The Loire… the first place we ever visited in France, ten years ago. With Prune, as a young one with endless energy to explore with us. And now, almost exactly ten years later, we were back, only an hour or so from where we first stayed. Suzi’s turn to experience this part of France.
We were staying in a Gite in a hamlet just outside the little village of Giroux. An old farmhouse, we instantly loved the location, with a meadow and fields of wheat and sunflowers just behind, where Suzi could be off lead and we spotted deer in the mornings.
This area was as we remembered it… wide open, empty stretches of tarmac under a washed out blue sky. Wheat fields, hay bales… you could see a car approaching you far in the distance. The villages too, were the frontier type we had seen back then, where hardy but friendly folk live and work the farms, and seemingly not much has changed in a very long time.
We ambled through these villages, admiring cute houses and flowers, chancing on a classic car convention, clambering over hay bales in the middle of empty fields. Those carefree summer memories, that almost seemed to belong to another simpler time. It was easy to forget the year, leave along the day.
And also, hard to leave. Something unappealing about rejoining the year 2023, reality. All three of us leaving a little piece of us there, amongst the empty skies and fields.
Perhaps the time of year we most associate with this part of France. Dry earth, abundant green, fields of wheat, maize growing taller than people, sunflowers, their yellow faces turned toward the sun in unison. Long, hot days that turn into balmy nights. Pink and red sunsets, a slow, languid feel in the towns and villages. Birds singing sweet songs.
Having spent a year in the South of France, there’s certain things I’ve noticed…
There’s a lot of mosquitoes. And bugs and worms longer than a meter, and snakes, and frogs that insist on coming into the house. But there’s also beautiful families of deer that graze in the field across from the house, and even wild boar that sprint across the countryside.
Hardly anyone speaks English. I guess this is a France thing in general, so I was forced to pull out the dusty high school French, and learned to gesture almost as much as everyone here to get my point across (there’s google translate, for emergencies). However, everyone is patient with my painfully slow speaking, and most people here are friendly, anyway.
Almost every town is cute and will make you want to buy a house there. No joke, each town is cuter than the next, with views that make you want to give up everything and spend the rest of your life right there.
You need to carry a stick at all times. There are feral dogs in almost every town. I’m warning you.
You’ll get burnt/ leave several shades darker. It really is sunny and warm most of the year. There are some cold days and nights though, and when it rains, it pours, but mostly, it’s Summer time.
You’ll get to know people fast. Everyone knows me now, probably as the strange foreign person, but still. And even the cats are our friends (Spud and Celery, I’m talking to you).
You’ll need a car to explore. There’s not much connectivity here, but the surrounding towns and villages and countryside are full of beauty and just need to be explored. From the Mountain views in winter to the fields of sunflowers in summer, and the cute villages of cottages and crumbling churches.
You won’t want to leave. Hotel California has nothing on this place.
Another update from the South of France, this time Spring! This time of year is much wetter, so everything is green and full of life. There have been some very warm days, some wet days, some windy days… a real, mixed bag! But it’s always a decent temperature at least to get out and explore.
We’ve also done some day trips- to Carcassone and Lourdes, both of which were very interesting, as well as discovering new cute towns tucked away here with cherry blossom trees and fields of cows.
I thought I’d share some photos of life here over the winter… we are extremely lucky that there’s barely been much cold weather, and in fact a lot of lovely dry weather and sunshine all winter. The sunsets and sunrises, the cute towns that had all the Christmas decorations up, the snow covered mountains in the distance… a lovely time of year here.
Just one day in Monaco? Luckily, since it’s the second smallest country in the world, it is possible to see most of this tiny place in a few hours, and mostly on foot! And even though this is one of the more expensive destinations, most things I did were completely free.
Look at the mega yachts in the Marina. Each one is bigger than the next, and it’s fun to stroll along looking at them all, and sit on a bench or at a waterfront cafe here.
Stroll through the gardens. There are many different gardens in Monaco, my favourite was the Jardin Exotique, with lots of cactus, colourful flowers and little birds, with beautiful views of the sea.
Ride the escalators into the rocks. Since Monaco is so small and is surrounded by mountains, you often need to ascend through them to get to the different levels of the city. It’s a fun experience to head ‘into’ the rocks!
People watch. You never know who you might spot! There’s lots of nice spots to sit and watch and enjoy the sun.
Take a helicopter ride. My favourite activity, and the only thing I spent money on. But it was worth it, the views of the coastline, the water, the mountains… amazing! And you get treated like a star, too! They offer a service between Monaco and Nice, or even special flights. There’s a few companies, I used Monacair.
Take a trip to Nice, or other towns on the French Riviera. It’s easy to go between the towns on the French Riviera, by train, car or bus, so you can combine these with a trip to Monaco.
That’s Monaco in a day, without spending like a rockstar…
Practical information
Getting there- you have to fly into Nice’s airport. It’s well served by most European airlines. From there, it’s half an hour by train from Nice’s central station.
Accommodation- it’s much more affordable to stay in Nice. There are a variety of hotels and apartments. The one I stayed at, Hotel Byakko was nice, I loved the roof terrace, but the area was very noisy at night.
