for when
another two cousins Colin and Fran joined us for our week in a villa outside of
Florence. So 7 adults on day outings was ‘compact’ to say the least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been a fantastic
catch up with the rellies and we had a fabulous time on the road – we saw some
amazing sights, had many many laughs, and ate some incredible food (I think one
of my favourite dishes of all time now has to be gnocchi with porcini and white
summer truffles …… to die for).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They’re all safely
back in Australia now – and probably like me with a few extra kilos to deal
with. Or not … what, with Christmas being just around the corner, perhaps that
can be a new year’s resolution....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-36190557931346616592013-08-23T13:27:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:49:25.016+01:00Night in…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pitfalls of spending a Friday night in with the boys, and
playing with a 'Face Juggling' app....</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KO1A23wfMGY/UnTvOiAqRQI/AAAAAAABUC4/1d-SIkWDhCY/s1600/2013-08-23+Marsh+and+Deb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KO1A23wfMGY/UnTvOiAqRQI/AAAAAAABUC4/1d-SIkWDhCY/s1600/2013-08-23+Marsh+and+Deb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlKizqotnWg/UnTvUdbdOgI/AAAAAAABUDE/WjJtSMbo9DQ/s1600/2013-08-23+Marsh+and+Cam+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlKizqotnWg/UnTvUdbdOgI/AAAAAAABUDE/WjJtSMbo9DQ/s1600/2013-08-23+Marsh+and+Cam+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-36323775895048839562013-08-23T13:23:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:50:10.162+01:00Gold Coast / Sunshine coast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also spent a week on my own on the Sunshine Coast (north of
Brisbane) and the Gold Coast (south of Brisbane) doing a bit of property
research for Paul who is too busy at work at the moment. And at the weekend, he
got down for a few days and we spent them at Amanda’s parent’s 14th floor unit
at Burleigh Heads, south of the Gold Coast. A beaut way to end my stay on
Australia’s east coast – somewhere I’ve not spent a lot of time. So many people
/ so much traffic compared to Western Australia and my little part of France!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ollBBtL8pCs/UnTumVFyYII/AAAAAAABUCw/i0AIgOHzpd8/s1600/2013-08-18+Burleigh+Heads+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ollBBtL8pCs/UnTumVFyYII/AAAAAAABUCw/i0AIgOHzpd8/s1600/2013-08-18+Burleigh+Heads+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #404040; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-14517341273445121522013-08-22T13:18:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:50:55.535+01:00Sugar Mill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s been a hectic couple of week </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and I’m currently in
Perth, heading back to France next week. One of the things that Paul and I did
together (he was working during the week) was visit the Farleigh Sugar Mill.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank goodness it wasn’t a particularly hot day as all
the old machinery is under a tin building, but it was pretty hot anyway. Some of the
machinery = circa 1883. As the guide said, “if it ain’t broke.....”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="BlogText">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s so far from cutting-edge, but the sugar/syrup is only
extracted here, and then sent to high tech refineries to turn it into the
finished products. Interesting to learn that all the snakes and cane rats go
through the crushing process but we’re assured that ALL the impurities are
