Morocco wasn’t on my initial itinerary when planning this trip. My colleague Michelle had already booked and asked me if I’d like to join her. With only four places left on her departure date I snapped one up. I admit my preparation after that was lax, except for the precautionary Hep A&B and typhoid jabs. I didn’t even watch the Ab Fab Morocco episode Michelle … Continue reading Morocco

I have to admit that I wasn’t that excited to arrive in Paris. I knew it would mean a return to a big city and its traffic, noise, concrete, crowds, higher prices… the list goes on. I had been seduced by the French countryside. Train strikes meant a four plus hour ride from Djion to Paris in a hot stuffy bus with poor AC and … Continue reading Paris

Bonjour! It’s been a while as the wifi in regional areas while on the barge was not strong enough to upload content and since I got to Paris I’ve been far too busy being a tourist to blog. I found some time while on the train to Versailles to compose this update. The tour through Burgundy was superb and far exceeded my expectations. The barge … Continue reading Burgundy

Sure, you know, the only French wine available in small liquor shops in Perth’s outer suburbs, located on the bottom of the shelf and covered in dust? Well that’s my first memory of Beaujolais wine. Before Mr Murphy arrived on the scene! I booked a Beaujolais wine tour as I enjoy the wine and wanted to learn more about it in the region of its … Continue reading Beaujolais!

Day two in Lyon started with my re-booked city bike tour at 9.30am. The group of eight (5 Americans, 2 French Canadians and me) met our guide outside the court in the old town. We were given a brief lesson on how to control the e-bikes, which were easy to operate. Although it took me a while to get use to the kick of the … Continue reading Lyon – 2 of 2

Lyon, where to begin? It is just as beautiful a city as Nice but it is the influence of the two rivers, rather than the ocean, that distinguishes it. I also think the town’s significant geographical location throughout history has a strong link to its present culture. Catching the train from Nice to Lyon was easy, it was the train stations that were hard! Nice … Continue reading Lyon – 1 of 2

Sorry to keep you waiting, I’ve been having too much fun! The last 2.5 days experiencing France for the first time has been amazing! My flights were with Emirates, both on A380’s, were as good as long haul flights can be. The quality service and in-flight entertainment helped! I arrived in Nice around 1.30pm on Thursday 24 May and operating on adrenaline made it onto … Continue reading Côte d’Azur and Provence