Spring's Sprung

All the trees and flowers are smiling at the moment with tender greens and soft blossoms. Yes, spring has sprung, it's a beautiful time to be in France. Here are some blossoms looking pleased to be rid of the Jura winter.




























































































So smile, they may just smile back.

Running and chilling

Two weekends ago, some 30 000 odd nutters got together early in the morning to chase each other a long way until they arrive roughly back where they started. This they call the Paris Marathon. It's a fair mass of humanity when you see them all lined up, it takes the guys near the back 15 minutes to cross the start line, the leaders already 5km into the race. A beautiful day for it, perhaps two warm for the runners. Just as well I forgot to enter.

The thin blue line, marking the shortest route.
















Just so you know I am not lying to you about it being in Paris.

















And I thought running it took guts...
















The sea of humanity... there must be about € 2 million worth of shoes there...





















and about € 20 of wood...
















I can only guess they're the guys and girls that paint the Eiffel tower.

















Unlike many a marathon I have seen, no sooner have the runners passed when the street cleaners are out in force.
















Another 'I wasn't lying about Paris' shot, 30km mark, the lead runners got there in 90 minutes.
















After all that exercise an afternoon picnic was in order. The beautiful Parc St Cloud.
















Here's to all the runners, nutters or not, it takes some courage.

Bunnies and seasand

Blog is slowly starting to lag reality a little less. Recently, for the long weekend we made the bunny schlep to the seaside for Easter.

Many moons ago, when travelling to Paris for the first time, I remember another guy with his house on his back telling me that you have not been to France until you have been to the South. This kinda blew the wind out my novice traveller sails, as my plans limited me to Paris and the East, humph! Back in 1999, I think the reference was to the Riviera, now we had the more 'normal' Montpellier in sight. Nevertheless, after many an adventure, I was still excited to finally be heading south after having not seen 'France' for all these years.

Another first, I also set my personal land speed record, well without considering take-off and landing, and those buses in Peru. This time it was in the duplex TGV that gets up to 320 km/h, what a great public transport!

Our TGV (train à grande vitesse) in Gare de Lyon. Arrive 2 minutes before departure, and arrive in the city centre, all in it rivals flying on a short haul.
















Sun setting at 300 k's an hour...

Beach at Carnon, beautiful spring weather.














































Sour fig on the beach, could be Cape Town.

Montpellier is mostly beautiful with an old inner city surrounded by an architects wet dream; a modern pseudo Greek suburb, not my idea of pretty. The inner city has narrow tall alleys, walls decked out in a Montpellier cream, it all helps keep the streets cool in the heat of summer.

Spring showing its gorgeous colours in Place de la Comédie

Just up the road from Montpellier is one of France's most beautiful villages, and I'm not just making that up. An association established in 1982 (Les plus beaux villages de France™) has nominated 146 villages that are promoted and looked after to protect this heritage. One of the 146 goes by the name of St Guilhem le Desert. It also has historical significance in that it's along one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

The perfect place for crêpes and cider, the place in St Guilhem le Desert.

Along the coast from Carnon is the old walled town of Aigues-Mortes (dead waters), which makes sense I guess given all the lagoons around. An intriguing spot with many a quaint street and scrumptious smelling crêperie. Worth the visit, an especially good spot to chill for lunch or a glass or two of wine, I imagine.

Something about beaches that just call for sunset photos, so forgive me, couldn't help myself.

I am sure the Easter bunny enjoyed using us as an excuse to hit the beach, must've been hell to stop the eggs melting...

Sun, snow and châteaux

A month full of spoiling gone by, spoilt by the presence of family and friends from faraway coasts, and by the coasts themselves. It has been a crazy month that needs a bit of reflection to allow the senses to take it all in; wildlife and the bushveld, Cape Town and the sea, Jura mountains for a wedding reception, skiing in Flaine and wrapped up by the beautiful châteaux of the Loire valley. Best of all, being able to catch up with faraway friends and fandamily over some bubbly.

It's a lot of blogging to do, so time to bring in the photies...

A good place to start, the beginning... Kruger Park, bigger than Switzerland, and more exciting, well maybe that's a bit unfair since I have only ever been to Switzerland twice, and both time only about 5 km in to the airport. Though, doesn't strike me as a wild place! Kruger on the other hand is wild, albeit it a civilised kind. Ah magic! One of my favourite places in the world, it seriously resets the soul.

The light was just special that morning.
















They can be a bit tatty and war torn, but she was just beautiful.











































No too schabby a set of tusks.
















Elegance and grace antelopified.

View from Skukuza camp, it was amazing to see the bushveld so green, but then parts of Mozambique were a few feet under water after a cyclone made landfall.

Almost comical in proportions.

Jock Safari Lodge spoiling, our own private sala looking out over the river, awesome spot, thanks!

Now that's a big boy, not sure he agrees about that 'king of the jungle' thing.




























Sundowners African style.
























































A special morning light.

A farewell encounter.

A real highlight tour of South Africa, from Kruger to the Cape, summer just calls for a beach picnic. Wonderful to be able to chill on the beach into the evening! Not many cities like it...

From savannah and surf to snow, off to the Jura mountains in France, there is some celebrating to do!!!

Guest starring dj Bond

March, a time of plenty of cold and snow in the Jura mountains, hmmm not this year. Played havoc with the cross country ski season...

Although, when it came to leaving, the snow arrived... for a week, beautiful to wake up to fresh powdery white stuff.

The cemetery at Lamoura.

Leaving the Jura, although we would be staying with the powder... off to Flaine for some downhill skiing. Scarier, but less strenuous than cross-country. The storm had arrived and dumped a fair amount of nastiness on the roads, so after the 1st try we invested in some chains, turning our 307 into a worthy competitor for Raul's 4x4 206, amazing how much more you can do in a hired car.

Flaine was great, fresh powder all week, albeit falling all week as well so we weren't able to take in the splendour of what I imagine a clear view might bring. As for the village itself, hhmmm not somethign I would be proud to put my name against as an architect...

View from our apartment. Despite the unimaginative concrete, a cool spot. But I guess if you lack imagination the worst thing you could do is try make imaginative concrete... he really knew his limits.

One of the mogully ways to get down the mountain.
















Hmm who said no cross-countrying?
















View of the ugliest ski station in France, in the most incredible setting
















And as the weather is prone to do, on the eve of leaving it clears up and says a bright 'howzit!'.































The most spectacular evening, light to rival a morning in the bushveld, brrr missing 40 degrees or so...

Flaine also played host to a hundred odd nutters who do what is call ski randonnée. That's where you put a velvet like 'skin' (otter in the old days, I imagine before the bunny huggers got hold of that) on the bottom of your skis so that you can go straight up mountains. And so they did, 800 vertical metres, in the dark, up a red slope, wow! Have a drink and some nosh, and then bail down said route with a Petzl strapped to your head... hmm sounds like a sane evening out.

It was a great few days but then it was time to dig the car out and head from the ugliest to of the most beautiful buildings on display in France, to be found in the Loire valley.

Azay-le-Rideau, a small but beautiful château right in the village

Langeais, a little less pretty but I guess it was for pouring hot oil off the top of, or some such pleasant welcoming. Fit for purpose.

And Chenonceau, still the prettiest for me, and since you have seen it in previous blogs; a little taste of spring.

I don't expect future months will easily be able to live up to this one gone by, a little bit of everything.

Wishing you the chills of animal calls at night and some fresh snow to collect your backside when you wipe out.