I've been appalling at blogging - to the extent that this is the first blog post since May 2022! I must do better springs to mind.
So, what have we done since then.
Looking back on 2023 I've managed to get over to La Croix 5 times and we have another 'maintenance' trip planned next month. So not bad all things being considered. Our first trip was a cheeky little weekend break in January. We always like to go over at this time of year so that we can check the house is still there given we generally close up over the Winter months. We spend the time checking everything and love the evenings spent enjoying the local wine with the log burner lit and keeping us snug.
We then went over in April taking advantage of the Easter bank holiday weekend. We invited our friends Will & Cindy to join us and we enjoyed a great few days. The weather was stunning and so took full advantage of some Spring sunshine sorting the garden and enjoying home made cocktails on the patio waiting for glorious sunsets.
My next trip was the end of May/June, half term week as I was joined by 3 friends, one of whom teaches so this restricts when she is able to join us. Again, the weather was fantastic. In fact it felt as if it was the middle of Summer as the temperature was in the high 20's. We did a few bits of sightseeing along side lots of relaxing and had many an evening sat on our patio enjoying a bottle of fizz or two. We had a great day wandering round Saumur and took a little trip on the tourist train which was a great way to see the town and it helped our lunch at Grand Bleu settle down! The next day we planned a canoe trip down the Loire. We booked it whilst in the Tourist Information Office in Saumur, ever so helpful. We opted for the trip that canoed past Saumur under the 3 bridges and past the Chateau. What an adventure. So enjoyable alongside the exercise we got. Before heading home we selected a local bottle of fizz from the Caravan park reception and took it to the beach to enjoy. So relaxing and a perfect way to end the day.
During June and July we had a couple of weddings and so our next trip was a week at the end of July with our friends Paul & Julie. We opted for the overnight ferries both ways and this made a 5 night stay at the house into a full week away. It had been very hot and dry for most of June and July and unfortunately we picked the week where the weather became a little more unsettled. It was still lovely and warm and sunny but you had to be prepared for a down pour because when it rained it really threw it down! We visited the gardens at Villandry and sat down for lunch on an uncovered outside table only to move to a covered one when the heavens opened! It didn't dampen our spirits though as the food was excellent and our visit to the gardens were as stunning as ever. We've have been so many times but each trip is different and we are always amazed at how beautiful it is.
We also visited the Bouvet Ladubay Caves in Saumur and enjoyed our cycle round them on 'ancient' bikes that were just like what we all had as kids! Another great trip.
At the end of August we didn't have any guests booked in for the Bank Holiday weekend and so we booked some flights from Bristol to Nantes and had a further quick trip over. It was a great trip with visits to Tours, Saumur and some local bike rides. The weather was perfect and so were those sunsets.
It was a great trip and because our flight home wasn't until 11pm we decided to leave the house early and spend the day in Nantes, have our evening meal and then head to the airport for about 9pm in time to fly home. Unfortunately it was the day of the UK Air Traffic Control incident so our flight time kept changing throughout the day, but we were hopeful that it wouldn't be cancelled altogether. However, just as we had sat down for our meal we got the dreaded cancellation text through! So with us both in work the next day we tried to work out the best route home! All flights to the UK were fully booked and most were cancelled anyway so we opted to go as foot passengers on our tried and trusted Brittany Ferries route. So we extended the car hire, added a one way rental in, booked a hotel in Caen and booked our selves on the early ferry the following day. Although it was a hassle and not the end that we'd planned for our holiday we got home the following evening and got to work reclaiming the expenses incurred from easyJet - most of which we have now had repaid to us so not a bad outcome in the end. The photo at the top of this blog is the Nantes Mechanical Elephant - very impressive and our advice is not to stand too close when it starts to move!
We've one final trip planned in the next couple of weeks - it's planned as a maintenance trip. I think I have the lounge to paint and Pete is doing some repair work in the garage. We'll make sure we get out for a cycle and have a couple of nice meals out somewhere as well though!
So that's 2023 and our trips to La Croix. We have enjoyed every one and are looking forward to spending even more time out there in 2024!