50 for the 50th

All travel offers new experiences so I suspect some of my 50 may be somewhat contrived, but 50 new things I experienced on my trips this Summer to offer a little authenticity to the blog title and a postscript to this little flurry of travel.

- Take a Ferry from Fishguard (well appointed and swiftish) 1

- Pint of Kilkenny in Kilkenny (seemed the right thing to do) 2 

- Irish traditional music in Wexford, pint of Guinness in hand (cultural immersion) 3

- Visiting the oldest working lighthouse in the world (random English Medieval lesson) 4 

- Watching Wales qualify for their first ever world cup in my lifetime (on a ferry) 5

- Seeing the Stadium England played in Italia 90 (Cagliari) (loved that tournament) 6

- Drinking Aperol Spritz (Chrissis suggestion, got drunk) 7

- Kayaking across the bay in Costa Rei (upper body work out x 2) 8

- Climbing Mount Ferru (risky business, hard work) 9

- Watching the sun rise from the East in Costa Rei (best photo of and scenic moment of all 4 trips) 10

- Bacon and cabbage with a pint of Guinness ( that's what I asked for the mountain of mash a surprise) 11

- Flying club class with Carys (great to enjoy lifes comforts 1A and 1 C) 12

- Outdoor shower in back garden au naturelle (enough info) 13

- Saw a house made of shells (bit icky tbh) 14

- Visited another Tintern Abbey ( thought one was enough) 15

- Found one of the many Nuraghe in Sardinia (didn't find others) 16

-Amazing Air Bnb scones,jam and cream in Cullenstown (still salivating) 17

- Checked our own baggage in (3 times) (and it all came back to us) 18

- Ate the traditional Sardinian (cheeses and honey) dessert Sabadas (not great) 19

- Went to Vegas with other people (amazing dynamic) 20

- Stayed in Caesars Palace with sort of Strip View (6th different casino) 21

- Took a ride in the Linq Wheel (cracking views and company) 22

- Visited Big Elvis in the Flamingo (Chrissi knew him, I've since seen the documentary) 23

-  Cocktails in Vanderpumps (high class,good clobber) 24

- Rat Pack Dinner (singing, ambience,amazing) 25

- Cocktails in Vespers (James Bond,we've been expecting you) 26

- Nightcap in the Bellagio Piano Bar (great end to birthday) 27

- Got myself a hair stylist called Crystal (back to Christa in Undy) 28

-  Visited the Neon Museum (once in a lifetime for sure) 29

-  Saw Alien Ant Farm on Fremont Street (and other hair metal stuff) 30

- Partied on a revolving bar (all singing, and dancing) 31

- Early morning run down to the Vegas sign (not parkrun) 32

- Visited the Conservatory at the Bellagio (animal magic) 33

- Watched the fountains from a front facing room at the Bellagio (friends invited us up) 34

- Picked up covid (long overdue, timed well between 2 holidays and new start at work) 35

- Wandered in front of the ghostly Castiadias Prison (oddly evocative) 36

- Explore Cagliari Cathedral Crypt relics of the martyrs (something different) 37

- Take in the sweeping views of Cagliari from the City Walls (panoramic) 38

- Take in the sweeping views of Avignon from the City Walls (saw half a bridge) 39

- Climb two thirds of Mont Ventoux (good effort, great time with me boy) 40

- Longest cycle ride on Strava (if its not on Strava it didn't happend) 41

- Cycle through the gorge D'Ubrieux (rock climbers and good laugh with Carys) 42

- Meander through the streets of Buis Les Barronies (quirky, french, old) 43

- Chill in a Hot Tub and Pool under the watchful shadow of the Ventouxv (frenemy) 44

- Take an audi tour of the Pont de Benezet (oddly something we wouldn't normally do) 45

- Drive to the top of Mont Ventoux (got the gears right, passengers saw sheer drops) 46

- See the Simpson Memorial (tipped my hat) 47

- Visit Bedoin (Playstation 3/4 memories) 48

- See Marseille from the air (turned over the Med) 49

- A room spa in Caesars (roman debauchery) 50

Aye, life in the old dog yet ;) 

Eking out a few last moments

Having to check out of Air Bnb by 10.00 really put pay to my plans for a long run, could have done something shorter, but pressure on now to do something when we get back this week.  We are away again next weekend so London Marathon training is relying on residual fitness to simply get around in one piece.  Guilt trip over, took a couple of hours to pack and generally chill in the AirBnB.