When to visit- definitely try to avoid the peak summer months when it is packed. Off season is best since the weather will most likely be nice anyway. When the Grand Prix is in town it will also be a lot more expensive (May this year).
I didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived in Finland. I mean, there are those Scandi stereotypes, some of which were definitely true. It is clean, spare, the people keep to themselves. Everything runs on time, there is blonde wood and white everywhere. And yes, it is COLD and in fact was snowing for most of our visit! But it just added to the atmosphere and made our stay even more magical.
We quickly discovered that Finnish words are unpronounceable. I’d love to tell you where we stayed but honestly I don’t really know… just that our apartment was warm, large, and a sanctuary to come back to after time out in the cold. Also, it was out of the city Center, so it was nice to watch local residents going around, instead of just tourists. (And it was only a twenty minute metro ride into the city anyway).
On our first day, we explored Helsinki. There was a lot to see; the pretty cathedral, the ice chocked harbour, the cute colourful buildings, as well as hidden surprises- a mosaic on a roof, a botanical garden. We of course had to visit the moomin shop- these adorable white lumpy creatures were created by Finnish author Tove Janssen and are as important to the Fins as Paddington is to the British. So we inevitably had to buy a ton from their stores!
On our second day, I organised for us to visit Nuuksio reindeer park. I’d been wanting to visit this place for ages and was excited to finally be able to go. To get there involved an hour car ride- which passed quickly with views of snow covered pine forest. We first stopped at the Finnish natural Center where we went for a walk in the woods. It was really breathtaking, and felt so unspoilt, like we’d made it to Lapland.
Then we headed on to the reindeers. They’ve all been rescued, and now live out their days in comfort and with a lot of fuss and food from visitors! We met our guide, who introduced us to the reindeer, and we got to feed them buckets of lichen, their favourite food! They were so adorable and greedy, and had warm, soft noses! My favourite was little Pearl, who was an orphan and white in colour. Afterwards we got to warm up in a traditional Finnish tent and enjoy coffee and hot juice warmed by the campfire, and chat with our guide. We had a great time, it’s such a magical place and it was hard to leave the little wonderland of Nuuksio.
And just like that our time was up! Our whirlwind stay in Finland was over. We’d seen so much and got a taste of Lapland. Another one ticked off the bucket list…
Practical information
Getting here- Helsinki airport is served by most major airlines. From there, using the metro is an easy way to get into the city Center and the suburbs.
Accommodation- We used Booking.com for our apartment. Airbnb is also an option. Ours was part of the local chain Westay.
Getting around- make use of the excellent metro and train network, but taxis or a rental car would be easier to reach Nuuksio. We found Uber to be very reliable.
What to do- devote at least a day to exploring Helsinki. The city is very walkable, and there’s lots to see. Also spend a day exploring further a field. For a taste of Lapland, head to Nuuksio. You can do a walk like we did and visit the reindeer. They are open to the public on weekend afternoons, other days, you need to book a private visit (which is what we did).
When to visit- it depends! We visited in January, the depth of winter, so there was a lot of snow which made it very magical, especially with the reindeer! Christmas can be very busy for that reason. Summer would be a totally different atmosphere- and could be very interesting! Maybe for a repeat visit, one day…
A day trip to a new country! Dad and I enjoyed a very quick trip to Andorra, almost cancelled by the snow! We didn’t get to see very much of this tiny country, but the drive at least was breathtaking, through the Pyrenees, and the snow covered landscape was beautiful.
Suzi seems to have settled in well to her new temporary home, clever girl escaped the worst of the winter and is enjoying milder temperatures in the South of France!
Nice too to have visits from everyone, and we continue to explore this pretty area. It’s beautiful this time of year, in the autumn, with the beautiful colors in the leaves and golden sunrises and sunsets, not to mention the Remembrance Day services and proud French flags flying in the little villages, plus the first glimpses of the snow on the mountains.
Sorry for my absence here, I will try to write more often again! Xx
This trip was two years in the making! Glad that I finally got to visit Samatan way down in the south of France. Closer to Spain than Paris, this part of France feels decidedly more Mediterranean, with the sun bleached houses and banana and palm trees, juxtaposed with the rolling hills of green in the background, and, on a clear day, the distant peaks of the Pyrenees towering on the horizon.
Samatan itself is a good sized town of faded grandeur; buzzy by day and evening, full of life whenever you choose to stroll down. Surrounding towns and villages of Auch, Castelnau Barabens, Boulougne Sur Geese, Boulaur and Saramon, are all good to visit, with beautiful little streets to explore, cathedrals and churches to visit and all around, stunning views of the countryside.
But you can also pass hours sitting on the balcony, watching families of deer move tentatively across the forest, birds of prey ride the thermals far above, and enjoy the sound of nothing much at all.
Sure, it felt more like summer with long dry and warm days and lovely long evenings, but still, I reckon there will be magic to this place all year round. The streets and the houses and the trees and those mountains, they all tell stories, and I’ve barely scratched the surface…
