Last Post

I know!  It’s been nine days since my last post.  Unfortunately, we’ve been affected by the unpredictable effects of politics and weather (and maybe a little end of trip exhaustion as well).  Let me bring you up to date.

After leaving Sarlat & the Dordogne, we drove to Figueres, Spain, just across the border with France.  This was a return visit since Anne wanted a refresher on the artist Salvador Dali who was born and lived there.  We had just scheduled two days as a result.  Unfortunately, there was a province wide strike on in support of the Catalan independence movement our first day there.  Almost nothing was open and I had to go to a fuel station for basic supplies for our apartment!  At least the weather was good and I did manage to walk up and around the fortress San Ferren overlooking Figueres.  It’s an 18th century border fortress and one of the largest in Europe (it’s 3 km around the perimeter).  The next day we drove out to the village of Pubol to tour Dali’s castle again (see last years post for more detail) and, especially, to celebrate my 70th birthday with a meal at a favorite restaurant there.

From Figueres, it was back into France and the walled city of Aigues-Mortes (Dead Waters) in the Camargue area of the Rhone River Delta.  It rained pretty much the entire two days we were there!  Fortunately, we had an apartment within the city walls, so we were able to get out both days during short afternoon breaks in the rain.  The old city is incredibly picturesque and the thirty meter high walls especially impressive.  The second day, I was able to walk the 1.6 kms of the ramparts and tour the Tower of Constance which was used as a women’s prison during the ‘Religious Wars’.

At this point, we made a change of plans and, instead of following the coast around through the Riviera which we’ve done before, we headed up to Annecy on Lake Annecy near Geneva.  At least it wasn’t raining!  The medieval core of Annecy sits on a river and a couple canals and is often included in lists of lesser known French destinations.  The medieval core alone contained four significant churches (not quite a Bourges Cathedral but impressive none the less), a major chateau and the most recognized site of the city:  the Palais du Isle (really a prison) built on an island in the river.  All this on the edge of a picturesque alpine lake!

From Annecy, it was through the Alps, using the 11 km long Mt. Blanc tunnel, to the village of Lesa on the shore of Italy’s largest lake:  Lago Maggiore.  We’re in a lovely holiday apartment just five minutes walk from the lake and are spending the last four days of our trip enjoying sunshine at last and resting up for the long journey home!  Next stop, New Zealand!