filtered out and ‘you wouldn’t know they’d been there....’</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YJW9s_GU_08/UnTsJ5uxFWI/AAAAAAABUBo/NkhIDtu96CA/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YJW9s_GU_08/UnTsJ5uxFWI/AAAAAAABUBo/NkhIDtu96CA/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ttik_DeJa64/UnTsKNKIhkI/AAAAAAABUBs/dF5w84FU3Ho/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ttik_DeJa64/UnTsKNKIhkI/AAAAAAABUBs/dF5w84FU3Ho/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25283%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAXb6FW6gCs/UnTsN84FxPI/AAAAAAABUCE/6mjnZLT-5kE/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oAXb6FW6gCs/UnTsN84FxPI/AAAAAAABUCE/6mjnZLT-5kE/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--4nqUP7EeBY/UnTsNZ_4oSI/AAAAAAABUCA/Kj-I9kO1NaA/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="626" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--4nqUP7EeBY/UnTsNZ_4oSI/AAAAAAABUCA/Kj-I9kO1NaA/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4TOE4J66lI/UnTsNZt5-RI/AAAAAAABUB8/kaptevBTlbw/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H4TOE4J66lI/UnTsNZt5-RI/AAAAAAABUB8/kaptevBTlbw/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hcf7oPCtz6Q/UnTsT4jbalI/AAAAAAABUCc/La9KomKneIM/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hcf7oPCtz6Q/UnTsT4jbalI/AAAAAAABUCc/La9KomKneIM/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iELuQNMv9NY/UnTsSiQ7j4I/AAAAAAABUCQ/VSs_pD9EjGo/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="624" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iELuQNMv9NY/UnTsSiQ7j4I/AAAAAAABUCQ/VSs_pD9EjGo/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25288%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IgHrdwZTaK8/UnTsTpkBddI/AAAAAAABUCY/KqSV896oy_0/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IgHrdwZTaK8/UnTsTpkBddI/AAAAAAABUCY/KqSV896oy_0/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%25289%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 12px; text-align: start;">This is the residue from the crushing - mud, dirt, squished animals ......</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gSkiFHJ_q3U/UnTsDegNY1I/AAAAAAABUBE/YKFvJB0mG_E/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gSkiFHJ_q3U/UnTsDegNY1I/AAAAAAABUBE/YKFvJB0mG_E/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252810%2529.jpg" width="568" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYiz2wPqH3M/UnTsFa8fPYI/AAAAAAABUBQ/8lK5z0m5-8g/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tYiz2wPqH3M/UnTsFa8fPYI/AAAAAAABUBQ/8lK5z0m5-8g/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252811%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bbQ-O70a1Mw/UnTsDCduIiI/AAAAAAABUBA/GFWiCMMojKU/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bbQ-O70a1Mw/UnTsDCduIiI/AAAAAAABUBA/GFWiCMMojKU/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252812%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPTVW7d2Ns0/UnTsFkkIBSI/AAAAAAABUBU/E4STTzy_Xrc/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPTVW7d2Ns0/UnTsFkkIBSI/AAAAAAABUBU/E4STTzy_Xrc/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252813%2529.jpg" width="634" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TkWdYVzJhEc/UnTsHSPH_2I/AAAAAAABUBc/XdypRERhAb4/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TkWdYVzJhEc/UnTsHSPH_2I/AAAAAAABUBc/XdypRERhAb4/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+%252814%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.600000381469727px; line-height: 12px; text-align: start;">Some of the parrots that wait for sugar spillages from the trucks heading to the refinery.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HoswWMwTS-4/UnTtPUzeDsI/AAAAAAABUCk/RCHU-BcQqSs/s1600/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HoswWMwTS-4/UnTtPUzeDsI/AAAAAAABUCk/RCHU-BcQqSs/s640/2013-08-10+Farleigh+Sugar+Mill+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 12px; text-align: start;">This is the residue from the crushing - mud, dirt, squished animals ......</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-45447404422726092732013-08-09T13:06:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:52:02.768+01:00Sarina Show<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took myself off to the Sarina Show the other day – the
first agricultural show I’ve been to for years</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sarina is about 30 km
south of here - a small town of about 3000. The show is quite an event for
the area. I got there early to beat the heat and the crowds and it was ....