Said aurevoir to our genial host Delphine, who looks after the property for Francoise. If Jean Claude had popped in from La Rochelle I'd have been back to my Tricolore book for GCSE French.  Best recommendation I can give is to take a look here https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/6877431?source_impression_id=p3_1661094005_0fn1t2zDm%2BSdl3BF

Done our calculations for the journey to Marseille airport, we reckoned on one decent stop somewhere in Provence. Changed a few times over the last 24 hours but ultimately settled on the evocative name of Avignon and set the google maps for there. Retraced our regular journey of the last few days around the base of Ventoux and about an hour later we were on the outskirts of this old walled city.

Deeply religious history meant that the papacy had a home here for a while in the 14th century and a lot of the architecture, ornaments and buildings are a nod to that.  A bridge that spanned half of the Rhone caught our attention and we paid 18 euros for a pass to walk across it, understanding the elements built very much with a religious service in mind, and also seeing how it had succumbed to the natural world around the 16th century.  Pont Saint Benezet, remember that name, I'm finding it hard to.

A walk up onto the walls allowed for a few more pictures and the spot of an outdoor restaurant in the square below. Also some wandering around lavender shops, out of season for lavender, but clearly a bit export of these parts. Made our way to aforesaid restaurant for a last bite to eat on french soil, going for a simple burger myself, medium done, felt more french that way!

It was then a successful negotiation of our indoor car park, always a worry those, and onto the main roads towards Marseille. About an hour on the toll road, 7.20 euros each way been the only tolls we have had to fork out at the peage.  Refill of the tank around 68 euros and has been worth having a car (and bike) to get around on this rather quick trip.

And so into the airport, through the fastest check in ever (who needs the fast track queue although we have enough BA points to use it), I do appreciate good service when it emerges!  Nice and simple flight home, chance to take a few photos of planes and leaving the earth, always a buzz of excitement even at the end of a trip.

Short and sweet today, real world again tomorrow and the beginning of a plan for future trips but time to do the thing that allows me to do the other thing.

Will do a self indulgent 50 new things we've done on holiday postcript blog when I get chance but I won't share that publicly, so you might revisit the blog at some point if you are really bored!

(Carys)

For our last day, we were all up fairly early, trying to sort out our things that seemed to end up everywhere, despite our short stay? We got everything packed away, and tidied up the house, taking a bit of time to appreciate how beautiful it was, and we'd had a really good time here. Said a quick goodbye to our host, Delphine, packed up the car and headed off. 

I was feeling slightly sick, so tried to distract myself in the car, and upon arriving in Avignon, used thew pretty sights as an alternative distraction. It was a lovely  town, with quite fairytale-esque buiuldings, including of course the palace and it's wall. We had a little wander around, paid for a visit of the unfinished bridge, which had some nice views from it, and then decided to eat some lunch in the square next to the palace. I ad a starter, still feeling slightly ill - a goats cheese and vegetable pie. Maybe not the best choice, as although I've expressed my love of goat's cheese frequently here, it's quite rich and din't help me feel much better. 

Once we'd finished, we drove to the airport, and checked in the bags. We went through security and bought some snacks to eat before boarding the plane. The flight again went by super quickly and before we knew it, we were back in the UK. We enjoyed a pretty sunset on the car journey home, and I ate a pasta pot for dinner from M&S followed by some chocolate. A short finish from me today, but would just like to say I've had a brilliant time as usual, and i'm very grateful for these opportunities. 

Provence You're Gorge(ous)

Probably the one lie in of the vacation, but even that I was thinking about the things we needed to see in this lovely part of the world.

I also needed to resume my running efforts, but by 9am the heat was on, and a 5K trundle in the locality all I could manage, and even that didn't feel very touristy.

Grabbed a bit of breakfast back in the lodgings and then nudged Carys towards a bike ride, a more relaxed one on the cards for today, but such a great way of seeing the countryside I think. Running is good for that, but you generally don't want to stop, so its more about soaking up the vibe. Cycling, you can take it all in and stop at your leisure. Definitely the sightseeing exercise of choice!

So Carys and I headed up towards Buis le Baronnes, finding a little route along the river, and the winding our way into the town itself on more main roads. Took a stop there as it was market day, so another dimension to this lovely little locale.

We continued out of there unsure of what we would find, knowing we were in the Provence countryside, but really landed on our feet. First a well known gorge in these parts, then a pull up through some olive fields and taking in the caonyonesque surrounds, and even detouring to get a few shots from hight. Stopped at the actual gorge on our return, watching bathers, rock climbers and generally soaking up the scene. All under the watchful eye of Ventoux which was keeping us under its wing.

All downhill back to the Airbnb, and a smorgasboard type of lunch, we have accumulated a lot of bread, cheese, fruit and crisps!

Whilst I have every intention of returning to the Ventoux and various offers and discussions already in play, it did feel appropriate to go and take another look at my new best frenemy. This time by car, and we drove up the same route from Malausene that we took yesterday, Chrissi, Bryn and I talking it all through. The last part of course new territory, and quite hairy with the sheer drops, sharp gradients, and lunar like landscape.

We made it up the observatory, parked up and took a look, shouting chapeau at the many cyclists hitting the peak. One thing we did notice, almost all seemed a lot more kitted out for the climb than the amateur effort that was made yesterday.

The views of course staggering, across to the Alps, down to Marseille etc Wove our way down to Bedoin, the more traditional Tour de France route, and Bryn and I recalling so many of the things we have seen watching, or indeed playing (Playstation style) the Tour at home. A notable nod at the Simpson memorial too.

Had a small beer in Bedoin, and a moment where we all seemed to lose the ability to lock the car!

Bryn keeping us informed as to football results back home (the Swans not doing their bit to keep him in holiday happiness) but fantasy football lifted his spirits a bit.

Didn't want to stray far from our house in the evening, and the one food place in the village was randomly a Vietnamese place, amongst the old worldy churches and streets. Turned out the owner got stuck here during covid and ended up staying, very much a cottage industry. To the point where we popped in, had a chat with him, and he basically agreed to cook us something with what he had left. A very different kind of of takeaway. But allowed us to relax by the pool and in the hot tub with a beer!

This turn of events gave us time back in our lodgings, and so chance to chill by the pool, book, beer, all that holiday stuff, hot tub too.

Bryn and I walked back down to see how our new friend Phi was getting on and watched him put the finishing touches to our wantons and spring rolls in his lovely homely kitchen. Chatted with him for a while about vietnam, france, the world.

Back to do the very late eating, a salad with lemon grass, beef, peanuts, noodles, and all manner of other fresh and crisp tastes which was quite different and unexpected.  Our go with the flow approach unearths a hidden gem from time to time, if you are ever in these parts look Phi up https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1892786-d23412177-Reviews-Phi_Gourmet-Pierrelongue_Drome_Auvergne_Rhone_Alpes.html

As darkness fell we played some quizzy stuff, girls hammering the boys and suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired (drunk?) and needed some sleep, need to be a little refreshed as the new week beckons!

(Carys)

A slightly earlier start from me today, though whilst dad was running, I had a little extra time to lie in. We then got prepared for our adventure on the bikes - less difficult and ambitious of course than yesterdy's adventure for the boys, but none the less, a good experience. We cycled up to the town we'd had food in yesterday, and beyond, up to about 450 metres of altitude. I took a bit of time to adjust to the bike, with it being so much lighter than my own at home, having smaller wheels, and a much narrower frame as well. Once I'd gotten used to that, and how easy it was for the handlebars to just turn, I also tried to understand the gears and how to use them efficiently. By the end of the ride, I'd say I got on with the bike well, and it was good to try a different style of bike. The ride was lovely, getting to see the market set up in the town that hadn’t been there yesterday. I had a slight mishap where I skidded but managed to avoid crashing into a parked car, and falling over and hurting my self, so all was okay. Further on, we approached the more mountainous areas, and had to tackle a bit of a climb - well, what I would consider a climb anyway. the views were spectacular though, and the feeling coming back down was so well worth it. Really exhilarating. The gorges were fantastic, and we managed to get plenty of good photos. It felt really good to be exploring on the bikes, and I’ve missed doing that on our holidays.

Back to the house, I wolfed down some lunch, having just had juice for breakfast, making myself a goat’s cheese and salad baguette, the same as yesterday. With varying other crisps and snacks. Then, I got on with some more reading whilst the others headed out, and once they’d come back, we headed to the pool which is just round the back of the apartments. I had a dip, which felt really good too. After some lounging, It got a little bit colder, so I decided it was time to get in the hottub again. I spent some time there, before having a shower, and soon enough, food had arrived. I found the dinner really intriguing, and wish I had come to the restaurant itself to see it and chat to the chef like the others did. Regardless, he sounded very interesting, and the food was just that to. A vegetable Buddha bowl, with salad, cucumber, cabbage, peanuts, mint, onions, noodles and varying other vegetables, along with hot spring rolls. As I said to dad, not what we expected to be eating at 10 o’clock this morning, but it’s good how things work out. Now feeling quite sleepy, and ready for a good night’s rest.

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