interesting. Except for all the cowboy hats, it could have been the show in
Albany from years ago.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kCBhWqRBbIU/UnTp1D9FOaI/AAAAAAABT_s/ouY-SBPWwSU/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kCBhWqRBbIU/UnTp1D9FOaI/AAAAAAABT_s/ouY-SBPWwSU/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J99VYlmkkQ8/UnTp3wXfAeI/AAAAAAABT_0/ESAeQLtaBwM/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J99VYlmkkQ8/UnTp3wXfAeI/AAAAAAABT_0/ESAeQLtaBwM/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j7NXeihQhMA/UnTp6D9v3pI/AAAAAAABUAA/2l9H-iOgdjI/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j7NXeihQhMA/UnTp6D9v3pI/AAAAAAABUAA/2l9H-iOgdjI/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(3).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-haBKwuQfS8w/UnTp6LiaH_I/AAAAAAABT_8/Lp7RENlVdfU/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-haBKwuQfS8w/UnTp6LiaH_I/AAAAAAABT_8/Lp7RENlVdfU/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(4).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0P50whpvZf4/UnTp7zeDg9I/AAAAAAABUAM/gK5u-POJT7Q/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0P50whpvZf4/UnTp7zeDg9I/AAAAAAABUAM/gK5u-POJT7Q/s1600/2013-08-04+Sarina+Show+(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333015441895px; line-height: 12px; text-align: start;">Vegetable competition</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-71794183292506322932013-08-04T12:59:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:54:55.832+01:00Mackay, Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
post from the other side of the world – I’m
back in Australia visiting Paul in Mackay for a week or so, and then a couple
of weeks in Perth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s
been rather nice to get away from France’s heatwave too. Winter temperature
here at the moment is low 20s. Parfait. Yesterday weather conditions were good
– so we headed out in the boat to a spot where there was ‘definitely good
fishing’. More than 160 kms in a very long day - the ‘spot’ was 80 odd kms off
the coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And
we did catch some fish – but most were on the small size, one or two would have
been ok but they all went back in to live another day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">HOWEVER, there is a tale to tell. The absolute highlight of
the day – and a little unexpected (although it is migration time) - was all the
whales we saw! Unbelievable. We came across four lots – one group of 4 or 5,
one group of 6 or 7 and two on their own. And they came so close it was a
little unnerving .... You’d hear them spouting, turn around and they were on
the other side or behind you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I actually saw once breach entirely out of the water,
completely vertical, and then fall over sideways. Paul only saw the almighty
splash after I’d yelled out. That happened all so suddenly, not a chance to get
a snap of that one. What a special day.....</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3212053912798310927.post-2291265577901262142013-06-23T12:51:00.000+02:002013-11-02T13:55:59.448+01:00Kestrel chicks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I </span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 7.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">think I’m turning into a bit of a twitcher …..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Allyson, a friend who lives in nearby village, recently found
herself playing host to two separate pairs of kestrels. They've laid their eggs
on two different windowsills of her house! Lucky enough to have one nesting
pair, let alone two. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her house is quite high overlooking the village and the
countryside so ideal launching pads for them. The shutters on one of the
windows are kept shut, but she’s taped cardboard over the one in the living
room, so that you can quietly view from a gap at the side. It’s amazing to be
able to see them literally inches away on the other side of the glass. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So last evening a few of us went over to see all four of the
week old chicks – they’re little bundles of fluff. The parents were making
intermittent visits with food, and after I stood motionless for nearly 10
minutes with camera at the ready, I was rewarded with an amazing couple of
shots of a freshly killed mouse being brought back to the chicks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There will be several more visits over the next few weeks
before they literally fly the nest…. watch this space!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Note the little mouse legs to the right of the picture!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjgUqkNTFzU/UnTj7DhB8hI/AAAAAAABT9c/-QVvkRfvPC4/s1600/2013-06-23+kestrals+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GjgUqkNTFzU/UnTj7DhB8hI/AAAAAAABT9c/-QVvkRfvPC4/s1600/2013-06-23+kestrals+(2).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCx-OsoQgxc/UnTkAUsw4tI/AAAAAAABT90/HmqEZPDdCfE/s1600/2013-06-23+kestrals+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oCx-OsoQgxc/UnTkAUsw4tI/AAAAAAABT90/HmqEZPDdCfE/s1600/2013-06-23+kestrals+(4).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057292753396398713noreply@blogger.com0